Indexing for the UN_list. Click Mary Robinson's mug to see the list.
Posted on 09/25/2001 11:27:49 AM PDT by kattracks
GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, called on Tuesday for the world to recognise the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon as "crimes against humanity".
Such recognition would oblige all states to cooperate with both the United States and United Nations in bringing the perpetrators to justice, she told a news conference.
A global consensus including Arab and Muslim states would also signal that such "deliberate depravity" and targeting of civilians cannot be carried out in the name of Islam, she added.
Robinson, a former President of Ireland, urged the United States and European Union member states not to deprive minorities or asylum seekers of their civil liberties in the name of "tackling terrorism" after the attacks.
The U.S. administration accuses Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden of being behind the hijacking of commercial airliners which slammed into the New York and Washington landmarks, leaving 7,000 people dead or missing.
"We concluded in the Office of the High Commissioner that the events of September 11 undoubtedly constituted acts of terrorism but they also crossed a line.
"To us, the line that was crossed brought these acts into what we would characterise as crimes against humanity," Robinson declared.
"If these are crimes against humanity, every country would owe a duty to work with the United Nations, work with the United States, to bring the perpetrators to justice," she added.
Crimes against humanity were outlawed by the postwar Geneva Conventions but there has been no global body to prosecute those who commit them.
The International Criminal Court, which Robinson hopes will be set up in 12-18 months, says that crimes against humanity include the deliberate targeting of civilians. It will not, however, be able to take up cases the predate its existence.
FEARS BACKLASH
Robinson specifically said it would be "healthy" if the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) would join in denouncing the attacks as crimes against humanity so that no such future attacks could be carried out invoking Islamic law.
The OIC, representing the world's 1.2 billion Muslims in 55 states, has condemned the attacks as "barbaric and criminal".
Robinson said it was vital to follow up on the recent U.N. Conference against Racism, held in South Africa, and its call to fight the "evils of Islamophobia, anti-Arab sentiment and anti-Semitism" while protecting minorities such as refugees.
"This agenda can help us to retain a very important balance, so that in harnessing global abilities and capabilities to address acts of terrorism and terrorist organisations, we don't make the mistake of eroding civil liberties, of having the situation of refugees and asylum seekers greatly worsened," she said.
Referring to a meeting last week of EU justice and home affairs ministers -- which agreed bold anti-terrorism measures such as a common European arrest and extradition warrant -- she said:
"The outcome of that could be worrying for a further erosion of certain liberties in European countries and a harsher climate and context for refugees and asylum seekers."
Without naming names, she added: "I have no doubt that there are countries who are gearing up to tackle terrorism by clamping down on human rights defenders."
Phuque the UN.
prambo
Eff them all.
as if anyone asked my opinion :-}
to recognise the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon as "crimes against humanity".
Is there a talking point running around the leftist groups saying that the phrase terrorist attack must be replaced by suicide attack? The terrorists as victims? GRRR!
I hate that term.
This is indicative of Reuters' decision to stop using the word "terrorist" to describe the September 11 atrocities. The head of Reuters even said that "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." Notice that in this article the only use of the word "terrorist" is in quotes from Mary Robinson.
The UN is part of the problem and, ergo, should have nothing to do with the solution. Unless "involvement" is defined as absorbing a couple of ArcLight strikes.
prambo
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