Here in America it's Memorial Day today - and a time to remember one's patriotic duty to the country. I say our duty is to do our part that on Memorial Day, one year from now, there will be less people grieving for having lost their loved ones in a war - especially a NATO war such as is happening today.
The e-mail below was sent to me from an old World War II combat veteran in the European theater of war. I have taken one small liberty with this document and substituted "oppressors" for more descriptive words he used when his emotions ran away with him. Otherwise, it stands "as is."
I think that is speaks for itself, and I urge all of my readers to do as he says - and as your conscience dictates. It will take as little as a minute. Brother, can you spare a minute?
Dennis here:
This email is in two parts. The first part is a brief introduction explaining the second part. The second part is a short citizen's submission to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
* Take 60 seconds to copy it into an email blank and email it to fisk.icty@un.org
* Post it to networks to give others a chance to send it in to The Hague.
If you believe the Nato propaganda, just delete this email now, and go about your comfortable life.
Introduction
Long-established Custom
1 An overriding principle of law between nations is that no peaceful sovereign nation should be coerced by a combination of other sovereign nations - not even if the coercing nations call themselves by a name such as the UNO, or NATO.
2 On the other hand, the UNO is a fact of life today, even if it is a manipulated body. It has set up the only "court of nations" to hear disputes between countries. The UNO early on condemned the use of force by aggressor countries. It favors negotiation. At present it is the only available court in the world with the moral right to try international crimes.
Punishment for serious crimes
3 The United Nations' Security Council set the ground rules for a Court of Justice in 1993. This Court is to indict and bring to trial all persons alleged to have committed serious crimes of war in the former Yugoslavia. It is called The International Criminal Tribunal (ICT).
[Security Council Resolution 808 (1993) of 22 February 1993 reads:
...1. Decides that an international tribunal shall be established for the prosecution of persons reponsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991".]
Duty of Prosecutor
4 The Prosecutor is obligated by the ICT Statute to investigate and decide whether to indict. The Prosecutor has no discretion to "not investigate".
[ Article 18(1) of the Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia: reads: ..."Investigation and preparation of indictment. 1. The Prosecutor shall initiate investigations ex-officio or on the basis of information obtained from any source, particularly from Governments, United Nations organs, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The Prosecutor shall assess the information received or obtained and decide whether there is sufficient basis to proceed." ]
Credibility of this Court is in doubt.
5 The largest force involved in this violent NATO attack on Serbia is the USA, supported mainly by Britain, with Canada being a puppet of both these countries. Because the chief judge of the ICT is American and the Prosecutor is Canadian, no one believes that the ICT is likely to be impartial.
6 Therefore, since the Prosecutor may receive submissions from any source, the following submission from a private citizen was today emailed to Madame Justice Louise Arbour in the Hague. Other, more detailed and professional submissions have been sent in by groups of international lawyers, (see http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/icty.htm ) - (see also a submission with an excellent background to this conflict at http://www.nato-warcrimes.gr/index.html) However, the Prosecutor needs to be made aware that many citizens around the world consider that NATO propaganda is lies and that NATO leaders should definitely be investigated for murderous attacks. The legal framers of the above submissions have asked that citizens send in their individual requests for indictment.
The impact of a flood of private submissions may convince the Prosecutor of the risks involved in NOT declaring the NATO action in Serbia to be illegal. Silence from all of us people in all our countries will encourage the Prosecutor to sweep it under the rug.
It takes a person about 60 seconds to copy this citizen submission (below) and email it to the eddress given, even though it may be ignored. If you are fuming because you can do nothing to stop the bombing of women and kids, here is a chance to do something - to ensure that the oppressors are made to account for their actions when the murdering stops.
Copy the following into a blank email, and Email to: fisk.icty@un.org Start of citizen submission:
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Dated 31 May 1999
BEFORE THE PROSECUTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
COMPLAINT CHARGING
NATO's political and military leaders and all responsible NATO personnel
WITH GRAVE BREACHES OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION 0F 1949 and VIOLATIONS OF THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR
PART ONE
THE FOLLOWING FACTS ARE NOT IN DISPUTE:
1 The armed attack is taking place on and over the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
2 International Law as practiced by nations for over two centuries does not include a right for humanitarian intervention in a sovereign nation, using force.
3 The UNO has not sanctioned the use of force.
4 NATO is in breach of the NATO self-defense charter.
5 No country or organisation has declared war.
6 The charges are many and proof of aggression is clear. Foremost are:
The willful killing of civilians,
Premeditated environmental damage impacting surrounding countries,
Use of prohibited weapons such as cluster bombs and heat bombs,
Permanent radioactivity from depleted uranium projectiles.
7 The court (ICT) has jurisdiction.
8 The responsibility (the duty) of the Prosecutor to investigate is clear.
PART TWO
The eyes of citizens of every country in the world are watching for signs of the credibility of the International Criminal Tribunal.
ICT Judges and Prosecutors are citizens of NATO countries and their careers can be ruined if NATO leaders are indicted. However, legal reputations will be ruined if NATO leaders are not indicted. Also the moral force of "International Law" will be ridiculed.
What respect will be accorded the Supreme Court of Canada and its decisions if Madame Justice Arbour is elevated in the future, in the event her ICT decisions today were not truly impartial ?
Will citizens and countries show cynicism or respect for the United Nations' bodies and Tribunals ?
Which of our sovereign countries will receive the next Humanitarian Missile Intervention if this travesty goes unpunished ?
But above all, what justice will the bombed, maimed, and destroyed citizens of Serbia receive ?
Madame Prosecutor, I demand the indictment of every responsible NATO civilian and soldier.
(Signed) Dennis Shaw, Canada. A response is requested, please.
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Thought for the Day:
The Daily News, the second largest paper in the second largest U.S. city, posed the following question to its readers on April 9, 1999:
"Do you have confidence in President Clinton's ability to deal with the Kosovo crisis?"
Out of 1,434 responses which the paper received, 82% said "NO," and 18% replied "YES."
Back to Table of Contents of the May 1999 ZGrams