Stephen Lendman

On February 21, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) press release headlined, "Iraq: Vulnerable Citizens at Risk," announcing its new report titled, "At a Crossroads: Human Rights in Iraq Eight Years After the US-Led Invasion." Besides many others, two previous articles discuss more, accessed through the following links here and here.

The top link explains that over the past two decades, America devastated Iraq by genocide, vast destruction, terror, occupation, and contamination - a monstrous combination of unspeakable ongoing crimes.

At issue is:

● controlling the region's oil, gas and other strategic resources;
● remaining permanently in the Middle East and Central Asia, besides all other parts of the world; and
● achieving unchallengeable full spectrum global dominance over all land, sea, subsurface, space and information.

As a result, in the last decade alone, millions died from Washington's imperial wars, other violence, disease, depravation, torture, unimaginable human misery, and starvation. Hundreds more daily increase the numbers. Yet no one has been held accountable, despite outrageous crimes of war and against humanity - clear violations under international and US law. The regional people await justice so far not forthcoming.

Today, HRW said women, journalists, detainees, and marginalized groups are especially at risk in Iraq. During 2010, it conducted research in seven cities, interviewing activists, lawyers, journalists, religious leaders, former and current detainees, security officers, victims of violence, and others.

According to its Middle East director, Joe Stork:

"Today, Iraq is at a crossroads - either it embraces due process and human rights or it risks reverting to a police state."

Of course, it's been that throughout America's occupation, the puppet Iraqi government and local security forces taking orders from Washington.

As a result, "(b)eyond the continuing violence and crimes associated with it (for eight years), human rights abuses are commonplace," ones Iraqi satraps commit and/or ignore.

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Gilad Atzmon
Gilad Atzmon's Blog

"Surely it is about time to state the obvious : It is not morality; it is not values, and neither is it any ethical consideration that drives our leaders."

After killing hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the name of democracy, the White House has now decided that ‘stability in the region’ is by far, much more important.

On Saturday, The Wall Street journal reported that the Obama administration is devising a new Middle East strategy in the face of ongoing Arab world turmoil, preferring stability over democracy for key allies in the region.

Here in Britain not many people believed Bush and Blair when they preached democracy and moral interventionism -- And I guess that the new American strategy cannot be taken at all seriously either.

Actually, I believe that by now, the American ruling elite should just come clean and tell the truth to the Arabs in the region: ‘listen you guys -- all we want is your oil. We don’t care what you do with your life, or what you believe in; just keep the flow of this dark greasy lubricant stable.’

I wonder; why is it so difficult for the American and British governments to produce such a simple statement? After all; is not telling the truth a Western value?

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Stephen Lendman

Extrajudicial assassinations are willful, premeditated, cold-blooded murder. Nonetheless, they're official Israeli policy. Killers get impunity. Investigations rarely happen. Occasional ones absolve crimes, letting new ones repeat freely. Israel's Turkel commission sanctioned the Mavi Marmara massacre. A previous article discussed it, accessed through this link.

Israel's internal 2008 - 2009 Cast Lead investigation absolved brazen Gaza crimes of war and against humanity, explained through this link.

Israel's July 22, 2002 Al-Daraj massacre is discussed below. Belatedly, its Special Investigatory Commission (SIC) whitewash followed, exonerating 16 murders, including eight children. More details below.

Relevant International Law

Portions of a previous article on extrajudicial assassinations are repeated below.

They're indefensible, morally abhorrent, and illegal under international laws and norms. Article 23b of the 1907 Hague Regulations prohibits

"assassination, proscription, or outlawry of an enemy, or putting a price upon an enemy's head, as well as offering a reward for any enemy 'dead or alive.' "

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that

"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person." UDHR also recognizes the "inherent dignity (and the) equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family."

So do "just war" principles that rule out gratuitous violence, assassinations, (especially premeditated ones), war against civilians, and so on, despite the difficulties of distinguishing between combatants, those who've laid down their arms, and innocent civilians in times of war.

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Dennis Avery
CFACT

President Obama’s “new” proposal is Plan B, since cap-and-trade failed in Congress. The President is not “moving to the middle.” Instead he is playing bait-and-switch. Either cap-and-trade or “clean energy” would cause chaos in the American economy.

President Obama didn’t mention carbon constraints in his State of the Union message. Such carbon constraints would force the nation to give up most of the energy that currently keeps us warm and productive. Instead, the President proposed a new “clean energy” program—which would force the nation to give up most of the energy that currently keeps us warm and productive. A study by the Beacon Hill Institute in Boston estimates the President’s “clean energy” proposal might well cost the economy $4 trillion over 20 years, and force huge numbers of U.S. jobs overseas.

Mr. Obama’s “new” proposal is obviously being offered as Plan B, since his cap-and-trade proposal failed in the Congress. He obviously hopes to lure some befuddled House Republican votes to pass it. The President is not “moving to the middle.” Instead he is playing bait-and-switch. Either cap-and-trade or “clean energy” would cause chaos in the American economy. Remember his desperate efforts to pass Obama-care, complete with the payoffs to key Senators? He is rigidly persistent! Now it gets even worse.

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Gaza-Interior Ministry
Palestinian Ministry of Interior

These practices that are in violation of international laws and conventions. All acts of torture are punishable crimes.

Torture policy became as a symbol for the continuing brutality violations by Israeli army against Palestinian prisoners within Israeli jails.

The recent policy of brutal torture against the prisoners and detainees has escalated , indicating evidence of corruption in moral values and significant deterioration in the Israeli security establishment, which acts carelessly without any legal or humane values.

In an interview of the Ministry of Interior with vice-director general of public relations and information department in the Ministry of Prisoners and Ex-detainees Col. Ashraf Hussein , showed that the process of Torture starts from the moment of kidnapping, pointing out the barbaric method committed by Israeli soldiers, led to fear and horror family of prisoners.

He also explained that the administration of Israeli jails uses several methods to torture prisoners , confirming that they depend on psychological pressure, and ill-treatment during arrest and interrogation.

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