Clipmarks | Civilian-killings Clips

Czech resistance to Communism cast as heroes and as murderers

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:47:00 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

The current Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, a liberal, decided in March to honor the three survivors as heroes, no doubt expecting some controversy in a nation still grappling with its Communist past. But the government was not prepared for a searing debate that encapsulated all the ambivalence associated with the country’s recent history.

A minority of Czechs lauded the award as a fitting tribute to freedom fighters who had dared to stand up to a repressive government, but nearly half of the population viewed the men as criminals, according to a poll conducted for Czech Television.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

In October of that year, the five men battled their way across the Iron Curtain heading for the American sector of a divided Berlin. They wanted to join American troops in what they thought would be a global conflagration between Western democracies and Soviet Communism.

To get there, the five — the brothers Josef and Ctirad Masin and their childhood friends Milan Paumer, Zbynek Janata and Vaclav Sveda — hijacked cars, stole submachine guns, drugged adversaries with chloroform, broke into police stations and killed six people, including a police officer whose throat was slit with a Boy Scout knife.

Three of the men eventually reached West Berlin, where they were debriefed by the Central Intelligence Agency

The other two — Mr. Janata and Mr. Sveda — were captured by the East German police and executed.

Tags: civilian-killings, democrats, political-violence, political violence, czech, czechoslovakia, communism, cold war, history

U.S. Death Squads and Terrorism in Afghanistan

Thu, 22 May 2008 04:17:47 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: U.S. State-sponsored terrorism and rogue operations are being reported by a UN investigator. Nothing new, which is precisely the problem.

Clip Source: www.wsws.org

CIA death squads killing with “impunity” in Afghanistan

A United Nations investigator released a preliminary report last week citing widespread civilian deaths in Afghanistan, often at the hands of unaccountable units led by the CIA or other foreign intelligence agencies.

report provides a partial glimpse into the illegal actions of intelligence agencies, occupying forces, and Afghan police, as they seek to repress opposition to the US-led occupation and US-backed government.

Alston focused on civilian killings by US and other international military forces, citing 200 reported deaths in the first four months of 2008

a special correspondent for news agency Knight Ridder who was investigating the death squads, was killed with a bullet to the head

intelligence agencies in question include the CIA or US Special Operations Forces

extra-judicial killings.

victims “are widely acknowledged, even by well-informed Government officials, to have had no connection to the Taliban

Tags: afghanistan, war, terrorism, special operations, cia, death squads

In defense of William Ayers

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:30:57 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Wonderment said:

But to call Ayers a "terrorist" and throw him in the Osama bin Laden pile is a reach for the moral high ground by the very people and political establishment that secretly carpet bombed Cambodia, murdering hundreds of thousands of civilians.

...Ayers is no martyr, and he's no role model. But he doesn't deserve to be the punching bag of the moral cretins who still celebrate lying wars of aggression and the pointless slaughter of untold thousands.

Clip Source: bloggingheads.tv

Ayers makes the claim that the use of violence, particularly with the aim of zero loss of life, was justified as a form of protest and pressure to end the Vietnam and Cambodian War. If you look at the crimes of the Johnson and Nixon administrations in their historical context (napalming civilians, Agent Orange, torture, starvation, mass murder, carpet bombings, persecution of dissidents in the US, including the murder of college students by the National Guard, pro-war police riots, disproportionately race-based conscription of 18-year-olds, etc. etc.), there is a case to be made that taking up arms against such a regime is justified.

Now you may argue that the prospects of achieving success in ending the war through "revolutionary" violence were slim to none. I agree.

Tags: william ayers, vietnam, cambodia, hypocrisy, war, civilian-killings

3rd marine cleared of Haditha charges

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:37:10 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Officials close to the Haditha case said they think prosecutors dismissed the charges in order to pursue Wuterich aggressively at trial. The cases against three of the Marines accused of shooting civilians have fallen apart, and Wuterich remains the only one left for prosecutors to target for accountability. Wuterich led the Marine squad and allegedly told his troops, as they approached a group of civilian homes that day, to shoot first and ask questions later.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

The Marine Corps yesterday dismissed all charges against one of the Marines accused of killing women and children in the Iraqi town of Haditha in late 2005, the third time a Marine linked to the slayings has been exonerated

Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum, who has admitted shooting civilians inside their homes as part of a pursuit of insurgents, was cleared and granted immunity to testify in further hearings related to the investigation. The move leaves only Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich to face charges in connection with the shootings on Nov. 19, 2005.

Although the Marines were at first accused of going on a rampage, the case has evolved into a far more complex examination of the Corps' rules of engagement and the general conduct of wartime operations in hostile residential areas.

Tags: haditha, marines, iraq, war, civilian-killings, stephen tatum, frank wuterich

33 Civilian Deaths Per Day

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:30:17 GMT

clipped by: ColoradoRight
clipper's remarks: Welcome to.....Venezuela. The socialist/communist paradise.

Clip Source: www.ibdeditorials.com

Quick, which nation shows average civilian deaths at 33 a day in the last third of 2007? Now name the one where civilian deaths average 19 a day? If you guessed Iraq and Venezuela, you'd have it backward.

Shocking? Of course. But true. With even Venezuelan officials admitting their country clocked 12,249 murders in 2007, Hugo Chavez's socialist "sea of happiness" resembles a war zone. In December alone, Venezuela had 670 murders while Iraq had 476 — and that number is falling fast.

Meanwhile, night travel is strongly discouraged and no one wears jewelry openly. Security guards pack big firepower to guard tiny businesses like bakeries, and bulletproof cars are common.

Cuban doctors sent for propaganda purposes to help the poor often flee for their safety, leaving boarded up "free" health care kiosks in Caracas slums like Petare and Catia.

willingness to fight and to win is the difference between the brave Iraqi and American war effort and the festering mess in Chavez's chaotic Venezuela.

Tags: venezuela, iraq, murder, civilian-killings, war, death, crime, drugs

Validity of Charges on Haditha Marine Questioned

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:37:59 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: "Our position is that if this had not been Haditha and everything around it, he never would have been charged." - Attorney for defendant, Joseph Casas

Clip Source: nctimes.com

A military hearing officer said Saturday he has serious doubts over the validity of criminal charges filed against a Marine lieutenant

The hearing officer, Col. Robert Stahlman, said that if 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson was guilty of dereliction of duty for not ordering an investigation into the slayings, numerous other members of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment command staff should have been similarly charged.

Testimony during the hearing showed that Grayson had ordered the destruction of 70 photographs taken by a member of the intelligence team he led at Haditha. The order, however, was in keeping with a military policy that photographs deemed not to have any intelligence value be destroyed.

The man in charge of intelligence gathering for the 3rd Battalion at Haditha, Maj. Jeffrey Dinsmore, testified Saturday that he considered the photos "extraneous" and that Grayson and his team were responsible for developing intelligence leads and not probing civilian killings.

Tags: haditha, iraq, marines

Murtha Alleges Attempted Cover-Up of Haditha Massacre

Wed, 31 May 2006 19:30:59 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

Murtha on Haditha: ‘I Know There Was a Cover-up … The Chain of Command Tried to Stifle the Story’

Last November, a group of U.S. Marines apparently went on “the worst rampage by U.S. service members in the Iraq war, killing as many as 24 civilians in cold blood.” Today on ABC, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said that U.S. officials learned of the alleged massacre in Haditha “a few days” after it happened and organized a cover-up:

GIBSON: Jonathan just mentioned, there’s no charges yet filed against any of the Marines that were in this outfit, but Jonathan mentioned a moment ago, defense lawyers are already saying, well, there’s drone video and there is actual radio traffic to higher-ups that will give a different picture than you have been talking about of this incident. What do you know about that?

MURTHA: I can only tell you this, Charles. This is what the Marine Corps told me at the highest level. The Commandant of the Marine Corps was in my office just last week, so you know, I know there was a cover-up someplace. They knew about this a few days afterwards and there’s no question the chain of command tried to stifle the story. I can understand why, but that doesn’t excuse it. Something like this has to be brought out to the public, and the people have to be punished.

GIBSON: In terms of a cover-up, do you think this ever would have come to light if Time Magazine hadn’t pursued this so relentlessly using the video form this human rights organization?

MURTHA: No, I do not think it would have come out, and it’s unfortunate because this is how you lose the Iraqi people. If you’re going to win a war like this, you got to promote the ideals and ideas of American democracy, and there’s no question in my mind that we’re losing it.

Tags: john murtha, haditha, cover-up, civilian-killings, marines, military

Military: US Marines killed Iraqis ‘in cold blood’

Thu, 18 May 2006 18:06:27 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via QandO

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Lawmaker: Marines killed Iraqis ‘in cold blood’

Navy conducting war crimes probe into November violence in Haditha

By Jim Miklaszewski
and Mike Viqueira

NBC News

Updated: 9:27 p.m. ET May 17, 2006

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon probe into the death of Iraqi civilians last November in the Iraqi city of Haditha will show that U.S. Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," a U.S. lawmaker said Wednesday.

From the beginning, Iraqis in the town of Haditha said U.S. Marines deliberately killed 15 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including seven women and three children.

One young Iraqi girl said the Marines killed six members of her family, including her parents. “The Americans came into the room where my father was praying,” she said, “and shot him.”

On Wednesday, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said the accounts are true.

Military officials told NBC News that the Marine Corps' own evidence appears to show Murtha is right.

Murtha, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said at a news conference Wednesday that sources within the military have told him that an internal investigation will show that "there was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

Military officials say Marine Corp photos taken immediately after the incident show many of the victims were shot at close range, in the head and chest, execution-style. One photo shows a mother and young child bent over on the floor as if in prayer, shot dead, said the officials, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity because the investigation hasn't been completed.

One military official says it appears the civilians were deliberately killed by the Marines, who were outraged at the death of their fellow Marine.

“This one is ugly," one official told NBC News.

Tags: military, iraq, civilian-killings

Media focus on Hamas Mouse, neglect occupation

Mon, 14 May 2007 20:43:34 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: As many of you are aware, the news (and Clipmarks) have been deluged with stories about a children's show produced by Hamas that features a Mickey Mouse-type character who allegedly espouses hatred toward Jews. Tom Wallace points out that the media have been ignoring the reality of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Clip Source: electronicintifada.net

While all of this air-time was being devoted to the mouse, some real news about the region with genuine political implications was completely ignored:

1. World Bank criticizes Israel over Palestinian economy: Describing a system of apartheid that has devastated the Palestinian economy without naming it as such, the World Bank warned of the consequences if this continues.

2. Israel plans new Jerusalem settlement: In response to the report, Israel announced the approval of plans to further Judaize Jerusalem, bringing the number of settlers living illegally on Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank to 570,000.

3. Shot West Bank woman 'loses baby': During an Israeli army raid in the West Bank, a pregnant woman was shot in the stomach and lost her baby.

Does anyone really believe that it takes propaganda to teach Palestinian children to hate the occupiers?

They don't need a cartoon to teach them hate, they have the Israeli army.

Tags: israel, palestine, occupation, civilian-killings, settlements, media

US corporations accused of hiring death squads in Colombia

Tue, 01 May 2007 15:42:00 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via Max Sawicky

Fruit giant Chiquita agreed in March to pay $25 million to settle with the U.S. Department of Justice after acknowledging that its Colombian subsidiary, Banadex, secretly funneled $1.7 million to the death squads operating in zones where it had banana plantations.

In 2001, a Banadex ship was used to unload 3,000 rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition for the paramilitaries. At the time, the paramilitaries were consolidating control of the Uraba banana region through massacres and assassinations. Chiquita later sold Banadex but still buys Colombian bananas.

Cincinnati-based Chiquita says it was a victim of paramilitary extortion. In a statement it said its payments to the militias "were always motivated by our good faith concern for the safety of our employees."

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's chief prosecutor stood between the white plastic-sheathed remains of two dismembered teenage sisters. On the rust-colored dirt around him lay remains of nearly 60 newly unearthed victims of paramilitary death squads.

Not just their killers but those who bankrolled them must be brought to justice, Mario Iguaran told reporters last week at the mass grave in the country's eastern plains.

He spoke ahead of a trip to Washington this week to seek aid for his overburdened office and help obtain evidence against U.S.-based multinationals he's investigating for allegedly financing the paramilitaries.

Iguaran meets with U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Monday and Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday. With both, he is sure to talk about Chiquita Brands and the Alabama-based coal company Drummond Co. Inc.

Tags: colombia, chiquita, drummond, corporate-malfeasance, civilian-killings

Israel broke US arms deal terms

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:29:08 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: newsvote.bbc.co.uk

Israel 'broke US arms deal terms'

Israel probably violated the terms of its arms deals with Washington by using American-made cluster bombs in Lebanon last year, a US government report says.

The State Department probed Israel's use of cluster bombs in civilian areas of southern Lebanon during the 34-day conflict with Hezbollah.

US-made weapons are sold to the Israeli military with restriction on their use.

Cluster bombs can scatter hundreds of small bomblets over a wide area, and their use has been widely criticised.

The US government has now sent a preliminary report on its investigation into the matter to the US Congress.

The International Committee of the Red Cross called for a ban on the use of cluster bombs in populated areas, because of the indiscriminate civilian deaths they caused.

And Amnesty International has criticised Israel for its use of cluster bombs in the final days of the conflict.

Tags: israel, bush administration, civilian-killings, lebanon, news, politics

Getting killed for an illusion

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 01:41:22 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via Amal A at Improvisations

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

_{Last update - 09:28 31/01/2007}

Getting killed for an illusion

_{By Amira Hass}

The Palestinians are right in placing the overall blame for the present situation on the occupation: It is the occupation that determines the framework of an economic siege (which also existed before the intifada and before the establishment of the Hamas government), it is the occupation that has imprisoned the residents of Gaza in a huge holding pen since 1991, without any opportunities and without hope for improvement. The imprisonment is the cause of the widespread ignorance. The severance from the rest of the world only reinforces the loyalty to hamulas, including such acts as blood revenge, because in the absence of political and economic hope, the only source of support for the individual is once again the hamula.

But those Palestinians who are tired of hearing that the occupation is to blame are also right. A war of the security organs and a civil war are also the product of decisions and instructions by those who see themselves as leaders, and must therefore be aware of the results of their acts.

There is no point in asking "Who started?" (Fatah started with the armed provocations). In any case, the lethal confrontation stems from two ills both rivals share.

One is the cult of armed men and weapons, which has spread in Palestinian society and has silenced any attempt to discuss the huge damage the use of weapons has caused the struggle against the Israeli occupation. The other is the illusion that the Oslo process (or "democratic" elections in the shadow of the occupation) can enable a Palestinian party to govern, and that a Palestinian party is able to form a respectable government as is the case in an independent state.

Tags: palestine, occupation, masculinity, civilian-killings, fatah, hamas, civil war, via:amal a

Israeli security forces killed 660 Palestinians in 2006

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 18:33:53 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via Amal A at Improvisations: Arab Woman Progressive Voice

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m

_{Last update - 21:16 28/12/2006}

B'Tselem: Israeli security forces killed 660 Palestinians during 2006

_{By Haaretz Service}

According to an annual B'Tselem report, from the beginning of 2006 to December 27, Israeli security forces have killed 660 Palestinians, a figure more than three times the number of Palestinians killed in 2005, which was 197.

The data compiled by the human rights organization also indicated a significant decrease in Israeli casualties. Palestinians killed 23 Israelis in 2006 - 17 civilians, among them one minor, and six Israel Defense Forces soldiers. The figure constitutes less than half of the 50 Israelis killed in 2005.

B'Tselem also listed the overall figures for casualties since the beginning of the intifada, with Palestinian casualties at 4005 and Israeli casualties at 1017, 701 of which were civilians.

Tags: israel, palestine, civilian-killings, killings, news, politics, war

Israel sentences Jewish terrorist to 4 life terms

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:07:42 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: www.haaretz.com

_{Last update - 21:23 27/09/2006}

Jewish terrorist who murdered four Palestinians gets 4 consecutive life sentences

_{By Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service}

Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday sentenced a Jewish terrorist to four consecutive life sentences plus an additional 12 years in prison for murdering four Palestinian men.

Asher Weisgan was convicted on September 11 of murdering four Arab workmen and wounding a fifth at a factory in the West Bank settlement of Shilo where they all worked, the day before the implementation of the Gaza disengagement plan in August 2005.

The victims of the terror attack were Mohammed Mansour, 48; Bassem Tuwafshe, 30; Khalil Alulwil, 42; and Osama Tuwafshe, 33.

Weisgan, a settler from Shvut Rachel, said his objective had been to prevent the disengagement from proceeding.

The court also ruled Wednesday that Weisgan must pay more than one million shekels in compensation to the families of his Palestinian victims. He is obligated to pay NIS 228,000 to each of the families of the murder victims and another NIS 100,000 to the man he wounded.

His lawyer argued that Weisgan is exempt from criminal culpability because he acted in "necessary defense" - "He wanted to save the people of Israel from expected calamities through the act of murder, and should therefore be acquitted." The judges rejected the argument.

people of

Tags: civilian-killings, west bank, israel, asher weissgan, asher weisgan, settlements

Bush admin considering allying with Iraqi Shiites

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 22:49:29 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Laura Rozen reports on a secret mission [EDIT: meeting, not mission] where Stephen Hadley advocated the US drop its posture as a "neutral referee" in the Iraqi civil war and align with the Shiites to crush Sunni insurgents.

This strikes me as a very, very bad idea.

Via Kevin Drum

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Unleash the Shiites?

The U.S. may be forced to choose sides in Iraq's civil strife.

By Laura Rozen, LAURA ROZEN, a senior correspondent for the American Prospect, writes about foreign policy issues from Washington.
November 16, 2006

This past Veterans Day weekend, according to my sources, almost the entire Bush national security team gathered for an unpublicized two-day meeting. The topic: Iraq. The purpose of the meeting was to come up with a consensus position on a new path forward. Among those attending were President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor Stephen Hadley, outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.

Numerous policy options were put forward at the meeting, which revolved around a strategy paper prepared by Hadley and drawn from his recent trip to Baghdad. One was the Shiite option. Participants were asked to consider whether the U.S. could really afford to keep fighting both the Sunni insurgency and Shiite militias — or whether it should instead focus its efforts on combating the Sunni insurgency exclusively, and even help empower the Shiites against the Sunnis.

So what's the logic behind the idea of "unleashing the Shiites"? It's the path of least resistance, according to its supporters, and it could help accelerate one side actually winning Iraq's sectarian conflict, thereby shortening the conflict, while reducing some of the critical security concerns driving Shiites to mobilize their own militias in the first place.

But such a strategy brings with it significant dangers. Washington might pick the wrong leaders on the side it chooses to back. Should it, for instance, continue to back Iraq's Shiite prime minister, Nouri Maliki, or tilt in favor of his Shiite rival, Abdelaziz Hakim, and his party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq? Either choice could lead to more intra-Shiite infighting and violence.

Tags: bush administration, iraq, civil war, civil-war, fubar, civilian-killings, incompetence, stephen hadley

Clipmarks | Civilian-killings Clips

Czech resistance to Communism cast as heroes and as murderers

U.S. Death Squads and Terrorism in Afghanistan

CIA death squads killing with “impunity” in Afghanistan

In defense of William Ayers

3rd marine cleared of Haditha charges

33 Civilian Deaths Per Day

Validity of Charges on Haditha Marine Questioned

Murtha Alleges Attempted Cover-Up of Haditha Massacre

Think Progress

Murtha on Haditha: ‘I Know There Was a Cover-up … The Chain of Command Tried to Stifle the Story’

Military: US Marines killed Iraqis ‘in cold blood’

Media focus on Hamas Mouse, neglect occupation

US corporations accused of hiring death squads in Colombia

Israel broke US arms deal terms

Getting killed for an illusion

Getting killed for an illusion

Israeli security forces killed 660 Palestinians in 2006

B'Tselem: Israeli security forces killed 660 Palestinians during 2006

Israel sentences Jewish terrorist to 4 life terms

Jewish terrorist who murdered four Palestinians gets 4 consecutive life sentences

Bush admin considering allying with Iraqi Shiites

Unleash the Shiites?