Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch

[angelburst29]

Amnesty International

I have not given the organization "Amnesty International" much thought in the past but recently have noticed statements made by them, in regards to Syria and Iraq. In the Syrian situation, Amnesty Int. tends to cast doubt on Assad and the Syrian Government and the Russian military interventions. Their statements are generally one-sided and offer "no proof or documentation" to support their claims. While I put them on a list for further investigation, I just noticed a report - that Russian Authorities have "sealed" their Moscow office, that Amnesty Int. has rented for 20 years, changing the locks and posting notice that the Russian Federation has reclaimed the space. It was sealed - without prior notice to Amnesty Int.

International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP)
c/o World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
708 Third Avenue, Suite 1715, New York, NY 10017 ... is connected to Amnesty International and features their articles that are distributed to the media.
http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/component/content/article/136-latest-news/6149-amnesty-international-syria-horrific-attack-on-un-aid-convoy-is-a-flagrant-violation-of-international-law

An example:

Syria: ‘Horrific’ attack on UN aid convoy is a flagrant violation of international law
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/09/syria-horrific-attack-on-un-aid-convoy-is-a-flagrant-violation-of-international-law/

20 September 2016 - Last night’s attack on a UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy, intended for 78,000 people in Aleppo, is a flagrant violation of the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, Amnesty International said.

Witnesses in Syria have told the organization that the convoy, along with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent warehouse where it had docked, were bombed intensively for two hours on Monday evening, heightening the suspicion that Syrian government forces deliberately targeted the relief operation.

“A sustained attack on a humanitarian convoy and workers, horrific enough in any circumstances, will in this case also have a disastrous impact not only on those desperate civilians for whom the assistance was intended, but for life-saving humanitarian operations throughout Syria,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

“If the convoy was – as it appears – deliberately attacked, this would be yet another war crime committed by the Syrian government.

The UN aid chief, Stephen O’Brien, earlier said that the convoy was travelling with all the necessary permits, and that all parties in the conflict had been notified of its route. The UN has announced a temporary suspension of all aid convoys in Syria following the attack. Around 20 civilians were killed in the attack, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Witnesses interviewed by Amnesty International said a variety of aircraft, including helicopters and Russian-made fighter jets, took part in the bombardment, in the town of Urum al-Kubra in the west of Aleppo governorate. Twenty-one of the 31 trucks in the convoy had been partially or completely destroyed. (Article continues.)

Another example - with full dramatics in accusing members of the Sab’awi Tribal Mobilization militia for war crimes. Sab’awi Tribe only crime - they are against the U.N./NATO/U.S, installed proxy government.

Iraq: Tribal militia tortured detainees in revenge attacks during Mosul offensive
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/11/iraq-tribal-militia-tortured-detainees-in-revenge-attacks-during-mosul-offensive/
2 November 2016

Staff at Amnesty International’s Moscow Office arrived at work this morning to find their office unexpectedly sealed with a notice from municipal authorities warning people not to enter.

Russia: Amnesty International’s Moscow Office sealed
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/11/russia-amnesty-internationals-moscow-office-sealed/

2 November 2016 - Staff at Amnesty International’s Moscow Office arrived at work this morning to find their office unexpectedly sealed with a notice from municipal authorities warning people not to enter.

“We do not know what prompted Moscow authorities to prevent our staff from accessing our offices – an unwelcome surprise for which we received no prior warning," said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia Director.

“Given the current climate for civil society work in Russia, there are clearly any number of plausible explanations, but it’s too early to draw any conclusions. We are working to resolve the situation as swiftly as possible and very much hope there is a simple administrative explanation for this setback to our work.

“We are 100% confident that we fulfilled all our obligations as tenants.”

The short notice posted on the organization’s central Moscow office – which is rented directly from the city’s municipal authorities – said the building was “property of a city of the Russian Federation” and that nobody could enter without being accompanied by a municipal official. The locks and alarm system had been removed and the electricity supply appeared to have been cut off.

Amnesty International staff called the municipal authorities’ number listed on the notice in an attempt to resolve the situation, but there was no answer. They are currently seeking a meeting with municipal authorities.

According to reports, Moscow office of Amnesty International rights group has been sealed off by municipal authorities without any preliminary warnings or notifications.

Amnesty International Confirms Moscow Office Sealing by Municipal Authorities
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201611021046990773-amnesty-international-russia/

Nov. 2, 2016 - The Moscow office of Amnesty International rights group has been sealed off by municipal authorities without any preliminary warnings or notifications, the rights group confirmed Wednesday.

"The employees of the international organization found out that the office is sealed off at around 10:00 in the morning [07:00 GMT]. The organization did not previously receive any notifications and the office was sealed in their absence," the group said in a statement. According to the statement, the locks have been changed, the alarm has been turned off and some cables can be seen through the keyhole.

A note belonging to the City Property Department of Moscow and saying "the object is the property of the subject of the Russian Federation" has been put on the front door, the rights group said.

Head of the Amnesty International office in Moscow Sergey Nikitin said that the employees were currently trying to find out the reasons of this situation.

"We have been renting the office directly through the City Property Department of Moscow for over 20 years. We have always been responsibly paying the rent, and we have already paid for this month… We are trying to contact [the Moscow Property Department] for two hours, though, we have not notched up any success yet," Nikitin told RIA Novosti. Russian president's spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier in the day said that Kremlin was unaware of the fact that the Moscow office of Amnesty International had been sealed off by municipal authorities. Peskov assumed that the stuff of the office should have had some information about this situation.

 

[NormaRegula]

Re: Amnesty International

My husband and I stopped giving to Amnesty International years ago after looking into where the money was going and how effective their organization was. My husband concluded they were a scam and possible spy operation for Western political and industrial interests. This is from a guy who is wary of conspiracies. The organization may have some sincere people attached to it, like Doctors Without Borders, but the upper management and how it operates is not sincere in fighting injustice, unless it benefits certain agendas.

 

[Aiming]

Re: Amnesty International

My husband and I stopped giving to Amnesty International years ago after looking into where the money was going and how effective their organization was. My husband concluded they were a scam and possible spy operation for Western political and industrial interests. This is from a guy who is wary of conspiracies. The organization may have some sincere people attached to it, like Doctors Without Borders, but the upper management and how it operates is not sincere in fighting injustice, unless it benefits certain sides.

I think so, too. There have been a couple of reports on the bias, or shall we say ponerization, of Amnesty International, e.g.:

Amnesty International: US State Department Propaganda Machine, Betrays Real Human Rights
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch publish biased report on eastern Ukraine, making them accomplices to human rights violations
Convenient omissions: Amnesty International condemns Thai government for human rights abuses, yet ignores Shinawatra terrorism
Paramoralisms abound: Amnesty International calls for decriminalization of prostitution to protect human rights of sex workers

 

[luc]

Re: Amnesty International

My husband and I stopped giving to Amnesty International years ago after looking into where the money was going and how effective their organization was. My husband concluded they were a scam and possible spy operation for Western political and industrial interests. This is from a guy who is wary of conspiracies. The organization may have some sincere people attached to it, like Doctors Without Borders, but the upper management and how it operates is not sincere in fighting injustice, unless it benefits certain sides.

I've had some work-related experiences with a similar organisation, and my impression was that most of the people working there think they are fighting for the good cause, but that there's some 'spider' at the headquarter setting the agenda and pushing the organization along Western policy interests. My guess is that there are outright CIA assets in key positions. Add the fact that they are all about publicity, and as such subject to the dominant discourse in Western media, it's easy to see how biased they are and how easily they can be turned into a tool for the Western elites.

Regarding Amnesty, there is also Francis Boyle, a former member of the board, who spoke out. From wikipedia:

As member of the board of Amnesty International USA at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s, he claimed that Amnesty International USA acted in ways closely related to United States foreign policy interests. He stated that Amnesty, along with other human rights organisations in the US, failed to sufficiently criticise the Sabra and Shatila Massacre in Lebanon. Boyle stated his suspicion that the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, based geographically in London, UK, was also subject to this bias. He attributes alleged links between Amnesty International and US/UK foreign policy interests to the relatively large financial contribution of Amnesty International USA to AI's international budget, which he estimated at 20%. Boyle added that Amnesty International was instrumental in publicizing the "Iraqi soldiers dumping children from incubators in Kuwait" hoax. He claimed aspects of organizational continuity and survival came ahead of human rights aims in Amnesty International. He stated "Amnesty International is primarily motivated not by human rights but by publicity. Second comes money. Third comes getting more members. Fourth, internal turf battles. And then finally, human rights, genuine human rights concerns."

 

[Marina9]

Re: Amnesty International

My husband and I stopped giving to Amnesty International years ago after looking into where the money was going and how effective their organization was. My husband concluded they were a scam and possible spy operation for Western political and industrial interests. This is from a guy who is wary of conspiracies. The organization may have some sincere people attached to it, like Doctors Without Borders, but the upper management and how it operates is not sincere in fighting injustice, unless it benefits certain sides.

has launched several campaigns against Iran, Libya and Syria[/b]. In recent months she made a name for herself by misinforming the Human Rights Council in Geneva with a view to getting the resolution authorizing the war on Libya adopted by the Security Council. Ms. Nossel’s allegations have since been debunked.[/quote]

I also remember reading an article about Suzanne Nossel which was the Executive Director of AI USA back in the days, and she was assistant of Hillary Clinton. Then after a couple of years she resigned.

https://humanrightsinvestigations.org/2013/01/09/suzanne-nossel-resigns-amnesty-international-usa-executive-director/

http://www.voltairenet.org/article171951.html

Suzanne Nossel, former assistant to Richard Holbrooke in his capacity as UN Ambassador and currently Hillary Clinton’s Deputy Assistant for International Organization Affairs, has been selected as the new Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. In the discharge of her duties at the State Department, she diligently exploited human rights to benefit imperial ambitions.

Ms. Nossel had previously worked for Human Rights Watch, as well as for Bertelsmann Media Worldwide and the Wall Street Journal as Vice President of Strategy and Operations.

The AI-USA Board of Directors deemed that Suzanne Nossel’s commitment to the Clinton and Obama administrations was sufficient proof of her competence and decided not to hold a grudge against her for the crimes committed in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, etc.

Edit: typo

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Amnesty International

WOW - that was quick! A lot of good information and feed back Posted! Thanks so much. Now I have some leads - to help me get started on digging deeper.

The Russian article stated that Amnesty Int. was located in Moscow for 20 years. I'm guessing, Amnesty set up Office, during the time when Boris Yeltsin was President, after the fall of the Soviet Union? Putin has been doing a lot of "house cleaning", recently banning Soro's organizations, so maybe Amnesty is another organization connected to Soro's?

Interesting information, also, on Suzanne Nossel and her connections, including to H. Clinton. I wonder, if Amnesty is also tied into the Clinton Foundation, in some way? Worth checking out .....

 

[Marina9]

Re: Amnesty International

Interesting information, also, on Suzanne Nossel and her connections, including to H. Clinton. I wonder, if Amnesty is also tied into the Clinton Foundation, in some way? Worth checking out .....

The dates when Nossel was in this position match a little bit with the ones when Hillary was Secretary of State. I did some quick google search, but found nothing that connects them directly, just in the clintonfoundation.org they have a lot of news from Amensty International, Greenpeace, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, etc,. So I think maybe there is a possible connection between AI and the Clinton Foundation.

Just a little bit about her from Wikipedia:

Previously, she served as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, from January 2, 2012 to January 11, 2013.[2] Her work there led to the successful passage of the Afghan Women and Girls Security and Promotion Act of 2012,[3] and drew attention to the case of imprisoned punk band Pussy Riot
[3] "Afghan Women and Girls Security Promotion Act of 2012 Will Help Ensure the Protection of Afghan Women". Amnesty International USA.

And with this program of the Afghan Women, I found something maybe worthy, a letter to Clinton asking for the support of this bill from Humans Right Watch:

https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/Human%20Rights%20Watch%20-%20Afghanistan%20-%20Letter%20to%20Secretary%20Clinton%20-%2010.19.2012_0.pdf

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Amnesty International

Interesting information, also, on Suzanne Nossel and her connections, including to H. Clinton. I wonder, if Amnesty is also tied into the Clinton Foundation, in some way? Worth checking out .....

The dates when Nossel was in this position match a little bit with the ones when Hillary was Secretary of State. I did some quick google search, but found nothing that connects them directly, just in the clintonfoundation.org they have a lot of news from Amensty International, Greenpeace, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, etc,. So I think maybe there is a possible connection between AI and the Clinton Foundation.

Just a little bit about her from Wikipedia:

Previously, she served as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, from January 2, 2012 to January 11, 2013.[2] Her work there led to the successful passage of the Afghan Women and Girls Security and Promotion Act of 2012,[3] and drew attention to the case of imprisoned punk band Pussy Riot
[3] "Afghan Women and Girls Security Promotion Act of 2012 Will Help Ensure the Protection of Afghan Women". Amnesty International USA.

And with this program of the Afghan Women, I found something maybe worthy, a letter to Clinton asking for the support of this bill from Humans Right Watch:

https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/Human%20Rights%20Watch%20-%20Afghanistan%20-%20Letter%20to%20Secretary%20Clinton%20-%2010.19.2012_0.pdf

Thanks for digging up the additional information, Marina9. Humans Right Watch is another organization that needs to be checked out.

Amnesty Int. seems to be a large established organization and I would imagine, it's connected to a host of other organizations - that feed into it. Unfortunately, I'm busy working on something else, at the moment and probably won't get to checking further into this, until early next week.

 

[Jefferson]

Re: Amnesty International

This has not been confirmed, but it could be that the Russian government may have had enough of Amnesty International's subversive tactics:

_http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/02/500356253/amnesty-international-says-russian-officials-have-sealed-off-its-moscow-office

Amnesty International said Wednesday that Russian authorities have closed off its Moscow office.

The human rights group's Europe and Central Asia director, John Dalhuisen, called it "an unwelcome surprise for which we received no prior warning."

When staffers arrived for work Wednesday morning, they found a seal over the door declaring that they were not allowed to enter without a city official. Amnesty said it rented the property "directly from the city's municipal authorities" and that "the locks and alarm system had been removed and the electricity supply appeared to have been cut off."

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Amnesty International

I would imagine, that there is more involved here - then meets the eye? Russian Authorities, under Putin's Presidency, have a consistency of "Diplomatic thinking before physical action" in social norms and based on that history, I'm of the opinion, this little event of sealing off the premises of Amnesty's Office might have something to do with National Security?

The European Union hopes that Russia's competent authorities will reconsider their position on the Moscow office of Amnesty International human rights group, which was sealed earlier this week, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement on Thursday.

EU Expects Moscow to Review Position on Amnesty Int'l Office Sealing
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201611031047041163-eu-russia-amnesty-international/

Earlier this week, local authorities sealed the Moscow office of the watchdog and changed its locks as the organizations reportedly had problems with fulfilling rental obligations.

"We expect that the competent authorities in Russia will urgently review this case and ensure the unhindered access of AI staff members to their premises. Amnesty International, along with all other human rights organizations, must not be prevented from carrying out their important work," the EEAS spokesman said in a statement. The EU authorities are in contact with the organization, both the European headquarters and the Moscow office, the spokesman said, adding that the reasons provided by the Moscow authorities were "wholly inaccurate."

On Wednesday, Moscow's City Property Department elaborated that the office was sealed as the organization had infringed the terms of payment for the office's rent and said that prior notices had been sent to the Amnesty International's office. The organization has claimed that it had not received any warnings.

John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia director called the fact that the Moscow office of Amnesty International rights group has been sealed off by municipal authorities "unwelcome surprise."

Sealing of Amnesty International's Moscow Office 'Unwelcome Surprise'
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201611021047010159-amnesty-russia-moscow-office/

The fact that the Moscow office of Amnesty International rights group has been sealed off by municipal authorities, allegedly without any preliminary warnings or notifications, is an "unwelcome surprise," John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia director said Wednesday.

The Moscow office of Amnesty International said earlier in the day that at around 10:00 local time [07:00 GMT] the employees found their place of work sealed off by municipal authorities. According to a statement published on its website, the locks had been changed by that time.

"We do not know what prompted Moscow authorities to prevent our staff from accessing our offices – an unwelcome surprise for which we received no warning… Given the current climate for civil society work in Russia, there are clearly any number of plausible explanations, but it’s too early to draw any conclusions. We are working to resolve the situation as swiftly as possible and very much hope there is a simple administrative explanation for this setback to our work," Dalhuisen said in a statement.

According to the rights group, a note belonging to the City Property Department of Moscow and saying "the object is the property of the subject of the Russian Federation" has been put on the front door.

Head of the Amnesty International office in Moscow Sergei Nikitin said that the employees had failed to contact the Department using the phone number from the authorities' note. The City Property Department of Moscow said later in the day that the organization had infringed the terms of payment for the office's rent and an official appeal needs to be sent to the department within two weeks.

The Amnesty International needs to send an official appeal to the City Property Department of Moscow within two weeks to remove its property, according to official statement.

Moscow Authorities Sealed Amnesty Int'l's Office Over Rental Contract Violation
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201611021047006849-amnesty-russia-moscow/

Moscow's City Property Department changed the locks at the Moscow office of Amnesty International rights group as the organization infringed the terms of the rental contract, failing to pay for the property in time, the Department said in a statement said Wednesday.

"Due to the substantive violations of the rental payment condition, a notification calling to pay off the arrears within a month was sent to the organization. Besides, the company was informed that, otherwise, the contract would be regarded as canceled in three months' time. The claim was ignored by the careless tenants," the statement said.

The statement added that the room housing Amnesty International’s office is now free from treaty relations, thus, any third parties’ presence there would be illegal.

According to the statement, the rights group needs to send an official appeal to the City Property Department of Moscow within two weeks to remove its property.

Earlier in the day, the employees of the international organization reportedly find out that their office was sealed off at around 10 a.m. local time (07:00 GMT). According to Amnesty International, a note belonging to the City Property Department of Moscow and saying "the object is the property of the subject of the Russian Federation" has been put on the front door.

Amnesty International is a global human rights advocacy group with its central office located in London and representation offices all around the world.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Amnesty International

Italy has been accused of committing human rights violations after many refugees arriving in Italy reported abuse, sexual humiliation and beatings at the hands of the authorities after arriving by boat.

Migrants Electrocuted and Beaten in Italy's Not So 'Hot Spots' - Amnesty
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201611031047047651-italy-abuse-hotspot-refugees/

We have collected testimonies in regards to the treatment of refugees and migrants by police when they are requested to provide fingerprints," Amnesty International's Italy Researcher Matteo de Bellis told Sputnik.

The report compiled by Amnesty International (AI) in Italy includes interviews with 170 refugees and migrants since 2015.

"Traumatized refugees who have just stepped off a boat after a harrowing journey at sea are forced to provide their fingerprints at hotspots, before they are given adequate information," De Bellis said.

Castro, a 19-year-old man from Sudan arrived in Italy by boat from Libya. Castro, when taken to a police station with 22 other migrants, refused to give his fingerprints. "Ten police came and took me, first, and hit me with a stick on both the back and right wrist. In the room there were 10 police, all uniformed. Some took my hands back, some hold my face. They kept hitting me, perhaps for 15 minutes. "They then used a stick with electricity; they put it on my chest and gave me electricity. I fell down. I could see but not move. At that point, they put my hands on the [fingerprint] machine."

So-called hotspots to process refugees and migrants more efficiently were set up in 2015 by the European Union, keen to demonstrate that it had a handle on the refugee crisis. The system required all refugees to be fingerprinted and then remain in that location.

However, many migrants sought to continue their journey to other European countries, in many cases to join family members and often, to find work in wealthier norther European countries. According to European law, migrants must stay in the country where they first enter, which is determined by where they give their fingerprints. "They may be wrongly labeled as irregular migrants and issued expulsion orders and repatriated to countries with appalling human rights records and repatriated without checking is the person may be at risk of being persecuted," Matteo de Bellis told Sputnik. The fast-track hotspot approach, as carried out by the Italian authorities, is a "flawed assessment," according to Amnesty International.

 

[Aeneas]

Re: Amnesty International

Thanks for starting this thread, as it is a good idea to have all the information in one thread. And I also agree that another thread could be devoted to Human Rights Watch. Both organisations as many others, have shown to advance the foreign policy of the empire. Sometimes AI do critizice the right people/countries, but that too is a way of pressuring the puppet elite of those countries to follow the dictates of the US.

It is a way for the empire to say: "Listen, we can restrain those Human Rights organisations if you do as we say and buy more weapons, allow more troops, allow more US corporations free rein in your country etc. If you don't, things can get ugly because there is a lot of anger out there and a color revolution could just happen. " A stick and carrot approach.

Below a few articles from sott on Amnesty International.

https://www.sott.net/article/325822-Amnesty-International-and-Human-Rights-Watch-publish-biased-report-on-eastern-Ukraine-making-them-accomplices-to-human-rights-violations

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch publish biased report on eastern Ukraine, making them accomplices to human rights violations
Roger Annis
New Cold War.org
Fri, 19 Aug 2016 00:00 UTC

© Russian-Insider
When a true photo is used for a Human Rights lie

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued a report on July 21, 2016 on the human rights situation in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. The report can only be described as covering up the ongoing war crimes being perpetrated by the governing regime in Kyiv, Ukraine since it launched its 'Anti-Terrorist Operation' (civil war) in April 2014. The war was launched in order to crush resistance in Donbass to the illegal coup d'etat and seizure of power in Kyiv in February 2014 by the movement calling itself 'Maidan'.

Coincidentally, artillery and other attacks by Maidan Ukraine against the rebel Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics in Donbass intensified during the past two months, the very time frame in which the human rights defenders were preparing their report for publication.


‘Human rights’ report on Ukraine is everything but
The 65-page report by the two agencies is titled You Don't Exist: Arbitrary Detentions, Enforced Disappearances, and Torture in Eastern Ukraine. It downplays the grim details as well as international dimension of Ukraine's two-plus year of 'anti-terrorist' civil war. It argues that the victims of the war share equal responsibility for rights violations as the perpetrators. The introduction reads:

Both the Ukrainian government authorities and Russia-backed separatists [sic] in eastern Ukraine have held civilians in prolonged, arbitrary detention, without any contact with the outside world, including with their lawyers or families. In some cases, the detentions constituted enforced disappearances, meaning that the authorities in question refused to acknowledge the detention of the person or refused to provide any information on their whereabouts or fate. Most of those detained suffered torture or other forms of ill-treatment...

The key recommendation in the report's introductory summary reads:

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch call on the Ukrainian government and the de facto authorities in self-proclaimed DNR and LNR [Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic] to immediately put an end to enforced disappearances and arbitrary and incommunicado detentions, and to launch zero-tolerance policies with regard to the torture and ill-treatment of detainees. All parties to the conflict must ensure that all the forces under their control are aware of the consequences of abusing detainees under international law, and that allegations of torture and ill-treatment in detention are thoroughly investigated and those responsible are held to account.

The methodology of the report is by now old hat, the same one employed in reports on Ukraine by the United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights going back two years. The OHCHR's latest report on Ukraine was issued one week prior to the AI/HRW report and was reviewed here by this author.

Like the UN's OHCHR, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch consider the rebel forces in eastern Ukraine to have the same obligations to follow international treaties on human rights as the government attacking them. Missing from this equation is the fact that the Ukrainian government is an existing signator to most international human rights conventions and yet it is waging an internal civil war against its citizenry. Whereas the rebels are shunned and unrecognized by the world, including by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and therefore unable to become signators themselves, as they would surely agree if conditions permitted. As a member government of the United Nations and signator to international conventions, does the Ukrainian government bear special responsibility and duty in this conflict? Or are its responsibilities lessened when it can claim, accurately or not, 'Hey, the other side are human rights violators, too.'?

AI and HRW sidestep these uncomfortable questions. They use the same insulting and pejorative terminology as Kyiv to describe the rebel forces under attack. The terms "de facto authorities" and "Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine" are used interchangeably to describe the elected officials in Donetsk and Lugansk. Let us recall that these officials have heroically led their populations in defending themselves against a brutal military offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and its allied, extreme-right paramilitary militias. According to understated figures by the United Nations, Ukraine's offensive has caused the deaths of more than 10,000 people. It has seen tens of thousands injured and several million displaced from their homes or from their Donbass homeland altogether.

How are the leaders of Donetsk and Lugansk supposed to follow the niceties of AI/HRW's recommended 'humanitarian war' when they are shunned and vilified on the world stage, even by the supposed human rights defenders? Does no one in rarefied offices in London and New York care about the Donetsk and Lugansk populations who are subjected to daily artillery shellings and other attacks with the active encouragement and financial assistance of Western governments (not to speak of the blind eyes of international human rights organizations)? AI and HRW have no answers to such questions.

You Don't Exist consists of 18 case studies of prisoner treatment, nine from each side of the conflict, along with summary recommendations. There is no doubt about the gravity of accusations against the Ukrainian authorities. A litany of international reports have documented the human rights violations ongoing in Ukraine - detentions of critics and even mass killings, such as in Odessa in May 2014; harassment, detention and even killings of journalists and opposition politicians; torture in secret prisons; proscriptions of Russian-language media; destruction of monuments to Ukraine's Soviet past and the raising of World War Two collaborators with Nazi Germany to the status of national heroes; and so on. As the AI/HRW report acknowledges ever so carefully and sketchily, the situation of illegal detention and torture in Ukraine is so bad that the UN's investigative rapporteur on the subject made an unprecedented decision in May 2016 to cancel its country investigation.

On the rebel side? Let us assume that the established biases of AI and HRW did not prevent them from conducting impartial investigations and that the allegations of nine prisoner mistreatments in Donetsk and Lugansk are true. Let us also assume, a fair assumption, that rebel forces would accede to international conventions and related investigations on the treatment of prisoners if they were confident that such processes would not simply be used as propaganda tools against them, as is the case to date. How, then, to arrive at conditions of prisoner detention that would satisfy international conventions and human rights agencies? By vilifying those one is seeking to influence, and by turning a blind eye to a cruel war which is the source of human rights violations in the first place? Again, AI and HRW have no answer.

But in the meantime, our human rights agencies are effectively saying that the government of Ukraine is under no more and no less legal obligations than unrecognized, rebel forces. They trivialize Ukraine's violations by making the government no more responsible than what are declared to be "de facto authorities" and "Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine".

Deep biases in AI/HRW report discount them as objective observers

The deep bias and prejudice of the AI and HRW report in favour of Ukraine and its Western backers is evidenced in the three-page 'Background' chapter of the report, pages 8 to 10. Here we read the standard, Western government and media presentation of the Maidan coup ("ouster" of an elected president, according to the language of the report). There is the "Russian annexation" of Crimea, completely ignoring the long, complicated history of Crimea's status in post-Soviet Ukraine and in Soviet Ukraine before that, and ignoring the referendum vote to secede from Ukraine on March 15, 2014. There is the whitewashing and trivializing of the violence of the new, Maidan regime in Kyiv against its opponents. The report places quotation marks around the term "self-defense units" when describing how the people of Donbass responded to the arrival of vengeful, extremist and neo-Nazi paramilitaries on their territory following the Maidan coup.

Incredibly, the Minsk-2 ceasefire agreement of February 12, 2015 is given one sentence of serious mention in the report. There is no mention of the agreement in the 'Recommendations' section of the report, notwithstanding the fact that the agreement is endorsed by the governments of Russia, Germany and France and also by the United Nations Security Council! (Kyiv did not sign Minsk-2; it assigned a former president to sign it in a ghost capacity). The report deals briefly with only one clause of Minsk-2, the one pertaining to prisoner exchanges by the two sides. (Like all the other clauses of Minsk-2, this one has not been adhered to by Kyiv). The full text of Minsk-2 is here.

Minsk-2 provides a comprehensive basis for resolution of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine (Donbass). But backers of the Ukrainian government, including the German and French governments, have never liked the agreement and have done anything to ensure its application. That's because the agreement's central recommendations address the heart of the conflict - that a decentralization of political power is required in Ukraine and political autonomy should be granted to regions that have a political and historic claim to such. Kyiv is adamantly opposed to decentralization and to autonomy. Western governments concur, as do, seemingly, Western human rights agencies.

Another particularly damning aspect of the AI and HRW report is the use of the same inflammatory language against the Donetsk and Lugansk rebel republics as that of the government of Ukraine. The Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics are termed "self-declared" - conveying that the duly constituted and elected governing authorities there have no moral or legal authority. The rebel forces are termed "separatists". This is false - the struggle in Donbass has always been a struggle against the institutional violence of the Maidan state of Ukraine and in favour of political autonomy. But more scandalously, the language of "separatism" shows the high priests of human rights to be unaware that in today's Ukraine, a label of "separatist" against an individual is a licence to beat, imprison or kill him or her, while tagging an entire, pro-autonomy movement as "separatist" is a recipe for waging civil war. Imagine two human rights organizations with decades of political experience behind them blissfully unaware of the incendiary and destructive power of language in times of civil conflict! This defies comprehension.

The New York Times' Andrew Kramer took his cue from the high priests and led his news item summarizing the AI/HRW report with,

"A report by two leading human rights groups released on Thursday accuses Ukraine's Western-backed security services of practicing abuse and torture in a manner similar to that of the rebel groups they are fighting."

Clearly, the people of Donbass who are suffering daily shellings and attacks by the Ukrainian army cannot count on the human rights heroes of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for relief. Nor can the people of Ukraine as a whole, for whom the consequences of this war are a domestic economic disaster, widespread human rights violations, and seeing their country played as a pawn in the reckless drive by NATO to provoke war with Russia, complete with nuclear threats.

Relief for Donbass and Ukraine will come from stepped up domestic and international antiwar solidarity and from support by sympathetic governments. Considering NATO's roll of the nuclear dice in eastern Europe, the responsibilities of progressive and antiwar forces in the world should be self-evident.

About the author

Roger Annis is a retired aerospace worker in Vancouver BC. He writes regularly for Counterpunch. He is an editor of the website The New Cold War: Ukraine and Beyond. He can be reached at rogerannis@hotmail.com.

Here is another that shows how AI toes the State departments line and paints a referendum to end the violence in Thailand, as illegitimate.
https://www.sott.net/article/324478-Convenient-omissions-Amnesty-International-condemns-Thai-government-for-human-rights-abuses-yet-ignores-Shinawatra-terrorism

Convenient omissions: Amnesty International condemns Thai government for human rights abuses, yet ignores Shinawatra terrorism

The New Atlas
Sat, 06 Aug 2016 00:00 UTC

[Not unlike the 'moderate rebels' in Syria]
(For now over a decade, Thailand opposition groups (called "red shirts") have repeatedly depended on Western human rights advocates to pressure the government into allowing widespread protests which then are inevitably used as cover for armed violence. Today, Amnesty International is attempting to reignite the violent cycle once again.)

Amnesty International strongly condemned tomorrow's referendum regarding Thailand's new charter aimed at moving the nation forward after over a decade of political chaos and now two military coups, the most recent having been in 2014.

Thailand's The Nation would report in an article titled, "Amnesty International questions reliability of referendum," would claim:

The Amnesty International has questioned the reliability of the Sunday referendum, pointing out it will be held under "chilling climate" when the people cannot speak their minds freely.

In its press statement issued Friday, the Amnesty International said the referendum is taking place "against a backdrop of pervasive human rights violations that have created a chilling climate". It said the Thai authorities have arbitrarily arrested scores of people, have cancelled or disrupted peaceful assemblies and took off the air a television station in recent weeks.

It said these incidents were just the most recent undue restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

However, what Amnesty International does not say is that the arrests were not "arbitrary," and instead targeted supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now a convicted criminal living in self-exile to evade a 2 year jail sentence and a raft of other pending criminal charges, according to the London Guardian.

Amnesty also fails to mention that the "peaceful assemblies" and the "television station" they referred to are also both organised and run directly by Thaksin Shinawatra and his political forces.

Amnesty International, based in the United Kingdom, would likely find it difficult to defend a political party in England run openly by a convicted criminal living abroad who regularly organised attempts to subvert state power including through the use of armed terrorism.

So one wonders why Amnesty International obfuscates the fact that this is precisely what Shinawatra has done in regards to Thailand, and why Amnesty believes arresting and disrupting the activities of those involved in such subversion amounts to "pervasive human rights violations" rather than the impartial application of the rule of law.

Amnesty International's Convenient Omissions

According to Wikileaks, the US Embassy itself noted a string of terrorism carried out by the supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra leading up to and in the wake of the first military coup aimed at ousting him and his political forces from power in 2006.

In one cable titled, "Thai Government Ascribes Bombings to Political Opponents," the US Embassy in Bangkok would admit:

Many observers will find it plausible that Thaksin or his supporters may have orchestrated bombings in order to discredit those who overthrew him. During the last two years of Thaksin's administration, there were numerous incidents in which bombs were placed at Bangkok sites associated with Thaksin's opponents...

In the cable, at least 5 separate incidents were listed.

Since then, Shinawatra has deployed violent mobs into the streets on a number of occasions, the most notable of which occurred in 2009, 2010, and between 2013-2014.

Armed terrorists deployed by Thaksin Shinawatra on April 10, 2010. Those being arrested today in Thailand are supporters of the political forces who have systematically and repeated employed terrorism across the country.

Shinawatra's mobs would gun down two innocent bystanders in 2009 as they attempted to protect their property from the mobs' looting. In 2010, Shinawatra would augment his mobs with an estimated 300 heavily armed terrorists, who on the first day of bloody confrontations, would ambush and kill 7 soldiers including the colonel leading anti-riot operations.

Another Western human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch, would depict the initial outbreak of violence on page 62 of its report "Descent into Chaos (.pdf)" which stated:

As the army attempted to move on the camp, they were confronted by well-armed men who fired M16 and AK-47 assault rifles at them, particularly at the Khok Wua intersection on Rajdamnoen Road. They also fired grenades from M79s and threw M67 hand grenades at the soldiers. News footage and videos taken by protesters and tourists show several soldiers lying unconscious and bleeding on the ground, as well as armed men operating with a high degree of coordination and military skills.

The violence in 2010 would continue on for weeks claiming nearly 100 lives before concluding in citywide arson carried out by Shinawatra's supporters that incurred billions in property damage.

Finally, between 2013-2014 when anti-Shinawatra protesters took to the streets to call for his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, to step down from power, his armed terrorists would again take to the streets, utilising 40mm grenade launchers, hand grenades, and military-style rifles in almost nightly attacks on protest camps throughout Bangkok.

In fact, up to the eve of the 2014 coup that finally ousted Shinawatra's sister from power, there were violent attacks carried out by Shinawatra's supporters.

Why Amnesty International does not mention any of this remains a mystery, unless the organisation is intentionally trying to misinform global public opinion as to the true nature of Thailand's current political crisis and how the referendum represents an attempt to finally end political violence and abuse of power that in every way represents "pervasive human rights violations" in reality, as Amnesty claims the referendum represents in fiction.

In the wake of the 2014 coup, under martial law, the military quickly swept the country, disrupting Shinawatra's networks of armed terrorists rounding up huge caches of weaponry, including grenades, rifles and even rocket propelled grenade launchers (RPGs). Amnesty International fails to mention that those being arrested today in Thailand are supporters of the political forces guilty of wielding such violence against the nation and its people
It is clear that political forces in Thailand still supporting Shinawatra despite the means he has used in pursuit of returning himself and his political allies to power, do not represent a legitimate opposition protected under conventions of "free speech" and "right to assemble." Like criminals of every other variety, those who have systematically and repeatedly abused these rights at the cost of the lives and well-being of others in society, forfeit these rights and must be brought to justice.

Arresting people engaged in criminality, or disrupting the activities of those supporting criminals is universally recognised as both a legitimate and appropriate. That Amnesty International attempts to frame it otherwise in Thailand's case, raises fears that just as the organisation did in Syria or Libya, where it portrayed armed terrorist organisations as legitimate opposition, their reputation and clout is once again being used to usher in and compound human catastrophe, not avoid it.

 

[Aeneas]

Re: Amnesty International

Tony Cartalucci also had a good article tearing Amnesty International to threads: https://www.sott.net/article/250087-Amnesty-International-US-State-Department-Propaganda-Machine-Betrays-Real-Human-Rights

Amnesty International: US State Department Propaganda Machine, Betrays Real Human Rights
Tony Cartalucci
Land Destroyer
Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00 UTC

From Amnesty International USA's website, "Free Pussy Riot." "Help Amnesty International send a truckload of balaclavas to Putin." This childish stunt smacks of US State Department-funded Gene Sharp antics - and meshes directly with the US State Department's goal of undermining the Russian government via its troupe of US-funded "opposition activists" including "Pussy Riot." That Amnesty is supporting the US State Department's agenda should be no surprise, it is run literally by the US State Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Organizations, Suzanne Nossel.

Amnesty run by US State Department representatives, funded by convicted financial criminals, and threatens real human rights advocacy worldwide.

Mistakenly considered by many as the final word on human rights worldwide, it might surprise people to know that Amnesty International is in fact one of the greatest obstacles to real human rights advocacy on Earth. In its most recent 2012 annual report (page 4, .pdf), Amnesty reiterates one of the biggest lies it routinely tells:

"Amnesty International is funded mainly by its membership and public donations. No funds are sought or accepted from governments for investigating and campaigning against human rights abuses. Amnesty International is independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion."

This is categorically false. Amnesty international is indeed funded and run by not only governments, but also immense corporate-financier interests, and is not only absolutely entwined with political ideology and economic interests, it is an essential tool used for perpetuating just such interests.

Amnesty International's Funding

Finding financial information on Amnesty International's website is made purposefully difficult - specifically to protect the myth that the organization is "independent." Like any organized criminal operation, Amnesty separates compromising financial ties through a series of legal maneuvers and shell organizations. Upon Amnesty's website it states:

"The work carried out through Amnesty International's International Secretariat is organised into two legal entities, in compliance with United Kingdom law. These are Amnesty International Limited ("AIL") and Amnesty International Charity Limited ("AICL"). Amnesty International Limited undertakes charitable activities on behalf of Amnesty International Charity Limited, a registered charity."

And it is there, at Amnesty International Limited, where ties to both governments and corporate-financier interests are kept. On page 11 of Amnesty International Limited's 2011 Report and Financial Statement (.pdf) it states (emphasis added):

"The Directors are pleased to acknowledge the support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Oak Foundation, Open Society Georgia Foundation, the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Programme, Mauro Tunes and American Jewish World Service. The UK Department for International Development (Governance and Transparency Fund) continued to fund a four year human rights education project in Africa. The European Commission (EuropeAid) generously awarded a multi-year grant towards Amnesty International's human rights education work in Europe."

Clearly then, Amnesty does take money from both governments and corporate-financier interests, one of the most notorious of which, Open Society, is headed by convicted financial criminal George Soros. In March, 2012, it was reported that a Bloomberg's report, "Soros Loses Case Against French Insider-Trading Conviction," indicated that an appeal based on a "human rights" violation against Wall Street speculator George Soros had been rejected by the "European Court of Human Rights."

Soros, whose Open Society also funds Human Rights Watch and a myriad of other "human rights" advocates, literally attempted to use the West's human rights racket to defend himself against charges of financial fraud in perhaps the most transparent illustration of just how this racket operates.

Soros, who was convicted and fined for insider trading in 2002 regarding French bank Société Générale shares he bought in 1988, has built an empire out of obfuscating global criminal activity with the cause of "human rights." His support, as well as that of the British and European governments, of Amnesty International aims solely at expanding this obfuscating.

Amnesty International's Leadership

Amnesty's leadership is also telling of its true agenda. Suzanne Nossel, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, for instance was drawn directly from the US State Department - again, utterly contradicting Amnesty's claims of being "independent" of governments and corporate interests. Nossel continued promoting US foreign policy, but simply behind a podium with a new logo, Amnesty International's logo, attached to it. Amnesty International's website specifically mentions Nossel's role behind US State Department-backed UN resolutions regarding Iran, Syria, Libya, and Cote d'Ivoire.

Image: Same lies, different podium. Suzanne Nossel previously of the US State Department, is now executive director of Amnesty International USA. Her primary function of dressing up aspirations of corporate-financier global hegemony as "human rights advocacy" has not changed.

It has been documented at great length how these issues revolve around a decades long plan devised by corporate-financier interests to divide, destroy and despoil these nations who are seen as obstacles to US global hegemony. In the case of Syria specifically, it was revealed that the current "human rights" catastrophe stems back to a malicious 2007 conspiracy documented by "New Yorker" journalist Seymour Hersh, between the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia which sought to purposefully fund, arm, and deploy sectarian extremists to undermine and overthrow the Syrian government - this knowing full well the human tragedy that would unfold.

Nossel's "contributions" then are simply to dress up naked military aggression and the pursuit of global corporate-financier hegemony with the pretense of "human rights" advocacy.

A glance at AmnestyUSA.org reveals that each and every front the US State Department is currently working on and has prioritized is also coincidentally prioritized by Amnesty International. This includes rallies and campaigns to support US State Department-funded Russian opposition groups (currently fixated on "Pussy Riot"), undermining the Syrian government, toppling the government of Belarus, and supporting the Wall Street-London created Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (still called by its British Imperial nomenclature of "Burma" by Suu Kyi herself).

Amnesty International Betrays Real Human Rights Advocacy

Amnesty does indeed cover issues that are critical of US foreign policy, toward the bottom of their websites and at the back of their reports. Likewise, the corporate-media selectively reports issues that coincide with their interests while other issues are either under-reported or not reported at all. And it is precisely because Amnesty covers all issues, but selectively emphasizes those that are conducive to the interests of immense corporate-financiers that makes Amnesty one of the greatest impediments to genuine human rights advocacy on Earth.

Manufacturing Dissent. "Free Pussy Riot" (above). Ironically, FIDH is directly funded by the US State Department via the Neo-Con lined US National Endowment for Democracy (NED) as well as George Soros' Open Society. "Russia: Stop Arms Transfer to Syria!" (below). If the US State Department wants it, be sure that US State Department-run Amnesty International will stage a demonstration for it - and regardless of size or legitimacy of the demonstration, expect the corporate-media to make it headline news.

Ordinary people are given the false impression that "someone is watching out" for human rights abuses, when in reality, all Amnesty and other organizations like it are doing, is managing public perception selectively of global human rights abuses, fabricating and/or manipulating many cases specifically to suit the agenda of large corporate-financier interests. This can be seen when entire reports out of Amnesty or Human Rights Watch consist solely of "witness reports" compiled from accounts of US-backed opposition groups.

In the rare instance that a report includes references to actual photographic, video, or documented evidence, such as Human Rights Watch's 2011 "Descent into Chaos" (.pdf) report, deceptive language is intentionally included along with throwaway passages to enable selective reporting and spinning by not only the Western corporate media, but by a myriad of faux-NGOs funded and run by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch's sponsors and affiliates. The Descent into Chaos report, regarding Thailand, was promply and amply spun and manipulated by US State Department-funded faux-NGO and "rights advocate" Prachatai.

When people erroneously believe that credible organizations are handling "rights advocacy" they will not only become complacent, they will become negligent of their own responsibilities to objectively examine potential abuses and speak out against them. Wall Street and London's corporate-financier interests have filled a void - that should be occupied by their greatest opponents - instead with a large advocacy racket of their own creation. Not only are they given a free pass to abuse human rights globally, they've actually used their controlled opposition to attack their opponents.

It is clear that Amnesty International is by no means an "advocate" of human rights, but rather an affront to human rights advocacy. It goes without saying that it should be boycotted out of existence and at the very least, identified as illegitimate and fraudulent - from its funding to its compromised leadership.

Additionally, we the people must tackle real violations of each others rights at the grassroots - because it is absolute folly to believe that global spanning organizations, funded by corporate-financiers, echoing the agenda of governments driven by special interests has our best interests and rights in mind.

 

[Aeneas]

Re: Amnesty International

Amnesty International again shows who their sponsors are, as this could just as well have come from the US State department.

From their home page today:
_https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/11/syria-fears-of-civilian-carnage-in-aleppo-amid-threat-of-impending-assault-on-city/

Syria: Fears of civilian carnage in Aleppo amid threat of impending assault on city

4 November 2016, 12:32 UTC

Fears for the safety of civilians in eastern and western Aleppo city are mounting amid the looming threat of a resumption and possible escalation of fighting and bombardment by Syrian government forces with Russian support, and non-state armed groups once a humanitarian pause comes to an end later today, said Amnesty International today.

Media reports indicate that a fleet of Russian warships have made their way to Latakia on the Syrian coast in recent days indicating that Syrian and Russian forces are preparing a final bloody assault to seize control of the city.

“Even in times of wars, there are fundamental rules that all parties must obey. Civilians must never be deliberately targeted. And armed forces must never indiscriminately bombard populated areas. Syrian government forces, with Russian support, have systematically violated international humanitarian law in eastern Aleppo and throughout Syria, unlawfully killing tens of thousands of civilians. And armed opposition groups have indiscriminately bombarded civilian areas in in western Aleppo and elsewhere. ”[The exact same line by the state department and contrary to the evidence on the ground]

“The scale of the devastation in eastern Aleppo in recent months has been chilling. Given the track record of the forces fighting in Aleppo – particularly government forces – Amnesty International fears there will be very high civilian casualties as Syrian forces, supported by Russia, escalate attacks in order to seize control of the city,” said Samah Hadid , Deputy Director for Campaigns at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office.

The scale of the devastation in eastern Aleppo in recent months has been chilling
Samah Hadid


“In previous attacks documented[by the Al-Nusra outfit aka The White Helmets perhaps or the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights?] by Amnesty International on eastern Aleppo Syrian government forces, supported by Russia have shamelessly flouted international humanitarian law by launching unlawful attacks killing and injuring civilians and failing to take necessary precautions to ensure they are protected by using illegal weapons such as cluster munition. Civilians in western Aleppo city are also at risk from the repeated, unlawful use of imprecise explosive weapons by armed groups such as mortars and Katyusha rockets.”

Residents of eastern Aleppo have also expressed their fears to Amnesty International of the looming assault on the city. Um Mohamad said that she feared the pauses meant a greater attack was around the corner:

“I know that it is a matter of time before hell is unleashed again. When they announce a humanitarian pause, my heart stops beating because I know what comes next: air strike attacks.”[This is incredible. Russia and the Syrian government are here accused of having humanitarian pauses. Damned if they do and damned if they don't. Whatever happens, just blame Russia and the legitimate Syrian government]

Another resident Nizar, told the organization: “I am afraid that the offensive might be bloodier than the one before. There is nowhere to run or hide. The bombs Russia and the regime are using on us destroy entire buildings including the basement.”

“The temporary humanitarian pause announced by Russia is no substitute for unfettered and impartial humanitarian access and ensuring protection of civilians in the longer term when the airstrikes resume. Civilians wishing to evacuate must be allowed to do so without any restrictions by all parties to the conflict.”

Well the last point is actually catered for by having humanitarian corridors, which the Syrian government and Russia have repeatedly provided. The possibility to surrender and being given amnesty is also not mentioned. Neither is the countless number of reconciliations across Syria achived with the help of Russia.

The fact that AI is not concerned about Mosul or the civilians there or the lack of corridors there or ceasefires in Mosul again demonstrates the scam that AI is.

The cleverness of an agency like Amnesty International is that the State Department can use their articles as sources for the garbage they spew and thereby appear to be responding to facts by organisations on the ground.

 

[angelburst29]

Re: Amnesty International

And with this program of the Afghan Women, I found something maybe worthy, a letter to Clinton asking for the support of this bill from Humans Right Watch:

https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/related_material/Human%20Rights%20Watch%20-%20Afghanistan%20-%20Letter%20to%20Secretary%20Clinton%20-%2010.19.2012_0.pdf

Thanks for digging up the additional information, Marina9. Humans Right Watch is another organization that needs to be checked out.

Amnesty Int. seems to be a large established organization and I would imagine, it's connected to a host of other organizations - that feed into it.

A US scholar has come up with a "Plan C" in Syria aimed at establishing a new interim government in Idlib, geopolitical analyst Tony Cartalucci notes, adding that the plan may allow Washington to take a step closer to breaking Syria apart.

US Planners Come Up With 'Plan C' to Bring Syria Under Control
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950816001555

Sun Nov 06, 2016 - The US is harboring a "Plan C" in Syria, Bangkok-based geopolitical analyst Tony Cartalucci notes in his article, citing the recent op-ed written by Steven Heydemann, Associate Professor of Political Science at Columbia University for The New York Times, Sputnik reported.

In his op-ed Heydemann argues that Washington does not need a no-fly zone "to pressure Russia" and Damascus in Syria.

The US' activities in Syria have been limited by Iran and Russia supporting Bashar al-Assad, who still remains the legitimate leader of Syria in the eyes of the international community, the academic notes. According to Heydemann, what the US leadership needs to do is to undermine the Assad government's legitimacy and "recognize a different government as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people."

"The best candidate for recognition is the little-known Syrian Interim Government, or S.I.G." based inside Syria in Idlib and "engaged in routine functions of local government" there.

Recognizing the SIG as the "legitimate interim government of Syria" would untie the US-led coalition's hands and give the coalition "a credible partner for local governance" in the areas it seizes in coming months, including Raqqa, he insists.

However, the plan proposed by Heydemann is not new.

Much in the same vein Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence analyst and expert on Middle East politics and military affairs, called for the creation of "a new Syrian army" that would gain ground in Syria and then declare itself "to represent a new provisional government" in the country.

"The United States and its allies could then extend diplomatic recognition to the movement, allowing the US Department of Defense to take over the tasks of training and advising the new force — which would now be the official military arm of Syria's legitimate new rulers," he elaborated in his article for Foreign Affairs magazine back in September 2014.

A similar idea surfaced in a 2012 declassified Defense Intelligence Agency report, which noted that "there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in Eastern Syria and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition ("the West, Persian Gulf countries and Turkey") want in order to isolate the Syrian regime."

Interestingly enough, a plan akin to the aforementioned was discussed in further detail by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her team, as leaked emails published by WikiLeaks show.

In August 2012, Tom Malinowski, then Washington Director for Human Rights Watch, sent an email to the Obama administration officials, marked by Clinton and her team as a "worth a read."

In his letter Malinowski called for the implementation of a no-fly zone in Syria that would allow the Free Syrian Army (FSA) "to establish governance over territory" it seized from the government forces.

Malinowski admitted that jihadists had been fighting alongside the FSA. "The FSA is using them 'because they are crazy fighters'," he noted.

He argued that the US should help the FSA to establish a "safe zone" in the North and provide the opposition forces with the international support.

"Planes in the sky, as we saw in Libya, would send a dramatically stronger signal (in addition to tangible force), while allowing the Syrian rebels to retain ownership of their struggle on the ground," he continued.

"This should be accompanied by working with rebel authorities in the protected area on institution-building, justice, and humanitarian assistance. Whoever will deliver this combination will have influence over Syria for years to come," he stressed.

In short, the US scholars and analysts proposed to carve out a substantial part of the Syrian territory and unilaterally declare an interim/provisional government there to justify the US' military interference in Syria, which, as US Secretary of State Kerry admitted, is currently non-legitimate.

What is more important, a new US-backed government would solidify Washington's presence and influence over Syria "for years to come."

Commenting on the matter Cartalucci points out that the US officials turn a blind eye to the fact that al-Qaeda militants continue to play an important role in the "rebel" movement.

While Heydemann is calling for declaring Idlib's SIG as a Syrian interim government, he overlooks the fact that Idlib fell to the al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front back in September 2015.

"Al-Qaeda's Syria branch-known as the Nusra Front and a key rival of Islamic State-and other Islamic insurgents now control nearly all of Idlib province," the Wall Street Journal reported last year.

Likewise, as Professor Stephen F. Cohen remarked in one of his interviews on The John Batchelor Shows, Western media outlets and pundits have suddenly forgotten that eastern Aleppo is being occupied by al-Nusra Front terrorists.

"To foil America's 'Plan C' in Syria — which in reality is simply a revised version of its original plan all along — media platforms operating beyond the influence of Western special interests much educate the public regarding the true nature of Idlib, who really runs it, and what the implications are of arbitrarily designating it and the terrorists that are occupying it the 'legitimate government of Syria'," Cartalucci emphasizes in his article for New Eastern Outlook.

According to the analyst, the primary mission that the US has in Syria is removing Bashar al-Assad from power at any cost. Apparently therefore Washington overlooks al-Qaeda's misdeeds on the ground.