|
Author: Susan Lindauer
Former US Asset covering Libya at the United Nations
It’s a story CNN won’t report. Late at night there’s a pounding on the door in Misurata.
Armed soldiers force young Libyan women out of their beds at gun-point. Hustling the women and
teenagers into trucks, the soldiers rush the women to gang bang parties for NATO rebels—or else
rape them in front of their husbands or fathers. When NATO rebels finish their rape sport, the
soldiers cut the women’s throats.
Related Stories
Rapes are now ongoing acts of war in rebel-held cities, like an organized military strategy,
according to refugees. Joanna Moriarty, who’s part of a global fact-finding delegation visiting
Tripoli this week, also reports that NATO rebels have gone house to house through Misurata, asking
families if they support NATO. If the families say no, they are killed on the spot. If
families say they want to stay out of the fighting, NATO rebels take a different approach to scare
other families. The doors of “neutral homes” are welded shut, Moriarty says, trapping families
inside. In Libyan homes, windows are typically barred. So when the doors to a family compound get
welded shut, Libyans are entombed in their own houses, where NATO forces can be sure large families
will slowly starve to death.
These are daily occurrences, not isolated events. And Gadhaffi’s soldiers are not responsible.
In fact, pro-Gadhaffi and “neutral” families are targeted as the victims of the attacks. Some of
the NATO tactics may have occurred in hopes of laying blame on Gadhaffi’s door. However the attacks
are back firing.
Flashback to Serbia
The events are eerily reminiscent of Serbia’s conflict in the Balkans with its notorious rape
camps— Except today NATO itself is perpetrating these War Crimes—as if they have learned the worst
terror tactics from their enemies.
Their actions would be categorized as War Crimes, just like Serb leader, Slobadon
Milosevic—except that NATO won’t allow itself to face prosecution. According to NATO, International
Law is for the other guy.
NATO is wrong. So long as NATO governments provide the funding, assault rifles, military
training, ground advisers, support vehicles and air power, they are fully responsible for the
actions of their soldiers in the war zone. Libya’s rebels are not a rag tag fighting force, either.
Thanks to NATO’s largesse, financed by U.S. and British taxpayers, they’re fully decked out in
military uniforms, parading through the streets with military vehicles for all the people to
see.
And they do see. In Washington, Congress likes to pretend that America has not become involved
in the day to day actualities of military planning. However refugees have observed U.S, British,
French and Israeli soldiers standing by as rebel soldiers attack civilians.
“Rape parties” are the most graphic examples of NATO’s loss of moral control. One weeping
father told the fact-finding delegation how a couple of weeks ago NATO rebels targeted seven
separate households, kidnapping a virgin daughter from each pro-Gadhaffi family. The rebels
were paid for each kidnapped girl, just as they are paid for each Libyan soldier they kill— like
mercenary soldiers. They hustled the girls into trucks, and took them to a building where the girls
were locked in separate rooms.
NATO soldiers proceeded to drink alcohol, until they got very drunk. Then the leader told them
to rape the virgin daughters in gang bang style. When they’d finished raping the girls, the NATO
leader told them to cut the breasts off the living girls and bring the breasts to him. They
did this while the girls were alive and screaming. All the girls died hideous deaths. Then their
severed breasts were taken to a local square and arranged to spell the word “whore.”
The grieving father spoke to a convention of workers, attended by the global fact-finding
delegation. He was openly weeping, as all of us should. NATO’s offenses in Libya are as
terrible and unforgivable as Syria’s castration and mutilation of the 13 year old boy that shocked
the world. Yet so long as NATO’s the guilty party, the western media has looked the other way in
distaste.
Some of us are paying attention— We can see that NATO has gone rogue in Libya. And the Libyan
people themselves consider it unforgivable. Last week, 2000 Tribal Leaders gathered in Tripoli to
draft a Constitution for the country, as demanded by the British government. Notoriously, British
warships and U.S. drones pounded the streets of Tripoli with bunker bombs and missiles for days and
nights close to where the Tribal Leaders were meeting. From Tripoli, it felt awfully like the
British were trying to stop the Libyan people from bringing this Constitution to life.
Tribal Leaders Condemn British Aggression
Here’s what those 2,000 Tribal Leaders had to say about British aggression, in a statement
approved unanimously on June 3. Sheikh Ali, head of the Tribal Leaders, delivered it to Joanna
Moriarty and other members of the global fact finding mission:
“The Libyan people have the right to govern themselves. Constant attacks from the skies,
at all hours of the day have completely disrupted the lives of the families of Libya. There has
never been any fighting in Tripoli, yet we are bombed every day. We are civilians and we are being
killed by the British and NATO. Civilians are people without guns, yet the British and NATO protect
only the armed crusaders from the East by acting as their attack army. We have read the UN
resolutions and there is no mention of bombing innocent civilians. There is no mention of
assassinating the legitimate authorities in all of Libya.”
“The Libyan People have the right to select their own leaders. We have suffered occupation by
foreign countries for thousands of years. Only in the last 41 years have we Libyans enjoyed
property ownership. Only in the last 41 years have we seen our country develop. Only in the last 41
years have we seen all of the Libyans enjoy a better life, and know that our children will have a
better life then we have had. But now with the British and NATO bombings of our country, we see the
destruction of our new and developed infrastructure.”
“We leaders see the destruction of our culture. We leaders see tears in the eyes of our children
because of the constant fear from the “rain of terror” in the skies of Libya from the British and
NATO bombings. Our old people suffer from heart problems, increased diabetes and loss of vigor. Our
young mothers are losing their babies every day because of the stress of the British and NATO
bombings. These lost babies are the future of Libya. They can never be replaced. Our armies have
been destroyed by the British and NATO bombings. We cannot defend ourselves from attacks from
anyone.”
“As Tribal Leaders of Libya, we must ask why have the British and NATO decided to wage this war
against the Libyan people? There are a small percentage of dissidents in the east of Libya that
started an armed insurrection against our legitimate authority. Every country has the right to
defend itself against armed insurrection. So why cannot Libya defend itself?”
“The Tribal Leaders of Libya demand that all acts of aggression, by the British and NATO,
against the Libyan People stop immediately. June 3, 2011″
Does that sound like NATO’s got a winning strategy? If so, they should think again. Even if
Gadhaffi falls, NATO has no hope of eliminating the entire tribal structure of the Libya, which
embraces all families and clans. Instead NATO is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the
people with every missile that smashes into another building.
Tribal Backlash
The Libyan people are fighting back. This report arrived from Tripoli today. It is not edited,
and describes a backlash in tribal warfare from the City of Darna in the East, where the rebellion
is supposed to be strongest:
“People found the body of Martyr Hamdi Jumaa Al-Shalwi in Darna city eastern Libya. His
head was cut off and then placed in front of the headquarters of the Internal Security Dernah. That
was after being kidnapped from a checkpoint complex Herich. In response to this Al-Shalwi family
erected a funeral tent to receive condolences in which the green flag [of Libya] was raised. After
the funeral the whole city of Darna rose up with all its tribes which include:- the Abu Jazia
family, Al-Shalwi family, The Quba families, Ain Marra families. After that, Al-Shalwi family and
Bojazia tribe attacked the headquarters of the Transitional Council and shot all the rats (rebels)
and green flags were raised. Furthermore, the son of Sofian Qamom was killed, also two members of
Al- Qaeda got killed by residents of the city of Darna. The flag of the Libyan Jamahiriya was
raised above Darna after the clashes.”
CNN has reported none of this. The corporate media continues to lull Americans into false
confidence in the progress of the Libyan War. Americans are way out of the loop as to the failures
of the War effort. As a result, Libyans are losing trust in the potential for friendships with the
West. An unlikely champion might restore that faith. Right now a team of international attorneys is
preparing an emergency grievance on behalf of the Tribal Leaders and the Libyan people. The
International Peace Community could contribute substantially to restoring Libya’s faith in the West
by supporting this human rights action. Indeed, the Libyan people and Tribal Leaders deserve our
support. Together we must demand that NATO face prosecution for War Crimes, citing these examples
and others.
NATO governments must be required to pay financial damages to Libyan families, on par with what
the U.S. and Britain would demand for their own citizens under identical circumstances. The world
cannot tolerate double standards, whereby powerful nations abuse helpless citizens. The
International Geneva Conventions of War must be enforced, and equal force of the law must be
applied.
The Fight for Misurata
Though attacks are widespread, some of the worst abuses are occurring in Misurata. The City has
the only mega port in Libya, and handles transportation for the country, including the largest oil
and gas depots. NATO will stop at nothing to take the City.
Refugees report that the Israeli Star of David flag was draped over the largest Mosque in
Misurata on the second day of fighting, actions guaranteed to humiliate and antagonize the local
population.
NATO forces have cut off food and medical supplies throughout Libya. But the seas are plentiful
with fish in Mediterranean waters. Brave fishermen have taken their boats out of port, trying to
harvest fish for the hungry population. To break their perseverance, American drones and British
war planes steadily fire missiles on the fishing boats, deliberately targeting non-military vessels
to chase them out of the waters.
Yet for all of its superior fire power and tactical advantages, NATO still appears to be losing.
According to the fact-finding delegation, reporting today, many rebels have left Misurata and have
taken boats back to Benghazi. The big central part of Misurata is now free and under central
military control. The Libyan people shot down two helicopter gunships near the town of
Zlitan. And although Al Jazeera played a grand story about a major uprising against Ghadafi in
Tripoli, one of the Tribal leaders’ wives lives on the street that claims to be the center of the
demonstration, and declared that she saw no crowds out of her window. Buses pictured in Al Jazeera
video do not run in Tripoli.
One has to ask: What kind of society does NATO think it’s creating, if in fact Gadhaffi can be
deposed—which looks very unlikely? Have Washington and London learned nothing from their failure in
Iraq? The cruelty and debasement of NATO’s forces is already fueling profound hatreds that will
continue for the next generation.
Who could be proud of such “allies?” Not the Libyan people, surely.
NATO soldiers are no better than thugs. Anyone else would be labeled terrorists. Most worrisome,
NATO’s actions are guaranteed to have serious consequences for long term political stability in
Libya. Vendettas are forming between tribes and family clans that will carry over for decades. It
is extremely short-sighted and self destructive.
NATO should take this warning to heart: Its soldiers are not legal-proof. The International
Peace Community is already taking action to uphold Libya’s natural rights at the United Nations.
Many of us in the International Peace Community shall defend Libya’s women. And we shall demand War
Crimes prosecution and major financial damages against NATO governments, on behalf of the
people.
Nobody’s fooled by NATO’s story that Gadhaffi’s the guilty party. We know that Washington,
Britain, France, Italy— and Israel are the real culprits.
The murdered women of Misurata shall have justice. NATO can count on it.
####
This article can be reprinted in whole or part with attribution to the author
Susan Lindauer covered Libya at the United Nations as a U.S. Asset from 1995 to 2003, and
started talks for the Lockerbie Trial. She is the author of Extreme Prejudice: The Terrifying Story of the Patriot Act and the Cover Ups of
9/11 and Iraq
|
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Barry (DDG 52), Submarines USS Providence (SSN 719), USS Scranton (SSN 756) and USS Florida (SSGN 728), Marine amphibious ships USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and USS Ponce (LPD 15) Command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20), Support ships Lewis and Clark, Robert E. Peary and Kanawha, AV-8B Harrier fighters, CH-53 Super Stallion helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft aboard the Kearsarge and Ponce, KC-130J tanker aircraft flying from Sigonella Air Base, Italy, EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft of VAQ-132, based at Whidbey Island, WA and flying from Aviano Air Base, Italy (the above listed aircraft were diverted from Iraq at NATO's request "to help protect Libyan civilians"), P-3 Orion sub-hunters and EP-3 Aries electronic attack aircraft.
In addition to the above-listed weapons, more than 50 types of American bombs and missiles are stockpiled for NATO use "to protect civilians in Libya" and their use to date is illegal under both American and International law, because it has resulted in the killing, maiming or wounding of approximately 7,800 Libyan civilians between March 29 and August 9, 2011.
A survey of NATO bombing sites, ground inspections, cataloged serial numbers from unexploded ordnance, examination of bomb and missile fragments at civilian sites in Western Libya, and consultation with Libyan military sources confirm what two US Senate Armed Services Committee staffers and international lawyers have postulated. NATO, like their Israeli allies at Qana, Lebanon, committed war crimes and crimes against humanity at Majer, Libya on August 8, 2011.
Specifically, NATO stands accused of committing the following crimes against the people of Libya according to a consensus from meetings with an increasing number of visiting international lawyers and human rights advocates who have come here from Europe, Asia and South and North America.
Applicable international law includes but is not limited to Article 3 of the Statute of The Hague International Penal Court which clearly states that one criterion for indictment for war crimes is: "Attack or bombardment, by whatever means, against undefended cities, towns, villages, buildings or houses". NATO's continuous use of civilian targets for military purposes, a scenario which NATO wantonly and callously calls "collateral damage" fits this clause exactly and would be a cornerstone of a case accusing this organization of being guilty of war crimes. Violation of the Geneva Convention IV, Article 3 (a): "To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons: violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds." a
These are similar causes of action that were filed against Israeli officials by American lawyers at the New York based Center for Constitutional Rights in Ali Saadallah BELHAS, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Moshe YA`ALON, Defendant (466 F.Supp.2d 127 (2006) A case that educated the international legal community and the public about the necessity to strip sovereign immunity from international outlaws and allow lawsuits in domestic as well as international courts.
The NATO massacre at Majer requires international law suits that achieve nothing less.
Franklin P. Lamb, LLM,PhD is the Director of Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace, Wash.DC-Beirut. Lamb is doing research as a board member for the Palestine Civil Rights Campaign-Lebanon in Libya. Please check their website for UPDATES and sign their petition HERE. He is reachable co fplamb@gmail.com or fplamb@palestinecivilrightscampaign.org.
NATO'S Massacre at Majer, Libya
Dr. Franklin Lamb, Contributing Writer
Activist Post
http://www.activistpost.com/2011/08/nato
Majer, Libya -- Located about 20 miles east of the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna, six miles south of Zliten, and off Libya's southern coast across the Mediterranean from Rome, Majer was a picturesque village known for the fine quality of its dates and is claimed by locals to produce the best tarbuni (date juice) in Libya.
Family members, eyewitnesses and Libyan government officials claim that NATO's air-strikes at Majer killed 85 people, including 33 children, 32 women and 20 men. Reporters and visitors were shown 30 of the bodies in a local morgue, including a mother and two children. Officials and residents explained that approximately 50 bodies were taken to other locations for family burial and most of the injured rushed to hospitals at Tripoli.
At Majer, NATO chose to bomb three neighboring compounds, and visitors examined a total of five bombed-out houses. There was no evidence of weapons at the farmhouses, but rather mattresses, clothes and books littered the area. One badly injured 15-year old young lady, Salwa Ageil Al Jaoud, had earlier written her name inside one notebook found amidst the rubble. She was later visited in hospital and attested, like the witnesses at Qana had, that there was no military presence in the homes that were bombed.
NATO used the same tactic that Israel used during the two Qana massacres. After the first three bombs dropped at around 11:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Monday, August 8, many residents of the area ran to the bombed houses to try to save their loved ones. NATO then instantly struck with more bombs slaughtering 85 Libyans.
The badly burned and mangled bodies of two boys named Adil Moayed Gafes and Aynan Gafees were pulled from the rubble by family members deeply in shock. One anguished gentleman repeated the words, ""There is no God but Allah, and a martyr is loved by Allah," and soon others joined in.
Standing on a pile of rubble, Libyan government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, declared, "This is a crime beyond imagination. Everything about this place is civilian!"
According to Libyan officials interviewed at the Rixos Hotel here in Tripoli last night, NATO attacked Majer "to try to help rebel fighters enter the government-held city from the south as it deepens its involvement and military command and control of one side in what has become a civil war hoping for billions of dollars in reconstruction contracts and special oil deals from its chosen team set up in eastern Libya."
Seemingly borrowing a page from the Israeli army media office, NATO's Carmen Romero, the NATO Deputy Spokesperson and Colonel Roland Lavoie, Operation ''Unified Protector'' military spokesperson on 8/9/11 told a joint Brussels-Naples news conference that "the village bombed contained a military assembly area and that NATO to date had no evidence of any civilian casualties but that NATO always takes extraordinary measures to assure the safety of civilians." (ed. Total fabricated propaganda)
It is predictable that as the evidence of the massacre at Majer becomes public and NATO is pressed to explain the killing of yet more Libya civilians, NATO, probably within the next 48 hours, will announce "an internal investigation" into the events at Majer while asserting in advance, as the Israelis regularly do, that their bombing was only directed at "legitimate military targets."
The Majer massacre was perpetrated yet again with American weapons once more gifted by American taxpayers without their knowledge or consent and against every American humanitarian value shared by all people of good will.
As at Qana, the inventory of American weapons that has been provided to NATO and available for use here in Libya since March 29, 2011, sometimes indiscriminately, in order "to protect civilians" includes, but if not limited to, the following:
B-2 stealth bombers from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, F-15Es currently based at the 492nd Fighter Squadron and 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, Britain, F-16CJ "defense-suppression" aircraft based at the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, EC-130 Commando Solo psychological operations aircraft from the 193rd Special Operations Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Middletown, PA, KC-135s from the 100th Air Refueling Wing currently based at Mildenhall, Britain and the 92nd, Air Refueling Wing, Fairchild AFB, WA, C-130Js recently based at the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and A-10 attack fighters, and AC-130 gunships. The NATO attacks on Libya began with the bombing of claimed Libyan air-defense equipment using 110 American Tomahawk and Tactical Tomahawk cruise missiles. Also launched were bombing attacks using three American B-2 Spirit Bombers delivering 45 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) against Libyan air bases. Tomahawks were also fired from British ships in the area.