(GLOBALRESEARCH) Did the NSA Kill Hugo Chavez?
By Eva Golinger
Global Research, January 14, 2014
Cuba Inside the World 3 January 2014
During 2013, Venezuela experienced one of the most difficult times in its history with the death of President Hugo Chavez on March 5. Chavez, a major leader whose policies transformed the country, was the victim of an aggressive cancer that killed him in less than two years. The charismatic Venezuelan president faced large and powerful enemies during his 14 years in power ever democratically elected majorities and strong. Coups, economic sabotage, electoral interventions, psychological warfare, U.S. billionaire from his opponents and attempts on his life funding agencies were some of the tactics and strategies of destabilization that Chavez had to fight during his tenure.
He headed the lists of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Pentagon as the main target of their attacks, and the United States significantly expanded its military presence open and clandestine-around Venezuela during his administration. So his sudden and unexpected death caused much suspicion among his followers and those scholars of his socio-political vision. Chavez defied the most powerful interests in the world, and in turn, controlled the largest oil reserves on the planet. Could it have been a political assassination Chavez’s death?
Maybe a few years ago that question would have caused laughter in a majority of readers.However, today, with the vast amount of information that has come to light as whistleblower WikiLeaks and excontratista National Security Agency United States (NSA) Edward Snowden on grave violations of human rights and sovereignty committed by the U.S. government, questions like that not only do the ‘conspiracy theorists’ and connoisseurs of dirty Washington politics. Today the world knows how the U.S. government spy on their friends, allies, enemies and citizens: no one is safe from the eyes and ears of Washington. Today it is known that almost all U.S. embassies worldwide are centers of espionage and intelligence operations, violating all international norms and rules regardless of the consequences. Serious human rights abuses committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are known, and how the Obama administration expanded the use of drone-o’-drones’ to murder innocent people via remote control.
Today the Government of the first African-American known how the Presidency pursued with fury to tell truths about the abuses of Washington, and even more so when are U.S. citizens and Bradley (Chelsea) Manning, Edward Snowden and Jeremy Hammond. It is known that Washington used its economic power to try to neutralize WikiLeaks and freeze their finances, blocking access to Visa, Mastercard and Paypal only in order to silence him and prevent its continued publication of documents revealing the dirty laundry of the White House.
Both knowledge has become the global public less skeptical and more realistic when it comes to the ability of the U.S. government to silence its enemies, cover their mistakes and use any measure to achieve its domain.
Hugo Chavez was always a stone in the imperial shoe. Underestimated by analysts and consultants ‘Cold War mind’ in Washington, Chavez ended the influence and domination of the United States in Latin America in less than a decade. Transformed Venezuela from a dependent country and delivered to American culture and politics to be a sovereign, free, independent, dignified and proud of its roots, its history and its Indo-Afro-American culture.He rescued the control of strategic resources not only in Venezuela, but throughout Latin America, always with the banner of social justice. He promoted regional integration and the creation of organizations such as the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), among others. His stand against U.S. aggression hand gave an example and an inspiration to millions around the world, who viewed with hope the revolution in Venezuela and its regional expansion.
No doubt many powerful interests in Washington and elsewhere wanted the passing of Hugo Chavez. They tried to do it in April 2002 with a coup promoted by the U.S. government that failed. Months after strong economic sabotage that almost destroyed the country’s oil industry sought to overthrow him, but failed. Year and a half later paramilitary mercenaries were sent from Colombia to assassinate him, only to be captured by Venezuelan authorities, neutralized plot. In the following years there were many attempts on his life and destabilization plans to overthrow his government, none worked. Meanwhile, Chavez’s popularity grew and his socialist project began to take root in the country.
The leaked documents from the NSA by Edward Snowden revealed that President Chavez and his government were on the list of the six main targets of U.S. intelligence since at least 2007. Just one year ago, the White House created a special intelligence mission to Venezuela that reported directly to the National Director of Intelligence, above the CIA and 15 other intelligence agencies in the United States. A special mission was completely illegal, with great resources and capabilities. There were only two other missions that style: for Iran and North Korea. Venezuela include two enemy countries was held in Washington indicator of threat posed by Hugo Chavez to U.S. power.
DISEASE
Chavez suffered cancer that ended his life so suddenly was weird. As explained by the current president Nicolas Maduro, his cancer was unusual, unnamed and extremely aggressive. It was organ-specific. The Chavez family had no other cancer cases, there was a genetic predisposition. It was detected in June 2011 and in less than two years, despite strong treatments, killed him.
U.S. Army declassified and obtained by AP in 1995 by the Law on Access to Information (FOIA) documents were evidence that since 1948 the Pentagon sought to create a weapon of radiation to political assassinations .
Another study of U.S. Army intelligence in 1969 confirmed that the illegal use of radiation as a weapon could cause death or serious illness in political adversaries. In other words, it was a method of murder who were actively trying.
Can you imagine if Washington since 1948 was experimenting with radiation as a weapon of political assassination, would have come this far in the twenty-first century technology.
MURDER VIA SPY
A secret State Department cable of January 31, 1976 warned of the serious health effects caused by radioactive microwaves used by the KGB to spy on the U.S. Embassy in Moscow: “Our medical experts are of the view that prolonged exposure to microwave radioactivelevels measured at the Embassy of the United States constitute a threat to health. “
However, Washington proceeded to develop more powerful tools and with greater frequency radiation espionage.
NSA filtered by Edward Snowden Documents and recently published in the German newspaper ‘Der Spiegel’ refer to a powerful team developed by the U.S. agency that issues continuous high frequency radio waves against a target to monitor and capture all your communications . According to the document-secret NSA, equipment, CTX4000, is “a portable radar unit continuous wave (CW). It can be used to illuminate a target to retrieve information out of the network. “
“The ability to collect supplies CTX4000 signals that otherwise would not be collected, or would be extremely difficult to collect and process.” The document details their capabilities, “Frequency range: 1-2 GHz; Broadband: 45 MHz, Output Power: 2W to using internal enlarger, enlarger up to 1 kW external”.
A kilowatt is a strong capacity and amount of radioactive waves. This projected against a person for a continuous period amount may cause serious harm to your health. The study of the U.S. Army in 1969 (mentioned above) on the health effects of radiation as a weapon stresses that the impact-or event desired, in other words, the death of the white-may manifest years after exposure to the agent radioactive.
Within the NSA documents published in Der Spiegel there are also details of other forms of espionage through cell phones, wifi mobile systems and networks that might also have serious health effects for whites. However, the use of a portable radar equipment that emits continuous wave high power against a person appears to be a spy mechanism could be an instrument of murder.
Hugo Chavez was the main target of NSA for years. The possibility that their spy tools have contributed to or caused his illness no longer seems as science fiction may have been a while ago.
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Labels: ASSASSINATION, HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELA
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(NEWZIMBABWE, AFP) Rwanda ex-spy chief 'assasinated' in SA
02/01/2014 00:00:00
by AFP
A FORMER head of Rwanda's external intelligence service was found strangled in a hotel in Johannesburg, where he has lived in exile for several years, his opposition party said on Thursday.
"The Rwandan opposition is deeply saddened to announce the assassination of Colonel Patrick Karegeya in Johannesburg," the Rwanda National Congress (RNC) said in a statement. "His body was found in a hotel where he went for a meeting."
"It is true," Frank Ntwali, the party's chairperson for Africa told AFP early on Thursday. "He was strangled by agents of (Rwandan President Paul) Kagame."
Ntwali said Karegeya was killed at the Michelangelo Towers, an upmarket hotel in the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton. It was not immediately clear if he was killed on Tuesday night or on Wednesday.
Exile
Karegeya, in his early fifties, was for a long time very close to Kagame. He served as head of external intelligence for around a decade before being demoted to army spokesperson and was later arrested and jailed.
He was stripped of his rank of colonel in 2006 and fled into exile the following year.
Another prominent Rwandan dissident in South Africa, Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, survived two assassination attempts in June 2010.
The RNC statement said investigations had found "overwhelming evidence of the involvement of Rwandan intelligence operatives in those attempts".
Rwanda has vehemently denied involvement in the attacks.
Karegeya and Nyamwasa are both prominent figures in the opposition party, despite not holding specific posts. Karegeya leaves behind his wife Leah and three children.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, PAUL KAGAME, RWANDA
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(GLOBALRESEARCH) The JFK Assassination: Beware of the Coverup of an Obvious Plot
By Dr. Gary G. Kohls
Global Research, November 14, 2013
This year the most important November date is the 22nd, the event that changed the course of world history – is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas TX.. The assassination and subsequent cover-up of the obvious conspiracy plot to get rid of the popular, left-leaning, peacemaker, anti-corruption, anti-organized crime president is a good example of how and why powerful anti-democracy groups conspire to orchestrate false flag operations, cover-up their deeds and create scapegoats to take the blame.
These powerful, ultra-rich, wealthy, and unelected anti-democracy groups have the motives, means and opportunities to accomplish treasonous acts and get away with them. They also have the resources (including control or ownership of media outlets, propaganda machinery, lapdog politicians, well-paid lobbyists and rafts of lawyers) to do the mind control, brain-washing and advertising to convince us naïve, ignorant and distracted folks to believe the Big Lies – laughing, as they say, all the way to the bank.
Since JFK’s assassination, there have been several copycat assassinations that have destroyed progressive movements that were offering hope for the war-weary, unemployed, impoverished, discriminated-against and down-trodden. These courageous progressive movements were seen as mortal enemies of psychopathic corporations and the ruling elite who worshipped at the altars of war and money. These ruthless groups saw that their political and economic power were at risk of being taken away from them. These wealthy conservatives were very willing to do whatever was necessary to keep things the way they always have been.
There is abundant evidence that these ruling elites (the 1%), along with help from their hireling enforcers in the FBI, CIA, NSA, Pentagon, Mafia and local law enforcement (often with the help of hired professional assassins) have often conspired to assassinate progressive leaders like Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr, Robert Kennedy and Paul Wellstone, and even some other minor prophetic voices who were equally courageous heroes who were also willing to sacrifice themselves by opposing the agendas of right-wing war-profiteers, weapons-makers, industrial giants, racists, organized crime, rabid anti-communists and other assorted quasi-fascist factions. All one has to do is look at the massive evidence that has often been recommended in any number of my past Duty to Warn columns. (Find some of them in the Reader Weekly archives at: http://duluthreader.com/articles/categories/200_Duty_to_Warn.
Just this past week, in an NBC interview, Secretary of State John Kerry let it slip on that he didn’t believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin of JFK. When pushed to elaborate, he refused, saying it was just a personal opinion. Similarly, a month ago, on PBS’s McClaughlin Group show, Pat Buchanan showed that he believed (contradicting the official story and affirming what large percentages of the informed American public suspects) that the World Trade Center towers were not brought down by fires, but were demolished by controlled demolition when he blurted out that “Al Queda blew up the Twin Towers” on 9/11/01.
I remember reading an interview of Richard Nixon that inadvertently revealed that J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI had been involved propagating the cover story that Lee Harvey Oswald was to be fingered as the “lone assassin”. Nixon had called up Hoover 20 minutes after Kennedy had been shot. Hoover,(head of the FBI, and devious above-the-law law-breaker himself, was a rabid racist and Kennedy-hater) told Nixon that “a commonist” (sic) was the one who had shot the president. Given the fact that Oswald had neither been found nor arrested for a couple of hours after the shooting, Hoover was essentially admitting that he had already been involved in a frame-up of Oswald.His statement represented foreknowledge of events that nobody else knew about and therefore Hoover was complicit in the crime – proving the truth of what Oswald was heard to say to journalists on national television the day before he himself was silenced: “I’m just a patsy”.
I write this essay to forewarn readers about the deluge of JFK retrospectives that are coming over the next few weeks leading up the November 22. The mainstream media will be essentially telling us: “never mind about the conspiracy theories about who killed JFK, they are just coming from silly conspiracy theorists”; “don’t look at the evidence) (that demands a real independent re-investigation); “believe us ‘experts’ we know what is best for you”; “the issue is dead, the history books have been published and everything has been neatly wrapped up, so don’t go rocking the boat”: “it was a demented lone assassin, rather than a plot, that killed Kennedy.”
To those who still have a skeptical and open mind: Be aware that most of the JFK coverage for the next two weeks (and, sadly, probably even from most of public radio) will consist of attempts to reinforce the official account that came out of the corrupted Warren Commission (eerily similar to what came from most of the corrupted 9/11 Commissioners). The selective testimony, the censored-out documents that didn’t fit with the foregone conclusions and the secretive way that the forensic evidence was handled by official government agencies after the JFK, MLK, RFK and Wellstone killings points to cover-up. And how Oswald, James Earl Ray and Sirhan Sirhan, the accused assassins of JFK, MLK and RFK were handled have all the fingerprints of economically, politically and militarily powerful groups manipulating the unwelcome truths of what really happened.
One of the best of a number of well-documented books that presents the evidence that contradicts the official Big Lies is JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, written by James Douglass.
The remainder of this essay consists of extended excerpts from a book review of Douglass’ powerful Amazon.com book written by blogger Nick Anez (dated June 8, 2008). Anez does a wonderfull job of pointing out many of the painful realities about the JFK conspiracy as Douglas has uncovered them.
Anez writes: “Many excellent books have proven that the assassination of JFK was the result of a conspiracy. Douglass … scrutinizes the historical facts surrounding the assassination, from the creation of the CIA to the gradual obliteration of the freedoms upon which this nation was founded.
“This book is primarily the story of John F. Kennedy who changes from a Cold Warrior to an altruistic leader willing to risk his life to ensure that the world’s children will not become victims of a nuclear catastrophe. … the book is a tragedy because it gradually becomes obvious that each step he makes toward peace steadily increases the hatred of his enemies who will eventually betray him.
“It is also the story of the designated patsy, Lee Harvey Oswald. Moved around the country like a pawn by government agencies (as was the second “Oswald”), he was being set up as the scapegoat. … Simultaneously, the Soviet Union was being set up as the evil empire behind the assassination, along with its satellite Cuba.
“Douglass credibly illustrates the origin of the Crime of the Century. During President Truman’s administration, the CIA was empowered to be a paramilitary organization with unlimited powers. Truman’s successor, President Eisenhower, fell out of favor with the CIA when he planned a summit meeting with Soviet Premier Khrushchev. …. (Eisenhower) subsequently issued his warning about the ‘military industrial complex’ in his farewell address. But he didn’t defy ‘this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry.’ He left that task to his successor, JFK.
“The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was planned by the CIA to regain control of the island and to re-open the casinos for organized crime. President Kennedy refused to provide air support for the Cuban brigade because he knew that he had been lied to by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and by the CIA; the invasion had been designed to fail without U.S. support but they hadn’t told this to JFK who refused to fall into their trap. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK once again enraged the CIA and the Joint Chiefs by resisting their tremendous pressure on him to take military action which would have led to nuclear war.
“Following that crisis, JFK became intent on ending the Cold War by establishing a peaceful relationship with the Soviet Union. However, many CIA and Pentagon personnel believed that it was better to be ‘dead than red’ and that it was preferable to destroy civilization rather than let the Communists rule. They also knew that war generated billions of dollars for the arms industry. As a result, they would repeatedly subvert the President’s policies and isolate him within his own government. Enter some more despicable characters: Richard Bissell, Charles Cabell, Henry Cabot Lodge, Lyman Lemnitzer, Curtis LeMay and perhaps the most contemptible of all, Allen Dulles. Ironically, JFK learned to trust Khrushchev more than people within his own government.
“At American University on June 10, 1963, JFK spoke about his desire for world peace. He communicated his resolve to form a new relationship with Khrushchev. He spoke about the necessity of a pursuit toward disarmament. He related his intentions to establish a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He acknowledged his country’s past faults and recognized the Russian people as wanting peace as much as the American people. … Though this extremely important speech was ignored in the United States, it was disseminated throughout the Soviet Union, per order of Khrushchev, who was prepared to respond favorably to JFK’s peace initiative. The speech also certified JFK’s death warrant. With so many powerful enemies opposing his policies and hating him, JFK didn’t have a chance as he was being maneuvered into the crossfire in Dallas.
“President Kennedy was aware of the power of his enemies and he knew the dangers facing him. But he persevered and mandated that all U.S. personnel would be withdrawn from Vietnam; he was determined to never send in combat troops even if this meant defeat. He also refused to intervene militarily in Laos. He exchanged private letters with Khrushchev, which infuriated the CIA, and secretly initiated plans to attain rapproachement with Cuba, which further incensed the Agency. Cuba’s Fidel Castro, whom the CIA hated as intensely as it hated Kennedy, was equally eager to begin an American-Cuba dialogue. In fact, Castro was meeting with a JFK representative when the President was murdered. JFK died a martyr and the forces of evil that killed him also killed his vision of peace.
“Lyndon Johnson, the CIA’s ally, assumed the presidency. He cancelled talks with Khrushchev and refused Castro’s pleas to continue the dialogue. He reversed JFK’s withdrawal plan from Vietnam as well as his plan to neutralize Laos. The military industrial complex took control of the country. The policy of plausible deniability led the way to assassinations of foreign leaders, the overthrowing of foreign governments and horrors committed all over the globe.
“If JFK had not been murdered, we would not have had the prolongation of the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Watergate, the purported War on Terror and the steady moral deterioration of America. Interestingly, one month after JFK’s assassination, President Truman wrote an article for The Washington Post cautioning about the threat of the CIA taking over America.
“The author meticulously examines the evidence and draws conclusions which ring with unassailable truth:
(1) The CIA coordinated and implemented the assassination of President Kennedy, an act of treason which destroyed democracy in the U.S.
(2) The Warren Commission was created to propagate lies to conceal the truth from the American people.
(3) There has been a continued cover-up by successive administrations and their stooges in the mass media.
(4) The murder of JFK is directly related to the current domination of the American people by powerful oppressors within a shadow government that will continue to insist that only sustained war can keep the country safe from its enemies, never admitting that they themselves are the supreme evil.
“This is an exceptional book that will be used by future historians to determine the truth about the assassination and how it changed America. And it will also be used to honor John F. Kennedy as a courageous president who believed in doing God’s work on earth. In doing so, he came into conflict with the Unspeakable and his life was extinguished.”
Labels: ASSASSINATION, DAVID ROCKEFELLER, JFK, NELSON ROCKEFELLER
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Chavez Poisoned? Venezuela To Investigate Whether Late President Was Infected With Cancer By ‘Dark Forces’
By Global Research News
Global Research, March 14, 2013
The Huffington Post
By Hunter Stuart
Venezuela’s acting president, Nicolas Maduro, said the country would open a scientific investigation to see whether late leader Hugo Chavez was poisoned “by dark forces that wanted him out of the way,” Reuters reports.
“We are almost certain [that there was foul play] based on the data we have,” Maduro said in an interview with a the Telesur network, according to CNN.
Maduro, who barely avoided explicitly saying the United States had poisoned Chavez, talked about “scientific laboratories [that were] testing how to cause cancer” in the U.S. in the 1940s and 1950s and asked whether that technology might have progressed since then, CNN adds.
This isn’t the first time Maduro has claimed Chavez’s death was orchestrated. On March 5, hours before the president’s death was announced, Maduro said there was “no doubt” that Chavez’s illness was caused by an “attack” by foreign enemies.
Chavez Was Poisoned
At the time, a spokesman from the U.S. State Department vigorously denied the accusation, calling it “absurd,” according to the Washington Post.
Chavez himself made similar claims on more than one occasion. In 2011, he accused the U.S. of covertly poisoning Latin American leaders with cancer, and in 2005 he announced that if the U.S. succeeded in assassinating him, “the name of the person responsible is George Bush.”
The State Department has repeatedly denied trying to kill Chavez.
Although the claims may seem absurd, a CIA report declassified in 2007 revealed that the U.S. had plotted to assassinate another socialist leader it considered a threat: Fidel Castro.
The plot, which relied on poison pills, according to a Washington Post report on the documents, was abandoned after the Bay of Pigs invasion, a failed CIA-orchestrated effort to remove Castro from power.
Moreover, the U.S. is reported to have tacitly supported a coup d’etat that removed Chavez from power for two days in April 2002, even though the Bush administration denied having prior knowledge of the plot, according to The New York Times.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, HUGO CHAVEZ
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COMMENT - More fun and games from the opposition.
Biti assassination claim pathetic: Zanu PF
25/02/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporters
ZANU PF has dismissed as “pathetic lies” allegations by MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti of a security services plot to assassinate party leaders ahead of elections expected later this year.
Biti, who is also Finance Minister, told supporters at a weekend rally in Chitungwiza that the party had been alerted to a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) plot to assassinate its leaders ahead of the new polls.
“Very reliable sources within the security forces (CIO) have informed us that they are going to make attempts on the lives of the leaders of the party,” he said.
“What we want to tell you is that you may kill one person thinking that you have thwarted the process of emancipation, but you will never kill an idea.”
He said the MDC-T was taking the threats seriously since party leaders have previously been attacked by suspected security services agents and hooligans linked to Zanu PF.
But Zanu PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo dismissed the allegations as a pathetic attempt by the MDC-T to appeal for financial support from the party’s Western backers.
“These are all, but pathetic efforts by the MDC- T to appeal for sponsorship from their foreign funders on the basis that there is politically motivated violence in the country,” said Gumbo.
“It is disturbing to note that towards elections, when we have agreed that we are going to create a conducive environment for free and fair elections, the MDC- T is still orchestrating plans to discredit other political parties in the race.
“These are manufactured lies and they are only meant to win the hearts of their sponsors. We are not even moved by their lies and what they should know is that we are not going to eliminate anyone from the race that way. We will eliminate them democratically.
Vice President Joyce Mujuru appealed for peaceful election campaigns at the weekend, warning that any violence would attract unhelpful international attention on the country.
“No parent wants to see his or her children fight each other, let alone kill or maim each other. As a mother and a grandmother, I feel strongly about this,” Mujuru told mourners attending the burial of war hero John Mayowe, who was Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, the MDC-T claims attacks continue against its supporters across the country.
“The MDC is extremely enraged at the increase of politically motivated incidents of violence taking place throughout the country at the instigation of … Zanu PF,” the party said in a statement Monday.
“The MDC is extremely enraged at the increase of politically motivated incidents of violence taking place throughout the country at the instigation of the chaos faction of Zanu PF.”
Zimbabwe will hold a constitutional referendum on March 16 with elections to choose a substantive government expected later in the year.
Labels: 2013 ELECTIONS (ZW), ASSASSINATION, TENDAI BITI, ZANU-PF
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Arson Seen in Attack on Ex-Israeli Spy
By Robert Parry
Global Research, December 04, 2012
Consortiumnews 3 December 2012
Suspected arson destroyed the Montreal home of ex-Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe, who says he escaped through a rear door. It’s unclear if the fire was an assassination attempt to finally silence a man who has angered the Israeli government, powerful Republicans and others.
Ex-Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe says he narrowly survived a possible assassination attempt Sunday night when his upscale home in Montreal was set ablaze in what Canadian authorities are describing as suspected arson. Police cited how quickly the house was ravaged and noted that a suspicious person was seen fleeing the scene shortly after the fire began.
In a phone call with me on Monday, Ben-Menashe said that when he detected the fire, he alerted a woman staying in the house to flee and then was able to escape through a back door. But he said everything inside was destroyed, including his passport, personal papers and his clothing. “Everything is gone,” Ben-Menashe said.
Ben-Menashe said he believed the fire was set with “a Molotov cocktail” but he had no clear idea who might have tried to kill him. He did acknowledge that he has a number of enemies around the world resulting from his past as an Israeli intelligence officer and his more recent work as an international consultant often working in global hotspots.
Among Ben-Menashe’s enemies are some of his former Israeli superiors who consider him a traitor for exposing sensitive Israeli secrets and powerful Republicans, including former President George H.W. Bush whom Ben-Menashe fingered as involved in national security scandals in the 1980s.
Ben-Menashe, who served in Israeli military intelligence in the 1970s and 1980s, was arrested in the United States in 1989 for his involvement in military sales to Iran. He says the Israeli government then urged him to plead guilty to the U.S. charges, but he refused and began disclosing Israeli secrets to journalists, including me in early 1990 when I was a correspondent for Newsweek magazine.
At first, the Israeli government denounced Ben-Menashe as an “impostor” but after I obtained official Israeli letters of reference describing his decade-long work within the External Relations Department of the Israel Defence Forces, Israeli officials changed their story. They labeled him simply “a low-level translator.” But the letters described Ben-Menashe’s service in “key positions” and said he handled “complex and sensitive assignments.”
Despite the evidence that Israeli officials had first lied and then retreated to a new cover story, the Bush administration and the Israeli government managed to galvanize friendly journalists who went out of their way to discredit Ben-Menashe as a compulsive liar. [For details about one of the key denouncers of Ben-Menashe, see Consortiumnews.com’s “Unmasking October Surprise ‘Debunker’”.]
However, Ben-Menashe convinced a New York jury that he indeed had been working on official Israeli business in his transactions with Iran. He was acquitted in fall 1990. Ben-Menashe also continued to give interviews and provide testimony about the secret dealings involving Republicans and the Israeli government.
October Surprise Allegations
Perhaps Ben-Menashe’s most controversial claim was that he and other Israeli intelligence officers assisted the Republicans in brokering a deal with Iran’s Islamic regime of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1980 to hold 52 American hostages until after the U.S. election to ensure President Jimmy Carter’s defeat. As a result of this so-called October Surprise caper, the hostages were not released until Jan. 20, 1981, immediately after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as U.S. President, Ben-Menashe said.
After leveling his October Surprise accusations in 1990-1991 – and providing investigative journalist Seymour Hersh information about Israel’s nuclear program for his book The Samson Option – Ben-Menashe was essentially a man on the run from both the Israeli government and the U.S. administration of George H.W. Bush.
Ben-Menashe sought refuge in Australia, arriving in spring 1991, still carrying his Israeli passport. After obtaining Ben-Menashe’s Australian immigration records, journalist Marshall Wilson reported that Ben-Menashe requested what amounted to political asylum.
Dated May 15, 1991, Ben-Menashe’s 25-page declaration stated: “My case is an unprecedented case of political persecution by two governments. It was an attempt by Israel and the United States to cover up their relations with Iran since 1979.”
Ben-Menashe detailed the curious circumstances of his 1989 arrest while on a private visit to the U.S. and added: “I was not willing to keep quiet and be discredited by pleading guilty to the bogus charges. I did not accept my government’s proposal to do so. Any arms sales to Iran that I was involved in was solely in the capacity of being an employee of the Israeli government. Everything I did was authorised by the appropriate authorities in the Israeli and United States governments.
“Since I did not go along with the program and decided I would truthfully defend myself in court, I was disowned by the Israeli Government and will be prosecuted for breaking the Official Secrets Act if I return. … I will be prosecuted … behind closed doors, ‘for national security reasons,’ and I will never again see the light of day.”
But Ben-Menashe said his case had other implications. “As an aftermath of my [1990] trial a new scandal has broken directly involving the President of the United States [George H.W. Bush],’’ Ben-Menashe wrote, “about the President being involved in an arms-for-hostage release delay deal [with Iran] in 1980. I am a central witness on that issue.
“Democratic members of the US Congress are going to speak to me about that and other issues involving US sales of unconventional weapon systems to Iraq, all connected to the present [George H.W. Bush] administration of the US,’’ Ben-Menashe told Australian immigration. “Paradoxically speaking I am now being punished for being acquitted.”
Later in May 1991, Ben-Menashe faced an apparent plan by George H.W. Bush’s administration to divert him from Los Angeles Airport to Israel when he was en route to Washington to testify to Congress about his allegations. If he had been turned over, his fate would likely have been similar to that of technician Mordechai Vanunu, who disclosed Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program and then was kidnapped in Rome and returned to Israel for trial and imprisonment.
A Last-Minute Tip
However, before Ben-Menashe’s flight, I received a tip from a U.S. intelligence source about the plan and checked with congressional investigators who were expecting to interview the Israeli. When they couldn’t get a clear commitment from the Bush administration about Ben-Menashe’s safe passage, I called him in Australia as he was about to leave for the Sydney airport.
I suggested that he delay his flight, which he did. Later, I was informed by congressional investigators that they finally had extracted assurances from the Bush administration that Ben-Menashe would be allowed to proceed to Washington and he rescheduled his flight. Though he was not diverted to Israel, he was taken aside by U.S. authorities in Los Angeles and subjected to some harsh questioning.
That evening, I picked Ben-Menashe up at Dulles Airport and was surprised how shaken he was. I drove him to my home in Arlington, Virginia, and he asked if he could spend the night in my guest room, thinking that he was under surveillance and fearing for his life. With some hesitation, I consented.
Months later, when pro-Israeli journalists escalated their character assassination of Ben-Menashe, one New Republic writer Steven Emerson criticized my ethics for allowing Ben-Menashe to stay over in my house, which struck me as a curious accusation not only because there is no such ethical standard but because the fact had never been made public. The reference led me to believe that Ben-Menashe had not been paranoid when he worried about being under surveillance or for his safety.
Although substantial evidence has emerged to support Ben-Menashe’s claims, Republicans and the Israeli government continued to deny the October Surprise story and U.S. congressional investigations in the early 1990s confronted a stonewall of Republican obstruction. Ultimately, the investigations concluded that solid evidence of a GOP conspiracy was lacking. [For the latest details on this controversy, see Robert Parry’s new book, America’s Stolen Narrative.]
A Life of Intrigue
When published in 1992, Ben-Menashe’s memoir, Profits of War, provided further details about the cloak-and-dagger operations conducted by U.S. and Israeli intelligence.
Ex-Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe. (Photo from his memoir, Profits of War.)
A Jew who was born in Iran and who emigrated to Israel as a teenager, Ben-Menashe explained how his background proved valuable to Israeli intelligence after the Shah of Iran, a close Israeli ally, was overthrown in 1979. As Israel tried to rebuild some relationship with Iran, Ben-Menashe was able to reconnect with some of his friends from his youth who were rising inside the new revolutionary government.
Ben-Menashe said those contacts led him into a role as an intermediary on military sales to Iran during the U.S.-Iranian hostage crisis in 1980 and placed him near the decision by Prime Minister Menachem Begin to throw in Israel’s lot with Republican Ronald Reagan in his campaign to unseat President Jimmy Carter. Over the next several years, Ben-Menashe remained a key middleman in the arms transactions that were crucial to Iran in its long war with Iraq.
Yet, by the early 1990s, after his arrest and acquittal, Ben-Menashe had become a man without a country. On Oct. 23, 1991, he was informed that his refugee application in Australia had failed. A departmental officer declared that “there appears to have been ample opportunity for one government or another [the U.S. or Israel] to have taken action against Mr Ben-Menashe if his political importance made him of real interest to them.” [See here and here.]
Ben-Menashe appealed the finding, but on Dec. 12, 1991, the Refugee Status Review Committee confirmed the adverse ruling. A letter signed by its Chairman said in part: “The applicant’s fear of the consequences of breaking Israeli law does not warrant international protection. … The applicant has, therefore, not established a well-founded fear of persecution were he to return to Israel.’’ [See here, here, here and here.]
However, the decision was not unanimous, as Austrialian journalist Marshall Wilson reported. One member of the panel added, “I request a meeting to discuss aspects of this case, particularly the matters of what constitutes persecution given this extraordinary mix of international conspiracies and intrigue and the laws under which the applicant could be charged should he return to Israel.
“I believe the applicant has been an intelligence operative of the Israeli Government and has been involved in various arms deals. The American use of Israel to sell arms to Iran during the Iran-Iraq War is attested to by a number of sources. The delay in the release of the American hostages also is now widely accepted as true.’’
In the end Ben-Menashe left Australia of his own free will without further resort to the courts. He eventually settled in Canada, married a Canadian woman, received citizenship and built a new life as an international consultant.
Ben-Menashe stood by his sworn testimony about the October Surprise machinations and other allegations, but his credibility continued to come under assault. It didn’t seem to matter even when some Israeli officials confirmed that Ben-Menashe, indeed, had been involved in important clandestine operations for Israel.
For instance, American journalist Craig Unger was told by a senior intelligence official, Moshe Hebroni, that “Ben-Menashe served directly under me. … He had access to very, very sensitive material.” [Village Voice, July 7, 1992] In the Israeli daily, Davar, reporter Pazit Ravina wrote, “in talks with people who worked with Ben-Menashe, the claim that he had access to highly sensitive intelligence information was confirmed again and again.”
Now, in investigating the mysterious fire that could have killed Ben-Menashe — and that succeeded in destroying many of his personal papers – the authorities in Canada may have to determine if the fire resulted from some new enemy or an enemy from Ben-Menashe’s past, someone who preferred that the former Israeli spy finally be silenced.
Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his new book, America’s Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com).
Labels: ARI BEN-MENASHE, ASSASSINATION, HOUSE FIRES
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HH lying about attempt on his life – State
September 10, 2012
By CHILA NAMAIKO and KAIKO NAMUSA -
THE Government has described as blatant lies claims being peddled by United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema that he has uncovered a conspiracy to have him assassinated.
And Police in Kafue impounded two buses ferrying only male passengers from Southern Province suspected to have come to attend an aborted UPND public rally in Kanyama Township.
Reacting to Mr Hichilema’s disclosure at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday, Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba has since appealed to Zambians to ignore such seditious information, saying people should instead preach messages of unity and love.
Mr Hichilema alleged that he had information that police officers and Patriotic Front (PF) cadres planned to assassinate him and other party officials at yesterday’s aborted public rally in Lusaka’s Kanyama Township.
“It is a dark today. We have information that Dr Solomon Jere and one Judge Ngoma, who has been given a job at ZESCO, held a meeting to disrupt the UPND rally in Kanyama, we further have information that some cadres were carrying machetes to attack us at the rally,” Mr Hichilema said.
The Kanyama rally was called off after scores of police officers in riot gear sealed off the venue at Kanyama grounds, as early as 04:00 hours.
But Mr Mwamba said the Government had no hatred for Mr Hichilema and that it was saddened to hear that the UPND leader and other party officials were peddling lies about a planned attempt on their lives.
“This is a very serious and seditious matter which will be thoroughly investigated. As Government, we have nothing to do with Mr Hichilema and maybe he is just scared of something or maybe it could be that letter of some Tongas under Oath group, who are threatening to kill more Bembas.
“He just wants to portray a bad picture about the Government because Government can’t waste time to eliminate HH…for what? We have serious issues to do, such as developing Zambia and not what Mr Hichilema is alleging,” Mr Mwamba said.
He said the Government was also saddened that Mr Hichilema could not come out in the open to condemn the letter authored by the underground group, ‘Tongas under Oath’, who stated that they had killed three Bembas and poisoned more.
He said Mr Hichilema’s silence on the matter could raise concern saying as a political leader who vied for the highest office, he needed to condemn such threats of a tribe wanting to rebel against another.
“If he doesn’t condemn authors of the letter going by the name Tongas Under Oath, people will wonder because we expected him to condemn it as a leader instead of talking about plots to eliminate him,” he said
Mr Mwamba said President Michael Sata had not marginalised the people of Southern Province and he had continued to embrace every citizen regardless of their tribe because the country was founded on the principal of One Zambia One Nation.
He described Tongas as hardworking and loving people and that those who wanted to cause division between them and Bembas trading on tribal lines, would face the wrath of the law.
Mr Mwamba said the late UPND leader Anderson Mazoka worked towards uniting all tribes in the country and when he pursued his education in Northern Province, he embraced all Bembas.
A check at the Kanyama grounds found scores of police officers, who were deployed, turning away UPND cadres, a situation which prompted, Mr Hichilema to hastily hold a press briefing.
He alleged that Dr Jere was working under directions from President Sata to disobey the Court order for UPND to hold the rally after police reversed its decision to allow the party to hold the rally yesterday.
Mr Hichilema said Police had stopped UPND cadres in the most cruel manner to hold the rally when the party went through all rightful procedures and wondered why the PF was scared of his party having a rally.
Mr Hichilema also accused Chief Government spokesperson Kennedy Sakeni of fabricating a letter allegedly issued by the ‘Tongas Under Oath’to accuse UPND of formulating it.
Mr Hichilema said UPND would review the legal process at the court today.
Alliance for Development and Democracy leader Charles Milupi accused President Sata of destroying democracy and that what the Head of State had done was a political persecution.
And police in Kafue impounded two buses ferrying only male passengers from Southern Province suspected to have come to attend an aborted UPND public rally in Kanyama Township.
The passengers told police at the check-point that they were travelling to Lusaka to attend a wedding ceremony, while others stated that they were coming for kitchen party.
“The statements about the reason for their visit to Lusaka raised suspicion that is how we impounded the buses and want to find out who the owners are. We turned the passengers back and impounded the buses, but we are highly suspicious that they were coming to attend a kitchen party,” Dr Jere said.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, UPND
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Malema hints on plot to kill him
Wednesday, 19 September 2012 00:00
Johannesburg — Expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has vowed not to allow police to investigate threats against his life. “ . . . that would be like inviting killers into our home,” he told reporters in Johannesburg yesterday. Malema claimed government, particularly the security cluster, were planning to kill or illegally arrest him.
He said he had it “on good authority” that there were instructions “to get rid of some of us”. “The defence minister signed our death warrants.”
An outspoken and defiant Malema said he would not be silenced.
He promised to continue fighting for the poor, especially miners who worked in dangerous conditions and were treated like slaves.
“I have nothing to hide . . . I only have my convictions. Nothing will stop me from fighting for economic freedom, not even my death . . . I am unshaken,” Malema said.
“Since my expulsion from the ANC, I have been on the ground . . . “
Malema said his lawyers were planning legal action against police for preventing him from entering the Wonderkop stadium in Marikana on Monday to address workers.
Workers were at the stadium to receive feedback on wage negotiations.
Malema claimed police threatened to kill him when he tried to enter.
“Police threatened to isolate us and kill us . . . They pushed us out against our will . . . even though we were invited there to speak.”
Malema said his car was in a convoy of four at the stadium.
The first two cars entered, after which Malema’s car was stopped and searched.
Malema left his car and tried to walk to the meeting, but was prevented from doing so.
He said he was chased out and police threatened to shoot him. He then left.
“What was even more disturbing was that the chopper followed me all the way to Pretoria.
“It was on top of my vehicle . . . That is taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Malema criticised the National Prosecuting Authority, several ministers and some unions for steps that were not taken in the aftermath of the shooting.
He said police and civilians should have been disarmed, and police should have been arrested for shooting the miners.
He questioned why 1 000 soldiers had been deployed to Marikana when it was not necessary.
Wearing an ANC t-shirt, Malema wanted to know what an “illegal gathering” was, and said rural villages and ANC branches often held meetings in open fields without permits.
Malema believed people had the wrong idea about him.
“We are not dangerous people. We are peace-loving people. We are not a threat to anyone . . . Sometimes we just engage . . . robustly.
“We are not a rebellious group . . . We will never lead violence. We will lead a political onslaught against political thugs.”
Malema said he did not want to lead a violent coup, but rather “through political means”.
— Sapa
Labels: ASSASSINATION, DEATH THREATS, JULIUS MALEMA
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2 Retired Army Generals were paid K100m by an opposition party to assassinate President Sata-GBM
TIME PUBLISHED - Monday, September 10, 2012, 9:27 am
INVESTIGATIONS into the planned assassination of President Michael Sata have revealed that two retired army generals have been paid K100 million each by
a named opposition political party to implement the plot.
Defence Minister Geoffrey Mwamba disclosed to the Times of Zambia in an interview yesterday that he had information from security investigative wings that two retired generals received K100 million from an opposition political party.
“I have just received an update from our investigative wings and I am talking from facts with an informed point of view that two retired army generals have received K100 million from an opposition party to carry out the assassination plot.
“This is a serious development and I have also directed these investigative wings to go deeper and give more information so that we bring to book these people and the opposition party behind this,’’ Mr Mwamba said
Mr Mwamba said the matter would be probed further to verify the reports and bring culprits to book as this was a grave offence.
Mr Mwamba recently disclosed that an opposition political party was working with some retired army generals to assassinate President Sata.
An unverified alteration on the Wikipedia early this year alleged that President Sata had been assassinated on a Sunday morning in January.
To this effect, Mr Mwamba directed the investigative wings to institute thorough investigations involving the army generals and the political party.
The Minister explained that the two retired army generals had received the monies as part of payments to carry out the intended assassination on the President’s life.
He has warned that Government would not rest but ensure that the culprits working to eliminate the Head of State were apprehended and faced the law.
Mr Mwamba said it was not a threat that Government would deal with the perpetrators squarely because assassinating a Head of State was a serious offence under the laws of Zambia.
[Times of Zambia]
Labels: ASSASSINATION, GBM, GEOFFREY MWAMBA, MICHAEL SATA
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Chipimo denounces Sata assassination plot pronouncement
By Allan Mulenga
Tue 28 Aug. 2012, 10:20 CAT
NAREP president Elias Chipimo says Geoffrey Mwamba's pronouncements concerning an alleged attempted assassination of President Michael Sata are a political joke.
In an interview yesterday, Chipimo (above) said defence minister Mwamba's pronouncements should have been made in a more appropriate fashion by the relevant authorities, so as not to alarm the public.
He said it was the responsibility of investigative wings to deal with such allegations and not the defence minister.
"This is quite an alarming statement and if it was true, we would expect a much more professional approach to communicating this kind of information to the public. You would expect that there would be an official from the investigative wings, not from the Ministry of Defence, because it is not his job to investigate such an allegation. It is the job of the security wings of this administration.
"It would have been the police; it would probably even be security information handled by the internal security system of this country," he said.
Chipimo urged politicians to desist from making statements that would fuel tension in the country.
"We would urge politicians to desist from making statements that really should be made in a more appropriate fashion by the appropriate authorities. If the police, particularly the Inspector General of Police was to explain to us what was going on in this matter, it might carry a bit more weight and credibility. But as it stands right now, it is made to look as though it is mere politicking. This is the kind of politics that NAREP has been saying: 'we don't want to be part of'. We want to be a part of a constructive approach towards creating development in this country," he said.
"If you look at our history, there has always been accusations...Mrs Nakatindi Wina spent time in the cells under the pretext that she was part of some kind of conspiracy to overthrow the administration at that time. We saw that former president Kaunda was himself detained on Christmas Day by the late former president Chiluba over allegations that he was also involved in some kind of attempts to undermine a legitimately established government," said Chipimo.
On Sunday, Mwamba said that there was an assassination attempt on President Sata.
He said investigations were ongoing.
Mwamba was reacting to UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema who suggested that the defence minister should also be arrested because he had told people in November last year that there was a plot by opposition leaders and some retired generals to assassinate the President.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, ELIAS CHIPIMO, GBM, GEOFFREY MWAMBA, MICHAEL SATA
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Malawi’s Banda claims proof on DPP’s plot to assassinate her
By Agencies -ANP/AFP
August 13, 2012
Malawi President Joyce Banda said in an interview with a newspaper Sunday that an attempt was made to kill her in 2010 during her tenure as vice president when she opposed ex-leader Bingu wa Mutharika.
Banda told South Africa’s Sunday Times that since taking office in April, she had discovered proof that a truck that had crashed into a car in a convoy she was travelling in was aiming for her.
“I was in car number five when they hit the car I was supposed to be in. A truck came from the bush full of maize,” she said.
“I was denied access to the accident report until now that I’m president. I’ve seen that the truck was owned by the system. They hit where I was supposed to sit.”
President Banda: Claims proof of attempt on her life
She changed vehicles at the last minute after warnings from her personal security team.
Banda had fallen out with Mutharika at the time of the crash. She was excluded from his party in late 2010.
In Sunday’s interview, she implied that she would stand in Malawi’s 2014 presidential election, saying that more work was needed to clean up the “nepotism” of the old regime, which saw Mutharika’s brother Peter given the job of foreign minister.
‘His brother still there’
“You must understand that his brother is still here and he is waiting for the job, and the brother has also sympathisers. In the course of the eight years that (Mutharika) was in power the one thing that got worse was nepotism,” she said.
“I have to be extremely careful … to clean up is the greatest challenge. I have to tell the international community that this is not witch-hunting, it is cleaning up, because nobody will be removed without evidence of theft or corruption.”
Since coming to power, Banda — Africa’s second woman leader after Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — has put in a place a series of moves to boost the economy of the poor east African nation and win the confidence of international donors.
She devalued the kwacha currency by nearly 34 percent against the US dollar in May, which had been trading at double the official exchange on the black market.
The disparity had caused a severe foreign exchange shortage, as the currency was driven into the hands of informal dealers.
Banda also got rid of Mutharika’s supporters in government and brought back Malawi’s flag, which Mutharika had changed.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, DPP, JOYCE BANDA
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The Assassination of Yasser Arafat had been Ordered by the Israeli Cabinet
by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, July 6, 2012
The 2004 assassination of Yasser Arafat was part of a broader military and intelligence agenda to destroy the Palestinian Authority.
What recent news reports fail to mention is that the extra-judicial assassination had been ordered by the Israeli cabinet in 2003. It was subsequently approved by the US which vetoed a United Nations Security Resolution condemning the 2003 Israeli Cabinet decision to "get rid of Arafat". "We will choose the right way and the right time to kill Arafat."
(See Michel Chossudovsky, The Invasion of Gaza: "Operation Cast Lead", Part of a Broader Israeli Military-Intelligence Agenda, Global Research, November 2009)
The assassination of Yasser Arafat had been on the drawing board since 1996 under "Operation Fields of Thorns". According to an October 2000 document "prepared by the security services, at the request of then Prime Minister Ehud Barak, stated that 'Arafat, the person, is a severe threat to the security of the state [of Israel] and the damage which will result from his disappearance is less than the damage caused by his existence'". (Tanya Reinhart, Evil Unleashed, Israel's move to destroy the Palestinian Authority is a calculated plan, long in the making, Global Research, December 2001. Details of the document were published in Ma'ariv, July 6, 2001.).
Arafat's assassination was ordered in 2003 by the Israeli cabinet. It was approved by the US which vetoed a United Nations Security Resolution condemning the 2003 Israeli Cabinet decision. Reacting to increased Palestinian attacks, in August 2003, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz declared "all out war" on the militants whom he vowed "marked for death."
"In mid September, Israel's government passed a law to get rid of Arafat. Israel's cabinet for political security affairs declared it "a decision to remove Arafat as an obstacle to peace." Mofaz threatened; "we will choose the right way and the right time to kill Arafat." Palestinian Minister Saeb Erekat told CNN he thought Arafat was the next target. CNN asked Sharon spokesman Ra'anan Gissan if the vote meant expulsion of Arafat. Gissan clarified; "It doesn't mean that. The Cabinet has today resolved to remove this obstacle. The time, the method, the ways by which this will take place will be decided separately, and the security services will monitor the situation and make the recommendation about proper action." (See Trish Shuh, Road Map for a Decease Plan, www.mehrnews.com November 9 2005)
The assassination of Arafat was part of the 2001 Dagan Plan. In all likelihood, it was carried out by Israeli Intelligence. It was intended to destroy the Palestinian Authority, foment divisions within Fatah as well as between Fatah and Hamas. Mahmoud Abbas is a Palestinian quisling. He was installed as leader of Fatah, with the approval of Israel and the US, which finance the Palestinian Authority's paramilitary and security forces.
To Read complete Article:
The Invasion of Gaza: "Operation Cast Lead", Part of a Broader Israeli Military-Intelligence Agenda
- by Michel Chossudovsky - 2009-01-04
Labels: ASSASSINATION, ISRAEL, PALESTINE
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Luonde questions Musonda's claim of threats against him
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 14 May 2012, 14:00 CAT
KITWE Anglican priest Fr Richard Luonde says Zambians demand substantiated evidence from judge Philip Musonda over his claims that Director of Public Prosecutions Mutembo Nchito and the intelligence are conspiring to kill him.
And United States embassy in Zambia public affairs officer Priscilla Ann Hernandez says the US does not recognise the granting of asylum at embassies abroad. In an interview yesterday, Fr Luonde said only proper, credible evidence would make Zambians listen to the suspended Supreme Court judge.
"He is now bringing the name of Mutembo Nchito and the name of the intelligence into disrepute when there is no evidence," Fr Luonde said. "We need substantiated evidence from judge Musonda before he even writes the President."
He said without evidence from Musonda, his allegations would remain hearsay.
And according to a letter authored by justice minister Sebastian Zulu to President Sata dated May 9, 2012, Zulu stated that judge Musonda called him at his ministry with complaints that his life was in danger.
Zulu stated that judge Musonda alleged that Nchito had conspired with the Zambia Security Intelligence Services to fabricate evidence against him in order to destroy him.
He stated that judge Musonda cited the case of an article on the front page of the Zambia Daily Mail of Tuesday May 8, 2012 entitled "Banned Judge Visits Mohan'.
"He denies that he ever visited the Lusaka Central Prison to see Mohan or otherwise and that in fact he does not know Mohan," read Zulu's letter in part. "Your Excellency, Honourable Justice Musonda alleges that his life is in danger from alleged conspiracy and that we should not be surprised if he takes refuge in some Embassy such as the American Embassy for fear of his life. He further informed me that he has transferred monies from his personal account to his wife's account and has written a note to his family that if he dies they should know what has led to his death."
And Fr Luonde said judge Musonda's request for early retirement was an attempt to avoid being implicated by judge Lovemore Chikopa tribunal's findings.
On judge Musonda's request to be retired in national interest by President Sata prior to the commencement of a tribunal hearing set up to probe him and two others, Fr Luonde said that the Judiciary had not performed to expectation, especially during the reign of the MMD.
"When I read that letter, so many things came to mind. How do you retire when you are being investigated and what prompts you to retire?" he asked. "If the President would have accepted his retirement, people would have been more suspicious of the Judiciary.
"Judge Musonda should wait for the tribunal to sit and present its findings to the President."
Fr Luonde said it was clear all was not well in the Judiciary and if one could only compare how the same judges that were today disposing electoral petition cases expeditiously used to drag the same cases during the MMD reign.
"These are the same things which are coming out now, because the truth has to be revealed," he said. "Judge Musonda wants to retire now so that he is not implicated in anything. The President has done well not to accept his retirement."
Fr Luonde said by his action, judge Musonda was trying to indicate to the people that there was something he did not do right in his role as a judicial officer.
"The system needs to be re-organised from the top to the bottom. In our language we have a saying that, lisabi litampila uku bolela kumutwe the fish starts rotting from the head," Fr Luonde said. "For me the Judiciary has lost credibility before the Zambians. The majority who can't afford a lawyer have paid heavily while those who can manage to get good lawyers have gone scot-free because they have been defended."
He said people from all walks of life should be defended by the Zambian law.
"In Zambia it seems we have a law for the rich and a law for the poor," said Fr Luonde. "These are indications of things to come. The Judiciary is our last defence but if they are held in suspicion, where do we run to?"
And commenting on judge Musonda's hint that he might seek refuge at an embassy such as the United States Embassy because his life was "in danger", Hernandez said pursuant to regulations, the US government does not comment publicly on asylum matters.
"The United States does not recognise the granting of asylum at embassies abroad," said Hernandez in response to a question on whether judge Musonda had already officially sought asylum from the embassy.
President Sata, through his special assistant for press and public relations George Chellah, on Friday released correspondence where judge Musonda applied for early retirement.
Another correspondence was one where justice minister Sebastian Zulu revealed that judge Musonda told him that people should not be surprised when he seeks refuge at an embassy such as the American one because his life was "in danger".
But President Sata rejected judge Musonda's application for retirement until after the tribunal set to probe his conduct together with High Court judges Charles Kajimanga and Nigel Mutuna concludes its work.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, DPP, MUTEMBO NCHITO, PHILIP MUSONDA, RICHARD LUONDE
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The True Cause of the Death of David Kelly
by Dr. Michael Powers
Global Research, April 8, 2012
Daily Mail
Dr Kelly was a brilliant man who did his best for his country. We owe it to him and ourselves to discover the true cause of his death. In this powerfully argued article, doctor and barrister Dr Michael Powers QC explains why justice demands an inquest is held
Dr Michael Powers
Doubts: Dr Michael Powers QC says key questions were not asked about Dr Kelly
Since his untimely death in July 2003, questions have continued to be raised about the circumstances of Dr David Kelly’s death. Many wonder whether he really killed himself and speculate that he was murdered. His sudden death shocked the nation – how could it have happened?
As a specialist practitioner in law and medicine, I feel a responsibility to the two professions to air my doubts about a case that bridges both worlds.
Any question of suicide or murder has to follow the determination of the cause of death. To do otherwise risks putting the cart before the horse. It would, for example, be scientifically and logically unsound to assume suicide and then to set about finding evidence to prove it.
Before asking whether a deceased himself or a third party put the bullet in the head, it is necessary to determine first that there was a hole in the head and secondly that the deceased died because of it.
For 1,000 years, coroners have been investigating sudden, violent and unnatural deaths. They have got good at it. Suicide used to be a crime and a finding of self-murder is an unhappy reflection on the victim and his family and friends.
That is why suicide has to be proved to the same high standard as murder. It has to be proved beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased did the act which killed him with that intention in mind.
Dr David Kelly
Puzzle: Many wonder whether Dr Kelly really killed himself. Below, how the Mail on Sunday reported on the story
The normal inquest process in the case of David Kelly was interrupted by the order of the Government. Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor at the time, exercised a rarely used power to require the Oxfordshire coroner to adjourn his investigation and to give that responsibility to Lord Hutton.
The coroner had the power to compel witnesses to attend and to give evidence on oath. The Government which took our country to war with Iraq chose not to give these considerable powers to Lord Hutton.
Although there were 24 days of evidence taken over two-and-a-half months, the whole of the medical evidence took no more than a half day. The evidence of the pathologist, toxicologist and forensic biologist can be read in 30 minutes. No one could say this was a detailed investigation into the death.
I was trained as a doctor and during my years in medical practice I often had to pass fine catheters into the radial artery in the wrist. This is where medics usually feel the pulse. It can even be seen pulsating in many people. Dr Kelly’s wrists were not slit. Neither radial artery was cut. This alone is a strange finding in someone who intends suicide by this method.
Deeper in the wrist on the side of the little finger lies the ulnar artery. It is not used for catheterisation because it is too small. Yet Lord Hutton, on the unchallenged evidence of a single pathologist, concluded that Dr Kelly bled to death from the severance of this single small artery in the left hand.
Kelly
No courtroom drama would be complete without critical witnesses being challenged through the cross-examination process. Like all barristers, I received a rigorous training in advocacy and, because of its enormous importance, I take time from my practice to train barristers in this art. A skilful cross-examination is often the key to ascertaining the truth.
None of this happened in Lord Hutton’s inquiry and witnesses were simply led through prepared evidence. Reading the transcripts, far from providing any sense of satisfaction, leaves me with feelings of frustration. Opportunity after opportunity was lost to pursue answers until every avenue had been thoroughly explored and every ‘escape route’ closed.
At the very end of his evidence, Dr Nicholas Hunt, the pathologist who had conducted the post-mortem, was asked: ‘Is there anything else you would like to say concerning the circumstances leading to Dr Kelly’s death?’
Such a question gives the witness who is favourably disposed to the questioner an open opportunity to go further than his witness statement. It is NOT a question ever asked in cross-examination as it provides a free pass to an escape route.
Dr Hunt answered: ‘Nothing I could say as a pathologist, no.’ He is an experienced expert witness. What on earth did that answer mean? He was there to give evidence as a pathologist. He knew that. Everyone knew that. So why did he give that answer? It begged the question whether there was anything else he knew. Was he concerned about any other forensic or factual evidence? These questions were never asked.
Hutton focused on the so-called dodgy dossier and the conflict between the Government and the BBC which, at that time, was more in the public eye. Because it was taken for granted that Dr Kelly had killed himself, the medical evidence was insufficiently explored.
In the absence of any bleeding tendency from a clotting deficiency (and there was no evidence of this) fatal haemorrhage from a severed ulnarartery is so improbable that more evidence was essential before such a conclusion could be reached.
If you want to know how much beer has gone from a full pint glass, it is easy. You can either measure how much has been poured out or measure how much remains. To be confident, you would measure both. The same approach should have been adopted in this case.
As it was not, there is no evidence as to whether there was sufficient haemorrhage from the ulnar artery to cause death. The inquiry fell into the trap of the circular argument: Dr Kelly died, therefore he must have lost sufficient blood.
In my work as a barrister I meet many medics, but I have never met a single doctor who has disagreed with the proposition that it is extremely improbable that haemorrhage from a single, severed ulnar artery would ever be a primary cause of death.
Yet this extreme unlikelihood was never explored with Dr Hunt. Whatever the reason, this was a serious failure of the Hutton Inquiry. It has understandably led to a suspicion of cover-up.
This could not have been the cause of death, the argument goes. If it were not the cause, then what did cause his death? Was it something Dr Kelly did to himself, intending to cause his own death, which has not yet been discovered? Was it part of some elaborate plan by others to end his life?
The only way to stop the many theories which abound is for there now to be a thorough and open investigation by way of a fresh inquest. Surely the Government realises that the way to foster conspiracy theories is to be secretive and to resist calls to disclose all the medical evidence. We should pay tribute to Dr Kelly. He was a brilliant man who did his best in the service of this country. He deserves our gratitude and respect. We owe it to him and ourselves to ensure the true cause of his death is ascertained.
Dr Michael J. Powers QC is a barrister specialising in medical causation and a Fellow of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians to which he is an appointed examiner.
Read more: [DAILY MAIL, UK]
Labels: ASSASSINATION, DR. DAVID KELLY
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Syria Assassination Plot: 1957 Intel. Documents Reveal How Eisenhower and Macmillan Conspired against Syria
by Ben Fenton
Global Research, February 9, 2012
Guardian - 2003-09-27
Nearly 50 years before the war in Iraq, Britain and America sought a secretive "regime change" in another Arab country they accused of spreading terror and threatening the west's oil supplies, by planning the invasion of Syria and the assassination of leading figures. Newly discovered documents show how in 1957 Harold Macmillan and President Dwight Eisenhower approved a CIA-MI6 plan to stage fake border incidents as an excuse for an invasion by Syria's pro-western neighbours, and then to "eliminate" the most influential triumvirate in Damascus.
The plans, frighteningly frank in their discussion, were discovered in the private papers of Duncan Sandys, Mr Macmillan's defence secretary, by Matthew Jones, a reader in international history at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Although historians know that intelligence services had sought to topple the Syrian regime in the autumn of 1957, this is the first time any document has been found showing that the assassination of three leading figures was at the heart of the scheme. In the document drawn up by a top secret and high-level working group that met in Washington in September 1957, Mr Macmillan and President Eisenhower were left in no doubt about the need to assassinate the top men in Damascus.
Part of the "preferred plan" reads: "In order to facilitate the action of liberative forces, reduce the capabilities of the Syrian regime to organise and direct its military actions, to hold losses and destruction to a minimum, and to bring about desired results in the shortest possible time, a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. Their removal should be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention and in the light of circumstances existing at the time."
The document, approved by London and Washington, named three men: Abd al-Hamid Sarraj, head of Syrian military intelligence; Afif al-Bizri, chief of the Syrian general staff; and Khalid Bakdash, leader of the Syrian Communist party.
For a prime minister who had largely come to power on the back of Anthony Eden's disastrous antics in Suez just a year before, Mr Macmillan was remarkably bellicose. He described it in his diary as "a most formidable report". Secrecy was so great, Mr Macmillan ordered the plan withheld even from British chiefs of staff, because of their tendency "to chatter".
Concern about the increasingly anti-western and pro-Soviet sympathies of Syria had been growing in Downing Street and the White House since the overthrow of the conservative military regime of Colonel Adib Shishakli by an alliance of Ba'ath party and Communist party politicians and their allies in the Syrian army, in 1954.
Driving the call for action was the CIA's Middle East chief Kermit Roosevelt, grandson of former president Theodore Roosevelt. He identified Colonel Sarraj, General al-Bizri and Mr Bakdash as the real power behind a figurehead president. The triumvirate had moved even closer to Nikita Khrushchev's orbit after the previous year's disastrous attempt by Britain and France, in collusion with Israel, to reverse the nationalisation of the Suez canal.
By 1957, despite America's opposition to the Suez move, President Eisenhower felt he could no longer ignore the danger of Syria becoming a centre for Moscow to spread communism throughout the Middle East. He and Mr Macmillan feared Syria would destabilise pro-western neighbours by exporting terrorism and encouraging internal dissent. More importantly, Syria also had control of one of the main oil arteries of the Middle East, the pipeline which connected pro-western Iraq's oilfields to Turkey.
The "preferred plan"adds: "Once a political decision is reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS [MI6] will attempt, to mount minor sabotage and coup de main incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals.
"The two services should consult, as appropriate, to avoid any overlapping or interference with each other's activities... Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus; the operation should not be overdone; and to the extent possible care should be taken to avoid causing key leaders of the Syrian regime to take additional personal protection measures."
Sabotage
The report said that once the necessary degree of fear had been created, frontier incidents and border clashes would be staged to provide a pretext for Iraqi and Jordanian military intervention. Syria had to be "made to appear as the sponsor of plots, sabotage and violence directed against neighbouring governments," the report says. "CIA and SIS should use their capabilities in both the psychological and action fields to augment tension." That meant operations in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, taking the form of "sabotage, national conspiracies and various strong-arm activities" to be blamed on Damascus.
The plan called for funding of a "Free Syria Committee", and the arming of "political factions with paramilitary or other actionist capabilities" within Syria. The CIA and MI6 would instigate internal uprisings, for instance by the Druze in the south, help to free political prisoners held in the Mezze prison, and stir up the Muslim Brotherhood in Damascus.
The planners envisaged replacing the Ba'ath/Communist regime with one that was firmly anti-Soviet, but they conceded that this would not be popular and "would probably need to rely first upon repressive measures and arbitrary exercise of power".
The plan was never used, chiefly because Syria's Arab neighbours could not be persuaded to take action and an attack from Turkey alone was thought to be unacceptable. The following year, the Ba'athists moved against their Communist former allies and took Syria into a federation with Gen Nasser's Egypt, which lasted until 1963.
Global Research Articles by Ben Fenton
Labels: ASSASSINATION, NEOCOLONIALISM
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Sata assassination story annoys government
By Ernest Chanda
Mon 23 Jan. 2012, 13:00 CAT
We'll deal conclusively with the false story - defence minister
STATE House has ordered security wings to arrest people behind a false online story published yesterday alleging that President Michael Sata had been assassinated.
And defence minister Geoffrey Mwamba has vowed to conclusively deal with people behind the false story.
Meanwhile, home affairs minister Kennedy Sakeni says it is treasonable for anyone to spread false rumours that a head a state has been assassinated.
According to a link to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the site ended President Sata's biography with the announcement of his ‘assassination' in the early hours of yesterday.
President Sata's special assistant for press and public relations George Chellah described the story as malicious, sadistic and unfounded.
He stated that the story was published by a named website which he described as uncouth, claiming that the head of state was assassinated in the early hours of yesterday.
"As a matter of fact, State House is aware that such horrid stories are being perpetrated by certain rogue elements, with a bulk of them being investigated for gross misconduct and corruption in the ongoing crusade against graft. These elements are being aided in this attempt to create panic and despondency in our people by another cluster of frustrated politicians, who cannot stomach the reality of losing an election. The Presidency is wide awake to this low-priced political campaign and has ordered the state security wings to straight away bring the perpetrators of such evil acts to book," stated Chellah.
"In the past, the President tolerated akin stories and dismissed them politely but now that he has the mandate of the Zambian people to govern and a development agenda to fulfill; we will let the state security wings chart the way forward on this and any related matters in order to safeguard and preserve the peace this country has enjoyed over a long period of time. Our word of caution to those behind these thoughtless, persistent and inhumane stories circulating in the country, especially on the internet is for them to stop at once before they meet the penalty of their deeds."
And Mwamba, in an interview, said the matter would be investigated as it bordered on the country's security.
"This is the work of some of the members of the opposition. If I can tell you now, I have just arrived from South Africa. I am going to State House now. Such rumours are not good for the country. You don't talk or joke about such sensitive issues. We shall take this matter very seriously. This is just the wish of disgruntled elements in society," said Mwamba.
"As Minister of Defence, I will ensure that this matter is investigated conclusively and the culprits are brought to book."
This is not the first time an online media publication has carried a false story bordering on President Sata's health.
And Sakeni said there were other channels of expressing dissatisfaction over the government's work than spreading treasonable rumours.
"This is total madness. This crime of spreading alarming and disastrous messages on internet needs to be stopped. That is the work of people who are not even worthy to be called human beings. How do you come up with such a stupid rumour which is just meant to bring despondency in the country and tantamount to treason?" Sakeni asked.
"It is treasonable actually to talk about such things. Even if you are dissatisfied with a leader, you don't go to such extents of spreading such rumours which may just bring insecurity in the minds of the people. This is the work of the enemies of the PF government, mostly those who are so dissatisfied with our successes in the last four months."
He said security officers in the country needed to be alert in fighting cyber crime.
"We will have to alert our security officers to fight cyber crime. This is getting out of hand. The chaps are hiding themselves and can't even put their names on their stories. Online media needs to verify stories, and even foreign media, before publishing their stories. And security officers must also double up their efforts to discover who are behind this crime," said Sakeni.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, GBM, INTERNET, MICHAEL SATA
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Government to involve US Government in tracing authors of malicious Internet article
TIME PUBLISHED - Monday, January 23, 2012, 3:05 pm
Government has hinted at involving the American Government to trace the authors of the malicious rumours that President Micheal Sata had been assassinated.
Home affairs minister Kennedy Sakeni has told Journalists in Lusaka this morning that the website on which the article alleging that President Sata had been assassinated in the early hours of yesterday had appeared is believed to be hosted in the USA.
Mr. Sakeni says investigations are underway and adding that the people behind such false reports are believed to be people that were defeated in the last elections.
But when told by QFM news that the Zambia police had not received any information on the matter, Mr. Sakeni expressed disappointment that the Zambia Police was waiting for State house to furnish them with information on such a sensitive matter which was already in the public domain.
And when earlier contacted, Zambia police spokesperson Elizabeth Kanjela told QFM that the police service had not received any official information from State house on the matter.
[QFM]
Labels: ASSASSINATION, KENNEDY SAKENI, MICHAEL SATA
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BREAKING. Cynthia McKinney offered Justice Department protection after assassination threat
by Wayne Madsen
Global Research, November 10, 2011
waynemadsenreport.com
Former Representative and 2008 Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney was offered "victim witness" special protection by the FBI after the indictment of four men in northern Georgia for plotting to kill McKinney, Attorney General Eric Holder, and, according to FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Brian Lamkin of the bureau's Atlanta office, President Barack Obama.
Frederick W. Thomas, 73, and Dan Roberts, 67, were charged in the U.S. District Court in Gainesville, Georgia with conspiracy to buy explosives and possession of a silencer, while Samuel Crimp, 68, and Ray Adams were charged with conspiracy to manufacture and disperse the deadly toxin ricin. Federal law enforcement officials seized 52 weapons, including assault rifles, and 30,000 rounds of ammunition, including special sniper rounds, from Thomas's Toccoa, Georgia home.
Lamkin called McKinney at her mother's home in Georgia on November 9 and informed her that she was on the target list for the four arrested men, along with Obama and Holder. A Department of Justice official offered to provide special "victim witness" protection to McKinney, who, unlike Obama and Holder, does not have special security assigned to her.
McKinney said that while she is not afraid of the four Georgia men arrested in the alleged assassination plot, she remains concerned that the FBI that had on its payroll a hate radio host who announced to his listenership in 2006 that McKinney should be lynched on her way to vote. The radio host, Hal Turner, was found guilty in 2010 of making threats against three federal judges on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and was sentenced to 33 months in prison. It was also discovered in 2008 that Turner, who often called into the WABC-AM New York radio programs of Bob Grant and Sean Hannity, was a paid FBI informant.
McKinney said in reaction to the offer of protection services by the Justice Department, "the government agency that was paying the shock jock to threaten me rings to inform me that I now qualify for victim witness services." McKinney added that the arrest of the four white extremists in north Georgia comes at a time when she has been reaching out to white conservatives. She said, "Recently, I have been reaching out to conservative white individuals and organizations for dialogue and I will continue to do so. The people I've been reaching out to are hearing my message and it is getting through: if you and I fail to talk about our problems, we will never resolve them and the same old culprits who have skillfully divided us on the false basis of race will continue to steal opportunity from both of us. Let's at least talk to each other and keep our eyes together on the ones stealing the people blind."
Wayne Madsen is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Wayne Madsen
Labels: ASSASSINATION, CYNTHIA MCKINNEY, RACISM, TERRORISM
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Rule of law and the kill or be killed doctrine
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 19:32
It is now on record that Muammar Gaddafi was killed after his convoy was attacked by NATO planes, including aircraft from the US and France, and after he was captured alive. These apparent facts are believed by most independent analysts to be correct, and needless to say, they point to yet another serious violation of international law involving the United States and its NATO allies.
The circumstances under which Gaddafi was murdered are quite similar to how the CIA-led and US-trained Bolivian military forces summarily executed Ernesto Che Guevara in October 1967, also after capturing him alive.
The circumstances are also reminiscent to the summary execution of Osama bin Laden by the US special forces, The Seals, in May this year; although the context of bin Laden's killing cannot be described as an armed conflict, much as the US may insist that its forces were fighting in a "war against terrorism".
The wilful killing or summary execution of a prisoner of war who is no longer participating in an armed conflict is a grave breach of the Third Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War of 1949, to which both the United States and France are parties.
It does not make any difference that the prisoner of war in question is a dislikeable character, an alleged tyrant, a suspected war criminal, or that he has been in power for over 40 years.
It simply makes no difference at law how much one dislikes the particular prisoner of war, or how angry one is at that prisoner of war.
The resulting obligation for all parties to this Convention is that they investigate, arrest, try, convict and then punish perpetrators of any such crimes.
But for the US to call for such an "inquiry" over Gaddafi's killing as has already happened there is an irony to be explained.
It is like the murderer presiding over the investigation of his own murder crime.
Of course, the Third Geneva Convention applies mainly during international armed conflicts and we must consider the Libyan scenario in this context.
The moment Operation Odyssey involving France, the UK and the US was launched, the Libyan conflict became international, especially on the strength of Resolution 1973, which effectively was UN Security Council authorisation of foreign intervention.
When NATO later came in there was no doubt whatsoever that the Libyan street protests involving students and rag tag and barely armed Benghazi rebels had been deliberately and intentionally elevated to a fully fledged international armed conflict targeting Libyan military bases officially, but in reality designed to assassinate Gaddafi and his family, something that was predicted by many analysts from the onset of the war in March this year.
The fact that the intervention was based on a UN Security Council resolution makes no difference at all.
International humanitarian law applies to any international conflict, even an illegal one like the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
If one of the domestic parties to a non-international armed conflict becomes an ally of a foreign power or foreign powers and commences fighting against its own people as was clearly done by the NATO-led and Western funded Benghazi rebels, these rebels evidently come under enough control from the foreign powers so as to make the foreign powers directly responsible for their acts.
As such the murdering of Gaddafi cannot be separated from the culpability of NATO and that of the Western leaders at whose command NATO operates. Every form of thuggery and act of lawlessness by the NTC's NATO-led rebels is the direct responsibility of NATO and the Western powers behind the conflict in that country.
There is evidence ample enough to make it abundantly clear that the rebels who executed Gaddafi were under the direction and control of NATO forces, who themselves were effectively the air force of these rebel bands, a pattern that became the trademark of the entire warfare that saw Gaddafi ousted from power.
The mere fact that Gaddafi's convoy was first attacked by foreign air power and then by foreign-sponsored and armed ground forces that evidently included foreign troops and Special Forces is quite telling evidence in proving the liability of the US and its Western allies.
Moreover, it is apparent that Gaddafi was fleeing Sirte, itself a clear target of unprovoked aggression by NATO and its lackey rebels, and as such Gaddafi was attacked not as a threat to any civilians in Libya, the remit of the use of force provided by the UN Security Council Resolution 1973.
Rather this attack comes across as either an indiscriminate attack or one aimed at killing defenceless people fleeing from an armed conflict. The only provocation attributable to the people of Sirte is their refusal to condemn and disown Muammar Gaddafi, or more precisely the misfortune of them sharing the same ethnicity with the fallen leader.
Whichever way one looks at it, it was a use of force against the political independence and territorial integrity of Libya, especially given the fact that the NATO-led rebels had expressly stated they do not form a new government of Libya, rather demanding the departure of Gaddafi to pave way for a transitional arrangement, a position later disregarded blatantly at the command of Sarkozy and David Cameron.
The attack on Libya fairly constitutes the crime of aggression, regardless of the current international debate on the definition of aggression.
The attack on Sirte was in its entirety outside the remit of the mandate of the UN Security Council, which itself is and must be bound by international law.
In fact the attack evidently constitutes a serious violation of one of the most fundamental principles of international law prohibiting the use of force.
It amounts to ethnic cleansing, especially given that the whole attack was meant to coerce a whole tribe to behave in a particular way and to submit to the wishes of an armed adversary backed by foreign powers.
One can look at Gaddafi's death from the point of view of international humanitarian law. This law applies during war time and peace time, for tyrants and also for statesmen, in regards to democracies and to non-democracies, for elected leaders and for self-imposed leaders.
It protects even coup leaders like Gaddafi.
The law imposes a higher standard than in an armed conflict, limiting force to what is absolutely necessary so as to achieve a lawful goal.
In this particular case we saw the use of high-tech air power, including drones, and then we saw anti-aircraft guns targeting land-based persons, something that became a trademark of the NATO-led rebels throughout the entire conflict, not mentioning the trigger happy bunches of unruly rebels that often shot endlessly in the air when they were not shooting at anyone indiscriminately suspected of being a Gaddafi supporter, especially dark skinned Libyans.
It is reasonable to conclude that the entire conduct of NATO and its rebel subjects constitutes excessive and indiscriminate use of force in gross violation of the right to life.
Without any stretching of legal interpretations, the summary execution of a prisoner of war clearly violates the right to life, itself a fundamental right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
If there were ever such a thing as respect for international law, the offending states would be ordered to return the situation to what it was before their violation of the law began, of course something now impossible after the summary execution of Gaddafi.
As portrayed by the immature and brainless euphoric celebrations by Hilary Clinton over the brutal death of Muammar Gaddafi, the United States may in killing Gaddafi have won short term bragging rights as victor in yet another minor battle against yet another defenceless foe, but the long term damage to the US international reputation is surely going to be overwhelmingly massive.
The US has a very long history of boasting about mighty victories over small and defenceless countries, like the 1958 air raids on Laos, the 1982 invasion of Grenada that involved 12 000 elite troops over a country of 100 000 people who did not even have a meaningful police force, let alone an army, and now the mighty victory over a tiny 5.8 million people-Libya - achieved on the backdrop of high tech drones and extremely advanced war planes bombing freely with no retaliation whatsoever.
Under international law, other states may seek to use the US or NATO's international law violations as justification for their own intentional wrongful acts.
Yes, there are political and legal limits to unlawful acts that other states may take in response to the West's habitual violation of international law, but surely there are no limits on lawful action that may be taken, for example taking steps to devalue the US dollar, boycotting US and EU products, or merely stating to treat Americans and Westerners with disdain and as untrustworthy partners in the international community.
Any such act could have dire consequences for the West in general, and for US hegemony in particular, especially now that both the US and the EU are facing seemingly unstoppable economic downfalls.
The West aggressively attacks Libya at a time the EU and the US are most vulnerable, and that would be an extremely dangerous move if Africa was not currently under the leadership of hopelessly harmless treacherous politicians like South Africa's Jacob Zuma and the majority of the West-fearing lot that excludes a few like President Robert Mugabe, whose only known equal in terms of manhood and courage could be the slain Gaddafi.
The illegal invasion of Iraq culminating in the widely condemned travesty of justice that was employed to murder Saddam Hussein, the continued occupation of Afghanistan well after the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, himself the remit used to justify the invasion, and now months of aggression culminating in the extrajudicial execution of Gaddafi are all events guaranteed to send a wrong message to like-minded aggressors.
Other states and even non-state actors who may find the US or any of its NATO allies to be foes get this message that one must kill or be killed to survive in this world. That is the express message we learn from the whole military episode that toppled and murdered Muammar Gaddafi.
The kill or be killed doctrine is the rule of the jungle, not international law. The US is the violator in chief of all international law and it is sad that a country that preaches liberties and freedom to others happens to be the most murderous in human history.
Gaddafi is certainly going to haunt his foes longer and harder than he ever could in his life time.
Africa we are one and together we will overcome. It is homeland or death!
l Reason Wafawarova is a political writer based in Sydney, Australia.
Labels: ASSASSINATION, LIBYA, MUAMMAR AL-GADDAFI, NATO
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