|
On Genocide,
UN Cites Immunity to Srebrenica Claims, Lack of Jurisdiction Over
Peacekeepers
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, June 26 -- Complete
with screenshots of Darfur from Google Earth, the UN on Thursday held a
panel
discussion on "our responsibility to protect those threatened by
genocide
and other crimes against humanity," including ethnic cleansing. Inner
City
Press asked about the UN's refusal to even show up in the Dutch court
considering claims against the UN for its role in the thousands of
ethnic
cleansing deaths in Srebrenica. Daphna Shraga of the UN's Office of
Legal
Affairs answered that the UN "does not go to court," it is
automatically immune and does not even show up to make the argument.
Inner City
Press asked about the cases where the UN waives immunity, for example
for some officials
accused of corruption. Ms. Shraga responded that in the Srebrenica case
in the
Dutch courts, no individual is charged. Rather, it is the UN that is
facing
charges, which it apparently feels no responsibility to answer.
Inner City
Press asked if OLA, which is headed by Nicolas Michel, has considered
waiving
immunity in this particular case, or at least showing up in court. The
answer
appears to be no. When Mr. Michel was asked to explain by a reporter,
he said
he doesn't have to, and that he should not be taped. It has been this
way since reports
earlier this year that he took rent from the Swiss
government, some $10,000 a month. Immunity
breeds contempt, apparenlty.
The UN's advisor on the Responsibility to Protect,
Ed Luck, answered
that there is also the court of public opinion, which expects the UN to
do the
best that it can. When it falls short, its reputation suffers. It is
most
important, he said, that the UN system learns. Some question, as simply
a
recent example, UN peacekeepers' in action while Abyie in Sudan was
burned down
earlier this year. What, exactly, was learned? Luck said that some of
the UN's
harshest critics work for the Secretariat. These are introductions we
are still
waiting for.
Also this week, the UN has spoken against torture.
But on June 24, Inner
City Press asked about alleged torture by peacekeepers. UN
headquarters' lead
human rights rep quickly associated the question for sexual abuse and
women,
and said it had already been answered. But in the Democratic Republic
of Congo,
UN peacekeepers have been accused of straight up torture, with little
follow
through. Other UN-approved peacekeepers, those of France in Ituri in
2003, are
credibly accused of torture, even by Nordic conspirators. The unnamed UN watchdogs up on the 38th floor,
we're sure, are closely watching all this. Impunity breeds contempt -
that is
apparently the lesson.
* * *
These reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017 USA
Tel: 212-963-1439
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright
2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request
reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com -
|
