NEWS UPDATE 7PM GMT 30/12/11
Mass demonstrations took place in Homs, Hama, Idlib, Damascus and other major cities. In Idlib scene of much of the fighting in December there was a mass demostration that rocked the city amounting 300,000 people. These were mainly peaceful demonstrations throughtout with people singing Arabic Islamic peace chants in unity with Islamic prayers, or dancing to traditional songs. It appears Christain and Islamic groups sing and chant together. A sign in one demonstration had a Cross and a Crescent joined togther signalling there is a Unified approach to the opposition against Assad. Its unlikely therefore these are Islamic extremists. Adding to the peaceful forms of demonstation a Strike called the 'Dignity' strike mainly to attract Blue collar workers was launched today. Damascus had over 50000 protestors against the Assad regime with most like peaceful outcomes, but there is varying reports about some clashes in Damascus, around the Douma Mosque and while it is difficult to verify Aljazeera report that 100 were wounded by Government Security forces clearing people from the Mosque and Square there. Early this morning protesters said security forces had surrounded the Mosque. One has to fill in the gaps here and assume people were detained in the streets and fired at and perhaps the Mosque was raided. It is difficult to understand why a Mosque would be surrounded unless the people inside were going to be under threat. Some Protesters have been shot in Douma with live cracker style small grenades which were deployed along with some tear gas according the Sky News. Protesters have become adept at collecting the teargas shells which seem to have a higher potency than would be expected. An explosion was reported in Hama by a nail bomb with 3 reported dead. Other news reports say there may have been an explosion in Damascus this evening.
These reports are difficult to verify because the repression is so great outlets of information are scanty. Journalists remain banned from Syria and were not invited by the Arab Observer delegation who were greeted with 100,000 demonstrators in Douma. It is thought that there may have been further detentions at Aleppo University where students have been killed over the last few months. These dententions may have happened last night. El Arabia channel has a story today, about the difficulties students are facing there in the largest University in Syria.
Shooting did take place today because footage uploaded shows a youngmen with gunshot wounds but it is difficult to determine when exactly that happened. Algazeera reports 30 dead but the opposition reports 42 dead whilst other networks 12.
Information may have come to light by the larger agencies, newspapers and broadcasters and this blog does not claim to be all of the news from Syria. Oppostion through there advocates voice the requirement for the Government army to withdraw, prisoners to be released, journalists to be allowed in, the UN to act and dialogue to begin for creating a new government. Assad's regime remains silent and in denial that there are shootings or detentions despite Amnesty International's report and the UN that there are have been 12,000 in prisons to date since the uprising. The Syrian Free Army has, except for protective measures, temporarily drawn back it's forces to allow the Arab league delegation to do its job. What is clear from today is that the vast number of ordinary people in Syria would like Assad to peacefully step aside and with dignity close down his stewardship of the country.
Sky News has two reports showing damning footage of a member of the Government Assad army raising his rifle to shoot at a boy of around 14 years old, on UK National network. Tomorrow the Independent Newspaper in the UK places Syria on the Front page.
NEWS UPDATE 29/12/11
After the defiant scenes of the Arab Observer Delegation being challenged by local mourners yesterday it was sad news to hear that one of the local activists who documented many of the abuses in Syria with his phone camera was killed yesterday in Homs it is believed. (Currently unverified) His name was Basil al Sayid and he will be remembered for his work alongside the Libyan videographer Mo Nablous. Tributes are being placed at a Facebook site for al Sayid. It is also thought another youth videographer was shot in Deraa while filming the tear gasing of residents in a district of the town. Today sees the Arab League Observers visiting Homs, Idlib, and Deraa. Activists say 30 or more are dead in Syria today. At the bottom of the blog you will see a small addition showing the number of articles in the Geneva Convention which have been infringed by the reigning Syrian Government. So many it seems it is hard to choose which articles in relation to civilians that have not been violated. The blog below points up the Geneva article on 'Proportionality'. What is gauling is that the UN is ignoring all this to date.
SYRIA PINNACLE OF TEARS
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone
Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated last week(21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.
Pinnicale of Tears
In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.
Their latest victims in Homs yesterday (20th dec) were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.
The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.
It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.
Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.
It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.
But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out. A cursory view of the International Customary Law on war reveals violations in various degrees on the following articles in the Geneava Convention by Syria 5,6,7,8,11,14,15,17,19,20,22,23,24,37,36, - with the following articles deemed active by ICRC 89,90,94,100,101,104,111,113.
It remains to be seen if the International Community can prove these violations and has the courage of its convictions to punish the perpetrators of them.
Another Blog will look in depth at the violations of international law and the UN's responsiblity to uphold it.
Friday, 30 December 2011
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Syria's battle continues
NEWS UPDATE 29/12/11
After the defiant scenes of the Arab Observer Delegation being challenged by local mourners yesterday it was sad news to hear that one of the local activists who documented many of the abuses in Syria with his phone camera was killed yesterday in Homs it is believed. (Currently unverified) His name was Basil al Sayid and he will be remembered for his work alongside the Libyan videographer Mo Nablous. Tributes are being placed at a Facebook site for al Sayid. It is also thought another youth videographer was shot in Deraa while filming the tear gasing of residents in a district of the town. Today sees the Arab League Observers visiting Homs, Idlib, and Deraa. Activists say 30 or more are dead in Syria today. At the bottom of the blog you will see a small addition showing the number of articles in the Geneva Convention which have been infringed by the reigning Syrian Government. So many it seems it is hard to choose which articles in relation to civilians that have not been violated. The blog below points up the Geneva article on 'Proportionality'. What is gauling is that the UN is ignoring all this to date.
SYRIA PINNACLE OF TEARS
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone
Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated last week(21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.
Pinnicale of Tears
In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.
Their latest victims in Homs yesterday (20th dec) were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.
The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.
It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.
Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.
It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.
But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out. A cursory view of the International Customary Law on war reveals violations in various degrees on the following articles in the Geneava Convention by Syria 5,6,7,8,11,14,15,17,19,20,22,23,24,37,36, - with the following articles deemed active by ICRC 89,90,94,100,101,104,111,113.
It remains to be seen if the International Community can prove these violations and has the courage of its convictions to punish the perpetrators of them.
Another Blog will look in depth at the violations of international law and the UN's responsiblity to uphold it.
After the defiant scenes of the Arab Observer Delegation being challenged by local mourners yesterday it was sad news to hear that one of the local activists who documented many of the abuses in Syria with his phone camera was killed yesterday in Homs it is believed. (Currently unverified) His name was Basil al Sayid and he will be remembered for his work alongside the Libyan videographer Mo Nablous. Tributes are being placed at a Facebook site for al Sayid. It is also thought another youth videographer was shot in Deraa while filming the tear gasing of residents in a district of the town. Today sees the Arab League Observers visiting Homs, Idlib, and Deraa. Activists say 30 or more are dead in Syria today. At the bottom of the blog you will see a small addition showing the number of articles in the Geneva Convention which have been infringed by the reigning Syrian Government. So many it seems it is hard to choose which articles in relation to civilians that have not been violated. The blog below points up the Geneva article on 'Proportionality'. What is gauling is that the UN is ignoring all this to date.
SYRIA PINNACLE OF TEARS
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone
Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated last week(21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.
Pinnicale of Tears
In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.
Their latest victims in Homs yesterday (20th dec) were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.
The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.
It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.
Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.
It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.
But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out. A cursory view of the International Customary Law on war reveals violations in various degrees on the following articles in the Geneava Convention by Syria 5,6,7,8,11,14,15,17,19,20,22,23,24,37,36, - with the following articles deemed active by ICRC 89,90,94,100,101,104,111,113.
It remains to be seen if the International Community can prove these violations and has the courage of its convictions to punish the perpetrators of them.
Another Blog will look in depth at the violations of international law and the UN's responsiblity to uphold it.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Further clashes seen in Syria
News Update 11pm GMT*************************************************************************
Local people in Homs challenge the Arab League delegation in Homs by showing them a dead child from the recent attacks on their homes. They challenged them at their car when trying to tell their story. Sky News has a report and footage on this today. Further attacks were seen in Daara with tear gasing of protestors that could have resulted in some 8 deaths although not confirmed where in Syria this occured.
NEWS UPDATE** 2pm GMT SYRIA
RIBBON UPDATENEWSUPDATE**NEWSUPDATE**NEWSUPDATE**NEWSUPDATE****************************************************************************************************
UPDATE 28th December 2011 42 estimated to be killed in Syria yesterday. Night rally outside Baathist party in Damascus last night no casualties reported. Explosion rocks road in Idlib estmated to be aimed at buses. Mass rally in Idlib going on in front of Justice palace now. Injuries still reported in BabaAmar Homs. Activists in Homs asked Arab League Observers to force Syrian regime from entering Hikmah Hospital and arresting wounded. There are currently no safe heaven hospital safety zones for civilians military or wounded of either sides of hostility in Syria it appears. Red Cross operate under restricted circumstances often having to make special requests to enter military zones rather than being able to enforce what is known 'costumary law' wounded protection shelters. 4 children died yesterday in civilian circumstances shot by Syrian Govt army. Due to confidentiality and neutrality Red Cross have made no statement. In all areas of Syria mass rallies are the norm everyday because the mass of the people are not cooperating with the regime. There is great disastifaction being voiced by the choice of Mohamed Dadi who helmed military 'clearing' teams in Dafur, as the head of the Observer delegation. Humanitarian assistance is failing to reach Syria via Jordan because Iran has begun road blockades there. The UN remains silent about its mission there. Charity missions to bring aid to Syria are hampered by the conditions of other countries like Libya where the casualty recovery rate from the war requires attention making space to raise funds for humanitarian support in Syria difficult.
****************************************************************************
UPDATE 27th December 2011 Tanks withdraw from Homs, but await in road sidings for their next move. Meanwhile 50 thousand people demonstrate against Assad's regime in the Khaldiyah district of Homs. During the demonstration funeral coffins are being lifted aloft from previous shellings in the week of the city of Homs. Eyewitness says BabaAmra is deserted, a car drives through it showing, no people, but shops that have been shelled with a few peppered by gunshots. Several dead women marked by bullet wounds await burrial having died around two days ago. Meanwhile Arab delegation awaits to be taken to BabaAmra district.
****UPDATE*******UPDATE*********UPDATE********UPDATE*********UPDATE*********
SYRIA PINNACLE OF TEARS
NEWS UPDATE THURSDAY 21th Dec Syria
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone
Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated (21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that last week in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.
Pinnicale of Tears
In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.
Their latest victims in Homs yesterday were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.
The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.
It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.
Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.
It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.
But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out. A cursory view of the International Customary Law on war reveals violations in various degrees on the following articles in the Geneava Convention by Syria 5,6,7,8,11,14,15,17,19,20,22,23,24,37,36, - with the following articles deemed active by ICRC 89,90,94,100,101,104,111,113. Here are those numbers and what they mean in international law at the ICRC website http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_cou_sy_rule14 Red Cross rules
It remains to be seen if the International Community can prove these violations and has the courage of its convictions to punish the perpetrators of them.
Another Blog will look in depth at the violations of international law and the UN's responsiblity to uphold it.
Local people in Homs challenge the Arab League delegation in Homs by showing them a dead child from the recent attacks on their homes. They challenged them at their car when trying to tell their story. Sky News has a report and footage on this today. Further attacks were seen in Daara with tear gasing of protestors that could have resulted in some 8 deaths although not confirmed where in Syria this occured.
NEWS UPDATE** 2pm GMT SYRIA
RIBBON UPDATENEWSUPDATE**NEWSUPDATE**NEWSUPDATE**NEWSUPDATE****************************************************************************************************
UPDATE 28th December 2011 42 estimated to be killed in Syria yesterday. Night rally outside Baathist party in Damascus last night no casualties reported. Explosion rocks road in Idlib estmated to be aimed at buses. Mass rally in Idlib going on in front of Justice palace now. Injuries still reported in BabaAmar Homs. Activists in Homs asked Arab League Observers to force Syrian regime from entering Hikmah Hospital and arresting wounded. There are currently no safe heaven hospital safety zones for civilians military or wounded of either sides of hostility in Syria it appears. Red Cross operate under restricted circumstances often having to make special requests to enter military zones rather than being able to enforce what is known 'costumary law' wounded protection shelters. 4 children died yesterday in civilian circumstances shot by Syrian Govt army. Due to confidentiality and neutrality Red Cross have made no statement. In all areas of Syria mass rallies are the norm everyday because the mass of the people are not cooperating with the regime. There is great disastifaction being voiced by the choice of Mohamed Dadi who helmed military 'clearing' teams in Dafur, as the head of the Observer delegation. Humanitarian assistance is failing to reach Syria via Jordan because Iran has begun road blockades there. The UN remains silent about its mission there. Charity missions to bring aid to Syria are hampered by the conditions of other countries like Libya where the casualty recovery rate from the war requires attention making space to raise funds for humanitarian support in Syria difficult.
****************************************************************************
UPDATE 27th December 2011 Tanks withdraw from Homs, but await in road sidings for their next move. Meanwhile 50 thousand people demonstrate against Assad's regime in the Khaldiyah district of Homs. During the demonstration funeral coffins are being lifted aloft from previous shellings in the week of the city of Homs. Eyewitness says BabaAmra is deserted, a car drives through it showing, no people, but shops that have been shelled with a few peppered by gunshots. Several dead women marked by bullet wounds await burrial having died around two days ago. Meanwhile Arab delegation awaits to be taken to BabaAmra district.
****UPDATE*******UPDATE*********UPDATE********UPDATE*********UPDATE*********
SYRIA PINNACLE OF TEARS
NEWS UPDATE THURSDAY 21th Dec Syria
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone
Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated (21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that last week in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.
Pinnicale of Tears
In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.
Their latest victims in Homs yesterday were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.
The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.
It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.
Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.
It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.
But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out. A cursory view of the International Customary Law on war reveals violations in various degrees on the following articles in the Geneava Convention by Syria 5,6,7,8,11,14,15,17,19,20,22,23,24,37,36, - with the following articles deemed active by ICRC 89,90,94,100,101,104,111,113. Here are those numbers and what they mean in international law at the ICRC website http://www.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_cou_sy_rule14 Red Cross rules
It remains to be seen if the International Community can prove these violations and has the courage of its convictions to punish the perpetrators of them.
Another Blog will look in depth at the violations of international law and the UN's responsiblity to uphold it.
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Syria Pinnacle of Tears
****************************************************************************
UPDATE 27th December 2011 Tanks withdraw from Homs, but await in road sidings for their next move. Meanwhile 25 thousand people demonstrate against Assad's regime in the Khaldiyah district of Homs. During the demonstration funeral coffins are being lifted aloft from previous shellings in the week of the city of Homs. Eyewitness says BabaAmra is deserted, a car drives through it showing, no people, but shops that have been shelled with a few peppered by gunshots. Several dead women marked by bullet wounds await burrial having died around two days ago. Meanwhile Arab delegation awaits to be taken to BabaAmra district.
****UPDATE*******UPDATE*********UPDATE********UPDATE*********UPDATE*********
NEWS UPDATE THURSDAY 21th Dec Syria
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone
Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated (21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that last week in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.
Pinnicale of Tears
In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.
Their latest victims in Homs yesterday were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.
The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.
It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.
Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.
It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.
But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out.
UPDATE 27th December 2011 Tanks withdraw from Homs, but await in road sidings for their next move. Meanwhile 25 thousand people demonstrate against Assad's regime in the Khaldiyah district of Homs. During the demonstration funeral coffins are being lifted aloft from previous shellings in the week of the city of Homs. Eyewitness says BabaAmra is deserted, a car drives through it showing, no people, but shops that have been shelled with a few peppered by gunshots. Several dead women marked by bullet wounds await burrial having died around two days ago. Meanwhile Arab delegation awaits to be taken to BabaAmra district.
****UPDATE*******UPDATE*********UPDATE********UPDATE*********UPDATE*********
NEWS UPDATE THURSDAY 21th Dec Syria
Syrain National Council requests safety zone for civilians.
UN Emergency Meeting called for to declare Jabal Zawiya a disaster zone
Comander Co Riad As'ad of the Northern Syrian Free Army stated (21st Dec) via the Wall St Journal that last week in Jabal Zawiya he saw the worst, harshest and most inhumane attack ever in the 8 month war. The Syrian National Council of the Oppostion are therfore requesting that Jabal Zawiya be considered a disaster area and that the UN arrange an emergency meeting to declare it as a safety zone. This request is highly significant because it is calling for the International law of the Geneva Convention to be implemented where safety zones are created for civilians and for the army wounded to be protected as well as the neutrality of the Hospital to be upheld. Should the UN ignore this request they are in themselves contributing to a war crime scenario because when a commander requests a safety zone international law requires it is implemented.
Pinnicale of Tears
In the last few weeks the Syrian regime has shown itself to be an expert in the things that most human beings of normal conscience and sanity would not tolerate. They have orchestrated a military campaign against their own people with such skill that they have become the pinnacle of injustice in war.
Their latest victims in Homs yesterday were a group of innocent children, who bore witness to the insane barbarity of the regime. Bodies were blown appart in artillery shellings, that seemed to have focused on an area where children were playing. Footage reveals one decapitiated boy and parts of legs of other children wrapped together. In another video shreds of two babies fall through the ceiling. Such damning footage must be explained away to discover what circumstances occurred to create these terrible images. None can dispute that from the voices of the wailing family members trying to muster the strength to bury the children they are certainly of Syrian origin. What is shocking is that there is no remorse or admission by the regime that they have made a big mistake in taking up arms against their own people in whatever measure their own people have railed against them the government violence is simply untenable. No state can claim to be a state when it ceases to protect its own people or when it takes to murdering them in order to keep itself in tact.
The denials of Assad are no longer acceptable, not that they ever were, for it is clear today that his Government artillery were in Homs and have been there all week. What ranckles highly amongst the advocates of human rights is that the state violence meted out against the people is disproportionate. The analogy is like a sledgehammer to crack a nut - why oh why are tanks being used against children who are simply throwing stones? This is not a crime against the state surely? Most children express their anger all the time by picking up stones so how did these innocents become anarchists theives and armed gangs over night? It doesnt seem realistic that they would have become such monsters. Therefore a lot of questions need to be asked by the Observer Delegates, attending Syria this month.
It is indeed mind boggling that Syria's regime has orchestrated such an environment of fear over the whole Middle East region that its Heads of state fear to critise Assad in case they themselves may become political targets. But in failing to admonish Assad they are being tarred with the same brush of coalgulating blood, in which they themselves are distrusted by their own citizens.
Therefore now is the time, for the excuses end. The bully can no longer be allowed to rule the playground nor distrub the children at play. He must be called to account by the International Community for misjudging the situation and placing his whole people in jeopardy. Whilst it is a bad thing to do it is not necessarily a crime to throw a stone. It depends on the context and I cant see how any citizen could be a criminal by throwing a stone at a tank if it was thundering down on him.
It is therefore up to Assad to apply the first principle of his ancient country as the seat of Christainity encapsulated in the phrase 'He who is without sin, cast the first stone.' In the light of this, the Honourable thing for him to do is to stand down from power. Anything else is a betrayal by the International Community and of himself.
But for the Red Cross to implement safety zones they must be given access right away with no excuses either by Assad, Western or Arabic powers because anything less is a rancourous formula that fails to see that the Geneva Convention is the tool to sort these matters out.
Sunday, 23 October 2011
The Long and Winding Road of Aid for Libya
I made a visit to Malta at the begining of July to see what the situation was for aid to Libya. I travelled without knowing much about it because the difficult security situation for the country had quite literally drawn a veil over it. The main place for aid packages or any aid from the UK tax payer was 'The I-Go-Aid Foundation' which was partly funded by DIFED the UK International Development Fund agency according to it's more proactive Bosnian side kick 'The International Medical Corps who managed the office. The building was nestled in one of the back streets of a suburb of Valetta and if you were not determined to unearth it you would not be an encouraged visitor. The office was tiny but had a veneer of UK funded respectability via the yellow marbled facade that was like other British expatriate buildings in places like the French Riviera. It screamed 'British Council' , but inside there were no UK English speakers.
The main volunteer Talal was half Libyan and German. He had helped set up another charity for bringing medical equipment into Libya. He could not give his second name for security reasons, but was cheerful and happy to do something after the nightmares he had had from seeing the wounded die, with no help. Intially he volunteered for 3 months to assist in the office in any way he could. Mostly he said he worked on export paper work and inventories but he was adamant that this was where he needed to be. The situation in hosptials was appalling and he admitted to nearly having had a nervous break over over it before he made the decision to become a committed volunteer there. It was a sacrfice - he left his job, upped sticks, leaving his wife and family back in Germany. His dedication was the glue that stuck the I-GO Aid Foundation together and without him its structure would be far less organised. But he was surrounded by other helpers, his principle supporter and perhaps silent boss was Emilio Vuksan, the Legistics Officer of the International Medical Corps. (IMC) I thought Emilio would stonewall me with excuses about security issues or that any attempt I would make to relay information about the aid situation to the UK would be blocked. On the contrary when he realised I had missed the I-Go Aid boat principally out of ignorance about its leaving times and costs, he tried to see if I could go on the Medicine Sans Frontier Medical Surgery Boat to Misrata. (People were encouraged to give a donation to travel on the boat and I had been told that should be around 400 for freelances with no media organisation behind them, but that issue should never have come up)
I awaited to see if his negotiations on my behalf might work. I settled down to waiting in the nice cheap hotel, where he had suggested I stay. I decided not to leave him off the hook but to make it clear to him I wanted to make a documentary about situation occuring with the wounded in Libya. He was a little taken aback but finally agreed to a one off unfilmed interview at a local cafe.
There he uncovered to me the hidden world of the field hospital pictures on his lap top showing just how bad it was there. At that time it was generally a secret except to the medical staff that on top of the 3 general hospitals in Misrata there was a military medical field hospital in Dafnyia treating as many as 40 casualties a day. It must be stressed before I go any further that these military style field hospitals were both for Oppostion and Gaddafi forces alike. The casualty figures would come out later from Reuters who dug underneath the facade. At that time Emilio admitted that the casualties were 'truly terrible'. It was not possible to provide adequate rehabilitation for the injured with lost limbs because of the rate of new casualties coming into the hosptials.
He said he had just helped to arrange 60 tonnes of medical supplies to be delivered to Benghazi in (July )for both the new injured in Mirata and those needing rehabilitation there. Such were the numbers appearing with amputated limbs Emilio was just about to embark on a project to get planes to fly form Benghazi to Misrata to begin to pick up the wounded. Eventually this project got going so that larger numbers were shipped out of Misrata. We discussed the stories that were happening to ordinary families who had lost sons in the war and how some families had tried to find their injured relations. Sadly Emilio was to tell me I would not be able to get on the MSF boat - he said it had left earlier than expected. Well I knew that it was not sensible to go on my own with no documentary crew and anyway I needed to find the funds to do it. I listened intently and realised that even after the war was over the personal tragedies of people trying to recover would still be there and for a considerable time afterwards. No-one could give their limbs back, find the missing or make false promises that the pain of that would all go away.
Indeed by the end of August the 60 tonnes of Medical supplies had run out according to the other aid agencies begging for more. It was obvious to me at the time that the I-Go Foundation's Boat was quite literally a drop in the Ocean when it came to the real requirement for aid which in reality were probably 100 times more than the UK tax payer and the Charity wing of the I-GO Aid Foundation was providing. It required a massive injection of international funds, which when they did finally arrive after the crisis in Tripoli, they were too late.
Other developments, lauded by the Aid Workers were the networks of Volunteer doctors of the 'exiled' Libyan community who had established 'rotas' to go to Libya to serve in Hospitals under siege. However the numbers that had come forward in this scheme mostly Canadian were not always sufficient for the task. They were often not correctly qualified for the responsible positions they took up and many could only stay off their regular Western jobs for a few weeks. Their voluntary work ranged from helpful to down righ dangerous in the case of the unqualified anethnetist who only had 5 weeks experience working in a hospital but yet who headed the Trauma aneathtesiology dept in a Misrata Hospital. Such schemes though well meaning got in the way of real doctors and surgeons from the real aid agencies arguing their case with their governments to get more medical help for Libya.
I thanked Emilio for his time and considered how it was that the press and media paid large sums to get on the small I-Go Aid foundation boat which took medical supplies and food to Misrata. Some paid as much as 2500 as a donation to the charity so they could report on the hostilies. I thought better of it and got down to holidaying in Malta, but it wasn't easy to forget because Malta's whole history was about the Hospital tradition of the Knights Templar that lent it's symbol of the Cross to the later creation of the organisation the Red Cross that was to provide the greatest protection to the injured in war over the years. It seemed not enough was being done. I wasn't sure how the 54 meter boat, going once a week could take enough supplies to Misrata to make any real difference.
Once I returned Reuters were able to point out the scale of the problem when they managed to get the IMC field officer Demetrios Mognei of Misrata to release the figures of casualties that amounted to 7848 over the six month period. At that time in July the deaths were 813 though since then the New York Times says there are over 1200 dead now.
The Foreign Office then gave the July figures for amputees in Misrata as 400 which Reuters said made up for 15% of the injuries. In Misrata Doctor Almouda of the physiotherapy clinic and The Association of Our Generation for Unity said 'It is only after the war is over that we will find out just how big the problem is here.'
Never a truer word was uttered and though the war is over, the battle to reclaim the Lost lives of Libya, has only begun.
The statistics above are only for Misrata, but the Wiki-pedia on line lists the number of deaths and casualties for all of Libya. Arguably these figures are likely to be inaccurate and instead those of the NTC as 30000 deaths are likely to be correct if the rate of casualties in Misrata was to be applied throughout Libya. In any case the reported deaths are 16,187 with around 4000 mssing with 6654 reported civilian deaths bring the considered deaths to be around 26,000 if these Wikipedia figures are correct.
The lessons to be learned of such piecemeal activities is that aid agencies particularly government ones must take responsiblity to coordinate in an intergrated way with the professionals of the UN, MSF and the IMC.Now the war is over the problems will not go away immediately for Libya. The limbless will still need rehabilitation and their houses will need rebuilt with new water and electricity plants. The aid now patched in By Clinton and Hague must reach the people and not be siffened off to expatriate and exiled channels. It must make its way to the heart of the people where it is needed.
Talal was the nicest person I spoke to all year. He explained that even after the war was over he hoped the I-Go Foundation would continue with its aid because its raison d'etre was to help with the stabilization of the shattered Libyan communities. It seemed he thought I-Go would continue for at least a year after the war if not more because the needs were so great.
In the meantime if you want to help the aid effort in Libya you could donate to the I-Go Aid Foundation. Check them out at http://www.i-goaid.org or call 00 356 2134 3777 for more information. I would recommend I-Go Aid as an organisation to give funds to because thy will reach the people in most need of help.
The main volunteer Talal was half Libyan and German. He had helped set up another charity for bringing medical equipment into Libya. He could not give his second name for security reasons, but was cheerful and happy to do something after the nightmares he had had from seeing the wounded die, with no help. Intially he volunteered for 3 months to assist in the office in any way he could. Mostly he said he worked on export paper work and inventories but he was adamant that this was where he needed to be. The situation in hosptials was appalling and he admitted to nearly having had a nervous break over over it before he made the decision to become a committed volunteer there. It was a sacrfice - he left his job, upped sticks, leaving his wife and family back in Germany. His dedication was the glue that stuck the I-GO Aid Foundation together and without him its structure would be far less organised. But he was surrounded by other helpers, his principle supporter and perhaps silent boss was Emilio Vuksan, the Legistics Officer of the International Medical Corps. (IMC) I thought Emilio would stonewall me with excuses about security issues or that any attempt I would make to relay information about the aid situation to the UK would be blocked. On the contrary when he realised I had missed the I-Go Aid boat principally out of ignorance about its leaving times and costs, he tried to see if I could go on the Medicine Sans Frontier Medical Surgery Boat to Misrata. (People were encouraged to give a donation to travel on the boat and I had been told that should be around 400 for freelances with no media organisation behind them, but that issue should never have come up)
I awaited to see if his negotiations on my behalf might work. I settled down to waiting in the nice cheap hotel, where he had suggested I stay. I decided not to leave him off the hook but to make it clear to him I wanted to make a documentary about situation occuring with the wounded in Libya. He was a little taken aback but finally agreed to a one off unfilmed interview at a local cafe.
There he uncovered to me the hidden world of the field hospital pictures on his lap top showing just how bad it was there. At that time it was generally a secret except to the medical staff that on top of the 3 general hospitals in Misrata there was a military medical field hospital in Dafnyia treating as many as 40 casualties a day. It must be stressed before I go any further that these military style field hospitals were both for Oppostion and Gaddafi forces alike. The casualty figures would come out later from Reuters who dug underneath the facade. At that time Emilio admitted that the casualties were 'truly terrible'. It was not possible to provide adequate rehabilitation for the injured with lost limbs because of the rate of new casualties coming into the hosptials.
He said he had just helped to arrange 60 tonnes of medical supplies to be delivered to Benghazi in (July )for both the new injured in Mirata and those needing rehabilitation there. Such were the numbers appearing with amputated limbs Emilio was just about to embark on a project to get planes to fly form Benghazi to Misrata to begin to pick up the wounded. Eventually this project got going so that larger numbers were shipped out of Misrata. We discussed the stories that were happening to ordinary families who had lost sons in the war and how some families had tried to find their injured relations. Sadly Emilio was to tell me I would not be able to get on the MSF boat - he said it had left earlier than expected. Well I knew that it was not sensible to go on my own with no documentary crew and anyway I needed to find the funds to do it. I listened intently and realised that even after the war was over the personal tragedies of people trying to recover would still be there and for a considerable time afterwards. No-one could give their limbs back, find the missing or make false promises that the pain of that would all go away.
Indeed by the end of August the 60 tonnes of Medical supplies had run out according to the other aid agencies begging for more. It was obvious to me at the time that the I-Go Foundation's Boat was quite literally a drop in the Ocean when it came to the real requirement for aid which in reality were probably 100 times more than the UK tax payer and the Charity wing of the I-GO Aid Foundation was providing. It required a massive injection of international funds, which when they did finally arrive after the crisis in Tripoli, they were too late.
Other developments, lauded by the Aid Workers were the networks of Volunteer doctors of the 'exiled' Libyan community who had established 'rotas' to go to Libya to serve in Hospitals under siege. However the numbers that had come forward in this scheme mostly Canadian were not always sufficient for the task. They were often not correctly qualified for the responsible positions they took up and many could only stay off their regular Western jobs for a few weeks. Their voluntary work ranged from helpful to down righ dangerous in the case of the unqualified anethnetist who only had 5 weeks experience working in a hospital but yet who headed the Trauma aneathtesiology dept in a Misrata Hospital. Such schemes though well meaning got in the way of real doctors and surgeons from the real aid agencies arguing their case with their governments to get more medical help for Libya.
I thanked Emilio for his time and considered how it was that the press and media paid large sums to get on the small I-Go Aid foundation boat which took medical supplies and food to Misrata. Some paid as much as 2500 as a donation to the charity so they could report on the hostilies. I thought better of it and got down to holidaying in Malta, but it wasn't easy to forget because Malta's whole history was about the Hospital tradition of the Knights Templar that lent it's symbol of the Cross to the later creation of the organisation the Red Cross that was to provide the greatest protection to the injured in war over the years. It seemed not enough was being done. I wasn't sure how the 54 meter boat, going once a week could take enough supplies to Misrata to make any real difference.
Once I returned Reuters were able to point out the scale of the problem when they managed to get the IMC field officer Demetrios Mognei of Misrata to release the figures of casualties that amounted to 7848 over the six month period. At that time in July the deaths were 813 though since then the New York Times says there are over 1200 dead now.
The Foreign Office then gave the July figures for amputees in Misrata as 400 which Reuters said made up for 15% of the injuries. In Misrata Doctor Almouda of the physiotherapy clinic and The Association of Our Generation for Unity said 'It is only after the war is over that we will find out just how big the problem is here.'
Never a truer word was uttered and though the war is over, the battle to reclaim the Lost lives of Libya, has only begun.
The statistics above are only for Misrata, but the Wiki-pedia on line lists the number of deaths and casualties for all of Libya. Arguably these figures are likely to be inaccurate and instead those of the NTC as 30000 deaths are likely to be correct if the rate of casualties in Misrata was to be applied throughout Libya. In any case the reported deaths are 16,187 with around 4000 mssing with 6654 reported civilian deaths bring the considered deaths to be around 26,000 if these Wikipedia figures are correct.
The lessons to be learned of such piecemeal activities is that aid agencies particularly government ones must take responsiblity to coordinate in an intergrated way with the professionals of the UN, MSF and the IMC.Now the war is over the problems will not go away immediately for Libya. The limbless will still need rehabilitation and their houses will need rebuilt with new water and electricity plants. The aid now patched in By Clinton and Hague must reach the people and not be siffened off to expatriate and exiled channels. It must make its way to the heart of the people where it is needed.
Talal was the nicest person I spoke to all year. He explained that even after the war was over he hoped the I-Go Foundation would continue with its aid because its raison d'etre was to help with the stabilization of the shattered Libyan communities. It seemed he thought I-Go would continue for at least a year after the war if not more because the needs were so great.
In the meantime if you want to help the aid effort in Libya you could donate to the I-Go Aid Foundation. Check them out at http://www.i-goaid.org or call 00 356 2134 3777 for more information. I would recommend I-Go Aid as an organisation to give funds to because thy will reach the people in most need of help.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Monday, 10 January 2011
Indie Film Distribution
Palm tree Entertainment kicks off the year this week with a showcase screening at the Empire Cinema Leicester Square with Robbie Moffat's film called 'Got to Run' staring newcomer Suzanne Kendall. It is hoped that the film will go into 5 Empire cinemas in the London area in March 2011. This is part of a distribution campaign to work with the Empire to screen as many of the companies films there throughout the year. Palm Tree Entertainment spent last year with its well known Pinewood Studios based film Editor Simon Harris developing the technology to make the Digital Cinema hard drive Packages ( known as DCP's) which is a digital format that replaces the old analog,expensive 35mm screening prints. It took all of last year to refine the process and this week sees the drive or digital print being tested in a real Cinema. Now having tackled the technolgy Palm Tree Entertainnment can make their own digital prints and offer them directly to cinema chains. Im excited that we may be the only independent film Producers doing this in the UK and its not the first time we have been first to do something. Way back in the late 1990's we were testing out the first digital cameras then by Panasonic.
However despite this postive breakthrough the recent news about closing down of the HMV shops (unrelated to Palm Tree small operations) is worrying for the film industry. HMV announced they be loosing 60 shops in their Waterstones related sites after failing to meet their Christmas targets when they lost 60 million in the December month. Such events show that the DVD market is easily hit by factors like bad weather but more realistically it is to do with the proliferation of unsystematic download sites that vary between being pirates to the badly advertised or little known legal sites that are not used well, by the public, who are not yet in the habit of downloading a movie for purchase.
You can find a legal streaming of several of Palm Tree Entertainments films and others on the LA based site called http://www.inmoo.com which was set up by the actor and film director David Arquette. It started well in August and is gathering momentum to stream independent films from many countries. The revenue is small only being advert based and not via download purchases. Unfortunately many of these sites are few and far between and many of the bigger sites fail to monetise the subscriptions back to the film makers. The picture is bleak unless producers and the bigger distributors can get to grips with the download machinery and train the consumers to pay for the product. This year may see the end of the DVD disk market as a supply chain into high street retails shops unless governments reinvigorate this market. In the UK the demise of Woolworth chain was never fully understood as causing a sumani in DVD distribution.
So the film industry, the pundits and the politicians need to find ways of regenerating the film industry and putting back distribution to the makers somehow. The old Eadie Levie helped when it took around 10p from each cinema ticket and gave it back to film production. The most famous of these films were the Carry On Films which though derided at the time have now become classic British comedies.
France has for years provide the cinema ticket levie which has arguably made it the most successful non English language film industry in the world. Here in the UK we need to really think our way out of the box to get indigenous film back on track and generating incomes.
In the meantime Happy New Year for 2011. Please see that the DVD Red Rose our film from Palm Tree Entertainment about Robert Burns is available on Amazon at the link here. For the Burns night season. I see they have not uploaded our images correctly but maybe they will get round to it. Here's hoping and maybe you can download the movie too. Worth trying to see what happens???!!???
Red Rose
However despite this postive breakthrough the recent news about closing down of the HMV shops (unrelated to Palm Tree small operations) is worrying for the film industry. HMV announced they be loosing 60 shops in their Waterstones related sites after failing to meet their Christmas targets when they lost 60 million in the December month. Such events show that the DVD market is easily hit by factors like bad weather but more realistically it is to do with the proliferation of unsystematic download sites that vary between being pirates to the badly advertised or little known legal sites that are not used well, by the public, who are not yet in the habit of downloading a movie for purchase.
You can find a legal streaming of several of Palm Tree Entertainments films and others on the LA based site called http://www.inmoo.com which was set up by the actor and film director David Arquette. It started well in August and is gathering momentum to stream independent films from many countries. The revenue is small only being advert based and not via download purchases. Unfortunately many of these sites are few and far between and many of the bigger sites fail to monetise the subscriptions back to the film makers. The picture is bleak unless producers and the bigger distributors can get to grips with the download machinery and train the consumers to pay for the product. This year may see the end of the DVD disk market as a supply chain into high street retails shops unless governments reinvigorate this market. In the UK the demise of Woolworth chain was never fully understood as causing a sumani in DVD distribution.
So the film industry, the pundits and the politicians need to find ways of regenerating the film industry and putting back distribution to the makers somehow. The old Eadie Levie helped when it took around 10p from each cinema ticket and gave it back to film production. The most famous of these films were the Carry On Films which though derided at the time have now become classic British comedies.
France has for years provide the cinema ticket levie which has arguably made it the most successful non English language film industry in the world. Here in the UK we need to really think our way out of the box to get indigenous film back on track and generating incomes.
In the meantime Happy New Year for 2011. Please see that the DVD Red Rose our film from Palm Tree Entertainment about Robert Burns is available on Amazon at the link here. For the Burns night season. I see they have not uploaded our images correctly but maybe they will get round to it. Here's hoping and maybe you can download the movie too. Worth trying to see what happens???!!???
Red Rose
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