May 2004Washington automata“The global security agenda promoted by the US administration is bankrupt of vision and bereft of principle.” – Irene Khan, Amnesty International. At a press conference to launch the annual report of Amnesty International. 24 May 2004.
Human rights for the birds“Governments are losing their moral compass, sacrificing the global values of human rights in a blind pursuit of security.” – Irene Khan, Amnesty International. At a press conference to launch the annual report of Amnesty International. 24 May 2004.
Superb timing“...the ultimate in bad taste... This is not a time to be honoring American military figures when we are being confronted almost daily with the most sickening images of abuse of Iraqis.” – Alice Mahon, Labour MP. On the knighting of US General Tommy Franks. 25 May 2004.
Do unto others...“I say we should have done then what we never did before: stop speaking to the people we labelled our enemies and start listening to them. Stop giving preconditions to our peaceful coexistence on this small planet, and start honouring and respecting every human’s need to live free and autonomously, to truly respect the sovereignty of every state. To stop making up rules by which others must live and then separate rules for ourselves. ” – Michael Berg, father of American Nick Berg, who was beheaded on video in early May either by Iraqi resistance fighters or a group believed to be linked to al-Qaeda. Message of support for the Stop The War Coalition’s demonstration, End the Torture: Bring the Troops Home Now, held in London on 22 May. 21 May 2004.
Enough killing, enough lies“We, the people of this world, now need to act on our beliefs. We need to let the evildoers on both sides of the Atlantic know that we are fed up with war. We are fed up with the killing and bombing and maiming of innocent people. We are fed up with the lies. Yes, we are fed up with the suicide bombers, and with the failure of the Israelis and Palestinians to find a way to stop killing each other. We are fed up with negotiations and peace conferences that are entered into on both sides with preset conditions that preclude the outcome of peace. We want world peace now. ” – Michael Berg, father of American Nick Berg, who was beheaded on video in early May either by Iraqi resistance fighters or a group believed to be linked to al-Qaeda. Message of support for the Stop The War Coalition’s demonstration, End the Torture: Bring the Troops Home Now, held in London on 22 May. 21 May 2004.
Reforms for all“Reforms are needed. I’ve always said that: but economic reforms with a human face that give India’s common man a real hope.” – Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India. Shortly after being elected PM by Congress party parliamentarians. 21 May 2004.
A law into themselves“We don’t know how he died. It’s impossible to tell from the photo because of the cellophane. He could have been shot. Everything is possible.” – Dr Faik Amin Baker, Head of Forensics at the Baghdad morgue. About the corpse of Manadel al-Jamadi, which the morgue did not receive and was the subject of a photo in which US soldiers pose over it giving the thumbs-up. 20 May 2004.
Even at the end“If we were being overrun by the enemy and I had only one bullet left, I’d use it on Cambone.” – Anonymous three-star US general. About Stephen Cambone, Undersecretary of Intelligence at the Pentagon. Reported May 2004.
Court-martialled either way“The irony is that they [the US soldiers accused of torture at Abu Ghraib] are being court-martialled over there [in Iraq] for the very things that he [US infantryman Sgt Camilo Mejia, who applied for conscientious objector status] is being court-martialled for over here [in the US] for not going back to do.” – Ramsey Clark, US Attorney-General during the Vietnam War and defence witness at the Mejia court-martial. 19 May 2004.
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