[Peace-discussion] Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Chief Robert Menard legitimizes torture

[henry duke]

I put this out so that our National and State Green Party media gente =
will
have some balance next time they join the US jump on targets like =
Venezuela
and Iran for free press rights, human, womyns, or homosexual rights.

This RSF secretary general, an organization for freedom of speech set up
with US CIA/State Department/and covert money, is openly sanctioning =
torture
and mutilation.

Wanna talk about workers, womyns, reporters, indigenous rights, there =
are
1,000 to 1 violations in US Counterinsurgency clients like Colombia, the
Phillipines, Egypt, Saudi Arabia.

So let our media reps be a little fair and balanced -- go against the =
grain
of criticizing Iran and Venezuela...

Was there even one media release about the 30 BILLION dollars of US aid =
just
allocated 2 weeks ago to Israel?

Silence on US violence but speaking out against so-called Al-Queda...

We need to do better.

Henry Duke=20






Sept. 4, 2007
Robert M=E9nard, of Reporters without Borders, follows in Washington=92s =
steps
and legitimizes torture

Salim Lamrani
Rebeli=F3n
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=3D55702

Edited by Caty R.

Robert M=E9nard, secretary general of the Parisian organization =
Reporters
without Borders (RSF) since 1985, is a professional media figure who =
claims
to defend =93freedom of the press=94 and wraps himself with in a =
humanist
discourse greatly appreciated by public opinion. Thanks to the collusion =
of
the media, M=E9nard has become an unavoidable figure in the world of the
press.

Nonetheless, his actions don=92t meet with unanimous approval. The =
flagrant
lack of impartiality which RSF shows has been criticized many times. The
French organization financed by economic and financial corporations as =
well
as by the United States, as its secretary general has publicly admitted, =
has
carried out media campaigns curiously similar to the political agenda of =
the
White House. Thus RSF, with the pretext of defending freedom of the =
press,
has repeatedly shown no mercy with Cuba (1), supported the coup d=92etat
against Venezuelan President Hugo Ch=E1vez in April 2002 (2), implicitly
approved the bloody invasion of Iraq in 2003 (3) and legitimized the =
coup
d=92etat against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Haiti (4). Now, RSF
carries out a spectacular media campaign against China and the Olympic =
Games
in Beijing (5).

The ideological similarity between RSF and the Bush administration is
evident to the extent that one questions what Robert Menard=92s true
objectives really are. The scandals of Guant=E1namo, Abu Graib and the =
CIA=92s
secret jails throughout the world have shown that U.S. troops don=92t =
hesitate
to use torture to obtain their goals. The entire international community =
has
unanimously condemned these inhuman and unjustifiable methods.

In October 2006 the U.S. Congress took the first step and approved a law
that legalizes torture, a flagrant violation of the very principles of
democracy. The Republican majority as well as several elected Democrats =
of
the House of Representatives and Senate authorized the use of evidence
obtained under torture against the =93illegal enemy combatant.=94 The =
text,
titled =93law of military commissions, 2006,=94 recognizes the existence =
of
secret courts to judge any alien suspected of attacking United States
interests. The defendant won=92t have access to a lawyer or know the =
charges
against him. Additionally, the evidence presented against him will =
remain
secret. Or course, he will also be detained without the right to be =
brought
before a judge, and all of that indefinitely. He will not be able to
denounce the illegality of his detention or the torture he might have =
been
the victim of (6).

The law also gives the U.S. president =93the authority to interpret the
meaning and the application of the Geneva conventions=94 which prohibits
torture. These will not be able to be used =93as a source of law before =
any
court of the United States.=94  Section V of the law stipulates, =93no =
person
may invoke the Geneva Conventions or any protocols thereto in any habeas
corpus or other civil action or proceeding to which the United States, =
or a
current or former officer, employee, member of the Armed Forces, or =
other
agent of the United States is a party as a source of rights in any court =
of
the United States or its States or territories.=94 Additionally, =93No =
court,
justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an =
application
for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained =
by
the United States who has been determined by the United States to have =
been
properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such =
determination.=94
(7)
=20
Not only is this law poisonous to freedom, essentially totalitarian, it
represents a threat for any citizen of the world who isn=92t a citizen =
of the
United States, but grants complete impunity to those responsible for =
cruel,
inhuman and degrading treatment. The European Union and France in =
particular
have maintained a scandalous silence with respect to this law. What =
would
have happened if China, Cuba, Iran, Russia or Venezuela had adopted a
similar law? Who can still speak of the United States as of a model of
democracy?

During the radio program =93Contre-expertise=94 hosted by Xavier de la =
Porte on
France Culture, August 16, 2007, Robert M=E9nard, the self-proclaimed =
defender
of human rights and journalists, followed the steps of his sponsors and
legitimized the use of torture, saying some extremely alarming things.
Evoking the murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, he emphasized that =
it
was legitimate to torture suspects in order to save the life of =
innocents,
reviving the argument of the most horrifying dictatorships and, of =
course,
of the Bush administration(8).

M=E9nard goes further since he legitimizes even torture against family =
members
of those kidnapped, or perhaps against the innocent. =93If my daughter =
were
kidnapped, there would be no limit, I=92m telling you, I=92m telling =
you, there
would be no limit on torture.=94 Here is an extract of what the =
secretary
general of RSF said:

 =93The Pakistani police kidnap families, listen to me, families of the
kidnappers and torture these families of those kidnappers in order to =
obtain
information.

They are going to obtain information. They will arrive too late to save
Daniel.  Do you know how his throat was cut and under what =
conditions=85?

Where do we stop? Shall we accept this logic that consists of=85 since =
we
could do it in some cases, =91you kidnap, we kidnap; you mistreat, we
mistreat; you torture, we torture =85?=92

What justifies=85? Perhaps in order to free somebody, can we go there? =
It is a
real question.

That is real life, it is that, what Fran=E7ois just said: we are no =
longer in
ideas, it is war, we are no longer dealing with principals. I don=92t =
what to
think. Because this happens to Marianne Pearl, I=92m not saying, I=92m =
not
saying that they made a mistake because she thought that it was =
appropriate
to do it, that it was necessary to do that, that her husband had to be
saved, she was pregnant.. for the sake of the baby that was going to be
born, everything was permitted.

And it was absolutely necessary to save him and if it was necessary to
attack a certain number of people, they had to attack a certain number =
of
people, physically attack them, you understand, threatening them and
torturing them, even though we might have to kill some.

I don=92 know, I am lost. Because sometimes I don=92t know where you =
have to
stop, where you have to put on the brakes. What is acceptable and what =
is
unacceptable? And at the same time, for the families of those that were
kidnapped, because many times they are the people we talk to first, in
Reporters without Borders; legitimately, I, if my daughter were =
kidnapped
there would be no limit, I tell you, I tell you, there would be no limit =
on
torture=94(9).

How can one try to defend human rights when a practice as abominable and
inhuman as torture is justified? What remains of Robert Menard=92s and
Reporters without Border=92s credibility =96 the two are so intimately =
connected
that it is impossible to disassociate them=97when they justify the
unjustifiable? The secretary general of RSF showed his true face. He =
doesn=92t
defend freedom of the press but the hateful practices of the CIA. But, =
is it
really surprising when it is financed by the National Endowment for
Democracy (10), which is no more than an Agency front according to the =
New
York Times? (11)

Notas

(1) Salim Lamrani, =ABReporteros Sin Fronteras y sus contradicciones=BB,
Rebeli=F3n, 27 de septiembre de 2006,
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=3D38136 (sitio consultado el 2 de
septiembre de 2007); Reporteros Sin Fronteras, =ABLettre ouverte =E0 ses
d=E9tracteurs=BB, R=E9seau Voltaire, 12 de septiembre de 2006.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article143413.html?var_recherche=3DReporters+s=
ans+f
ronti%C3%A8res?var_recherche=3DReporters%20sans%20fronti=E8res (sitio =
consultado
el 12 de septiembre de 2006).

(2) Salim Lamrani, =ABLa guerra de desinformaci=F3n de Reporteros Sin =
Fronteras
contra Venezuela=BB, Rebeli=F3n, 6 de febrero de 2007,
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=3D46082 (sitio consultado el 2
septiembre de 2007); Reporteros Sin Fronteras, =ABUn journaliste a =
=E9t=E9 tu=E9,
trois autres ont =E9t=E9 bless=E9s et cinq cha=EEnes de t=E9l=E9vision =
bri=E8vement
suspendues=BB, 12 de abril de 2002. =
www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=3D1109
(sitio consultado el 13 noviembre 2006).

(3) Reporteros Sin Fronteras, =ABIrak =96 rapport annuel 2004=BB.
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=3D9884 (sitio consultado el =
18 de
julio de 2005) ; Reporteros Sin Fronteras, =ABLa libert=E9 de la presse
retrouv=E9e: un espoir =E0 entretenir=BB, julio 2004.
www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=3D10888 (sitio consultado el 23 de =
abril
de 2005).

(4) Reporteros Sin Fronteras, =ABLa libert=E9 de la presse retrouv=E9 : =
un espoir
=E0 entretenir=BB, julio de 2004. =
www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=3D10888
(sitio consultado el 23 de abril de 2005); Salim Lamrani, =ABReporteros =
Sin
Fronteras con sus contradicciones=BB, op. cit.

(5) Reporteros Sin Fronteras, =ABP=E9kin 2008. Chine: La plus grande =
prison du
monde pour les journalistes et les internautes=BB, sin fecha.
http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=3D171 (sitio consultado el =
2 de
septiembre de 2007).

(6) Michel Muller, =ABQuand Washington l=E9galise la torture=BB, =
L=92Humanit=E9, 16 de
octubre de 2006.

(7) Ibid.

(8) Jean-No=EBl Darde, =ABQuand Robert M=E9nard, de RSF, l=E9gitime la =
torture=BB, 26
de agosto de 2007,
http://rue89.com/2007/08/26/quand-robert-menard-de-rsf-legitime-la-tortur=
e#t
ranscript (sitio consultado el 28 de agosto 2007).

(9) Ibid.

(10) Robert M=E9nard, =ABForum de discussion avec Robert M=E9nard=BB, Le =
Nouvel
Observateur, 18 de abril de 2005.
www.nouvelobs.com/forum/archives/forum_284.html (sitio consultado el 22 =
de
abril de 2005).

(11) John M. Broder, =ABPolitical Meddling by Outsiders: Not New for =
U.S.=BB,
The New York Times, 31 de marzo de 1997, p. 1.

Salim Lamrani es profesor, escritor y periodista franc=E9s especialista =
de las
relaciones entre Cuba y Estados Unidos. Ha publicado los libros: =
Washington
contre Cuba (Pantin: Le Temps des Cerises, 2005), Cuba face =E0 =
l=92Empire
(Gen=E8ve: Timeli, 2006) y Fidel Castro, Cuba et les Etats-Unis (Pantin: =
Le
Temps des Cerises, 2006).

Caty R. pertenece a los colectivos de Rebeli=F3n, Tlaxcala y Cubadebate. =
Esta
traducci=F3n se puede reproducir libremente a condici=F3n de respetar su
integridad y mencionar al autor, la revisora y la fuente.

--
The deputies of the people, therefore, are not and cannot be its
representatives; they are merely its stewards, and can carry through no
definitive acts. Every law the people has not ratified in person is null =
and
void--is, in fact, not a law. The people of England regards itself as =
free;
but it is grossly mistaken; it is free only during the election of =
members
of parliament. As soon as they are elected, slavery overtakes it, and it =
is
nothing. The use it makes of the short moments of liberty it enjoys =
shows
indeed that it deserves to lose them.-- Rousseau