Sri Lanka - kicking and screaming

A flawed and ineffective commission isn't really going to get to the bottom of war crimes in Sri Lanka. Call on the United Nations to set up a real investigation into war crimes.

Dear Rector, We deserve to know why civilians were used as human shields against bullets. And why observers and journalists were barred from entering the war zone. But the government of Sri Lanka doesn't seem as interested in finding out. The country had been embroiled in a bitter conflict for nearly 30 years. Now instead of demanding justice, the government has set up yet another weak and ineffective commission1 that threatens to prolong the country's vicious cycle of abuse and impunity. This month, the U.S. State Department issued a report that confirms what we've suspected all along: Sri Lanka is no closer to answering war crimes-related questions than they were before this whole charade began. The United Nations (UN) is the only one who can establish an independent, international investigation and ensure that justice is brought to the 300,000 displaced civilians who were trapped in a deadly crossfire between government security forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels. Amnesty officials will deliver our petition to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon very soon. We're so close to reaching our goal of 50,000 signers, and every name counts. Call on the UN to investigate war crimes in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris recently blasted Amnesty International and other human rights supporters for advocating on behalf of the rights of civilians2. He questioned our "moral authority" in getting involved. But to at least 58 members of Congress who signed our joint letter to Secretary Clinton3 and the nearly 40,000 Amnesty supporters who've signed our petition so far, our message is clear: the people of Sri Lanka deserve justice. We will continue pressing officials to establish an independent and international investigation for as long as it takes. Thank you for helping to make a difference in Sri Lanka. Chistoph, Jim and the rest of the Crisis Response Team Amnesty International USA  Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter 1. http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU2009061110916&lang=e 2. http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/may/27/amnesty-international-cant-dictate-terms-to-us-lankan-minister-peiris.htm 3. http://www.amnestyusa.org/pdf/Sri%20Lanka%20Letter%20to%20Sec%20Clinton.pdf

BlogAdda contest announcement

'Frames of Freedom' Photo Contest

Every day our eyes witness many moments of freedom, joy and happiness. Don’t you wish that time should freeze at the very moment? Wouldn’t you love to capture it and share with the world?

In what form do you experience ‘Freedom’ everyday? The day of graduation when we all jump in joy – A bird being let out from the cage – A dog looking at another dog who is being walked by his master or A small boy who gets to eat his favourite chocolate. What do you think is common in all these? Freedom. Freedom of thoughts. Freedom of movement. Freedom of choosing. There maybe many more moments which you would see everyday. Capture it as a photo and share it with us. We are here with our ‘Frames of Freedom‘ contest where you can share with us any of your photos which captures the essence of freedom.



The contest runs an entire week, starting Wednesday Aug 18, ‘10 and ends on Tuesday, Aug. 31, ‘10, midnight IST. Hurry Up!


You may read in full detail BlogAdda contest announcement by clicking here. 

Amnesty International Urges Saudi Arabia Not to Deliberately Paralyze Man as Punishment

Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 7:56 PM

London : Amnesty International today urged the Saudi Arabian authorities not to deliberately paralyze a man in retribution for similar injuries he allegedly caused during a fight. 
“We urge the Saudi Arabian authorities not to carry out such a punishment, which amounts to nothing less than torture.  While those guilty of a crime should be held accountable, intentionally paralyzing a man in this way would constitute torture, and be a breach of its international human rights obligations,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, acting director of the Middle East and North Africa Program. 

Reports say a court in Tabuk, in the northwest of the country, had approached a number of hospitals about the possibility of cutting the man’s spinal cord to carry out the punishment ofqisas (retribution), as requested by the injured victim. 
One hospital reportedly said it would be possible to medically administer the injury at the same place on the spinal cord as the damage the man is alleged to have caused his victim using a cleaver during a fight more than two years ago, causing similar paralysis. 
The court may decide not to impose the paralysis punishment and could instead sentence the man to imprisonment, financial compensation, or flogging. 
The man, whose name has not been made public, was sentenced to seven months in prison after being tried without legal assistance. 
Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are absolutely prohibited under international law and violates the United Nations Convention against Torture to which Saudi Arabia is a state party.
Saudi Arabia regularly sentences people to various forms of corporal punishment. 
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers who campaign for universal human rights from more than 150 countries. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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Alleged Jihadist blogger thought to be creator of Al Qaeda website could be indicted on terrorism charges

BY Meena Hartenstein

Samir Khan (r.) could be brought up on terrorism charges very soon if a grand jury decides he is tied to an Al Qaeda recruitment magazine.

A jihadist blogger accused of running an online how-to guide for Al Qaeda could be charged with terrorism very soon, sources say.

A federal grand jury has started reviewing evidence against Samir Khan, a 24-year-old who ran a militant Islamic website out of his parents’ basement, and is now suspected of being behind the Al Qaeda magazine Inspire, NPR reports.

Inspire, a 67-page mag published online in June, slapped snappy titles on terrorist advice columns like “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom” and ran items like a packing guide for what to take on a jihad trip.

It instantly attracted FBI attention, and intelligence agents noted eerie similarities between Inspire and Khan’s own blog, “Inshallahshaheed” which translates to “A martyr if God wills.”

“There were choices in content and how it was created that echoed what Samir Khan had done with his blog several years back,” a federal source said when the site surfaced.                    Read full story

Amnesty International Calls on Bahraini Authorities to Reveal Whereabouts of Eight Arrested Human Rights Defenders

Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 9:04 PM

Washington, D.C.: Amnesty International today called on the Bahraini authorities to reveal the whereabouts of eight human rights defenders, political activists and Shi'a clerics arrested in a clampdown by the authorities. The human rights organization fears they could be prisoners of conscience.

“We are very concerned about the ongoing incommunicado detention of the detainees as this will increase their risk of being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa program.

Muhammad Saeed, a board member of the banned Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was arrested at his home in Sehla, northern Bahrain, in the early hours Tuesday by security forces.

Two others, Abdulhadi al-Mokhoder and Mirza al-Mahrus, both clerics, were arrested at the same time at their homes in Sanabis and Manama, respectively.

“The Bahraini authorities must make it clear why these eight men have been arrested, and either release them or charge them with recognizable criminal offenses. It is unacceptable for them to be held merely because of their human rights activism, non-violent political activities or criticism of the government,” said Hadj Sahraoui.

The latest arrests mark an increased clampdown on opposition and civil society activists in the lead-up to the parliamentary elections in October.

Jaafar Hisabi, a United Kingdom resident for the past 15 years who has been involved in political protests against the Bahraini authorities was arrested on Monday at Bahrain International Airport on his return to the country.

Three others were arrested on Sunday , including Abdulghani al-Khanjar, head of the Committee for the Defense of Martyrs and Torture Victims and spokesperson of the Coalition for Truth and Reconciliation. Mohammad Habib al-Miqdad, a cleric and head of the Al-Zahra’ charity, was also arrested on Sunday at his home in Sehla, and Saeed al-Nouri, a cleric and activist from the opposition movement al-Wafa, handed himself in to the Prosecutors Office in Manama, after security officials visited his home seeking his arrest.

Abdul Jalil al-Singaci, spokesperson for the Human Rights Bureau of the opposition movement Haq was arrested at Bahrain International Airport last Friday. His family told Amnesty International that they have not had any contact with him for the last six days and are concerned about this health.

Neither the families nor the legal representatives of the detainees have been informed of any formal charges.

“All of these detainees should be allowed to have immediate access to their lawyers, families and also to adequate medical care,” said Hadj Sahraoui. 
Many of the men have now been held for more than 48 hours without having been presented to the Public Prosecutor as required under Bahraini law. 

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers who campaign for universal human rights from more than 150 countries. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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Alternative Methods Premieres in NYC

A new play examining the role of psychologists in torture will be featured at the New York International Fringe Festival. The play, "Alternative Methods," follows the ethical struggles of a young psychologist working with interrogators in Iraq. An Iraqi doctor, suspected of treating an Al-Qaeda leader, is detained and interrogated.  U.S. forces want to know where the leader's safe house is.  Susan, a young psychologist, gains the doctor's trust. As her colleagues resort to brutal methods that still yield no intelligence, she takes matters into her own hands. 

Washington City Paper: “very well written and performed...very successful.“  DC Theater Scene: “interesting and thought-provoking...outstanding, all-equity cast.”  Winner, Social Consciousness Award.  With Hend Ayoub, Charlie Kevin, Julie Kline, John Greenleaf, and Alok Tewari. Director: Josh Liveright. Writer: Patricia Davis.

Performances:
 Sunday, August 15 at 8:15 PM
Friday, August 20 at 5:30 PM
Sunday, August 22 at 1:00 PM
Wednesday, August 25 at 8:15 PM
Saturday, August 28 at 9:45 PM

First Floor Theater at La MaMa

74A East 4th Street

Tickets $15 online or by phone (866.468.7619), $18 (cash only) at the door

On Sunday, August 22, at 3:00 in the Red Room, a panel discussion will follow the 1:00 performance of the play, featuring author Michael Otterman (American Torture and Erasing Iraq); Steven Reisner, an eminent psychologist who has led his field in opposing the involvement of psychologists in torture; and Nathaniel Raymond, director of Physicians for Human Rights’ Campaign Against Torture. (Courtesy:The Indypendent )

            

Face of Defense: Physician Mentors Afghan Doctors

By Army Sgt. Spencer Case
304th Public Affairs Detachment

PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2010 – Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Robert Sarlay Jr. has become fond of a quote by T.E. Lawrence: “Better the Arab do it tolerably than you do it perfectly.”

Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Robert Sarlay Jr., a mentor for the medical embedded training team at Forward Operating Base Lightning, Afghanistan, observes as Afghan army physicians conduct patient rounds at the Paktia Regional Medical Hospital, Aug. 15, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Spencer Case   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution imageavailable.

Not that he considers himself a modern-day Lawrence of Arabia.

Ordinarily, Sarlay -- a Dallas native who now resides in Dayton, Ohio -- is a man of less exotic tastes. When he’s not practicing emergency medicine at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Sarlay spends time with his wife, Betsey, and 3-year-old daughter, Carina, and plays catch with Raven, a German shepherd that fetches logs rather than sticks, he said.

Since his arrival to Forward Operating Base Lightning in June, Sarlay has worked as a mentor for his Afghan army counterparts at the Paktia Regional Medical Hospital. As a member for the medical embedded training team at the base, he describes his current job as equal parts administration and diplomacy.

In a nutshell, Sarlay’s job is to help his Afghan counterparts overcome bad habits that either are culturally ingrained or have accumulated after more than 30 years of war.
Sarlay, who is used to working 16-hour days that the uninitiated would find grueling, said his current assignment is much more taxing mentally and emotionally than any other assignment he’s ever done.
“It’s easy for me to do patient care, because I’m well-trained and well-versed,” he said. “It’s much more difficult to develop processes for the [Afghan army].”

Sarlay completed medical school through the military’s Health Profession Scholarship Program at the University of Texas at Houston. After his internship at Houston, he received his first job as a doctor with the 7th Bomb Wing’s 9th Bombardment Squadron at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in 2000. After five years as a flight surgeon, he was transferred to Wright-Patterson, where he worked in emergency care.

Sarlay said his formal duties as a mentor for Afghan army medical personnel are only the tip of the iceberg. Most of his work is done on the informal side, he explained, where he expends effort trying gently and diplomatically to coax his counterparts into adopting standards that doctors in the United States take for granted.

“It’s a lot of sitting and drinking [tea] and talking about why it’s good to have standards,” he said.

Standards include things such as keeping proper records for patients. As Afghanistan’s political situation decayed, he said, so did Afghan doctors’ record-keeping habits.

“I’ll ask them, ‘What if you go to Kabul and don’t come back? Will [the other doctors in the hospital] know what was done with this treatment?’” he said. “They’ll say, ‘Because we all talk together in the morning.’ And I’ll say, ‘But what if one morning you don’t?’”

In the course of his planning and administrative work, Sarlay occasionally has the opportunity to practice hands-on medicine. A few weeks ago, the hospital received an Afghan border policeman who had to be treated for bruising of the lungs caused by being near a high-explosives detonation. With Sarlay’s help, the hospital staff learned how to manage ventilated patients.

“They’re slowly, progressively improving,” Sarlay said of his Afghan counterparts. “When you’re here for six months, you don’t necessarily see it, but when you talk to people who have been here two or three years ago, you do.”

One person who has seen it is Air Force Lt. Col. Bernard L. Vanpelt, a pharmacy mentor with the embedded medical team, who has been at Forward Operating Base Lightning since March.

“We’ve seen progress with providers becoming more proactive with regard to trauma issues,” said Vanpelt, who hails from St. Louis and is stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. He noted the addition of an intensive care unit since his arrival as one such improvement.

Vanpelt added that Sarlay’s efforts are helping the Afghan practitioners improve.

“By his being in that leadership room with the doctors, he’ll have an impact -- indirectly, mind you -- on how the doctors understand and adhere to the newly established standards,” he said.

Sarlay said he looks forward to returning home to Dayton in about six months, where he will resume his practice of emergency medicine. He also hopes to be selected for the residency in a two- to three-year aerospace medicine program that would allow him to be board certified to evaluate the health of pilots, among other things.

Meanwhile, he said, he’s making the most of his current assignment. “It’s unlike any other assignment I’ve ever had and probably ever will have,” he said.

Face of Defense: Officer Beats Suicide, Helps Others

By Alexandra Hemmerly-Brown  Army News Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2010 - Walking her cousin's dog past a cemetery on a winter day in 2009, Army Capt. Emily Stehr realized she envied the bodies buried there -- they had peace. Army Capt. Emily Stehr battled with suicide upon returning from her deployment to Iraq in 2008. She now uses her experience to help others. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. That was the day she recognized she was suicidal. "I started to fixate on death, especially my own death. ... I would think of different ways to kill myself," Stehr confessed. Enveloped in what she calls a "shroud of suicide," Stehr battled with a feeling of hopelessness upon returning from a 15-month deployment to Iraq. Stehr had struggled with depression prior to her deployment, she said, but this was different. A physical therapist, Stehr helped to nurse injured soldiers of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment back to health so they could return to the fight -- a job that she said caused her anger and grief when many of her former patients went on to be killed in combat. Stehr experienced accumulative trauma and compassion fatigue; she was jittery around crowds, having trouble sleeping, and her anxiety level increased. She kept waiting for her life to go back to "normal" after her deployment, but it didn't. What eventually pushed Stehr to her limit was reading an e-mail from a deployed co-worker who had witnessed the death of a combat medic -- the soldier had bled to death from shrapnel cutting a major artery in her neck. "For me, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. ... I thought, 'I'm done. Done with pain, done with life,'" Stehr said. That day, she added, she knew she was going to end up either in the hospital or dead. She chose the hospital. Stehr admitted herself to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Going in, she said, she was consumed with taking her life. But when she walked out, she was determined to live. "It was quite a transformation to happen in one week. ... I learned that I was sick, but not crazy or defective," she said. "Thankfully, I learned that there is something you can do if you are suicidal." Stehr began cognitive behavioral therapy, joined a depression-management group and is learning how to analyze and steer her thoughts. "I didn't really realize how angry I was," Stehr admitted. "I'm at such a healthier place now where I know how to cope." Stehr said part of the reason it was hard for her to ask for help is she knew the stigma associated with suicide would follow her. "No one would say the "s" word," she said. "The stigma tells us that people with mental health problems are crazy or weak or defective. ... I've actually been told that I am a less-quality person because I've had struggles with suicide." But Stehr wants soldiers to know that emotional injuries are just as legitimate as physical ones -- they are just invisible. She also said there are repercussions when a healthy person voluntarily elects to die. "It's like a candle going out and there's less light in the world. ... [It's] a representation of hope extinguished," she said. At her lowest point, Stehr said, she believed no one would miss her if she was gone, but she added that she now knows her suicide would have hurt many people -- especially her husband, who has been supportive throughout her struggle. "Don't believe the lies. ... Don't believe your thoughts and feelings. You don't have to kill yourself to escape your pain," she said. "There is a way out." Stehr's advice to friends and family members of a person who is battling suicide is to treat it as a medical emergency and to get their loved one to a mental-health professional or a hospital as soon as possible. Stehr has now made it her mission to tell her story in hopes that it will reach and stop those contemplating suicide. "I'll always tell my story if it will help someone not kill themselves," she said. And while she still struggles with depression, especially on death anniversaries of friends she has lost, Stehr said, suicide is no longer an option. Her story already has helped others. She recently received word that a social worker's patient accepted treatment after watching a video featuring Stehr. "That makes everything worth it," Stehr said of what she's been through. "That's my vindication."

Related Sites: Special Report: Warrior Care Army Suicide Prevention  “Real Warriors”  Military OneSource

Soldier Finds Strength in Family’s Support

by Elaine Wilson, AFPS
elaine.wilson@dma.mil

Retired Army Maj. Ed Pulido poses with his wife, Karen, and daughters, Kaitlin and Kinsley. Courtesy photo

I spoke with a veteran the other day whose inspiring story epitomizes the importance of family and peer support.

Army Maj. Ed Pulido was wounded in Iraq in August 2004 while driving into an area of Iraq known as “IED Alley.” The sport utility vehicle he was driving hit a bomb lodged in the asphalt and exploded, causing severe damage to his leg.

The moment he pushed aside the air bag and saw the injury is one he’ll never forget.

“I’ve had dreams about it all the time,” Maj. Pulido told me. “The night sweats and terrors — it was that moment right there when I put the air bag aside and saw the blood.”

His leg was broken in three places and partially on fire, but he felt no pain. He wasn’t concerned for himself, he said, but for his fellow soldiers and his family. “How will my family live without a father?” he asked himself.

Maj. Pulido was flown to Baghdad then on to the United States, where he underwent more than 18 surgeries. Struggling with infections, Maj. Pulido and his family made the tough decision to amputate his leg.

Maj. Pulido felt a tremendous sense of loss that caused him to spiral into depression, he said.

He worried about how he was going to live without a limb, how he was going to learn to walk again. “I thought, ‘Why don’t I just pull the plug on this thing?’” he said.

He drifted into sleep and woke up hoping it was all just a dream. “But it wasn’t,” he said. “It was a dark time.”

His wife, Karen, and his mother tried to encourage him to think positively. He leaned on them and on chaplains and other wounded servicemembers who came to visit him and slowly fought his way back.

Unknown to him at the time, his wife, mother and daughter, who was 2 at the time, were visiting other wounded warriors in the hospital, a memory that still stirs emotion in him. “I was in my deathbed, and they were taking time to visit other servicemembers and families,” he said. “My little girl still has that gift of giving.”

Maj. Pulido medically retired from the military and now dedicates himself to helping others. He’s passionate about his work for the Folds of Honor Foundation, which offers scholarships to spouses and children of fallen and wounded servicemembers, as well as information on counseling and benefits.

He also found healing in his participation in the “Real Warriors” campaign. The Real Warriors campaign is sponsored by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury  and features stories of servicemembers who sought psychological treatment and continued successful military and civilian careers. Maj. Pulido is the first veteran to participate.

Just the other day, Maj. Pulido put a new flagpole up in front of his new house. And when he looks at it, he no longer feels that cavernous feeling of loss, he said.

“I lost my leg on that day, but I don’t know if I’d want my life the way it was before,” he said. “It opened up a world and life that is different. I may have changed, but what I’ve changed to is a challenge that can be overcome with support.”

For more on Maj. Pulido, read my American Forces Press Service article “‘Real Warrior’ Loses Leg, Gains New Perspective.”

(Issued on:Aug. 9, 2010)