http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=31161&cid=56&p=15.08.2008
Voice of Russia August 15, 2008 UN HIGH COMMISSIONER ENDORSES DOUBLE STANDARDS POLICY Yelena Studneva -The Geneva Convention forbids any attacks against civilians, hospitals and infrastructure facilities. But in a cynical show of defiance, the Georgian military, using heavy artillery, rocket launchers, aviation and tanks, had been annihilating the South Ossetian population for 15 hours. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, shows little drive to render assistance to South Ossetia’s refugees and civilians, whose rights were violated following the Georgian assault against the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali. A statement to this effect was made on Friday by professor Oleg Khlestov, who is also Vice President of the International Law Association in Moscow, in an interview with the Voice of Russia. Oleg Khlestov recalled that the UN High Commissioner’s job is to take relevant measures and precautionary steps against grave human rights violations as well as to try and sit at the table with the governments of the countries victimized. However, instead of protecting the rights of South Ossetia’s refugees, Ms. Arbour preferred to remain tight-lipped about the current situation. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights sticks to a biased stance, Oleg Khlestov contends, adding that Ms.Arbour did not even visit North Ossetia to talk to refugees or Tskhinvali, which is now fully demolished. Instead of standing up for the human rights of South Ossetia’s refugees, Ms. Arbour demonstrates a clear lack of due energy. Similar moves are widely dubbed as a double standards policy – something that the High Commissioner must shun and remain an unbiased and non-prejudiced politician instead. The Geneva Convention forbids any attacks against civilians, hospitals and infrastructure facilities. But in a cynical show of defiance, the Georgian military, using heavy artillery, rocket launchers, aviation and tanks, had been annihilating the South Ossetian population for 15 hours. The bloodbath only stopped when Russian troops entered the secessionist republic. Little doubt, Georgia’s move is nothing but a military crime, Oleg Khlestov insists, adding that it is unacceptable to keep mum about the matter. According to Oleg Khlestov, South Ossetia’s civilians may well bring a suit against the Georgian government to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg because their rights were breached on the night of August 8. Furthermore, Georgia also rode roughshod over the principles of international law, outlined in the 1970 UN Declaration. This document prohibits the use of military force for violating borders and demarcation lines, Oleg Khlestov explains, insisting that it is first of all the UN High Commissioner who should perfectly know and cite the Declaration. The Russian pundit points to the fact that this time Georgia violated the demarcation line and demolished as many as 10 South Ossetian villages in a step that left hundreds of civilians killed or injured. As far back as 1974,the UN, by the way, clearly defined the nature of aggression and declared that any country which unleashed an assault against other nation is automatically considered to be an aggressor. And in this sense, double standards in reading international norms are absolutely irrelevant, Oleg Khlestov concludes. ------------------------------------ =============== Group Moderator: [Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] page at http://magazine.sorabia.net for more informations about current situation in Serbia http://www.sorabia.net Slusajte GLAS SORABIJE nas talk internet-radio (Serbian Only) http://radio.sorabia.net Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sorabia/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sorabia/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] mailto:[Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
