[Nettime-nl] Geo-politics come before human rights: the case of Syria and the legacy of the city of Hama

[Tjebbe van Tijen via Chello <t.tijen@chello.nl>]

Geo-politics come before human rights: the case of Syria and the legacy of the city of Hama

July 31, 2011 by Tjebbe van Tijen

The illustrated version with embedded video and links can be found at:

http://limpingmessenger.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/geopolitics-come-before-human-rights-the-case-of-syria-and-the-legacy-of-the-city-of-hama/

[tableau of International Criminal Court logo with the balance of justice swung one way and tanks advancing on Hama and demonstrations in that town of these last days]

ââSyrian tanks storm the city of Hamaâ I read today and the mere name of that haunted town makes me shiver, as tens of thousands of people were massacred there in the year 1982 on orders of Assad Senior, the death toll ranges between 20 and 40 thousands. A genocide forgotten â some say â a political mass-murder would be a more apt classification. The movie below commemorates the 1982 ordeal of Hama in Syria.

[embedded Youtube movie]

 The well documented Syrian Human Rights Committee has this report on the 1982 Hama Massacre:http://www.shrc.org/data/aâspx/d5/2535.aspx

Infringements on human rights in Syria have been documented for decades by organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. This has not led the âinternational communityâ to take any serious action against the Assad regime. The Assad dynasty is a stabilising power in the region, as was the Egypt of Mubarak. The fate of Syrian citizens is judged as being less important than the Middle East Entente.

Also the International Criminal Court in The Hague â sadly enough â is more lead by the geo-politics of its constituent states, than by the rule of international law. Whereas the UN Security Council asked the ICC to research whether the Libyan government should be indicted for its threats to the civilian population. No such actions have been taken against the Syrian government of Assad Junior. The balance of power in the Middle East is more important than the balance of international justice. Or will the attack of tanks on demonstrating citizens of the town of Hama make the bascule of justice move to its proper position?

Of the 139 states that have signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 34 have not ratified the treaty, Syria is one of them.
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