For the
sake of the oppressed, especially victims of crimes against humanity in
countries where the international community has turned it's back....
Bon Jovi and Armenian-Iranian pop star Andy Madadian
have joined together for this version of "Stand By Me,"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RASKaZFZtS8
-----------------------------------
Ref:: 172011OHCHR
7 January 2010
Humanitarian Resource Institute
Phone: (203) 668-0282
Url: www.humanitarian.net
United Nations
Arts Initiative
Arts Integration Into Education
Url: www.unarts.org
Twitter: unarts
Humanitarian Intervention Initiative (H-II)
Url: http://www.unarts.org/H-II
Dear Colleagues and Human Rights Advocates:
The "Iran: Crimes Against Humanity: New Legal Standard" [1] discussion
has now been opened for human rights analysis in every UN member country.[2]
The following analysis has been presented by a prominent human rights
advocacy group:
"Every single Muslim country in the world world (the 56
member states of the OIC plus the Palestinians) explicitly repudiated the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights with the 1990 Cairo Declaration, by
which they, every one of them at the head of state signatory level, vowed
to implement only the provisions of the UN ...Declaration on Human Rights
that did not conflict with Islamic law (shariah) - which, of course, includes
the horrific huddud criminal punishments (amputation, flogging, stoning
to death, etc.) in addition to the death penalty for apostasy, blasphemy/slander,
and "inciting mischief in the land". These Muslim states have been operating
under OIC leadership with that understanding ever since"
In the context of the War Against Terrorism, this brings to mind a focus
discussion facilitated by Marc Gopin, a visiting scholar at the Program
on Negotiation, Harvard University, in the paper "This War is About Religion,
and Cannot be Won Without it:"
"The sooner we face facts, the more powerful our chances
to succeed in making religious terrorism a temporary phenomenon of human
culture. But we cannot do this if we hide our heads in the sand. Politically
incorrect or not, this war is about religion." -- Interfaith & Peace
Groups Urged to Embrace Solution Oriented Initiatives, Humanitarian Resource
Institute. [3]
A key paragraph in the Iran: Crimes Against Humanity: New Legal Standard
[1] notes:
Recent efforts to advance
formal legal action for Crimes Against Humanity, including Genocide within
the country of Iran, has focused international attention on the substance
of the UN Declaration on Human Rights and related conventions not
being signatory documents and therefore have no enforcement mechanism. This
oversight is now viewed as the variable that has facilitated widespread atrocities
across the globe, shielding crimes against humanity [4] from formal legal
action. The scope of this oversight in nothing short of incomprehensible.
The scope of this discussion extends far beyond the boundaries of Iran
and it extends to all countries that have opted out of the UN Declaration
on Human Rights because it conflicts with societal practices that include
actions viewed under the umbrella of Crimes Against Humanity, because they
are justified by a religious belief system:
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute
of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly
odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity
or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings. They
are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government
policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this
policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government
or a de facto authority. Murder; extermination; torture; rape; political,
racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold
of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic
practice. Isolated inhumane acts of this nature may constitute grave infringements
of human rights, or depending on the circumstances, war crimes, but may fall
short of falling into the category of crimes under discussion. --
As quoted by Guy Horton in Dying Alive - A Legal Assessment of Human Rights
Violations in Burma April 2005, co-Funded by The Netherlands Ministry
for Development Co-Operation. See section "12.52 Crimes against humanity",
Page 201. He references RSICC/C, Vol. 1 p. 360. [4] Crimes Against
Humanity, Wickpedia. [5]
Recently UN resolutions and international legal effort have been advanced
to criminalize criticism of religious belief systems that allow offenses
outlined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as
Crimes Against Humanity. Victims of Crimes Against Humanity
must be protected and such atrocities cannot be viewed as acceptable under
any circumstance. This view supports the global call for :
The interfaith community across the globe has been asked to support the
restoration of care, compassion, benevolence and The Golden Rule
as our unified focus that address the ills of conflict, ignorance,
poverty and disease. -- The Ultimate Objective: Humanitarian Resource Institute.
Looking forward to your feedback, collaboration and progress for the sake
of peace,
Stephen M. Apatow
Founder, Director of Research & Development
Humanitarian Resource Institute
Humanitarian University Consortium Graduate Studies
Center for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine & Law
Phone: 203-668-0282
Email: s.m.apatow@humanitarian.net
Internet: www.humanitarian.net
References:
1. Iran: Crimes Against Humanity: New Legal Standard: Humanitarian Resource
Institute, 4 January 2011. Url: http://www.unarts.org/H-II/ref/142011OHCHR.html
2. Pathobiologics International - The Consulting Arm of Humanitarian
Resource Institute and the Humanitarian University Consortium: Pathobiologics
International, Humanitarian Resource Institute, 4 June 2004. Url:
http://www.pathobiologics.org/groundzero.html
3. Interfaith & Peace Groups Urged to Embrace Solution Oriented Initiatives,
Humanitarian Resource Institute, 9 July 2002. Url: http://www.humanitarian.net/peace/religion.html
4. As quoted by Guy Horton in Dying Alive - A Legal Assessment of Human
Rights Violations in Burma April 2005, co-Funded by The Netherlands
Ministry for Development Co-Operation. See section "12.52 Crimes against
humanity", Page 201. He references RSICC/C, Vol. 1 p. 360. Url: http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/Horton-2005.pdf
5. Crimes Against Humanity, Wickpedia. Url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity
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