At the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo investigates and…
In Search of International Justice
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- Cataloging
- Transcript
This is the first film about a crucial new commitment to the International Rule of Law - so victims will no long suffer without being heard, and war criminals will be punished.
Sixty years ago, with the Nuremberg charter, the world first said 'Never Again.' But these proved empty words for the victims of the Cold War years. The Superpowers couldn't agree on a universal code to punish war criminals. Tyrants ruled with impunity.
So the voices of their victims have echoed down through the decades, refusing to be silent, even in death. Joined by relatives who are unable to move on, until they know how their loved ones died. Different languages from different places, but with the same universal theme - begging to be delivered from the torment of living somewhere between life and death. Telling us that they will be able, finally, to rest, when we find out how they died. Insisting we listen.
It is because of these voices that International Justice has been reborn. In 2002 the International Criminal Court was established in The Hague. So far 100 countries have signed on to the Court's mandate. However, the world's remaining superpower, the United States is strongly opposed.
The new Court is already busy. It is investigating crimes against humanity in Darfur. It has issued indictments against leaders of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda who abduct children and force them to fight. And a militia leader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces charges of recruiting children as young as 8 to fight for him.
For the first time war criminals are being forced to listen. The victims' voices now haunt them, telling them they will not be silent until justice is done.
Filmed in:
KOSOVO : (The arrest and trial of Slobodan Milosevic)
NORTHERN UGANDA : (The immense suffering of the Acholi people at the hands of Joseph Kony and The Lord's Resistance Army.
IRAQ: The untold numbers of voiceless civilian casualties, and Abu Ghraib.
RWANDA: How justice failed the women who were raped during the 1994 genocide.
DARFUR: The Security Council decision mandating the ICC to prosecute Crimes against Humanity.
'In Search of International Justice offers both an overview of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a crash course in international human rights...Veteran filmmaker Judy Jackson's remarkable documentary makes a compelling case for an independent, international court to protect and enforce basic human rights. Highly recommended.' Video Librarian, Editor's Choice
'Unravels the politics and personalities at the forefront of a renewed search for international justice, but it is the individual stories of war victims that resonate...[and] drive the documentary, which should be required viewing for the powerful holdouts in the White House who are cutting off aid to countries that support the ICC.' Henrietta Walmark, (Toronto) Globe and Mail
'Manages to bring terrible events to life through carefully managed witness interviews, well chosen archival footage and a haunting, evocative musical score...a thoughtful, well researched look at a thorny, often complex subject... this is a film that really is worth looking for. If you're even remotely interested about what's going on in the world... In Search of International Justice is a keeper.' Alex Strachan, Canwest
'In Search of International Justice is an informative presentation of the issues surrounding the International Criminal Court. It cites a wide range of situations from Rwanda to the Sudan in which international authorities have attempted to apprehend the agents of genocide. This film is a must for courses involving current events and multilateral organizations.' Dr. Craig Eisendrath, Senior Fellow, Center for International Policy
'In Search of International Justice makes a compelling case for the International Criminal Court... Eye witness accounts and gripping archival footage clearly illustrate why the international community must respond to those who suffer at the hands of tyrannical leadership. Highly recommended for law, political science, and contemporary issues courses.' Douglas Reed, Educational Media Reviews Online
'In Search of International Justice is probably the first critical documentary revealing the dualistic application of American law as it used in national vs. international criminal courts...Judy Jackson, producer of the film, is well known for her documentaries of tyrant bureaucracies of death and human rights...Even great superpowers such as the United States can not persuade the courts with money, embargos, or political clout if the courtroom consciousness believes its action are just.' Gregory O'Dell, Campus Pencil Detective (blog)
Citation
Main credits
Jackson, Judy (Producer)
Jackson, Judy (Director)
Jackson, Judy (Screenwriter)
Gabriel, Peter (Narrator)
Other credits
Camera, Len Gilday, Bimi Shkumbim Bytqyi; editors, Barton Hewett, Sarah Udal; music, Mark Korven.
Distributor subjects
African Studies; Anthropology; Canadian Studies; Conflict Resolution; Ethics; Europe; European Studies; Global Issues; History; Human Rights; Humanities; International Studies; Iraq; Law; Middle Eastern Studies; Migration and Refugees; Political Science; Social Justice; Sociology; War and PeaceKeywords
WEBVTT
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[sil.]
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[music]
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At the beginning of a century that
has seen so many victims of war,
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there is one crucially important development – a
new commitment to the international rule of law
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to punish war criminals everywhere.
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[music]
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It’s been 60 long years since the
world first said never again.
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Then the Nuremberg Charter offered a new way
forward. The wrongs which we seek to condemn
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and punish
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have been so calculated, so malignant, and so
devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate
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their being ignored,
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because it cannot survive
their being repeated.
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Yet during the following
decades of the cold war,
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those proved empty words – the superpowers wouldn’t
agree to international trials for war criminals.
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In Guatemala, for example,
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those who gave the orders for
200,000 deaths 20 years ago,
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are still free. In Chile,
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three decades on, they still await
for their dictator to be tried.
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For years, no one heard the
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victims’ cries for justice,
perhaps now they’ve been charged.
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[music]
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It’s a critical time, because in 2002,
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the International Criminal Court
was established. To date,
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100 countries have become members,
agreeing to ask the court
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to act if they are unwilling or unable
to prosecute war criminals themselves.
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Already it’s conducting its first case.
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The case of the Prosecutor
versus Thomas Lubanga Dyilo.
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This warlord, from the
Democratic Republic of Congo,
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is charged with forcing children, as young as
eight, to fight vicious battles with his militia.
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So there are great hopes for the court.
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But there’s still a major problem –
some countries have refused to sign on,
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including the world’s remaining superpower.
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I made a decision not to join the International
Criminal Court in The Hague, which is where our troops
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could be brought to uh… brought in front
of a judge, an unaccounted judge.
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The ICC is the child of
long years of negotiation
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between many countries. But
the US opposition makes its
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initial steps fragile. Mr. Philippe Kirsch,
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the Assembly of States Parties elected you to be a judge at the
International… The court’s president is Canadian, Philippe Kirsch.
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Justice is something that should apply
to all equally. I’m determined myself
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to do everything I can to
ensure that the court succeeds
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in delivering justice as it should.
It was very clear many decades ago
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that justice was not applied as it
should, that leaders who ordered
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or tolerated uh… major crimes
uh… remained unpunished.
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[music]
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For the first time since Nuremberg, the concept
of international justice for war crimes
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reemerged in the ‘90s.
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It came of age during the Kosovo crisis.
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Here Serb forces
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were torching towns and deporting
and killing Kosovar Albanians.
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Finally, NATO intervened,
led by the United States.
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Kosovo’s crisis now is full-blown.
We all agree
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that we cannot allow President Milosevic
to continue the aggression with impunity.
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But during the (inaudible),
the massacres continued.
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[music]
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[sil.]
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When the world finally agreed to
charge those most responsible
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for barbarity in the Balkans, the United Nations
set up the International Criminal Tribunal
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for the former Yugoslavia. The
tribunal will make history,
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when chief prosecutor Louise
Arbour issued the first indictment
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ever against a sitting head of state. I
presented an indictment for confirmation
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against Slobodan Milosevic and four others,
charging them with crimes against humanity –
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specifically murder, deportation,
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and persecutions, and the violations
of the laws and customs of war.
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The indictment was confirmed by… Slobodan
Milosevic’s indictment and trial
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have become a symbol for international
justice. The tough question
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would have been for somebody to say to me, “And
when exactly do you think this is going to happen?”
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Now, that’s… this is a little more
difficult. But I expressed confidence
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from day one. From the time I made public the indictment
against Milosevic, I expressed my total confidence
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that one day he would be tried. The
Prosecutor versus Slobodan Milosevic.
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Two years later, Slobodan Milosevic
was transferred to the Hague –
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his trial would last years. The
prosecution relied on evidence
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provided by investigators on the ground.
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One investigation focused on a day of slaughter
by Serb forces around the village of Meja –
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Kosovar Albanians, totaled
300 civilians missing,
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the amount of dead bodies
removed from temporary graves.
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It was up to the tribunal’s war crimes
investigators to find out what happened.
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Paolo Pastore Stocchi has agreed to
return to the scene of the crime
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and explain his work. I
work as an investigator
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at the office of the prosecutor for the International
Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
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My task is collecting
evidence on war crimes
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and to provide prosecutors
with this evidence in order to
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prepare indictments against the
suspects, the war criminals.
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You can’t afford to make mistakes, particularly
the case regarding Slobodan Milosevic.
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It… It was such important case that
we couldn’t fail. Our investigations
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are absolutely important for…
for the future of this world.
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Bit by bit, Pastore Stocchi pieced together a
picture of the day of the mass deportation
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and murder in this area, carried out
by the Serbian army and militia.
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These are my witnesses, you see.
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We can… We can go in? Slowly, slowly
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I obtained crucial information
that we needed to… to start
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serious investigation. And Martin
Pnishi had witnessed executions
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of civilians from one of his
windows of… of his house.
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[sil.]
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After the… the massacre,
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other witnesses came here.
They saw blood stains here,
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clearly, that dead bodies
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had been left in a… in a row
and… and obviously the grass
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was still stained with blood.
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Witnesses claimed
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300 civilians missing around the
area, but the investigation
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was problematic from the start. The forensic
team found only a few body fragments,
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the rest had vanished.
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The bodies were not found,
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so it was hard for us to believe that
such a high number of people were killed,
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and then they disappeared. You know,
there was no strong evidence of that,
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you know. But on the other
hand, you cannot believe that
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it was a collective madness or vision of people
who said that the… having seen bodies piled
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in a certain place and then it wasn’t true.
And the mystery deepened.
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Merita Dedaj was 16 at the time.
Her family was forced at gunpoint
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from this house near Meja, women and
children were herded into the convoy,
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and the men were lined
up against this wall.
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[sil.]
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And uh… And your relatives were?
Once again,
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no bodies were found.
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I solemnly declare that I will speak the truth,
the whole truth. Merita Dedaj was to become
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a witness for the prosecution
at the Milosevic trial.
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A lawyer, Milosevic defended himself. Though
Kosovar Albanians were also on trial here,
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he derided the process as
propaganda – victor’s justice.
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Now, who are these people who you say
were killed 20 meters away from you,
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that you claim were killed by the soldiers?
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These people were my father, my
uncle, and my cousin – aged 16 –
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and six other members of the family. Saw
them being shot at and lying on the ground,
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but we have never found the bodies and we don’t know
what happened to them. And you yourself know very well,
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because you did this. You have different
level umm… uh… of investigation
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in… in… in war… in war crimes.
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Uh… You… You deal with a… with a crime-based
investigation because, of course,
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you need to prove that certain
crime has been committed,
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therefore you need to get in touch with the victims
who can tell about what they saw, what they heard.
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And there is another level which involves
the research of chain of command.
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We tried to find out who
ordered these crimes.
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In the ICTY we indict
politicians, military leaders,
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president of a state,
therefore it is very tough,
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because you are to prove that the chain
of command arrives to the top level.
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[sil.]
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Door 16. Door 16. It’s nine.
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How is it possible? Now, listen?
After a lot of searching,
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he found a Kosovo Albanian, who
actually served in the Serb army,
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and had vital inside information
about who had ordered the massacre.
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Hello, good morning. How are you?
All is well? All is well?
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Uh… He’s ah…
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He’s Nikë Peraj. Nikë Peraj had
even seen the massacred bodies
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before they disappeared. How are you?
They knew that
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uh… the investigation would change
dramatically from that moment.
00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.999
We had a new testimony from Nikë Peraj.
Nikë Peraj
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testified about a meeting he’d attended.
He’d heard a Serbian general
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upset over a colleague’s murder
give the order for the massacre.
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You told the court about a military uphold
of the engineer prepared the next day.
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Is that right? The report was to inform
00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:39.999
the supreme command of what had
happened in that operation
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which was undertaken. So the prosecution could
prove military orders for the massacre,
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but at what level in the chain of command? And
there was still the mystery of the missing bodies,
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whose bullet wounds could provide
more vital evidence. The bodies
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were… were… were removed,
were… were transferred, were…
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to hide evidence and to prevent
bodies from… from speaking to us.
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Five years on, relatives of the massacred
still search for their loved ones.
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It’s taken time,
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but thanks to the tribunal’s
painstaking investigations.
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The bodies are finally being bought back from
Serbia. To hide the proof of the massacre
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from the tribunal’s war crimes
investigators, these bodies were trucked
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out of Kosovo and hidden in Serbia.
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[music]
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The most incriminating evidence is that bodies
from the Meja massacre were unearthed beneath
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the firing range on a military compound –
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only someone very high up
could have ordered that.
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[music]
00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.999
Many victims cannot come before you, because
they did not survive. In the proof…
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The discovery of the mass graves
in Serbia provided vital evidence
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for the tribunal. Carla Del Ponte
is now the chief prosecutor.
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The bodies are finally taken
to the Kosovo morgue,
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to tell their dreadful
secrets to forensic workers,
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and then be finally
reunited with the families.
00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:18.000
[music]
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The moment that pathologists
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:29.999
perform the autopsy, it is the
very last chance for the victim
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to tell his or her through. After that
00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.999
little (inaudible) and then it’s up to us
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:44.999
to bring justice to this myth.
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[sil.]
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[music]
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.999
Without the international tribunal’s work,
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the relatives of the massacred would never
have known what happened to their loved ones
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or been able to bury them.
But they won’t see
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Slobodan Milosevic convicted, because
he died in his own on March 2006.
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[music]
00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.999
However, the people here do know that the
world has recognized their suffering.
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[music]
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You see that people like Slobodan Milosevic
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and others would think twice before doing
00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:09.999
what Milosevic did. They
won’t go unpunished.
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.999
International justice is… is not
an optional, it’s an imperative,
00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.999
it’s a must. We can’t argue about it.
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.999
Several regional tribunals,
00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
like the one for the former Yugoslavia, have
been established. But because they are set up
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.999
by the United Nations Security Council, whose
five permanent members have the power of veto,
00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.999
they lack true legal independence.
A permanent self-governing court
00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:45.000
was the next step forward for the world.
00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.999
In July 2002,
00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.999
the International Criminal Court
– the ICC – was established
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.999
to investigate crimes after that date.
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
I think the International Criminal Court is the
kind of irreversible step forward towards uh…
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
universal accountability for, of
course, the most atrocious uh…
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infringements of fundamental human rights.
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
If we’re going to avoid repeating
the 20… uh… 20th century,
00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
which was the bloodiest, most violent,
most war-ridden century in all of history,
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
then we need to insert
justice and the rule of law
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
as quickly as possible and as comprehensively
as possible into international affairs.
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
This is a court of last resort.
Its principle of
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.999
complementarity requires member countries
to first prosecute their own crimes.
00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.999
If that proves impossible, they
can ask the court to takeover.
00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:59.999
In those situations where
the national authorities
00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:04.999
are either unable or unwilling to
do their job, it is imperative
00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:09.999
for the international community
to step in, in one form
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:14.999
or another, uh… and assist or uh…
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:19.999
insist uh… that justice be done,
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
first and foremost for the victims of those
crimes. But not all countries have signed on,
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.999
including the world’s remaining superpower. I
wouldn’t join the International Criminal Court.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.999
This is a body based in The Hague where
00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.999
unaccountable judges, prosecutors,
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:44.999
could pull our troops, our
diplomats up for trial.
00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
And I wouldn’t join. And I understand that in
certain capitals of, around the world that
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
that wasn’t a popular move.
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
But it’s the right move not
to join a… a foreign court
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
that could… where our
people could be prosecuted.
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.999
It is clear that the support from the United
States would be very helpful to the court.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
I believe that the legal
foundation of the court
00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
is so strong that the argument that there
could be politically motivated prosecutions
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
or that a prosecutor uh… could be
00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
somehow unguided or
unfounded, not only unfounded
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.999
but even difficult to understand.
00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.999
Many people in the US government, and particularly the Pentagon,
believe that the world is better if you have an unfettered America.
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
They believe that the world should trust in the
benevolent intentions of America’s leaders
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.999
and that, you know, pesky things like the Geneva
Convention shouldn’t be allowed to stand in the way. Now,
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:54.999
they don’t usually say that blatantly, although
the Bush administration has gotten pretty close,
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.999
umm… but that is the dominant attitude. They… They talk
about the metaphor of… of Gulliver and the Lilliput
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.999
to some. The United States being Gulliver
and… and those umm… little, you know,
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
International Criminal Court lawyers umm… being the Lilliputs who
are trying to bind Gulliver. Umm… They want an unbound Gulliver.
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
They believe that the world is best off. And I think
that frankly that approach is incredibly short-sighted.
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.999
Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Assembly of States
Parties elected you to be the prosecutor
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.999
of the International Criminal Court.
May I kindly ask you to approach…
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.999
It is hard to understand how American soldiers
could be dragged here. The court only
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.999
prosecutes those who give
the orders for a trustee.
00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.999
In spite of the opposition, the
court has started its work.
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:44.999
One of its first investigations is into
crimes against children in Northern Uganda.
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.999
It’s been requested as per the
mandate by that country’s president.
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:55.000
Northern Uganda is a…
is a very complex case.
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
[music]
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
My daughter was asleep when the rebels of the
Lord’s Resistance Army stormed the school.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.999
They came through the gate,
00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.999
through the compound, and they
walked right to the dormitory,
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.999
and so they took our
children just like that.
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.999
Angelina Atyam has become the voice of
helpless children in Northern Uganda,
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.999
after her own daughter was abducted
from this boarding school.
00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:59.999
My daughter was asleep on this bed,
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.999
the lower deck. They banged
on the window telling them
00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
to open otherwise they threatened
to blow up this building.
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
They tied the children as slaves
using their sweaters and clothes,
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.999
and they took them captive.
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.999
The loss of my daughter was like,
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:29.999
there was a rift, there
was a gap in our family.
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:35.000
[music]
00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:54.999
Every night, 30,000 children leave
their rural homes and trek many miles
00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.999
to towns to seek safety from abduction
by one of the most dangerous men
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.999
in the world, Joseph Kony. Children are
00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.999
stricken with fear as they trek down
trying to look for a… a safer area
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.999
to spend the night. They risk their lives
00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.999
moving alone in the evening
without their parents.
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
They risk being even raped. They risk being
00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.999
beaten by anybody. And their
risk even be re-abducted.
00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:34.999
The hope is that the intervention of the
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
new International Criminal Court can
help end the plight of the children
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
that the world has forgotten.
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.999
But it’s not going to be easy. While the
fighting continues, the children are forced
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:55.000
to be both victims and victimizers.
00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:30.000
[music]
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
Oh yes!
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
Some are being forced to
kill their own parents,
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.999
to discourage them from coming home
when the… when the rebels take them.
00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.999
The bullets
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.999
have been flying for years. The
war has not come to an end.
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.999
[music]
00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.999
Everyone suffers. The Ugandan army
has moved the people into camps
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.999
to protect them from the fighting.
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.999
[sil.]
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:44.999
Every time I come to discuss,
00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:49.999
I get filled up with pain.
Look at our kids,
00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:54.999
look at the condition. Even in their comes,
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.999
we are not able to provide their basic
needs like food. Even education
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.999
is not adequate. 1.4 million
have lived like this for years,
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:09.999
and even in the camps, the
people remain afraid.
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.999
UNICEF reports rape by men in this
camp, including Ugandan army soldiers.
00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
[music]
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
All the people here want is peace.
00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
But even asking for that,
can make them targets
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
of the Ugandan forces. It’s hard
for them to believe the promise
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.999
of the faraway International Criminal
Court that it will investigate
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
both sides in this conflict.
In the case of Uganda,
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
we need to start by cleansing our
home, by cleaning our own house,
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
because everybody we see around
has done one another injustice,
00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
and they are moving around, no justice
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
has ever happened to our satisfaction.
The people of Northern Uganda
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:09.999
fear both the army and
the rebels it fights.
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:14.999
They also worry that if the rebels are indicted
as war criminals, they’ll fight to the bitter end
00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:20.000
and never give up, yet
more children will die.
00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:29.999
It’s a great privilege to be here
to discuss issues related to
00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.999
the International Criminal Court.
00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:39.999
A group of Acholi people meets to hear for the first time about
the ICC’s plans to bring global justice to Northern Uganda.
00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:44.999
It’s important to note that the ICC
00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:49.999
has no mandate to try children.
The prosecutor has to prioritize.
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.999
And I’ll be surprised if he were to
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.999
seek a warrant of arrest to
prosecute more than five people.
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.999
I need a… They have concerns.
The ICC is no police force.
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
So who will arrest the rebels far away in
the bush? Since the world has even failed
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.999
to arrest the main terrorist,
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.999
Osama bin Laden and his
aides, how come then that
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
Kony will be arrested? Some
feel the best way to peace
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:29.999
is to negotiate an amnesty with the
killers – Kony and his henchmen.
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.999
Their question whether peace and
justice can work hand in hand,
00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
it’s an age-old dilemma.
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:48.000
[music]
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.999
But there is one piece of good news.
00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:59.999
Angelina’s daughter Charlotte has managed to
escape. She’s been eight years in the bush
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.999
where she was forced to be a sex slave.
Now she has two children.
00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:10.000
She was only 14 when she was captured.
00:32:55.000 --> 00:33:03.000
[music]
00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.999
The Acholi people have reconciliation
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.999
in their blood. It’s part
of their tribal traditions.
00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:19.999
[music]
00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.999
This ceremony is for escaped children, who
have been forced to commit brutal acts.
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
Stepping on an egg, and over
twigs, symbolizes forgiveness,
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
and a welcome home. Whatever their past,
these children are also the future.
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
Forgiveness from the very people they
were forced to attack is inspiring.
00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.999
In October 2005, the
International Criminal Court
00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:49.999
made history, issuing its first
indictments for the arrest of
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:54.999
Joseph Kony and four others. Hopefully
the armies of nearby countries
00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.999
where they are hiding will
arrest them for the court,
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:04.999
and these inspiring local traditions of forgiveness
will help a shredded society reconcile.
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:10.000
[music]
00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.999
The United Nations has created
an International Criminal Court,
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
a shady amalgam of every
bad idea ever cooked up
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
for world government. Uh… The
United States, it’s President,
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.999
this Congress, and the American people
has categorically, unequivocally,
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.999
and completely rejected the
ICC, and its insistence
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.999
on threatening the American
people with prosecution.
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.999
We reject its laughable legitimacy. We reject
its own American denial of civil rights.
00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:29.999
And we reject its anti-American politics.
00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
The US opposition has intensified.
It’s made countries sign agreements
00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
exempting American soldiers, diplomats,
and contractors arrested on their soil
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
from prosecution at the ICC.
Eighteen countries
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
that refused to sign had military aid cut.
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
Some nations who receive economic support from
the United States may use the money we give them
00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
to arrest and handover American
citizens to the UN’s kangaroo court.
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
I don’t think so. Then the
Nethercutt Agreement was passed.
00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
It threatens to cut economic aid
to countries that refuse to sign.
00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
The Nethercutt Amendment will forestall
any attempt by a foreign country
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
that receives American economic aid to
arrest and extradite American soldiers
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
to Kofi Annan’s kangaroo court.
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
Thank you Mr. Chairman. Thank you gentlemen for
yielding… That aid has been withdrawn now.
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.999
And it, unfortunately, again is a bilateral
treaties that are mainly being executed
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.999
with small nations uh… that are… cannot
stand up to the economic, political,
00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.999
and military blackmail. So these
ambassadors are all just pounding away
00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:49.999
on these little countries to force them
to ratify these… these treaties. Uh…
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:54.999
And it is… It’s again, it’s
the ugly American writ large
00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:59.999
in international diplomacy. And it is
unhelpful to the war on terrorism.
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.999
It’s unhelpful to uh… all of the efforts to
00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:09.999
establish law and justice as a
way in which nations need to be
00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
relating to each other. I mean,
this makes no sense. It’s madness
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.999
from any US policy perspective, umm… looking
at it from a human rights perspective,
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
which is… which is my reference point.
Uh… I think it’s a
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
shameful, shameful low point in US
diplomacy to be penalizing states,
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
because they want to contribute
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
to ending impunity for genocide crimes
against humanity and war crimes.
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
I find, certainly disappointing
the fact that the United States,
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
which has a long record of advocacy and
commitment to the advancement of human rights,
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
has not seem fit to submit
itself to the kind of scrutiny
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
that it feels many other countries
should be submitted to.
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.999
I think, you cannot advocate accountability on
the parts of others if you’re not willing to
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
submit yourself to that, the same kind of scrutiny.
So what type of justice does the US favor abroad?
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:15.000
Perhaps there are some answers in Iraq.
00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
The United States spends billions of dollars
developing technologically targeted bombs
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
to prevent civilian casualties.
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:40.000
Nevertheless, accidents do happen.
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:49.999
[music]
00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:54.999
I saw images in this hospital, and I
just didn’t want to see. Ah… One woman
00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.999
had lost both her eyes, both of her arms were broken, both
of her legs were broke. And when she was turned over,
00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.999
literally blood spilled out of her.
And her relative said to me,
00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.999
\"You’re American, what are you gonna do to help?\"
So that’s when I kind of wrestled my brain
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.999
and thought that there needed to be a fund or some
kind of program to assist people such as her.
00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.999
American Marla Ruzicka has found
a route to compensate war’s
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.999
innocent victims. Single-handedly
she convinced the government
00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:29.999
to set up and administer through
the military a $20 million fund
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
to help relatives of civilian casualties.
We’re going to the family of Abu Garad.
00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
Forty-three people died in this
house uh… on a strike, April 5th.
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
Umm… It was made up of about six or
seven families, all fleeing Baghdad.
00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
They all went into one house and
unfortunately it was hit by US missiles.
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
We’re gonna meet Abu Garad, who’s the
father. He lost his entire family
00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:59.999
on that day. He was at the building.
He survived.
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:05.000
We also meet Zainab, who
suffered major loses.
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:44.999
The best that we can do is get the US
military to pay sympathy payments,
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
and that’s $20,000 for a death and $1,000
for an injury. But often that amount
00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
is not paid out in full. The
family was awarded $6,000
00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
in sympathy payments. You
know, $6,000 for 43 people,
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.999
again, it’s not like one father and
one mother, it’s many, many people
00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
that need to get that money.
They also want justice.
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.999
They want that the person who was… who was
responsible for the death to be held accountable.
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:19.999
And when they don’t see these types
of investigations being made,
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.999
they’re… they’re very angry and they’re very hurt.
And it doesn’t help them deal with their trauma.
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:33.000
It breaks your heart.
00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:39.999
I mean, I couldn’t stop crying
the last day that we went there,
00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.999
because you feel totally inadequate. And,
I think, they look at me as an American,
00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:49.999
and they put so much hope in me. And
only when I’m able to do a little bit
00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:54.999
and a little bit, like what really got
me the other days when Abu Garad said,
00:41:55.000 --> 00:41:59.999
\"What kind of, you know, justice can I sue them in
the international court?\" And I know that he can’t.
00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.999
In keeping with US opposition to facing
trials aboard, the coalition government
00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:09.999
early on passed a law saying no
coalition forces could be tried
00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:14.999
in an Iraqi Court. The US has to be
countable for the exploits of Iraq.
00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:19.999
We can’t talk about justice and transparency
if we don’t investigate civilian casualties,
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
and if we don’t offer help to those that
we accidentally have. It’s not possible
00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:30.000
to have a peaceful transition when
you have these kind of injustices.
00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:40.000
[music]
00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
[music]
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:09.999
Though the weapons of mass
destruction were never found,
00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:14.999
American forces, as promised,
did find Saddam Hussein.
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
Everyone agrees
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
that this tyrant must be tried
for decades of brutality –
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
accorded in scenes like this,
when he reigned with impunity.
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:34.999
There had been many calls
00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:39.999
for an impartial international tribunal.
However, the
00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:44.999
US administration backed a tribunal
conducted by Iraqi judges.
00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:49.999
This court backs the death penalty,
international justice doesn’t.
00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:54.999
The Bush administration was keen to…
to see that a message was sent,
00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:59.999
international tribunals were not necessary.
Our principal concern
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:04.999
has been with the independence of the
judges from the political pressure
00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:09.999
generated by Iraq’s leadership.
00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:15.000
We’ve seen three or four judges leave or
be removed. That’s extremely problematic.
00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:29.999
This is Manadel al-Jamadi – whose
dead body, wrapped in plastic,
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:34.999
was removed from Abu Ghraib.
00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:39.999
This is his wife, Elam Hamza(ph).
Her husband,
00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:45.000
a suspected insurgent, was
arrested by Navy SEALs.
00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:29.999
Jalal al-Khazraji says they were both taken in by car
and helicopter to what he believes is a secret base.
00:45:30.000 --> 00:45:34.999
He was released the next day, but
al-Jamadi – who was a suspect
00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:39.999
in the bombing of the Red Cross – was held.
00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:44.999
They started to torture him badly
(I was hooded) I couldn’t see
00:45:45.000 --> 00:45:49.999
I heard him crying because
00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:55.000
of the heavy torture and beating.
00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:15.000
[sil.]
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:13.000
[sil.]
00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.999
Insurgent or not, he
should have been protected
00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:25.000
by the Geneva Conventions.
00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:39.999
They began to search for the body, along with
many families who were missing relatives.
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:44.999
At Abu Ghraib, they learned no one
with his name had been registered.
00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:49.999
He was a ghost prisoner.
00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:54.999
Finally, seven months after his arrest,
00:47:55.000 --> 00:48:00.000
they found his body at
the forensic institute.
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.999
The army reservists, seen
with al-Jamadi’s body,
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.999
have been cleared of any involvement
in his death, as have the Navy SEALs
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.999
involved in his arrest. It’s alleged,
he died in the prison shower
00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
with his arms hung up behind his
back whilst under interrogation
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.999
by the CIA. More than two years later,
00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:39.999
no one has been charged. We don’t know
00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:44.999
exactly what the orders are that the CIA has, because those are
secret findings that remain in some vault in the White House.
00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:49.999
But we can surmise based on… on
the conduct that we’re aware of.
00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:54.999
And we are aware that they have literally disappeared. We
have the names of 26 people. We suspect there’s another
00:48:55.000 --> 00:48:59.999
dozen or so. These are so-called high-value
detainees who have been put into
00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:04.999
secret detention facilities in various countries. They’re
moved around periodically. Umm… And these disappearing people
00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:09.999
are subjected to the most extreme forms of
interrogation, umm… at least water boarding,
00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:14.999
you know, that is at least mocked execution
by drowning and… and um… clearly other
00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:19.999
forms of highly coercive interrogation as
well. And we have every reason to believe
00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:24.999
the worst in terms of their treatment.
00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:29.999
The administration calls the
soldiers in these pictures –
00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:34.999
a small rogue, out of control group.
00:49:35.000 --> 00:49:39.999
Those few people who… who did that do not reflect
the nature of the men and women we sent overseas.
00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:44.999
That’s not the way… That’s
not the way the people are.
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:49.999
It’s not their character, that are serving uh… that
are serving our nation in the cause of freedom.
00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.999
And uh… there’ll be an investigation.
I think that it’d be taken care of.
00:49:55.000 --> 00:49:59.999
Yet to date, there has been
no independent investigation.
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:04.999
Various internal inquiries have
looked down the chain of command.
00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:09.999
Military courts have sentenced
several low-level army reservists.
00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:14.999
This sexual depredation that… that took
place at Abu Ghraib was so over the top
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:19.999
that it was difficult to imagine anybody
senior ordering it. And I think that
00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:24.999
that lent credence to the Bush administration’s
claim that this was just a few rotten apples
00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:29.999
at the bottom of the barrel.
Now, we knew umm… even then
00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:34.999
that it was decisions taken by senior Bush officials
that at least treated an atmosphere of tolerance
00:50:35.000 --> 00:50:39.999
for that kind of abuse. It… It was Bush… and the Bush
administration’s ripping up of the Geneva Conventions at Guantanamo
00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:44.999
or the drafting of these torture memos that…
that basically define torture out of existence.
00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:49.999
But since approximately January
2005, we suddenly understand
00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:54.999
that this is not an inadvertent
byproduct of Bush policy,
00:50:55.000 --> 00:50:59.999
the use of torture and inhumane treatment is
Bush policy. This is instead a government
00:51:00.000 --> 00:51:04.999
that is determined to flout these basic provisions of
human rights law in the name of fighting terrorism,
00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:09.999
however, misguided this approach might be.
The United States is now umm…
00:51:10.000 --> 00:51:14.999
standing really antithetical to
the values and… and the standards
00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:19.999
that the International Criminal Court is trying
to uphold. That is a very dangerous development.
00:51:20.000 --> 00:51:24.999
Now, another crisis looms
– crimes against humanity
00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:29.999
are taking place in the
Darfur region of Sudan.
00:51:30.000 --> 00:51:34.999
The international response is confusion.
Member countries
00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:39.999
of the new International Criminal Court want
it to prosecute. But the United States,
00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:44.999
is, as ever, opposed – deadlock.
00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:49.999
The fear is that atrocity in Africa will
go once again ignored, just as it was
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:54.999
for the Rwandan genocide. Even the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
00:51:55.000 --> 00:52:00.000
has had a checkered history.
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:13.000
[music]
00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:35.000
[music]
00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:55.000
[sil.]
00:54:25.000 --> 00:54:29.999
The International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda was established to try top leaders
00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:34.999
who ordered atrocity. In 1998,
00:54:35.000 --> 00:54:39.999
Jean-Paul Akayesu made history of sorts.
He has the dubious distinction
00:54:40.000 --> 00:54:44.999
of being the first person ever
to be convicted of genocide.
00:54:45.000 --> 00:54:49.999
His trial also set a precedent
for international justice,
00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:54.999
by defining rape as genocide.
00:54:55.000 --> 00:54:59.999
It was a victory for international
justice, but a disaster
00:55:00.000 --> 00:55:08.000
for the victims.
00:55:25.000 --> 00:55:29.999
Jean-Paul Akayesu was the mayor
of the Rwandan village of Taba.
00:55:30.000 --> 00:55:34.999
The prosecutor described him as a
predator who instigated murder, and rape,
00:55:35.000 --> 00:55:39.999
and participated in torture here.
Over 2,000 people were killed.
00:55:40.000 --> 00:55:44.999
Since the genocide, Hutu and Tutsi
live uneasily side by side.
00:55:45.000 --> 00:55:53.000
The houses of someone who
bravely testified was stoned.
00:56:05.000 --> 00:56:09.999
They had to flee and hide elsewhere.
00:56:10.000 --> 00:56:14.999
[music]
00:56:15.000 --> 00:56:19.999
Anastasie is one of them. After
bravely telling the court
00:56:20.000 --> 00:56:24.999
about her unspeakable rape, she’s
ended up frightened and hiding.
00:56:25.000 --> 00:56:30.000
She and her children are scarcely
surviving, squatting in this hovel.
00:56:55.000 --> 00:57:00.000
It’s shameful that Anastasie
is living like this.
00:57:35.000 --> 00:57:39.999
The Rwandan tribunal was
in uncharted waters.
00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:44.999
Its successor, the International Criminal
Court, has learned much from its failings.
00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:49.999
Victims did not have a role,
00:57:50.000 --> 00:57:54.999
were not recognized as being victims alone.
00:57:55.000 --> 00:57:59.999
And this has changed with the ICC. They have a right
to participate at every step of the proceeding.
00:58:00.000 --> 00:58:04.999
Uh… They have the right to be
counseled, to be advised, to receive
00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:09.999
legal assistance to… with special
provisions uh… for the protection
00:58:10.000 --> 00:58:14.999
and guidance of women who have been
the subject of crimes of children.
00:58:15.000 --> 00:58:19.999
The victims have so the right to have
reparations in the variety of forms.
00:58:20.000 --> 00:58:24.999
The Rwandan tribunal had other faults.
00:58:25.000 --> 00:58:29.999
Never sufficiently backed by the international
community, it suffered from corruption
00:58:30.000 --> 00:58:34.999
and slowness. Many hoped the new
International Criminal Court
00:58:35.000 --> 00:58:39.999
can play a much clearer role in the
crisis now unfolding in Darfur.
00:58:40.000 --> 00:58:45.000
[music]
00:59:00.000 --> 00:59:04.999
The problem is that,
like the United States,
00:59:05.000 --> 00:59:09.999
Sudan has not signed up for global justice.
Unless the Security Council acts,
00:59:10.000 --> 00:59:15.000
it’s beyond the International
Criminal Court’s mandate.
00:59:25.000 --> 00:59:29.999
Now the drama is over,
justice can come to Darfur.
00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:34.999
It’s a drama that would
play out, not on the ground
00:59:35.000 --> 00:59:39.999
where people die daily, but at the
UN Security Council in New York.
00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:44.999
A single vote against, from a permanent
member like the US, means certain failure.
00:59:45.000 --> 00:59:49.999
[sil.]
00:59:50.000 --> 00:59:54.999
Any position or an agreement which… We
believe that further delay in reaching
00:59:55.000 --> 00:59:59.999
an agreement…
01:00:00.000 --> 01:00:04.999
As 2004
01:00:05.000 --> 01:00:09.999
drags to an end, the debate is bitter.
01:00:10.000 --> 01:00:14.999
Throughout the world, the victims of
violence and injustice are waiting.
01:00:15.000 --> 01:00:19.999
They’re waiting for us to keep our word.
01:00:20.000 --> 01:00:24.999
They notice when we use
words to mask inaction.
01:00:25.000 --> 01:00:29.999
Let no one imagine that this affair
01:00:30.000 --> 01:00:34.999
concerns Africans alone.
Louise Arbour is back,
01:00:35.000 --> 01:00:39.999
playing a new role. She’s just been appointed
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights –
01:00:40.000 --> 01:00:44.999
seeing the crisis in Darfur firsthand. She
will report her commission’s findings
01:00:45.000 --> 01:00:49.999
to the UN Security Council.
The commission found that
01:00:50.000 --> 01:00:54.999
government forces and militia
had throughout Darfur engaged
01:00:55.000 --> 01:00:59.999
in indiscriminate attacks against
civilians, murder, torture,
01:01:00.000 --> 01:01:04.999
destruction of villages, rape,
pillage, enforced displacement.
01:01:05.000 --> 01:01:09.999
The commission strongly recommended that the
Security Council refer the situation of Darfur
01:01:10.000 --> 01:01:14.999
to the International Criminal Court. The
court is the best suited institution
01:01:15.000 --> 01:01:19.999
for ensuring speedy
investigations leading to arrests
01:01:20.000 --> 01:01:24.999
and demonstrably fair trials.
01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:29.999
But there’s still no agreement here.
More weeks were dragged by.
01:01:30.000 --> 01:01:34.999
This two months since the Security
Council received… We believe that
01:01:35.000 --> 01:01:39.999
further delay in reaching an agreement
in the hope of a more desirable outcome…
01:01:40.000 --> 01:01:48.000
[sil.]
01:01:50.000 --> 01:01:54.999
The fear is that international justice
01:01:55.000 --> 01:01:59.999
is once again heading for extinction,
just like after Nuremberg.
01:02:00.000 --> 01:02:04.999
[sil.]
01:02:05.000 --> 01:02:09.999
Will we ever learn the
meaning of never again?
01:02:10.000 --> 01:02:14.999
[music]
01:02:15.000 --> 01:02:19.999
Finally, a year after Kofi Annan first
warned of crimes against humanity in Darfur,
01:02:20.000 --> 01:02:24.999
the United Nations Security Council votes.
01:02:25.000 --> 01:02:29.999
Those who are in favor,
please raise their hands.
01:02:30.000 --> 01:02:34.999
Those who abstain, please raise the hands.
The United States refrains
01:02:35.000 --> 01:02:39.999
from using its veto. The vote will pass.
Because of our concerns,
01:02:40.000 --> 01:02:44.999
we do not agree to a Security Council
referral of the situation in Darfur
01:02:45.000 --> 01:02:49.999
to the ICC and have abstained
on this resolution.
01:02:50.000 --> 01:02:54.999
We decided not to oppose the resolution, because
of the need for the international community
01:02:55.000 --> 01:02:59.999
to work together in order to end
the climate of impunity in Sudan.
01:03:00.000 --> 01:03:04.999
After months of haggling,
01:03:05.000 --> 01:03:09.999
relief for Kofi Annan, as he
hands Luis Moreno Ocampo –
01:03:10.000 --> 01:03:14.999
the chief prosecutor of the International
Criminal Court, evidence of the crimes in Darfur.
01:03:15.000 --> 01:03:19.999
This first referral from the Security
Council sets a precedent for the new court.
01:03:20.000 --> 01:03:24.999
The international community
01:03:25.000 --> 01:03:29.999
has joined together to end impunity
01:03:30.000 --> 01:03:34.999
in Darfur. Now, we have
01:03:35.000 --> 01:03:39.999
a common task to end the culture
01:03:40.000 --> 01:03:44.999
of impunity. This vote
01:03:45.000 --> 01:03:49.999
shows the world can commit when it wants
to the International Criminal Court.
01:03:50.000 --> 01:03:54.999
Now, all countries need to
be on board, all the time.
01:03:55.000 --> 01:03:59.999
Already the new court is
working on massive crimes –
01:04:00.000 --> 01:04:04.999
in Northern Uganda, Darfur, and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
01:04:05.000 --> 01:04:09.999
It’s a herculean, often dangerous
task, especially in Sudan
01:04:10.000 --> 01:04:14.999
where the government denies it entry.
Critics and supporters alike
01:04:15.000 --> 01:04:19.999
are watching to see if the court remains impartial,
investigating governments and rebels alike.
01:04:20.000 --> 01:04:24.999
[music]
01:04:25.000 --> 01:04:29.999
This new move, to international
justice, is for the first time
01:04:30.000 --> 01:04:34.999
responding to the cries of the victims. Here,
bringing the bodies of their loved ones back,
01:04:35.000 --> 01:04:39.999
and seeking real justice for them.
01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:44.999
[music]
01:04:45.000 --> 01:04:49.999
I view the International Criminal Court as one of the real
historic institutions of the international human rights movement.
01:04:50.000 --> 01:04:54.999
It says that if you commit atrocities,
your personal liberty is in jeopardy.
01:04:55.000 --> 01:04:59.999
And that is a very powerful signal umm… to try to deter
tomorrow’s atrocities and it’s also a very important
01:05:00.000 --> 01:05:04.999
way of answering the pleas of victims that their
persecutors of yesterday, perhaps be brought to justice.
01:05:05.000 --> 01:05:09.999
If we do succeed in establishing
justice and the rule of law
01:05:10.000 --> 01:05:14.999
as the primary way in which nations
relate to each other and leaders relate
01:05:15.000 --> 01:05:19.999
to… to the people, umm…
then we might have a…
01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:24.999
a new age of peace on this planet that we haven’t seen
for centuries. More has happened in the last decade
01:05:25.000 --> 01:05:29.999
than ever before in our history. And I
think a fair assessment at this point
01:05:30.000 --> 01:05:34.999
is that things are moving
along surprisingly,
01:05:35.000 --> 01:05:39.999
positively, and well. I’m
astonished to see what atrocities
01:05:40.000 --> 01:05:44.999
were still capable of committing against each other. But
I’m convinced that the International Criminal Court
01:05:45.000 --> 01:05:49.999
can play a leading role
throughout the world
01:05:50.000 --> 01:05:54.999
in bringing justice for millions of
victims that would otherwise be ignored.
01:05:55.000 --> 01:06:00.000
[music]