Ratko Mladic: "Europe's highest-ranking war crimes suspect" shows no remorse

Ratko Mladic, the man accused of masterminding the massacre of more than 8,000 Bosniaks in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica during the 1992 - 1995 Bosnian war, appeared in court on 16 May 2012 and showed no remorse or respect for the victims of the heinous crimes he is accused of orchestrating.

The man dubbed "the Butcher of Bosnia" appeared at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague as his war crimes trial began and did the unthinkable. He reportedly stared at family members of victims and/or survivors of the Bosnia war carnage in the audience and drew his hand across his neck as if cutting a throat.

It has been said that actions speak louder than words. We all know what a throat slash or "cut throat"  gesture means. It connotes cutting a person's throat with a blade. Gestures confer different meanings in different cultures, but the "cut-throat" gesture is considered a death threat in many societies.

The throat slash gesture does not help Mladic's case. The 70-year-old former General of the Bosnian Serb army is on trial for genocide (11 counts), war crimes and crimes against humanity. He is Europe's highest-ranking war crimes suspect. [Source]. Mladic was a fugitive for 16 years until he was arrested on 26 May 2011 and extradited to the Hague less a week later.

The 1992 - 1995 Bosnian civil war claimed 100,000 lives and left 2.2million people homeless as Bosnian Serbs carried out a campaign of ethnic cleansing targeting non-Serbs. Mladic was the Bosnian Serb commander during the massacre in Srebrenica and  the 43-month siege of Sarajevo. [Source].

Since General Mladic made his first court appearance in 2011, he has been defiant and has so far shown no remorse. At the moment, he seems to be having fun disrespecting the court and those affected by the massacre in Srebrenica, but at the end of what promises to be a long and difficult trial, I'm confident that victims and families affected by his alleged crimes will have the last laugh.

It has been said that "the wheels of justice turn slowly but exceedingly fine."

For 16 years Ratko Mladic eluded the law but he was finally arrested and dragged to the Hague. As we speak, other people wanted for international crimes, including folks like Omar al-Bashir and Joseph Kony, think they would elude justice. No matter how long they stay at large, they will eventually be nabbed. An African proverb states that "a debt may get moldy, but it never decays." In the same way, an arrest warrant for international crimes may get moldy, but it would never decay.

As for Ratko Mladic, "the Butcher of Bosnia" who doubles as "Europe's highest-ranking war crimes suspect," justice has started taking its course. Irrespective of what he does in the courtroom during his trial, it's only a matter of time before the chickens come home to roost.

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Finland: Perussuomalaiset anti-Islamic ties uncovered by YLE

You've probably heard about the Perussuomalaiset (True Finns) political party in Finland. If you haven't - it's a right-wing, anti-immigration, anti-Islamic and Euro-skeptic political party that made shock gains in Finland's April 2011 parliamentary election. The party is no stranger to scandals involving its members of parliament, ordinary members and parliamentary aides. Scandals mostly involve anti-immigration rhetoric and hateful rhetoric against minority groups. A poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat in 2011 revealed that supporters of the party have the most negative attitudes towards immigrants, with up to 27% "recognizing a large, or fair amount of racist characteristics in themselves." This poll speaks volumes about the membership of the party, but a recent report by YLE News adds perspective to the composition of the party. The report exposes True Finns' ties to anti-Islamic, far-right movements in Finland.

According to the news report that exposes Perussuomalaiset party's anti-Islamic ties, several members of the party, including members of parliament and politicians, are linked the Finnish Defence League, a far-right, anti-Islamic "street movement". The report also links Perussuomalaiset members and politicians to Suomen Sisu, a nationalistic association based in Helsinki, Finland.

Far-right, anti-Islamic movements linked to the Perussuomalaiset party share something in common with Anders Behring Breivik - the infamous far-right extremist who massacred 77 people in Norway in the summer of 2011: they oppose multiculturalism and the so-called "Islamization of Europe."

It's true that people reserve the right to hold and express critical political opinions, but it's worth highlighting that it's also true that those who exercise their civil and political rights in ways that endanger the safety and freedoms of others must be held accountable. People of good conscience should distance themselves from political movements that promote anti-Islamic views and the bashing of immigrants and other minorities. Such movements that breed hate and thrive on racism, xenophobia and fear mongering are poisonous to society, especially when they are linked to parliament through political parties like the Perussuomalaiset. They intimidate, provoke and antagonize minority groups, thereby creating a hostile environment and putting both the people they claim to protect and the people they bash in harm's way.

*Photo: YLE.

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President Barack Obama supports gay marriage

On 9 May 2012, a tweet by Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, drew my attention to a historic interview granted by President Barack Obama to ABC News. The tweet read: "If battleground states may be against gay marriage, then more power to Obama for standing in principle over politics." During the interview that will bring hope to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in states where homophobia and inequality are backed by law, Obama declared his support for gay marriage. Bold and principled move indeed by the "leader of the free world".

Barack Obama told ABC's Robin Roberts, against all odds, that he supports a concept that many kick against.

According to The Huffington Post, Barack Obama is the first sitting president to publicly declare support for same-sex marriage, and this "act of political bravery" could have drawbacks.

LGBT issues are contentious and many advocates of LGBT rights pay a price either by being perceived "gay" or "lesbian", arrested or fined for spreading "gay propaganda". For President Obama, backing gay marriage could cost him votes in so-called swing or battleground states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina in the upcoming 2012 presidential election. The president chose human rights over politics by expressing support for a "politically poisonous" issue. This is commendable.

Cherished principles of equality and freedom demand us to respect people's choices and orientations - whether we agree with them or not - and to treat everyone without discrimination of any kind. Obama's support for gay marriage is in line with basic human rights principles, including principles of equality and freedom of expression. The move that has attracted mixed reactions was welcomed by Amnesty International.

All persons deserve the same rights and protection without discrimination. It is important to understand that limitations on the rights and freedoms of others pose a threat to our own rights and freedoms. A state that has the power to infringe the civil rights of a group of people has the power to infringe the civil rights of all its citizens. Limitations on civil rights and liberties should not be celebrated even if they do not affect us directly.

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