Post by Salem6 on Nov 18, 2004 16:55:31 GMT
By Kirsten Zaat, BBC News
Electronic Iraq
17 November 2004
electroniciraq.net/news/1724.shtml
Margaret was a human rights defender of unequalled vigour. Her
vitality, her verve and her uncompromising stand on protecting the
innocent was unparalleled in Iraq.
Margaret's life was dedicated to lifting up the downtrodden, to
holding out the hand of hope to the destitute, to protecting all
human beings wherever she found them.
Her humanitarian career spanned three decades and was carried out in
far-off destinations, from the Palestinian refugee camps of Lebanon
to the slums of Baghdad.
She raged tirelessly against the tyranny of poverty and oppression
and fought determinedly to end atrocity and injustice.
Along with two other distinguished humanitarian female role models,
Martha Tease and Jill Clark, who were murdered in the bombing of the
UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003, Margaret's
humanitarian assistance - her recent suffering - are now ended.
War crime
Those who respected, cherished and admired her continue to help but
to also suffer in the knowledge that "we the peoples" have lost
another grand woman and an unfaltering champion of the poor.
Margaret's murder constitutes a crime against humanity for which
there can be no excuses. The international rule of law exists to
protect all civilians, including humanitarian workers.
The Geneva Conventions prevent the taking of hostages. Such war
crimes must be tried.
The perpetrators of this murder consider themselves Islamist
guardians of the marginalised and the forgotten. Yet they know not
the Sharia, which prohibits such brutality.
Murdering Margaret constitutes a serious breach of Islamic law.
It is no coincidence that Margaret's death by a single bullet
mirrors the US military's apparent killing of a POW in Falluja.
All parties to this conflict are abusing the laws of war and all
parties to this conflict are placing the lives of innocent civilians
at risk.
If Margaret were alive today she would be calling upon multinational
forces and resistance fighters to respect the rules of engagement in
accordance with international humanitarian law.
She would be calling upon the US-led multinational forces and the
Iraqi Interim Administration to guarantee humanitarian access in
response to aid agencies being denied their right to deliver basic
needs and social services.
Her voice is silent now and the bitter irony is that Margaret would
have been the first among us to condemn the current attack on
Falluja.
Tears
Humanitarians have endured too many sad days since the war on Iraq
began. The families, friends and colleagues of innocent civilians
now lost forever have shed too many tears.
As a tribute to Margaret's heart of gold and her head of steel, to
her honesty and to her strength, "we the peoples" must reflect on
and attempt to right what has gone so terribly wrong in Iraq.
Margaret would permit nothing less.
To all parties to the ongoing conflict in Iraq I say lay down your
arms - this is a battle that cannot be won.
To perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity across the
globe I say take heed - it is only a matter of time before the
International Criminal Court holds you to account.
To my fellow humanitarians I say continue to speak out loud and
clear against atrocities and injustice wherever you find them - the
lives of communities in need and your own lives depends on it.
To the Bush, Blair and other coalition governments I say you are
perpetuating a counterfeit "clash of civilisations", which has made
us all targets. Learn your Crusader and Hezbollah hostage-taking
histories well.
To all media outlets, internet service providers and the general
public I say stop promoting and viewing hostage video tapes
immediately - you are compromising both the lives of captors and
your own humanity.
'Thank you'
To Margaret's husband and family I say thank you for sharing
Margaret and her life's work with us.
Without your support and generosity towards her, and your
indefatigable love of her, we would never have known her and she
would never have been able to offer so much to humankind.
Margaret, we loved you. Our humanitarian paths crossed in Iraq for a
time that was unnecessarily brief and all too weighty. You were a
beacon of hope and a shining light to all humanity.
We will remember you as we continue to assist those most in need, to
strive to guarantee all peoples their fundamental human rights, to
help them to understand their responsibilities to protect their
fellow human beings, to uphold the humanitarian imperative and to
protect humanitarian space.
Margaret, you died battling for equality and for peace. Rest now in
the eternal comfort of knowing that you gave so much and touched so
many.
This article first appeared on BBC News and is reprinted with
permission of Kirsten Zaat, who worked at the UN mission in Iraq
from May to December 2003 and was in Amman, Jordan, at the time of
the bombing of the mission's headquarters in August that year. She
was then appointed Head of Office for the United Nations Office for
the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Kuwait. She is
currently based in Melbourne, Australia. eIraq retitled the article.