Human Rights Watch keen to censure individual cases, but loath to call out global transgressions
Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow, Russia on April 21 2022. Picture: REUTERS/RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/KREMLIN
Seven months later, when it had become clear that weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi links to al-Qaeda were a myth and a drip-drip of revelations had shown not that the intelligence was faulty, but that it had been fabricated by the belligerents, HRW was writing that “it’s a tragedy that US soldiers have killed so many civilians in Baghdad”, and was suggesting that “checkpoints should be better marked with signs in Arabic and lights, and interpreters should accompany all raids”.
Charbonneau also raises the importance of International Criminal Court investigations into possible war crimes. Of course, these would be welcome, but Africans, who have disproportionately been targeted and indicted by that court, know that powerful nations will not be brought to book. Lastly, Charbonneau chides President Cyril Ramaphosa for “echoing Russian talking points blaming Nato for the Russian invasion of Ukraine”, referencing Russia’s repeated objections to the expansion of Nato to its borders. The West maintains that Ukraine is a sovereign nation that can choose alliances with whom it pleases.
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