Blessed the world that has no more need for heroes

The demonstration for the freedom of information was postponed so that it wouldn't clash with the national day of mourning for the Italian soldiers killed in Kabul. For us, this decision was mistaken and dishonest. We gave our support to the demonstration because we believe that freedom on information is a vital factor in the struggle against war and violence and in the struggle for women's rights - struggles that cannot be separated.

I am very sorry to see governments putting the lives of their soldiers in danger in Afghanistan in the name of bringing democracy. In fact the soldiers are serving the strategic and regional interests of the White House and the consequences of their occupation so far have been devastating for my people. Malalai Joya

If we really believe in the importance of the freedom of information, it should be clear that the lack of serious information about the motives and consequences of the military mission in Afghanistan has played an important role in the killing of the six Italian soldiers.

To stand back and remain silent as the tragedy that has struck these men and their loved ones is manipulated by those who sent them to their deaths is not a sign of respect - quite the contrary.

So, despite the rain the decision of many to postpone the demonstation, the Women in Black of Bergamo kept the appointment, dressed in black for the sorrow we feel for wars, for every war.

If the media provided news and documentation about the motives for each war, perhaps there would be more peace.

We also offer are solidarity to Simonetta Salacone, headteacher of the Iqbal Massih school in Rome, who refused to participate in another manipulation - the minute silence for the fallen in Afghanistan. Simonetta Salacone explained her decision with clarity and eloquence:

Click the text to read the complete letter.

I feel sorrow and sincere participation in the sorrow of the families of the dead soldiers. I add it to the sorrow that I feel each day for so many innocent civilian victims of this and and all wars that are being waged around the world. But I ask myself: why didn't we have a minute silence last month, when a soldier from Campobasso was killed in Afghanistan?

Is it the number that forms a critical mass for state mourning? Or could it be the moment in which, by appealing to the sorrow of so many, one attempts to realign a public opinion that is very divided on the theme of the so-called peace missions. ”?

War in Afghanistan - an alliance with murderers and rapists

One of the most quoted "benefits" of the NATO intervention is to have improved the condition of Afghan women, but Malalai Joya doesn't agree : "Just as air raids haven't brought security to Afghanis, the occupation hasn't brought security to Afghan women. The reality is exactly the opposite. The now infamous family law is only the point of the iceberg of the catastrophe that has struck women's rights in our country, under occupation. The entire system, in particular the judiciary, is infected by the virus of fundamentalism and so, in Afghanistan, men who commit crimes against women can do so with impunity".

Western soldiers fight the Taliban, causing "collateral damage" among the civilian population, while western governments also have their victims of collateral damage. The civil rights of the Afghan people, but above all, the rights of women, are sacrificed to preserve alliances with fundamentalists and warlords who might bring a superficial stability that will allow our governments to promote their own interests but which will not bring peace or security to the Afghan people.

Shortly after the elections of 20 August, , Malalai Joya wrote:

Like millions of Afghans, I have no hope in the results of the elections. In a country ruled by warlords, occupation forces, Taliban terrorists, drug money and guns, no one can expect a legitimate or fair vote. Even international observers have been speaking about widespread fraud and intimidation and, among the people on the street, there is a common refrain: the real winner has already been picked by the White House. President Hamid Karzai has cemented alliances with brutal warlords and fundamentalists in order to maintain his position. Although our constitution forbids war criminals from running for office, the incumbent has named two notorious militia commanders as his vice-presidential running mates – Karim Khalili and Mohammad Qasim Fahim, both of whom stand accused of brutalities against our people. Deals have also been made with countless fundamentalists. This week saw the return from exile of the dreaded warlord Rashid Dostum. And the pro-Iranian extremist Mohammad Mohaqiq, who has been accused of war crimes, has been promised five cabinet positions for his party in exchange for supporting Mr Karzai. Rather than democracy, what we have in Afghanistan are back-room deals among discredited warlords who are sworn enemies of democracy and justice. The President has also continued to absolutely betray the women of Afghanistan. Even after massive international outcry – and brave protesters taking to the streets of Kabul – Mr Karzai implemented the infamous rape law, targeting Shia women, to gain support of the fundamentalist elements in the election. He had initially promised to review the most egregious clauses, but in the end it was passed with few amendments and the barbaric anti-women statements not removed. As Human Rights Watch recently stated: "Karzai has made an unthinkable deal to sell Afghan women out in return for the support of fundamentalists." And the two main challengers to a continuation of the Karzai rule do not offer any change. Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah are both former cabinet ministers in this discredited regime and neither has a real, broad footing among the people. We Afghans know that this election will change nothing and it is only part of a show of democracy put on by, and for, the West, to legitimise its future puppet in Afghanistan. It seems we are doomed to see the continuation of this failed, mafia-like, corrupt government for another term. Democracy will never come to Afghanistan through the barrel of a gun, or from the cluster bombs dropped by foreign forces. The struggle will be long and difficult, but the values of real democracy, human rights and women's rights will only be won by the Afghan people themselves. The Western governments that claim to be bringing democracy to Afghanistan ignore public opinion in their own countries, where growing numbers are against the war. In my tours to countries that have troops in Afghanistan, I've met many bereaved parents who have lost their loved ones in the war in my home. I am very sorry to see governments putting the lives of their soldiers in danger in Afghanistan in the name of bringing democracy. In fact the soldiers are serving the strategic and regional interests of the White House and the consequences of their occupation so far have been devastating for my people. I believe that if the ordinary folk of Afghanistan and the Nato countries were able to vote, and express their wishes, this indefinite military occupation would come to an end and there would be a real chance for peace in Afghanistan.

Stop Ethnic Cleansing in East Jerusalem

On Sunday 2nd August at dawn, Israeli forces evicted two families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem - yet another example of the policy of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories and in particular in East Jerusalem.

The following appeal against the evictions of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah and from other East Jerusalem neighbourhoods will be sent to the press and to diplomatic representatives in Israel/Palestine.

STOP THE EVICTIONS OF PALESTINIANS FROM EAST JERUSALEM

On Sunday 2nd August, the eviction order against two Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, was executed. In the early hours of the morning, soldiers of the IDF forced the al Ghawi and al Hanoun families, refugees since 1948, to leave their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, where they have been living since 1956. Israeli settlers have already taken their places in the houses.

“I deplore today's totally unacceptable actions by Israel, in which Israeli security forces evicted Palestinian refugee families registered with UNRWA from their homes in the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem to allow settlers to take possession of these properties. These actions are contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions related to occupied territory. The United Nations rejects Israel's claims that this is a matter for municipal authorities and domestic courts. I call on Israel to adhere to international law and to cease and reverse such provocative and unacceptable actions in East Jerusalem" Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Peace Process. We are appalled by the evictions in East Jerusalem this morning. Israel’s claim that the imposition of extremist Jewish settlers into this ancient Arab neighborhood is a matter for the court or the municipality is unacceptable. Their actions are incompatible with Israel’s professed desire for peace. British Consulate Jerusalem.

For weeks, the presence of international and Israeli citizens and of Palestinian human rights activists has sustained the determination of the families to not leave their homes, to not become victims the Israeli state's policy of ethnic cleansing. According to international law, East Jerusalem is part of the Palestinian Territories, occupied by Israel in 1967, and the International Community is obliged to enforce respect for UN resolutions which prohibit the transfer of populations and any other actions that change the status quo of the city.(cf. Geneva Conventions (1949) and UN resolutions 242 (1967), 252 (1968), 267 and 271 (1969), 298 (1971), 465, 476, 478 (1980)).

The situation of the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem is becoming more and more unsustainable because of the discriminatory policies of the occupying government which aims to Judaise the city of Jerusalem, creating territorial continuity with the illegal Israeli settlements that surround East Jerusalem.


Since 1967 to the present day, 17 settlements have been built occupying 35% of the territory of East Jerusalem and housing 200,000 settlers. OCHA (Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs www.ochaopt.org/) reports that between 1967 and 2006 more than 8500 Palestinian houses have been demolished. In the first four months of 2009, OCHA recorded the demolition of 19 structures in East Jerusalem, including 11 residences, resulting in the displacement of 109 Palestinians including 60 children.

The direct consequences on Palestinian society of such actions by the Israeli government are the territorial fragmentation of the different East Jerusalem neighbourhoods and the isolation of East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, creating de facto conditions for Jerusalem to be the "eternal capital of the State of Israel" in violation of international law and the UN resolutions.

The only possible defense of the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem is the support of the international community, who alone can put pressure on the Israeli government to immediately revoke the eviction orders against Palestinians in East Jerusalem (Sheikh Jarrah, Old City, Silwan, Bustan, Ras al Amud) and to halt the plans for the construction of new settlements in Jerusalem.

The al Ghawi, al Hanoun and al Kurd families - the last of these evicted from their home in November 2008, are only the first of the 28 families (500 people) residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood , who risk eviction.

The new US administration and the European Union have condemned the confiscation and demolition of Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem and the construction of new settlements. Therefore, we call on the Italian government and its diplomatic representative in Jerusalem, the Italian General Consulate to severely condemn the evictions of the al Ghawi and al Hanoun families, and to urge the Israeli government to cancel the eviction orders so that the families can return home, to cancel other eviction orders and to stop the plans for settlement building in East Jerusalem in accordance with international law.

As Italian citizens, we ask the Italian Consulate in Jerusalem to visit the al Ghawi, al Hanoun and al Kurd families and to deliver a message of solidarity and support, as has already been done by other European and US diplomatic representatives.

Gaza - a descent into misery and desperation

A report by the International Committee of the Red Cross has described the situation in the Gaza Strip as "1.5 million people trapped in despair". The Italians NGOs that are working in the Gaza Strip have also called for a change in international politics to confront the political and humanitarian emergency.

From the Report of the International Committee of the Red Cross Over the last two years, the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have been caught up in an unending cycle of deprivation and despair as a result of the conflict, and particularly as a direct consequence of the closure of the crossing points. The ICRC has repeatedly pointed out that Israel’s right to address its legitimate security concerns must be balanced against the right of the population in Gaza to lead a normal and dignified life. Under international humanitarian law, Israel has the obligation to ensure that the population's basic needs in terms of food, shelter, water and medical supplies are met. The ICRC once again appeals for a lifting of restrictions on the movement of people and goods as the first and most urgent measure to end Gaza's isolation and to allow its people to rebuild their lives. The almost 4.5 billion dollars that donor countries pledged for reconstruction at an international summit in Egypt in March 2009 will be of little use if building materials and other essential items cannot be imported into the Gaza Strip. In any case, reconstruction alone does not offer a sustainable means of getting Gaza back on its feet. To go back to the situation prior to the latest military operation would be unacceptable, as that would only perpetuate Gaza’s plight. A lasting solution requires fundamental changes in Israeli policy, such as allowing imports and exports to and from Gaza, increasing the flow of goods and people up to the level of May 2007, allowing farmers to access their land in the de-facto buffer zone and restoring fishermen's access to deeper waters. Humanitarian action can be no substitute for the credible political steps that are needed to bring about these changes. Only an honest and courageous political process involving all States, political authorities and organized armed groups concerned can address the plight of Gaza and restore a dignified life to its people. The alternative is a further descent into misery with every passing day.

Many children were witnesses to violence and now are traumatised The shocking level of poverty is directly linked to the closure. The situation has become so severe that even if the crossings opened tomorrow, it would take years to recover. Khalili can't rebuild his house because the blockade of the Strip does not permit building materials to be brought in. The Israeli navy only allows Gazan fishermen to go 3 nautical miles from the coast. This means that fish is almost always scarce.

Gaza appeal by Italian NGOs

Six Months After the Israeli Military Operation "Cast Lead" Nothing Has Changed in Gaza

Jerusalem, 22 July 2009

The Italian non-governmental organisations working for the promotion and protection of the rights of the Palestinian people repeat the appeal promoted by a coalition of humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam International, Care West Bank and Gaza, War Child Holland and Medical Aid for Palestinians UK, in which they called on the international community and in particular the European Union to employ greater efforts to respond in concrete form to the needs of the population of Gaza, affected by the latest Israeli military offensive.

Six months have passed since the end of the Israeli military attack on Gaza and hundreds of thousands of people still have no house and no access to basic services such as clean water. The economy, including the agricultural sector is at the point of collapse and reconstruction seems an impossible undertaking. Operation Cast Lead destroyed the economic fabric, already weakened by the embargo imposed by the Israeli government.

There is no sense in continuing to deprive people of the chance of working and of supporting their families. The border crossings must be opened immediately to facilitate the restarting of economic activities in the shortest time possible.

Rebuilding is currently greatly limited by the embargo on the entry of cement and steel imposed by the Israeli government. This means that 20,000 families, whose homes were razed to the ground or severely damaged during the last conflict cannot restart a normal life. Many are forced to live in refugee camps or in improvised, precarious shelters. In addition, almost 35,000 people do not have access to clean water or a working sewage system. The rebuilding of schools, hospitals, universities and of the public infrastructure has not yet begun. Food and medicines pass, at irregular intervals, only by way of the Kerem Shalom crossing and many medicinal supplies are about to expire.

No step forward has been made by the international community to guarantee the entry into Gaza of aid and construction materials. The moment has arrived for world leaders to take concrete actions to put pressure on the Israeli government to open the crossings and to guarantee the entry of aid and construction materials. The restrictions and prohibitions imposed by Israel are measures that violate the human rights of the civilian population of Gaza. All this in unacceptable.

Therefore we appeal to the European Union to:

• Freeze the upgrading to the agreement of association between the EU and Israel, an agreement that has the requirement for Israel to respect “the principles of the United Nations Charter , in particular, the respect for human rights, democratic principles and economic freedom” (“EUROMEDITERRANEAN AGREEMENT” – Preamble);
• Make every diplomatic effort needed to guarantee full respect for international law keeping faith with the pledges made for the relaunch of the process of reconstruction of Gaza.
  

We also call on the Italian government, that has set aside 4 million Euro for emergency aid to the population of Gaza, to put the necessary pressure on the Israeli government to guarantee the opening of the border crossings and the passage of goods needed for the activities of reconstruction and rehabilitation financed by such funds. As the agencies of the United Nations affirm in their reports, the improvement of the conditions for the populations of the Gaza Strip is not possible without the opening of border crossings that allow the passage of necessary materials such as cement, and the restarting of commercial and productive activities.


Signatories.
ACS
CISP
CISS
COSPE
CRIC
CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE CROCEVIA
DISVI
EDUCAID
MEDINA
OVERSEAS
TERRE DES HOMMES - ITALIA
VIS

Solidarity with the mourning mothers of Iran

In response to the appeal of Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace laureate, we express our solidarity to the Iranian mothers and to all women who, in Iran and elsewhere in the world, even at risk to their own lives, go out on to the streets to demand justice and truth, so that silence does not fall on the victims of repression and power that uses force of arms to silence those who struggle for their rights.

While we extend our solidarity to the Iranian mothers, we also raise our voices so that their suffering will not be used to justify military "solutions" to the crisis in Iran, as the repression of Afghan women was used to justify the war begun in 2001 and continuing today.

Message of Shirin Ebadi to the women of the world, calling for solidarity with the mourning mothers of Iran. Conscientious women of the world: The tragedy in Iran is much larger than we had imagined. People who took to the streets to express their objection to the election results peacefully were met with bullets and truncheons. Many of those who survived the confrontations were arrested in the days that followed the protests. Iran's state radio and television broadcasts initially announced the number killed as eight and later eleven. However, more than twenty-five days after the street demonstrations, there are still many who have disappeared and their names are not on the lists of those who have been killed or arrested. Many mothers have been anxiously going to any authorities who may give them information about their disappeared loved ones but have received no answers. Now that families are slowly receiving the bodies of their slain children, it has become clear that the number of fatalities is much higher than what the government of the Islamic Republic has published. Moreover, the families are being forced to sign legal covenants that they would not disclose how and when their loved ones died. But it is not possible to hide the truth forever, and it is not possible to silence the cries, so the tragedy of the past weeks is showing larger in the eyes of the Iranian people as days pass. Many mothers whose children were killed, are still among the disappeared or are in prisons have formed the Committee of Mourning Mothers. Every Saturday from 7 to 8 PM, the members of this committee and other women who empathize with them dress in black and gather in public parks in their cities and towns to stand vigil and silently express their pain. I would like to express my deep sorrow and condolences to the mothers who have lost their loved ones for freedom and democracy in Iran, and I stand in solidarity with women who are still searching for their disappeared and the large number of young Iranian women and men who are now in prisons because of their civil activism. I invite all freedom loving women of the world to dress in black and gather in solidarity with the Committee of Mourning Mothers every Saturday in their own cities and towns to help make their voices heard throughout the world.

On 15 July Natalya Estemirova, 50, was kidnapped and murdered by unknown assailants in the Chechen capital Grozny. The mother-of-one worked for the human rights organisation Memorial and was a close friend of the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, also murdered in 2006.

A human rights activist is killed like a dog, executed, dumped and humiliated in front of the eyes of a million people, who know that what she was saying was true, right, honest and proper.

I openly declare myself a pacifist, because I know what militarism and war brings to young people. I am against all wars and violence and I am very clear about what they mean for women, just as I also know their capacity to rebuild life, to defend it and to disarm it. In Chechnya, the whole weight of the war fell on women. When the abductions began, it was us women who confronted them, denouncing these crimes. In 1995 we organised a peaceful march from Moscow to Grozny. And we didn't just denounce the crimes and violence of the Russian government, but also the violence of our governments and of the armed groups. The role of women is indispensable, it was indispensable in all that time. Without it, Chechnya would have disappeared. Imagine, how it changed our lives: all of a sudden, the traditional strongly patriarchal family has a woman at its head and she must take on all the responsibilties. We demonstrated with our work of peaceful resistance that Chechnya can survive without Russia. You cannot imagine the different situations that we confronted, the resources and strategies that we put in place to keep going. Alone and without weapons! If we think about what men consider to be heroic acts our actions have been heroic acts: the daily work of survival. I remember when we didn't jave food and no supplies reached us. The women found a way of bypassing the military control points and brought food to their families. First negotiating with the military and trying to reach Grozny in a vehicle without being fired on. Then we hired an armoured car and then a helicopter. We converted the weapons of war and destructions to instruments for life. Despite the important role of Chechen women, Chechnya is a very traditional, conservative and patriarchal society. There's still a lot of work to do. But I believe that it's necessary to have a country and then to rebuild it - to rebuild the lives of the people so that they can recover after so many years of war and violence. It's true, we women have an important opportunity for peace and for the future of Chechnya. . Natalia Estemirova

Presidents sometimes say: a serious inquiry should be done in this case. Violence on journalists is not permitted. How could they say otherwise? Today when words count almost nothing compared to the escalating violence, to the human annihilation. Where is the solidarity, the everyday culture of us normal human beings, who know that the freedom to behave humanely, with all those Habeas Corpus human rights, is challenged every day in the streets, in the workplaces -- not only in wars, battlefields, mass graves? Why don't people of any city flock out to the squares as they did for the death of Michael Jackson, or some other mass media idol? Have we grown so stupid and blind to allow assassinations to be part of our daily life? Is this our present-day normality, and if so, what of our future? When I hear Natalya speaking, I have no cultural, racial or language misunderstandings to bridge. I know exactly what she is saying, and to whom she is appealing. She is telling us just like Anna Politkovskaya and many other humanist activists, to live in truth, band together and defend the common denominator of basic human rights. You don't need to be Russian or speak Russian to understand that we are all in the same boat. The abuse of civilians by an armed shadow state within the state is happening everywhere. Democratic regimes have abandoned state control over their military machines; the modern gunmen are privatized, offshored, clandestine and deniable. The best voices, the best actions come not from politicians but from relentless activists, journalists, lawyers. These are the Hypatias of 21 first century: the voices of reason and science. They are not gurus, they are not visionaries, they are not leaders, they are not stars. They bear witness with their lives and write what they know first hand. We must be clear and forthright about what it means to all of us, when assassins burn their books and bodies, as witches, as testimonies of uncomfortable truths. Jasmina Tesanovic, Women in Black Belgrade 19 July 2009.

Natalia, our friend, human rights activist and Chechen feminist has been abducted and murdered.

Natalia, just like Anna Politkoskaia, has been murdered but her life and her words help us to continue on her path, to continue to work for peace and nonviolence, for the human rights of people, and for the pople who have lost their lives defending them.

We demand that the Chechen and Russian governments provide investigations and clarity on this monstrous murder.

NATALIA, ANNA, we won't forget you. Your smiles are with us forever.

A feminist Case Against NATO as an International Actor

Women in Black from several European countries particpated in the mobilisation against NATO during the summit in Strasbourg at the beginning of April.

Together with other groups of women for peace, we held a workshop for which we received various texts for the presentationi and discussion of the "Feminist case against NATO".

A feminist argument against NATO as an international actor is the first part.



One important aspect of the feminist case against NATO is as an actor on the international scene - the worldwide scene of diplomacy, international relations and military policy. Nato creates a bloc of nations. Bloc logic is the old security logic of the Cold War era, disastrously continued into the present. But women don't recognise themselves in this logic of "Atlantic alliance", "fortress Europe", and "Western civilization". By definition it marks some out as Others, threatening gross insecurity to those outside the compliant coalition.

NATO reinforces the idea that nation states are the only units that count in world affairs. Along with the idea of nation as 'fatherland' goes the racist idea of blood and belonging that feminism absolutely rejects because it divides women on ethnic grounds and sets up women as reproducers of race and culture, the ones who pass on the nation's blookline to their children. Secondly, it reinforces the sense that these nations are in a natural hierarchy of strong and weak. In NATO; the USA represents itself as a protector of its weaker juniour partners - women do not welcome this paternalism, which they have experienced first hand as the 'husband and wife' model of human relations.

So feminists say, NATO's logic is a patriarchal logic. We have learned in our years of feminist antimilitarist theory and practice that nationalism, militarism and patriarchy are deeply intertwined and reinforce each other. Capitalism too. Patriarchal gender systems are one of the root causes of militarism and war. Patriarchy and capitalism use war to maintain their dominion. All thse power systems have designs on women and special uses for women that feminism roundly rejects. NATO reflects the mentality that says conflicts can only be resolved with weapons. By contrast, a feminist approach would be dialogue between countries and peoples with mutual learning and respect for worldwide diversity.

NATO is surrounded by secrecy. Some national governments have made the decision to join the NATO bloc without even discussion in parliament. This authoritarianism is totally anti-democratic and excludes ordinary people, especially women, from having any choice or voice in international affairs.

NATO is expanding its scope across the world. It now as 28 members and 29 more states now drawn into what NATO calls its Partnership for Peace. What a joke that expression is! NATO openly admits that it exists to pursue and defend 'interests'. And it is not just NATO. NATO is becoming the security model for Europe too. There is no longer any independent European thought. In 2007, NATO and the European Union signed a declaration creating a partnership around 'shared interests'. Whose interests are these? They are invoked by the rich countries and corporations and concern energy, economy and imperial control. They are certainly not women's interests.

Although the main motive of the Euroepan Economic Community was clearly the advancement of capital, many people, including many women, had hopes that European unity could prevent war in Europe happening again - as we also had hopes of the United Nations.

NATO's rules specifically contradict several clauses of the founding charter of the United Nations. This makes it illegal on five counts under international law. There is a much better model for international cooperation on security already in existence and it deserves strengthening: the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) With 54 member states, it is a 'primary instrument' for early warning, conflict prevention and civil crisis management, but too marginalised and totally underestimated.

Strategies for action at the international level are perhpas the most difficult for us as women. A rare example is in Monique Dental's paper: woemn of the Collectif Feministe 'Ruptures' and other women orgainsed a 'Women Citizens Letter to the French president during the Gulf war calling for an international peace conference. But if, as Mujeres de Negro Svilla write, we can "crack the code of patriarchy", if we can see through it, we can understand that it is a mere myth that international relations is up there in the stratosphere, out of our reach. The diplomats and military policy makers would like us to think that. But it affects our daily lives, it is our natural concern, and it can't be beyond our imagination as women and as feminist antimilitarists!


Workshop documents