U.S. Secretary of State Clinton condemns rape as 'tools of war' in Libya, other countries

[News_Editor]

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton condemns rape as 'tools of war' in Libya, other countries

2011-06-17 17:11:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday condemned reports that rape and other forms of sexual abuse are being used as 'tools of war' in Libya and other countries where anti-government protests are taking place.

Clinton said the United States is concerned about reports of 'wide-scale' rape in Libya and other countries, although U.S. military and intelligence officials previously told NBC News that there is no evidence to support the claims. Some have rejected the rape allegations as propaganda, although there have been at least some reports of sexual violence.

"Since Eman al Obeidi bravely burst into a hotel in Tripoli on March 26 to reveal that Gaddafi's security forces raped her, other brave women have come forward to tell of the horrible brutality they have experienced," Clinton said, referring to a woman who claimed she had been raped by Gaddafi security forces. "A thorough investigation of this matter is needed to bring perpetrators to justice."

Earlier this month, Time Magazine told the story of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-raped by soldiers loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who forced the girl's father to watch. "She kept screaming. Just screaming and screaming, 'Daddy, don't look!'," Time Magazine cited a doctor as saying.

Clinton accused Gaddafi's security forces and other groups in the region of trying to divide the people by using violence against women and rape as tools of war. "The United States condemns this in the strongest possible terms," she said. "It is an affront to all people who are yearning to live in a society free from violence with respect for basic human rights."

Clinton also noted reports about sexual violence used by governments to intimidate and punish protesters in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa, without specifically naming countries except Libya. "Rape, physical intimidation, sexual harassment, and even so-called 'virginity tests' have taken place in countries throughout the region," the U.S. Secretary of State said. "These egregious acts are violations of basic human dignity and run contrary to the democratic aspirations so courageously expressed throughout the region."

The senior U.S. official called on all governments to conduct immediate, transparent investigations into the allegations, and to hold accountable those found responsible.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-17

[Steely Dan]

Disgusting behavior of course, regrettably all too frequently indulged in by some armies. There is an even more sickening aspect to this here as many of the victims commit suicide or are even killed by their own families due to their 'honour' being lost.

I can't even imagine what barrel scrapings would contemplate such actions, but perhaps Gaddafi is giving us an insight into the non-secular mentality which might replace his own admittedly odious regime.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13760895

Libyan women and girls who become pregnant through rape risk being murdered by their own families in so-called "honour killings", according to Libyan aid workers.

[Derifo]

Disgusting behavior of course, regrettably all too frequently indulged in by some armies. There is an even more sickening aspect to this here as many of the victims commit suicide or are even killed by their own families due to their 'honour' being lost.

I can't even imagine what barrel scrapings would contemplate such actions, but perhaps Gaddafi is giving us an insight into the non-secular mentality which might replace his own admittedly odious regime.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...africa-13760895

Libyan women and girls who become pregnant through rape risk being murdered by their own families in so-called "honour killings", according to Libyan aid workers.

The BBC is very good at running propaganda against any government that the UK government is against or at war with.

In another ten years, Libyans will definitely regret allowing the UK and its allies to meddle in its affairs. Destroying another country, killing innocent civilians and claiming it's legitimate is also very wrong and barbaric.

[johna]

Gaddafi is in good company,

Elliot Spitzer,

forced to resign over prostitution scandal after saying he would bring criminal charges against Banks

for their part in the 2008 financial crisis.

Scott Ritter,

UN weapons inspector charged with sex crimes after saying there were no WMD in Iraq in 2003.

Julian Assanga,

charged with sex crimes after releasing embarrassing State Department memos on WikiLeaks

[chuckd]

Gaddafi is in good company,

Elliot Spitzer,

forced to resign over prostitution scandal after saying he would bring criminal charges against Banks

for their part in the 2008 financial crisis.

Scott Ritter,

UN weapons inspector charged with sex crimes after saying there were no WMD in Iraq in 2003.

Julian Assanga,

charged with sex crimes after releasing embarrassing State Department memos on WikiLeaks

Three not very good examples of innocents being railroaded.

1. Former governor Eliot Spitzer will not face criminal charges relating to prostitution scandal

BY THOMAS ZAMBITO AND LARRY MCSHANE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Disgraced "Love Gov" Eliot Spitzer dodged federal charges Thursday in the prostitution scandal that destroyed his career.

After avoiding indictment and further humiliation, the one-time pit bull prosecutor publicly acknowledged his interstate trysts with high-end hookers for the first time since the scandal broke in March.

"I acknowledge and accept responsibility for the conduct [the investigation] disclosed," Spitzer said in a statement, again apologizing for his sexual shenanigans.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2008-11-06/news/17910114_1_prostitution-scandal-emperors-club-vip-eliot-spitzer

2. Weapons inspector Scott Ritter convicted over online sex chat with underage girl

The former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter has been convicted of unlawful contact with a minor for exchanging explicit messages in an online chat room with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl.

Ritter, 49, exchanged messages with a detective posing as an underage girl and masturbated, even after the undercover officer stressed during the chat that he was a minor, Pennsylvania prosecutors said.

A jury found Ritter guilty of a total of six counts including indecent exposure and criminal attempt to corrupt a minor.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8452948/Weapons-inspector-Scott-Ritter-convicted-over-online-sex-chat-with-underage-girl.html

3. All Julian Assange has to do is stop fighting extradition, return to Sweden (NOT the US) and fight any charges that may or may not be filed.

[geriatrickid]

Gaddafi is in good company,

Elliot Spitzer,

forced to resign over prostitution scandal after saying he would bring criminal charges against Banks

for their part in the 2008 financial crisis.

Scott Ritter,

UN weapons inspector charged with sex crimes after saying there were no WMD in Iraq in 2003.

Julian Assanga,

charged with sex crimes after releasing embarrassing State Department memos on WikiLeaks

I happen to like Mr. Spitzer. He's brilliant. He also took responsibility for his actions and has worked hard to rebuild his reputation. He made a personal life mistake. He has paid for it and continues to pay for it.

Julian Assange didn't care about putting people's lives in danger. IMO he's a selfish self centered creep. He has serious personal issues.

Scott Ritter: No opinion, but I never cared for John Ritter and Tex Ritter was before my time.

[Ulysses G.]

Three not very good examples of innocents being railroaded.

They do have one thing in common. They are all guilty!

[Wallaby]

Three not very good examples of innocents being railroaded.

They do have one thing in common. They are all guilty!

What has Assange been found guilty of?

[Scott]

None of the examples given are the head of a nation. To the best of my knowledge, none of them advocate rape as a tool of war.

Let's keep roughly to the topic.

I am curious about how they make the connection between rape as a tool of war and the Gaddafi regime. These may be individual acts by people, not acts directed by the regime or it's commanders.

[SteeleJoe]

Gaddafi is in good company,

Elliot Spitzer,

forced to resign over prostitution scandal after saying he would bring criminal charges against Banks

for their part in the 2008 financial crisis.

Scott Ritter,

UN weapons inspector charged with sex crimes after saying there were no WMD in Iraq in 2003.

Julian Assanga,

charged with sex crimes after releasing embarrassing State Department memos on WikiLeaks

Wow. That post deserves some sort of prize.

Amazing the efforts some people (posters) will go to...

Edited June 18, 2011 by SteeleJoe

[Steely Dan]

None of the examples given are the head of a nation. To the best of my knowledge, none of them advocate rape as a tool of war.

Let's keep roughly to the topic.

I am curious about how they make the connection between rape as a tool of war and the Gaddafi regime. These may be individual acts by people, not acts directed by the regime or it's commanders.

The UK government, like the French are out of their depth without far more U.S help so the BBC are doing their bit to whip up some outrage against Gaddaffi in order to futher the national agenda. Gaddaffi may or may not actively encourage rape as a strategy to intimidate the opposition, but the aspect of victims being murdered by their own families does graphically show what kind of society awaits in a post-Gaddaffi vacuum.

[geriatrickid]

Secretary Clinton's comments came at a critical time for one of the coalition partners as Canada had a vote in Parliament to continue its participation in the mission. One of the justifications given for the continuation was similar to the views expressed by Secretary Clinton. It may come as a surprise to some but approxmately 75% of the air missions flown in support of the no fly zone have been done by non US members of the coalition and those countries are looking at the costs and wondering where they will find the money. At the same time, Secretary Gates's comments in respect to NATO that many nations were not pulling their weight and were going along for the free ride in respect to the full range of NATO missions. (Hello Germany). In respect to the Libyan campaign, Secretary Gates stated that beyond Britain and France, which spearheaded the air strike campaign against the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, only Belgium, Canada, Denmark and Norway as partners were punching above their weight in the Libyan operation, despite "drastic budget concerns". The humanitarian aspect and UN approval of the mission was vital to the authorization of support from the 4 countries mentioned.

I also note that it is reported some of the NATO countires have blown through their inventories of smart bombs. During the debate last week in Canada the following info was released; Canada's CF-18 fighter had flown more than 1,750 hours on more than 360 attack missions, while maritime patrol aircraft had flown more than 530 hours on 65 missions. From another source, it was stated that Canada needed 300 smart bombs just to replenish its Libyan mission inventories. The Canadian budget pegged for the Libyan mission increaed from $26million to $60million. Coming at a time of economic discomfort, Secretary Clinton's comments helped to support the vote in favour of the mission continuing. I would anticipate that as these issues come up for debate in the various legislatures, there will be additional emphasis upon the crimes of the Gaddaffi regime. It will be interesting to watch the debates to come as Canada was the first to have a vote on the extension of its mission. I believe Belgium and Denmark are due for legislative reviews soon.