Arming Terrorists: A High Crime Against Humanity

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) defines crimes against humanity as "acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack (including):

(a) Murder;

(b) Extermination;

(c) Enslavement;

(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of population;

(e) Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;

(f) Torture;

(g) Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;

(h) Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;

(i) Enforced disappearance of persons;

(j) The crime of apartheid;

(k) Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

Washington created and supports ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups, used as imperial proxies where deployed - a diabolical scheme to advance its goal of unchallenged global dominance no matter the human cost.

So-called "moderate rebels" in Syria are cutthroat killer death squads, largely imported from scores of countries, responsible for committing high crimes of war and against humanity (as defined above), serving their imperial master, headquartered in Washington.

The US, NATO, Israel, the Saudis, Qataris, Turkey, and other rogue states actively arm these elements, as well as ISIS, al-Qaeda, and its Syrian al-Nusra offshoot, with heavy and light weapons, covertly and overtly.

Weapons and munitions supplied terrorists are trucked in cross-border, airdropped, and provided by other means.

What Obama's regime began in Syria, Trump escalated. House and Senate legislation introduced early last year to stop arming terrorists went nowhere.

Supporting this scourge is a Nuremberg-level high crime, Washington the lead offender, accountability a nonstarter - the world community doing nothing to challenge its ruthless agenda.

Things fester and worsen. Another global war remains an ominous possibility. If waged with nuclear weapons, we're all doomed.

Humans one day may be the only species ever to destroy itself, and everything else with it, if things go this far.

Addressing the 3rd UN Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, Syrian UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari called illicit trade in weapons to terrorist groups a hugely dangerous phenomenon, a high crime.

The US, Britain, France, other Western states, Israel, the Saudis, and other regional countries are spending billions of dollars to buy and transport weapons and munitions to elements used as imperial death squads, Jaafari explained.

They're funding, financing and training them, using them as a proxy army, supplying them with chemical and other banned weapons, so-called White Helmets complicit in their high crimes.

Washington and Russia are worlds apart on Syria. On June 8, US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joseph Dunford met with his Russian counterpart General Valery Gerasimov in Helsinki, Finland.

Discussion focused on Syria, actions in deescalation zones, and along border areas with Israel and Jordan. No agreement was reached.

Objectives of both countries remain far apart on Syria and most other issues. Russia is committed to achieving world peace and stability. Washington wages endless wars of aggression.

Its regimes under Republicans and undemocratic Dems consider peace an anathema notion, Syria one of many battlegrounds, more virtually sure to come.

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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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