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U.N. human rights chief opposes Iraq hangings
GENEVA — The hangings of two of Saddam Hussein’s aides could damage attempts to bring to justice other people responsible for horrific crimes under his rule, the U.N. human rights chief said Monday.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour expressed regret over the execution of Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam’s half brother and his former intelligence chief, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, chief of Iraq’s Revolutionary Court. She said she was opposed to capital punishment “under all circumstances.”
“In this particular case, not only is the penalty irremediable, it may also make it more difficult to have a complete judicial accounting of other, equally horrendous, crimes committed in Iraq,” she said in a statement.
Ibrahim and al-Bandar were found guilty along with Saddam in the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims after a 1982 assassination attempt on the former leader in the town of Dujail north of Baghdad. Saddam was hanged Dec. 30, before he could stand trial for other human rights violations during his rule, including the gassing of about 5,000 Kurds in the town of Halabja in March 1988.
Arbour expressed concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the trial, adding that the death penalty could only be imposed if trial and appeal procedures meet international standards. Otherwise, the sentence “amounts to a violation of the right to life,” she said.
Before their executions, Arbour and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Iraq to refrain from hanging them.
On Monday, Arbour said bringing to justice those responsible for serious human rights violations was “crucial for effective national reconciliation” in a country plagued by sectarian violence.
Coleman: University of Michigan will continue to promote diversity
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman reiterated the university’s commitment to diversity, just days after saying it would comply with Proposal 2 and not use race and gender in admissions.
“As someone who stood on the steps of the Supreme Court and celebrated a ruling in favor of affirmative action in our admissions policies ... it is a step we take with regret and caution,” Coleman said during a Jan. 12 symposium in Ann Arbor. In June 2003, the High Court upheld a general affirmative action policy at Michigan’s law school but struck down the university’s undergraduate formula, which awarded admission points based on race.
Although Proposal 2 limits Michigan in some ways, Coleman told the Detroit Free Press that the university would “honor all of our existing financial aid commitments to all students.”
University spokeswoman Julie Peterson has said the school does not plan to initiate any additional challenges to Proposal 2 but will defend itself in any lawsuits brought against it.
The Ann Arbor school, along with Wayne State University and Michigan State University, had sought more time to make the switch to admissions or financial aid systems that do not grant preferential treatment based on race or sex.
Coleman pointed out some things that are allowable that will continue to promote diversity. They include the use of more than 50 criteria when reviewing applications, and outreach programs, such as a federally funded initiative to increase the number of minority graduates in science, technology, math and engineering.
Wayne State will hold a public forum today in Detroit on the impact of Proposal 2 and the state of civil rights in Michigan.
Long Island man creates his own monument to black veterans
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — A former soldier noticed what he saw as an oversight among the various memorials at a local park: There were none dedicated to blacks who had fought.
So William Thomas decided to create one, commissioning a granite slab and paying the $2,500 cost himself. It was installed last week.
“There were monuments in the park for Catholics and to Jewish war vets, but nothing honoring black veterans,” said Thomas, 70, a Korean War veteran from Uniondale, N.Y. “I want to let people know, hey, our guys were there, too.”
The engraved black stone marks the accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 761st Tank Battalion and the Buffalo Soldiers — distinguished all-black units in the United States’ once-segregated military.
“It makes me happy to go there and see that stone and recognize what it stands for, what we have done for our country,” said Thomas, who retired as a New York City housing police captain in 1985.
To William McBurney, a surviving member of the 761st Tank Battalion, the monument is a moving and welcome tribute.
“I was overwhelmed,” said McBurney, 82, of Queens, N.Y. “I think it is marvelous, what he did.”
In planning the monument, Thomas got advice and encouragement from Angelo Ciotta, a World War II veteran who helps maintain the memorials in East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park.
Ciotta said he was happy to help.
“We all served and gave part of our lives to our country,” said Ciotta, 82, of East Meadow.
(Associated Press)
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