Dr Kamal Wickremasinghe

A close look at the barrage of Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the International Crisis Group (ICG) produced anti-Sri Lanka propaganda aimed at reinforcing the message of the British Channel 4 video falsehoods at the 22nd session of the UNHRC reveals much about the people and the techniques used in the global administration of the neocon generated ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”pretendƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ human rights regime.

The HRW provided bogus information-based reports histrionically titled ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Human Rights Failings DetailedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Rape of Tamil DetaineesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, and wrote letters to UNHRC member countries demanding an inquiry. They also wrote to the Commonwealth heads of governments demanding that the November 2013 CHOGM Meeting be moved from Sri Lanka.

Such coordinated moves are built on the same principles their multi-national corporations employ to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”alter perceptionƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ on consumer products that are proven to be harmful to human health as ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”coolƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ life style choices.

In this particular case, de-contextualised and distorted pictorial images of war and stories of abuse are presented in an arrogant, conspiratorial tone to psychologically influence the UNHRC member countries. The underlying objective is to keep Sri Lanka on the UNHRC agenda as a counterweight against the imminent Palestinian war crimes charges against Israel.

The extremely close tribal connections emanating from the common, let us say Phoenician, background of the people involved in the HRW fraud, with a sprinkling of other naive and cynically dollar seeking people, help read and understand their behaviour and activities.

The career history of almost every member of the HRW cabal shows a degree from a university such as Harvard, Georgetown or Johns Hopkins, previous UN involvement commonly in post – Pol Pot Cambodia and other countries of interest to them such as Indonesia, and remarkably long term occupancy of positions, often exceeding a decade, by those who hold management positions.

The members of the cabal keep on drifting between the US bureaucracy, UN agencies and the INGO circuit, donning human rights cloaks over their blood-stained suits.

The purpose here is to highlight the corrupt founding of the HRW and the tribal and incestuous relationships among the pompous and arrogant cabal that go on preaching to the world. Such information helps gain an understanding of the sinister coalescence between the neocon generated US foreign policy and the UNHRC operations following its recasting in 2006 to better suit the US agenda.

HRW is birth marked ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”fraudƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢

HRW was founded in New York as Helsinki Watch in 1978 by Robert Bernstein, the owner of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Random HouseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ publishers, as a Cold War instrument against the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc countries of Eastern Europe. From the very beginning, the charter of HRW has been to undermine nations by providing a web of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-supportƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ for pro-capitalist forces and political dissidents globally.

Billionaire George Soros soon took over HRW and linked it with his own personal subversive NGO, Open Society Institute(OSI) by appointing Helsinki Watch head Aryeh Neier, to head the OSI – From 1979, Soros distributed $3m annually to dissidents in the Soviet bloc countries including Poland’s Solidarity movement, Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia and Andrei Sakharov in Russia. In 1984, he founded his first OSI branch in Hungary and pumped millions of dollars into opposition movements and media.

Ostensibly aimed at building up a “civil society”, these initiatives were designed to weaken the existing political structures and pave the way for Eastern Europe’s eventual colonisation by the neocon owned global capital. Soros now openly claims that he was responsible for the “Americanisation” of Eastern Europe.

Today, HRW has an annual budget of around $50 million and employs almost 300 operatives in 90 countries. They claim to publish around 100 reports and several hundred news releases each year.

In September 2010 HRW received a further 10-year, $100 million capital injection from Soros, with orders to increase its global presence by opening up advocacy offices in key regional capitals around the world with a view ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-to shape the foreign policies of the emerging powersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. The structure they are going to adopt is the Transparency InternationalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s business model of employing more ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-researchers and advocatesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, to engage with government officials, journalists, and civil society – a model that defines ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-conspiracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ in the modern context.

HRW is a key instrument in implementing neocon global agenda

Hiding behind a facade of monitoring human rights ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-abusesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ worldwide HRW works to reinforce the neocon global agenda and to justify US ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-humanitarian interventionsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ through pre-invasion propaganda aimed at demonising the respective national leaders and their administrations. Most recently they did this in Libya, and is currently at work against Syria.

The HRW board currently includes Morton Abramowitz, a founder neocon and Assistant Secretary of State for intelligence and research in the Ronald Reagan era, and a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations – Warren Zimmerman, US ambassador in Yugoslavia during the break-up, and Paul Goble, director of communications at the CIA-created, Soros-funded Radio Free Europe.

Other “independent” luminaries include warmongers like Zbigniew Brzezinski, Richard Allen, General Wesley Clark, and former congressman Stephen Solarz, described as “the Israel lobby’s chief legislative tactician on Capitol Hill”.

HRW carries out the functions of informational and propagandist support for USA and NATO projects to interfere in the internal affairs of foreign countries.

A book titled Human Rights Watch in Service to the War Party, (Edward S. Herman, David Peterson and George Szamuely, 2007), after examining HRW’s role in supporting the breakup of Yugoslavia, concludes that – “HRW has… been an important contributor to human rights violations in the former Yugoslavia. HRW helped stir up passions in the demonization process from 1992 onward and actively and proudly contributed to preparing the ground for NATO’s ‘supreme international crime’ in March 1999.”

The Yugoslav peopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s stubborn resistance to US meddling expressed through their repeated election of Slobodan Milosevic’s Socialist Party to government was broken through SorosƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ Open Society Institute funding, more than $100m between 1991-1999, to the coffers of the anti-Milosevic opposition, political parties, printing presses and “independent” media such as Radio B92.

Milosevic was finally toppled in 2000 in a coup d’etat financed and planned in Washington. He was carted before the Hague tribunal to face charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, based on the largely uncorroborated anecdotal evidence of HRW. He was poisoned in jail before the case came to an end.

Soros claims that his financing of dissent in poorer countries is purely altruistic – asked about the havoc his currency speculation caused to Asian economies in the crash of 1997, Soros replied – “As a market participant, I don’t need to be concerned with the consequences of my actions. It was only the courageous actions of leaders like Dr Mahathir Mohamed of Malaysia who blocked Soros ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”pulling outƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ his speculative capital averted the crisis in some countries.

The fraudulent partisan behaviour of HRW becomes obvious through their silence on issues like the findings of the report, just a month ago, on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that it is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-alarmed at reports of the death of hundreds of children as a result of attacks and air strikes by the US military forces in Afghanistan.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

HRWƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s clear agenda of sanitising Israeli war crimes like the 2002 Jenin refugee camp massacre in the West Bank came to light with its attempt to tell the world that “no massacre had taken place in Jenin”. The HRW was alone, and was against a mountain of evidence that suggested otherwise. Based on the HRW revision, the Bush administration demanded that the Palestinians condemned violence while calling Ariel Sharon ‘a man of peace’ and expressing sympathy for Israeli ‘self-defense’ measures.

In January this year, HRW sacked from its board the only honourable and genuine human rights campaigner they ever had, Richard Falk – he was told that his work with the UN on behalf of the Palestinians was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-contrary to HRW policyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. He was often critical of Israel.

The letter on Sri Lanka proves the links

The HRW letter to UNHRC council members demanded that they authorise an independent, international investigation into ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”war crimesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ committed during the final months of Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s armed conflict.

The letter is another demonstration of the naked attempts to impose their own Phoenician cultural values and neocon economic model as the only path to human freedom and rights universally.

It is ironic that despite ample evidence pointing to the barbaric nature of their militaristic culture, they try to assume moral authority and credibility over the countries they target.

The letter was signed by Brad Adams, Asia Director of HRW and a woman named Julie de Rivero who holds the fancy designation, Geneva Advocacy Director. The careers and backgrounds of Brad Adams, who has occupied the position of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Asia DirectorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ since 2002, and Julie de Rivero of this shadowy cabal portrays the seamless manner in which the conspiracies between UN agencies and INGOs such as HRW merge.

Prior to joining the HRW in 2002, Adams, obviously an American of Phoenician extraction has worked for five years in Cambodia as a lawyer attached to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR), conducting human rights investigations, and drafting and revising legislation for judicial ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”reformƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of that country.

De Rivero, a dual Peruvian and British national, has ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”coincidentallyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ worked with the OHCHR, also in Cambodia as the head of its ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”protection teamƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Prior to that, since 1996, she has worked at numerous UN positions including as an assistant to the UN special rapporteurs on the human rights of migrants, and on freedom of expression. She has then joined the NGO International Service for Human Rights to campaign for the creation of a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”protection mechanismƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for human rights defenders. Now De Rivero works exclusively, based in Geneva, on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”advocacyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ with the OHCHR on the work of the UNHRC. What this advocacy work means in Western jargon is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”having a chat over a LatteƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at a trendy coffee shop with the career minded human rights worker currently handling the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”caseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ at the OHCHR, having an eye on the HRW or another such INGO as a possible employer at the end of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”herƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢(usually) UN contract.

A national government or their Geneva representation has not got the chance of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”a snowball in hellƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in countering such ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”advocacyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

Charu Lata wants to teach us a lesson too

What is often not highlighted is that the arrogantly named HRW report “We Will Teach You A Lesson”, though released under the HRW banner, has been the work, under contract, of an Indian and British dual national Charu Lata Hogg.

Charu currently works as an Associate Fellow, Asia Programme at Chatham House, the counterpart of the neocon cabal Council on Foreign Affairs in Britain. The report has been ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”editedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by Phelim Kine, Deputy Asia Director at HRW. Phelim Kine is a Canadian, a China researcher in HRWƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Asia Division. A former news wire bureau chief in Jakarta, he has worked as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”journalistƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for more than a decade in China, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Taiwan prior to joining HRW in 2007.

Charu Lata Hogg is in fact a former staffer, a South Asia Researcher, of HRW (2007 ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” 2009) who holds an MSc from the London School of Economics. Between 1990 and 2002 she has worked as a journalist in India and Sri Lanka for a number of media organisations including the BBC. She also works as a South Asia Analyst for a number of businesses including Janes Defence, and is a consultant to International Alert.

Hogg has left HRW to become Asia Manager of another NGO, Child Soldiers International, (CSI) in London, a registered charity with an annual income of over ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚£ 825,000! CSI serves as an ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”information resource centreƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for related NGOs, child advocacy organisations, and international legislative bodies – it is up the NGO food chain.

They claim to contribute research reports to the United Nations Security Council, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and to the European Union. The CSI is a reincarnation of another NGO founded jointly in 1998 by Amnesty International, HRW, International Save the Children Alliance, World Vision International and other regional non-governmental organisations from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The CSI Board of Trustees of six independent experts is Chaired by Demelza Hauser, former Programme Director (1993-2002), Asia and Pacific Region, Amnesty International. Hauser is also a Cambodia ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”specialistƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ with stints in East Timor, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

It is very likely that Charu Lata Hogg was hired for this task due to the difficulty the HRW would have in gaining access to people in Jaffna. Charu Lata is familiar with Sri Lanka, having been based there for her ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”journalisticƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ work, and she probably came in as a tourist and operated ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”under coverƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the North and the East to compile her methodologically extremely poor report. Attempts to find out her fee were unsuccessful.

Other examples of cross breeding between HRW, INGOs, US government and the UN

The pattern that emerges is that almost without exception, these INGO frauds recruit well trained operatives who have previously lived and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”workedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in the developing world under NGO, UN or journalist cover – those who are effective are employed for decades to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”heavyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the world in to submission.

James Ross, Legal and Policy Director at HRW, where he has worked since 2001, previously worked for MƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©decins sans FrontiƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¨res in the Netherlands, in Bosnia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and in Cambodia for the NGO International Human Rights Law Group. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Joseph Saunders, Deputy Programme Director at HRW for the past 14 years was a corporate lawyer at Cleary, Gottlieb, Stein and Hamilton in New York. He has worked on Indonesia for more than 25 years.

Carroll Bogert, Deputy Executive Director for External Relations since 1998 spent more than a decade in international news reporting for Newsweek Magazine, in China, as bureau chief in Moscow.

Jan Egeland, Deputy Executive Director and the Director of its European Operations was the Executive Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from 2003 to 2006.

Chuck Lustig, Deputy Executive Director of Operations previously worked at ABC News, ultimately serving as director of foreign news. He negotiated with the North Korean government to allow ABC reporters access to the country.

Michele Alexander, Deputy Executive Director for Development and Global Initiatives was previously vice president for corporate support of CARE. While at CARE, she also worked on contract for USAID in Pakistan.

Iain Levine, programme director has field experience with NGOs including more than 10 years in Sudan and Mozambique and as Amnesty International’s representative at the UN, and as UNICEF’s chief of humanitarian policy and advocacy.

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director since 2004, was previously the South Asia correspondent for Time Magazine.

Tom Malinowski, Washington Director claims to be an expert in United States foreign policy, was previously special assistant to President Bill Clinton and senior director for foreign policy speech writing at the National Security Council. He was also a speech writer for Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madelene Albright.

Heather Barr the Afghanistan researcher in the Asia division managed the Afghanistan anti-corruption and criminal justice programmes of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the justice and human rights portfolio of the Afghanistan office of the UN Development Programme before joining HRW.

And they expect us to believe that there is no conspiracy!