UN calls for investigation into Operation Burnham

Written By: - Date published: 1:59 pm, June 9th, 2017 - 23 comments
Categories: afghanistan, Ethics, human rights, war - Tags: , , ,

Well well. What will you do now Bill?

United Nations calls on NZ Government to fully investigate Afghan raid

The United Nations Committee Against Torture is calling on the New Zealand Government to fully investigate the 2010 Afghan raid.
…
The Committee Against Torture has released a list of questions for New Zealand to answer prior to an examination by the committee in Geneva. The date for the examination is likely to be in 2019. The question relating to the Afghan raid allegations says:

“Please indicate what measures the State party has put in place to ensure that all allegations relating to “Operation Burnham,” a raid of two villages in the Baghlan province in Afghanistan by the New Zealand Defence Forces on 22 August 2010, will be fully investigated and addressed.” …

23 comments on “UN calls for investigation into Operation Burnham ”

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  1. adam 1
    9 June 2017 at 2:45 pm

    I wounder how quickly the NZ press will sink this for the national party.

    Can I bet on the time line of when this will exit the news cycle – can we gamble on that now?

    I may be too cynical about the jingoists that dominate the press and the national party in this country, but no doubt they will find someone else to rub out soon…

    Another war, to prop up their armchair fantasies. If politicians want to throw us into wars, they should be geared up, and put in the front lines.

  2. Nick K 2
    9 June 2017 at 2:52 pm

    If Bill was tough, he’d give the UN the middle finger and assert sovereignty.

    He won’t do that, but he should.

  3. Nick K 3
    9 June 2017 at 3:04 pm

    Oh, I’ve just re-read the UN piece. They’ve got until 2019, by which time this will just be very dim noise. He can fob it off until close to then. Storm, meet teacup.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.1
      9 June 2017 at 3:27 pm

      Man, you must really be panicking about this. Why is that?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 3.1.1
        10 June 2017 at 5:53 am

        Interesting isn’t it: they really really don’t want to know. It’s always nice to think that if the National Party set up a concentration camp down the road, people would be up in arms about it. In reality, Nick K says “lalalalala I can’t hear you!”

    • Robert Guyton 3.2
      9 June 2017 at 3:43 pm

      “He can fob it off until close to then”
      Admirable.

    • Johan 3.3
      10 June 2017 at 11:12 am

      Obviously, you know very little of events/outcome of Bosnian-Serbian atrocities and those serving time behind bars in Scheveningen

  4. ianmac 4
    9 June 2017 at 3:14 pm

    Bill English being the Artful Dodger will do nothing at all this year and say, “We are taking the issue very seriously and sometime in 2018 we will address the concerns of the UN. However we are quite sure that there is nothing to undermine the credibility of this Government or that of the NZ Defence Force. To turn to more important issues how many have tried my spaghetti pizza?”

  5. Draco T Bastard 5
    9 June 2017 at 3:30 pm

    I’d like to point out that the UN isn’t calling for an investigation at all.

    They’ve said that they’re going to investigate.

    And they’re asking the government a few pointed questions to start with.

    • Nick K 5.1
      9 June 2017 at 3:37 pm

      And they’re asking the government a few pointed questions to start with.

      Yes, for which the answers are due in two years.

  6. Robert Guyton 6
    9 June 2017 at 3:34 pm

    But Bill’s said we’re in the clear, nothing to see here, return to your supine positions and open your little beaks for pap.

  7. the pigman 7
    9 June 2017 at 6:24 pm

    While dismissing the investigation as “routine”, Gerry Brownlee has already said they won’t respond until 2019, the latest point at which they’re obliged to do so.

    • In Vino 7.1
      9 June 2017 at 9:53 pm

      ‘Accountability’, ‘Transparency’… Weren’t these key words used by the lovers of reform and change (for the worse) back in the 1980s?
      Well. I don’t see much accountability and transparency in this particularly nasty affair.
      Innocent people were killed. But let’s not answer for 2 years.
      Why the delay, Gerry?

  8. mauī 8
    9 June 2017 at 10:51 pm

    The old Friday dump of bad news. Gerry is going to take on the UN, then Amnesty International, then Judy Bailey and finally Ed Hillary.

    • timeforacupoftea 8.1
      10 June 2017 at 6:56 pm

      Ed Hillary and Judy Bailey would have 100% more clout than the UN or Amnesty which are useless ineffective chicken littles though !

  9. Ric 9
    10 June 2017 at 5:59 pm

    There is a meeting with Jon Stephenson on
    Saturday, 17 June at 3pm
    Grey Lynn Library Hall
    474 Great North Road, Auckland
    https://aucklandpeaceaction.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/hit-and-run-public-meeting-with-jon-stephenson/

    There is a list of issues the UN wants NZ to address a bit further down the page at
    http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/united-nations-asks-nz-government-to-fully-investigate-afghan-raid.html
    (see no27)

    Does anyone know if the lawyers representing the Afghan villagers are pursuing any legal options?

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