Hostage Rescuer Disguised as Red Cross
So we heard about disguised government agents who tricked FARC into releasing 15 hostages. It was a hell of an operation. No loss of life, all hostages recovered safely.
The only thing is, it now looks like one or more of the agents was disguised as a member of the International Red Cross.
Video games and first aid kits have taught us that a red cross is the universal symbol for health but that's not entirely so. The Red Cross receives special protections under the Geneva Convention; since they take no sides and treat all injured in a conflict, it's a war crime to go around killing them.
Thing is, it's also a war crime to impersonate them. Not because they don't want to be publicly tied to any side or cause over another (though I'm sure that's part of it) but because it's the universal faith in their neutrality that keeps them relatively safe. Basically, if FARC believes a member of the Red Cross screwed them over, they're going to shoot the next one that comes by.
It's easy to say that the Red Cross is a noble but unrealistic idea, like the UN and the Geneva Convention itself. It's easy to say that you can't trust rebels, insurgents and terrorists to respect the Geneva Convention. And as I said, this was an amazingly successful operation.
Is that justification? What if this DOES cause FARC to open fire on the next group of Red Cross it comes upon? These are people who are so dedicated to helping the wounded they will go into a war zone and treat ANYONE. They believe in life above any ideology. They're frikkin saints. So, was this hostage rescue a bloodless operation after all?
NOTE: This is not a doodle bug.
No, definatly not. This is setting a dangerous precident and putting alot of people at risk. Ill have to go with the means do not justify the ends in this case.
Wasn't there a group of gun runners or drug lords that were disguised as red cross a few years back? This is a pretty serious crime imo.
If true, this is pretty disturbing. It's effectively poisoning the stream for the sake of a few fish.
On a related note, I remember when Colin Powell "invited" international relief agencies into the chaos that followed the Iraq invasion with the statement that they would make excellent "force multipliers" to American efforts. Needless to say, this didn't go over very well, especially considering they were putting their lives on the line for what was, in essence, an illegal and aggressive act. It was no surprise that many of them simply opted out in disgust.
There is only an up or down--up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order--or down to the ant heap totalitarianism,... those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.
Ohh come on the Che shirt was the best! Didn't hear about the red cross worker disguise.
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Oh! That is not good.
He won't be punished? For a war crime?
It's sad how we'll piss on just about anything these days for a marginal immediate gain.
Grenn wrote:
I'm just wondering how significant the military and political response would be if Hezbollah had screwed Israel with a similar prisoner exchange utilizing bogus Red Cross workers.
There is only an up or down--up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order--or down to the ant heap totalitarianism,... those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.
Wow. Just wow. Hanta pretty much said my thoughts already. This is horrible.
Aside note here, I'm not a huge fan of the Red Cross leadership, like the volunteers, but the executives aren't the kindest folk. Their handling of 9/11 funds was piss poor and wasteful. The worst thing they ever did was handling the AIDS virus in their blood stockpiles. What they did was f*cking horrific and has killed so many people, but that doesn't get mentioned.
Back on topic. If the Red Cross wants to pull out of Colombia, they should, at least temporarily, their definitely could be blowback. What they guy did won't ever be "tried" as a war crime. This rescue could be considered an internal police action,which doesn't fall under the Geneva or Hague, it won't advance at all under the Hague. Internationally this won't be a giant deal. Africa won't be affected because most of the time the Red Cross is still a target.
I thought I had read an article stating that it was also a common practice for FARC to use the Red Cross symbol, filling ambulances with their fighters for transport or ambush.
I'm not saying its right at all, but within the context of this warzone, it doesnt sound like either side is overly concerned with honoring the Red Cross symbol, and that the precedent of abusing the symbol of humanitarian efforts has already been well set.
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Additionally, do the Geneva Conventions really apply to this situation? FARC are guerrilla rebels who have engaged in terrorist attacks, drug trafficking and all manner of other illegal actions to fund their operation. It's not like this was an action in a war between two sovereign nations.
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baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
I would think that, in principle, they would still have to apply. The reasoning behind it is to ensure the safety of neutral noncombattants. Irrespective of the political status of the FARC, the impact on the safety of neutral noncombattants is significant.
There is only an up or down--up to a man's age-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order--or down to the ant heap totalitarianism,... those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course.
Yeah, that makes sense.
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baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
In principal yes, but its not a Hague issue, its could bring some angry words from the UN and a letter from the Hague, but its not a war crime.