Let’s imagine, for a moment there was an military state that had sized power after elections that didn’t go their way. This state is powerful, and well funded due to the natural resources of that country.
| So what happened in Turkey now?... Or was it Pakistan?... Central African Republic?... Mauretania?... Did they kick Hugo out in Venezuela?... Has Argentina reverted to its old habits? |
This state was determined to get rid of the politicians who had been legitimately elected. They arrested several of the main leaders on trumped up charges. Several other politicians have to flee the country.
| That's not very specific. El Salvador? Guatamala?... Yeah. I know. I cheated. I read the link at the bottom. It's Algeria. |
Overseas, these leaders worked to attract attention what had happened in their country. These politicians urged the people of their country not to resort to violence in frustration, but to work towards peaceful solution.
| At the same time maintaining an armed wing that did exactly opposite. Algerians seem to take out their "frustrations" by slitting people's throats and sexually enslaving young girls, don't they? A cultural thing? |
But the illegitimate military campaign has support within overseas countries — Billions of dollars will always bend morals. The military regime worked to discredit the politicians — through their intelligence connections, they spread rumours of terrorist links. They also spread these rumours through the internet and faked press releases. When the horrific tragedy of September 11 occurs, the military regime cynically exploits this event, and releases a list of names they say are linked with Al-Qaeda to the US intelligence services. This list inevitably names many of their political opponents. This list is not thoroughly checked, but circulated amongst the intelligence services of Western nations.
| We seldom "thoroughly" check anything like that. We just toss them onto a "suspect" list. When there's a second hit, they go onto an "of interest" list. When there's a third hit, we tend to consider them Bad Guys... |
In one case, the military regime managed to exert enough pressure to have 2 overseas countries convict one of the politicians. These are not real trials, both give only suspended sentences despite the seriousness of the charges.
"Overseas" refers to Europe, where such sentences are common for people who have real blood on their hands. The presumption is that the victims either aren't really dead or weren't really people. As the NZ Herald described this guy last year:The name Ahmed Zaoui is linked to terrorist cells that have carried out bombings, beheadings and throat slitting from Algeria to France.
The name crops up in connection with Osama bin Laden's suspected Southeast Asian army, and a book published this year links the name indirectly to suspects in the assassination of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud.
Ahmed Zaoui's terror activities appear to have begun in the bloody and brutal Algerian civil war, which began in the early 1990s and has claimed 100,000 lives.
The militant Muslim is listed in various internet articles as one of the leaders of the shadowy Armed Islamic Group (GIA), although a BBC report said he had denied being part of this organisation. Other than that, I'm sure he's a nice fellow, but those are serious charges — charges that have to be investigated, and charges which, if true, would mitigate against allowing him to walk the streets of Wellington and risk his plotting and planning similar actions against New Zealanders. |
The trials are widely criticized both in the media, and by other judicial bodies. This politician, although a passionate advocate for peace, is now on the run, with an unenviable record, courtesy of the vindictive military regime.
The 1995 issue of the Executive Intelligence Review said the trademark terror signatures of the [GIA] organisation were throat-slitting and beheading. Mass attacks were usually carried out by bombing.
It listed Abou Houdhaifa Ahmed Essaoui as a leader, and said his alias was Ahmed Zaoui.
He went into exile after an Algerian court condemned him to death for supplying weapons from Europe to guerrillas in Algeria. |
If this man arrived in your country, what action would you want your country to take?
| I'd want them to lock him up and throw away the key until he proved it was all just a misunderstanding, that it was somebody else with a similar name who was responsible for the throat slittings and beheadings. I wouldn't invite him to dinner, I wouldn't stage massed marches in his support... |
Would you be happy just to pass him on? Or would you hope that your country has a sufficiently robust system to properly investigate this man’s background, and find the truth? And how would you feel, if even after the truth was found, the government refused to treat this man properly, and kept him locked up. If the government allowed the lies to win?
| Does that mean the NZ government has come to the conclusion the charges are valid? They're only lies if they're not true, y'know, regardless of what you'd like to think... |
Not everyone who opposes the government is a terrorist. Especially if that government is not democratically elected, and especially not if they refuse to use violence in their campaign.
| People who oppose governments don't have to be terrorists, but they also shouldn't associate with terrorists, organize terrorist groups, or raise funds for terrorists. One can refuse to use violence oneself, but if one dispatches other people to do it, then one's guilty as sin, isn't one? |
see www.freezaoui.org.nz
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