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07-Jun-2005

New Zealand complicit in human rights abuses?

by: Amber Nolan

New Zealand: New Zealand has announced the deployment of around 50 SAS combat troops who will operate in Afghanistan for up to six months. The United States is apparently running a new deadly type of taxi service, after two US C-17 Globemaster military planes were sent to pick up the troops on 2 June 2005, and escort them to Afghanistan.

In a statement made on the 2 June 2005, The NZ Minister of Defence Mark Burton said “The troops will operate with other special forces from countries contributing to coalitions forces in Afghanistan [… and …] provide independent tactical mobility.” Although these statements imply that the troops will be independent from US military control, they will be in the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, headquartered north of Kabul. The apparent possible connection with the US actions in Afghanistan, also raise issues regarding human rights abuses.

According to the NZ Defence Policy Framework announced in June 2000, “New Zealand will not engage in military co-operation or exercises with the armed forces of states which sanction the use of their armed forces to suppress human rights.” http://www.beehive.govt.nz/burton/minister/index.cfm(See this link) This does not appear to be the case, considering the documented humans rights violations the United States have inflicted on the civilians in Afghanistan.

Several examples of these violations are exposed in a Human Rights Watch summary, published on 27 April 2005, in which the group stated: “Nine detainees are now known to have died in US custody in Afghanistan-including four documented cases already determined by Army investigators to be murder or manslaughter.”http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/04/27/usint10545.htm (see this link) New Zealand’s deployment of the troops, which is budgeted at $7,300,000, does not appear to be independent from current US and other co-operations.

If you would like to voice your opinion about this issue, you may contact Helen Clark, New Zealand Prime Minister at pm@ministers.govt.nz

Source: http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/)