Finally, 3 convicted of war crimes in Sierra Leone

Cross-posted at Rosemary's Thoughts.

Source: CNN.

I have been for many years to hear this news, and they still have not convicted Charles Taylor. Does anyone remember how long it took for them convict Milosovic? (I know I spelled it wrong. Please don't write to tell me. lol) That's right. They never did. He died after 4 years-at least- of waiting.

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) -- A U.N.-backed court trying those accused of bearing greatest responsibility for the brutality of Sierra Leone's civil war issued its first verdicts Wednesday, convicting three former leaders of a junta that had terrorized the country during a brief reign.

The court found the three defendants guilty of 11 of 14 charges, including terrorism, using child soldiers, enslavement, rape and murder. [Continue reading.]

The crimes they did NOT convicted of were the crimes against the children. There were no sexually charged crimes that these scums were convicted for committed.

I have mixed feelings about this. I'm very glad these terrorists were convicted. This lets the other people know that when you enslave children and force them to take up arms, you will be found guilty of war crimes. This trial has set that precedent. On the other hand, if you only rape this child, then what? That doesn't matter? That is very disheartening.

Charles Taylor's trial began in the ICC a month ago. I guess we have at least 10 years before we get a verdict out of there. That is, if he lives that long...

Japan war leaders turned spies

This is a very difficult article for me to write. I was not alive, I do not know that much about it; but that is not what makes it difficult. I have avoided history most of life because I could not bear the pain, the suffering, the hatred, the loss, to achieve a victory that was never promised.

I am referring to the Bataan Death March, for one. This is one of the items discovered since the CIA has disclosed that the Japanese have been spying on everyone during the war. I would be surprised if they had not! I just hope they were a lot better at it than they are nowadays.

CNN has written an article titled, "CIA files: Japanese war leaders spied in Cold War." Here is a sample:

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Col. Masanobu Tsuji was a fanatical Japanese militarist and brutal warrior, hunted after World War II for massacres of Chinese civilians and complicity in the Bataan Death March.

And then he became a U.S. spy.

Newly declassified CIA records, released by the U.S. National Archives and examined by The Associated Press, document more fully than ever how Tsuji and other suspected Japanese war criminals were recruited by U.S. intelligence in the early days of the Cold War.

If that link is no longer available, try this one.

Sources: CNN, Baldie: Maj. Richard M. Gordon (USA Ret.)