The Nation (Pakistan) & Al Jazeera – 2011-05-11 00:22:50
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/International/11-May-2011/Osamas-sons-say–US-violated-intl-law
Osama’s Sons Say US
Violated International Law
Special Correspondent / The Nation
NEW YORK & ISLAMABAD (May 11, 2011) — The adult sons of Osama bin Laden have lashed out at President Obama over their father’s death, accusing the United States of violating legal principles by killing an unarmed man, shooting his family members and disposing of his body in the sea.
The statement, published by The New York Times, said the family was asking why the leader of al Qaeda “was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that truth is revealed to the people of the world.” Citing the trials of Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic, the statement questioned “the propriety of such assassination where not only international law has been blatantly violated,” but the principles of presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial were ignored.
“We maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems,” the statement said, adding that “justice must be seen to be done.”
The statement, prepared at the direction of Omar bin Laden, a son who had publicly denounced his father’s terrorism, was provided to The New York Times by Jean Sasson, an American author who helped the younger Bin Laden write a 2009 memoir, Growing Up bin Laden.
Omar bin Laden, 30, lived with his father in Afghanistan until 1999, when he left with his mother, Najwa bin Laden, who co-wrote the memoir. In the book and other public statements, the younger bin Laden denounced violence of all kinds, a stance he repeated in the sons’ statement to The Times. None of Osama bin Laden’s sons other than Omar was named in the statement, the newspaper said.
“We want to remind the world that Omar bin Laden, the fourth-born son of our father, always disagreed with our father regarding any violence and always sent messages to our father, that he must change his ways and that no civilians should be attacked under any circumstances,” the statement said. “Despite the difficulty of publicly disagreeing with our father, he never hesitated to condemn any violent attacks made by anyone, and expressed sorrow for the victims of any and all attacks.”
Condemning the shooting of one of the Qaeda leader’s wives during the assault on May 2 in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the statement added: “As he condemned our father, we now condemn the president of the United States for ordering the execution of unarmed men and women.”
The sons’ statement called on the government of Pakistan to hand over to family members the three wives and several children of the terrorist now believed to be in Pakistani custody and asked for a United Nations investigation of the circumstances of their father’s death.
Nawaz Calls for US Ties Review
The Nation Monitoring
ISLAMABAD (May 11, 20911) — PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has termed the Abbottabad raid “an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty”‘ and called for reviewing Pak-US relations, a private TV channel reported.
Chairing a party meeting here Tuesday, Nawaz demanded constituting an independent commission, comprising equal number of members both from the government and the opposition, to investigate into the incident.
Nawaz Sharif further said that reputed people from civil society and the judiciary could also be included in the commission.
He said that party meeting would be held again on Wednesday (today) and the party policy would be announced on the Abbottabad incident. PML-N’s senior leader and Punjab Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Opposition Leader in the NA, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khwaja Saad Rafique and other leaders attended the meeting.
Staff reporter in Islamabad adds: The Central Organising Committee of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is likely to demand establishment of a judicial commission to investigate causes of the US forces operation in Abbottabad and fix responsibility on those found guilty of criminal negligence in their duty, party sources said on Tuesday.
The committee met under the chairmanship of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at Punjab House and discussed a number of issues, with a focus on the US Abbottabad operation.
The meeting reviewed the current political scenario of the country, law and order situation, secret operation by US forces and aftermath of bin Laden’s killing, wave of price hike and anti-people policies of the government.
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
I Knew bin Laden
An insight into Osama bin Laden’s life through the eyes of people who knew him and met him
Special Programme / Al Jazeera
“When he looked me in the eyes to answer my questions, he sounded like an old uncle telling a story.”
— John Miller, former ABC News reporter
DOHA (May 10, 2011) — On May 2nd 2011, Barack Obama, the US president, announced that Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, was shot dead in a raid by US special forces on a compound about 60km north of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital.
The death of bin Laden ends a ten-year manhunt for the world’s most wanted man.
Before his death, the last known sighting of bin Laden by anyone other than his very close entourage was in late 2001 — as he prepared to flee his stronghold in Afghanistan. However, in subsequent years he issued several video and audio messages.
How did Bin Laden develop his political agenda? And how did this Saudi-born son of a rich construction magnate – who joined guerrillas in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet Union – emerge to become one of the most feared men in the world?
Ahmad Zaidan, Al Jazeera Arabic‘s Islamabad correspondent, interviews a range of people including Taliban commandos, former Mujahideen leaders, Pakistani officials, and journalists who all relate their memories of and insights into the al-Qaeda leader.
He speaks to people who are able to debunk some of the myths and describe some of the characteristics of the man who was Osama Bin Laden — a man denounced by enemies as a religious fanatic and a terrorist and praised by supporters as a leader fighting Western aggression and subservient Arab regimes.
I knew bin Laden can be seen from Tuesday, May 10, at the following times GMT: Tuesday: 2000; Wednesday: 1200; Thursday: 0100; Friday: 0600.
