Text 19917, 56 rader
Skriven 2011-06-13 17:16:06 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
     Kommentar till en text av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Mladic
==============
Hello Robert,

On Sunday June 05 2011 09:13, you wrote to me:

 MV>> I know. You prefer that the hassle of a trial is dispensed with.
 MV>> Just execute them and use the bodies to feed the sharks.

 RB> If they're caught in the act, why not?

For one: because things are not always what they seem. Last week a 96 year old
Dutch women confessed to have killed an alleged collaborator one year after
WWII. Later it turned out that the man was actually giving shelter to jews and
only pretended to be a collaborator as a cover. His death could easely have
been avoided had he been giving the opportunity to tell his side of the story.

But he was not given the opportunity. Someone - someone like you I am afraid -
was convinced he was guilty and deserved to die. Someone who thought a trial
was not what he deserved.

The astonishing thing is that the women showed no remorse. She told what
happened because she wanted to give clearity to the famliy, but there was no
remorse in her story. When questioned she said that had she known the man was
actually one of the good ones, she would of course not have killed him. But she
did not at the time and that was that. No remorse. I do not think she
understood that she comitted a murder.

She can not be prosecuted for murder. Statue of limitation. The medal she
received as a war hero can not be recalled. The rule have no provisions for
this situation.

 MV>> Not my idea of civilisation...

 RB> I fear your idea of civilization is that one should not defend one's
 RB> self against criminals, but let them continue until someone finally
 RB> has enough and acts. But then, the one who acts is "unjust".

Those are your words, not mine.

 RB> The Germans had a big discussion a few years ago about whether it was
 RB> legitimate that a democracy defends itself, if necessary by force.
 RB> That applied to threats from both within and outside the country. The
 RB> final consensus was that this is legitimate, but the mere fact that
 RB> people thought such a question debateable was frightening to me.

I fully understand it. The Germans have learned their lesson. They have learned
what it means to be in an armed conflict that you yourself have caused. That
shock has been so deep that some may feel that ANYTHING is better than a repeat
of what happened 70 years ago... yes, I understand it and it does not frithten
me at all.

It is the people who have NOT learned from that lesson that frighten me.

Cheers, Michiel

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