State Department’s ‘Conflict Observatory’ Unit to Document Evidence of Russian War Crimes
Can it start with evidence of war crimes committed by the US?
The U.S. State Department announced the launch of the “Conflict Observatory” program that will document evidence of war crimes committed by Russian troops during the Ukraine War to use in possible future prosecutions.
The intention of the program is to “capture, analyze, and make widely available evidence of Russian-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine,” the statement read. The website will share this “documentation to help refute Russia’s disinformation efforts and shine a light on abuses.”
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“This new Conflict Observatory program is part of a range of U.S. government efforts at both national and international levels designed to ensure future accountability for Russia’s horrific actions,” a statement read.
Wired reported that outside organizations, and international investigators would be able access the program’s database.
Ned Price the State Department spokesperson, told reporters on Tuesday that the program is important because "no country – no matter how large, how potentially powerful, what types of weapons they may have in their arsenal – can escape accountability for the types of atrocities that we have seen Russia’s forces perpetrate against the Ukrainian people."
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of atrocities and said it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes, Reuters reported.
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“However long it takes, those responsible for war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine will be brought to justice. A new, publicly available Conflict Observatory will collect open-source evidence for future prosecutions,” he tweeted later.
The State Department did not immediately respond to an email from The Trends Journal for comment late Tuesday. ConflictObservatory.org resembles a news site. One of the headlines read, “Evidence of Widespread and Systemic Bombardment of Ukrainian Healthcare Facilities.”
Secretary Antony Blinken @SecBlinken
A new Conflict Observatory will capture and shine a light on open-source evidence of Russia-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities being committed in Ukraine. We support a range of initiatives to document crimes and bring perpetrators to justice. https://t.co/PQTtpimKZwThe Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, which is part of the effort, along with Esri, Alcis, and Quiet Professionals LLC, reported that it identified 22 healthcare facilities in Ukraine “that sustained damage from apparent Russia-aligned bombardment between 24 February and 29 March 2022.”
“The HRL verified damage through cross-corroboration of very high resolution satellite imagery and open source information. Based on a review of nearly 300 facilities across five cities and regions, the HRL has concluded that Russia-aligned forces have engaged in widespread and systematic bombardment of Ukrainian healthcare facilities.”
In April, Russian troops were accused of carrying out a massacre in Bucha that Western countries considered a game-changing incident. Moscow denied the allegations.
Residents in the city told Reuters that hundreds were killed by fleeing Russian troops. Reuters described the scene: “Bucha's still-unburied dead wore no uniforms. They were civilians with bikes, their stiff hands still gripping bags of shopping. Some had clearly been dead for many days, if not weeks.”
Russia called for a special hearing at the U.N. to “bring to light the presumptuous Ukrainian provocateurs and their Western patrons.”
TRENDPOST: The website makes grand claims for itself and says its mission “encompasses the documentation, verification, and dissemination of open-source evidence regarding the actions of Russia’s forces during President Putin’s brutal war of choice.”
NBC News published a report in April that challenged Washington's claim that Russia was planning a chemical attack against Ukrainian forces, with one unnamed official going as far as to say that the claim was an effort by the U.S. to get into Russian President Vladimir Putin's head.
The report cited three U.S. officials who said there is no evidence that Russia is planning a chemical attack against Ukraine.
While the mainstream media has generally ignored the latest D.C. lies, Antiwar.org was the first to point out the contradiction in the NBC News report that included a U.S. official who said the intelligence tied to chemical weapons was not "rock solid."
So the State Department wants to create a website built on evidence that is not rock solid? Wouldn’t it be worthwhile for the department to set up another website devoted to allegations of war crimes committed under the Obama, Clinton, Bush, and Biden administrations in Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, and Syria? Don’t hold your breath.
The State Department, in its statement, said the program is “a further demonstration of the United States’ steadfast support for the people of Ukraine as they valiantly defend their country and their freedom in response to President Putin’s premeditated, unjustified, and unprovoked war.”
Unprovoked? U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused to acknowledge Russia legitimate security concerns about NATO’s reach in Russia’s backyard. This seems like the State Department wants to avoid having to go through the presstitutes in the media to make their case against Russia.
Note to Readers: The Trends Journal is completely opposed to the Russian invasion but believes that the best option is for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a peace deal and stop listening to President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who are fighting a proxy war to weaken Russia.
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