Kiev Dr. Olga Bogomolets: We Are Tired To Live With Corruption And Without Truth.

Posted March 28, 2014

by Jerry Alatalo

“The press, important as is its office, is but the servant of human intellect and its ministry is for good or evil, according to the character of those who direct it. The press is a mill that grinds all that is put into its hopper. Fill the hopper with poisoned grain and it will grind it to meal, but there is death in the bread.”

– William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)

On March 5, 2014 an intercepted phone call between European Union high official Catherine Ashton and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet about Ukraine was released to the  public, then quickly went viral on the internet, and has since been listened to by millions of men and women around the world. After more than three weeks no American news organization has investigated and reported on the air to Americans the issues discussed in that phone call.

The ultimate and overwhelmingly newsworthy message of that call was spoken of by Mr. Paet. He conveyed his conversations with the medical staff who were treating sniper victims on February 20, 2014, and in that phone call he referred to Dr. Olga Bogomolets, a physician who was treating Ukrainian protesters who were ruthlessly shot down. Mr. Paet suggested the possibility that snipers were killing both Ukrainian police officers and protesters, and that it may be the case that ousted President Victor Yanukovych was not behind the murders, but that entities of the new coalition may have given “shoot to kill” orders.

Mr. Paet conveyed to the European Union’s Ms. Ashton that the new coalition government was reluctant to investigate the sniper killings, then Ms. Ashton expressed her perception that there had been some signals that an investigation was forthcoming.

What is perplexing is the complete absence of any investigative work by the media news corporations in America, because what has been suggested by Mr. Paet is that what happened was an intentional destabilization of Ukraine’s government and a violent coup d’état. One would think that such a huge story would become investigated to the point where either the violent coup d’état theory was found true or false. This would be the logical action of any news organization with self-proclaimed qualities of journalistic idealism – going after the truth.

Those who have noticed the many hours – virtually wall-to-wall – of on-air reports from CNN in recent weeks on the Malaysian airliner that went missing have to wonder if it was not possible for CNN to squeeze a ten-minute report about the nearly 100 Ukrainian police officers and protesters who were shot dead. And in that 10-minute report CNN or BBC could have talked to Catherine Ashton, Urmas Paet, and Dr. Olga Bogomolets, so that their worldwide viewers would have a fuller understanding of events in Ukraine.

The following video was uploaded on YouTube March 27, 2014 and contains a press event at the “Ukraine Crisis Media Center” – the language in the video is Ukrainian until Dr. Olga Bogomolets responds to questions in English shortly after 39 minutes. Ukrainians will be interested in the entire event, but English-speaking viewers would be advised to begin listening at 39:00.

In Dr. Olga Bogomolets words (some paraphrases):

“On February 20 the first snipers shootings began at 9-10 am, the last person was killed at 4 pm, the most died from 11 am – 1 pm. Wounds were very heavy, so it was very difficult for doctors to save victims. Snipers were shooting directly to the heart, to the neck, to the brain and eyes. (I told the) mass media to talk to people, to explain in Ukraine now, people are dying, not because someone is giving command to shoot, not only because (of) that, but because millions are keeping silent at the same moment.”

“So, I was calling to our politicians of all political parties, news makers, anyone who can give the world the message, that a criminal… absolutely inhuman, criminal situation in the Ukrainian nation is happening in the 21st century. I was also telling everybody that I can prove that snipers were working and killing people because of the shots and the wounds. I didn’t have possibility to see the patients on the other side (police officers), those who were wounded.”

“After the help was done to the Maidan people, policemen asked me to go help the officers and soldiers, so I went there and was also helping them, but I have no information about. So, I had a meeting on that day with dozens of politicians (February 20), dozens of mass media. The message was the same for everybody – that snipers are killing people on Maidan – protesters because I was in the hotel treating them.”

“So, was it a misunderstanding or just trying to make provocation? I don’t know. I just think that we have to look for truth, and we have to ask for independent organization, expert group who’ll check the information and who will give the Ukrainian people the true answer – with no lying.”

“Because we are tired to live with corruption and without truth. So, this was the message.”

At this point Dr. Bogomolets gets asked if she had direct experience to find the bullet wounds of police officer and protester victims were the same.

“Okay, look, I’m not a criminal expert – I’m a doctor – so it wouldn’t be professional for me to give any comments. Because we have criminal experts, you can talk to them and you can get this information.”

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(Dr. Bogomolets / English language begins shortly after 39 minutes)

Urmas Paet At Reykjavik Congress On Human Rights.

Posted March 17, 2014

by Jerry Alatalo

“There is one thing and one thing only, which defies all mutation: that which existed before the world, and will survive the fabric of the world itself – I mean justice.”

– Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

After listening more than once to the now-gone-viral, very disturbing, intercepted phone call between European Union high-ranking politician Catherine Ashton and Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet, people around the world have waited in anticipation for their reactions. In the phone conversation Mr. Paet spoke to Ms. Ashton about the possibility that snipers in Kiev were shooting and killing both civilian protesters and members of the Ukrainian police force – backed by entities of the new coalition government – and not ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.

A scenario where Ms. Ashton and Mr. Paet give a press conference to answer questions about the phone call has yet to manifest. Since the provocative phone call became public on March 5, neither Mr. Paet or Ms. Ashton have had a meeting with reporters to share views with people around the world who have become disturbed because of what was in the call.

It is not known if Catherine Ashton and Urmas Paet have decided to avoid any contact with members of the world’s media, in hopes of downplaying as much as possible the profound implications of over 100 Ukrainians and police officers shot dead by snipers in Kiev. Given the grave nature of statements made by Mr. Paet in the leaked call, in the very near future he and Ms. Ashton will be unable to avoid making public comments to reporters – and detectives and investigators working to find the shooters, if and when the investigation begins.

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Urmas Paet delivered a 15-minute lecture in Reykvajik, Iceland last year at a human rights conference. It is safe to say that the name Urmas Paet has become widely known around the world now, so it was surprising that the following video has been seen only 158 times. For the benefit of people who have an interest in learning more about the man whose name will be in history books because of his phone discussion with Catherine Ashton in 2014, he gives a short lecture on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as it relates to the United Nations’ “Right to Protect” (R2P) doctrine.

Mr. Paet’s emphasis in the talk is about the potential of ICC to effectively deter international crimes such as genocide, wars of aggression, war crimes, and ending international criminals’ ability to commit major crimes with impunity. He points out that recently the UN Security Council (UNSC) held its first-ever debate on the topic of peace and justice with a focus on the ICC. Since that debate the UNSC has referred possible war crime investigations that occurred in Sudan and Libya to the ICC, and Mr. Paet suggests the importance of UNSC follow-up on those cases.

Urmas Paet asks “Can it (ICC deterrence) succeed?”

He notes the first judgment of the ICC in its newest form was against an African warlord who used children for military combat, which sent a powerful message to those who would consider war crimes and crimes against humanity – on the African continent – on every continent.

He notes that the ICC is handling cases involving major crimes alleged against officials in Afghanistan, Georgia, Columbia, Honduras, North Korea, and Nigeria. He suggests that war crimes committed in Syria need to get to the ICC for adjudication. He speaks on the often overlooked, but very harming, issue of sexual violence in wars and during periods of apparent peace in nations. Finally Mr. Paet notes that it is important that “we never lose sight of the fact that victims are real individuals”.

“We are witnessing the development of a new culture in international criminal law”.

Dr. Urmas Paet of Estonia makes a reasonable, sensible argument for expansion of the ICC for finally deterring war crimes and crimes against humanity, removing the last vestiges of committing such major crimes with virtual impunity.

One can only wonder if Estonia’s Urmas Paet has already taken actions to find and arrest those snipers he referred to in his now world-famous phone call – with the prosecutions and convictions taking place in the International Criminal Court.

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(Thank you to Institute for Cultural Democracy at YouTube)