Kalistan

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Independent Truth Commission releases report
Narrative sandblasts Regular Military for Conduct in Likatonia
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
October 1, 5625


Chairman of the Independent Truth Commission delivers long awaited report

The Chairman of the Independent Truth Commission, Henry Gallegos delivered the final version of the Report of the Independent Truth Commission yesterday in Sulari, where the commission is based.  The report was immediately blasted by several public officials as being biased, revisionist, and downright scandalous, while it found few defenders in the media.  The report itself levelled many serious accusations at Officers and enlisted men in the Kalistani Regular Forces, and accused the entire Military apparatus of conducting an "unjust war."

Upon the release of the report, Gallegos said, "Many people will view this report as an attack on the brave men and women who fought and died in Likatonia," said Mr. Gallegos, a professor of Human Rights Studies at Suldanor Duchy University in Sulari.  "But our mandate, by the National Assembly, was to investigate charges of wanton violence and destruction by those who are bound by a code, and by law, to conduct our foreign policy in a certain way.  The Report is not an indictment of the Military, but an indictment of war, and it should be read as a call for Kalistan to not participate in wars of the future.  Because those wars lead to dehumanization on both sides of the bullet, and barbarity committed by otherwise reasonable men and women."

Within the report is a careful accounting of the Likatonian War, beginning with the long preceding history of rivalry, conflict and crisis with Likatonia stretching back into the Reign of Empress Pavlina I until the moment that chemical weapons launched from Likatonian soil at Kalistan set Kalistan firmly on a path of war.  It then goes into an almost day by day granular chronology of the buildup and launching of the war, as well as the battles in and around North Bend, St. Jackson, Delores Edisville, and Saultillo in Likatonia.  "In each combat engagement, Kalistani regulars conducted reprisals against both disarmed prisoners of war and against the civilian population, with the most egregious violence and destruction occurring in St. Jackson and Delores," said Gallegos.

The report catalogued more than 8500 separate incidents of depredations against the population of Norwalk Likatonia, to include torture and prolonged death of prisoners of war, desecration of the dead, mutilation of the dead to include the taking of corporeal war trophies, infliction of unnecessary suffering on the surrendered as well as destruction of civic infrastructure, to include basic necessities and utilities, schools, hospitals, local shops, grocery stores, churches, and private homes.  "The town of Delores, which was almost completely destroyed by Kalistani regulars, was deliberately burned in the middle of the night, for example," said Gallegos.  "At this point one would have to look at it and wonder if the Regular Military was not just a gang of arsonists."

Violence and destruction was primarily targeted at enemy soldiers, but in Delores, the Commanders of Kalistani forces held safety briefings where they designated anyone not in an Anantonese Uniform as a legitimate target.  "Several children were murdered in this fashion and in one evening, more than 45 families were attacked in their homes and murdered by one platoon in particular, who were taking fire from somewhere inside the neighborhood and simply went out of control on the whole neighborhood."  In another episode, several tanks from the Echo Company, 4/12 drove through a civilian neighborhood, destroying houses.  "It was viewed as a contest, to see how many homes you could demolish before your tank got stuck.  One tank scored more than 20 houses, and deployed its main gun 5 times during the 'contest'."

There were only 3 sexual assaults investigated during the entire truth commission process.  "What struck us most was that in dirty wars like this, soldiers often resort to sexual violence, but we didn't see this during our investigation.  We were able to corroborate allegations in only three instances, all three in Delores.  Most of this violence was more about revenge than domination."  Additionally, the violence was primarily committed by service members from Odufaray, Vrassa, and Ananto, while most of the people who were cooperating with the Truth Commission were from Nevaras and Suldanor.  "The geographical breakdown is surprising, unless you factor in the areas hit by chemical weapons in 5612.  It's inexcusable, but as vengeance, at least it is not inexplicable."

Most notably, the report found that the violence and reprisals received sanction from the Officer Corps, and the vast majority of those who turned into witnesses for the commission and provided corroborating evidence were among the NCO ranks.  "You saw that it was mostly officers giving orders to Staff NCOs who then gave orders to the Non Rates.  The Corporals and the Sergeants were among those who consistently tried to soften the commands and encourage the junior members to either ignore the commands entirely or to not as enthusiastically carry them out, but most often, they were unsuccessful.  This fact is supported by testimony from both NCOs and members who were E3 and Below during the conflict.  And by far the highest number of Courts Martial for Insubordination during the war came from among the NCO ranks, so the military's own records support this--In fact, one Corporal was shot in Delores for trying to order the enlisted men to ignore an illegal order from their captain in an attempt to save the life of a civilian woman.  After the Corporal was shot, the woman was also summarily executed."  Meanwhile Field Officers along the entire rank structure supported the action or looked the other way.

The activities of two groups were not scrutinized by the Commission.  "Our Mandate was only to examine the actions of the Regular Force," said Gallegos.  "We therefore did not take evidence of any activities of the Militia.  Since it is outside of our mandate, I will not attempt to characterize any action of the Militia.  They are irregulars, with their own chain of command and act outside of the Regular Military Structure.  Needless to say, we have no comment in regard to the Militia."

But most strikingly, the report also did not touch the Emperor, who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.  "We found no evidence whatsoever that His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick III Ananto ordered reprisals, nor that he was involved in the operational conduct of the War.  His Imperial Majesty is not a tactician:  In this sense, having him give orders directing reprisals would be absurd.  His Imperial Majesty's role in the war was limited to receiving reports from his Joint Chiefs of Staff on the overall conduct of the war.  Those men received reports from the heads of the Service Branches, and those men received reports from their Field Commanders.  It is at the Field Command level where decisions were made to engage here or there and how to do it.  His Imperial Majesty is, therefore not a focus of this investigation."

Gallegos said his Commission recommends the formation of a Tribunal to hear these charges, and bring those named in them to justice.  "As to verdict, we believe the evidence here laid out is clear, and these men and women would be convicted of these blatant and egregious acts of criminal violence against the people of another nation in a war setting, but as to Remedy, the Commission proposed reaching out to Likatonia and offering them an apology, and offering them meaningful compensation for the destruction and death."

When a reporter asked whether Kalistan would demand an apology from Likatonia for the Chemical Weapons attack, he responded, "The belief was that those attacks might have originated in Likatonia, but they used weaponry from other nations.  And whether or not that regime will ever apologize or compensate us?  I wouldn't hold your breath.  We are addressing the things we are responsible for.  That is what our mandate was.  I can't speak about what other regimes will do.  Especially monstrously fascistic ones like the one who attacked us."

The Report was met with widespread protest, as public marches on both sides of the issue were planned for the Report's Release across the Empire.  The protests were mostly peaceful, though there was an altercation in Kaliburg between police and anti-Commission protestors which ended in four injuries and 15 arrests.  Chancellor of the Empire Sir David Levine responded immediately His Imperial Majesty's Government accepts the findings of the Commission, and will empower the Justice Ministry to form Charges and begin Indicting individuals named by the Commission.  The Office of the Emperor also signaled His Imperial Majesty's acknowledgement of the findings, and said they will support the Justice Ministry in conducting this work.

@TheRepublic