Kalistan

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More Convictions in War Crimes Tribunal as Emperor takes to the Press
"Protests should remain peaceful," said Kalistani Monarch
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 7, 5626


Thousands protest outside of National Assembly, showing a deep unpopularity of War Crimes Tribunals

More than 6,000 protestors marched in downtown Kaliburg this afternoon demanding an end to trials of Kalistani Servicemembers in conjunction with the Likatonian Invasion.  They were demanding that the Government stop "persecuting the brave men and women who fought for this country," said protest organizer Jill Kenner.  "My father fought and died there, and my mother was killed here in Kaliburg by a chemical weapons attack.  These people were brave and their loss is tragic, but if they were alive, you know they would be being tried too.  It's not fair."

A recent survey of Kalistanis shows that support for the trials seems to be slipping.  Before the opening trials, public support for holding people accountable for war crimes was steady at around 82%, but since the beginning of the prosecution of the charges, that support has fallen to 63%, in a survey of 3400 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 2%.  In Ananto and Vrassa, support for the tribunals dipped below 50% for the first time this month.

Spokespeople for the Commission, who is overseeing the trials defended not only the process, but the outcomes.  "These trials are public, they are transparent, and they recognize the rights of the defendants," said Natalie Shew of the Independent Truth Commission.  "The fact is, most of the 685 individuals who have been indicted have plead guilty and have agreed to assist the Commission in bringing the others to justice.  This cooperation includes turning over records, providing physical evidence such as photos, videos, and trophies, and providing first hand testimony about what they and their units did in Likatonia.  Often, in these situations, they offer evidence of things we aren't even alleging.  Many of them are wracked with guilt, and many of them want to come clean about what the Kalistani Regular Force did in Likatonia."

Of those found guilty, only 85 individuals, mostly officers and Senior Staff NCOs have been sentenced to long term sentences on King's Island.  These were the ones who were either found guilty of, or plead guilty to some of the most egregious and destructive crimes.  "Most of the Senior Staff officers and field commanders who have been convicted are those who ultimately bore responsibility for overseeing the action of the troops under them, and have been convicted as permissive accessories to the various crimes of the men and the women serving under their command.," said Shew.

The Commission got an important Assist by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Fredrick III Ananto, who issued the following written statement:  "We request that all Kalistani Citizens have patience and let the Commission complete its work.  It is performing its task at our request, because while we successfully prosecuted this conflict to its end, we even acknowledge for ourselves some culpability in allowing morale to drop so low within our armed forces that killing and destruction was so permitted and rampant in our force.  We can sympathize with the spirit of destruction that our Armed Forces demonstrated in Eastern Likatonia.  But in doing so, we gave ourselves a choice:  We could either sweep it under a rug and ignore that it happened, or, follow the guidance of our consciences, be honest about what we did in Likatonia, accept responsibility for it, and do what we can to make amends for the hurt and damage that we caused.  If we opt for the first, we become like the fascists and operate from the absence of any ethic, conscience or soul.  This period of reconning will be hard for all of us, but at the end, telling the Truth about our role in this, as a nation, is the ethically correct thing to do, and it is better to be ethically correct than to escape accountability."

The Emperor called for peace if protests will continue.  "We do not want to hinder our citizens' ability to make their voice heard, even to the very doors of our National Assembly.  However, the hard limit of that temperance in response is endangerment of human life or public or private property.  The legitimate target of your political outrage should be your elected representatives.  Let them hear what you say:  They will come and speak with you to hear your concerns.  But do not take your anger out on other Kalistanis.  These protests should remain peaceful, and they will be allowed to be held unhindered.  But, your fellow man or woman is not your enemy.  We can and will get through this period of reconning, and will come out on the other side chastened, but perhaps a bit more aligned with our values as a people than we were when we started.  Please do not compound the matter with more violence and destruction.  That sort of defeats the purpose of your protest in the first place."

It is too soon to know whether the Emperor's words will have a calming effect on popular outrage.

@TheRepublic