Georgia: Russian Cluster Bombs Kill Civilians

[MH1]

Source: Human Rights Watch

(Tbilisi, August 15, 2008) – Human Rights Watch researchers have uncovered evidence that Russian aircraft dropped cluster bombs in populated areas in Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called upon Russia to immediately stop using cluster bombs, weapons so dangerous to civilians that more than 100 nations have agreed to ban their use.

“Cluster bombs are indiscriminate killers that most nations have agreed to outlaw,” said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. “Russia’s use of this weapon is not only deadly to civilians, but also an insult to international efforts to avoid a global humanitarian disaster of the kind caused by landmines.”

Human Rights Watch said Russian aircraft dropped RBK-250 cluster bombs, each containing 30 PTAB 2.5M submunitions, on the town of Ruisi in the Kareli district of Georgia on August 12, 2008. Three civilians were killed and five wounded in the attack. On the same day, a cluster strike in the center of the town of Gori killed at least eight civilians and injured dozens, Human Rights Watch said. Dutch journalist Stan Storimans was among the dead. Israeli journalist Zadok Yehezkeli was seriously wounded and evacuated to Israel for treatment after surgery in Tbilisi. An armored vehicle from the Reuters news agency was perforated with shrapnel from the attack.

This is the first known use of cluster munitions since 2006, during Israel’s war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Cluster munitions contain dozens or hundreds of smaller submunitions or bomblets. They cause unacceptable humanitarian harm in two ways. First, their broad-area effect kills and injures civilians indiscriminately during strikes. Second, many submunitions do not explode, becoming de facto landmines that cause civilian casualties for months or years to come. In May 2008, 107 nations agreed to a total ban on cluster munitions, but Russia did not participate in the talks.

Read more: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/08/14/georgi19625.htm

[TomInTib]

1. Too late, HRW, the USA and Israel have already set the standard.

The deal is done.

[madeline_con]

2. Putin's going to take over Georgia, and no one's going to

anything about it. He knows this is his moment to strike. Our military's stretched so thin, DUH-bya's policies are so screwed up, they have no recourse but to stand and watch and "condemn". Blah blah blah.

[David Dunham]

3. Putin will stop short of taking it over.

[madeline_con]

4. My husband said if all the little surrounding countries

got together, they'd be a formidable group for Russia to mess with. I don't know squat about the politics between them. The Ukraine supposedly still has a lot of nukes rom the Soviet era? :shrug:

[bdamomma]

5. neo cons loving killing people don't they?

those people do not deserve this.

[Psephos]

6. You think there are neo-cons in the Russian government? ???

You don't seem to understand what that word means.

Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocon