Why Waihopai

The trial  is continuing, great photos here, I've not been able to get any updates on what happened yesterday, the court was in recess discussing legal stuff. The trial is starting again today (tues 16th) at 10am, or ten minutes ago now. Adi Leason's defence lawyer, Michael Knowles opened the case for the defence last week with these words:

This is an exceptional trial.  There are times when law, morality and humanity come together to make would otherwise be unlawful.  Those times are when the preservation of human life is involved.  Human life is no less a human life because it resides in a foreign land, or dresses funny, or has a different skin colour.

It’s also an exceptional case because it is in the area of foreign intelligence.  Foreign intelligence is the one area of our society where democracy and free process is not allowed to go.  Where there is a Faustian pact between the government and the intelligence agencies.  Where the government says ‘we won’t ask any questions’ – and the intelligence agencies say ‘good!  We won’t tell you any lies.

 From here. Worth a look at the rest too.

There is still so much complacency in the West about what is being done in our name and for our sake.  I'm praying not just that the Waihopai three will walk free but that this will get the attention it deserves and wake some more out of their complacency.  But Knowles understands the problem, if the people who suffer are different to us or too far away, we struggle to care or admit our responsibility.  For most of the jury I expect this is going to be a radically new concept for them, that a kiwi could (and should) take responsibility for the suffering of people in Iraq, but if they can grasp the message that the Waihopai three are proclaiming in word, and did proclaim in deed, then I cannot see how they could either convict them or fail to be convicted themselves.

Kyrie Eleison

[This is not an offical ploughshares press release, only my own personal take.  See their website for the official word.]