Remember Marie Covin
On the day Bashar al-Assad's regime finally collapsed and it's worth remembering the courage and contribution of Marie Colvin, the Sunday Times war correspondent, who was murdered for holding the Syrian dictator to account.
Human Spirit (February 23, 2012)
Scores of people are dying in Syria every day, perhaps hundreds.
Muslim civilians killed by their own people by the Syrian army whose first duty, ironically, is to protect fellow citizens - whether Muslim or not.
Instead, the army which is under the control of the Syrian President, Bahsar al Assad, is murdering its civilian population with impunity - while the world looks on.
We know this to be true because of intrepid journalists like Marie Colvin who was killed yesterday by heavy artillery fire probably targeted at her quite deliberately by the Syrian army.
The Syrian government and its army are following every word and image that people broadcast from besieged areas in Homs and in other Syrian cities.
The civilian population still defying the Syrian regime have become legitimate targets even though they don't have any heavy weapons to fight back against the bombs and rockets being fired into their houses.
Because Marie Colvin was telling the world and reporting on these terrible war crimes she paid with her life as many Syrian civilians have in recent weeks as well.
The death of such a well known a British/American journalist brings great shame on Russia and China whose continued support for President Assad has encouraged the Syrian army's murderous onslaught on civilian areas.
But as well as being very tragic and sad it says something about the human spirit that a person like Marie Colvin, a complete stranger, could put herself in the line of fire to tell the world what's really happening on the ground.
Muslim civilians killed by their own people by the Syrian army whose first duty, ironically, is to protect fellow citizens - whether Muslim or not.
Instead, the army which is under the control of the Syrian President, Bahsar al Assad, is murdering its civilian population with impunity - while the world looks on.
We know this to be true because of intrepid journalists like Marie Colvin who was killed yesterday by heavy artillery fire probably targeted at her quite deliberately by the Syrian army.
The Syrian government and its army are following every word and image that people broadcast from besieged areas in Homs and in other Syrian cities.
The civilian population still defying the Syrian regime have become legitimate targets even though they don't have any heavy weapons to fight back against the bombs and rockets being fired into their houses.
Because Marie Colvin was telling the world and reporting on these terrible war crimes she paid with her life as many Syrian civilians have in recent weeks as well.
The death of such a well known a British/American journalist brings great shame on Russia and China whose continued support for President Assad has encouraged the Syrian army's murderous onslaught on civilian areas.
But as well as being very tragic and sad it says something about the human spirit that a person like Marie Colvin, a complete stranger, could put herself in the line of fire to tell the world what's really happening on the ground.
