CIVIC: Georgia: After Dropping Cluster Bombs, Russia Has Responsibility to Help Civilians
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2008
2:07 PM
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CONTACT: CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict)s
Sarah Holewinski, Executive Director
202.413.6238
sarah@civicworldwide.org |
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Georgia: After Dropping Cluster Bombs,
Russia Has Responsibility to Help Civilians
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WASHINGTON - August 15 - Human Rights Watch reported today that on August 12 Russian forces used cluster bombs in two separate attacks on Georgian towns, killing a total of 11 civilians and injuring dozens more. Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) deplored the use of the indiscriminate weapon and called on Russia to immediately take steps to protect the civilian population from unexploded cluster duds.
"These are places where ordinary people are living and working. Russia should never have used cluster bombs," said CIVIC's executive director Sarah Holewinski. "Now the priority has to be protecting Georgian civilians from unexploded duds that could claim more lives." CIVIC called on Russia to immediately provide information that maps where the bombs were dropped, known as strike data, so that clearance can begin. Dud fields will need to be located and marked so that civilians can avoid them. Russia should also enable the creation of a humanitarian corridor so that food, shelter and medical supplies can get to the civilians already harmed in the conflict.
"The civilian tragedy playing out here will only get more desperate without immediate aid getting to the right places," said Holewinski. "The onus is on Russian forces to make way for the help civilians need. It's time for them to do the right thing."
The current Russian-Georgia conflict is the first known use of cluster munitions since the Israel-Lebanon War of 2006. In May, 107 countries condemned the use of cluster munitions and the civilian harm they cause, banning the weapons under the newly drafted Cluster Munitions Convention. Neither Russia nor Georgia was among the participating countries. CIVIC called on both countries to sign the Convention and publicly pledge not to use any more cluster bombs from their stockpiles.
CIVIC is a Washington-based organization that believes civilians harmed in conflict should be recognized and helped by the warring parties involved. In 2005, CIVIC's founder Marla Ruzicka was killed in Iraq by suicide bomb. CIVIC honors her legacy and strives to sustain her vision.
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