07-19-2019, 12:25 PM
Tomás Arenas stood once more with a spring in his step. It wasn’t every day one had the opportunity to prosecute the Matriarchy of Kerlile, and he was honoured to have the opportunity. For far too long, in his opinion, the autocratic matriarchy had managed to escape justice for their numerous crimes against humanity. But that was all about to change, and his only regret was that he would be unable to see the faces of the Kerlian Councillors as the verdicts were given.
“Your honour,” he began, a little more gleefully than one would have expected, “throughout the conflict now known as the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War, the Matriarchy of Kerlile took many prisoners, almost all of which were subjected to mistreatment, and in many cases torture. Prisoners of war in Kerlile throughout the conflict had their human rights violated in numerous ways.
The Matriarchy of Kerlile is responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners from Lauchenoiria, Laeral, Libertas Omnium Maximus and Conternia, along with Slokais and Skoden. Regardless of the nationality of the prisoners they took, their horrific treatment of them was the same across the board – although did vary somewhat by age and gender.
Reports of individuals released following the signing of the Haven Accords are very consistent. Prisoners of war in Kerlile were often given only a single meal a day, most were made to sleep on the ground and they were often refused access to showers. Male prisoners were often denied access to toilets, although most female former prisoners do not report the same in that regard.
Many prisoners were also tortured for information after their initial capture. Reports of beating and waterboarding were the most common, but other methods have been reported too. Doctors who examined released prisoners after the end of the conflict have concluded that these individuals were indeed tortured.
Female prisoners under the age of 25 have reported attempts to ‘brainwash’ them, initially by being shown propaganda films, but reporting that if this did not succeed, techniques became harsher. Female prisoners of war reported being starved, forced to stand in small, dark rooms for extended periods of time and given electric shocks if they did not comply with Kerlian demands to perform tasks such as singing the Kerlian national anthem or stating that Kerlian propaganda was true. Prisoners of this age and gender group were forced to give their captors names of ‘subversive elements’ within their own number in exchange for food. The individuals whose names were given often disappeared, many of whom have since been reported dead.
Former prisoners of war reported witnessing the Kerlians shooting unarmed prisoners after being transported to Kerlile for reasons including, but not limited to insulting the matriarchy or being unable to stand in line. Female prisoners report being sorted into three groups after being taken forcibly to Kerlile – one of under 25s who were later subjected to the ‘brainwashing’ techniques, one of prisoners who were shot in front of the others, and the larger group which were then sent to a standard prison camp.
Prisoners who did not comply immediately with Kerlian demands were often subjected to lengthy periods of solitary confinement, during which time they were also often deprived of food, light or sleep. They were kept in extreme temperatures, and were not told when their ordeal would end.
Conditions of transport for prisoners have also been reported by various individuals, both from Lauchenoiria and Coalition countries, to have been disgraceful. Prisoners were often transported for a day at a time in overcrowded vans, hands bound, deprived of food or water. Deaths have been reported as a result of this mistreatment.
The gross mistreatment of prisoners of war by the Matriarchy of Kerlile is without a doubt the most heinous crime committed throughout the course of the conflict known as the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War. The illegal execution, torture and mistreatment of prisoners is on a horrific scale, and is only the latest in a long line of crimes against humanity committed by Kerlile.”
Arenas took his seat. He smiled and nodded at the Laeralian and Maximusian counsels, who he had consulted with on the case. He expected that they were a little jealous that he had been given this opportunity. Although, he noted with a shiver, he had now just declared himself an enemy of the Kerlian state, which was never a comfortable position to be in. Still, it was time that the Kerlians faced justice, and he was proud to have played this part in history.
*
Irene Sheridan was afraid of failure, a common trait among Kerlians, whose government were quick to punish it. She believed what she was about to say, she believed that Kerlile was right… but she also knew that the rest of the world rarely agreed with the Kerlian perspective. After hearing the Lauchenoirian counsel’s statement, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the male, she was ready to begin her defence of her homeland.
“Your honour, the statement given by Mr Arenas is littered with inaccuracies, and his evidence against the Matriarchy of Kerlile is flimsy at best. We reject utterly the claims that prisoners of war were ‘tortured’ in Kerlile. These so-called witnesses are unreliable – they have reason to dislike the Matriarchy solely due to their being taken prisoner, and therefore have reason to slander us.
The Lauchenoirian, Laeralian, Maximusian and Conternian governments have all had long-standing grudges against Kerlile, and are using this opportunity to band together to goad their citizens into making false statements in an attempt to punish Kerlile for our opposition to patriarchal rule. There is no hard evidence that any ‘torture’ or ‘mistreatment’ took place.
Physical scars sustained during prisoners’ time in Kerlian custody were often self-inflicted, by individuals either attempting to elicit sympathy from their peers over fabricated stories of ‘torture’, or by individuals who sadly struggled to cope mentally with their imprisonment. This is unfortunate, but is not a result of ‘mistreatment’ on our part. Other times, fights broke out between prisoners, resulting in scarring. While we tried our best to prevent these, they were difficult to predict, a result of the stress of imprisonment.
Unfortunately, there were a number of deaths of prisoners, as Mr Arenas has stated. However, these were not due to executions, but rather the unfortunate spread of an illness common in Kerlile but relatively unknown outside of our borders. While all Kerlian citizens are vaccinated against this virus as children, it seems no vaccination is available in other countries – something those running prison facilities did not know, so they did not realise at first what was happening. The cause of death was listed as such on the death certificates.
While it is understandable that Lauchenoiria and the Coalition nations are upset by the deaths of their citizens, it was a tragic natural occurrence that we have taken measures to prevent in the future. We are deeply sorry for the lives lost to this tragic illness, which killed many Kerlians back in the late 1980s. However, we did not murder these people.
The Matriarchy of Kerlile is not responsible for the crimes it has been accused of. The testimony of a few unnamed individuals is not hard evidence, and cannot be proven to be true. The Matriarchy of Kerlile is innocent.”
Sheridan took her seat and exhaled. She was shaking a little. It won’t be enough, she thought. Yet, she had done all she could. Now all she could do was wait, and hope that her best was good enough.
“Your honour,” he began, a little more gleefully than one would have expected, “throughout the conflict now known as the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War, the Matriarchy of Kerlile took many prisoners, almost all of which were subjected to mistreatment, and in many cases torture. Prisoners of war in Kerlile throughout the conflict had their human rights violated in numerous ways.
The Matriarchy of Kerlile is responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners from Lauchenoiria, Laeral, Libertas Omnium Maximus and Conternia, along with Slokais and Skoden. Regardless of the nationality of the prisoners they took, their horrific treatment of them was the same across the board – although did vary somewhat by age and gender.
Reports of individuals released following the signing of the Haven Accords are very consistent. Prisoners of war in Kerlile were often given only a single meal a day, most were made to sleep on the ground and they were often refused access to showers. Male prisoners were often denied access to toilets, although most female former prisoners do not report the same in that regard.
Many prisoners were also tortured for information after their initial capture. Reports of beating and waterboarding were the most common, but other methods have been reported too. Doctors who examined released prisoners after the end of the conflict have concluded that these individuals were indeed tortured.
Female prisoners under the age of 25 have reported attempts to ‘brainwash’ them, initially by being shown propaganda films, but reporting that if this did not succeed, techniques became harsher. Female prisoners of war reported being starved, forced to stand in small, dark rooms for extended periods of time and given electric shocks if they did not comply with Kerlian demands to perform tasks such as singing the Kerlian national anthem or stating that Kerlian propaganda was true. Prisoners of this age and gender group were forced to give their captors names of ‘subversive elements’ within their own number in exchange for food. The individuals whose names were given often disappeared, many of whom have since been reported dead.
Former prisoners of war reported witnessing the Kerlians shooting unarmed prisoners after being transported to Kerlile for reasons including, but not limited to insulting the matriarchy or being unable to stand in line. Female prisoners report being sorted into three groups after being taken forcibly to Kerlile – one of under 25s who were later subjected to the ‘brainwashing’ techniques, one of prisoners who were shot in front of the others, and the larger group which were then sent to a standard prison camp.
Prisoners who did not comply immediately with Kerlian demands were often subjected to lengthy periods of solitary confinement, during which time they were also often deprived of food, light or sleep. They were kept in extreme temperatures, and were not told when their ordeal would end.
Conditions of transport for prisoners have also been reported by various individuals, both from Lauchenoiria and Coalition countries, to have been disgraceful. Prisoners were often transported for a day at a time in overcrowded vans, hands bound, deprived of food or water. Deaths have been reported as a result of this mistreatment.
The gross mistreatment of prisoners of war by the Matriarchy of Kerlile is without a doubt the most heinous crime committed throughout the course of the conflict known as the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War. The illegal execution, torture and mistreatment of prisoners is on a horrific scale, and is only the latest in a long line of crimes against humanity committed by Kerlile.”
Arenas took his seat. He smiled and nodded at the Laeralian and Maximusian counsels, who he had consulted with on the case. He expected that they were a little jealous that he had been given this opportunity. Although, he noted with a shiver, he had now just declared himself an enemy of the Kerlian state, which was never a comfortable position to be in. Still, it was time that the Kerlians faced justice, and he was proud to have played this part in history.
*
Irene Sheridan was afraid of failure, a common trait among Kerlians, whose government were quick to punish it. She believed what she was about to say, she believed that Kerlile was right… but she also knew that the rest of the world rarely agreed with the Kerlian perspective. After hearing the Lauchenoirian counsel’s statement, pointedly avoiding eye contact with the male, she was ready to begin her defence of her homeland.
“Your honour, the statement given by Mr Arenas is littered with inaccuracies, and his evidence against the Matriarchy of Kerlile is flimsy at best. We reject utterly the claims that prisoners of war were ‘tortured’ in Kerlile. These so-called witnesses are unreliable – they have reason to dislike the Matriarchy solely due to their being taken prisoner, and therefore have reason to slander us.
The Lauchenoirian, Laeralian, Maximusian and Conternian governments have all had long-standing grudges against Kerlile, and are using this opportunity to band together to goad their citizens into making false statements in an attempt to punish Kerlile for our opposition to patriarchal rule. There is no hard evidence that any ‘torture’ or ‘mistreatment’ took place.
Physical scars sustained during prisoners’ time in Kerlian custody were often self-inflicted, by individuals either attempting to elicit sympathy from their peers over fabricated stories of ‘torture’, or by individuals who sadly struggled to cope mentally with their imprisonment. This is unfortunate, but is not a result of ‘mistreatment’ on our part. Other times, fights broke out between prisoners, resulting in scarring. While we tried our best to prevent these, they were difficult to predict, a result of the stress of imprisonment.
Unfortunately, there were a number of deaths of prisoners, as Mr Arenas has stated. However, these were not due to executions, but rather the unfortunate spread of an illness common in Kerlile but relatively unknown outside of our borders. While all Kerlian citizens are vaccinated against this virus as children, it seems no vaccination is available in other countries – something those running prison facilities did not know, so they did not realise at first what was happening. The cause of death was listed as such on the death certificates.
While it is understandable that Lauchenoiria and the Coalition nations are upset by the deaths of their citizens, it was a tragic natural occurrence that we have taken measures to prevent in the future. We are deeply sorry for the lives lost to this tragic illness, which killed many Kerlians back in the late 1980s. However, we did not murder these people.
The Matriarchy of Kerlile is not responsible for the crimes it has been accused of. The testimony of a few unnamed individuals is not hard evidence, and cannot be proven to be true. The Matriarchy of Kerlile is innocent.”
Sheridan took her seat and exhaled. She was shaking a little. It won’t be enough, she thought. Yet, she had done all she could. Now all she could do was wait, and hope that her best was good enough.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax