[Sanctaria]

"Counsellors", Churcher began, "as you both know, in background for this case, we tried to speak to as many people connected as possible - defendants, witnesses, key figures etc. I naturally also had a chance to speak to Ambassador Robert Smyth who gave me some interesting background information, particularly on this Charissa Clarke. I'm saying this now for two reasons (1) I want it in the public domain, and (2) I don't want to have to repeat myself when it comes to the Clarke case". She paused. "I also want it noted that members of the Council of Kerlile, while adamant that would abide by the Haven Accords and by this Commission, were reticent to speak with me on any of the matters before the Commission, including that regarding the Aurora programme which we are discussing here today."

"With that in mind, I have some questions Mr. Arenas. Do any of the documents leaked mention Clarke as the specific Aurora sleeper? By name? And, more importantly, how do we know these have been verified? The Council of Kerlile and their defence here today refuse to acknowledge the veracity of these documents - on the contrary, they say they are outright lies. They were brought forward at the end of of a war by members of the opposite side. It's not unknown for forged documents to appear during wartime."

Churcher looked at Sheridan next. "And Ms. Sheridan. You tell me the Council of Kerlile is the supreme authority in Kerlile. You admit that a member of this Council was behind the leaking - why should I believe one member of the authority over another? You said yourself the Council focused on domestic matter during the war, only received reports from military matters. You also say each Councillor on the Council is equal also. So when you say one Councillor fabricated to blame another, how do I know that? I've not been able to speak with Councillors Robinson or Pierre on this matter - could you enlighten me?"

"Mr. Arenas first, please."

[Lauchenoiria]

"The documents don't specifically name Charissa Clarke, no," Arenas began. "However, they all contain an eight-digit number, 25817349, which is listed on the birth certificate of Amanda Cartwright as her Kerlian Citizen ID number - an eight digit number assigned to every Kerlian citizen upon birth or immigration. The number appears in all documents, and was also emailed to Charissa Clarke's parliamentary e-mail address when she was a member of parliament, at the time the documents say an Aurora was activated. As to the veracity of he documents, numerous experts have assured us they are genuine."

He glanced over at Sheridan, who smirked at him.

"Councillor Robinson," Sheridan said, "is presently under house arrest in Kerlile following accusations of treason. In normal circumstances, each Councillor is equal. However the present Council has voted to confine Robinson, which one can hardly call a normal circumstance. The majority of the Council are agreed - Robinson was behind an attempt to slander Pierre, and a majority of the Council overrule a single other Councillor. Councillor Robinson is not presently permitted to speak to media outlets or foreign individuals, so contacting her would not have been possible, yes."

[Sanctaria]

"So Ms. Sheridan, despite Kerlile insisting they would cooperate with this Commission - in fact, being bound by the Haven Accords to do so - I have been prevented from speaking to Councillor Robinson and understand the backstory here because ... ? Given the Council of Kerlile is the supreme authority here, I'm going to assume the Council of Kerlile is preventing Councillor Robinson giving me her side of the story", Churcher said, clearly annoyed at what she considered to be an obstruction of justice.

"And Mr. Arenas - this will come up more I'm sure in the case later against Clarke, but the evidence you have linking this Amanda Cartwright and Charissa Clarke as one and the same is flimsy at best. I need more if I'm to believe beyond doubt that Kerlile, and specifically Councillor Pierre, attempted to influence domestic politics through sleeper agents." She looked down at her paper.

"Ah, TRC-A-08, Lauchenoiria v. Clarke is next. Let's just go straight into that counsellors, I think I'm done with questions, though Mr. Arenas, any more evidence linking Pierre with this I'd welcome."

[Lauchenoiria]

“Your honour,” Arenas began, “as has previously been stated, the individual presently known as Charissa Clarke was born Amanda Cartwright, and is a member of a Kerlian sleeper agent programme known as the Aurora Programme. In July 2018, she became Prime Minister of Lauchenoiria following the murder of her predecessor, Suleman Chaher – who in turn was behind a coup d’état.

Amanda Cartwright, Kerlian citizen number 25817349, was born on the second of August 1969 in the region of Kerlile known at the time as Region 17, and presently called the ‘Restricted Region’. This region of Kerlile is composed entirely of various detention facilities, and a number of military research facilities. Given that the occupation of the mother listed on the birth certificate is not ‘prison guard’, one can assume that the mother of little Amanda was a prisoner.

Letters in the leaked documents then go on to show that the child by the ID number of 25817349 was delivered to an orphanage in Sophiehill, the town overlooking the sole legal entrance to the Restricted Region. In that letter, it mentioned that she would be “assessed for entry into the new Aurora Programme” in three years’ time. A further letter, dated three years later and signed by Susanna Pierre, the grandmother of the present Councillor Pauline Pierre, authorised the transfer of five orphans, including the one by the previously stated ID number, to the “Aurora Centre”.

A leaked extract from the Kerlian Intelligence Service records mentions the deployment of an agent by the aforementioned number to Lauchenoiria in 1983, and mentions the agent as being part of the Aurora Programme. The documents then skip ahead to a letter from the private records of the Council of Kerlile, from President Greenwood to Councillor Patel, ordering the activation of an Aurora in Lauchenoiria under something called “Operation Unicorn”.

The documents then include an email sent to Charissa Clarke’s parliamentary email address, disguised as a spam email, with the subject ‘win magical Aurora trip’ and the 8-digit ID number of Amanda Cartwright included in the email. This is followed by a segment from an online message board in which users @clarke_c258 and @PromQueen14 discuss seeing ‘unicorns prancing’ – as in the code name of the operation, and discussing a parcel drop off.

This presents a compelling narrative that the individual once known as Amanda Cartwright is indeed a member of the Aurora Programme, and is the same person we now know as Charissa Clarke, former Prime Minister of Lauchenoiria. The second set of documents go further, listing ‘unicorn’ as a general code word for ‘infiltration of a foreign government’ in Kerlian Intelligence Service literature. They also establish that the messages sent by ‘@PromQueen14’ on the online message board originated from the property of Councillor Pierre.

Charissa Clarke became Prime Minister after the murder of her predecessor, Suleman Chaher. Chaher was shot by Leanna Walker, however did not die from his wounds. He died almost a month later, from ‘complications’ due to surgery. However, it was later revealed that he was poisoned. A blood sample showed poison in his blood stream at the time of death. An investigation into his death revealed that the only food given to Chaher before the surgery where he died was given to him by Charissa Clarke.

Clarke also ordered the unlawful execution of Leanna Walker, accused of the murder of Suleman Chaher. She circumvented the judiciary, and the constitutional ban on the death penalty which has been in place since 1993. Clarke is responsible for the deaths of both Suleman Chaher, and Leanna Walker. She abused the office of Prime Minister, using it to kill her enemies and consolidate her power.”

*

Jacqueline Mardell avoided the glare from Irene Sheridan as she stood to present the defence of Charissa Clarke. Mardell was Lauchenoirian, and had been chosen by Clarke to represent her, after Clarke had outright refused Sheridan’s services, in a move which had enraged Councillor Pierre, if reports were to be believed. Whatever happened, there was no way Charissa Clarke could ever safely set foot in Kerlile after all this.

“Your honour, my client Charissa Clarke was a member of the Aurora Programme,” she said, then paused. “However, the Aurora Programme is not what Mr. Arenas alleges. Charissa Clarke was born to dissident Kerlians. While her mother was pregnant, her father was shot and her mother imprisoned. Upon the birth of my client, she was taken to an orphanage in Kerlile. At said orphanage, she was part of the pilot programme for an initiative to improve education for Kerlian orphans.

At a young age, however, Clarke and several other orphans whose parents had been dissidents were rescued by a pro-democracy group who feared for the lives of these children, and taken to Lauchenoiria to be raised by said members of the pro-democracy group. Due to Kerlile’s strict rules about emigration, this group crossed into Lauchenoiria without the knowledge of the authorities of either country.

At the age of 14, the couple who had raised Clarke as their own passed away in a car crash, leading the undocumented Clarke to present herself as an orphanage. There she was given documentation – which was perfectly legal, Lauchenoirian immigration law entitles those brought into the country as minors to citizenship after five years’ residence. She served in the Lauchenoirian army and then entered into politics as a member of the Communist Party.

None of this suggests she was part of a Kerlian plot. While she did not admit to being Kerlian, yes, this was out of shame of being from a country as autocratic and widely hated as Kerlile, not as part of a plot. She was raised in Lauchenoiria, and is a Lauchenoirian citizen. She is not part of any Kerlian plot, and holds no loyalty to the Matriarchy of Kerlile.

As for the poisoning of Suleman Chaher, there is no hard evidence to prove it was my client. She offered him coffee before his death. The blood sample in question was gathered by Chaher’s son, Yousef, hardly an impartial investigator. And Leanna Walker’s execution was not unconstitutional, given that the constitution had been suspended by President MacKenzie due to the state of emergency at that time.”

[Sanctaria]

"The issue with the constitution aside, Ms. Mardell, what would you comment be regarding Mr. Arenas' claim that Walker's death was an unlawful execution?" Churcher questioned. "I see no judicial records, no trial, no verdict, no police arrest forms. The constitution may have been suspended, but I'm not entirely sure about the rule of law."

[Lauchenoiria]

"Leanna Walker was arrested after the attempted murder of Suleman Chaher. She was held in a secret location, yes, but for her own protection due to the nature of the war, which is why the records are... sparse. Mr. Arenas is mistaken in claiming that her execution was ordered by Ms. Clarke, however. The order to execute Leanna Walker was signed by President Kieran MacKenzie, under an emergency provision granting the president certain powers during a state of emergency."

[Sanctaria]

"Yes, President MacKenzie who ... " Churcher paused as she flicked through some papers "... has had Alzheimer's for quite some time, doctors say definitely during the war too. Very few moments of lucidity." She started at Mardell. "The problem, Ms. Mardell, is that no matter who signed the order paper, Leanna Walker was, as a leader of the so-called rebels, a Prisoner of War. The problem is that Clarke was acting-Prime Minister of a country in which the Prime Minister holds significant authority especially in war-time. You have not denied that, even if she did not sign the order papers, she was aware of the execution. Of, by all standards, a Prisoner of War. Which is contrary to established international law."

She continued to stare at the lawyer. "Clarke is currently being held here in Sanctaria, correct, for her own safety? I understand she chose not to return to Lauchenoiria or Kerlile after the Haven Accords."

[Lauchenoiria]

"That is correct, yes," said Mardell. "Due to the allegations of being a Kerlian sleeper agent, she would not be safe in Lauchenoiria. As for Kerlile, well, it is established knowledge that very few people are ever safe in Kerlile. It is unlikely that she will ever be safe in either country."

[Sanctaria]

"Yes," Churcher began, flashing a look to the main Kerlian laywer, Irene Sheridan who was seated in the back. "The overwhelming impression I'm getting is that Kerlile is not a safe place at all, even for innocents."

"Clerk, I think we can move on to the next case - TRC-A-09, Lauchenoiria v. Conde."

[Lauchenoiria]

Arenas stood, eyeing Sheridan once more. She glowered at him.

“Your honour, Colonel Chloe Conde was in command of the Kerlian forces which attacked the city of Usera. Her superiors remained behind in Yerville, giving Conde full command of the Usera operation. This itself has been well documented and is not denied by Kerlile. However, during that operation, Conde ordered the execution of a number of prisoners of war, including a number of individuals who had been imprisoned by the Lauchenoirian Resistance for attempting to overthrow their commander, Sonja Alvarez – now revealed to be the same person as Councillor Jennifer Hale.

Upon arrival in Usera, the Kerlian forces took everyone who had ties to the Lauchenoirian Resistance prisoner. Any who attempted to escape were shot. Any who insulted the Kerlians were shot. Any who were weak and needed medical attention were denied it. All this happened under the command of Conde. She terrorised the people of Usera, executing anyone who did not fall in line without trial.

Chloe Conde is responsible for the deaths of many Userans, murdered not in the battle to take the city but afterwards. CCTV footage from Usera on the day of the Kerlian attack shows prisoners being round up and shot, acting on Conde’s orders. As the commanding officer in Usera, she is responsible for all that occurred on that day.”

*

“Your honour,” Sheridan began, “my client Chloe Conde pleads guilty to all charges.”

She sat back down immediately. She had little more to say. The evidence against Conde was damning, there was nothing more to it. She’d seen some of the videos of crying Lauchenoirians being shot by Kerlians. It had unnerved her a little, she believed her government above such things. Conde was just a rogue element though, she thought to herself, not entirely convinced any more.

[Sanctaria]

"I note the guilty plea, and it will be take into consideration at sentencing", Churcher said, nodding at Sheridan, before looking at the Clerk who promptly stood up and called the next case.

"The Court will now hear TRC-A-10, Lauchenoiria v. Littlewood."

[Lauchenoiria]

“Your honour, I will be brief,” said Arenas. “Amanda Littlewood was Chloe Conde’s subordinate, left in command in Usera very briefly before a more senior officer arrived after Conde’s departure back to Kerlile, accompanying Jennifer Hale. However, during this time, yet more murders and executions took place.

A CCTV video from the back of a department store in the city shows very clearly Littlewood and two unknown Kerlian soldiers dragging prisoners out of the back of a room in which they were held and shooting them in the head. These individuals were known members of the Lauchenoirian Resistance, all male. Littlewood not only gave the orders to shoot these prisoners, but she also carried out several of the executions herself.

During her brief time in command in Usera, the prisoners held there were treated despicably. They report receiving no food for several days during her week in command, and were kept in boiling hot conditions due to the heatwave in Lauchenoiria at the time. They were kept in overcrowded cells in 40-degree Celsius weather. Littlewood is responsible for this atrocity.”

*

“Your honour, my client Amanda Littlewood pleads guilty to all charges,” said Sheridan then took her seat. Littlewood was in a very similar position to Conde. In fact, Conde had been Littlewood’s mentor, if what Sheridan had been told was correct. She was a slightly-younger clone of Conde, and Sheridan was quite sure that whatever Littlewood had done, she had done it for the purpose of impressing Conde. It would be her undoing.

[Sanctaria]

"Thank you counsellors - the plea has been noted. We can move on to the next case - TRC-A-11, Lauchenoiria v. Docherty", Churcher said firmly.

[Lauchenoiria]

Arenas stood a little more hesitantly this time. Conternians and Kerlians were all well and good, but Gregor Docherty was a Lauchenoirian, and this meant Arenas felt slightly differently about his case. He carried on, regardless.

“Your honour, Captain Gregor Docherty was the captain of the LFS Erebus, a Lauchenoirian naval vessel which participated in the blockade of the island of Aeluria during the conflict. The island was blockaded on the orders of Prime Minister Suleman Chaher following a unilateral declaration of independence by the provincial government of Aeluria in May 2018.

During this blockade, no individual was allowed to leave or arrive at the island, and no supplies were allowed through. This led to widespread food and medicine shortages on the island, which in turn led to rationing. There was also a shortage of nicotine, after Kvaskm forces introduced illegal cigarettes to the island when arriving to support the Aelurian independence claim.

During the blockade, a ship carrying vital food and medicine supplies was turned back by Docherty’s ship. He threatened to fire on the vessel if it did not turn around, and prevented these vital supplies from reaching the island. Deaths in hospital on the island doubled during the war, as a result of the denial of medical supplies to the island. Docherty is responsible for these deaths.

During the war, the people of Aeluria were virtually prisoners on their island, thanks to Docherty. On the orders of Suleman Chaher he apprehended anyone attempting to leave the island, regardless of age or nationality, including children. These individuals were guilty of no crimes, and yet they were treated as criminals, just as Kerlians who try to flee their repressive regime are.

The supplies stopped by Gregor Docherty could have saved lives on Aeluria. The people who died through lack of access to medicine or food are dead because of his actions. He is responsible for what occurred on Aeluria, even without ever setting foot on the island himself.”

*

Oscar Neville pushed his glasses up the nose of his face as he got ready to make the short statement that was the only one he would make throughout the proceedings of the TRC. When he’d spoken to Docherty, he’d seen the face of a man who deeply regretted his actions, and thus there was only one thing to do.

“Your honour, my client Gregor Docherty pleads guilty to all charges, and would like this court to note that he deeply regrets the actions he took during the conflict.”

[Sanctaria]

"The defendant's regret is noted, as is his plea. We now move to the next case", Churcher said.

The Clerk stood. "We will now hear TRC-A-12, Lauchenoiria v. Yulov. I understand there is an agreement between prosecution and defence to hear TRC-A-12, TRC-A-13, and TRC-A-14 together?"

[Lauchenoiria]

Tomás Arenas stood once again. The case against the three Kvaskm saddened him. It seemed to him like the whole situation had been caused by the panic of a starving people, and language barriers. But nevertheless, it was his job to prosecute Henrik Yulov and his subordinates, and he would do his job.

“That is correct, yes. Your honour, the Kvaskm citizen Henrik Yulov ordered his men, Karl Iovavik and Franzik Udr to fire on a crowd of Aelurian civilians at a food distribution point in August of last year. This led to the death of one Lauchenoirian civilian, Javier Treiboz, and the injury of four other civilians.

The Kvaskm forces, which were supporting the Aelurian government after their since-revoked unilateral declaration of independence, were guarding a supply distribution centre in Liaville, Aeluria where rations were distributed to civilians during the blockade of the island, the nature of which was detailed in the previous case. On the day of the incident, rations had been cut once more by the Aelurian authorities and tensions were running high in the crowd.

A civilian woman was given extra sugar by the Kvaskm man distributing the rations, which she then went on to sell to a group of men for money. Another Kvaskm soldier confronted the woman in question, but due to the language barrier was unable to make his intentions understood, and ended up being surrounded by a mob of Aelurians, who proceeded to attack him.

Mr Yulov then proceeded to demand that the crowd disperse. He was joined by two other Kvaska, Iovavik and Udr, who raised rifles at the crowd. When the crowd refused to disperse, Mr. Yulov gave the order to his two subordinates to fire on the crowd of civilians, an order which was obeyed without question. This led, as I have stated, to one death and four injured civilians.

Mr. Yulov ordered his troops to fire on a crowd of civilians, and is therefore responsible for the injuries and death which occurred as a result, as are Iovavik and Udr when they carried out these orders.”

Arenas sat back down, waiting for the response.

[Kvask]

Representing the Kvaska was the leader of the group, Henrik Yulov, whose face was thinner and his hair longer than it had been back on Aeluria. His eyes were filled with a grief that could not be understood, and a torment wore on his face like no other.

With eyes looking downward, he spoke with a low tone, the words seeming to flow from his mouth with weight, "I, Henrik Yulov, along with my comrades Karl Iovavik and Franzik Udr... " he swallowed and closed his eyes before continuing, "plead guilty to the charges brought before us by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Slowly, without being told to sit down, he lowered himself into his chair, like a large tree in a forest falling to the ground.

[Sanctaria]

Churcher leaned into the mic. "Thank you for your honesty and plea. It will be taken into consideration during sentencing."

"Next case please, Clerk".

He stood. "TRC-A-15, Lauchenoiria v. Hale please."

[Lauchenoiria]

For Arenas, the case of Jennifer Hale had been a headache from the beginning, mainly because documents referred to her by about four different names.

“Your honour, Councillor Jennifer Hale, known for a time as Sonja Viratnen-Alvarez, was responsible for the illegal attack on the city of Annatown at the beginning of the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War. For clarity’s sake, I am referring to the first attack on Annatown, in which the Lauchenoirian Resistance took the city from government forces. For ease, I will refer to Councillor Hale throughout by her real name, however know that throughout most of this time she acted under the false identity of Viratnen-Alvarez.

At precisely 23:00 on the 12th June 2018, Resistance troops under the command of Hale attacked a variety of key buildings in the city of Annatown, including the Ecanta provincial parliament, several police stations, the airport, and army barracks situated just to the north of the city. This was the act which truly began the war, and happened because of Hale’s willingness to resort to violence.

After her attack on the city, Hale made a statement to the people of Lauchenoiria, urging other nations to invade Lauchenoiria, acting as if she was a citizen of Lauchenoiria as opposed to a Kerlian living under a false identity. She claimed to be serving democracy and opposing Chaher, however her actions led to the death of multiple Lauchenoirians, and began a war that was devastating to Lauchenoirian democracy.”

*

Alma Toselli had made headlines in Kerlile by successfully defending clients accused of anti-matriarchal activity, a common charge used against dissidents in Kerlile, and the most notoriously difficult charge to defend against. For her actions, she had later spent several months in one of Kerlile’s most uncomfortable prisons – accused, ironically, of anti-matriarchal activity. Her ordeal had come to an end when she was pardoned by Councillor Hale, and she hoped she could repay the favour.

“Your honour, Jennifer Hale was indeed in command of the Annatown operation. Yet, we reject utterly the claim that it was an ‘illegal attack’ – or, indeed, that it was the act which began the war. The first battle of Annatown took place on the 12th June – but most sources date the war as beginning in May.

The first battle of Annatown was preceded by events such as: Darío Vega, First Minister of Melissa Province being violently shot while clearly unarmed and attempting to speak to reporters. The violent storming and shutting down of a media outlet purely because they criticised Chaher. The forcible repatriation of a number of Kerlian refugees to a regime which likely then tortured them to death.

The first battle of Annatown was a continuation of a war which had been started by Suleman Chaher. It was a lawful action in wartime. As for the battle itself? Casualties were very low. There were no civilian casualties at all. I could count on my fingers how many deaths there were total, and most of them were on the Resistance side. All injuries were treated promptly and all prisoners were well treated.

Jennifer Hale has admitted to using the name Sonja Viratnen, and later the married name Alvarez, and has explained. I will repeat that explanation for the benefit of this court. At the age of thirteen, Jennifer Hale fled from her family home. Her mother and sister abused her because she would not conform to the expectations of a family member of a Kerlian Councillor. She took a false name to prevent them from finding her and forcing her to return to her abusive home.

She supported the pro-democracy group in Kerlile known as Democratic Kerlian State, which was wiped out in the Kerlian civil war. When it became clear that DKS was going to lose, she fled to Lauchenoiria in an attempt to start a new life. She spent her time in Lauchenoiria studying veterinary bioscience and later working in an animal shelter. She fell in love with, and married Josephine Alvarez. And then, tragically, Alvarez was imprisoned by the Chaher regime.

Yet, Hale acted with considerable restraint in the face of this. She advised and commanded the Lauchenoirian Resistance – cautioning the newly formed and unknowledgeable group to avoid unnecessary deaths, treat prisoners well, and protect civilians. If anything, the actions of Jennifer Hale had a positive effect in Lauchenoiria, saving many lives and preventing many more atrocities from occurring.

The actions taken by Jennifer Hale during the first battle of Annatown were not ‘illegal’ – and were, in fact, designed to minimise casualties, protect civilians, and further the cause of protecting democracy in Lauchenoiria from a regime that imprisoned journalists and murdered rival politicians.”

[Sanctaria]

"I'm not quite sure of what crime the prosecution is alleging here in the context of the war Mr. Arenas - that Hale took part in the Civil War?" Churcher asked quietly.

[Lauchenoiria]

"Well," Arenas began, looking flustered, "the attack on Annatown happened without any kind of formal declaration of war. Hale took it upon herself to start a war in Lauchenoiria. None of the previous actions of the Chaher government could be construed as an act of war."

[Sanctaria]

"A coup d'etat and murder of politicians and security personnel at your nation's parliament isn't considered by you to be the start of a war, or an act of war, Mr. Arenas?" Churcher asked. "What happened immediately after Suleman Caher seized power is accepted evidence."

[Lauchenoiria]

"I... have nothing more to add, your honour," said Arenas reluctantly. "Except to clarify that no politicians were killed at the federal parliament - the Vega incident occurred outside the Melissa Provincial Parliament."

[Sanctaria]

"Ok, thank you Mr. Arenas. Let's move on. Clerk?" Churcher notes were getting increasingly higher and higher.

The Clerk called TRC-A-16, Lauchenoiria v. Juárez.

[Lauchenoiria]

“Your honour,” began Arenas, “Victoria Juárez, former First Minister of Ulinaria Province, was responsible for the mistreatment and injury of several prisoners of war taken by the Lauchenoirian Resistance during the capture of the city of Elopolis. Following a guerrilla campaign against Chaher’s forces in Ulinaria Province, various resistance groups coordinated by Juárez’s former cabinet attacked the city of Elopolis on the 20th July. While this attack had very little casualties, it resulted in the capture of a number of prisoners.

While the majority of these prisoners were treated well, there were a few notable exceptions, which Juárez was responsible for. Sam Corbett was a government official sent by Chaher to oversee operations in Ulinaria after the suspension of devolution following the declaration of a state of emergency. Upon the capture of Elopolis by Resistance forces, Corbett was taken prisoner. Juárez confronted Corbett, and while he was unarmed and her prisoner, shot him in the leg. He can no longer walk.

This was not an isolated incident. Various officials who answered directly to Chaher were mistreated on the orders of Juárez. They were kept in solitary confinement, subjected to frequent insults and humiliation from Resistance personnel, and were forbidden from having any outside contact. This was in contravention of General Assembly Resolution #18. Juárez’s actions in Ulinaria were unacceptable – though, admittedly, not on the scale of Kerlile.”

*

Ilene Monahan had known Juárez professionally for a number of years. She had always admired the woman for her political work, and it had shocked her when she heard the charges. It shocked her even more when Juárez admitted to them.

“Your honour, my client Victoria Juárez pleads guilty to the charges.”