NationStates Jolt Archive

It was almost twelve noon in Kairo. Outside the Al-Rafiki mosque, the two hundred followers of one of the most controversial Imams in Egypt, Hamza Ibrahim al-Mustafa were flocking to the mosque for the Friday prayers. There were great expectations to this prayer, because each and every one of them had recieved a e-mail the previous night telling them that al-Mustafa was going to make an important announcement after the prayers.

After the prayers to Allah, the Imam made the announcement.

"Brothers, for too long have we been under the yoke of the Cottish infidels! For too long have they denied the true followers a own state. Therefore I am hereby issuing a fatwa declaring a holy jihad against all infidels, one that will end only when the last infidel is dead! Go with Allah and kill as many infidels as possible! Remember, the more infidels you kill, the more servants you get in paradise."

The followers were surprised at the decleration, but they would do as their leader said. They always did, and they all believed that they were doing Allahs holy work. They were true fanatics.

As they exited, they looked straight into four hundred barrels trained on them. Two full companies from the 3rd Battalion, 57th Infantry Brigade, 136th Infantry Division (Light) were infront of the mosque, training their M8 LARs/M35 LMGs/MP5 SMGs at the fanatics. They were supported by six M2008A1 Dingo APVs fitted with 15.5 x 105 mm heavy machine guns. Another company surrounded the rest of the mosque, also equipped with the same weapons. Behind them, one hundred and fifty MPs from the 726th MP Company were, armed with M45A1 pistols, MP5 SMGs and long batons. A small force of ten local police officers were also present to keep the locals away.

"You are under arrest on suspicion of violation of the Anti Terrorist Act of 2001. You are hereby considered enemy combatants, and thus have no rights. I repeat..."

The fanatics protested severely, and they protested even more when the MPs started moving towards them with pistols and batons raised. The fanatics protested and started fighting the MPs, somehow managing to wrestle a pistol out of the hands of a MP and started shooting, upon which the situation deteriated. The MPs quickly backed away while swinging batons. Once the MPs were out of the line of fire, the four hundred infantrymen and six M2008A1 Dingos opened up. 6.8 x 43 mm, 7.62 x 51 mm and 15.5 x 105 mm rounds impacted the fanatics, massacring them.

After twenty seconds, the order to sieze fire was given and the MPs moved forward again to arrest the survivors. Some thirty men, including al-Mustafa survived the massacre and were brought into waiting M939A2 trucks and driven to a military compound. They would be trialed the next day on charges of terrorism, a charge that would be punished by death if found guilty.

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/june2003/index/ii060303e.jpg
Soldiers and MPs in front of al-Rafiki mosque

Unfortunately, the entire operation had been videofilmed and sent out to the rest of the world. There were little the Cots could do about it. Now, they just hoped that the muslim world wouldn't get wiff of the massacre.

Union of Communist Republics congratulates Empirial Army of Cotland on their successful anti-terrorist operation. If Cottish Empire has no objections we would like to sent an observer group to access the threat of the terrorist cells in an urban environment.

-Alexey Chorni, PM of Union of Communist Republics

Message to Pushka
The Empire have no objections to a Pushkan observer force, however we should warn you that the civilian population down here are getting very rowdy. Also, we will not accept any heavy weapons to be imported. If that is acceptable, then you are welcome.

************************

The population of Cairo was getting the wiff of the massacre, and immediately they started protesting. The Cottish had left the Egyptians alone for the most part, given that Egypt had a status of a Autonomous Province. That meant that while the Cots took care of the military defense, justice system and foreign policy, as well as having a governor appointed by the Emperor, the Egyptians were free to do whatever they desired as long as they followed the laws. Right now, they feared that the Cots would try to change that status. That was why they started protesting.

Since the incident at the Layartebian embassy in Cotlandstad a few years ago, instant protests had been outlawed. True, protests were allowed if they obtained permission from the government, but that took a week or so, and the population hadn't even applied. That was why the local police were out in the streets, trying to stop the ever increasing mass of people. The situation was further worsened by several police officers joining the protesters. The protests were relatively peaceful (the protesters cried out slogans and were very rowdy, but they didn't attempt any violence), but the Cots were nervous still. The incident in Cotlandstad were still fresh in mind, and the Governor was very nervous. That was why he placed a call to the Emperor.

"Sir, it's Daniel in Cairo. We have a situation here."

"What kind of situation?"

"Mass protests sir. We have lots and lots of people in the streets here in Cairo alone, and reports come in from the major cities here about protests there too. Alexandria, Sharm el Sheik, Suez. Everywhere. Some of our police officers are joining the protesters as well."

"What?! I see. I'll send out the military. Let's see if we can't solve this one peacefully, shall we? Daniel, I'm making this thing your responsibility. I expect regular reports. Good luck."

"Yes sir. I shall not fail you."

Daniel placed the phone back in its cradle and looked over at the two others in the office. It was General Davies, commander of the 2nd Army, which consisted of some fourteen divisions, and Mohammed Sayeed, the elected chief of staff to Governor Daniel.

"He's sending out the military. He also wants this to be solved peacefully. General, I suppose you have some plans?"

"I do sir."

"Get them working. Mohammed, I expect you to do whatever you can to calm the population down."

"That is easier said than done. Your men really enfuriated them General. Why did you have to shoot..."

"They were terrorists! What did you expect me to do? Sweet-talk them?"

"But...."

"I had orders from the Governor. If you have a problem with them, take it up with him. He's sitting right there!"

Mohammed sat back in his chair, defeated by the decorated war veteran sitting next to him. He offered a resigned nod before he waited to get dismissed by the Governor. General Davies looked at the Governor before he rose and exited the door. Plan Golf Two, a plan that had been planned years in advance and repeated several times, but never executed, was going to be carried out. It was not going to be pretty.

Offical Statement by Caliph Rakshi
Followers of Allah,
As the descendant of the great prophet Muhammed(P.B.O.H.), and as a human being, I am appalled at the situation in Cotland. Not at one side or the other, but both. To my fellow muslims: You have been led wrongly. Allah does not wish for you to kill the people of the book, or anyone for that matter. If you wish to serve Allah, follow the 5 pillars and be a good person. To the Cottish Authorities: While I agree that this situation had to be stopped, opening fire on Muslims is not the way to go. We demand that those who ordered this massacre be tried by an international court, made up of a jury of your peers from other countries, to see if waht you have done is a crime(which, although I believe it is, the courts of the land must decide).

Allahu Ackbar.

Message to the Caliph
The Empire will launch a investigation of the incidents at al-Rafiki, but we will not extradite any Cottish citizen to a foreign court. Especially not when the citizens in question followed standing orders and training. We will, however, be willing to hold an open trial for the survivors of the incident. If you so desire, you may send lawyers to assist them. The trial will begin in two days (OOC: sometime tommorrow after your response). Since terrorism is a capital crime in Cotland, we should not need to stress the importance of a good defense for the defendants.

Offical Statement by Caliph Rakshi
Followers of Allah,
As the descendant of the great prophet Muhammed(P.B.O.H.), and as a human being, I am appalled at the situation in Cotland. Not at one side or the other, but both. To my fellow muslims: You have been led wrongly. Allah does not wish for you to kill the people of the book, or anyone for that matter. If you wish to serve Allah, follow the 5 pillars and be a good person. To the Cottish Authorities: While I agree that this situation had to be stopped, opening fire on Muslims is not the way to go. We demand that those who ordered this massacre be tried by an international court, made up of a jury of your peers from other countries, to see if waht you have done is a crime(which, although I believe it is, the courts of the land must decide).

Allahu Ackbar.


May I suggest they be tried before the League of Nations World Court?

Kreynoria']May I suggest they be tried before the League of Nations World Court?

That's what I was thinking.

Message to the Caliph
The Empire will launch a investigation of the incidents at al-Rafiki, but we will not extradite any Cottish citizen to a foreign court. Especially not when the citizens in question followed standing orders and training. We will, however, be willing to hold an open trial for the survivors of the incident. If you so desire, you may send lawyers to assist them. The trial will begin in two days (OOC: sometime tommorrow after your response). Since terrorism is a capital crime in Cotland, we should not need to stress the importance of a good defense for the defendants.

Offical Response
If slaughtering civilians is a standard order, then a dark day has befallen the Cottih people indeed. However, while we do not support terrorism, this violation of human-rights by your people cannot be tolerated. We shall send money to buy the best defence money(and faith) can buy for the defendants.(OOC: They won't be trying to defend terrorism, but defend them because you commited a gross violation of human rights.)

Official Layartebian Response

Terrorism must be defeated, throughly and throughout the whole world. We commend the Cottish on thier endeavor.

OOC: I love how my stuff was used to take out them bastards. Go me! BTW Cot, it's 15.5 x 115mm.

Valian News Network breaking report:

"Large scale riots erupted in the capitol city today as the Muslim population got word of the deplorable massacre in Cottish held Kairo. It it estimated that almost half of the city is in utter chaos as rioters burn and loot non-Muslim businesses and churches. Along with the extreme violence surrounding these terrible circumstances wide spread fires are becomming a huge concern as the fire department is unable to enter the affected area's as the largest fire to affect the city since the great fire of 1876. In addition to looting and arson we at VNN have recived preliminary reports of hate crimes commited against non-Muslims. We have also recieved information that President Wilson has fled the city to his summer compound in the Angola territory." "This has been Steven Abraham with the news."

Plan Golf Two meant that the Army took to the streets at the same time that martial law was declared throughout Egypt. Soon, helicopters flew over the area and tanks and IFVs started rolling into the streets. The local police force would essensially be supplemented by the Military Police and Army, as well as certain other elements.

As the civilians saw the Army roll into the city, they became even more upset. The message from the Carthaginian Caliph in Mecca calmed the Egyptians somewhat, but not enough for them to stop protesting in the streets. This put the soldiers in an ackward position. They had orders to arrest anyone violating the law, and they saw a lot of them infront of them. The trouble was that there were in excess of 600 000 protesters in the streets, and the soldiers had orders to disperse of the protesters by peaceful means.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/images/1004-02.jpg
Cottish soldiers attempting to keep very angry protesters at bay

So far, the divisions that entered Cairo were the 54th and 67th Infantry Divisions (Mechanized) and the 136th Infantry Division (Light), as well as three MP Companies. They were under orders to attempt to disperse the protesters using peaceful means, but they also had orders to arrest anyone who might be a threath to the public safety, however they wanted to interpent that. Orders were vauge, because the Colonels and Generals didn't know what to do.

By now, the soldiers were starting to enter the city. Tanks and IFVs took up positions at important and strategic locations. Many protesters were going there, and soldiers took up positions. However, so far everything was going relatively peacefully. They never came closer than 15 meters to the Cottish tanks and IFVs, and never closer than 3 meters to the Cottish soldiers and MPs.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/images/0404-02.jpg
Cottish Challenger 2E tank watching angry protesters

The way the Cots saw it, they had a loose-loose situation. If they crushed the protest, they would have a very poor image in the muslim world. If they allowed the protests to continue, they would appear week in other provinces and colonies, something which might inspire others to rebel against them. It was going to be a phyrric victory, no matter how they looked at it.

***********************

Message to the world

The Empire of Cotland will never extradite soldiers to a foreign nation, no matter what they have done. Further more, the Empire isn't a member of the Leauge of Nations, nor does it have any ambitions to join. Therefore we do not recognize their claims to trial Cottish citizens.

We will allow for a public trial for the world to see that we take this very seriously. We are in the prosess of interrogating the survivors as we speak, and we are experiencing good results. We are expecting confessions any moment soon. When those are obtained, the trial should be merely a presentation of our evidences, which are many and very good, and the confessions. The world shall see that we don't violate the law.

Further more, we wish to thank the nations of Pushka and Layarteb for their positive messages. Terrorism cannot be allowed to continue!

.:Reserved for later post:.

The first trial was to begin in a few minutes, inside Cairos courthouse, and it would determine the outcome of the situation. The first one on trial would be Hamza al-Mustafa, the ringleader. While the people inside the courthouse got to their seats, a convoy drove past the protesters and inside the protective ring of soldiers, a entire battalion (600 soldiers), twenty-two M2008A1 Dingo APVs and twelve M2A4 Bradley IFVs. The convoy consisted of two M2A4 Bradleys, four M2008A1 Dingo APVs, two M2010A1 Bushmaster ITVs and one AH-75A Stalker attack helicopter, which was fresh out of the factory. The AH-75 was only one of the perks gained from being allowed to join the October Alliance. The Stalker was heavily loaded with a 30mm chaingun with X rounds, two Hydra rocketpods and four FIM-192C Starstreak missiles. Anyway, inside one of the Bushmasters, Hamza al-Mustafa sat, heailiy shackled, accompanied by his three defense lawyers and six soldiers armed with MP5s and M45A1s.

When al-Mustafa exited, several of the protesters cheered. They were all identified for later questioning by a Government agency known only as Psi. Officially, they didn't exist, and as such, the Government took no responsibility for their actions. Anyway, he was quickly taken inside and placed in his seat on the left hand side. His three defense attourneys, two of whom had flown in from Carthage, were also in position next to their client, and the show could start.

"Oh ye, oh ye, oh ye. This trial is established to determine if the defendant Hamza al-Mustafa is guilty of the charges presented to him by this court. The honorable Judge Joseph Ramati residing. God save the Emperor!" the baillif called out, and everyone rose while the judge, a sixty-year old bald man of Arabic apperance carrying a large and thick book walked to his seat. When the judge sat down, he motioned for everyone else to do so as well. Then a clerk started to speak.

"Trial number 8267301, the Empire of Cotland versus Hamza Ibrahim al-Mustafa."

The judge followed immediately with the question that he had to ask, but that everyone knew how it would answered. al-Mustafa had confessed, although technically it was under duress. The confession had been obtained through Chineese Water Torture, something that was legal in Cottish law. Cottish legal procedure also dictated that any suspect is to be considered guilty untill proved otherwise.

"How do you plea?"

"Not guilty, your honor." one of the Carthaginian lawyers answered. That surprised the entire court. Surely he had confessed, hadn't he? The judge looked surprised as well, but he quickly regained his composture.

"Really? Very well. Clerk, please note in the records that the defendant pleas not guilty. Will the Government begin its display of the evidence?"

"May it please the court, we will, your honor." The lead procecutor rose and walked over to the microphone that was mounted on a stand in the middle of the courtroom.

http://www.sorenskriveren-i-sandefjord.no/bildegalleri/pictures/13.jpg
The courtroom in Cairo. Notice the Cottish crest on the wall directly above the judges seat. Next to him on each side are the seats of the assistants of the judge. The small desk in front of the judge are for the clerks writing the court transcripts. The procecution sits on the right hand side, and the defense sits on the left hand side. The witness stand is in the middle of the courtroom. There are room for a lot of spectators.

The evidences were many. Presentation of the defendant as a fanatic Islamist who hated anyone not believing in exactly what he believed, transcripts of banking accounts which showed large money-transfers to known terrorist groups, and finally, audio of the fatwa that al-Mustafa had spoken just before the massacre. It had been obtained without written permission from the courts, but the procecution argued that it had been obtained through the use of military Special Forces, and thus other rules prevailed. The presentation of evidences lasted for the better part of the hour, after which the defense lawyers could start agruing the evidences.

OOC: TLS, you wanna RP the lawyers?

Union of Communist Republics will send 30 people, including 10 reknowned military analysts and 20 bodyguards from the regular army to al-Rafiki. Also we will send two 5-ton trucks for transportation. The bodyguards will carry assault rifles, grenades and bodyarmor protection. They are to arrive later today, we hope Cotlandian officials will greet them, the group will be transported by air.

-Ilya Gusakov, Union of Communist Republics, Head of the Ministry of Anti-Terror Defense and Tactics (MATDT)

Secret IC to Cotland

In light of the situation you are facing, survelliance seems very necessary. Our OH-93C Knightwolf is equipped for such a task. Would you have interest in it?

Secret IC to Cotland

In light of the situation you are facing, survelliance seems very necessary. Our OH-93C Knightwolf is equipped for such a task. Would you have interest in it?

Secret Reply
Aye, we would. Please arrange for the shipment of 696 units to Cotland, of which we would like to have 60 sent to Egypt. The appropriate funds, plus twenty million for a speedy delivery, will be wired upon confirmation.

OOC: Do you have the stats for that one?

Secret Reply
Aye, we would. Please arrange for the shipment of 696 units to Cotland, of which we would like to have 60 sent to Egypt. The appropriate funds, plus twenty million for a speedy delivery, will be wired upon confirmation.

OOC: Do you have the stats for that one?

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Nation-States/iprojects.htm

air -> oh-93

You know I have stats for everything. You are looking at $26,468M total.

The first trial was to begin in a few minutes, inside Cairos courthouse, and it would determine the outcome of the situation. The first one on trial would be Hamza al-Mustafa, the ringleader. While the people inside the courthouse got to their seats, a convoy drove past the protesters and inside the protective ring of soldiers, a entire battalion (600 soldiers), twenty-two M2008A1 Dingo APVs and twelve M2A4 Bradley IFVs. The convoy consisted of two M2A4 Bradleys, four M2008A1 Dingo APVs, two M2010A1 Bushmaster ITVs and one AH-75A Stalker attack helicopter, which was fresh out of the factory. The AH-75 was only one of the perks gained from being allowed to join the October Alliance. The Stalker was heavily loaded with a 30mm chaingun with X rounds, two Hydra rocketpods and four FIM-192C Starstreak missiles. Anyway, inside one of the Bushmasters, Hamza al-Mustafa sat, heailiy shackled, accompanied by his three defense lawyers and six soldiers armed with MP5s and M45A1s.

When al-Mustafa exited, several of the protesters cheered. They were all identified for later questioning by a Government agency known only as Psi. Officially, they didn't exist, and as such, the Government took no responsibility for their actions. Anyway, he was quickly taken inside and placed in his seat on the left hand side. His three defense attourneys, two of whom had flown in from Carthage, were also in position next to their client, and the show could start.

"Oh ye, oh ye, oh ye. This trial is established to determine if the defendant Hamza al-Mustafa is guilty of the charges presented to him by this court. The honorable Judge Joseph Ramati residing. God save the Emperor!" the baillif called out, and everyone rose while the judge, a sixty-year old bald man of Arabic apperance carrying a large and thick book walked to his seat. When the judge sat down, he motioned for everyone else to do so as well. Then a clerk started to speak.

"Trial number 8267301, the Empire of Cotland versus Hamza Ibrahim al-Mustafa."

The judge followed immediately with the question that he had to ask, but that everyone knew how it would answered. al-Mustafa had confessed, although technically it was under duress. The confession had been obtained through Chineese Water Torture, something that was legal in Cottish law. Cottish legal procedure also dictated that any suspect is to be considered guilty untill proved otherwise.

"How do you plea?"

"Not guilty, your honor." one of the Carthaginian lawyers answered. That surprised the entire court. Surely he had confessed, hadn't he? The judge looked surprised as well, but he quickly regained his composture.

"Really? Very well. Clerk, please note in the records that the defendant pleas not guilty. Will the Government begin its display of the evidence?"

"May it please the court, we will, your honor." The lead procecutor rose and walked over to the microphone that was mounted on a stand in the middle of the courtroom.

http://www.sorenskriveren-i-sandefjord.no/bildegalleri/pictures/13.jpg
The courtroom in Cairo. Notice the Cottish crest on the wall directly above the judges seat. Next to him on each side are the seats of the assistants of the judge. The small desk in front of the judge are for the clerks writing the court transcripts. The procecution sits on the right hand side, and the defense sits on the left hand side. The witness stand is in the middle of the courtroom. There are room for a lot of spectators.

The evidences were many. Presentation of the defendant as a fanatic Islamist who hated anyone not believing in exactly what he believed, transcripts of banking accounts which showed large money-transfers to known terrorist groups, and finally, audio of the fatwa that al-Mustafa had spoken just before the massacre. It had been obtained without written permission from the courts, but the procecution argued that it had been obtained through the use of military Special Forces, and thus other rules prevailed. The presentation of evidences lasted for the better part of the hour, after which the defense lawyers could start agruing the evidences.

OOC: TLS, you wanna RP the lawyers?


OOC: Er, I guess. I have little or no knowledge of the legal system though. I guess I can portray him as, erm, unorthodox in his methods.

IC:
Although the defence knew that they were going to have a tough time, and possibly fail, they would defend al-Mustafa to the end. They did not agree with his morals, but they believed the injustices placed upon him and his people were nothing more than terror tactics commited by a government that was too trigger-happy for it's own good. Thinking back of it, Ibrahim(the lead defence lawyer) realised there was no chance his client would go free. This oppressive system, that was willing to massacre innocent civilians, would kill this man no matter what. But it was time that someone stood up for human rights in this world full of oppressive tyrants.

"Let me take on each of this accusations one at a time, your honor," began Ibrahim. "First that my client is a radical Muslim who hates those that are different than him. Is this a rare occurance? Nay, it is not. In fact, your honor, I would be willing to bet my brand new Swotch(made in Switzerland, very nice, by the way) that at least ONE person in this room besides my client feels this way. He may not be a muslim, but he(or she) may be. This is not a trait limited to just my client, nay, it is a trait limited to entire CULTURE's, yet you don't see them being brought to court, hmmm?

"Secondly, the bank accounts. Do you find it that hard that a government that is willing to massacre it's own civilians, many of whom were just caught up in this whole mess, just because a few men got overly violent, would plant evidence? If I were the Cottish government, I sure would. After all, it would be very bad PR if it turned out they had commited a massacre of their own civilians and it turned out their basis was as fake as, say, Global appreciation of Human Rights?

"Thirdly, the tape of this "fatwa" comes up. It is well known that the Cottish government is just itching to get rid of the Muslims. After all, it isn't very good when most of them would be more willing to follow the leader of another country than their own. If anything even looked like it might possibly have been the beginning of a terrorist plot, guess who took the blame? The Muslims, your honor. That's who. Even if my client had issued a fatwa(which he did not), it would not take a simple old man to take a people to resort to terrorism. Nay, it would take many years of oppression to do that. This "fatwa" was just the start.

"Which brings me around to my earlier tape. If the Cottish government was so itching to get rid of terrorism, it would need a reason to get rid of those "nasty muslims". What better way is there than to use your advanced espionage technology, which had origionally been created by non-other than totalarian regimes trying to quell populations, to frame my client and create a reason to begin a war against Muslims? In fact, the recent inaction in the resent protests right outside our very door proves my point. There has been no negotiatons with the protesters, who are not "terrorists". They are average citizens of Cairo, upset that their government, which they used to trust, had massacred their brethren."

Ibrahim looked at the courtroom for a brief seconds. Most everyone was shocked at his statement. People had heard he was unorthodox, but this was going too far! Journalist furiously scribbled in their note-books, realising that this was turning into the greatest opportunity of their career. He then looked towards his client, who smiled casually at him, and waited for the prosecutions response.

The procecution were, to say it mildly, shocked. They knew that Ibrahim was unorthodox, but this went beyond everything they had heard. The man had lashed out against the Cottish government, calling it among other things racists, dictatorial and genocidal! And the lead procecutor would have to defend the Cottish government against those accusations. He looked up at the Judge briefly while he rose to answer, and saw that the old man was shocked beyond words. He hadn't expected this kind of defense tactics either.

"Your honor, may it please the court. The Government will, like our counterparts in the defense, take the points one at the time.

Firstly, it is the defendant who is on trial here, not the courtroom. But we have provided the court with evidences that clearly and well beyond reasonable doubt shot that the defendant is a biased, hating radical with a known history of disliking the Cottish government. We present evidence A."

The procecutor held up a picture of a younger al-Mustafa marching in a rally against the then newly arrived Cottish government, holding a sign with a clearly anti-Cottish slogan ('Death to Cotland! Up the Islamic Nation') written on it. It was dated 5.11.1997, the day after the then Roman government had decided to hand the rest of Egypt over to the Cots. The procecutor handed it over to the baillif, who took it to the judge while another baillif handed a copy over to the defence attourneys.

"This picture clearly shows that even eight years ago, when the Roman government told the remainder of Egypt to Cotland, the defendant were involved and cried out anti-Cottish slogans and lobbying for a Islamic nation. Other pictures with the similar slogans taken on different dates," the procecutor held up five more pictures with basically the same motive and slogans, but with different dates ranging from 1997 to 2004, when spontanious protests were banned following the incident with the riots against Layarteb in Cotlandstad, the capitol of Cotland. "Your honor, evidences B through E." He handed those over too, and the defense got copies.

"This should be enough to prove that the defenant in fact is a fanatic muslim radical who hate anyone not believing what he is. Let's move on to the next point presented by the defense.

The bank accounts were established in a timespan ranging from 1997 to 2005, and each account held roughly four hundred thousand Coins. Each account also had at least one transfer of large moneysums to known terrorist groups, including the Carthaginian group known as the 'Sons of the Blue Crescent'. We have records from the various banks where the accounts were established, and they all bear the signature of one Hamza Ibrahim al-Mustafa. Money have also been transfered into the account by among others the defendants personal bank account. Thus, the Government feel that we have established beyond reasonable doubt the legitimacy of the ownership and existance of the accounts. We will, naturally, let the defense check these evidences closely if they so desire. They are evidences F through N."

The procecutor held up several transcripts and handed them too to the judge, as well as copies for the defense before he took a sip of water before he continued.

"Thirdly, the tape of the fatwa is genuine and its genuinity confirmed by several of the terrorists captured along with the defendant. The equipment to tape it was installed three weeks ago, after an anonymous tip that there might be illegal activities going on inside. According to the Anti Terrorist Act of the ninth of October, 2001, the Federal Police and Army are allowed to install such systems without the need for a court order. The police have kept covert surveilance on the members of the mosque for two weeks, and when they heard of the fatwa, they immediately called the Army for support. When the police attempted to arrest the protesters, they started fighting. One or more of the terrorists got hold of a firearm and started shooting at the soldiers, killing two Cottish soldiers. This resulted in the soldiers following standing orders to fire if fired upon, and yes they were fired upon. The forensics prove it. The result of the terrorists' resisting arrest were one hundred and seventy dead terrorists and two dead Cottish soldiers. Their deaths are regrettable, although we had strong evidence against them and they would have been sentenced to either severe prison time or execution, that they were killed without trial or sentence. But the fact remains. Hadn't the terrorists resisted arrest, they wouldn't have been shot down like they were. The so-called 'massacre' is entirely the fault of the terrorists, not the Cottish Government. Just so that it is clear.

You pointed out the massive security detachment outside the courthouse here, and in Cairo in general. If the court allowes me to dwelve into history for a brief moment to explain the large military presence?"

The judge noddded.

"The Layartebian embassy in Cotlandstad was attacked by more than fifty thousand rioters. As a result, after a long and thurrough investigation that showed that the riot was a direct result of a spontanious demonstration gone bad, spontanious demonstrations were banned. The more than six hundred thousand protesters outside this building are violating that law right now, and they all risk hefty fines or prison time if the demonstration turns violent. The Government have no wish of unnecissary bloodshed. That is why the Army and National Guard, which has been ordered out, hasn't crushed the demonstrations yet. The demonstrators are asking why we killed those one hundred and seventy souls outside the mosque. You have gotten the answer. They were terrorists who resisted arrest, killed two Cottish soldiers and risked the lives of more than four hundred other soldiers. The soldiers acted in self-defense."

The courtroom murmurred a bit, causing the judge to have to call for order in the courtroom.

"The fatwa was announced by a deluded and crazy man who believe that he is preforming the acts of God. A man who ignores the fact that he can do pretty much whatever he wants, as long as it is within the bounds of the law, which don't say much more than any other law in any other nation. He can't kill or maime people. He can't steal from anyone. He can't use drugs. Virtually every nation in the world has these kinds of laws. He can join in the free elections to get a ruling council to rule Egypt in cooperation with the Governor. Egypt has the status of a Autonomous Province. That means that the only thing the central government decides is the military situation, the foreign policy, the federal law and who gets to be governor. The rest is up to the people of Egypt. They have equal rights to all other provinces in Cotland, only that they decide more themselves. Surely this cannot be an 'oppressive system'?

The Government has presented several evidences to support their claims that the defendant is a terrorist, and therefore must be sentenced to the harshest punishment applicable by law. However, the court has yet to hear the primary evidence the Government has to offer. Let us hear it now."

The procecutor picked up a tape and handed it to the baillif, who got it into the stereo and pressed play. There were some background sounds of people mumbling and moving around before a strong voice started speaking in Arabic. It was identified as Hamza Ibrahim al-Mustafa.

"Brothers, for too long have we been under the yoke of the Cottish infidels! For too long have they denied the true followers a own state. Therefore I am hereby issuing a fatwa declaring a holy jihad against all infidels, one that will end only when the last infidel is dead! Go with Allah and kill as many infidels as possible! Remember, the more infidels you kill, the more servants you get in paradise."

A translation in both Cottish and English were given to the judge, defense, journalists, who were scribbling as fast as they could, and the clerks writing the transcripts. The tape stopped, and the procecutor enjoyed the silence for a few seconds before he spoke again.

"May it please the court, evidence O. With this, the Government has but one more evidence to present. The written, signed conviction of the defendant, Hamza Ibrahim al-Mustafa. Evidence P. The Government rests."

The procecutor sat down and waited for the defense to argue the evidences. So did the judge. The defense attourneys would have a hell of a time trying to talk away the evidences against al-Mustafa.


OOC: I guess I have the advantage over you then. I'm aspiring to be a lawyer when I get out of High School and the military.


Links for future reference

The riot in Cotlandstad (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=409829&page=2&pp=30)

The banning of spontanious demonstrations (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=413746)

You're bound to remember this one... the one where you invaded me! (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=388695&page=2&pp=30)

OOC: I know, I am royally and utterly f*cked :D

I'd really like to respond, but I just watched Gandhi. It has put me off mindset O_o

You could do the response or something.

OOC: Nah, you do the response. You're doing great so far.

Official Statement from the Council of the Nine Sultans
Royal Palace, Manama, Bahrain
Encryption Level- Indigo(Sultans only, highest level of encryption)
Date-07/31/2005
Security Level- Secure Ultra Magna
Sender-Council of the Nine Sultans
Recipient of Message-Cottish Emperor
Subject-Incident in Cairo
MESSAGE BEGINS

We are astounded by the brutality used by the Cottish government in responding to this threat of terrorism. As a country that is predominantly Muslim, we have come across radical clerics that preach in ways untrue to the Quran, as well as similar Christian, Hindu, and even Buddhist groups. We have found that the most successful way to put down such a group is to remove the religious demagouges inspiring the men to take up arms. A full military engagement, similar to the one you are now engaging in, only inflames the situation, and draws popular support to the militant cause. This case in particular invokes the ire of citizens because they were arrested before even picking up a weapon or threatening The affects have been seen throughout Elephantum.

Major protests have occured in Manama, Kuwait, Dubai, Riadyh, Baghdad, Mosul, Madras, Abu Dhabi, Sharja, Doha, Basra, Najaf, Amman, and many other large cities. Even New Manama, the capital and only signifigant settlement in Elephanti Antartica, had people showing up to decry the "Cottish assault on the Egyptian people."

None of these protests turned violent, but the Royal Guard was dispatched to the Manama protest to ensure the Cottish embassy was not harmed by the crowds.

In an effort to calm the people in your country and mine, we would ask to have one or more of us, the Council of Sultans, issue a public international radio and television broadcast urging calm and moderation. We feel this will help end the threat of violence in your nation, as well as those in the rest of the world. However, it will not help soothe anyone's nerves if you continue using military force in Egypt. We would propose releasing those arrested that you have no direct evidence against, and to concentrate efforts on capturing the Imam responsible instead of seeking revenge on the general populace.

Sincerest Regards,
The Nine Sultans of Elephantum


(ooc-did you name the defendant after a punctuation/accent/whatever[not sure exactly what you call it, I'm only beginning learning the Arabic alphabet] mark for a reason?)

Secret IC to Elephantum

"The Empire will gladly welcome a statement that urges the crowds to calm down and return home. We would look very favorably upon it.

As for the military presence in Cairo, they are there to protect the public buildings. The protests are technically illegal, due to a law issued shortly after the riots in Cotlandstad last year when more than 50 000 rioters attacked the Layartebian embassy. It is our hope that the protesters will return to their homes when they find out that the defendant is proven guilty. We will not resort to force unless the crowds gives us no other choise than to do so (IE attacks the soldiers).

We have no wish for bloodshed. Those killed in the firefight at al-Rafiki were proved to be terrorists with intentions of attacking civilians and soldiers in Cairo. If you wish, we can send copies of the evidences for an international, neutral investigation. If you accept, we hope that you will make the findings public."

OOC: I don't know. I just took a name that sounded Arabic...

bump

Secret IC to Elephantum

"The Empire will gladly welcome a statement that urges the crowds to calm down and return home. We would look very favorably upon it.

As for the military presence in Cairo, they are there to protect the public buildings. The protests are technically illegal, due to a law issued shortly after the riots in Cotlandstad last year when more than 50 000 rioters attacked the Layartebian embassy. It is our hope that the protesters will return to their homes when they find out that the defendant is proven guilty. We will not resort to force unless the crowds gives us no other choise than to do so (IE attacks the soldiers).

We have no wish for bloodshed. Those killed in the firefight at al-Rafiki were proved to be terrorists with intentions of attacking civilians and soldiers in Cairo. If you wish, we can send copies of the evidences for an international, neutral investigation. If you accept, we hope that you will make the findings public."

OOC: I don't know. I just took a name that sounded Arabic...


OOC: So you think that the angry muslims will listen to his guys instead of a Caliph?

I feel sad *cry*.

j/k. But I'll get working on the defence now, mmmmkay?

IC:
Ibrahim showed no emotion on the outside, but on the inside he was nerviously going over the situation. Ok, so he was screwed. Big time. In fact, he detested what his client had done earlier in his life, but he still had his trump card. The massacre of civilians when they could have peacefully been rounded up and sent to prison.

He stood up and looked around the courtroom. He then spoke. "Once again, I shall take each point one at a time.

"First, Evidence A. You call it evidence, which deeply surprises me. You think that what this man did years ago, when free speech was still allowed here, means that he ordered this, ahem, 'fatwa'? When I was a college kid, I protested that the city of Mumbai was being too lenient on polluting cars, but does that mean I was the one who blew up the Hummer dealership? No! In fact, the person who did that was from Delhi, and had never been to the protests! So I hardly doubt this sign could be called 'evidence'.

"Secondly, the money transfers to the 'terrorist groups'. Your own plan has backfired on you. Sons of the Blue Crescent are not a radical islamist group, as you would know if you had studied the Sicilian War(OOC: In other words, the thread :D). In fact, they couldn't care less about Islam! Their sole purpose is to re-conquer all of Carthages 'lost land', so to speak, and then wipe out the Romans. A horrible quest indeed, but why would al-Mustafa fund this group, if it had no intentions of helping his plight?

"Thirdly, to the 'fatwa' again. You say that several terrorists 'confirmed' that my client made this tape. Seeing how your country has little or no respects for the rights of human beings, as the massacre shows, and since you are 'best friends' with many nations that employ people that torture people for fun, I would not be surpsised if these terrorists 'confirmed' this while they were being tortured. Or under threat that their families would be hurt, or that they would be let free if they said it was al-Mustafa.

"Then, to the massacre itself. You say that the police intended to arrest the protesters, no? What is the basic way to put down a riot? You get men laden in S.W.A.T. gear, with plastic shields and battons. You then use tear-gas on the crowd to break it down. You then advance and begin to arrest people. Either it was intentional to open fire on the protesters, or your police are woefully inefficent. Either way, it does not look good for you.

"Also, are you trying to tell me that the Cottish military, which is well trained and armed, would have been taken down by a force that was smaller than the men deployed there, had no training, and maybe 5 of them had guns? Oh sure, you flaunt that a whole 2 of your soldiers died, but what about the innocents? What about the mothers and children who just wanted to get out the mosque? Could they have gotten out? No, they could NOT have! As in the Karachi Massacre (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/Amritsar_Massacre.jpg)(OOC: Based off ot the Amritsar massacre) commited by the now gone Parthian Empire against our nation many years ago, your soldiers did not care who they were shooting, just that they were killing people. That is a professional military force if I ever saw one..."

Once again, when he looked at the courtroom, he saw shocked faces. Not as shocked as before, but shocked none the less. He smiled inside his head and got back to business.

"Finally, back to the 'fatwa'. As I have stated before, technology allowing you to mimic other peoples voices is all over the place. Number 2, my client is a faithful muslim. He has read the Holy Qu'ran so many times he could recite the entire thing by memory in his sleep backwards. He would know that you do not get 'servants' in paradise. Paradise is where all good men go(according to Islam, that is). Be they Christians, Jewish, or anything, if they have been good in life, to Paradise they go. Sure, the Muslims go to 'Paradise +1', if I may use speak from my Dungeons and Dragons days, but if you have been good you will be rewarded.

"Also, no one actually saw the Imam say this fatwa. According to eye-witness accounts, his followers received an e-mail, and when they arrived all they got was this announcement after prayers. No one said that the Imam got up to speak. In fact, no one even saw him in the courtyard! All they heard was the prayers and the fatwa! Your entire prosecution is based off of false information. Of course, you would not be able to know where the Imam was, because you killed nearly all of his followers, even the peaceful ones! Of course they would not talk to you, but there are many servants of the Caliph in this country, and that is what they said. Unless, of course, you had some 'secret camera' installed as well, and you just forgot to bring it out, seeing how it would add much more credible proof than a voice-recording(of course, it would probably be easier to fake a video than a voice-recording).

"Finally, no one else has said that any of his previous prayers were radical. If they were, they would have protested loooong ago, and the Imam would be marching out in front with his followers. It seems odd that a poor Imam, who had begun to realise that he could only achieve his goal by peaceful means, would suddenly call for all-out war. Like many of the people who witnessed the attack on the Layartebain embassy, he realised that rioting would bring about death and destruction, something he often talked about in his more recent gatherings. I myself witnessed such an act, and realised the same thing. This man is not a cold-blooded killer, or a warmonger. He is a servant of God, who has been made a scapegoat for the Cottish government."

Ibrahim sat down next to his client, who's face was beeming with joy. He smiled at his client, but deep down inside he was deeply sadened. This poor Imam, who had devoted his life to Islam and had forgone the radical days of his youth, would certainly be found guilty.The judge said that there would be a recess until tommorrow,(there would have been one soon enough, seeing how the papers would eat this up and everyone needed to ajust) and the courtroom slowly emptied. He left the courtroom with his client, declined to give interviews, and got into his car. He was driven to the hotel where he was staying, and grabbed a slice of cheese pizza. He then hoped into the shower, got changed into his boxers, and sat on his bed. It began with a trickle, and then a stream, but soon enough Ibrahim was silently weeping on his bed.

Sometimes, he hated his job.

OOC: It seems that my memory of threads has given me the brief upper hand!
Oh, and sorry if making the court-day "over" gets you angry or something, but this has been a big day, no? You can make your reply the next day.

The following day, the court was once again in session. The Government had spent the better part of the evening and night in preparation for this day, and now they were going to use it for what it was worth. The bailiff stood up and called out his normal mantra.

"Oh ye, oh ye, oh ye. This trial is established to determine if the defendant Hamza al-Mustafa is guilty of the charges presented to him by this court. The honorable Judge Joseph Ramati residing. God save the Emperor!"

As he said that, the judge walked out and sat down in his seat. All the spectators in the court were standing up in respect of the court, until the judge told them to sit down again.

"This court is now in session. The Government will answer to the claims made by the Defense before we move on to witnesses."

The lead prosecutor stood up and looked over at the man he hoped to get to the gallows. The man grinned while his defense attorney whispered something in his ear, but that grin wouldn't be there when the lead prosecutor was finished. He was certain of it.

"May it please the court. I will, as my colleagues on the defense bench go over the list one at the time.

Free speech is allowed, and is one of the civil rights we cherish the most. However, spreading lies and encouraging to terrorism and treason is not allowed. And that is exactly what the defendant has done. The evidences are not tampered with. If they are, I'll be sure to nail the ass of whichever idiot who did it so hard he won't be able to sit ever again. I apologize to the court for the language,"[/] he added quickly before the judge could correct him. [i]"but it was necessary to prove how much I dislike tampered evidences. The sign will remain in the evidence list, and I leave it up to the judge to determine how much weight he wishes to put into it.

The Sons of the Blue Crescent are only one of the many terrorist groups, yes, Cotland considers the Sons of the Blue Crescent a terrorist group that the defendant has wired money to. Others include Al-Qaida and Ansar al-Islam. Well-known terrorist groups. Why he would support the Sons of the Blue Crescent, I have no idea. But he has, making him guilty of supporting a terrorist entity, something that is also illegal in Cotland.

The Empire does not condone torture. We rely on other ways of obtaining information, I am told. You will get a chance of asking the people responsible for the interrogation of the defendant later today sir. The alliances that the Empire is involved in are not up to me, but those nations we are allied to have proven to be great allies in the past and in the present. We don't care about their internal affairs. That is, as I just pointed out, their internal affairs and nothing for the Empire to be concerned for. I also wish to point out that the defense acknowledge the status of the suspects as terrorists. If you wish, I can show you on the court transcripts that you have called them terrorists."

OOC:
I would not be surprised if these terrorists 'confirmed' this while they were being tortured.

IC:

"We do not threaten the suspects, nor do we torture them.

As for the apprehension of the suspected terrorists, the police had nothing to do with it. The Armed Forces is responsible for taking down them. In fact, you will get the chance of questioning people who were there in a few moments. I cannot comment on the methods used by the Army.

There were no women or children in the mosque. All the people apprehended were men. So were those who resisted arrest and died. There were no women or children present. And think of those two brave soldiers who died, protecting the Cottish way of life. The men and women in the Imperial Cottish Armed Forces have all sworn the same oath. I will now read that oath for the court."

The prosecutor picked up a sheet of paper and started reading. It was taken directly from a training manual for the Imperial Cottish Army, printed last year. It was as up to date as it could be.

"'I, state your name, do solemnly swear, that I will protect and defend the constitution of the Empire of Cotland. That I will protect the Emperor and the people with my life against all enemies of the Empire, foreign as well as domestic. So help me God!'

As you can hear, the soldiers swear to protect the people against all enemies. Foreign and domestic. The people who killed those two soldiers were domestic enemies to the soldiers. Therefore they acted as they have sworn to do, and thereby protected the Empire and its inhabitants. That they killed those people are regrettable, but they were enemies of the Empire.

Technology. I don't know what they do in Carthage, but here in Cotland, messing with the evidences is illegal. We do wish to get a conviction, but only through the legal measures. We don't use technology for that. Evidence P has not been tampered with.

I don't know what your client would do, but based on the evidences we have gathered, it is clear that he is a radical Muslim with intentions of whipping out anyone not Muslim! He may know the Koran, but he sure chooses strange places in it to recite from. On more than ten occasions, he has preached about death to all infidels and such.

You are either lying or not correctly informed when you say that no-one saw the defendant in the courtyard. He led the Friday prayers as normal and he made the announcement to his followers. He followed them out, and he led the attack and murders of Private Greg Davies and Corporal Bill Farmen." The prosecutor now pointed at two large portrait pictures of two soldiers dressed in parade uniforms that were being unveiled so that the defense, prosecution, judge and audience could see them.

"These two men were deprived of their lives when the suspected terrorists killed them. The soldiers, fearing for their own lives, did the only thing they could. They returned fire. And the man who is responsible for the killing, is sitting right there!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at al-Mustafa. ”How can you not find the defendant guilty as charged on all points? You can’t! Therefore the court cannot have any other choice than to find the defendant guilty and sentence him to the harshest punishment applicable by the law! The Government has presented its evidences, and rests your Honor.”

The judge looked over at the lead prosecutor, who was now red-faced and sweating. He had really taken himself out on those last few sentences. Now came the funny part. Witnesses!

”The Government calls Captain Eric Walz to the stand.”

“Is Captain Walz present?”

“He is your honor.”

The doors opened and a man dressed in a Class-A Army uniform walked into the courtroom, his hat stowed away under the left arm and two rows of medals on the left side of his chest. Over them was a pin informing anyone who had the know-how that the Captain was an expert marksman. He walked confidently up to the witness stand, having been briefed by the Government all night yesterday, and was sworn in.

”Do you swear that the information you shall give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

“I do.”

“Be seated.”

The Captain sat down and waited for the inevitable. He didn’t much like courts, and he sure didn’t like this one. The lead prosecutor stood up and started the questioning.

”Please state your full name and position for the record.”

“Captain Eric Walz, company commander, ‘B’ Company, 3rd Battalion, 57th Infantry Brigade, 136th Light Infantry Division, Imperial Cottish Army.”

The Captain took great pride in his position, and spoke the words fast, but not so fast that the clerks couldn’t write it down.

”Captain, could you please tell the court where you were at noon on Friday the 26th and what you did there?”

“At noon, I was a block from the al-Rafiki mosque along with my Company sir. We were waiting for a go/no go from Command for a special operation.”

“Can you tell the court anything about that operation?”

“Not much sir. National security concerns.”

“I see. Can you tell the court about the incident that occurred at roughly 1245 that same afternoon?”

“Yes sir. We received the go from Command fifteen minutes prior, and took up positions outside the mosque. Our orders were to apprehend potential terrorists for questioning. Then the suspects walked out. The men, that’s the men from both ‘B’ and ‘C’ companies, raised their weapons and aimed at the suspects while I called out to them that they were to stand fast and that they were under arrest on suspicion of violation of the Anti Terrorist Act of 2001. That law allows the military to detain anyone suspected for terrorism and bring them in for questioning.”

“But the people there didn’t stand fast, did they?”

“No sir. They resisted arrest when the MPs moved in to start detaining them. They shot two of my men sir. They wrestled the weapon from their arms and shot them dead. Those two boys were just out from boot. They were unnecessary deaths!”

“I can see that you’re upset Captain, but I have to ask these questions. What happened when the suspects wrestled the weapons from Private Davies and Corporal Farmen and shot them?”

“We immediately fell back and opened fire, in self defense as per standard operating procedure!”

The Captain was clearly aggravated now, and he looked like a wrong question might cause him to jump up and bite the head of the one who was asking. Yet the prosecutor pressed on.

”So standard operating procedure allows you to shoot people?”

“Standard operating procedure clearly states that we are allowed to fire if fired upon. We were clearly fired upon! Those two dead kids are clear proof of that! The answer to your question is yes, we are allowed to shoot people if they attack us.”

“And you opened fire with what you had. Standard assault rifles of the type M8A1, light machine guns of the type M35A1, submachine guns of the type MP5 and your sidearms of the type M45A1, if I’m not mistaken. Why weren’t you equipped with non-lethal weaponry?”

“Non-lethal weaponry wasn’t issued to us by Command sir. They said that we would face heavily armed jihadists, and we needed to be able to defend ourselves. They did give us some Dingo’s though.”

“That would be the M2008A1 Dingo Armored Personnel Vehicle, equipped with M340A heavy machine guns. What did you do with the survivors of the shooting? The suspects, I mean.”

“I’m not at liberty to say. National security concerns.”

The courtroom was dead silent yet again, and the Captain looked over at al-Mustafa, who seemed to shrink in his chair when the Captain looked at him.

”One final question Captain. Who is Command?”

“Divisional Headquarters in conjunction with Army High Command and the various intelligence services sir.”

”Thank you Captain. Your witness.” he said to the defense attorney as he sat back down.

OOC: Long bastard. I spent a couple of hours writing, and I'm pretty tired, so you'll probably find a few gaps in the ole logic in the writing. Anyway, just post the questions to the Captain and he'll answer them.

OOC: Dude, it would help if you were more accurate in your first post :p. You never said he got onto the podium, never said it was only men, etc etc. I'll respond later, anyhoo. Time constraints, you see.

:: bump ::

While the court was in session, the news of the lifting of the ban of protesting reached the crowds, and they started cheering and celebrating. This was further increased when the military started moving out of the city and heading back to their garrisons, save for a small detachment of infantry and MPs, who were to assist the local police in keeping the peace and order. While the military moved back to their garrisons, more and more police started coming into the streets.

More than fifty police officers, wearing riot helmets and shields, took up positions in front of the demonstrators who were now marching on the courthouse and blocked the road for the thousands of demonstrators. This wasn't overly popular, but the demonstrators accepted it. After all, the government had made a confession.

http://www.labournet.net/world/0303/cairo1.jpg

Overhead, military helicopters continued to patrol. Among them were newly arrived OH-93C Knightowl surveilance helicopters that watched the situation. Still, the crowds were behaving in a orderly fashion, and therefore there were no need for the police to move in on them.

Further behind the litteral wall of police, at the courthouse, journalists and spectators were being allowed into the courthouse only after strickt security checks. More police were there, checking the people who wanted to enter.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/meast/11/14/egypt.elections.02.ap/police.ap.jpg

Hopefully the demonstrators would head home soon. A verdict was expected after the witness interviews.

OOC: I swear, I will respond soon as possible, but I am literally out of time. It takes me well over half an hour to write a good post, and I don't have half an hour.