You Spy, I Spy, We All Spy!
It hasn't been that long since Canada accused China of industrial spying and expelled one of their 'diplomats', thus cementing good relations between the two countries. Of course, there's nothing dreadfully unique about the finding, the results and the expulsion, since it hasn't been all that long since several Russian 'diplomats' were also expelled from Canada for similar reasons. Something about robustly emerging economies with a spectacularly (C)ommunist past finding it hard to pass on old techniques and remedies for insufficiencies.But no, it's what friends and neighbour-countries also do. Humans are curious about one another, and so are governments curious about other governments and the countries, the economies, the military structure and acquired armaments, the social structures, the scientific advantages, the corporate advances, the foreign investments and diplomatic relations maintained by other countries. Not only for a leg-up informationally, but out of human curiosity do all countries engage in psychoanalyzing their counterparts.
Oh yes, there are other types of espionage, those engaged in by countries at adversarial odds with one another, those who challenge the legitimacy and intent of others. So there's lots of finger-pointing and accusations and expulsions and challenges, and detentions and tribunals and extractions of 'information' leading to charges of guilty as assumed, and thanks for all that data, it'll come in right handy, and too bad you're spending the next generation in our foul dungeons.
There's an oblique, almost non-objective kind of espionage that people are persuaded to engage in, under threat of reprisal with dissent. And there are those who instantly sign on in the hopes their situations will be bettered through preferential treatment, including the transfer of sums of money. Let's not forget the incredible number of people in East Germany and in Poland who through personal spite or personal fear, implicated their nearest and dearest for the files of the state police.
Now here's Israeli security officials revealing that Shin Bet agents have detained Israelis returning from visits to family resident in Iran who weren't able to resist overtures from Iranian intelligence operatives to help them by spying on Israel. Imagine, Jews recruited by Iran, that very country which loudly and passionately celebrates its intent to obliterate the Jewish state. Over a hundred thousand Israeli Jews have their origin in Iran.
But the kind of information revealed seems limited; Iranian intelligence officers posing as consular officials in Turkey where Iranian passports can be obtained querying the applicants about their military service, about the general economic and security climate in Israel. A clever passport applicant could swiftly turn the tide on the questioner, delivering responses whose usefulness would be questionable, and in seeming innocence still acquire the passport to visit family.
On the other hand, Egypt has accused one of its own, an engineer with its nuclear agency of having taken documents to hand over to Israel's Mossad intelligence service in exchange for a $17,000 emolument. Mohammed Sayed Saber was arrested on February 18 after returning from Hong Kong and stands accused of stealing "important documents" from the Atomic Energy Agency, handing them over to Mossad agents while in Hong Kong.
"These sorts of charges unfortunately appear all too often in the Egyptian media and they always prove to be baseless" is the dismissive response from Mark Regev of Israel's foreign ministry.
Well, look here: A Cairo court has now sentenced an Egyptian who holds Canadian citizenship to 15 years in jail for spying for Israel. They know this man, Mohammed el-Attar, is guilty because a confession was extracted from the man under torture. Three Israelis, not in custody in Egypt, were tried in absentia along with the unfortunate Mr. Attar, each receiving 15 years and fines of $2,000 each.
Memory dimly recalls the recent similar sentence meted out to another young Egyptian for the unforgivable sin of criticizing his repressively backward country, his president and its corrupt religious institutions through his Internet blog.
In the case of Mr. Attar, the prosecution claimed he was trained by Mossad officers to gather information from Arabs living in Turkey and in Canada, where he immigrated and obtained citizenship. He was also, it was claimed, recruiting Christian Egyptian immigrants in Canada, using money and sex. Money and sex? Wot's this? Why Mr. Attar, formerly a student at Cairo's Islamic Al-Azhar University was described in the Egyptian press as a homosexual.
Homosexuality is an unforgivably carnal sin of the first order in Islam and in some Islamic countries a guaranteed passage to eternity - eternally dwelling in hell, that is. He's also charged with having converted to Christianity, another life-surrendering charge under Islam - which second charge Mr. Attar strenuously denies. He also revealed that the intelligence service had tortured him to invent a confession to their liking.
"There was no proof or evidence, and from all the facts in the case, as I saw it, he should have been acquitted," according to his lawyer, Ibrahim el Basyuni, describing the judge's verdict as harsh. "I'm shocked...the media's involvement and the hype surrounding his case definitely had an impact on this trial", he added. "The judge is only human after all and it may have influenced his decision."
According to Canada's minister of foreign affairs, Peter MacKay, "Under international human rights law, evidence obtained under torture is inadmissible and cannot be the basis for a conviction. We request that Egypt address these concerns and ensure that Mr. Attar's legal and human rights are respected." How about confessions obtained under conditions of torture? "We have raised the issue of torture repeatedly with Egyptian authorities," Mr. MacKay said.
Last word goes to Mark Regev again, who states that "Israel categorically denies any involvement in the case."
Labels: Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, April 22, 2007
<< Home