Remembering the life of General Soleimani
It is said, in any given set up, under established religious and cultural beliefs and in the general parlance, the right to life is often described as the ‘supreme’ or ‘foundational’ right.
OTHER rights are unattainable if the right to life is not protected and guaranteed. Perhaps, that is why the right to life is a well-established and developed part of international law, in treaties, custom, and general principles, and, in its core elements, in the rules of jus cogens.
Undoubtedly, the primacy and the central features of the prohibition on arbitrary deprivations of life are not contested.
However, the application of such principles falls short when one is to look at the history of Iran in the past few decades which has been marred by assassinations of popular powerful and influential leaders.
Th e assassinations are based on the ill- wishes of some states in the international system who have always had the sole aim of exerting political pressure on Iran and in the process occasioning the systematic violation of human rights, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The midnight of January 3, 2020 will not easily fade in the minds of the Iranian people as it is the night that an act of terror against an anti-terror-hero was conducted as Major General Qassim Soleimani was assassinated.
In a world where the respect of international law should be the
primacy of state relations, the evil deed that was pursued by the Trump Administration constitutes a violation of international and in particular the right to life.
In fact, the government of the United States decided to close its eyes on international law.
A total of 10 people were killed along with Major General Soleimani and these include Brigadier General Hossein Pourjafari, Colonel Shahroud Mozafarinia, Major Hadi Taremi and Captain Vahid Zamanian. Th e remaining fi ve casualties were Iraqi members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).
Donald Trump without any shame appeared in a live address to the US military in California and openly admitted that he did issue the order of killing General
Soleimani.
Trump noted that “Last night, at my direction, the United States military successfully executed a flawless precision strike that killed the number- one terrorist anywhere in the world, Qassim
Soleimani.” Contrariwise, Major General Soleimaniwas a leader, a father, an anti-terror hero, the General Soleimani who died at 62-year-old was known for spearheading Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
In life, the General must be considered a hero to the world particularly the Middle East region and in death Major General Qassem Soleimani is a martyr to all Iranians and the Muslim world at large.
It is still hurting to know that
Major General Soleimani who was a lover of peace and fought for tranquillity in the
Middle East who was respected both by friends and foes as a major military tactician is gone.
Major General Soleimani was the world’s most talented military figure in the field of counter-terrorism.
He shall be remembered for playing a key role in defeating Daesh (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.
As we mark the first anniversary of the dastardly assassination of martyr General Qassim Soleimani, it has to be known to the world that what the US did in killing a top general of one country in the territory of another country is not only an illegal conduct in total violation of the spirit and the letter of the UN Charter, but it also damaged the USS international image.
Th e terrorist attack demonstrated that the Americans do not respect international law when it is not in line with their national interests; and that they are ready to restore acts of crime and terror whenever they see their evil plots in the Middle East region in danger.
A year after the death of the one of the icons of Iran, it is difficult to forget scenes around Tehran in the first week of January 2020 where his image instantly became part of a near-sacred iconography that emboldened Iran as a nation against its enemies as his casket made its way through the streets of Iran’s Capital City.
Even pictures and murals of Iran’s most glorified figures, including religious leaders and soldiers who died in the Iran-Iraq war, towered over cities and towns.
The death of the General Soleimani and his funeral proceedings brought Iranians closer to their history and rich culture.
General Soleimani, the most gifted Iranian military strategist may have been assassinated by the US, but it elevated the general to a pantheon of martyrs that has endured for centuries.
His legacy and love for peace remains forever.
Rest in Peace Martyr Soleimani
◆ His Excellency Abbas Navazani is the Iranian Ambassador to Zimbabwe.