All Quotes

"“I speak to you from exile as the Director of Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) … an organisation dedicated for over 5 years to monitoring and documenting human rights violations in Libya and advocating for accountability.”"

"“I ask for an independent and impartial international mechanism to investigate the Derna catastrophe and identify those responsible.”"

"“There is no clear or coherent strategy from the ICC in Libya … we see no clear or coherent strategy.”"

"حتى الآن حرية التعبير في ليبيا تعد جريمة."

"“Only an independent investigation into all aspects of the Derna calamity can shed light into officials’ responsibility for the dam collapse … and the key role armed groups played in managing the response.”"

"“Our call comes as a result of hundreds of Derna residents demonstrating… urging Libya’s chief prosecutor to speed up the release of findings from investigations into those responsible for and implicated in the aggravation of the disaster.”"

"الصراع في ليبيا ليس صراعًا سياسيًا، بل صراع من أجل المال والسلطة."

"Fear is a natural passion, which, like all the others, is in itself neither bad nor good, but bad when it is excessive and disquieting, good when it is subordinate to reason."

"What a marvellous opportunity for attacking the devil!"

"What is my message? That is what troubles me. I have not got a message. I am not by any means so ardent a Radical or as ardent in anything as I was. I have read so many newspapers on both sides that my old views have become so greatly modified that I no longer feel certain of anything. That is too strong, but it is true to a certain extent. Facts and existing circumstances prevent me being so enthusiastic as some are about remodelling the Universe."

"The Press is at once the eye and the ear and the tongue of the people. It is the visible speech if not the voice of the democracy. It is the phonograph of the world."

"No journalist is omnipotent, and even the most powerful journalist cannot influence those who do not read his paper. But within the range of his circulation — and readers, of course, are much more numerous than subscribers — he may be more potent than any other man. The damnable iteration day after day of earnest conviction wears like the dropping of water upon the stone."

"An editor is the uncrowned king of an educated democracy."

"The duty of a journalist is the duty of a watchman."

"It is the great inspector, with a myriad eyes, who never sleeps, and whose daily reports are submitted, not to a functionary or department, but to the whole people."

"The BAPS case should serve as a cautionary tale for policymakers, journalists, and activists. Trafficking laws are essential tools for protecting vulnerable populations, but when wielded indiscriminately, they can become instruments of cultural and religious repression. Minority religions, already stigmatized by labels like “cult,” are especially at risk. In the end, the dismissal of the trafficking charges against BAPS is a victory for common sense applied to religion. It is a reaffirmation of the principle that religious liberty includes the right to define one’s own spiritual path, even when that path involves sacrifice, discipline, and communal labor."

"His legacy will always shine in Assam's sports arena, inspiring every athlete to bring unity and pride to our state."

"Therefore, in a democratic era, I urge you to use democratic institutions available to us to voice our grievances and demands. This is our collective responsibility, as much as it is the responsibility of government to fast-track the creation of a better life for all."

"It is difficult to imagine that 16 years ago South Africa was regarded as a pariah state that was notorious for grotesque violations of human rights. Today our Constitution enjoins each and every one of us to strive for the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist, open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom."

"A key message from the Human Rights Day is that we should honour all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives in pursuit of the noble goals of freedom"

"Firstly, we must never forget the sacrifices made to forge our South African democracy and thus must never take for granted this reality."

"It is critically important to ensure that these discussions are not solely held in ivory towers of intellectualism and that they do not simply consist of elite factions of our society"

"When democracy was ushered in, it was never assumed that the road to the attainment of material freedom, justice and equality would be an easy path to traverse"

"We must remember that this nation is more than a composition of its challenges"

"Rather than being thrown into the depths of despair by the doubts that this moment raises, I charge us all to embrace doubt"

"As I retire, I am content that our strong civil-military relations built on democratic principles and accountability remain intact."

"You have been my strength, my inspiration and the heartbeat of this institution."

"I will forever remain proud to have been counted among you."

"The acquisition of specific military equipment, which adds to the much-needed fire power, lethality, persistence, range, agility and mobility in combat operations and enhances our ability to effectively project force against our potential adversaries while also achieving the critical requirements for force protection, is also a significant milestone. Such critical requirements on force protection have been challenged in recent deployments in the Republic of Mozambique."

"A soldier’s duty is to protect the nation, its people and its interests."

"Their role is to defend the country’s sovereignty from internal and external threats, guided by discipline, professionalism and a strict code of conduct."

"What we are seeing today – soldiers turning their weapons on defenceless civilians, is an act of cowardice and a sign of moral decay. This issue needs urgent national attention."

"These incidents tarnish the military’s reputation and disgrace the nation."

"The army enforces strict firearm handling protocols."

"When someone is determined to commit a crime, it is difficult to prevent it. The real issue is not firearm security but a deeper societal problem."

"No circumstance justifies murdering a woman because she chooses to leave a relationship."

"This is a twisted abuse of masculinity because men were given strength to protect, not to harm."

"We accepted it as part of life."

"What we are seeing now also looks like lack of critical thinking."

"The issue of military air assets should have been tabled and addressed better, perhaps first by engaging Parliament through the relevant committee to make MPs appreciate what is at stake."

"It should be done through the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, which is the right structure. At some point former defence minister Ramadeluka Seretse asked this committee to allow him to be the one to present to them as an equal instead of the BDF commander, and he was allowed."

"Commanders are not politicians and so have limitations on how to engage and to what extent with politicians."

"The Minister of Defence should always brief his colleagues and take them on board."

"It goes way back. At some point when we went to Lesotho, there was an uproar with our MPs complaining that they had only heard through CNN that we were in Lesotho on a peace-keeping mission. The late General Mompati Merafhe was having exchanges with the late Paul Rantao on the issue and General Merafhe responded that they could not take MPs into their confidence because they could tell the enemy."

"The BDF is going through a rough time."

"His trailblazing spirit inspires generations of athletes."

"We could be having an army that is not fit for the purpose due to its unreadiness. In this rough terrain you always have to maintain a certain level of readiness for ‘just in case’ purposes but I am afraid the BDF is lagging behind while repeated efforts by the army to sensitise the powers that be about this seem to be falling on deaf ears. We proposed force modernisation, including air assets or fighter jets. It was not General Khama who was behind procurement of Gripen fighter jets, as many were led to believe. It was the BDF’s idea following a thorough security assessment. A decision was taken by the BDF that we needed to conscientise our principals that it is no longer profitable to keep the current assets or fighter aircraft. Operation and maintenance costs were high and not sustainable."

"That’s not how we plan in the military."

"That nothing will happen is pathetic, to say the least. What if it happens? The military would be the laughing stock. National security is a priority among other priorities like education, poverty, unemployment and so on. The BDF ‘s fighter capability is compromised at the moment."

"An example of the 1978 Lesoma incident in which 17 Batswana, 15 of whom were soldiers, were killed in an ambush by the then Rhodesian regime should have been a wake-up call for us."