EDITOR'S NOTE:
For February we have two stories about the death of Benazir Bhutto. The first, by John Moore, was widely seen in newspapers and on television. After her rally, Moore was ready to leave, only to be surprised to see her stand up in her automobile. While it was an armored vehicle, no amount of armor can protect someone who opens the sunroof and stands up. The armor worked very well because no one else in the car was injured but Bhutto was killed. How she died is still up for political discussion in Pakistan. Pakistan has said that she fatally bumped her head falling into the car; however, a hand with a gun was seen and the passengers inside disagreed with the government.
We are fortunate to have another look and interpretation of the event by Adam Dean. We see Bhutto speaking to the crowd, standing up in the car and the aftermath. Dean, unable to enter the front of the hospital where the former prime minister was taken, entered from the back which doesn't say much for security.
Spencer Platt went into a nation in Africa with all the terrible problems of Darfur but without any press coverage. Indeed, who has heard of CAR, as it is known? The Central African Republic suffers from killings by the marauding Janjaweed who have destroyed the population's living quarters and their crops. So they sit in vanquished villages with nowhere to go, no protection and with nothing to eat.
Marianne Fulton
Dispatches Editor
fultonaustin@yahoo.com
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