Life moves on… Though the pitfalls appear and go – but the tales around these pitfalls always carry some larger-than-life stories! David Robinson, born in Syria, raised in Australia since the age of 9 years, is such an untold story…
Images of sorrow, pictures of delight. Things that go to make up a life: Glimpses from the last year are like sparkling shadows that knock me every now and then when I think of David Robinson or actually several other players who are seen in the fields of human rights – in Geneva, at the United Nations, a hub for conflict management, creation of building bridges…
21st September 2022. It was International Day of Peace (Geneva Peace Talks) at the United Nations. I had just come out from Palais des Nations after attending the UN Sessions and the closing ceremony. Outside the UN building, a little square with a huge Broken Chair is the ground for various protests against human rights violations. I crossed the square, took a tram towards the town center and stepped out near Geneva Cornavin. As I walked down in Rue de Neuchâtel, and passed by SAJNA Restaurant, some known faces and voices caught my attention. Munir Mengal – Shaukat Kashmiri – Fazal Afridi were at the terrace, along with a group of other human rights players… “Hey, come join us,’’ they invited me. There, the first time I came across David Robinson who was in a wheelchair, speaking to a group of dissidents…
“So what’s your current function or on which side you’re playing here in this human rights arena in Geneva?’’ I asked him. “I represent an NGO that holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC.) So I speak at different UN sessions,’’ responded David.
I have known about various UN mechanisms, and about what role each mechanism or Working Groups perform for the UN Charter. The dissidents from different regions of the world also contribute a great deal of feedback to the UN on the current situations in their regions. Observing the current and undercurrents of international affairs – partly for my ducumentary films and partly for my writings has been not only my passion, but the core of my existentialism. So I watch all these actions through many different prisms. Now I could see a former sportsman from Australia among these activists in Geneva. His journey from the business ventures in telecommunication and playgrounds to the arena of human rights issues could be something interesting. I sensed an air of arrogance around David– which was probably more apparent at that time than in the next phases.
So David Robinson the player spoke on health and human rights issues at the UN sessions – he played football for Australia and then he was a gold medalist of Taekwondo. A fine contrast! Taekwondo is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. They are a kind of martial arts in which one attacks or defends with hands and feet anytime or anywhere, with occasional use of weapons. The physical training undertaken in Taekwondo is purposeful and fosters strength of mind through mental armament. It is a combat sport and was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with experience in martial arts such as karate, Chinese martial arts, and indigenous Korean martial arts traditions such as Taekkyon, Subak, and Gwonbeop.
“So our David Robinson must have been a tough guy, a guru of fighting,’’ I thought. On 3rd July 2018, David Robinson filed an allegation at the UN against high-profile corruption and the deep-rooted embezzlement in the funds attributed to specific purpose and particular regions. He continued the due process… But the fate held something else for him in store. On 18 October 2020, an unfortunate and unexpected incident took place – something that is usually unlikely to occur in Switzerland. David Robinson received a call from the police that the number plate of his car that was parked near Geneva train station had fallen down. He was advised to reach there and take care of this matter. When he arrived there, he came across two police officers, a man and a lady officer who first spoke to him – and then without any warning or provocation, the policeman assaulted him, knocked him down on the street, with a kung-fu manœuvre, round neck choke. David landed flat on his head/back spine, on the hard concrete footpath, immediately David lost consciousness for two minutes and 22 seconds, caught by security surveillance cameras. Then two police officers, tag-team, roll-over poor unconscious David over his stomach, to appear that they are handcuffing him. No paramedics were called, rather instead, police remarkably decided to lift up unconscious David and leaned his head forward, upright position, directly on the side bumper bar of the car.
David out cold, his body weight slips back, police continued with downplaying the seriousity of David’s need for emergency medical attention. Then the policeman is caught redhanded using his bodyweight, placing one of his knee used as a backrest on David backspine. David’s slips backwards, at this point, the male policeman places his right fist arm on his face. While the second police officer, picks up David’s mobile phone that was dropped on the floor and places it inside her pocket. The two police officers call in for back up, the first policeman to arrive, greets his colleagues with a smirk and appears to make a gesture, while the two police officers are frowned. Seconds later David laying still unconscious on the cold cement side walk, with his two legs dangling over the street kerb, then eight police officers surround David, all appear waiting for him regain consciousness. Few police, backaway, and disperse, then, David shows first sign of breath, with white foam pouring out of Davids mouth, police is seen lifting David backside while still handcuffed, with both hands behind his back, all along after being knocked out cold by the policeman with a high neck tackle. Then, police is seen lifting David up and thrown him into the police van and took him to the police station. The whole incident was recorded by the high tech – security cameras fixed outside the main train station in Geneva.
David said, ‘‘the whole incident was racially and politically motivated… Till now the Canton of Geneva is falsifying evidence with trumped charges, threatening to expel David from Switzerland and return to Australia.’’ Police detained him for 24 hours – and then let him go on his own. They did not have any grounds to keep this M.I.T educated and former player and human rights activist in their custody. David said, ‘It was arbitrary detention, denied transportation to hospital, denied a lawyer, denied an English translator and denied Australian Consulate assistance by police custody, rather instead I was also assaulted by police at the police station and left with more physical injuries and trauma, that is forensically recorded by HUG Hospital medical staff in Genéve.’
By now, the situation had already worsened. David Robinson, due to the last day’s police assault was going through a severe pain. As soon as he came out from the police station next afternoon on 19 October 2020, he rushed to Geneva University Hospital. There in the hospital, they conducted a routine examination and released him around 3 AM in the night. An unusual interference came from the police… Police doctor sent a letter to Geneva University Hospital the same day, advising them not to conduct any MRI of the patient, and keep it limited just to perform a normal x-ray. (The letter from the police cell doctor addressed to the hospital has been presented by the patient.) For the next three months, the patient could not get his MRI done at the hospital. Finally, David went in and demanded an MRI from the hospital, the doctor, was reluctant, at first, and gave out clear instructions to David, that an MRI must not be done at the hospital, because of notation on its computer system, rather instead, gave David an MRI referal for his back spine, on the condition that it is performed outside the perimeters of the hospital.
David conducted an MRI examination on 12 February 2021 at Lancy Radiology. David’s physical state had been worsened, without proper examination to diagnose. MRI results revealed he had the nerve damage on his lower back/the spine. He went through an operation on 21 February 2021. The operation was not successful. And ultimately, David Robinson, a gold medalist of Taekwondo ended up in wheelchair. And he is still going through his physical and psychological trauma!
I thought of my last meeting with Alain Berset, President of Swiss Confederation. It was at the Opening Ceremony of Locarno Film Festival in August 2018. I wish if next time I could tell him about this unlikely but indecent incident that knocked out a former sportsman and human rights activist in Switzerland. I am sure, he would feel the shock of those sharp blows given to David Robinson in Geneva. After all, a head of state is an indirect caretaker of every citizen in his country. Alain Berset carries a sportsman like personage and has a good sense of humour. I have experienced it when I said to him: “The Northern areas of Pakistan hold a pure and raw natural beauty and I am thinking that one day we would create another Switzerland in that region.’’ He appreciated the idea with an open heart. Then at the time of good bye, I reminded him, “In future, with a New Switzerland in Pakistan, we’ll be in your competition!’’ And when we came across next time at Locarno Film Festival in 2022, he greeted me even more warmly. He certainly holds a sportsman’s personage with a sportsman spirit!
Now I would tell him, to the President of Swiss Confederation about the trauma of David Robinson – and see how his presidential sportsman spirit gives a supporting hand to a man whose life has been confined to a wheelchair in Switzerland due to a police assault and other related events, I thought. Every man has a place, in his heart there’s a space. And the world can’t erase his fantasies. Every thought is a dream, rushing by in a stream. Bringing life to the kingdom of doing. The dignity of human being and their rights as citizens must be protected in all circumstances – though these rights are violated in certain parts of the world as an inherent policy – while in some countries, incidents happen coincidentally, yet a complete investigation on all the possible aspects must be accomplished by the State and also by serious and responsible non-state actors.
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