[uruknet.info] - [daily information from occupied iraq] - [newsletter 31 May 2005]

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Detainees in the Captive Country-II
Testimonies of Iraqi Prisoners In the American Prisons
Eman Ahmed Khammas, BRussells Tribunal
I saw soldiers having fun torturing the Iraqi prisoners, I saw thousands of
innocent people kept in jail for reasons they do not know, I saw very old
people in prison, one of them was born in 1919, I saw 10 year old children,
I saw women, one of them was 23, forced to go around in prison in front of
every body in her underwear, all her crime was that her husband was an
officer. I ! saw solitary confinement; I saw psychological torture,
humiliation, deception, bad treatment, and bad conditions for two years.
Once we found a lizard in the sauce....

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12180&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12180


Detainees in the Captive Country-I
Testimonies of Iraqi Prisoners In the American Prisons
Eman Ahmed Khammas, BRussells Tribunal
...Huda, 43, is in jail now for the third time, her story is well known,
not only inside Iraq. It is a big tragedy of a whole family. Huda's brother
Iyad was killed under torture in Adhamiya American military base in
December 2003, his body was found in Baghdad morgue 3 months later among
the unidentified. Her sister Nahla was arrested with her in December 2003
for ei! ght months. Her Brother Ali is still in Bucca Camp for a year and a
half now. Her nephew, Mohammad is arrested with her now, and is in Abo
Greib. Her other brother, Mo'taz, was released after 15 months in Bucca.
Their problem is that they are wealthy family. They refused to be
blackmailed. Huda is a business woman. She is a contractor. According to
her daughter Farah, 23, a collaborator asked her to pay him $20.000, she
refused, so he gave the American bad information about her, and she was
arrested in December 20...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12175&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12175


The crime against humanity that is the state of Israel. Is there no end?
William Bowles, I'n'I
...I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes
– Winston Churchill on the use of mustard gas on Iraqis
Hence Winston Churchill’s description of the use of poison gas on the
people of Iraq is not connected to current policies. As far as our present
leaders are concerned, it was a Martian invasion wot did it. It is this
power to fragment the continuum of our history that is perhaps the most
striking aspect of the power of the ideology of racism, for how else can
the actions of the Israeli state be divorced from the reality of their
impact on the people of Palestine? How else can the corporate media of
today justify ignoring, demean and downplay the daily reality of life under
occupation? It has nothing to do with the fact that it simply ignores it,
if anything the very fact that occasionally it makes all the ‘right noises’
about how Palestinians or Iraqis are treated that reinforces the underlying
assumptions on the part of dominant culture. Assumptions that create a
qualitative difference between the death of a Palestinian and that of a
‘Jew’...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12187&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12187


The pathetic unflushing of the Quran
Imad Khadduri , Free Iraq
"There is a carpet company in Switzerland that is owned by an Iraqi
expatriate, Joseph Najib, who patented a prayer carpet that features an
embedded compass which points to Mecca from any place in the world [as an
aid to the Moslem when she/he prays]. Up to this point, this is a normal
news item.
On May 26, 2005, this company received an order from the Pentagon to
produce ten million such carpets:
- Five million of which are to portray two hands, shaking. On one hand, the
American flag is embossed. On the other hand, the Afghani flag is shown,
both under the caption: "A Gift from the American People".
- The other five million other carpets do also portray two shaking hands.
However, while one hand does show the American flag, the other one is to
portray the Iraqi flag, under the same caption: "A Gift from the American
People"...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12193&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12193


“Things are getting worse by the day.”
Dahr Jamail
...Keep in mind, the vast majority of the Iraqi security forces are either
Shia or Kurdish battling against a primarily Sunni resistance (for now). It
can easily be argued that we are witnessing a US-backed Iraqi government
who is deliberating using its power to wage a civil war. On that note,
today Major General Ahmed al-Barazanchi, a Kurdish man who was the director
of internal affairs of Kirkuk province died this morning after being shot
yesterday. My sources ! in Baghdad also said there have been fierce clashes
today in the al-Amiriya district of Baghdad between resistance fighters and
Iraqi and US soldiers. “Open gun battles in the streets,” as one friend
told me, “And as soon as the Iraqi and US soldiers leave the area, the
resistance takes it back over”...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12186&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12186


For Iraq, and St. George!
Angela Williams, Pakistan Daily Times
Oh, the exhilaration of watching George Galloway giving it to those
neo-cons and giving it to 'em good -- if you'll pardon my lapse into
Hillbilly-ese. But this sort of thing doesn't happen very often; indeed, it
is probably unprecedented in the whole history of the United States,
(albeit less than two-and-a-half centuries worth of history) so one really
ought to celebrate, and let the stiff English upper lip relax a little. I
might even permit mysel! f a little "Yee-hah! Way to go, George! You're
darn tootin'!" (whatever that may mean, but it sounds suitably festive and
congratulatory)...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12188&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12188


Too few, yet too many
Paul Krugman, New York Times
One of the more bizarre aspects of the Iraq war has been President Bush's
repeated insistence that his generals tell him they have enough troops.
Even more bizarrely, it may be true - I mean, that his generals tell him
that they have enough troops, not that they actually have enough. An
article in yesterday's Baltimore Sun explains why...


<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12189&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12189


Depeted Uranium Bill Introduced Into Congress
The Lone Star Iconoclast
Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), a medical doctor, on May 17 introduced
legislation with 21 original co-sponsors in the House of Representatives
that calls for medical and scientific studies on the health and
environmental impacts from the U.S. Military’s use of depleted uranium (DU)
munitions in combat zones, including Iraq. The McDermott bill also calls
for cleanup and mitigation of sites in the U.S. contaminated by DU...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12192&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12192


Memorial Day Interview
Gold Star Families for Peace
Kevin Zeese, www.dissidentvoice.org
...We at GSFP are insulted when people like Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney say
that America has to “stay the course” in Iraq to “honor our children's
sacrifices.” Our position is that no one (Iraqi or American) should have
died for the lies and to make evil people fabulously wealthy. Just because
our children were unjustly murdered, why would we want any more bloodshed?
Not one more drop of blood should be shed for the li! es and deceptions.
Honor our children's and our family's sacrifices by bringing the troops
home as soon as humanly possible. Honor our men and women in the armed
forces by using them only when America is threatened, not to invade
countries that pose no threat to the USA...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12185&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12185


Torture
Patricia Goldsmith, www.dissidentvoice.org
Torture is the ultimate act of bad faith on the part of the state, and it
is, therefore, credible evidence that a state is illegitimate. Torture
strips individuals of all rights, and, very often, of their lives. When
George W. Bush “determined” that the Geneva Conventions no longer apply --
Alberto Gonzales, who was then White House Counsel, referred to the
Conventions as “quaint” and “obsolete” -- he departed from clear, specific,
and well-established norms of c! ivilized conduct, and left military
personnel on the ground to deal with the consequences...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12183&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12183


Operation Lightning: Is Iraq Another Honduras?
News Hounds
... So what is the real purpose of Operation Lightning? Perhaps it is a
continutation of a tactic used by John Negroponte in Honduras, i.e., use
"elite" militias within the larger indiginous force to terrorize the locals
and round up, imprison, interrogate and maybe "disappear" alleged bad guys
without a search warrant approved by a judge or the benefits of a lawyer to
argue the case...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12182&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12182


Civil War in Iraq: Creating a Foundation for a New Hezbollah
Kurt Nimmo, Another Day in the Empire
Arresting Mohsen Abd al-Hamid, leader of the Iraq (Sunni) Islamic Party, is
good for business, or so it is believed by the Pentagon and the Strausscons
who roost there. “No reason was given for the arrest and the US military in
Baghdad was not immediately able to confirm the incident,” Forbes reported
last night. “Abd al-Hamid and his three sons were hooded and detained at
his home by US forces on Monday morning,” ! al-Jazeera added“...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12181&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12181


The Case of Pablo Paredes
Lynn Gonzalez , San Diego Military Counseling Project - ZNet
...My lawyers felt it was ill advised for me to plea not guilty...But
pleading guilty is more than admission of an action, it is also acceptance
that that action was wrong and illegal. These are two things I do not
accept. I feel...my actions...were in fact, my duty as a human being and as
a service member....I think we would all agree that a service member must
not participate in random unprovoked illegitimate violence, simp! ly
because he is ordered to. What I submit to you is that I am convinced that
the current War is exactly that. So if there is anything I could be guilty
of, it is my beliefs. I am guilty of believing this war is illegal. I am
guilty of believing war in all forms is immoral and useless, and I am
guilty of believing that as a service member I have a duty to refuse to
participate in this War because it is Illegal...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12173&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12173


Iraqi Journalists Complain of Censorship
IRIN
Iraqi journalists say they are being censored by the US-led Coalition
forces and the Iraqi government because of the topics covered by them in
newspapers and on television. The Iraqi Association of Journalists (IAJ)
said they have been accused of collaborating with insurgents after trying
to report on both sides of the ongoing conflict. Based on the IAJ
information, eight journalists have been detained since March 2005 by US
forces, accused of being a security risk ! to the Iraqi people and the
military...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12172&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12172


Fallujah: An Unnatural Disaster
Joe Carr, Electronic Iraq
Today, I did what few internationals have dared to do, I went to Fallujah.
Fallujah is completely surrounded by US Forces, the only way in or out is
through one of four very restrictive checkpoints. People normally have to
wait hours, but since we had our magic US passports, we made it through in
about 45 minutes. We did not observe them searching any cars, soldiers just
held-up traffic and slowly checked IDs. Like Palestine, these checkpoints
seem to have! little to do with security and more to do with harassment and
intimidation. Fallujah is devastating to drive through. There is more
destruction and rubble than I've ever seen in my life; even more than in
Rafah, Gaza...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12171&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12171


Voting U.S. Out of Iraq
Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) Editorial
In March of this year, 52 towns in the state of Vermont went on record
expressing their opposition to the war in Iraq. The wording of the
resolutions passed at town meetings across the state differed from
community to community, but the messages that Vermonters sent to their
elected representatives were clear...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12170&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12170


The insolent corporate media
Imad Khadduri , Free Iraq
...Yet, for them, the carnage of Haditha is not. The one week 'Operation
New Market' has resulted in: - Most mosques were bombed during the first
days in the city, sometimes with people still praying in them,
- The only hospital in Haditha was bombed to ruins, on May 28, 2005,
resulting in the death many doctors, staff and patients.
- American war planes completely destroyed, on May 28, 2005, the main
electrical substation that provided electricity for the whole city...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12167&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12167


ON MEMORIAL DAY
What Really Happened
...The reality is that Memorial Day is a day when we are supposed to
forget. We are supposed to forget those we knew and loved and how they were
torn from our families then to be torn to bloody bits upon the field.We are
supposed to forget the greed and avarice of our leaders masked in lies and
deception that sent young men and women to be killed and crippled upon
fields not covered with glory but with blood, fear, and savaged anatomy...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12191&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12191


More on Newsweek’s retraction of the Koran story
Kate Randall, WSWS
New details emerging about detainee abuse at the Guantánamo Bay prison camp
underscore the utterly craven and politically motivated character of
Newsweek’s retraction of its May 9 article citing desecration of the Koran.
The latest developments confirm the charge contained in the May 9 article
that US forces at Guantánamo handled the Koran in a contemptuous manner,
and make clear that the decision of the publishers to retract the story was
not, a! s they declared at the time, taken to uphold standards of accuracy
or journalistic ethics. Rather, Newsweek and its parent organization, the
Washington Post Company, capitulated in the face of a political attack by
the Bush administration...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12168&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12168


The US baseness and bankruptcy!
Abu Assur, French version Editor, Al-Moharer
This time they were really shocked and awed! What an amazing master's blow.
Aren't you seeing the Iraqis, immediately after the publication of these
photos, queuing by the thousands to surrender and hand over their weapons.
A while ago the US occupiers were minced by IEDs and RPGs and now they are
welcomed with flowers and rice. Well done thug Meyers. At long last you
won! Your idea to bomb the Iraqi resistance with Saddam Hussein underw! ear
was visionary...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12169&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12169


Iraqi Resistance Report for events of Sunday, 29 May 2005
Translated and/or compiled by Muhammad Abu Nasr, member, editorial board,
the Free Arab Voice. ( http://www.freearabvoice.org )
US forces in al-Hadithah distributed leaflets on Sunday morning in which
they proclaimed a curfew in the city. Meanwhile, American occupation troops
arrested nine local residents in the central and southern parts of
al-Hadithah, after which they destroyed their houses, in keeping with the
well-known practice of the Zionist occup! ation forces in Palestine. The
Mafkarat al-Islam correspondent in al-Hadithah reported witnesses as saying
that American Apache helicopters began dropping leaflets declaring a curfew
in the ar-Rifa‘i, and al-Haqlaniyah areas in the center and north of the
city on Sunday morning...

<http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=12162&s2=31>Read the full article / Leggi
l'articolo completo: www.uruknet.info/?p=12162




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information concerning occupied Iraq: news, analysis, documents and texts
of iraqi resistance available in Italian and English.





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