Global Research

DAY OF THE MARTYR,  04 March 2011

The second day of “National Rage” in Iraq produced again big demonstrations in all major cities in Iraq. The relevance of these protest movements cannot be underestimated. These protest are nationwide, not sectarian. The Iraqi youth, main instigators of this movement, are challenging the sectarian Iraqi Quisling government and counter American and Iranian plans for the country: no partitioning of Iraq, but electricity, jobs, clean water, free healthcare and education. No to corruption, no to summary executions and death squads. No to state-sponsored terror. These Iraqi demonstrators want a unified Iraq and want the money of their oil being used for public services. I’ve been following the events today with great admiration and hope, hope for change, hope that the Iraqi people can reverse – as one nation – the deadly spiral of ethnic cleansing, sectarianism, despair and the culture of death, imported by the US horsemen of the apocalypse.

Underneath are a reflection from an Iraqi activist: Asma Al Haidari and an account of our Spanish friends from SCOSI (Spanish Campaign against the Occupation and for the Sovereignty of Iraq).

Once again the Western media are strikingly absent, probably following instructions from His Master’s Voice.

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My dear Dirk,

You have been receiving bulletins from me throughout the day which I know full well, you find quite dry and without any feeling or sentiment – well now I am writing to you to let you know what it was really like watching and listening – watching all these thousands of young men and women as well as the old demonstrating peacefully and knowing full well they are going to be attacked, arrested and probably in some cases killed for no reason other than wanting freedom and dignity.

I  was also listening to their fervor and anguish which literally brought me to tears and broke my heart probably for the umpteenth millionth time since the invasion and occupation of Iraq asking myself all the time how can the world be so blind and deaf – and for the past two weeks I have felt that the world is not only deaf  and blind but dumb also, with a very few exceptions , of course!

We started the Martyr’s Day, for that is what the young people have called it, with the execution of a young married man being taken away in  full sight of his young wife and children by a force called Battalion  24,  formerly known as the infamous, Muthanna Battalion commanded by the very infamous Raheem Risen Al Baythani who has commanded this battalion in Abu Ghraib and has terrorized its citizens since he took over which is around 3 years ago – before that he was in command of Hay Al Jamia’a which he also terrorized – infact, he is famous for terrorizing the areas he has taken command of – I’ve heard that he tells the people that they are all his slaves!

The young man, Ahmed Inizie Al Hamdani was found executed a short while later just 50 meters from his home….., in the village of Al Hamdaniya in Abu Ghraib.

Of course, last night it was announced that the so called government had imposed a curfew from 12 o’clock midnight, last night, to 6.00 a.m. Saturday morning throughout Iraq.   They had also imposed a curfew on all vehicles in Baghdad and in all Iraq’s cities.

The Tahrir Square demonstrators were beaten with electric truncheons and clubs and a chase took place in all the neighbouring side streets , hotels and buildings!   A number of journalists and hoteliers were arrested.   Chased by water cannon and looked on from above by helicopters!   Watched also from the Turkish Restaurant bulding by this weeks new Death Squad – they were the people who gave commands and orders to the security troops to shoot and beatup!   Plaoma will have the details in the attached report.

In all the Iraqi cities people were threatened under pain of death and shoot to kill orders were given by police officers to their men in order to stop the demonstrations and yet people still came out and demonstrated in most of the cities – the most important of which were Baghdad, Mosul, Sammarra’a, Basra, Nejef, Deewaniya, Theeqarr.   They all sang about Maliki being a liar – it is amazing how this man is so much without dignity – hundreds and thousands of Iraqis have been singing a special song for him about his being a thief and a liar for the past 2 weeks – anyone else would have resigned and got out but not he.

There are a whole spate of songs about him and his regime of crooks and plunderers now – I will be sending you some very soon.

Sulaymaniya – yes, I must never forget Sulaymaniya – brave Sulaymaniya who has paid so expensively for its revolt against corruption and oppression and who started all of this …. 3 days ago it gave its youngest – a 12 year old boy.

We, too, paid, yes, we too paid. Today a young girl, was shot by a sniper in Sammarra’a – and the snipers are all members of the Iranian Quds Army who were positioned on the top of buildings.

Today, the brave men of Mosul have decided to stage a sit in which they will not give up until their demands are met – they are holding it  in the Sports Stadium.   The neighbouring families have started keeping them supplied with food and water.

Already Mosul has paid up so many young lives – I will soon be sending you a list of the young people killed by security forces.

The press, as usual suffered today – three members of the press were attacked so badly by the security forces in Basra that they ended in hospital and a fourth was also attacked – we saw blood streaming from their heads and faces.   One of them said that he was told that he was an enemy of society!

The press also suffered in Tahrir Square and you will be hearing about that in more detail from Pedro.   Pedro was told by one of them that they were in touch with the UN representative in Baghdad and had given him a detailed report – I find the whole idea of the UN very amusing – there is an old proverb in Arabic, Dirk – which more or less says that you may go on calling but there is no life in the person you are calling and a stone would answer you had you called it!

The press was barred from cities like Tikreet and Haweeja was totally surrounded by the army and the police.

I listened to an old Imam from Kirkuk calling everyone to fight oppression of the Ashawiss in Kirkuk and the oppression of the huge army that has occupied Iraq – he made the tears come to my eyes and broke my heart – I listened to an old resistance fighter reminding the new pontious pilates and Judas Escariots of the 21st century – Dr. Salman Al Jumaili and Dr. Rafi’i Al Essawi who sold thir country, their people and their religion for a  handful of silver and for a chair; he also encouraged the people to continue their fight and told us that we will soon liberate ourselves.   He was marvelous – both these men were marvelous – their voices and words still ring in my ears.   I also heard a young man addressing Maliki and telling him that he really is the most dismal of cowards – he was so frightened of people demonstrating peacefully and felt that it was essential to take such draconious measures and he wondered what he would do had these people been carrying arms; he paused for a minute and then told him we soon will!

Women – oh so many women demonstrated and so many women spoke and encouraged the young people of Iraq to go on with their brave fight.

 – one of these women said that she had lost 3 sons – that no one should be frightened of Maliki and that his days are numbered – yes, it was quite an emotional day – something I don’t like expressing except to the people closest to my heart, as you well know- the people who stood by and suffered with us for our suffering for the slow murder of Iraq.

Again I ask, are the American Adminsitration and the European Community blind??? Is the world blind – is it deaf????

Well, just to update you, the Unions in Iraq are demonstrating in Tahrir Square tomorrow and Monday we’ll see demonstrations of Regret.   (Regret for having participated in the general election and they’ve asked people to come with a finger painted in red!).

Sallams and Peace.

Asma Al Haidari 

Day of the Martyr: Demonstrators and journalists under attack

CEOSI, 4 de marzo de 2011

www.iraqsolidaridad.org

Iraqi security forces have shot with live ammunition against demonstrators in different cities in Iraq. Aisha Haitham  A. al Daraji, a young girl has been killed in Samarra after being wounded by bullets, according to Al Rafidain TV.   She was shot by a sniper stationed on top of a building.    (Snipers have been stationed in Samarra on top of all the buildings.   They are members of the Iranian Quds Army).

Unfortunately, this is not the only casualty. This morning, in the village of Al Hamdaniya, near Abu Ghraib, Ahmed Inizie al Hamdani one of the organizers of today’s demonstrations, was  pulled away from his home and shot him at point-blank range before his wife and his sons and daughters. Colonel Risen al Baizani  in charge of 24th Brigade,  was responsible for this crime.

CEOSI was in contact with a well-known journalist who was in Tahrir Square; in Baghdad [we omit his/her name for security reasons]. This person has informed us that the journalists, especially audiovisual ones, are being harassed and hounded. He/she claimed that tens of demonstrators have been arrested and people are afraid they suffer torture, as they did with the people who were arrested last Friday 25 February in Maliki prisons. UN Rapporteur has been informed of these facts.

The direction for the repression was being carried out from the roof of a building in construction near Tahrir Square by Hasan Sunaid, Al Dawa MP and Chairman of the Security Committee, Adnan al Asadi, deputy minister of Internal Affairs, Shiruan al Waili, Advisor to the National Security Commission, and general Ali Musawi, chief of this police operation.

In Fallujah and Diyalah two demonstrations have been repressed by the police forces. Some mosques close to the government policies or political parties have tried to convince people to stay at home.

It is said that there have been bribery attempts ($ 50.000) trying to convince some sheiks to convince their people to stay home. The army also has threatened to shoot anyone who tried to demonstrate.

At 12:15 pm Al Bagdadiya TV interviewed some physicians in Samarra, who were carrying out a sit-in because they were not allowed to treat the wounded people. The same source claimed that in Samarra there were Iranian troops.

Media

Once again, media has been attacked by the Iraqi security forces. We have to remember that the Occupied Iraq is the country in which more journalists have been killed in History (even more than in Vietnam).

In spite of the Media international organizations calls to allow journalists make their job, —even Tareq al Hashemi, deputy minister of Internal Affairs has made a call— a group of journalist has been attacked in Basra while informing about the demonstrations in that city. Three of them are wounded and have been taken to Hospital, according to their statements to Al SharquiyaTV.

Al Rasd wal Maalumat al Wataniya, an Iraqi monitoring organization, has stated that general Kadem Abu al Hil, chancelor of the police at Muthanna province, has ordered to block the satellite cameras and those on the ground [1].

It is also reported that Salah al-Din TV has been closed by security forces. In Tikrit, Iraqi security forces have close Al Rafidain TV offices and journalist are forbidden to enter the city

Next demonstrations (called through social networks):

March 7, first anniversary of the elections

March 11, Friday of demonstrations.

IraqSolidaridad footnotes:

1.- See in Arabic the full text:  http://www.almansore.com/Art.php?id=23109. 

Dirk Adriaensens is member of the BRussells Tribunal Executive Committee