As the debate goes on over whether additional occupation troops in Iraq would help bring the long lost democracy to the country, Britain, U.S.’s main ally in the illegal war proves to be an undemocratic nation.
Mohammed Al Deeni, an independent member of the parliament, frequently described by British ministers as the most democratic in Iraqi history, the one who exposed prisoner abuse in Iraq, was planning for a visit to UK, but his visa was rejected, even though he was invited by British parliamentarians.
Al Deeni was planning to address a meeting in the House of Commons as part of his ongoing campaign aimed at unveiling the horrific human rights violations and inhuman treatment of Iraqi prisoners inside jails, now run by the occupation authority.
Al Deeni lost 10 of his cousins as a result of the sectarian strife in Iraq that has been fueled by the occupation and the failure of the incompetent and puppet Iraqi government to install order in the country.
Respect MP George Galloway, one of the organizers of the visit, said:
“We say we are a democracy. Our prime minister says they are a democracy. Yet when an Iraqi MP wants to speak to his counterparts in Britain about inconvenient truths he’s not allowed into Britain.
“No Member of Parliament, almost irrespective of their view on the decision to go to war, can allow this to stand. I have today tabled a motion condemning this decision, written to the Speaker, and demanded of the Foreign Office that they reconsider.
“Treating Al Deeni in this way can only make him further vulnerable to the violence that has engulfed his family.”
The human rights situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate.
While some may agree that massive human rights abuses were carried out under Saddam Hussein’s rule, analysts, political experts as well as international rights groups affirm that Iraqis’ basic rights were more severely violated during the occupation.
Prisoners’ abuse, sectarian violence, kidnapping, murder, as well as bomb attacks have all become common occurrences in Iraq since the war broke out in the country.
Torture, ill-treatment of detainees and lack of judicial process in Iraq continue to be underreported and when prominent figures like Mr. Deeni attempt to speak up, they’re usually silenced, and denied one of the rights the Western world claims to advocate; “freedom of speech”.
The rushed execution of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for committing crimes against humanity was wrong, and signified that justice denied for countless victims who suffered under his regime.
The International Community on the other hand, has failed to hold the U.S. and Britain accountable for the unspeakable horrors and torture Iraqis endured as a result of the illegal occupation of their country.
