http://www.marxist.com/iraqi-government-detains-and-tortures.htm
Iraqi government detains and tortures peaceful demonstrators from Tahrir Square (Baghdad)<http://www.marxist.com/iraqi-government-detains-and-tortures.htm> Written by Yanar Mohammed, Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq Friday, 15 April 2011 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/iraqi-government-detains-and-tortures/print.htm#> In today's [April 8] demonstration on Tahrir Square (Baghdad), the youth marched towards the bridge in order to cross to the Green Zone, and chanted the slogan of Ousting the System. The security forces under the "General Commander of the Armed Forces" Mr. Nouri Al Miliki gave orders to detain and torture all the organizers of the demonstration. Division 11 of the Iraqi army (army intelligence) took pictures of all the demonstrators including the OWFI women. The same division used civilian cars to arrest tens of demonstrators into detainment. Alaa Nabil, Ahmad Husein, and Ahmad Jassim from the *Feruary 25 Group* were detained in addition to fifteen others from the northeastern side of Tahrir Square. Both Ahmad Husein and Ahmad Jassim were released after one hour of severe beating and torture. Alaa Nabil is still detained, and is expected to be enduring heavy torture or may even be killed, as he was threatened to be killed by the same security forces on March 22nd and to dispose of his body where it cannot be found. The *Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq* is a founding member of the *February 25 Youth Group* and cooperated with them to organize peacefully since February 25 and till this day of April 8. The *February 25 Group* consists of freedom-loving youth of Iraq who rebel against the extreme corruption of Al Maliki's government and the joblessness which the majority of the youth experience. They demand provision of electricity and general freedoms as basic human rights which the government should provide. The main organizers of the group such as Alaa Nabil and Ali Salam have lost bodily parts under physical assaults of sectarian militia and US military forces, the spokesperson of the group Firas Ali says. He continues: "All that we are demanding is that the Green Zone monopolisers share some of the resources with the people, and also our freedom to organize peaceful demonstrations. At this point we worry about the safety of Alaa Nabil". The *Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq* demands the immediate release of Alaa Nabil, and that the officers in charge of torturing the demonstrators be taken to court, and that the Iraqi security\military institutions respect the constitutional rights of the Iraqi people to demonstrate peacefully. Once again, Iraq is being ruled by despots who have no regard for human lives or rights, and under the claims of an American-style democracy this time. Yanar Mohammed Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (Friday, April 08, 2011) -------------------- Iraq: Urgent action required detained and missing protesters at risk of torture<http://www.marxist.com/iraq-detained-and-missing-protesters-risk-torture.htm> Written by Akram Nadir (Union Organizer in Iraq and Kurdistan) Friday, 15 April 2011 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/iraq-detained-and-missing-protesters-risk-torture/print.htm#> Firas Ali, an Iraqi political activist, was detained at the office of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq, Baghdad, at about 2pm on 13 April. A protester, Haidar Shihab Ahmad Abdel Latif, is believed to have been detained on 1 April on Tahrir Square, Baghdad. Alaa Nabil, another youth leader of the February 25 Group, was also arrested on April 8, and remains in custody. It is feared that they and other detained activists are at high risk of torture. Political activist Firas Ali, 30 years old, is reported to have been detained by members of the armed forces early in the afternoon of 13 April, at the Baghdad office of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq. An eyewitness told Amnesty International: Two men in plain clothes and three soldiers asked about Firas Ali. They did not show an arrest warrant. Later I could see Firas Ali blindfolded and handcuffed being forced by soldiers into a vehicle and taken away. Friends of Firas Ali have not been able to contact him via his mobile phone since his detention and his whereabouts remain unknown. Amnesty International fears that Firas Ali is at high risk of torture. Haidar Shihab Ahmad Abdel Latif, a 24 year old casual worker, attended protests at Tahrir Square on 1 April for the first time. He was with two friends who briefly left him at about 11.30, but when they returned about 10 minutes later he was no longer there. There were no witnesses to his detention. However, Iraqi activists have told Amnesty International that on previous occasions protesters have been discretely led away from the protests and detained. A member of his family who is a political activist told Amnesty International he fears that Haidar Shihab Ahmad Abdel Latif was taken instead of him. His family has searched at hospitals and made inquiries with the authorities but has still no information of his whereabouts. Alaa Nabil, another youth leader of the February 25 Group, was also arrested on April 8, and he remains in custody. It is believed he is being kept j in one of the prisons close to the Baghdad International Airport, together with 17 other demonstrators from Tahrir, but it is impossible to be sure. *PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English or Arabic. We provide a Model Letter below to be sent to the following email addresses:* [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Add also the address of your nearest Iraqi embassy that can be found at the following link: http://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/Iraq (Please send appeals before 26 May 2011 to the Iraqi embassy in your country) Please send copies also to: [email protected] and [email protected] *---* *MODEL LETTER:* Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Defence and Interior, His Excellency Nuri Kamil al-Maliki Prime Minister, Convention Centre (Qasr al-Maaridh) Baghdad, Iraq Copy to: Minister of Human Rights, His Excellency, Mohammad Shayaa al-Sudani * * Your Excellency, It has been brought to our attention that Firas Ali, was arrested by members of the armed forces early in the afternoon of 13 April, at the Baghdad office of the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq. Also Haidar Shihab Ahmad Abdel Latif was abducted on April 1 while attending a protest rally in Tahrir Square, Baghdad. Alaa Nabil, another youth leader of the February 25 Group, was also arrested on April 8, and remains in custody We are very concerned for their safety. We call on you to investigate this matter and do your utmost to guarantee the release of Firas Ali, Haidar Shihab Ahmad Abdel Latif and Alaa Nabil. We call on you to reveal the whereabouts of Firas Ali; to investigate the whereabouts of Haidar Shihab Ahmad Abdel Latif or to immediately reveal his whereabouts if you are holding him. We call for the immediate release of Firas Ali and other protesters, unless they are to be promptly charged with a recognizable criminal offence and brought to trial in full conformity with international fair trial standards; We urge the authorities to ensure that Firas Ali and other protesters and detainees are not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment and that all allegations of torture and other abuses are thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice; We call on the Iraqi government to respect the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression in Iraq. We are raising this question inside trade unions, youth organisations and among the wider public in our country. Iraq is supposed to be a democratic country and we expect you to act accordingly. Yours, . E-mail: [email protected] ------------------- No more arrests and torture of demonstrators in Iraq: Release Youth Activist Firas Ali<http://www.marxist.com/no-more-arrests-and-torture-iraq-release-firas-ali.htm> Written by Yanar Mohammed, President Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) Friday, 15 April 2011 [image: Print]<http://www.marxist.com/no-more-arrests-and-torture-iraq-release-firas-ali/print.htm#> We are publishing a statement from the President of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) denouncing the brutal methods of the Iraqi government in dealing with protestors. These days, Iraqi authorities feel free to carry out arbitrary arrests, physical assault and torture of Iraqi citizens who participate in peaceful demonstrations. In fact, they have begun to recruit and utilize of the expertise of the masterminds who were part of the horrific Baathist regime of Saddam. In doing so, they announce the end of any commitment to human rights stipulated in the Constitution they have offered to the Iraqi people as a social contract. Yesterday, on April 13th at 1:45 pm, armed military\secret-intelligence forces arrived in three vehicles, stormed the offices of the *Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq* (FWCUI) and also the *Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq* (OWFI), for the second time in one month. They arrested OWFI affiliate youth activist Firas Ali, one of the leaders of February 25 Group on Facebook and in Baghdads Tahrir square. Those who raided the building intimidated all the youth present, calling them terrorists, though they were the organizing team of a group of demonstrators within Baghdads weekly protests who have clearly shown their peaceful intentions, week after week. The armed forces immediately blindfolded Firas Ali, handcuffed him, and took him away, where demonstrators are detained and tortured with the same feared methods used under Saddams reign. The armed forces had no court order for the arrest of Firas Ali, or for breaking into the offices. Alaa Nabil, another youth leader of February 25 Group, was arrested in much the same manner on April 8th, and he remains in custody. It is thought that he is jailed in one of the prisons close to the Baghdad International Airport, along with 17 other demonstrators from Tahrir, but it is impossible to be sure. The Maliki government thinks it can silence the youth, determined to end what have become the signature characteristics of its rule - oppression and corruption. All the Saddam-style violations, group arrests, and torture will not deter the youth from demanding an end to corruption and to start to an era of equality and freedom, expected in any civilized society. The OWFI demands the immediate release of Firas Ali and Alaa Nabil. OWFI reserves the right to take to court all those who have given orders for arbitrary arrest, and those who physically assaulted the youth activists. The OWFI also warns those who consider the further torture of freedom lovers such as Firas Ali and Alaa Nabil They will be pursued, brought to trial for their crimes against humanity, and thrown in the same prisons they now misuse. We warn the Maliki government to stop denying the human rights of the demonstrators, and we demand an immediate official response, stating any legitimate charges against our activists, their place of detention, and physical condition. We also hold them directly responsible for any and all physical abuse or torture which our activists have been subjected to. Down with the Baathist oppression Down with the oppressive and corrupt despots No more torture of youth activists Enough is enough! *Yanar Mohammed* *OWFI president* April 14, 2011 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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