Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Mass arrests continue in Nouri's Iraq

The mass arrests continue in Iraq.  Ahlul Bayt News Agency reports 20 people have been arrested in Karbala province.  Iraq's had no mass release from the prisons.  But the mass arrests continue.  In a country of approximately 30 million people, it would be very interesting to get an estimate on the number of people imprisoned.  That can't happen of course because Nouri al-Maliki -- aka Little Saddam -- loves his secret prisons.

This month alone, you've seen hunger strikes in the prisons, people dying in prison (including one who may have died because he was denied medical treatment -- the one in Diyala who was diabetic) and prisoners rioting when they've taken death row inmates out to transfer them to a facility where they can be executed.

Add in that people remain imprison in Iraq forever.  They disappear into the system -- not by accident.  Families only know that their loved ones were taken away and they search in vain trying to track them down, trying to figure out if they're even still alive.  This passes for justice in Nouri's Iraq.

An amnesty law could free many.  But despite promising it for years now, and restating that promise in February 2011, Nouri and his State of Law continue to refuse to allow the bill to become law.  Alsumaria reports today that State of Law MP Kamal Saadi is now stating they will support the bill . . . provided it excludes thieves, counterfeiters and terrorists.  So that leaves the arsonists who've been setting fire to the orchards?  Is that it?  The bulk of imprisoned Iraqis are behind bars because they're accused of terrorism -- accused, not found guilty of.  People wait and wait in prison for a trial to roll around -- a trial that never arrives.  And it's interesting whom Nouri labels a 'terrorist' and whom he doesn't.

The Shi'ites who make up the League of the Rigtheous can be -- and have been -- released.  (Barack released their leader, their leader's brothers and a few other members in US military custody -- I'm referring to the members who were in Iraqi custody.)  They killed Americans and Brits, yes, but they also killed Iraqis.  But that's 'okay' because they're Shia. 

This is why the recent executions -- that have brought the total number of executed in Iraq this year to 96 so far -- and the rush to execute more (at least 200 are pending) have enraged so many.  They see it as political, as an attempt to punish Sunnis.

But that's too much for the world press to wrap their minds around (despite the fact that the Iraqi press can address it), so they ignore it.  Maybe in ten years, they'll find the 'courage' to write a fiery column in The New York Review of Books?

They can't even call out the Norweigian idiot who keeps insisting that people want to see a civil war but there's no civil war.

Whom exactly are we supposed to believe are fighting in Iraq?

It's Iraqis for the most part now.  Predominately.  It's the struggle for control of the country.  Academics like that nut always think they can say whatever and not be bound by facts (obviously, he claimed Iraqiya announced a boycott in response to Tareq al-Hashemi being charged with terrorism in December when the boycott came days prior) or by common sense.

The violence continues as well. All Iraq News reports 1 person was shot down in Mosul.  Press TV adds, "Five members of the security forces, including a one-star general and a colonel, have been killed in separate attacks targeting the Iraqi police and army."

This week's 'big news' and 'progress' out of Iraq -- 8 of 9 Independent High Electoral Commission commissioners elected -- is rendered moot today.  Alsumaria is reporting that the Federal Court says the number of commissioners must be increased because women must make up a third of the members.  (Not one of the eight was a woman -- an oversight Iraqiya called out -- the only political bloc to publicly call that out.)

We'll go into that in the snapshot later today.  Right now I'm in a hearing that looks like it's about to start. 

The following community sites -- plus PRI's The World, The Diane Rehm Show, Cindy Sheehan, Antiwar.com, NPR's Music, Susan's On the Edge, The Pacifica Evening News and On The Wilder Side -- updated last night and this morning:



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