The Common Ills: Nouri protects his wives in Tahrir Square

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Nouri protects his wives in Tahrir Square

Nouri attacks the protesters as unconstitutional and illegal. They demand change and exercise their Constitutional rights, he sicks his military on them and says they are a threat or Ba'athists or terrorists or paid off by foreign agents or some other luantic from his paranoid mind.

But if protesters can't protest in Iraq, what the hell is he doing with The Wives of Nouri al-Maliki. The spineless wimps were back in Baghdad today, those men who lust for Nouri and dream of being in his arms returned to Tahrir Square in the capital's downtown square. Al Mada reports that, to protect his dainty and petite male followers, Nouri closed down Tahrir Square for them, he would allow no traffic -- not even bikes. The dainty men carried for photos of their cursh and paraded around in circles.

While Nouri basically shut down downtown Baghdad so that his devoted groupies could march around displaying their sexual frenzy for Nouri, Alsumaria reports that State of Law was again attempting to demonize the protesters by insisting that they are behaving in an unconstitutional manner. By contrast, Alsumaria reports that Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barazni stated that the Baghdad government is undermining the legitimate rights of the people and failing to listen to the demonstrators. Barzani states that the legitimate protesters have the full support of the KRG. All Iraq News reports Barzani states this is a erious crisis the country is facing and for the political process to work the protesters must be listened to.

All Iraq News notes that Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc is calling Nouri's release of 355 prisoners this week as proof that innocent people are populating Iraqi prisons and detention centers. This has been the assertion of many protesters. Over 400 women are imprisoned due to the 'crime' of being related to some man the government wants to arrest but can't find.

Through Friday, January 18th, Iraq Body Count counts 203 violent deaths in Iraq so far this month. And the violence just continues, All Iraq News notes an armed attack in Mosul left one Iraqi solider injured. Also in Mosul, Alsumaria reports, 1 person was kidnapped. Sameer N. Yacoub (AP) adds, that 2 police officers were shot dead in Mosul (drive-by) and a third officer was injured, a Kirkuk roadside bombing claimed 1 life and a bombing just outside Baghdad claimed the life of 1 police officer and left three more injured.

Fars News Agency notes that the Peshmerga (elite Kurdish fighting unit) will meet with the central government of Baghdad in Baghdad tomorrow to discuss the continuing military issues.

Meanwhile there's news for the United Kingdom. Ed Vulliamy (Guardian) reports:

In the Lebanese capital of Beirut, far from the theatre of war in Iraq and his office in Birmingham, one of Britain's leading civil rights lawyers has gathered some of the most damning allegations ever levelled against this country's armed forces – certainly since the worst days of Northern Ireland's Troubles.
As Britain's invasion of Iraq approaches its 10th anniversary in March, Phil Shiner – who founded the Public Interest Lawyers group – and members of his team have held face-to-face meetings with survivors of alleged abuse and torture by British soldiers and intelligence officers and with relatives of those unlawfully killed during and after the war that defined the premiership of Tony Blair.
The statements – 180 of them, with 871 to follow – go before a judicial review hearing at the high court in London next week in a claim seeking to demonstrate that Britain broke international laws of war by pursuing a policy of systematic torture.

The following community sites -- plus Cindy Sheehan, Jody Watley, Ms. magazine, Pacifica Evening News, Antiwar.com and NPR's Music -- updated last night and today:

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