In 2012, the continued mass arrests helped bring about the hunger strikes in prison, the arrests led to the ongoing protests that are now nearing the eight month mark.
'But it's violent in Iraq! Arrests are needed!'
False arrests never do a damn thing but make a situation much worse.
Following the example the US set in Iraq, Nouri's government arrests people who are innocent of crimes -- they knowingly arrest people they know are not guilty. If they suspect that Joe is a terrorist and cannot find Joe, they insist they have the right to arrest Joe's mother and father and/or wife -- people they are accusing of no crime.
These mass arrests target Sunni populations. If you don't get that, find your average lazy reporter covering Iraq who will repeatedly reduce violence to 'attacks on Shi'ites' even when other groups -- including Sunnis -- are being attacked.
Iraq really needs to be focused on calming tensions, not inflaming them.
Mass arrests lead to innocent people, never charged with any crime, being imprisoned and staying there for years. 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.
What about an amnesty law? It's been promised for years. Scared of protests taking place in Iraq and the Arab Spring in 2011, Nouri and his State of Law gave lip service to an amnesty law only to work in Parliament to defeat the bill. September 19th, Alsumaria reported that State of Law MP Kamal Saadi was saying that State of Law would support it . . . if excluded this category and that category and -- The whole point was to again block an amnesty bill which they managed to do.
Nouri may see that as success.
But imprisoning innocents doesn't just anger. It breeds hostility towards the government.
Nouri's notoriously paranoid but he somehow misses how his actions are destroying Iraq.
All Iraq News notes 2 Tikrit bombings have left 1 Sahwa dead, 2 civilians dead, one Sahwa injured and thee civilians injured, a third Tikrit bombing has left 2 Iraqi soldiers dead (three more injured), 2 suspects were shot dead in Nineveh, a Baghdad car bombing has left 3 people dead and fifteen injured, a mortar attack in Sulaimaniya has left 2 people dead and seven more injured, and a fourth Tikrit bombing has claimed 2 lives and left a small child wounded. PETRA notes the Baghdad bombing was outside a mosque. EFE adds, "A car bombing in Al-Mada'in, a town located 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Baghdad, killed at least five Shiites and wounded 15 others near a mosque. The bomb was detonated as Shiite worshippers emerged from the mosque after noon prayers." They also note a bombing in Kikruk's Al-Riyadh has left 3 police officers dead and four more injured. All of this and more came today despite days of mass arrests.
Mass arrests do not bring about security or peace. Alsumaria observes a creeping panic taking hold in Iraq. Alsumaria also notes the National Dialogue Front's Haider Mulla is calling for a withdrawal of confidence in Nouri. That's what needs to happen. Nouri's ways are not working. Nouri has provided seven years of failure to Iraq.
The following community sites -- plus the ACLU, Pacifica News, Antiwar.com and Ms. magazine's blog -- updated last night and this morning:
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
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