Barzani killings recognized as genocide - six sentenced- one to death

Erbil, May 3 (AKnews) - The mass killing of Kurds from the Barzani tribe by Saddam Hussein's government in the 1980s was genocide, Iraq's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Six former Ba'ath party officials have been sentenced for their involvement, with one receiving the death penalty.

The ruling comes at the conclusion of an investigation that involved 39 sessions and lasted for nearly two years.

In 1983, 8000 men from the Barzani tribe were killed when Mustafa Barzani (pictured), leader of the tribe and father of current Kurdistani president Massoud Barzani, led the Kurdish rebellion against the state.

Six of the former Ba'ath regime's officials have been found guilty. Tariq Aziz, former Iraqi deputy Prime Minister, who is already in prison awaiting execution for the persecution of political opponents, received life in prison for his involvement, said Ayad Kakayi, a prosecutor in the case.

Sadoun Shaker, a former Ba'ath official, was condemned to death, in addition to receiving three prison terms of 15, 7 and 10 years for crimes against humanity, torture and imprisonment.

Two other former officials were sentenced to life in prison. They are Hikmat Wathban and Safyan Mahar. Hamid Yousef, received 10 years in prison. The sixth defendant, Saddam Hussein's half brother Wathban Ibrahim, was acquitted of the charges.

Kurds had been pushing to have the murders recognized as genocide since the fall of the Ba'ath regime in 2003.

Human Rights Watch, in its book Iraq's Crime of Genocide, said: "Throughout Iraqi Kurdistan, although women and children vanished in certain clearly defined areas, adult males who were captured disappeared en masse. It is apparent that a principal purpose of Anfal was to exterminate all adult males of military service age captured in rural Iraqi Kurdistan"

The Supreme Court, which was set up after the 2003 US led war against Iraq to try former members of Saddam Hussein's government, has already recognized other mass killings of Kurds by the former regime as genocide. This includes the chemical attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja in 1988 which killed 5,000 and left some 10,000 inured, as part of a military campaign known as Anfal.

The genocidal campaigns conducted in Kurdistan by Saddam's regime is estimated to have killed some 100,000 civilians.

By Raber Y. Aziz, contributions from Fryad Mohammed.
Edited by Patrick Smith

03/05/2011 17:22

World Press Freedom Day 'not day of celebration' for Kurdish journalists

World Press Freedom Day 'not day ofcelebration' for Kurdish journalists

Erbil, May 3 (AKnews) – Violence against journalists in Kurdastani Iraq is on the rise, said the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate (KJS) today, World Press Freedom Day.

The KJS marked the day with a one minute silence to protest the "ongoing" attacks against journalists in the region.

The rise in violence against journalists is linked to nearly two months of protests in Kurdistan Region where thousands of demonstrators took to the streets calling for reforms.

Secretary of the KJS board, Hamid Mohammed, said: "We are marking this day not only to stand behind the organizations of the world fighting for press freedom, but also because the violence against journalists in Kurdistan Region is ongoing.

"This is not a day of celebration for us because violence, arrests and the beating of journalists by the security forces continue. But we still call on journalists to abide by the ethics of their profession and we ask the relevant authorities to treat journalists in accordance with the law of Kurdistan"

Azad Hamadamin, head of KJS Erbil office said that in one recent incident, on 1 May, security forces had beaten up journalists and confiscated their equipment. The reporters were trying to cover a demonstration in front of the Iranian consulate against the execution of a Kurdish activist by the Islamic republic.

Under the recently passed demonstration law, all protests and rallies must obtain prior permission from the authorities. This law has been used to attack journalists covering the events who are classed as demonstrators by security forces.

Mr Hamadamin said: "Whether a demonstration is licensed or not is not the fault of journalists. The reporter covers whatever event takes place."

Earlier today, Iraq's Journalism Freedom Observatory said violence against journalists had shot up by 55% in Iraq.

"This indicates the almost complete absence of press freedom in all cities across the country, including Kurdistan," Ziad al-Ujaili, the Executive Director of the organization told AKnews.

Rahman Gharib, the representative of the observatory in the Kurdistan Region said: "372 attacks have targeted journalists and media professionals since 3 May last year, and most of them took place in Kurdistan. The number has increased with the growing popular demonstrations in the region and the accompanying media coverage.

"The security authorities also closed nine media institutions, and one of them is still closed now. In addition to that 11 institutions were raided."

According to the Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, 247 journalists and media workers have lost their lives in their line of duty since the 2003 US-led allied invasion of Iraq.

By Raber Y. Aziz, contributions from Fryad Mohammed and Bashar al-Mandalawi. Edited by Patrick Smith.

03/05/2011 16:37

Attacks on journalists up 55% in Iraq

Baghdad, May 3 (AKnews) - Violent attacks against journalists in Iraq shot up by 55 per cent this year, statistics from the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory in Baghdad revealed on yesterday.

On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, Ziad al-Ujaili, the Executive Director of the organization told AKnews that violence has reached its highest level recorded, with 12 Iraqi journalists killed since 3 May 2010.

"This indicates the almost complete absence of press freedom in all cities across the country, including the Kurdistan region," he said.

"The journalists and their media institutions were subjected to fierce attacks led by special security forces in the Iraqi government, which illegally raided TV channels and media organizations to fight, what they claim as, threats by the independent media.

According to the 2011 annual report of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, seen by AKnews, "the escalation of organized violence against journalists by the security agencies and government authorities made journalists fear imprisonment or intentional harm just for carry out their jobs. Normal operations now look impossible in the face of military and security orders that prevent journalists from taking photos or moving around without the prior approval of the authorities.

"The government has succeeded in the suppression of news on several occasions, most notably the coverage for the public protests against the lack of services in several Iraqi cities."

Rahman Gharib, the representative of the observatory in the Kurdistan Region said: "372 attacks have targeted journalists and media professionals since 3 May last year, and most of them took place in Kurdistan. The number has increased with the growing popular demonstrations in the region and the accompanying media coverage.

"The security authorities also closed nine media institutions, and one of them is still closed now. In addition to that 11 institutions were raided."

The lawyer and media expert Hassan Shaaban told AKnews: "Any restrictions on press freedom will be a violation for the most important principles of human rights, those of freedom of expression and press freedom. Moral objections and national security must not be used as pretexts to justify the suppression of these freedoms.

"The media agencies must be completely independent of all types of government censorship. After the fall of the former regime in 2003, Iraqi society changed completely and the permanent Iraqi constitution was ratified in 2005. These freedoms and rights were listed within Part II, specifically with regard to the media and the press in Article 38.

According to the Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, 247 journalists and media workers have lost their lives in their line of duty since the 2003 US-led allied invasion of Iraq.

By Bashar al-Mandalawi
RN\PS

03/05/2011 10:52

Iraqi politicians react to bin Laden's death

Shwan Mohammed Taha, a Kurdish member of the security committee in the Iraqi Parliament.

"Bin Laden's death doesn't mean the end of al-Qaeda, because the organization has a broad base all over the world and has a great financial ability, with many supporters from different nations and they will be seeking reprisal.
"The Iraqi people want the security situation to make progress; the ideology of terror has to be rooted out thought fighting corruption and unemployment. To grow, terror always takes refuge in an environment where corruption and unemployment exist."

Adnan al-Shahmani, a Shia MP in the National Coalition block.

"The death of the al-Qaeda leader will have positive impacts on the world in general, and the stability of Iraq in particular. The organization has international influence and many cells receive orders from him"
"His death is the end of extremism in the world that has been epitomized by the organization's terrorist acts throughout the world"

Habib al-Tarafi, a Shia MP from the National Coalition block.
"The US announcement of bin Laden's death is the end of an act of a play. The US will find another play in which it will show Islam as standing behind terrorist and extremist acts"

"Muslim audiences who are aware of the way the US think have know full well that the US will create a new fiction where Muslims play the terrorist and extremist antagonist"

Sharif Sulaiman, a Kurdish MP in the Iraqi parliament.

"Al-Qaeda was besieged when their Iraq leader Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi was killed, and they will be further besieged with the death of their world leader bin Laden. But the attacks carried out by the organization will not stop unless all of its cells operating in Iraq, and the external bodies offering them help, are destroyed"

"Bin Laden's death will have positive impact on relations between Muslims and other religions, because the man who distorted the image of Islam in the minds of the followers of other religions has been killed"

Ahmed abu Risha, head of the Awakening Councils in Iraq, a Sunni armed group that supports the government in fighting al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups.

"I wish he was killed at the hands of the Iraqis, whose country al-Qaeda has destroyed"
"His death is a victory to everyone hurt by al-Qaeda. They killed innocents under the cover of Islam and religion to win the hearts of young people under the pretext of Jihad"

By Raber Y. Aziz, Contributions from Hadi al-Isami, Dilshad Zangana.

03/05/2011 13:49