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The
War Profiteers - War Crimes, Kidnappings & Torture |
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The War Profiteers Blog - Exploring the
World of Hypocrisy |
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September 22nd,
2009 |
“The anger of the world’s professional
killers is (a source of) pride for us.” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran,
commenting on criticism from the European Union after his newest public
denial of the Holocaust. |
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Prior entries: |
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Left: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic
Republic of Iran. An article of the Associated Press from September 21st,
2009 reported that “Ahmadinejad said Monday he was proud his denial of the
Holocaust had enraged the West, as the controversial leader geared up for a
United Nations trip to stress what he said would be a message of ‘peace and
friendship.’ […] ‘The anger of the world’s professional killers is (a source
of) pride for us,’ Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news
agency. He was responding to a question about criticism from the European
Union following a speech on Friday in which he questioned whether the
Holocaust was a ‘real event.’ The ‘killers’ reference appeared to be directed
primarily at Israel and the U.S. […].” The entire article can be read here. Right: Russian jews being executed by German members
of the S.S. during the occupation of the Ukraine by German troops in 1942 - one
of millions of documents, which prove the existence of the Holocaust. Photo Credits (from left to right): 1) Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks before Friday prayers at the Tehran University
campus in Tehran, Iran. Ahmadinejad lashed out at Israel and the West saying
Friday the Holocaust was a lie and a pretext for occupying Palestinian lands.
- September 18th, 2009 - Vahid Salemi/Associated Press. 2)
Mass Execution of Jews in Vinnista, Ukraine by members of the “Sicherheitsdienst”
of the German S.S. (“Einsatzgruppe D”). - 1942 - Unknown source. |
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September 6th,
2009 |
“We draw our strength in fostering the rule of law
in the country.” Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq,
commenting on allegations about illegal detentions and arrests in his
country. |
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Left: Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq. On
July 23rd, 2009, al-Maliki was invited by the Washington-based
“Institute of Peace” to discuss with U.S. journalists the current situation
in Iraq. Asked about recent arbitrary detentions and arrests in Southern
Iraq, al-Maliki responded in general terms: “We draw our strength in
fostering the rule of law in the country. And the Iraqis have confidence in
us because we have dealt all along based on the law and not based on any
sectarian or ethnic background.” More about al-Maliki’s remarks can be read here. Right: Samar Saed Abdullah, a Iraqi female inmate,
who is accused of murder and on death row for 4 years. She is currently
imprisoned in a Baghdad maximum security facility. According to court
documents and a CNN report
from September 1st, 2009, Abdullah “was tried and convicted in a
single day, on August 15th, 2005.” Abdullah states that her
previus confession to the alleged murder had been coerced through torture and
duress. More about torture and deaths in the Iraqi prison system can be read here.
Photo Credits (from left to right): 1)
Nouri al Maliki, Prime Minister of Iraq - 2009 - Leon Neal/Agence France
Presse; 2)
Samar Saed Abdullah - undated - Family photo/published by CNN; |
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June 14th,
2009 |
Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran,
commenting on the Iranian presidential elections. |
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Left: Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran &
Leader of the Islamic Revolution. Commenting on the Iranian presidential
election results, an article
on the Iranian’s Press TV website quoted Khamenei as follows: “‘The 10th
presidential election was an epic and ominous event,’ Ayatollah Khamenei said
on Sunday. ‘The Islamic nation of Iran proved that it attaches significance
to national dignity and considers resistance against tyranny powers and
extremists with the aim of restoring its rights as its major values and
honor. The wise and vigilant Iranian people showed they are still committed
to the path of the architect of the Islamic Revolution the late Imam
Khomeini,’ the Leader added. […]” Right: Delara Darabi, executed by the government of
Iran on May 1st, 2009 for having allegedly committed murder at the
age of 17. More information about the execution of minor offenders in the
State of Iran can be found in an article from the Wall
Street Journal from May 29th, 2009. Photo
Credits (from left to right): 1) Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
- 2009 - Press TV; 2) Delara Darabi, executed on May 1st,
2009 - undated - retrieved from the website Iran
Human Rights; |
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May 11th,
2009 |
”We have been very smart in being
intelligent of convincing operatives to end up working for us.” King Abdullah II responds to the question, whether
Jordan engages in torture of prisoners. |
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Left: King Abdullah II of Jordan. During an interview with
journalist David Gregory on “Meet the Press”, King Abdullah II of Jordan
responds as follows to the question, whether Jordan engages in torture of
prisoners: Mr. Gregory:
“Does torture work?” King Abdullah II: “I ...” “Mr. Gregory:
“Does it produce valuable intelligence?” King Abdullah II:
“I’m not an expert to be able to say one way or another if it does.
Again, it’s such a gray area when it comes to, to a country at war. I think
there, there are smarter ways of being able to deal with getting
information.” Mr. Gregory: “But yet Jordan is one of the most
stalwart U.S. allies in the Middle East. There’s a lot of business that's
done between the two countries and a very tight relationship. Did Jordan
engage in torture in concert with the United States?” King Abdullah II: “No. And I, I, I have been told by
my people that I’ve asked on, on many occasions, as these international
issues came up, I think that we have been very smart in, in, in being
intelligent of convincing operatives that we have come across to, to end up
working for us. And you can’t do that when it comes to torture.” Mr. Gregory: “The Human Rights Watch issued a report
about Jordan which contradicts that, and it said the following. I’ll put it
on the screen and allow you to react to it. ‘From 2001 until at least 2004,
Jordan's General Intelligence Department served as a proxy jailer for the
U.S. CIA, holding prisoners that the CIA apparently wanted kept out of
circulation, and later handing some of them back to the CIA. More than just
warehousing these men, the GID interrogated them using methods that were even
more brutal than those in which the CIA has been implicated to date. ... If
the Jordanians did indeed promise the U.S. authorities that prisoners
rendered there would not be tortured, it was a promise that neither the U.S.
nor Jordan believed.’” King Abdullah II: “I … when that report came out, or
when I was asked that question I think by one of your colleagues several
years ago, I went straight back to my director of intelligence at the time
and I said, ‘Is there any foundations to this?’ And he said categorically no.
And I made it quite clear to him and all the colleagues that have come up the
ranks since then that we don't tolerate that. So I’d like to think that my
people were telling me the truth.” Right: Prison cell in Jordan. The above-mentioned
Human Rights Watch report,
titled “Torture and Impunity in Jordan’s Prisons” from October 8th,
2008, paints a different picture of the current conditions in Jordan’s prison
system: “Torture remained widespread and routine in Jordan’s
prisons at the time of Human Rights Watch’s research in 2007. Updates to our
investigation in 2008 reveal that problems of torture and accountability
persist. We received allegations of ill-treatment, often amounting to
torture, from 66 out of 110 prisoners interviewed. Prison guards torture
inmates with near impunity because police prosecutors and police judges at the
Police Court do too little to pursue cases against their fellow officers. […] “The public concern of Jordan’s highest leadership
about torture has not showed lasting effects on the ground. Prison guards
under the jurisdiction of the Public Security Directorate routinely torture
or ill-treat inmates for perceived infractions of prison rules or for
requests, such as access to doctors, the telephone, or visitation, but also
in retaliation for filing complaints. In five prisons, detainees told us that
prison directors participated in torture. We found torture in each of the
seven prisons we visited between August 2007 and April 2008, speaking
unsupervised to 110 prisoners. We found several instances of recent torture
only days before our visit in four prisons. “Most common forms of torture include beatings with
cables and sticks and the suspension by the wrists of inmates from metal
grates for hours at a time. Guards flog the defenseless prisoner with knotted
electrical cables, beat him with hoses and truncheons, or kick him with fists
and boots. […] “Torture remains a tolerated practice in Jordan's
prisons because mechanisms for individual accountability are lacking. The
deterrent effect of a royal proclamation against torture is less than that of
effectively prosecuting an individual guard. Yet, the esprit de corps of the
PSD, its reluctance to prosecute, name, and shame torturers within its ranks
decidedly militates in favor of settling incidents of torture quietly and
internally, if at all, with only a few egregious cases making it to the
courts. […]” Photo
Credits (from left to right): 1) King Abdullah II of Jordan - 2009 -
Agence France Presse; 2) Prison Cell in Jordan - undated -
Reuters; |
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January 5th,
2009 |
“We carry the
greatest weapon on Earth, which is justice.” Shimon Peres commenting on Israel’s bombing campaign
of the Gaza strip. |
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Left: Shimon Peres, Nobel Peace Prize winner and
current President of the State of Israel. In an article
from ABC News from January 5th, 2009 he was cited, commenting on
Israel’s bombing on the Gaza strip: “We have nothing against the Gaza people,
we wish them well. We are not part of the Palestinian politics. We carry the
greatest weapon on Earth, which is justice.” Right: Three Palestinian boys, killed by Israeli
missiles; Photo Credits (from left to right): 1)
Shimon Peres, current President of the State of Israel and winner of the Nobel
Prize for Peace in 1994, during a visit to Poland to attend the commemoration
of the 65th anniversary of the uprising in Warsaw’s Jewish Ghetto
- April 2008 - Senate of the Republic of Poland; 2) Three Palestinian boys who were killed in an
Israeli missile strike during their funeral in the Rafah refugee camp. The
attacks brought the death toll in Gaza to more than 300, according to
Palestinian medical officials. - December 29th, 2008 - Khalil
Hamra/Associated Press; |
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January 4th, 2009 |
“Germany does not take part in
this war.” Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder in a
television address on the U.S. invasion of Iraq on March 20th,
2003. |
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Left: Former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder. Schröder
repeatedly publicly defended his anti-Iraq war position in 2002 and 2003, which
was a significant contributing factor in the victory of his party during the
federal elections in fall of 2002. Right: German spy “Volker Heinster”, agent of the German foreign
intelligence agency “BND” (Bundesnachrichtendienst) in front of the looted
German embassy in Baghdad in March/April of 2003. “Heinster” and his
colleague “Reiner Mahner” provided the U.S. military during the initial phase
of the invasion of Iraq with important military intelligence about Iraqi
troops. “Heinster’s” mission to Iraq was coordinated from the headquarters of
the BND and authorized by Schröder and other members of his office. More
about the involvement of the German government in the war in Iraq can be
found here. Photo Credits
(from left to right): 1) Gerhard
Schröder, SPD, Bundeskanzler a. D./former German chancellor - Date unknown -
Deutscher Bundestag/German parliament; 2) BND agent “Volker Heinster” in front of the German embassy in
Baghdad. - March/April 2003 - Source unknown/published by Der Spiegel; |
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September 4th, 2008 |
“War in Iraq is a task from God.” Republican candidate for the U.S. Vice-Presidency
and current Governor for the State of Alaska, Sarah Palin during a speech at
the graduation service of the school ministry of the “Wasilla Assembly of God
Church” in June of 2007. |
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Left: During a speech in June 2007 before the
“Wasilla Assembly of God”, Sarah Palin made the following remarks: “Pray for
our military men and women, who are striving to do what is right also for
this country - that our leaders, our national leaders are sending them out on
a task that is from God. That’s what we have to make sure, that we are
praying for. There is a plan, and that plan is God’s plan. So, bless them with
your prayers. Your prayers are protection over our soldiers.” A video tape of
Palin’s presentation can be watched here and here.
A background press article from the Associated Press from September 4th,
2008 can be found here. Right: An Iraqi woman with his child in an Iraqi refugee
camp. Two out of 5 million displaced persons and refugees, who lost their
home since the United States started the “holy war” against Iraq in 2003. Photo Credits (from left to right): 1) Sarah
Palin, Governor of the State of Alaska and 2008 Republican candidate for the
U.S. Vice-Presidency - 2006 - Official portrait from the State of Alaska/Jeff
Schultz; 2) An
Iraqi walks with her baby in front of tents in a refugee camp east of
Baghdad. The continuing rise of sectarian violence is causing increasing
numbers of Iraqis to leave the neighborhoods and towns where they live and to
seek refuge areas. - May 21st, 2007 - Karim Kadim/AP; |
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January 14th, 2008 |
Excerpt of a speech made by German Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the “Conference of Experts on the
Promotion of the Rule of Law” on November 30th, 2007 in Berlin. |
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Left: Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been the Foreign
Minister of Germany since November 22nd, 2005. Since November 2007
he is also the Vice-Chancellor. Between 1998 and 1999 he was the State
Secretary in the Federal Chancellery and the Commissioner for the Federal
Intelligence Services. He became then the Head of the Federal Chancellery
until he became Foreign Minister. The complete text of Steinmeier’s speech on
November 30th, 2007 can be read here
(in German, external link). Right: Mohammed Haydar Zammar. Zammar was born in
1961 in Syria. At the age of 10 he moved with his family to Germany and
became a German citizen. During the 1990s he joined radical islamic groups
and apparently became a recruiter for Al-Qaida. During a trip to Morocco in
December of 2001, he was arrested by the local authorities and handed over to
the CIA, which transported him to Syria. There he was handed over to the
Syrian authorities. He was imprisoned and sentenced on February 11th,
2007 to 12 years in jail for having been or being a member of the Syrian
branch of the “Muslim Brotherhood”. During a commission hearing of the German
parliament, which investigates the activities of the German foreign
intelligence service (Bundesnachrichtendienst), it was revealed that in 2002
the Federal Chancellery allowed the questioning of Zammar by members of the
BND, the German Federal Police (BKA) and the Federal Domestic Intelligence
Agency (Bundesverfassungsschutz) in his prison in Syria - although it was
known to the Chancellery that Zammar most likely had been or was being
tortured by the Syrian police. Around that time, the Chancellery negotiated a
deal with the Syrian authorities and agreed not to prosecute Syrian spies,
who operated in Germany, for the promise by Syria to refrain from activities
against Syrian opposition members in Germany. During their dealings with
Syria, it was well known to the German authorities, that “Syria is indeed a
terrible dictatorship,” according to the former terrorism expert in the
Chancellery Steinberg. The involvement of the Chancellery in the deportation
of Zammar by the CIA is still not clear. A summary of Steinberg’s testimony
before the commission can be read in an article
of the German magazine “Der Spiegel”. Photo Credits (from left to right): 1)
Frank-Walter Steinmeier - 2007 - File photo from the website of the German
Foreign Ministry; 2)
Mohammed Haydar Zammar - undated - Knut Müller/Associated Press; |
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November 18th, 2007 |
“There was no
‘massacre’ and no ‘cover-up.’” Excerpt of a statement made by Richard
Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the “Thomas More Law Center” in connection
with the arraignement of Lt. Colonel Jeffrey Chessani before a military court
for the attempted cover-up of the killings in Haditha, Iraq on November 19th,
2005. |
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Left: Richard Thompson - President and Chief Counsel of the
“Thomas More Law Center”. Thompson is the current defense attorney of Jeffrey
Chessani, who is charged in connection with the Haditha killings from
November 19th, 2005 by a military court for “dereliction of duty
and violation of a lawful order for failing to accurately report and
investigate the incident.” Right: U.S. Marine and three dead Iraqi civilians,
killed by U.S. Marines in the initial taxi cab killings at Haditha. A total
of 24 Iraqi civilians, including 10 women and children and an elderly man in
a wheelchair, were murdered on that day. More information about the Haditha
massacre can be found here. The full statement of Thompson can be found on the website of the Thomas
More Law Center: “Every patriotic American has a stake in the outcome of this
case. A U.S. Army Colonel and an Army General conducted two separate
investigations, and came to the same conclusion: there was no ‘massacre’ and
no ‘cover-up.’ Yet the government still pursued a multi-million dollar
investigation in order to appease an anti-war politician and the ‘blame
America first’ media. Now, we have the absurd situation of Lt. Colonel
Chessani being charged with failing to report and investigate a crime that
never occurred. Every American should
be outraged at the way this dedicated Marine and his family are being treated
by the nation he so loyally defended.” According to its own mission statement, “the Thomas
More Law Center is a not-for-profit public interest law firm dedicated to the
defense and promotion of the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored
family values, and the sanctity of human life. Our purpose is to be the sword
and shield for people of faith, providing legal representation without charge
to defend and protect Christians and their religious beliefs in the public
square. We achieve this goal principally through litigation, seeking out
significant cases, consistent with our mission, where our expertise can be of
service to others. We also defend and promote faith and family through media
and educational efforts. Above all, the lawyers of the Thomas More Center
seek to meet the highest moral and ethical standards of our Christian faith
and our legal profession […]” Photo Credits (from left to right): (1)
Richard Thompson - undated - Internet site of the Thomas More Law Center; (2)
U.S. Marine and dead Iraqis - November 19th/20th, 2005
- U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service; |
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July 25th, 2007 |
“We do not
question the integrity of the Marine Corps or any other branch of the
Military.” Excerpt of the Mission statement of the
Massachusetts-based “Military Combat Defense Fund”, which operates as a private
fundraising organization for individual defendants in the Hamdaniya and
Haditha military trials. |
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Left: President and Member of the Board for the “Military Combat
Defense Fund”, Mark O’Reilly. Reilly was the former Chief Staff to the
Mayor City of Brockton and the former executive director of the organization
“South Shore Habitat for Humanity”. Right: Dead Haditha children on the way to the
morgue, after having been killed by U.S.
Marines on November 19th, 2005. The Mission Statement of the “Military Combat
Defense Fund” further states: “The ‘Military Combat Defense Fund’ is a
non-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. We believe in the fundamental decency of our armed forces. We
believe that our fighting men and woman deserve nothing less than our undying
gratitude and unwavering support. If the need arises, we also believe that
they deserve the best legal counsel available. We are raising funds to assist
in the defense of U.S. Military Personnel, regardless of branch of service,
charged with alleged crimes of violence arising from a combat situation while
serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. […] We do not question the integrity of the
Marine Corps or any other branch of the Military. Nor do we condone or
encourage violence against civilians. We do know that politics is likely to play
a part in these prosecutions. Anyone that has been in combat knows how
confusing things can get. Decisions have to be made in a split second and the
harshest judge of those decisions is the combat Marine or Soldier who has
made them. […]” According to its website, the organization is
currently financially supporting one of the defendants in the Hamdaniya military trial (Lawrence
Hutchins) and four defendants in the Haditha
trial: Frank Wuterich, Stephen Tatum, Justin Sharratt & Andrew Grayson. With regards to the actions of the above mentioned
defendants, the military proceedings and documents have established so far
the following: Lawrence Hutchins
(Hamdaniya) - excerpt from an Associated Press article from October 16th,
2006: “The leader of a Marine squad suspected of kidnapping and murdering an
Iraqi man appeared in military court Monday, but a judge delayed a ruling on
whether to order a court-martial while he reviews evidence. Sgt. Lawrence G.
Hutchins headed the eight-man squad that prosecutors said took Hashim Ibrahim
Awad, 52, from his home in Hamdania and shot him without provocation after
they failed to catch a known insurgent. […] During previous proceedings,
prosecutors said much of the information comes from statements given by the
seven Marines and a Navy corpsman assigned to the squad. On Oct. 6, the
corpsman, Petty Officer 3rd Class Melson J. Bacos pleaded guilty to
kidnapping and conspiracy under a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to
testify at his court-martial and during upcoming proceedings about what he
witnessed in Iraq. Bacos has testified that Hutchins fired three rounds into
Awad’s head after checking to see if he was dead. […]” Frank Wuterich
(Haditha) - excerpt from North County Times article from December 27th,
2006: “The man at the center of accusations that Marines under his control
murdered 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last year ordered his troops to ‘shoot
first and ask questions later,’ according to a prosecution document. The
document known as a ‘Charge Sheet’ alleges that Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich
issued those orders ‘or words to that effect’ during the incident that took
place on Nov. 19, 2005. In doing so, Marine Corps prosecutors further allege,
the 26-year-old Connecticut native disregarded so-called rules of engagement
directives that required he ‘have positive identification prior to engaging a
target.’ The four-page document obtained this week by the North County Times
also accuses Wuterich of directing a corporal charged in the case to lie by
telling investigators that Iraqi army members shot and killed four men who
emerged from a taxi that happened upon the scene. The corporal also was
directed to falsely state that he had ordered the men to stop running. […]” Steven Tatum
(Haditha) - excerpt from a North County Times article from July 17th,
2007: “A Marine lance corporal accused of killing Iraqi civilians told a
buddy to shoot women and children cowering in the back bedroom of a Haditha
home, his squad mate testified in a rapt courtroom Tuesday. ‘I told him that
there’s womens and kids in that room," Lance Cpl. Humberto Mendoza said.
‘He replied, ‘Well, shoot them,’’ continued Mendoza, whose native language is
not English. ‘I replied, ‘There’s just womens and kids. There’s no males, no
threat, no hostile situation.’’ Mendoza said that when he refused the order,
Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum brushed past him and headed into the room himself.
‘Next thing I know, I hear a lot of noise in the house,’ Mendoza said. […]” Justin Sharratt
(Haditha) - excerpt from a Los Angeles Times article from June 14th,
2007: “A Marine lance corporal accused of executing three unarmed Iraqi
brothers in Haditha told a hearing officer Thursday that he killed them after
two of them pointed AK-47s at him while he searched their home for
insurgents. […] ‘We did not execute any Iraqi males,’ Sharratt said in a
strong, clear voice. ‘I am a disciplined Marine. … On Nov. 19, I did exactly
as I was trained to do.’ Prosecutors assert that the three Iraqi men were
unarmed and that Sharratt and Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich killed them at
close range without provocation. Sharratt said he gave the AK-47s to a Marine
the day of the incident. But testimony indicated that there was no clear
record of the weapons being recovered at the house, although records do show
two AK-47s being recovered somewhere in the neighborhood that day.
Prosecutors also assert that because the Iraqis were slain with a handgun,
the killings were ‘execution-style,’ because troops rarely use handguns when
assaulting houses. But a military pathologist said pictures of the dead men
did not suggest that the fatal bullets were fired at close enough range to
show the powder burns consistent with such a mode of killing. […]” Andrew Grayson
(Haditha) - excerpt from a San Diego Union-Tribune article from June 8th,
2007: “A Marine who took pictures of 24 Iraqis killed by U.S. forces
testified yesterday that one of his commanders later ordered him to erase the
photos, including those showing dead women and children. ‘I just kind of
looked at him with shock,’ Staff Sgt. Justin Laughner said about the
instructions from 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson. ‘It just didn't seem right. ... To
me, it looked like destroying evidence,’ Laughner testified in a Camp
Pendleton courtroom. He said Grayson told him in February 2006 to delete the
images from his computer and that he promptly did so. By then, a journalist’s
inquiry had prompted top military brass to start investigating the killings,
which occurred Nov. 19, 2005, in the city of Haditha. […] Grayson [is]
accused of failing to properly investigate the 24 deaths. […]” Photo Credits
(from left to right): (1)
Mark O’Reilly - published March 2007 - Internet site of “South Shore Habitat
For Humanity”; (2)
Dead victims of Haditha massacre/video still - November 19th/20th,
2005 - Taher Thabet/Iraq; |
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April 15th, 2007 |
“Hans Filbinger
was not a National Socialist. On the contrary: He was an opponent of the NS
regime.” Public remarks by German state governor
Günther Oettinger during the memorial service for Hans Filbinger, Oettinger’s
predecessor, former navy judge during the 3rd Reich and member of
the German Nazi party from 1937 until the end of the second world war. |
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Left: Current governor for the German state of
Baden-Württemberg Günther Oettinger. He is a member of the conservative
ruling party Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Oettinger’s speech at the
memorial service for Filbinger can be read here
(in German). Right: Hans Filbinger in his later years. Background
article
on the Oettinger/Filbinger scandal by Judy Dempsey for the International
Herald Tribune, dated April 15th, 2007: “Chancellor
Angela Merkel is facing a rebellion inside her conservative party after
Günther Oettinger, premier of the conservative southern German state of
Baden-Württemberg, refused to retract a funeral eulogy in which he praised a
disgraced Nazi judge. Merkel, who until now has managed to maintain some
discipline in her Christian Democratic Union party since being elected
chancellor in late 2005, will meet senior party leaders Monday in an attempt
to prevent the crisis from growing. “The German
Jewish community has already asked for the resignation of Oettinger, and the
Social Democrats and Greens have also called upon him to retract his praise
of Hans Filbinger, a former Nazi judge who issued death sentences during
World War II but who concealed the fact for decades. In 1966, Filbinger was
elected premier of Baden-Württemberg; he resigned in 1978, only after it was
revealed that he had worked as a military judge and had been a member of the
Nazi Party. “Merkel
said she wished that ‘beyond honoring the great life’s works of Premier Hans
Filbinger, critical questions about the Nazi era had also been posed.’ This,
she added, was particularly important ‘out of respect for the feelings of the
victims’ of the Third Reich. Despite the growing outrage, even from the
conservative media, Oettinger stood by his original remarks Sunday. ‘I
believe Filbinger was an opponent of the dictatorship,’ he said in a radio
interview. ‘My comments were justifiable.’ “During the funeral Wednesday, Oettinger uncritically
praised Filbinger. He said that there had been ‘no verdict that Hans
Filbinger handed down that led to someone's losing his life,’ adding that
Filbinger had not been a real Nazi but, like millions of other Germans, had
been forced to bow to the pressure of the time. […]” Background information on Hans Filbinger - from the
Obituary notes
by David Childs for the Independent (April 9th, 2007): “Hans Karl
Filbinger, politician and judge: born Mannheim, Germany 15 September 1913;
married Ingeborg Breuer (one son, four daughters); died Freiburg, Germany 1
April 2007. “Hans
Filbinger’s life revealed how Hitler’s Third Reich has continued to haunt the
German political scene. A highly popular Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg,
he was forced out of office in 1978 because of his wartime activities and was
still under fire in 2004. “A
Catholic, born in Mannheim in 1913, Filbinger studied law in Freiburg, Munich
and Paris. Having joined the Catholic youth organisation at school, he
remained a member until it was banned by the Nazis. According to the news
magazine Der Spiegel, Filbinger also joined the Nazi student organisation,
the SA stormtroopers and, in 1937, the Nazi party. In 1940 he passed his
state law exam and a few months later was called up for service in the navy.
He was posted to the naval legal service. “In
1946, Filbinger returned to academic work at Freiburg University and also
worked as a lawyer. He joined the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) in
1951 and in 1960 was elected to the regional parliament. Weeks later Kurt
Georg Kiesinger, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, invited him to take
over as Minister of Interior of the state. When in 1966 Kiesinger was elected
Chancellor of Germany, Filbinger succeeded him as Baden-Württemberg's Prime
Minister. “In
1969, when Willy Brandt became West German Chancellor, Filbinger took up a
position as a strong opponent of Brandt’s Social-Liberal coalition. He
increased the CDU vote in Baden- Württemberg in the regional elections of
1972, and again in 1976, campaigning under the slogan ‘Freedom instead of
Socialism’. Some saw Filbinger as a possible future Chancellor of West
Germany. […] “In
1978, Filbinger’s career was finally torpedoed by the dramatist Rolf Hochhuth
who denounced him for his wartime activities. Hochhuth wrote in the weekly
Die Zeit that in January 1945 Filbinger was part of the team that condemned
the 22-year-old sailor Walter Gröger to death. Later, Filbinger admitted that
he had been involved with two other death sentences, in January and April
1945, only days before the war’s end. “He
made the mistake of first attempting to deny the facts, and then not
expressing regret for his activities. He argued that death sentences for
desertion were common in armies in wartime. Few accused him of being a
fanatical Nazi and it was revealed that he had attempted to get lesser
sentences in some cases. Filbinger resigned on 7 August 1978, although he
remained honorary chairman of the Baden- Württemberg CDU until 1997. […]”
[End of article] Filbinger
applied for membership in the German Nazy party (“NSDAP”) on May 20th,
1937. Shortly after, the application Filbinger’s was granted and he became an
official member (No. 4026789). Membership within the NSDAp required the
following oath, which Filbinger signed on his application card: “As a
faithful follower to the Führer, I promise to support the party to the best
of my ability.” After his resignation as state governor, Filbinger
founded the conservative/right-wing think tank “Studienzentrum Weikersheim”
in 1979. During the 1980s and 1990s the institute was involved in several
scandals, as it repeatedly invited speakers of the
ultra-conservaitve/right-wing political spectrum or its board members
maintained contacts to right-wing extremists. Photo
Credits (from left to right): (1)
Günther Oettinger - April 2007 - Financial Times Deutschland/Associated
Press; (2)
Hans Filbinger - undated - ARD Television; |
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March 10th, 2007 |
Public remarks by U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice on the occasion of the relase of the U.S. State
Department’s human rights report for the year 2006 on March 6th,
2007. |
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Left: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
during the presentation of this year’s human rights report by the U.S. State
Department on March 6th, 2007. Her full remarks on the release of
the report can be read here. Right: A killed Iraqi boy from Jalameda, deprived of
his most basic human right - the right to live - by an U.S. airstrike on
December 8th, 2006. More about the Jalameda massacre can be found here. Background:
“On Tuesday - to ritualized hoots of derision from around the globe - the U.S.
Department of State released its 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices. The annual reports detail ‘the status of internationally
recognized human rights’ in virtually every country in the world - except, of
course, the U.S. itself. “At
first glance, this year's reports contain few surprises. The State Department
laments the genocide in Darfur, notes that Russia has experienced a ‘further
erosion of government accountability’ and reminds us that Cuba denies its
citizens ‘the fundamental right to change their government peacefully.’ The
reports also document rights abuses in China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran,
Venezuela, North Korea - in fact, pretty much all over the place. Even tiny
Monaco is rebuked for denying its citizens ‘the right to change their
government or denounce the royal family.’ “Although the State Department announces the annual
reports with fanfare, the rest of the world rarely responds with enthusiasm.
This year is no exception. China, a perennial target, declared that ‘the United
States has lorded it over other countries by condemning other countries'
human rights practices while ignoring its own problems.’ Other foreign
commentators also complained about U.S. hypocrisy. After Guantanamo Bay, Abu
Ghraib, Haditha and other highly publicized human rights controversies, they
wondered, where does the U.S. get off casting stones at others? […]” Excerpt
of a Los Angeles Times article
from March 9th, 2007. Photo
Credits (from left to right): (1)
Condoleezza Rice - March 6th, 2007 - State Department photo by
Michael Gross; (2)
Killed Iraqi boy from Jalameda - December 8th, 2006 - Al Jazeera; |
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January 30th, 2007 |
Public statement by Federal Foreign
Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the occasion of the upcoming Human Rights
Day, on December 9th, 2006. |
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Left: Frank-Walter Steinmeier, since 2005 Foreign
minister of the Federal Republic of Germany and former Head of the Federal
Chancellery from 1999 until 2005. The full statement of Steinmeier on the
occasion of Human Rights day can be read here
(external link). Right: Murat Kurnaz, “[…] a German-born Turk, was
arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of being a militant. He was transferred to
Afghanistan, where he says American interrogators hung him from chains. He
was sent to Guantanamo and held there until last August, when he was released.
He was never charged with a crime. Intelligence documents cited by German
media suggest Kurnaz, a 24-year-old shipbuilder, could have been freed years
earlier. The files indicate that the CIA offered to release Kurnaz and return
him to Germany in 2002. […] At the time Kurnaz’s fate was being decided,
Steinmeier oversaw German spy agencies as chief of staff to then-Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder. Documents being examined by a special committee of
Parliament allege that Steinmeier and former foreign intelligence director
August Hanning rejected the U.S. offer. […]” Excerpt of a Los Angeles Times article from January 26th,
2007. Steinmeier still defends his decision to stop the
release of the innocent Kurnaz from Guantanamo and his return to Germany,
although he was already informed in 2002 by the U.S. government and the
German foreign intelligence service (BND) that Kurnaz had no ties to Al Qaeda
or the Taliban. He stated publicly that he would decide exactly the same way
today, that his decisions of 2002 were perfectly correct and the criticism of
his actions “shameless”. (link
to German article). Photo
Credits (from left to right): (1) Frank-Walter Steinmeier - 2006 -
file photo from the website of the German embassy in Washington, D.C.; (2) Murat Kurnaz attends an interview
with Radio Bremen TV in Bremen, Germany. - August 31st, 2006 -
Radio Bremen TV/Handout/Reuters; |
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January 15th, 2007 |
Press statement of Jendayi Frazer, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State, in reaction to several U.S. air strikes in South Somalia
on January 9th, 2007. |
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Left: Frazer heads the Bureau of African Affairs
since September 29th, 2005. According to her official biography, “[s]ecurity
issues remain of interest to Dr. Frazer, who regularly speaks to military
audiences and about military-related issues in Africa.” Her statement to the
U.S. bombings can be read in an BBC News article from
January 10th, 2007. Right: Three members of a U.S. supported Somali
warlord coalition. A Reuters article
from June 5th, 2006 describes that at least until 2006 the United
States has funneled money and equipment to Somali warlords: “The United
States has been funnelling more than $100,000 a month to warlords battling
Islamist militia in Somalia, according to a Somalia expert who has conferred
with the groups in the country. […] U.S. government officials refused to
discuss any possible secret U.S. involvement in the strategically placed Horn
of Africa state, which has been wrecked by years of fighting. But former U.S.
intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the subject, said an operation to support the warlords’
alliance appeared to involve both the CIA and U.S. military. John
Prendergast, who monitors Somalia for the think-tank International Crisis
Group, said he learnt during meetings with alliance members in Somalia that
the CIA was financing the warlords with cash payments. Prendergast estimated
that CIA-operated flights into Somalia have been bringing in $100,000 to
$150,000 per month for the warlords. […]”
Photo
Credits (from left to right): (1)
Jendayi Frazer - 2005/2006 - file photo from the website of the U.S. State
Department; (2)
Three Somali members of the anti-terrorism warlord coalition that has been battling
forces loyal to Islamic courts are seen heavy armed in Balad. - 2006 -
Reuters; |
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December 31st, 2006 |
President Bush's Statement on the execution of
Saddam Hussein from December 29th, 2006. |
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Left: U.S. President Bush on December 27th,
2006. The full statement by Bush on Saddam Hussein’s execution can be read here. Right: The executed Saddam Hussein hanging from the
gallows. Photo
Credits (from left to right): (1)
U.S. President George Bush delivers a statement on the passing of former
President Gerald R. Ford from Crawford, Texas. - December 27th,
2006 - White House photo by Paul Morse; (2)
Screenshot from a video filmed with a cellphone camera featuring the dead
Saddam Hussein, a few seconds after his execution - December 30th,
2006 - unknown source; |
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December 15th, 2006 |
U.S. President George W. Bush at the
“Full Honor Review” for parting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on December
15th, 2006. |
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Left: President George W. Bush and Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld shake hands following President Bush’s remarks
honoring outgoing Secretary Rumsfeld during an Armed Forces Full Honor Review
at the Pentagon Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, as Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman
General Peter Pace applauds. (external link
to the official White House presentation) Right:
“U.S. intelligence personnel ordered military dog handlers at the Abu Ghraib
prison in Iraq to use unmuzzled dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees
during interrogations late last year, a plan approved by the highest-ranking
military intelligence officer at the facility, according to sworn statements
the handlers provided to military investigators. A military intelligence
interrogator also told investigators that two dog handlers at Abu Ghraib were
‘having a contest’ to see how many detainees they could make involuntarily
urinate out of fear of the dogs, according to the previously undisclosed
statements obtained by The Washington Post. The statements by the dog
handlers provide the clearest indication yet that military intelligence
personnel were deeply involved in tactics later deemed by a U.S. Army general
to be ‘sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses.’ […]” Excerpt of an article by the Washington
Post from June 11th, 2004. Photo
Credits (from left to right) (1)
Donald Rumsfeld, Peter Pace & George W. Bush - December 15th,
2006 - White House photo by Paul Morse; (2) An
unmuzzled dog appears to be used to frighten a detainee at Abu Ghraib prison
in Iraq. Two military dog handlers told investigators that intelligence
personnel ordered them to use dogs to intimidate prisoners. - undated photo
from fall of 2003; |
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December 8th, 2006 |
“America’s belief in human dignity and
human rights will guide our policy.” U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
during the presentation of the annual U.S. Human Rights report on March 28th,
2005. |
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Left: José Padilla, blindfolded, deafened and
shackled, on the way from his cell to his dentist. Padilla, a so-called
“enemy combattant”, is incarcerated without trial for more than four years at
the U.S. Navy military facility in Charleston, South Carolina. Right: Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State
since January 26th, 2005, regularly propagates the human rights
policy of the United States of America. For more details about the circumstances of
Padilla’s detention read the affidavit
of Angela Hegarty, a medical doctor who treated Padilla in 2006. Photo
credits (from left to right): (1)
& (2) Still shots from an unclassified DoD video - Exhibit E, Docket No.
695, Filed December 1st, 2006 - USA et al vs. Hassoun et al, U.S.
District Court, Southern District of Florida; (3)
Official portrait of Condoleezza Rice - February 2005 - U.S. Department of
State; |
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November 23rd, 2006 |
“He is the type of guy you would want dating your
daughter.” Attorney Mark Zaid about his client Sgt.
Frank Wuterich during an interview with the “National Public Radio” (NPR) on
November 21st, 2006. |
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Frank Wuterich (left), former leader of 1st Squad,
3rd Platoon, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, who led an
attack of U.S. marines against Iraqis on November 19th, 2005,
which left 24 civilians dead, including 15 women and children (right).
Wuterich is now a defendant before a U.S. military tribunal because of the
killings. More about the Haditha Massacre: link Photo
credits (from left to right): (1) F.
Wuterich - undated family photo; (2)
& (3) Murder scene in Haditha - video provided to Reuters in March by
Hamourabi, a human rights group - November 20th, 2005 -
bloodstained bedroom and covered dead Iraqi civlians; |
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