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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alighieri who wrote (207591)	10/19/2004 3:36:13 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1576865

Sacking of Crusading Judge Fuels Concerns Over Iraq Rights Record One of Iraq's leading judicial champions of the rule of law has been sacked, fueling concerns the US-backed government is adopting strong-arm tactics reminiscent of the old regime in its war against insurgents. The central criminal court's chief investigating magistrate, Zuhair al-Maliky, said the authorities had given him no reason for his dismissal, which came after repeated clashes with state security agencies over arbitrary arrests and other suspected abuses. But the judge insisted he was unrepentant about his crusade for due process by the security services. "Nobody is above the law," he told AFP. "That's the mistake Saddam (Hussein) made. When he made some people above the law... that was the disaster for Iraqi society." Ironically, it was the US-led coalition that originally tasked Maliky with investigating alleged abuses by Iraq's fledgling security apparatus. A former US official confirmed he had been charged with probing alleged bribery and brutality by members of the police major crimes unit, back in April, two months before the caretaker government took power. "There was a lot of cases of torture, illegal detention and corruption," recalled Maliky, adding that his investigation resulted in the arrest or conviction of at least 20 policemen. Five of the cases involved the use of electric shock on detainees, leaving one man partially paralyzed, he added. But once Iraq regained its sovereignty in June, his investigation ground to a halt as the insurgency grew and the government put a premium on restoring security. "Before the transfer of power, they were obedient. Now, they've stopped obeying court orders," Maliky complained, pointing to 10 policemen with outstanding charges who had refused to obey court summons. He charged that US support for his campaign had also waned as attacks on coalition troops intensified. "I don't really speak with the Americans since the transfer of sovereignty. They seem more concerned with fighting the war than rebuilding the country," he said. The US embassy declined to comment, saying the Iraqi justice system was a matter for the government. The interior ministry also declined to respond to the allegations. Maliky again locked horns with the security services in September after the major crimes unit and agents from Iraq's new national intelligence service arrested 52 people at the Baghdad headquarters of Hezbollah, a faction of a mainstream Shiite religious party which has representatives in the interim government. The judge ordered their release, saying the interior ministry had failed to obtain a proper warrant or bring the suspects before a court. But the intelligence service simply secured broader powers, with its own special judges authorized to issue arrest warrants, its chief Mohammed al-Shahwani confirmed. Maliky said the unprecedented move was a clear violation of the US-drafted order which established the spy service in April and defined its role strictly as an information gatherer. However Shahwani defended it, saying: "We do everything legally ... I have no agenda, I work only for this flag." The major crimes unit is now holding up to 10 individuals for Shahwani, on the basis of a clause in Saddam's old penal code dealing with enemies of the state, Maliky said. A further 50 suspects are being held without charge by the unit, he added. The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq confirmed the arrest of the 52 Hezbollah members and charged that they had also been tortured in what it described as an unacceptable breach of the interim constitution. "We cannot anywhere accept this behavior," party leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim told AFP. "There is a (basic) law to rule the state in the transitional period. Human rights must be respected." The Islamic Party, a leading Sunni religious faction, agreed that the interim constitution was being increasingly violated in the battle against insurgents. "(A) simple example is that according to that very law, no citizen should be arrested unless an arrest warrant is issued, which is something not happening in most of the cases, if at all," party spokesman Iyad al-Samarrai told AFP. New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch said it shared many of the concerns expressed, particularly over the major crimes unit. "We have received information about the torture and ill-treatment of detainees for the purpose of extracting confessions," the watchdog's Baghdad representative Hania Mufti said. "The (interim constitution) contains a bill of rights that sets out basic human rights safeguards. Some of them are not being met." Interior Minister Falah Naquib acknowledged before parliament Monday that there had been cases of arbitrary detention but said his government was trying to stamp them out. "There were mistakes in arresting some people without a warrant according to the law and we will work hard to stop it," he told MPs. © Copyright 2004 AFP ###

To: Alighieri who wrote (207591)	10/19/2004 3:40:26 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1576865

Company's decision to air anti-Kerry documentary spurs backlash BY SUZETTE PARMLEY Knight Ridder Newspapers PHILADELPHIA - (KRT) - A television group's decision to air a documentary critical of Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam antiwar activities has sparked a backlash from media watchdog groups and advertisers, and a lawsuit from a Vietnam veteran featured in the film. Shares in Sinclair Broadcast Group, which intends to air the anti-Kerry film, "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," on all 62 of its stations across the country, traded at an all-time low Monday on Wall Street. Monday, Kenneth J. Campbell, a University of Delaware professor who is one of the veterans depicted in the 41-minute film, sued the movie's producer for libel, saying the film falsely portrayed him as a fraud and a liar. The civil lawsuit was filed in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. Last week, the Kerry campaign called the film a politically motivated attack that is unfair and inaccurate. In his suit, Campbell, said the film combined footage of his appearance at a 1971 war protest with a voice-over. The voice-over claims that many of the supposed veterans who took part in the event were later "discovered as frauds," who "never set foot on the battlefield, or left the comfort of the States, or even served in uniform." "They put me in it as almost a centerpiece example of a fraudulent, lying pseudo-veteran," said Campbell, an associate professor who teaches political science and international relations, including an honors course called Lessons of Vietnam. "I thought about it, and could not let it pass. I nearly lost my life in Vietnam multiple times and to have someone say I am a fake and a fraud and didn't even serve in Vietnam is utterly despicable." The movie is scheduled to replace regular programming during prime time in such swing states as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida, during a four-day period this month. The film "has taken on a life of its own," its producer, Carlton Sherwood, of Harrisburg, Pa., said Monday. "I was told that throughout the country there are hundreds of places where small and large groups are getting together to watch this." The film was to have been shown at the Baederwood Mall theater in Jenkintown, Pa., Tuesday night, but an employee at the theater said last night that it had been cancelled. Campbell said he sent the Jenkintown theater and Sinclair Broadcast Group a letter notifying them that if they aired the film, they would be named in his lawsuit as additional defendants. He has retained Philadelphia attorney James E. Beasley. The Sinclair stock has taken a hit since the controversy surfaced. The stock has fallen 53 percent this year. It dropped 7 cents, or 1 percent, on Friday to close at $7.04. It traded at a 52-week low Monday of $6.49. Before Sinclair's plans to show the documentary more than a week ago was first reported, the stock was at $7.50. "In our opinion, Sinclair's decision to pre-empt programming to air `Stolen Honor' is potentially damaging - both financially and politically," analyst William Meyers of Lehman Brothers Equity Research wrote in a report dated Friday. "In a best case scenario, we believe that this decision could result in lost ad revenues. In a worst case scenario, we believe the decision may lead to higher political risk." Some car and furniture companies in battleground states, such as Minnesota, have pulled ads from local Sinclair stations, according to the New York Times. Sinclair is a major campaign contributor to the Bush campaign. Media watchdog groups joined Common Cause last week in challenging Sinclair's decision to air the film right before the election. continued............. mercurynews.com

To: Alighieri who wrote (207591)	10/20/2004 10:18:02 AM
From: TigerPaw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1576865

I saw the Iraqi guard getting ready for a patrol on TV last night. In an atmosphere where American troops are willing to risk court martial rather than enter these areas with substandard armour they are sending out the Iraqi's in pickup trucks. The American's follow behind in their M1A1 tanks and Bradleys. There is no way the Iraqi forces are going to provide security on their own. It appears that the administration does not really want the Iraqi forces to be too good at security, or the american public will start calling for the American troops to come home, and that goes against the neocon plans. TP