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Silencing voice of justice by
Democratic Britain
As the debate goes on over whether additional occupation troops
in Iraq would help bring the long lost democracy to the country,
Britain, U.S.’s main ally in the illegal war proves to be an
undemocratic nation.
Mohammed Al Deeni, an independent member of the parliament,
frequently described by British ministers as the most democratic
in Iraqi history, the one who exposed prisoner abuse in Iraq,
was planning for a visit to UK, but his visa was rejected, even
though he was invited by British parliamentarians.
Al Deeni was planning to address a meeting in the House of
Commons as part of his ongoing campaign aimed at unveiling the
horrific human rights violations and inhuman treatment of Iraqi
prisoners inside jails, now run by the occupation authority.
Al Deeni lost 10 of his cousins as a result of the sectarian
strife in Iraq that has been fueled by the occupation and the
failure of the incompetent and puppet Iraqi government to
install order in the country.
Respect MP George Galloway, one of the organizers of the visit,
said:
"We say we are a democracy. Our prime minister says they are a
democracy. Yet when an Iraqi MP wants to speak to his
counterparts in Britain about inconvenient truths he’s not
allowed into Britain.
"No Member of Parliament, almost irrespective of their view on
the decision to go to war, can allow this to stand. I have today
tabled a motion condemning this decision, written to the
Speaker, and demanded of the Foreign Office that they
reconsider.
"Treating Al Deeni in this way can only make him further
vulnerable to the violence that has engulfed his family.”
The human rights situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate.
While some may agree that massive human rights abuses were
carried out under Saddam Hussein's rule, analysts, political
experts as well as international rights groups affirm that
Iraqis’ basic rights were more severely violated during the
occupation.
Prisoners’ abuse, sectarian violence, kidnapping, murder, as
well as bomb attacks have all become common occurrences in Iraq
since the war broke out in the country.
Torture, ill-treatment of detainees and lack of judicial process
in Iraq continue to be underreported and when prominent figures
like Mr. Deeni attempt to speak up, they’re usually silenced,
and denied one of the rights the Western world claims to
advocate; “freedom of speech”.
The rushed execution of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein
for committing crimes against humanity was wrong, and signified
that justice denied for countless victims who suffered under his
regime.
The International Community on the other hand, has failed to
hold the U.S. and Britain accountable for the unspeakable
horrors and torture Iraqis endured as a result of the illegal
occupation of their country.
Source: Aljazeera.com
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