Murder, American style!
By Waleed
al-Zubaidi
Azzaman, May 8, 2005
In a funeral in the Karrada
District of Baghdad, the relatives and mourners spoke openly of the tragedy of
Iraqi detainees held at
And Ibrahim al-Hajim, known in his neighborhood as Abu Ammar, was the
latest victim of
The victim’s family was all tears. They had no idea why Hajim was held
until the authorities notified them to collect his corpse.
His wife and children were anxiously waiting for his release because
they were certain of his innocence.
The family knew nothing about his whereabouts for several months and
when they found out he was languishing at
The marines did not shoot Hajim. He did not die as a result of torture.
But Hajim’s death was the result of murder, American style!
Last month unconfirmed reports said that 11 detainees had escaped from
They were
believed to have escaped through a hole in the fence surrounding the U.S.-run
detention facility where more than 6,000 Iraqis are held, most of them without
trial.
The
American guards, instead of improving conditions at the jail in the light of
international human rights conventions, they turned their wrath on the detainees.
It was
mass punishment. The detainees were denied food and medical treatment.
And
because Hajim was diabetic, his health deteriorated and died as a result. The
Americans were reported to have done nothing to save his life.
Hajim, a
lovable and amicable guy, was dear to the hearts of thousands of residents in
Karrada.
Thousands
and thousands of mourners had come to offer their condolences to his family.
But Hajim
was not the only victim the mourners talked about.
Almost
everyone had a story to tell of the abuses, the atrocities, the violence and
massive human rights violations that have accompanied the
