Thursday, February 19, 2015

Iraqi forces attack journalists for the second day in a row

Iraqi Spring MC reports that in Baghdad's Abu Dshir neighborhood, Sunni homes have been 'decorated' with a warning telling them they have 24 hours to leave.


Meanwhile yesterday saw a reporter and photographer for the Sumerian Channel severely beaten and a number of other journalists were harmed -- they were attacked by security forces in Baghdad who were insisting upon seeing their cell phones.


Alsumaria notes that today another group of journalists were attacked when they openly protested yesterday's attack.  They were attacked by Iraqi forces.  Today's attack took place in Baghdad's Tahrir Square and left several reporters beaten including an Al-Fayhaa photographer.

It's such a public nightmare that even Iraq's laughable Ministry of Human Rights has had to issue a statement decrying the attack.  All Iraq News notes National Alliance MP Hamdiya al-Husseiny has denounced the attacks.  Alsumaria notes that Diyala Province Governor Amer Nostra is demanding that those responsible for the attacks be punished.  Meanwhile the Observatory for Journalistic Freedoms is stating that an apology will not suffice and will not be accepted, that the attack is an attack on basic rights and an apology will accomplish nothing.


All Iraq News reports Speaker of Parliament Saleem al-Jubouri has declared that legal actions will be taken against those who attacked the journalists. While journalists attached to the United Nations in Geneva are calling for an investigation into the "criminal" attacks.


None of the above was addressed yesterday in the ludicrous summit the White House staged or in the never-ending speech Barack Obama gave.


The problems in Iraq run deep and instead of focusing on those, instead of working towards a political solution, Barack has wasted months on a bombing campaign that has done nothing to improve lives.  He's failed to reach into the diplomatic tool box, he's failed to provide leadership.

Presumably the US media's silence on yesterday's attacks on journalist in Baghdad and today's has to do with an effort to protect the costly summit the White House is staging.


The following community sites updated:












  • The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.


     


    iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq