Liberation 2019
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Journal of Liberation formerly the Movement for Colonial Freedom Autumn2019 The struggle for peace in the Middle East Journal of Liberation formerly the Movement for Colonial Freedom Volume 60 No.7 Autumn 2019 Formerly the Movement for Colonial Freedom, Liberation was founded Contents in1954. Today Liberation campaigns for peace, economic justice, equality and human rights Popuar uprising in Iraq Hashim Ali Liberation 1 75-77 St John Street, London EC1M 4NN Maggie Bowden general secretary This issue prepared by Ararat Ratoosi Printed by RussellPress Design and production Manifesto Press set in Liberation sans and Liberation serif Don’t attack Iran Other than the editorial, the opinions in the 4 articles are not necessarily those of Liberation The struggle for peace in the Middle East Dr Aquel Taqz To recieve a copy of this issue or to recieve 6 regular issues of Liberation journal pleae email or call on [email protected] 02073242498 www. liberationorg.co.uk TUC debates international 8 solidarity ssues Murder in Mexico 10 Xochitl Hernandez Bolivar versus Monroe 12 Francisco Dominguez Uprising in Iraq The movement against unemployment and corruption is facing bloody repression. Hashim Ali reports NEW WAVE of mass protests has By 6th October 2019, according to buildings targeting them with bullets in swept Baghdad and nine other figures published by the Iraqi Human the head and heart. There is also provinces in central and southern Rights Commission, 107 people were documented evidence and video AIraq and have been met with bloody killed, 4050 wounded, 923 arrested. The recordings of summary executions of repression by the security forces, with over number of people killed is now well few unarmed protesters. While the 120 people killed, thousands injured and over 120, but the real number is feared government has claimed that the killings hundreds arrested. The popular uprising to be much higher. A list has been were carried out by “unidentified was sparked by a peaceful demonstration at published of the names of 57 people elements”, the truth is that death squads Tahrir (Liberation) Square in central killed in Sadr City in Baghdad, based on that belong to militias and shadowy Baghdad on 1st October, with participants information from one hospital alone. groups were responsible for these mainly young people from poor and The victims were aged between 25 and hideous crimes. marginalised areas in the capital, voicing 35 years old. A number of detainees who were their anger against the corrupt political The demonstrations continued, in released have provided evidence of system, poverty and unemployment. They defiance of a curfew, with greater physical and psychological torture, were attacked by security forces that fired numbers of people, mainly youths, including beatings, threats to their lives, live ammunition directly at the protesters coming out to the streets, in Baghdad using force to extract confessions and and also used rubber bullets, tear gas and and other provinces including Naseriya, forcing them to sign so-called pledges water cannons (with hot water). A number Basra, Diwaniya, Najaf and Babylon. It that they would not take part in any of wounded protesters were snatched is now confirmed that most of the protest. detained from hospitals. victims were killed by snipers on top of Continued overleaf Liberation 1 Uprising in Iraq In a desperate attempt to contain the it is about 23%. But according to other protests, the government issued a sources it is 30 – 40 %, being higher There is also a systematic campaign number of measures to improve the among the youth. In mid-2018, the IMF of arrests targeting activists of the living conditions of the people. These stated that unemployment among the protest movement, forcing many of included giving the unemployed a youth was over 40%. Figures published them to go into hiding. This has monthly grant of about $145 for a period by the Ministry of Labour show that oil included a number of civil democratic of 3 months and building new housing revenues constitute 89% of Iraq’s activists who had been involved in units. The Minister of Labour and Social budget, and represent 94% of its previous mass protests. Affairs announced new plans for exports, yet the oil sector only provides In an attempt to deprive the protest employing 450,000 unemployed people 1% of the jobs. movement of the means to organise and within only 3 months! However, the Despite oil revenues of more than expose the bloody repression and blatant people no longer trust such promises $70 billion, 22% of the population are violations of human rights, the which in the past have proved to be under the poverty line according to government imposed a shutdown of the hollow. official figures. In some southern internet. Iraqi media and TV stations These measures fail to address the provinces it exceeds 31%. Other sectors, that were reporting the protests and the root causes of the resentment and anger especially health, education, electricity vicious campaign of repression were among the people. Combating the and public services have also also targeted. Three satellite channels rampant corruption has been one of the deteriorated. were forced to close by orders of the main demands of the protest movement. The Iraqi economy is facing other official Media Commission. Four TV Public resources and wealth were enormous problems, including a offices were raided by unidentified plundered on an astronomical scale. collapsing infrastructure, the lack of a armed groups and 26 attacks were Reports have revealed that since 2003, national industry and poor performance reported against journalists. There were the country lost about $450 billion as a of the agricultural and trade sectors. also 14 cases where media outlets were result of corruption. It is estimated that This is further aggravated by security prevented from covering protests in about 25% of the country’s public problems and the heavy legacy of the Baghdad and other provinces. money is plundered due to corruption. war against the terrorist organization The government responded to these Iraq’s corruption record has been getting “Daesh” (the so-called “ISIS”). Two gross violations of constitutional and worse over the past decades. In 2003, it million people are still internally human rights by issuing statements was 117th in the world corruption displaced as a result of this war. They rejecting such acts but without concrete ranking among 133 states. It has now are living in miserable conditions in measures to reveal the identity of the gone further down the list, ranking more than 160 camps in several perpetrators of these crimes and 169th among 180 states. No concrete provinces, lacking basic services. bringing them to justice. Under measures and legal action have been The essence of the deep structural mounting pressure, the Prime Minister taken by the government until now to crisis in Iraq lies in the political system Adel Abdul Mehdi ordered the setting deal with the numerous big cases of that was imposed on the country after up of an inquiry to investigate violations corruption. According to Iraqi media the war and occupation in 2003 by the and use of excessive force by the reports in 2018, there were 800 cases of US and its allies. It is a system based on security forces. But past experience has corruption still under investigation. sectarian-ethnic power-sharing quota. It proved that such measures came to Unemployment is rising. According has been continued by the dominant nothing. to the Iraqi Central Statistics Authority, political forces even after the occupation 2 Liberation officially ended in 2011, in order to joined and actively supported the powers, should undertake urgent steps to perpetuate their political power and ongoing protests, have called for an fulfil the legitimate demands of the hegemony. Ruling groups, in alliance immediate halt to the killings of protest movement. This requires with big businessmen and bankers, have peaceful demonstrators, the release of carrying out radical political reforms, also developed links with elements of all detainees and an end to the campaign putting an end to the power-sharing organised crime and militias. of arrests targeting activists. They are quota system and combating corruption. The ongoing mass protests, which also pressing for an urgent investigation The electoral system should be erupted on 1st October, were preceded of the crimes committed by the security reformed, to ensure that the Electoral by a protest movement that had forces and death squads, the so-called Commission is truly independent, and continued for two years, 2015 -2016, “unidentified snipers” according to adopting a fair electoral law. Unlawful and protests in Basra in southern Iraq in government, that are responsible for armed groups, whether militias or summer 2018. Last February, the killing scores of young people in cold shadowy groups, that are part of the Teachers’ Union organised a two-day blood. All those responsible for “deep state” and are operating outside strike, demanding improved living committing these horrific crimes, as the control of the state, must be firmly conditions for teachers as well as well as those who gave orders for the dealt with and dismantled. curricular reform. Nearly 750 thousand killings, must be brought to justice. An A host of urgent economic and social teachers in 14 provinces joined the independent inquiry must therefore be measures are needed to address the strike. During recent months, there were set up, with the participation of civil legitimate demands of the protesters and several sit-ins and demonstrations in society organisations and the UN the people, tackling unemployment and Baghdad and other provinces expressing Human Rights Commission. All providing equal opportunities to jobs, the demands of workers and public restrictions on the media and free access providing social security and housing, employees for their rights and protesting to the internet must be lifted.