|
Comment on this article |
Email this Article
|
|
Announcement :: Peace |
|
CPT Iraq Action Alert: Continued Action Needed |
Current rating: 0 |
by CPT
(No verified email address) |
17 Jul 2005
|
Continued Action Needed on the Killing of Mohammed Al- Sumaid'ie,
cousin of Iraq's Ambassador to the United Nations
17 July, 2005 |
As of 17 July 2005 neither the family nor Ambassador Sumaid'ie
has received any information regarding the death of Mohammed. The
U.S. Marines in charge of the unit that was involved in the house
raid promised the family preliminary investigation results within
ten days. That deadline was over a week ago. Please email the
United States Embassy in Baghdad demanding that the Marines follow
through on their promise. Below is a sample letter we would suggest
you send. Please consider send a carbon copy email to your senator
and representative as well. If you did not receive the first
action request please go to the CPT website Iraq page
http://www.cpt.org/iraq/iraq.php for the testimony of Ambassador
Sumaid'ie along with additional information.
The email address for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is:
BaghdadPressOffice (at) state.gov
Sample Letter to the embassy:
Dear Ambassador Khalilzad,
I am writing today about a disturbing event that occurred in the
western part of Iraq on 25 June 2005. U.S. Marines were conducting
a house-to-house search in the village of Al-Shakh Hadid. They
entered the home of Abdul-Hadi Al-Sumaida. His son, Mohammed, let
them in and when the Marines asked if there were any weapons in the
house Mohammed took them upstairs to show them the family rifle.
That was the last the family ever saw of him. They were not allowed
upstairs and were then taken outside. After the Marines left they
went upstairs and found Mohammed lying dead with a single bullet
wound in his neck. This matter would never have received any
international attention except for the fact that Mohammed is the
cousin of the current Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations, Samir
Sumaid'ie. Military officers at Fallujah Camp (where the troops
were stationed) promised the Ambassador and the family they would
deliver a preliminary report to them within ten days. That deadline
has passed and no contact or information has been forthcoming from
the Marines. The U.S. Embassy must insist the U.S. Marines follow
through on their promise to deliver a preliminary report to
Mohammed's family and Ambassador Sumaid'ie before the end of
the month.
We cannot say we are bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq if our
military is violating the basic human rights of the Iraqi people.
Only by having an open, transparent investigation of this allegation
will it be possible to prove to the Iraqi people that our actions
regarding democracy match our words.
I would appreciate a reply to this message within five working days.
Sincerely, |
See also:
http://www.cpt.org/iraq/iraq.php
http://www.cpt.org
|
This work is in the public domain |
