Day of Dignity: Demonstrators and journalists under attack

CEOSI, 4 de marzo de 2011
http://www.iraqsolidaridad.org

Iraqi security forces have shot with live ammunition against demonstrators in different cities in Iraq. Aisha Haizam A. al Darayi, a young girl has been killed in Samarra after being wounded by bullets, according to Al Rafidain TV.
Unfortunately, this is not the only casualty. This morning, in the village of Al Hamdaniya, near Bau Ghraib, Ahmed Inizie al Hamdani one of the organizers of today’s demonstrations, has been pulled away from his home and shot him at point-blank range before his wife and his sons and daughters. Colonel Risen al Baizani was in charge of 24th Brigade, responsible for this crime.
CEOSI has contact with a well-known journalist who was in Tahrir Square; in Baghdad [we omit his/her name for security reasons]. This person has informed us that the journalists, especially audiovisual ones, are been harassing and hounded. He claimed that tens of demonstrators have been arrested and people are afraid they suffer torture, as they did the people arrested last Friday 25 February in Maliki prisons. UN Rapporteur has been informed of these facts.

The repression has taken place from the roof of a building in construction near Tahrir Square by Hasan Sunaid, Al Dawa MP, Asnan al Asadi, deputy minister of Internal Affairs, Shiruan al Waili, Chancellor of Security commission at Parliament and general Ali Musawi, chief of this police operation.
In Fallujah and Diyalah two demonstrations has been repressed by the police forces. Some mosques close to the government policies or political parties have tried to convince people to stay at home.
It is said that there has been bribery attempts ($ 50.000) trying to convince some sheiks to convince their people to stay home. The army also has threatened to shot to anyone who tried to demonstrate.
At 12:15 pm Al Bagdadiya TV interviewed some physicians in Samarra, who were at one sitting in Samarra because they were not allowed to treat the wounded people. The same source claimed that in Samarra there were Iranian troops.
Media

Once again, media has been attacked by the Iraqi security forces. We have to remember that the Occupied Iraq is the country in which more journalists have been killed in History (even more than in Vietnam).

In spite of the Media international organizations calls to allow journalists make their job, —even Tareq al Hashemi, deputy minister of Internal Affairs has made a call— a group of journalist has been attacked in Basra while informing about the demonstrations in that city. Three of them are wounded and have been taken to Hospital, according to their statements to Al SharquiyaTV.

Al Rasd wal Maalumat al Wataniya, an Iraqi monitoring organization, has stated that general Kadem Abu al Hil, chancelor of the police at Muzanna province, has ordered to block the satellite cameras and those on the ground [1].

It is also reported that Salah al-Din TV has been closed by security forces. In Tikrit, Iraqi security forces have close Al Rafidain TV offices and journalist are forbidden to enter the city

Next demonstrations (called through social networks):
March 7, first anniversary of the elections
March 11, Friday of demonstrations.

Notes:

1.- See in Arabic the full text: http://www.almansore.com/Art.php?id=23109.