Al-Shoura [Archives:2004/736/Press Review]

5 May 2004
Main headlines
– The 1% rule, succession of oil scandals and privatization of a homeland
– After its failure in passing the journalists law,
– The government works for amending the press law
– Social affairs and labour: 365 girls disappearance and children smuggling
– Detainees, including children less than 10 years, at political security prisons, exposed to beating and starvation
– Breaking through students union offices and rendering Sana'a University into a military barrack,
– Detention of 5 students in Abs and Mahweet and laying siege to Amran College
– Oil scandal, an arrow searching for target
– Yemeni Institute for democracy development demands immediate investigation into torturing Iraqi prisoners
Muslih Muhsin al-Aziz says in an article that the humiliating and immoral acts of torture practiced against Iraqi prisoners confirmed dropping of all Bush's and Blair's allegations for the war n Iraq, particularly those regarding the weapons of mass destruction. The whole situation has become very clear after the war as Iraq has become a state occupied officially under approval of the United Nations and admittance of the United States and here are the allegations of liberation and delivering the Iraqis from torture, collective graveyards and prisons used for justifying and convincing the world on causes of the war, result in daily graveyard in all pars of Iraq and horrible prisons where tens of thousands of Iraqis are sent and exposed to all kinds of disgusting torture. The army of occupation is protected with laws that do not allow its members trial as war criminals. All human rights organisations or the media are banned from entering those prisons. The Americans and their allies were holding Saddam responsible for all crimes and violations that happened in his time and now why what is going to be said about what is being practiced by the occupying army and why Bush and Blair and their administrations are not held responsible for that army criminal acts? Aren't they who sent armies to occupy Iraq under weak and false justifications? The occupiers have to bear the responsibility for practices of their armies and must stand trial before the international courts as war criminals and perpetrators of crimes against humanity. The more shameful and sorrowful thing are the hypocritical and double-tongued reactions issued by Bush and Blair at a time the Arab leaders keep silent and become dumb to utter one word of rejection and denunciation of what is happening. Why don't those Arab leaders demand the withdrawal of the occupiers' armies and try to bear their responsibility? It is so ridiculous for the criminals to install themselves judges trying the sons and leaders of Iraq at a time they practice the ugliest crimes the world has to condemn.
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