Update by The BRussells Tribunal Committee (9 April 2007)
Within hours of issuing our alert we heard that Iraqi lawyer Badee Izzat Aref had made it outside Iraq. At this time we believe he is safe, though his issue is unresolved with the Iraqi puppet government.
The proximity of the issuance of our alert and receiving this news illustrates the difficulty of defending human rights in Iraq: we had been forced to wait several days before issuing a public alert because of substantiated fears that public attention to Aref's case may have accelerated his execution, not prevented it.
This is the reality of Iraq under occupation, where neither the occupation nor its client Iraqi authorities respect the rule of law or public concerns.
We thank all who reacted to this alert and who continue to work for justice against barbarity and in solidarity with the sovereignty of Iraq and the Iraqi people.
Dr. Ian Douglas
The BRussells Tribunal Committee http://brusselstribunal.org
Dr Ian Douglas
Visiting Professor
Political Science Department
An-Najah National University
Nablus, Palestine
+44 207 067 8399 (fax)
+972 59 9 426 906 (mobile Nablus)
+972 54 794 1029 (mobile Jerusalem)
+20 12 167 1660 (mobile Cairo)
http://www.najah.edu
Background
URGENT ALERT: IMMINENT THREAT TO IRAQI LAWYER BADEE IZZAT AREF
Statement by The BRussells Tribunal Committee (7 April 2007) http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=3353&blz=1
Within hours of issuing our alert we heard that Iraqi lawyer Badee Izzat Aref had made it outside Iraq. At this time we believe he is safe, though his issue is unresolved with the Iraqi puppet government.
The proximity of the issuance of our alert and receiving this news illustrates the difficulty of defending human rights in Iraq: we had been forced to wait several days before issuing a public alert because of substantiated fears that public attention to Aref's case may have accelerated his execution, not prevented it.
This is the reality of Iraq under occupation, where neither the occupation nor its client Iraqi authorities respect the rule of law or public concerns.
We thank all who reacted to this alert and who continue to work for justice against barbarity and in solidarity with the sovereignty of Iraq and the Iraqi people.
Dr. Ian Douglas
The BRussells Tribunal Committee http://brusselstribunal.org
Dr Ian Douglas
Visiting Professor
Political Science Department
An-Najah National University
Nablus, Palestine
+44 207 067 8399 (fax)
+972 59 9 426 906 (mobile Nablus)
+972 54 794 1029 (mobile Jerusalem)
+20 12 167 1660 (mobile Cairo)
http://www.najah.edu
Background
URGENT ALERT: IMMINENT THREAT TO IRAQI LAWYER BADEE IZZAT AREF
Statement by The BRussells Tribunal Committee (7 April 2007) http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=3353&blz=1