Wreckage left by a drone strike (image, National Organization Drone Victims)
Reprieve Statement (Thu Nov 27, 2014)
The former director of intelligence agency GCHQ has called on the British Government to publish its policy on sharing intelligence with the US which is used to target covert drone strikes.
Sir David Omand, backed by Conservative MP David Davis and Labour MP Tom Watson, has written to the Foreign Secretary “to request that your Department consider disclosing the Guidance to Intelligence Officers and Service Personnel applicable to the passing of intelligence relating to individuals who are at risk of targeted lethal strikes outside traditional battlefields.”
The letter notes the Government’s “limited response” to parliamentary questions on the issue and stresses that “failure to confirm such safeguarding arrangements exist undermines the assurances of Government and could make it harder, if issues arise, to defend the UK’s actions.”
It stresses that there is precedent for disclosing such guidance and that doing so “could not impact adversely on individual operations” nor “damage strong bilateral relations.”
The letter follows similar calls from the Commons Defence Committee, and comes as Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee criticises the UK Government for setting a “dangerous precedent” on drones. In a report on The FCO’s human rights work in 2013, published today, the FAC calls on the UK to provide a written response to concerns expressed by a UN official over the lack of an international legal framework governing the use of drones.
In October, a policy commission chaired by Sir David and initiated by the University of Birmingham, cited the “sinister cultural and political salience” of US drone operations, noting that the “UK simply does not accept the specific US legal justification for using RPA [drones] for the targeted killing of AQ-related terrorist targets.” It said the government needed to ensure “safeguards” were in place to prevent “inadvertent collusion” in drone strikes that were “contrary to international law”.
Commenting, Jennifer Gibson, staff attorney at legal charity Reprieve and a member of the Birmingham Commission chaired by Sir David said: “The UK Government can no longer bury its head in the sand when it comes to the part it plays in US drone strikes. There is overwhelming evidence that British intelligence and infrastructure supports a US-led covert war which has killed hundreds of civilians with impunity. At the very least, the public deserves a straight answer from their Government on what its role is, and what – if any – safeguards are in place.”
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad. She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Clive Stafford-Smith lawyer acting for Shaker Aamer fights for his return to the UK
In the week that saw the launch of the “We Stand With Shaker” campaign to free Shaker Aamer from his 13 year detention in Guantanamo Bay, questions have been asked in parliament. Campaigners for his release are anxious to hear what action the British Government is taking to ensure he is returned home to his family in the UK as soon as possible. There are now serious health concerns regarding Shaker who has suffered physical and mental torture and was diagnosed with chronic depression by Dr Emily Keram, a respected psychiatrist.
Shaker has never been charged or tried and has twice been cleared for release so the fact that he continues to languish in “Gitmo” is seen by many as abusive and a disturbing denial of rights.
Neil Carmichael MP for Stroud posed the following question,
“To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has had from the US administration about the (a) treatment of remaining prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and (b) efforts to seek the release of Shaker Aamer”
The reply from Mr Thomas Ellwood is as follows,
“With the exception of those relating to Shaker Aamer, the British Government receives no specific assurances from the US administration about the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, as no British nationals remain among them. However, whilst Shaker Aamer is not a British national, his connections to the UK mean that he remains a high priority for the British Government. We continue to seek assurances regarding Mr Aamer’s health and welfare through our engagement with the US authorities, and we continue to make clear to the US that we want him released and returned to the UK as a matter of urgency”
Andy Worthington who has long written on the state of Guantanamo prisoners, addressed parliament this week during the launch of “We Stand With Shaker” and had this to say,
“Throughout his imprisonment, Shaker has stood up for the rights of all the prisoners seized in the “war on terror,” and in Guantánamo, as his lawyers at Reprieve have explained, he “has often gone on hunger strike to peacefully protest the appalling conditions and brutal treatment to which he and other [prisoners] are subjected. As a result of what the prison sees as his ‘non-compliance’, [he] is confined to a 6 by 8 foot windowless cell and is frequently forced to undergo extended periods in solitary confinement.”
Lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith of Reprieve who represents Shaker threatened to sue the British government for failing to help get Aamer freed. He was reported in the Guardian as alleging that MI6 was “stabbing Shaker in the back” by giving US courts false intelligence though he did acknowlege that the Foreign Office is honestly trying to get Shaker back.
Moazzam Begg asks, where are Shaker’s rights?
Moazzam Begg who was also detained in Guantanamo described the story of Shaker as “an injustice of epic proportions that few in the world recognise and dare to speak out against where it matters”. Writing for Cage, an organization which helps Muslim prisoners globally, he stated,
“Shaker hasn’t been detained without charge or trial for thirteen years by a despotic regime that doesn’t apply the rule of law and practices torture and degrading treatment as a matter of routine. He’s been incarcerated in the world’s most infamous prison by the world’s most vocal proponent of justice, equality and freedom. Yet none of these rights have been afforded to Shaker by either the government of the USA which continues to detain him or the British government which continues to fail him and his British family”
Moazzam Begg’s full statement can be read on the following link,
John McDonnell Labour Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington, accused the US government’s holding on to Shaker as “an act of spite” though he said the British government were putting pressure on the US to release him. He also believes US authorities are further punishing Shaker due to his speaking out on torture and advocating for other prisoners in Guantanamo. McDonnell told Afshin Rattansi host of RT’s, Going Underground “I think he is being targeted because he has become a voice for the injustices at Guantanamo Bay.”
The MP went on to claim that he and others think, “there is an underlying current within the British government and maybe with British intelligence that they are not willing to confront the US over its miscarriage of justice.” During the time that Shaker was interrogated, McDonnell alleges that Shaker knew MI5 and MI6 were part of that interrogation process. Questions have repeatedly arisen regarding the methods employed to elicit information. Shaker was also vocal on Guantanamo suicides.
Such revelations if aired in public on Shaker’s release would put the credibility of the security and intelligence services into serious question and could prove highly embarrassing for the British government. There is also the question of accountability which very likely explains the slow and timid approach of UK authorities and the reluctance of the US to let Shaker go.
See “Home Office “cover up” and “UK collusion” in Guantanamo – John McDonnell MP on Shaker Aamer”
Link
“‘We Stand With Shaker’: Tortured, ill, detained in Guantanamo, join new campaign to bring him home”
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad. She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
(image from National Organization For Drone Victims)
PRESS RELEASE: Monday November 24, 2014
US drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan have killed as many as 1,147 unknown people in failed attempts to kill 41 named individuals, a report by human rights charity Reprieve has found.
The report looks at deaths resulting from US drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan between November 2002 and November 2014. It identifies 41 men who appeared to have been killed multiple times – drawing into question the Obama administration’s repeated claims that the covert drone programme is ‘precise.’
While the US drone programme is shrouded in secrecy, security sources regularly brief the media on the names of those suspected militants targeted or killed in the strikes. Frequently, those individuals are reported to have been targeted or killed on multiple occasions.
Reprieve’s assessment is the first to provide an estimate of the number of people – including in some cases children – who are killed each time the US apparently attempts to assassinate a ‘high value target.’ Due to the US Government’s refusal to publish any information relating to the programme, or the ‘Kill List’ said to determine its targets, the analysis is limited to existing, publicly-available data from media reports and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Key findings of the report include:
In Pakistan, 24 men were reported as killed or targeted multiple times. Missed strikes on these men killed 874 people, including 142 children.
In Yemen, 17 men were reported killed or targeted multiple times. Missile strikes on these men killed 273 others and accounted for almost half of all confirmed civilian casualties and 100% of all recorded child deaths.
In targeting Ayman al Zawahiri, the CIA killed 76 children and 29 adults. They failed twice, and Ayman al Zawahiri is reportedly still alive.
It took the US six attempts to kill Qari Hussain, a Pakistani target. During these attempts, 128 people were killed, including 13 children.
Each assassination target on the US government’s so-called Kill List ‘died’ on average more than three times before their actual death.
The US government’s drone programme has come under increasing scrutiny after a number of strikes that hit large numbers of civilians by mistake. It was recently revealed – as a result of investigations by Reprieve – that the US government compensates civilian victims of drone strikes in Yemen.
Jennifer Gibson, Staff Attorney at Reprieve who compiled the report, said: “These ‘high value targets’ appear to be doing the impossible – dying not once, not twice, but as many as six times. At the same time, hundreds of unknown men, women and children are also caught in the crosshairs. President Obama continues to insist drone strikes are ‘precise’, but when targeting one person instead kills as many as 128 others, there’s only one conclusion that can be drawn – there’s nothing targeted about the US drone programme.”
END
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You never die twice: Multiple kills in the US drone program
Carol AnneGrayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Women on the front line protest the abduction of their sisters
Demonstrators took to the streets of Karachi on Sunday 23rd November 2014 to express their growing concern for Baloch women that have recently gone missing allegedly abducted by Pakistani security forces.
Baloch nationalists have for many years fought for greater cultural, economic and political rights with some seeking full independence from Pakistan. This has resulted in a tightening of control and a clampdown by the state which the military argues is necessary to curb insurgency in the region. Activists accuse state agencies of serious human rights violations and fear for their lives.
Protesters appealed to the international community not to ignore their plight and to support the call for action on abuses and the fight for justice for those missing and harmed. A poster advertising the march urged intellectuals, doctors, lawyers, professors, students and human rights activists to participate in the rally to highlight those who have disappeared. The campaign took to Twitter under the hashtag #SaveAbductedBalochWomen
A press release from the Baloch Republican Party dated 15th November stated,
“three Bugti Baloch women along with their four teenage daughters and a son have been abducted by Pakistani security forces from Thondo Pusht near Asreli, Dera Bugti.
Baloch Republican Party Media Cell sources reported that Pakistani forces attacked houses of innocent Bugti Baloch tribesmen in the Asreli area and abducted four Bugti women identified as Mrs Rakhia Bugti, Mrs Sawali Bugti with two of her daughter , Mrs Jalamb Bugti with her two daughters Thondo Pusht near Asreli, Dera Bugti. The whereabouts of the abducted women and children remains unknown until filing of this report.”
The number of abductions grow by the day
Baloch activists allege a long catalogue of abuse against females which includes harassing and beating up women, acid attacks and closing down educational facilities. Occupied Balochistan, Baloch Republican Party Central spokesperson Mr Sher Mohammad Bugti said in a further statement on 16th November that,
“the attack on Baloch women is attack on their dignity and honor because in the Baloch society women has a most respectable position and even in conflicts, women and children enjoy full immunity but the occupying and non-Islamic state of Pakistan and it’s forces have crossed all limits of atrocities against women”
Further details of specific cases can be read on the following link,
Entire families joined in the rally, with a throng of voices demanding to know,
“WHERE ARE OUR SISTERS COAS Raheel Sharif ?”
“WHERE ARE OUR SISTERS DG ISI Rizwan Akhtar?”
Being a child brings no guarantee of safety for Balochs
Enforced disappearances are nothing new, earlier this year the BBC brought to the world’s attention that “on 17 January, 13 bodies were discovered from a mass grave in the village of Tutak near Khuzdar in Balochistan province. Only two of the mutilated, decomposed bodies have been identified so far – both were men who had disappeared four months earlier” see link.
“Balochistan: The untold story of Pakistan’s other war”
It is very difficult for journalists to report from the region as many have gone missing, victims of an ongoing, abduct, dump and kill policy. Balochistan issues appear to be heavily censored in Pakistani media and outside the country there is little media coverage of the ongoing atrocities against civilians. The horrors inflicted are not limited to adults, there have been cases of children disappearing only to be found dead, their small bodies bearing evidence of torture
DAWN media reported that,
“according to registered cases with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, around 500 political activists are missing in Balochistan. An advocacy group working with the families of the missing, the Voice of Missing Baloch Persons, however, claims that the number of people is much higher”
Baloch social activist Pirdhan Baloch had this to say,
“Balochistan has been facing a severe human rights crisis for many decades. Around 3000 bodies of Baloch missing persons were recovered within an alarmingly short span. Forced disappearances of Baloch women, unlawful detention, torture, have shocked everyone in Balochistan. Pakistani atrocities on innocent Baloch women it’s like a nightmare. Baloch Women have always been the primary victims of war. Women lose their husbands, their sons, Baloch women defy state oppression by being on the frontline. Civilized world should speak up against Pakistan’s atrocities in Balochistan and abduction of Baloch women it is their moral responsibility.”
Baloch women determined to highlight human rights abuses
Further Links
“Long march to protest state terrorism and the disappeared of Balochistan”
Carol AnneGrayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Today November 24th 2014, on what is the 13th anniversary of the capture of Shaker Aamer, by bounty hunters in Afghanistan, a new campaign is being launched by independent journalist Andy Worthington calling for his release from Guantanamo.
We Stand With Shaker (the name given to the initiative) aims to help bring the last British resident in “Gitmo” home to his family. Shaker has never even met his youngest son Faris who was born on February 14, 2002, the day he first arrived there. Back in 2013, Michael, (then age 13) another of Shaker’s sons wrote,
“my dad, Shaker Aamer, is in Guantanamo. It makes me so sad to know that even after trying to get him out, he is still in prison. And even though he has been cleared for release, he has been tortured.
I see my dad on skype when we speak to him. Sometimes a guard stands behind him. We have to be very careful about what we talk about—we can only talk about ourselves or the guards will stop the call.
Since I have grown up, I find it very difficult without my dad. I can feel how hard it is for my mum. I can’t imagine how my dad is coping with all the ill-treatment he has seen”
Photo of Shaker’s children taken in 2009
As Michael stated, his father was in fact cleared for release not once but twice under President Bush in 2007 and under President Obama in 2009 and despite the British government calling for his release Shaker remains incarcerated in very poor health.
Andy Worthington, who has written many times on the plight of Shaker and other Guantantanamo detainees outlines the commencement of the We Stand With Shaker campaign stating,
“the launch takes place from 12.30pm to 1.30pm in Old Palace Yard, opposite the Houses of Parliament, and will be attended by Clive Stafford Smith, the director of Reprieve, John McDonnell MP (Labour, Hayes and Harlington), Caroline Lucas MP (Green, Brighton Pavilion), comedian Jeremy Hardy, Andy Worthington, the director of the campaign, and others tbc. Those attending will be standing with a giant inflatable figure of Shaker Aamer, designed to represent how he is the “elephant in the room” when it comes to Britain’s dealings with the U.S”
Supporters wishing to take action and show solidarity can submit photos of themselves to Andy with placards that read, “I Stand With Shaker” and there are support links on Facebook and Twitter.
Andy with his “I stand with Shaker” poster
Andy has also composed a “Song for Shaker Aamer” which he performs on a promotional video along with his band. This can be viewed on Youtube below,
Andy Worthington (writer) Roger Waters (musician) Clive Stafford-Smith (lawyer) and Caroline Lucas MP launch the campaign at Westminster
Andy is also very excited to announce that music legend Roger Waters (ex-Pink Floyd) has flown into London to support the launch of We Stand With Shaker, see following letter which he wrote previously,
A note from Roger:
Recently I received a copy of a letter sent from Guantanamo by Shaker Aamer, a UK resident, who has been detained in Gitmo without trial for 12 years. Shaker’s letter was forwarded by Clive Stafford Smith, a man I have met, who tirelessly advocates the rule of law, and every human being’s right to a fair trial.
In his letter Shaker quotes some lyrics of mine and it was on those grounds that Clive forwarded the letter to me.
I felt it important that Shaker’s story is heard, and that Clive Stafford Smith’s and Reprieve’s attachment to the law is recognized as being fundamentally important to us all.
Love Roger
Full details of the campaign, forthcoming events, and how you can contribute through social media can be found on the following link,
We Stand With Shaker has the full backing of human rights organization Reprieve as well as the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, Close Guantánamo, the London Guantánamo Campaign, Witness Against Torture, World Can’t Wait and Code Pink.
Campaigners that have followed long standing efforts to release Shaker, understand that time is of the essence as there are serious concerns for his wellbeing.
Years of detention without charge have taken their toll on Shaker (graphic BBC) cleared for release but still suffering
As Shaker’s lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith (Reprieve) reminded us in a Guardian article (9th April 2014) he has suffered physical and mental torture and was diagnosed with chronic depression by Dr Emily Keram, a respected psychiatrist. He also suffers from special housing unit (SHU) psychosis which stems from the months and years he has spent in solitary confinement. In August, new information emerged that Shaker had reportedly been beaten at Guantánamo, in what appeared to be a crackdown on prisoners protesting their detention without charge.
Shaker is also weakened from repeated hunger strikes. These are his poignant words as they appeared in the Guardian 5th April 2013,
“they’ve taken almost all my “comfort items” away again now, along with the knee brace the doctors ordered, the back brace, the medical socks for my edema, and the blanket for my rheumatism. Not that I care. Everything is meaningless, so long as I am still here, cleared, without charges, and without a trial. Nobody has yet had a fair trial, and an additional 85 of the 166 detainees who have been cleared for release. So a little over fifty percent of the prisoners have been told they can go home – or go somewhere – but who are still here. The Administration got mad down here where people started calling Guantánamo a “gulag”, but I’ll bet no gulag in the Soviet Union ever saw half its population cleared for release but still there years later”
We Stand With Shaker aims to draw public attention to this terrible case of injustice and get the public behind Shaker to ensure he is released as a matter or urgency. We need to act now, tomorrow may be too late!
“We Stand With Shaker”
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad. She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
America is the birthplace of terrorism around the world or we can say that America is The Great Satin and the head of the snake that is terrorizing innocent people and invading Independent countries around the globe throughout its history. It has also provided assistance to numerous authoritarian regimes that have used terror as a tool of repression. United States support to non-state and state terrorists has been prominent around the globe which can be quoted by many examples and which are known fact. Various reasons have been provided to justify such support. Support was also geared toward ensuring a conducive environment for American corporate interests abroad, especially when these interests came under threat. Creation of the artificial state of Israel is the biggest of them all and their support to killing of Palestinian Muslims. U.S. armed forces have committed war crimes in various wars in which they have been engaged and invading of free Independent countries throughout history.
What are Drones ?
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), known as drones, are aircraft either controlled by ‘pilots’ from the ground or increasingly, autonomously following a pre-programmed mission. While there are dozens of different types of drones, they basically fall into two categories: those that are used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes and those that are armed with missiles and bombs.
The US Reaper and Predator drones are, controlled via satellite from Nellis and Creech USAF base outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Or Ground crews launch drones from the conflict zone, then operation is handed over to controllers at video screens in specially designed trailers in the Nevada desert. One person ‘flies’ the drone, another operates and monitors the cameras and sensors, while a third person is in contact with the “customers”, ground troops and commanders in the war zone. While armed drones were first used in the Balkans war, their use has dramatically escalated in Afghanistan, Iraq and in the CIA’s declared war in many Muslim countries like Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan etc.
US Drones are killing children, terrorizing families in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Somalia etc. Such terror is brought by America in these countries dominated by Muslim population in which entire regions are being terrorized by the constant threat of death from the skies. Their way of life is collapsing: kids are too terrified to go to school, adults are afraid to attend weddings, funerals, business meetings or anything that involves gathering in groups.
An anonymous ex-military officer of the United States has recently said that ‘if there’s one guy we’re trying to hit and there is thirty-four other people in the building, thirty-five people are going to die that day’. Even the United Nation’s and its Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions is concerned that the United States’ drone campaign is terrorism.
The aerial attacks, initiated by former US president, George W. Bush, have escalated under President Barack Obama. President Obama recently defended the use of drones as “self-defense.”
The United Nations says the US-operated drone strikes pose a growing challenge to the international rule of law.
In Afghanistan drones kill the people of Afghanistan. You hear in the news and reports that every day, families, children and women are killed. US drones murder Afghan civilian men, women and children. American grounds forces do it up close and personal. US inflicted death, torture and other atrocities reflect daily life. Ordinary Afghans suffer most. They struggle to survive. American aggression is one of history’s greatest crimes. Trillions of dollars spent for mass slaughter and destruction. They’re spent for unchallenged global dominance. Afghanistan is ravaged and destroyed. Imperial lawlessness operates this way. Its appetite is insatiable. It ignores rule of law principles. It does whatever it wants. It does it where, when, by what means, and under whatever pretexts it contrives. Pentagon officials routinely whitewash serious war crimes. So do US commanders on the ground. Doing so is longstanding US policy. Under a decade long military agreement, Afghan officials can’t charge US forces with war crimes. Whatever they do, they’re immune. In Afghanistan Extreme poverty, unemployment, human misery, and constant fear reflect daily life. Washington prioritizes conquest, colonization, plunder and dominance which will never happen as the brave Afghans are near to driving out the invaders from their homeland despite the terror of Americans.
In Pakistan numerous drone strikes have been carried out by the US drones. Thousands of innocent civilian men, women and children have been killed. Hundreds are amputees. The drone program is used by the US administration as a license to kill beyond the reach of the courts or basic standards of international law. Every Human Rights law is broken by US in bombing the innocent civilians in Pakistan. The US is exploiting the remote regions in Pakistan for its drone program, including killings which are extrajudicial executions or war crimes.
In Yemen the people of Yemen can hear destruction before it arrives. In cities, towns and villages across this country, which hangs off the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, the air buzzes with the sound of American drones flying overhead. The sound is a constant and a terrible reminder: a robot plane. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, the chaotic buzzing above sharpens into the death-herald of an incoming missile.
The drone strikes don’t require U.S. troops on the ground, and thus are easy to keep out of sight and out of mind. Over half of Yemen’s 24.8 million citizens are impacted every day. A war is happening, and one of the unforeseen casualties is the Yemeni mind. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma and anxiety are becoming rampant in the different corners of the country where drones are active.
In Somalia the US military uses remote-controlled drones for killings. According to witnesses, the attacks have mostly led to civilian casualties. Somalia is the example of U.S. mission creep, not success.
In October last year, a joint report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said US officials could be found guilty of war crimes for the secret CIA drone attacks which have killed hundreds of people in Somalia.
US drone strikes have injured and killed civilians. US drone strike policies cause considerable and under-accounted-for harm to the daily lives of ordinary civilians, beyond death and physical injury. Their presence terrorizes men, women, and children, giving rise to anxiety and psychological trauma among civilian communities. Those living under drones have to face the constant worry that a deadly strike may be fired at any moment and the knowledge that they are powerless to protect themselves. These fears have affected behavior.
America the mother of terrorism cannot suppress the freedom fighters and ordinary civilians who want freedom from American terrorism and are waging war for their Independence. It is time for America to realize that it must abandon her campaign for the control of free countries and stop killing innocent Muslims and stop terrorizing people or else the fire that they have brought upon the free people will reach the gates of White house in Washington.
End
Carol AnneGrayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Khanwada (age 27) found with bullet wound to the head
On Thursday evening I received information on the death of yet another person who had been detained in custody in Pakistan. Khanwada (aka Abdul Rahman) age 27 from Khowazai area of Mohmand agency was described as having a bullet wound to the head with his body dumped at the roadside. The following link gives information on Khanwada and other cases which are currently being investigated by Peshawar Court, see following link,
“Pakistan: Another day, another death in detention, Khanwada allegedly shot and dumped”
“Our brother Khanwada aka Abdul Rahman from TTP Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has been martyred yesterday in a fake police encounter at Karachi. Brother Abdul Rahman was arrested by Pakistan Army about eleven months ago. Brother Abdul Rahman belonged to Khowazai area of Mohmand Agency.
Pakistan Army has continued its previous evil tradition of executing the prisoners from their jails and we shall not remain silent over the extra- judicial killing of our companions, InshaAllah. We also have many soldiers in our prisons and Pakistan Army should not force us to treat those prisoners as we treated 23 FC personnel a few months ago.”
End
Enforced disappearances, torture in custody and extra-judicial killings are a form of “state terrorism” and only increase the security risk to the people of Pakistan due to retaliation attacks. This unethical, unlawful and irresponsible behaviour of state agencies is of grave concern to human rights organizations who call for such actions to cease.
Carol AnneGrayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Detainee Khanwada found with bullet wound to the head
Pakistan has a serious problem which needs addressing, an inability to safeguard the lives of those the country holds in detention. Anyone incarcerated in prison or an internment centre could be at risk of joining the many that have gone before, tortured, killed, bodies dumped on the streets for families to collect.
So who is the latest victim found on Thursday evening 20th November 2014? I am told his name is Khanwada son of Said Mohammed and that he belonged to Mohmand agency Tasil Khwaizai village Koong. The person who contacts me, Abdul (not his real name) wants the death reported properly to the relevant authorities but he is also afraid, he has a wife and children and needs to protect his identity.
Abdul apologizes for his English as he delivers what information he can. Khanwada, he claims, was captured by rangers in Karachi one year ago. He alleges that this 27 year old who originated from his home area was killed (bullet wound to the head) and thrown by the road in the area of Karachi Qaid Abad jail. Khanwada is apparently married, may possibly have had some connections to the Taliban but as Abdul points out, “this is bad, this is not justice”.
Later today the details of this latest killing will be sent on to Amina Masood Janjua, chairperson of Defence of Human Rights (DHR) a courageous lady whose husband Masood was “disappeared” in 2005. Working with families of victims, she helps them cope with the distress of losing a loved one, documents cases and attempts to hold people to account through the courts.
Since 9/11 many innocent people have been swept up in America’s War on Terror with pressure on the government to deliver up anyone suspected of connections to militant groups. State agencies by failing to adhere to the law and ensure fair judicial process have now become terrorists themselves forfeiting their morality. A scenario has developed where it is a case of the “kettle calling the pot black” with all sides engaged in brutality.
There is perhaps a spark of hope however that the legal system at least is now working positively towards change. This week DAWN media reported on Tuesday that Peshawar High Court (PHC) made a decision to issue “a bailable arrest warrant for the official in charge of the Lakki Marwat internment centre. The warrant was issued for failing to comply with earlier orders to appear in court and provide a death certificate to a detainee’s bereaved family.” This happens usually where a death occurs in suspicious circumstances and authorities wish to avoid awkward questions.
It is important to note that judges and court officials can also be targeted for their actions and suffer a similar fate to those whose cases they are hearing.
Once again we learn from the court that another detainee, Piyo Gul, will never be seen alive by his family again. DAWN states,
“during the hearing, the bench was informed by the deceased’s father Gul Mat Khan that his son was picked up on November 3, 2011 and his whereabouts remained unknown for around two years. In November 2013, Lakki Marwat internment centre handed over Gul’s body to the family without any explanation for his death”
There is also mention of a further such case,
“the court also sought reports from the then SHO of Chamkani police in the case of Roohullah who was picked up from his house on May 24, 2013 and subsequently granted bail by an anti-terrorism court. When he left Central Prison Peshawar on September 6, 2013, he was picked up by ‘unidentified persons’. His body was later found in Takhta Baig, Khyber Agency on November 20.
One other detainee Yaha is noted as being ” missing for a long time”. His case has been adjourned as a report is currently being prepared declaring him ‘black’ suggesting there was evidence of his involvement in acts of terrorism. Whatever his status, it is vital that there is a fair process of law, the detainee is held within a safe environment and has access to a lawyer.
Lawyers from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are attempting to introduce legislation which would give better protection to individuals in state custody. They are working on a Bill to prevent torture, custodial deaths and custodial rape which is being moved by Senator Farhatullah Babar, Pakistani Peoples Party (PPP). It has been admitted by the Senate and prescribes stringent punishments for torture.
The proposed Bill defines ‘torture’ as an act intended to inflict physical or mental pain on a person in custody for securing a confessional statement or as a punishment for committing a suspected crime.
Those in authority that allow or carry out such crimes should consider three things.
First that evidence collected under torture is worthless in a legal case.
Second, enforced disappearances and extra judicial killings are creating an additional security risk to the state as there are well documented cases of retaliation attacks such as Taliban killing 23 Frontier Corps (FC) men as “pay back” for alleged extra-judicial killings of their men by state authorities. Taliban group Tehreek -e-Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) recently issued a press release condemning human rights groups for their double standards towards Muslim prisoners. They state, (in what could be taken as a warning) that “seeing the bias and hatred of human rights organizations against Islam and Muslims, it seems that you may also be included in this retribution process.”
Thirdly, the tide is beginning to turn and those who commit such crimes should not expect to escape accountability for ever!
Link
“Pakistan 2014: Enforced Disappearances condemned, practice threatens security of the state”
Carol AnneGrayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
TTP JA split from TTP after Zarb-e-Asb began and reformed with new media resources
Pakistan Tehreek -e-Taliban, Jamaat -ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) have disputed claims reported by NBC news network yesterday regarding what equipment and weaponry they left behind in North Waziristan. Taliban vacated command centres in Mir Ali and Miranshah following the start of military operation Zarb -e-Asb intended to clear the area of militants.
Back in June, five days prior to the launch of the assault, a Taliban commander informed journalists that they were “packing up” and joked “leaving on a picnic”. Insurgents had apparently picked up advance “intel” (intelligence) from military sources which gave most enough time to relocate themselves and their families to safer regions.
At the same time, the military turned thousands of civilians into Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) overnight telling them they must leave for their own safety. The young, pregnant and elderly set out to walk for shelter in Bannu and over the border to Khost in Afghanistan. Some died on route along with their animals suffering from heat exhaustion and lack of water.
Exhausted IDPs with their livestock
In October, IE Rehman, Director of the Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP) wrote in DAWN warning,
“the signs of unrest and despair among the people displaced from North Waziristan Agency, on account of the military operation there, must begin to be addressed before the situation takes an ugly turn.”
Several months down the line, IDPs feel now largely abandoned and over recent days frustrations have turned to anger resulting in burning of tents, clashes with police, injuries on both sides and detention of protesters.
NBC ventured into Waziristan to learn of the current situation there regarding militants and were given a briefing from Maj. Gen. Zafar Khattak from brigade headquarters near Mir Ali. He alleged that the Pakistan military had discovered 200 tons of improvised explosive devices [IEDs] and ordnance, claiming they had seized “IEDs, weapon caches and jihadi literature” which were “enough to arm an entire infantry brigade”.
The media team were shown an “IED bazaar” during their escorted visit where a customer could allegedly “buy anything from a suicide-bomb jacket with 50 kilos [110 pounds] of explosives to a car bomb”….Read full article on the following link,
“A rare glimpse inside Pakistan’s anti-Taliban operation in North Waziristan”
However, TTP JA social media spokesperson (whose colleague had earlier claimed their capacity to operate had not been affected) had the following to say after reading the news article,
“NBC report is almost wrong …Open sources should ask the local people was there any such market in which people can buy jackets and other materials…Before operation, 99% of goods have been shifted to safe areas….We ourselves shifted every thing except lights, water drums …..and there was a long chance for everybody to go outside before operation….This report is just to avoid the bad image of Pakistan Army around the world.”
NBC and the Pakistan military also highlighted what was claimed to be a Taliban torture cell complete with tools of the trade. It is important to note however that for every insurgent torture chamber, there is an equivalent place within the walls of many Pakistani prisons and detention centres. Khanawada (age 27) is the latest person to be detained for a year in Karachi and allegedly murdered and dumped last evening.
Khanawada alleged victim of state torture/killing in detention
More information on torture, deaths in state custody can be read here,
“Pakistan:Another day another death in detention, Khanawada allegedly shot and dumped”
On a final note, TTP JA were asked to comment on a separate news item in Khaama Press suggesting that Taliban spiritual leader, Mullar Mohammad Omar may possibly have died, the spokesperson said,
“NO according to my knowledge he is alive and well, healthy.”
Links
“Pakistan Taliban: TTP JA claim responsibility for Wagah attack and warn of more to come”
Carol AnneGrayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Wagah “suicide” bomber Hanifullah alias Hamza (25)
Ehsanullah Ehsan spokesperson for Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaat -ul Ahrar (TTP JA) released photographs today of the person responsible for the bombing at Wagah border crossing during a flag lowering ceremony in which over 60 people were killed, see,
“Pakistan: TTP JA claim responsibility for Wagah attack and warn of more to come”
The”suicide” bomber was named as 25-year-old Hanifullah alias Hamza and a video will be released in the near future. An earlier TTP JA press statement said, “we will continue such attacks in the future” and “this attack is the revenge of the killing of those innocent people who have been killed by Pakistan Army particularly of those who have been killed in North Waziristan”
The TTP JA spokesperson also released the following statement (13th November 2014) in response to Khyber 1 operation launched by the Pakistan military against insurgents in the region:-
“Pakistan Army has launched operation “Khyber 1” against the Mujahideen of Khyber agency where they are facing intense resistance, Alhamdolillah. Assessing the situation, TTP Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has decided to send the reinforcement to the Mujahideen of Khyber agency. A fresh contingent of TTP Jamaat-ul-Ahrar Mujahideen has reached Khyber agency along with Ameer of intelligence Omar Khalid Khorasani. Just to emphasize, Ameer Omar Khalid Khorasani is one of the founding leaders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and at present he is a prominent commander of TTP Jamaat-ul- Ahrar”
Carol AnneGrayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog 