Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog

STATEMENT (14.9.2017): #ARSA –

Links

ARSA: Who are the Arakan Rohingya Salvation

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/myanmar-arakan-rohingya-salvation-army-170912060700394.html

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Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.

Why did person(s) at the Haemophilia Society go on their own massive shredding spree, destroying key evidence? (Image via Haemophilia Society)

Contaminated blood campaigners have had a long and often troubled relationship with the UK Haemophilia Society, the organization supposed to be an “advocate” for the community going back decades. The Society is alleged to have withheld key documents and given incorrect information and advice contributing to the deaths and subsequent cover-up of 2,400 patients through HIV/HCV infection from blood products. These were factor concentrates manufactured from pooled plasma consisting of tens of thousands of US paid donors during the 1970s and 80s. Many more haemophiliacs were infected and are now sick and dying.

Plasma was often sourced from tortured and virally infected US prisoners (photos and details supplied by relatives of inmates) ignored by then Prime Minister Tony Blair when handed in to no 10 by Lord Alf Morris of Manchester (Britain’s first Minister for Disabled people) and I in 2001. This treatment was given to haemophiliacs on the NHS and put profit before safety. For years the Haemophilia Society received funding from government and international plasma companies and was accused by many of having a “conflict of interest”.

In recent years concerns have arisen regarding the alleged trashing of key Haemophilia Society documents, wiping out much of the history of contaminated blood once held at their office.

I was alerted to this fact by Dan Farthing-Sykes (Haemophilia Scotland) a former employee of the Haemophilia Society when some of his own work disappeared after he tried to restore material and build up the archives. This was echoed by other former employees and a former volunteer worker (name withheld to protect his identity) who wrote the following regarding the Haemophilia Society on Facebook,

“To hold previous staff members at the HS to account is, basically not the point. Historically it was the Trustee Board of the organisation who didn’t push for govt accountability and gratefully accepted their medical expert groups advice without thought “the chances of factor v111 infecting a patient with HIV is between one in a thousand and two thousand”. 

Of course their medical experts were the ones who, with scant exception” were in the thrall and pay of pharmaceutical companies.

Those ex trustees, in many cases from the 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s were hoping successive governments would listen to a moral argument when they should have followed activists leads and kept the dialogue in its true form.

The trustees in the early to mid noughties appointed incompetent CEO and remained even more conservative ( with a few exceptions). Some of this Board and CEO were more interested in pharma jollies and high profile Westminster jaunts. There were committed trustees and staff but they were marginalised to the point of sacking volunteers for questioning policy.

So, I worked there for eleven years and know all of this to be true. While those complicit should hang their heads in shame it does not necessarily reflect on the current board and staff. I think they are fully aware of this and support them in their endeavours.

I post this in answer to posters who are unsure of historical events. I left the organisation with a fully documented timeline worked on by many. The previous administration seem to have lost this which is unforgivable.

Yes Carole you did all these things (referring to an earlier post detailing my efforts to expose alleged wrongdoing) but were also marginalised because what you said was uncomfortable.

Bottom line is that the younger generations of people affected by haemophilia must always remember that it was activists who eventually got recombinant for all and a new generation must continue to question all medical and financial decisions made by health departments.”

Disturbingly Dan’s valuable time at the Haemophilia Society was sometimes wasted at times as he can no longer locate his own files that he collated. He has since relocated to work as CEO for Haemophilia Scotland seeking truth and justice from over the border.

These destroyed papers could have helped give answers on went wrong to survivors of what Andy Burnham former Secretary of State for Health calls “a criminal cover-up on an industrial scale” and to the bereaved relatives.

A history of missing documents

The Department of Health (DOH) already admits to destroying many of their own blood policy documents which means their so called definitive report, “Self-sufficiency in blood products in England and Wales: A chronology from 1973 to 1991″ 2006 is nigh on useless. Link here,

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070402112948/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4130917

I critiqued the DOH report for my ESRC Michael Young award winning dissertation written in 2006 showing that what was most important wasn’t what was included in the report… but the evidence that was left out. Link below,

http://haemophilia.org.uk/support/day-day-living/patient-support/contaminated-blood/dissertation-carol-grayson-contaminated-blood-products/

The DOH also repeatedly lost any documents that campaigners sent to their offices or handed over in meetings at Westminster.

The Haemophilia Society finally agreed to put my dissertation up on their site, years after it was published and only with a change of staff. I was informed by Dan it had previously been blocked by a trustee. Ironically the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) prize was in the name of a politician and social scientist, Michael Young and presented to me by Sir Peter Bottomley, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Haemophilia (APPG) though in his capacity as a supporter of social sciences. As my research won not one but 2 awards, it remains a mystery as to why it took well over a decade for the Haemophilia Society to put the dissertation on their website and the DOH still haven’t addressed the findings?

Lord Archer of Sandwell did use my evidence extensively through-out the Archer Inquiry and echoed the recommendations for “compensation on a parity with Eire” (a phrase I coined years back) but the Labour government refused to implement the recommendations based on incorrect information from Lord Warner who repeatedly misled parliament and tried to argue the case in the UK was different to Eire.

This was overturned in a Judicial Review at the High Court in 2010 in the name of haemophiliac Andrew March based on letters, evidence obtained by Colette Wintle and I in 2004 from Irish lawyers, Irish haemophilia Society and Eire government. Once Ireland was shown to have paid out compensation on the grounds of “extraordinary suffering” (as opposed to liability) Westminster changed the goalposts yet again when told by a judge they must reconsider Archer’s recommendations. They came back saying they did not have to take the same approach as Eire. Once again government denied haemophiliacs and their families proper compensation based on loss and need.

Unscrupulous right-wing media misreporting

Recently some unscrupulous right-wing British media have tried to claim that documents from my dissertation are “newly discovered” in 2017 by another campaigner, thereby assisting government with “damage limitation” regarding contaminated blood. This gross misreporting helped to hide the fact that key politicians in the Department of Health were presented with the evidence years ago and did absolutely nothing to address the findings!

Ironically not only did these documents form part of my 2006 dissertation given to Anne Milton at Westminster in 2010 (witnessed by fellow campaigner Colette Wintle) but I even organized through a Newcastle solicitor to have these papers returned to the DOH to be released in batches through the National Archives at Kew. (Years back I was informed in writing that a junior civil servant had “inadvertantly destroyed” government’s own documents). Laughably my returned documents were the so called “new” documents as falsely stated in the media and were in fact old and ignored evidence!

To return to the Haemophilia Society alleged missing documents, I sent the following e-mail to Dan on Sept 11th 2017 with my questions.

Dear Dan,

Now that there is to be a public inquiry, can you please confirm who destroyed the Haemophilia Society records which you mentioned to me before. I understood you also lost a lot of material that you were compiling which would have meant a lot of time and effort wasted. This is very relevant as campaigners sent many letters and documents (evidence) to the Society over the years which would reveal a history of concerns and the Society’s response at that time. There should be records of meetings including those we attended, Society letters to government and others, campaign strategy, old pamphlets, Society newsletters, details of Weber Shandwick PR  company involvement, advise to the Society from medical staff etc. It is deeply disturbing to know that they were allegedly wilfully destroyed and no longer exist.

Can you tell me, who destroyed these important records?

In what year were they destroyed?

What action was taken against the person(s) who did this?

Thanks

Kind Regards

Carol

This is Dan’s reply to me on Sept 11th 2017 regarding the alleged destroyed/missing documents

Morning Carol,

There seems to have been lots of loses over the years.

When I got to The Haemophilia Society records from the 1970s and 1980s were almost non-existent.  It seems that every time the charity had moved offices some material had been lost and there were also rumours of a fire (although I now think this might not have actually happened).  There relevant books of the trustee’s minutes were already missing (I think they may have been liberated by a campaigner at some point and other things may have gone at the same time) and there wasn’t even a complete set of Bulletins or HaemoFacts.  I found no records from the old medical advisory group at all.  I assume there would have been references to their advisory group recommendation in the missing minute books but I doubt I’ll ever know. I never saw records of letter exchanges with campaigners or anything relating to the relationship with Weber Shandwick.

While I was working on the Archer Inquiry various people either sent in, sometimes anonymously, or lent me what they had.  These were usually early bulletins and I was able to get an almost complete set scanned in.  I also made an effort to scan in anything else that seemed that it would be relevant, especially if it related to the actions of The Haemophilia Society as there was so little of that.  This was mainly Tanner/Watters exchanging letters with various parts of Government. I left all this material at The Haemophilia Society and scanned copied shared hard drive when I left.  Not long after Liz arrived I spoke to her on the phone and it was clear that quite a lot of the things that were supposed to be on the hard drive weren’t there anymore. I had some files on an old external hard drive which I returned to them but to be honest I don’t know what they have left to work with from their own records.  I’m sure the hard copies of the bulletins that I didn’t have to return to people will still be there somewhere as (sadly) they didn’t take up a lot of room and are obviously important to whoever packed them up at the last move.

In terms of who took or destroyed what I’m afraid I don’t have any names for you.  All I can tell you is there is much, much less there than most people think.  Nothing was destroyed in my time, if anything we were building the records back up.

I hope that helps,

Dan

The Chronicle Newcastle contacted a spokesperson at the Society who said, “we are not aware of documents that were destroyed on purpose but due to changes in staff and trustees there is not a complete record of what we have held. We do have an archive that, while not complete nor fully catalogued, includes letters, publications and minutes of meetings from the 70s and 80s.” It is unclear whether this information was from the old external hard drive that Dan returned to the Society.

There is also the issue of confidentiality and security, protection of personal information, documents and letters submitted by those infected with HIV and hepatitis C, a very vulnerable community who put their trust in this organization.

Meeting with Right Rev James Jones in London

Yesterday, contaminated blood campaigners went to London to meet the former Bishop of Liverpool to discuss a way forward for the Public Inquiry into Contaminated Blood finally announced by Theresa May after more than 30 years of cover-up. The Right Rev James Jones chaired the Hillsborough Inquiry and offered his support to Contaminated Blood families. …see article from ITV

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2017-09-12/former-liverpool-bishop-to-meet-families-affected-by-contaminated-blood-products/

Carol Grayson (Haemophilia Action UK) Peter Mossman (Manor House Group) and Colette Wintle (Independent Campaigner for Women who Bleed) stand together in calling for a Hillsborough style Inquiry, with a panel and favour a human rights lawyer to oversee the process. The Department of Health must not dictate the remit or terms of reference for an Inquiry or oversee an Inquiry as it cannot investigate itself.

We express concern that

1. So much evidence of historical value, vital for a Public Inquiry is allegedly destroyed/missing
2. That long standing campaigners with the most evidence are being excluded from key meetings
3. It is important that the role of the Haemophilia Society and the disappearance of documents (including Dept of Health) is fully investigated during the forthcoming Public Inquiry alongside the disappearance of government documents.

Lord Owen’s health files were also trashed

I received a phone call from Lord Owen (former Health) on Monday prior to an interview he was doing on Contaminated Blood, like me he has little hope that truth and justice will prevail though he thought there may be a little more financial support. To date the government has refused to give compensation, only providing paltry amounts where haemophiliacs and bereaved relatives must go begging to a Trust criticised by Lord Archer of Sandwell in the Archer report. This funding goes nowhere near to addressing the multiple losses experienced by haemophiliacs and bereaved relatives or their needs.

Owen put money aside in 1974 for the UK to become self-sufficient in blood products on the grounds of safety but unbeknown to him this was changed quietly without debate in parliament soon after he left office. He did his best to assist haemophiliacs in finding out what went wrong but then discovered that his own health files were also trashed.

Owen told the Guardian in 2002, “I have no wish to go to court, but I have no doubt whatsoever that if someone starts to take serious legal action, the government hasn’t got a leg to stand on.” He was also astonished that my research had been repeatedly ignored stating it was “still the best research on contaminated blood that I have read.” This begs the question, why did the British government chose to bury the dissertation when Anne Milton and DOH blood policy team made a commitment to address the findings?

Testing for HIV and hepatitis C without permission, withholding test results

On the same day as the meeting with Bishop James, an article was published by the Ham and High questioning whether haemophiliacs at a Camden hospital had been tested for HIV without their knowledge and permission. Although evidence at that particular hospital may be new to some, the issue itself is old with evidence submitted years ago to the General Medical Council, Archer Inquiry and Penrose Inquiry (Scotland).

Haemophilia Action UK repeatedly raised testing without permission for HIV and hepatitis C from 1994 and every year following. (The articles are that old some are not online only in hardcopy). Here is just one example regarding testing that remains online from 2003,

“Haemophiliacs “duped” into tests”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2003/jan/21/medicineandhealth.publichealth

Testing for HIV/HCV without permission and withholding positive test results was raised in the media, with doctors, MPs, health authorities, official complaints to General Medical Council (GMC) with the Haemophilia Society, with the Dept of Health, with lawyers, with human rights organizations, with the Charities Commission, in my dissertation, Archer and Penrose Inquiry and in Europe. Test results were submitted with medical records to the GMC by a number of patients. I asked asked haemophiliacs in my dissertation questionnaire in 2006 about testing without consent and received answers confirming this was a common occurence. Some haemophiliacs went on to infect their wives when positive rest results were withheld. This was also reported in the Guardian (Feb, 2009) with regard to Haydn Lewis who has since died.

“Lewis started receiving commercial blood products in 1974 and in 1985 was told he had been infected with HIV.

“I knew from about 1984 that there was a risk I could be infected but they kept telling me there wasn’t a test available,” he said.

But in 2003 he gained access to his medical notes, which revealed that although he had tested positive for HIV in 1984, he was not informed until February 1985 – during which time, he believes, his wife was also infected with the virus. “How do you deal with that?'” he asked. “How do you cope knowing that you have given someone you love something that will kill them?”

Ham and High state in 2017, “the DoH said it was taking the accusations regarding HIV testing ‘very seriously’”…. What a joke, government have ignored testing without permission and withholding of positive test results both HIV and hepatitis C for over 20 years at least. 

A haematologist informed me years ago that staff were worried about too many false positive test results on haemophiliacs in the early days so tested out the HIV test on haemophiliacs as a patient group without asking permission or informing them and then retested telling them some time later. This happened again with HCV tests, haemophiliacs were often the guinea pigs for other patient groups as far as testing was concerned and  this was against the Nuremberg Code which we have raised time and time again.

I knew it was wrong to test without permission because I was involved in setting up the first guidelines for testing for HIV in the 1980s and later HCV in the 90s when I worked as a nurse and we could be disciplined, struck off for doing so without offering pre and post test counselling and giving patients their test results as a matter or urgency.

Haemophilia Society official apoplogy

The current staff at the Haemophilia Society have issued an official apology regarding past behaviour at the organization. Colette Wintle and I e-mailed and approached Jefferson Courtney on the issue providing new staff with a copy of my dissertation and some background history on the Society. We requested they put out a statement distancing new staff from past behaviour. Jeff  did e-mail us saying this had been agreed and acknowledging that he could not have done so without us (it is a steep learning curve for any new staff regarding a very complicated history). The apology can be seen below and here is an excerpt…

“Failures in government policy and negligence of public bodies led to people being infected
with blood borne viruses as a result of their treatment with blood products in the 70s and
80s.”

“The impact of these failures was worsened by poor communication from Government,
healthcare professionals, pharmaceuticals companies and The Haemophilia Society.
Warnings were not heeded and errors were subsequently hidden.”

See below for full statement,

Click to access Board-Statement-on-Contaminated-Blood-March-2017-1.pdf

Sad to say the contact with the Haemophilia Society is somewhat frosty. They appear to prefer dealing mainly with the children of haemophiliacs, a new generation that are largely reliant on second-hand research and documents and don’t have same the lived experience as their parents. This is no doubt easier than facing often frustrated older activists that have researched blood contamination for decades and ask challenging questions.

It is no wonder then that with all this evidence, long term campaigners are being left out of key meetings with government as Diana Johnson MP proved in a recent question to Jackie-Doyle-Price, see following,

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2017-07-18.5925.h&s=Blood%20Contamination

You won’t see Haemophilia Action UK, Manor House Group or Colette Wintle on the list…. WHY? The reason is … we know too much!

What can be done in the short -term

Infected and affected should not have to wait another 6 years for an Inquiry report, that cost millions of pounds with a single recommendation as happened before. I have written to MPs and All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) members calling for Labour to apologize for Lord Warner’s misinformation and their own failure to implement Archer’s recommendations and to call for the Conservative government to put “compensation on a parity with Eire” into practice. Yes a Public Inquiry is important but haemophiliacs do not have time on their side, widows/widowers are also now in very poor health after years of caring and there is NOTHING to stop compensation being given now as it was in Eire on the grounds of “extraordinary suffering”.

Haemophiliacs were designated as a “special case” by Virginia Bottomley at the time on the 1991 HIV litigation which separated them from whole blood cases that were not. There were a number of distinct differences. Haemophiliacs were already considered to be disadvantaged due to their inherited condition. Often more than one family member had haemophilia so a family could have multiple persons infected at the same time putting extra stress on a family. Haemophiliacs were infected with multiple viruses such as HIV, hepatitis B, C (and years later exposed to v CJD) which complicated the medical picture and treatment in addition to having haemophilia. They were also reinfected with different genotypes. Haemophiliacs had also received plasma products from US prisons so another country was involved with legal representation in the UK and US. The legal cases were seen to be distinctly separate from whole blood cases as recognized by lawyers. For example whole blood cases could go under product liability, haemophilia cases could not. Whole blood cases did not involve treatment from US prisons with the gross safety violations and abuse of human rights associated with importation. Those given whole blood were infected in the UK during a window period before testing for hepatitis C became available, often a one off transfusion and were not infected with multiple viruses with several family members infected.

We know from recent legal opinions that the chances of haemophiliacs winning legal cases on the grounds of gross negligence particularly in relation to US treatment are very good. We now know they were good in 1991, unfortunately this information (seen only years later) was withheld from haemophiliacs and their families at that time. As one lawyer wrote the evening before haemophiliacs accepted an out of court settlement for HIV infection and signed what we now know from a legal opinion to be an allegedly illegal hepatitis waiver, “I can no longer lie to my clients.” The lying must stop, documents and evidence from all relevant organizations must be preserved and justice must be done!

Link

Contaminated blood scandal: Were vital records from the 1970s and 1980s destroyed?

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/contaminated-blood-scandal-were-vital-13614220

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.

Post via Islamic Emirate

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.

Post via Islamic Emirate

Sept 7th 2017

In the newly announced strategy of American President Donald Trump, it has been further concentrated on even more killing and agony of innocent Afghan masses. This new strategy of the savage foreign invaders was instantly seconded by the puppet regime in Kabul, by holding meetings and conferences. On the other hand, this outrageous strategy of the brutal occupying forces was severely condemned by the freedom loving Afghan masses, peace loving independent organs and individuals, by marking it another wave of Afghan homicide and the demolition of their homes and towns.

In the very first week after the employment of this new strategy of devastation, hundreds of innocent civilian men, women and children were ruthlessly martyred and wounded in different parts of the country while their houses were demolished. Predominantly, in Kunduz, Herat and Logar provinces, colossal casualties and financial losses were inflicted on the civilian people.

In the indiscriminate bombing of savage foreign invaders, 13 civilian people were martyred and 7 others were wounded in ‘Dast-i-Bari’ area of ‘Logar’ province. After the approval of these terrible civilian losses, for the justification of their brutalities, the enemy claimed that their forces were initially attacked by Taliban in the area, and they opened fire in retaliation, which might have caused civilian losses. But the reality is that during this civilian homicide, neither there were Taliban, nor the enemy forces were attacked from any side.

In another tragic incident, 40 innocent people, mostly women and children, were martyred and wounded in an indiscriminate drone strike of the savage foreign invaders in ‘Bakht Abad’ area of ‘Shindand’ district in ‘Herat’ province, resulting in a huge calamity in the area, in which, numerous houses were demolished too. Hundreds of local people were occupied in burying their loved ones and shifting the wounded ones on the threshold of ‘Eid-al-Adha’, the holy Muslim celebrations in commemoration of the magnificent sacrifice of Prophet Ibraham (peace and blessings be upon him).

In a similar disastrous incident, houses of civilian people were raided by ruthless foreign invaders in collaboration with their internal mercenary forces in ‘Sajany’ area in the northern ‘Kunduz’ province. In this ruthless incident, initially main gates of several houses were blasted in bombs; the innocent people were then badly beaten, while their valuables were looted; and eventually, these civilian were indiscriminately bombed by the savage foreign invaders, in which, one woman was martyred, 2 women and 2 children were severely wounded, while five civilian houses were completely demolished.

This the initial souvenir!!! of newly approved American strategy (for the promotion of peace and stability in the region) which resulted in a human catastrophe. According to verified reports, the foreign invaders and their internal mercenaries are planning even more such homicidal air attacks.

On the other side, heroic Mujahidin of the Islamic Emirate are determined and resilient by sustaining their holy Jihad against all devious strategies and malignant plans of the brutal foreign occupying forces and their internal stooges to defend our creed, country and pious people. We have vowed to take the revenge of our innocent people from the brutal foreign invaders and their internal mercenary forces by inflicting severe casualties and mindboggling financial losses on them. It is obliged on us to safeguard and defend our religious sanctities and national interests, and to prolong our righteous struggle until and unless the last foreign invading soldier is withdrawn and the Islamic System of life is restored in our beloved homeland.

In-sha-Allah!!!

End

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.

Post via Islamic Emirate

Sept 7th 2017

The US president at Fort Myer military base, Virginia, USA announced his strategy about Afghanistan on 21 August of the current year. It took almost six months for the new US Administration to formulate the new strategy but it still contains contradictions. From one side, they say that we will not tell the Afghans how to live and how to run their complex society, which is a positive point. But on the other hand, it practically emphasizes on the presence of invading troops and use of military approach. It is a hard fact now that the strategy of use of force and pressure has achieved no result during the past sixteen years. Once, the US and her allies had more than one hundred thousand troops in Afghanistan. They used all tactics and weapons against our Mujahid people but neither they resolved the issue of Afghanistan nor quashed the determination of our Muslim people aimed at achieving freedom and liberation. If America formulates similar strategies not once but tens of times while putting emphasize on use of force, it will not resolve the issue of Afghanistan until they accept the basic demands of the Muslim nation of Afghanistan i.e. end of occupation, independence of the country and establishment of a system based on their beliefs. To realize these objectives, the Islamic Emirate has always kept open political channel as well as continued its military activities. Therefore, if Americans are sincere about what they say, they should leave the Afghans to decide how to live and form a government.

It is to be mentioned that America has utterly failed in the process of nation building in Afghanistan. At the beginning, they were harping on slogans of freedom of speech, development and prosperity but practically, they imposed an unpopular group of warlords on the people under the slogan of democracy. As a result, people were further plunged into poverty, repression and insecurity. Neither, they developed agriculture nor industry rather a few unpopular figures gained billions of dollars due to corruption and embezzlement.

It shows that America has failed in all its slogans and promises in Afghanistan. Now, it is vital for them to consider ground realities in Afghanistan. As such, should accept the basic rights of the Afghans and seek to eradicate all those factors which have led the Afghan nation to rise against foreign occupation in the past one and a half decade with all their potentials. The issue of Afghanistan could neither be resolved with phony strategies nor has resulted into any tangible achievement in the past. However, if Afghan people obtain their legitimate rights, they assure their neighbors and the world that the land of Afghanistan will not be used against anyone rather we will establish good relations with them on the basis of our Islamic and national interests and mutual respect.

End

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.

End

Links

Reprieve website

https://www.reprieve.org.uk/topic/drones/

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.

Post via Islamic Emirate

The Burmese army and indigenous extremist Buddhists have once again begun ethnic cleansing, burning of homes and displacement of Muslims in Rakhine state of Myanmar.

Reports say that the Burmese army attacked the villages of Muslims during the sacred days of Eid ul Adha, set fire to seventy thousand homes and displaced tens of thousands of oppressed Muslims, mostly women, children, elderly and the civilian population.

Clinton arrives in Canberra (Image via Jacob Evans, ABC)

Clinton Pryor (27) wasn’t happy when he learnt about the forced closure of Aboriginal communities so he decided to take action and do something about it. This inspirational young man decided to go “walkabout” and so began an extraordinary journey across Australia from Perth to Canberra, 5581 kilometres, around 7 million steps according to the Canberra Times and wearing out 8 pairs of shoes.

Clinton describes himself as a Wajuk, Balardung, Kija and a Yulparitja man from the west. Walkabout is a right of passage where an indigenous male embarks on a journey often during adolescence spending time in the wilderness and seeking a spiritual connection as he enters manhood. It is a return to traditional Aboriginal life. Clinton describes his sense of spirituality on the Clinton’s Walk for Justice website stating,

“I see the land and animal I see this world in a different way. It like Star Wars like the force. But I get mine strength from the land. It very hard to explain sometime. The land gives me strength and I give her the love and care for what she need from me by looking after her and trying to protect her from this mining company. My people we believe that when we die we come back and be a part of the tree, animal, rock, river, the air and the land itself. That why I very connected to the land because I know that those who pass on before me always with me and around me. The great energy of life.”

Clinton on walkabout (Image from Clinton “Go Fund Me” Campaign https://www.gofundme.com/clintonswalk )

What is also remarkable about Clinton is that at one time he was on the streets and overcame both homelessness and illiteracy, teaching himself to read. Back in June, Clinton wrote an article for the Guardian newspaper, he said,

“I started this journey walking from Perth to find the truth and find a new way for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Australia. For the past 50 years our people have been fighting for rights, but it’s like it has just gone down the drain too many times. So, I decided to go for a big massive walk across the country to find the truth of what’s going on. What I’ve seen and experienced this way is that our people are living in developing world conditions.

In some communities there’s no fresh water. Other communities are polluted from mining, and on top of that these companies are hiring people from out in cities and towns to work in these communities, when our local people want jobs as well. What the people want in these communities is to be self-governed. They want to take care of our people themselves.”

Full article can be read here,

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/29/clinton-pryor-walk-for-justice-indigenous-crossing-australia

Elijah Doughty was run over and killed in August 2016 while riding a motorbike (Image via Guardian)

During his journey Clinton met both regional Aboriginal communities and non Aboriginal folk. He got together with elders, hearing their stories and talked with school children and community groups. Clinton also attended the funeral of Elijah Doughty, a Kalgoorlie teenager who was killed by a man later convicted of dangerous driving but controversially found not guilty of manslaughter. The case sparked outrage and demonstrations with protesters highlighting that non-Indigenous people charged in such cases are often acquitted escaping justice and accountability.

At times the route was extremely gruelling. As part of his walkabout the West Australian reported that Clinton trekked through the Gibson Desert for two weeks during summer where he had to walk at night to prevent exhaustion. Fortunately he had the backing of a committed support team on Twitter and Facebook and enthusiastic welcoming committees ready to cheer him along. Clinton’s Walk was “entirely crowd funded by the community”.

Clinton and supporters (Image via ABC Jacob Evans)

On Sunday, Clinton who earned the title Spirit Walker, completed his mammoth feat ending up at Parliament House, Canberra where an Aboriginal Tent Embassy was set up. . A petition had been circulated earlier calling on the Governor General Peter Cosgrove to meet Clinton with indigenous elders at the tent embassy rather than just a one to one meeting at Government House.

Elders with Bob Kattor, an Australian federal politician, a member of the Australian House of Representatives  (Image posted by Jane Salmon)

Clinton meeting Bill Shorten (Image via Bill Shorten)

Nakari Thorpe tweeted that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten along with Labor MPs and senators met with Clinton’s Walk and elders at the front of Parliament House. Shorten listened to Clinton and others present tweeting, “he walked 6000km to deliver a message on Indigenous justice. Honoured to meet Clinton a Clinton’s Walk today. We’ll keep the conversation going.” He also added, “I made clear I didn’t agree with everything they said, but I do believe it’s important that people who walk 6,000 kilometres, and our First Australians generally, are treated with greater respect and equality than they currently receive.”

Clinton and elders have a list demands which can be viewed below. Talking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Clinton said,

“There are issues happening for our communities in towns and cities across the country, and you have to sit down and understand what is going on there,” 

“It’s poverty like in third-world conditions. [In some communities] there’s a lack of fresh water and there’s a lack of jobs, and there’s not enough services for counselling.”

Politicians must now take note of Clinton’s concerns and move towards action on matters brought to their attention by a true champion for indigenous communities. As one journey ends for Spirit Walker, another begins.

Clinton’s Walk and Elders List of Demands (via Clinton’s Walk)

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.

Post via Islamic Emirate

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Praise be to Allah, the All Strong and the All-Mighty. Surely, Strong is His Grip and Strong His Rope (religion), speedy is His victory. He does what He intends. We praise Him as He is praised by the gratefuls and ask for His forgiveness as the sinners do ask His forgiveness and for His bountiful blessing. We testify that Mohammad is His Servant and Messenger, peace and blessing be upon him and on his descendants and companions and his followers until the Day of Resurrection.

Allah, the Almighty says:

“Let him that hopes to meet his Lord do what is right and associate none as partner in the worship of his Lord.” (Chapter 18, Verse 110)

To

The Muslim and Mujahid People of Afghanistan and all Islamic Ummah!

Asalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh

(Peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you)

I would like to, first of all, extend you my felicitation on the occasion of the auspicious Eid-ul-Adha, and wish you a blessed Eid. May Allah (SwT) accept in His Sight all your worships and sacrifices – in soul or equipment, the Hajj (pilgrimage) of those who have been able to perform it and the toil, struggle and dedication of all Mujahideen who happen to be serving in any field against the Falsehood, especially, may Allah (SwT) accept the martyrdom of the martyrs, bestow earlier recovery on the injured and procure swift release of the prisoners. Ameen.

My Respectful Countrymen!

The Eid of Offerings reminds us the story of Abraham, the Arch-prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) and his son Ishmael (peace be upon him), drawing our attention to this very hard fact that a Muslim’s steadfastness to remain committed to his principles is not an easy task. The path of Allah entails trials, tribulations and sufferings. We believe the more trials become severe, the more victory and help of Allah (SwT) come closer. Allah (SwT) says:

“When the true believers saw the Confederates, they said: This is what Allah and His Apostle have promised us: surely, Allah and His Apostle had spoken the truth. And this only increased their faith and submission.”

(Chapter 33, Verse 22)

We also believe that Allah (SwT) doesn’t waste an iota of deeds and sufferings of anyone who did it sincerely or went through it self-lessly for the sake of Allah (SwT) as Allah (SwT) says:

“He was not to make your faith fruitless.” (Chapter 2, Verse 143)

Allah, the Almighty will reward them forever good deed on the Day of Judgment. The reward is increased to 10 and 700 times or increased beyond calculation.

Allah, the Almighty says:

“Whosoever brings a good deed shall have ten (times) the like of it; and whosoever brings evil deed, shall be punished only for it. None shall be wronged.” (Chapter 6, Verse 160)

Allah, the Almighty (further) says:

“The likeness of those who give their wealth for the cause of Allah is as the likeness of a grain of corn which brings forth seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains. Allah multiplies to whom He wills; He is Munificent and All-knowing.” (Chapter 2, Verse 261)

As the rewards (in the world to come) have been mentioned in the above verses, in the same manner, Allah (SwT) bestows exaltation and success in this world as well. As such, we are assuring our oppressed people that with the blessing and help of Allah (SwT), the time has reached for obtainment of the results of our sacrifices, with our country having an independent,  Afghan-inclusive and prosperous Islamic system. Our enemies are trying to smash the hope of our people regarding the future, creating baseless apprehensions that anarchy and chaotic situation will prevail in Afghanistan, should the invaders leave and that discrimination based on ethnicity and religion shall sprout up; the Taliban will form a government of monopoly of power or (they claim) Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate will try to take revenge on their internal opponents. The people should realize that these elements who spread such misinformation are, in fact, the invader’s recruited preachers who are trying to make our countrymen come around to the very view that continuation of the occupation is a necessity. But currently as we have administration over more than half of the country, we have practically proved that we are not harboring any intention to take revenge on any one. Neither, we have any discriminatory conduct nor we want to have monopoly of power. We believe an inclusive and representative system that stands for aspirations of the people is the one in which all strata and ethnicities of a society see their participation.

The main obstacle in the way of peace is the occupation. Peaceful solution of the Afghan issue is the main pillar of the policy of the Islamic Emirate, should the occupation come to an end. To this end, the political office has been tasked to find a peaceful solution.

We urge the regional governments and those of the Islamic world to know our policy and position before announcing any unilateral stance or leveling accusation (against us) and don’t view us from the angle of our enemy. The Islamic Emirate doesn’t have any intention to harm anyone.

We also would like to say that the same applies to those governments of the world who, because of wrong impression, view our presence in Afghanistan as being a danger for them, we want to tell them that our policy is based on this basic principles:

“There is neither harm (in Islamic rules) nor a (Muslim) should commit a harmful act.”

Therefore, the world should remain assured that the Islamic Emirate has no ill intention against any one. Similarly, all the countrymen and public of the world should know this unimpeachable fact that the Islamic Emirate has thwarted growth of very horrendous dogmas; prevented unfathomable gruesome incidents and contributed to security and stability of the whole region. Currently, life, property and honor of people are safe in areas under the control of the Islamic Emirate and every effort is being made to ensure no harm is posed to the neighboring countries and the world from these areas.

I am deeply upset over the terrible situation in the Islamic world, particularly, the relentlessly resentful developments in the Middle East. I urge all Muslims – both rulers and people – to try their utmost to end their mutual differences and defend the oppressed; try to resolve their issues through mutual understanding, so our enemies shall not be able to extend their hands in order to harm us.

I would like to mention that we want a free, independent and progressive Afghanistan. As for as this is concerned, I call on our people not to wait for the foreigners (to build) because their (claim of) building is limited merely to slogans.

Therefore, the Afghans should gird up their loins to work for reconstruction and development of their country and spend their financial and manpower inside the country, particularly, the brothers of the business community should make investment in the country to end the unemployment and save our countrymen from turning to dangerous immigration, hard work and deviation.

If the businessmen are afraid from kidnappers and the usurpers in cities, they may build plants and factories and make investment in different sectors in areas under our administration as well as work for expansion of agriculture. The Islamic Emirate not only encourages them entirely but supports every measure that shall benefit our people and country.

We have set up an exclusive commission tasked with monitoring and protecting projects of roads, bridges, water dams, educational institutions, health centers, production factories and every kind of projects of infrastructure in every part of the country.

We call on NGOs that are intending to carry out works of pubic benefits while observing the rules of the Islamic Emirate, to help in health, educational, agricultural and other social sectors in areas under the administration of the Islamic Emirate. I direct all Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate to pave the way for works intended for public welfare and prosperity and consider it your responsibility to provide cooperation for (their) activity and security because welfare and prosperity of people is one of the main goals of our Jihad.

We say to those soldiers who are standing in the ranks and files of the enemy that the way you have chosen is no more than spoiling of your life in this world and the world to come. You are fighting against your believing people under the command of the invaders. If you lose your life in this way, your death is a waste and if you are alive and still bent on continuing, then the load of your sins become heavier with the passage of each moment.

The devious slogans of defense of the country and protection of borders are aimed at deceiving you because those who train or equip you do not care about the defense of the country and its borders. So have mercy on yourselves and believe that the Islamic Emirate wants only good for you. We are not against your persons. Rather we are against your deeds.

I call on the educated strata and the notables of the country to consider the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate as your brothers for their being representative of your pure aspirations and as freedom-fighters. Socialize with them and draw their attentions to their responsibilities and give them good advice of scholarly and national nature. Our land will surely liberate with the help of Allah (SwT). The future belongs to you and to these freedom-fighters. Insha Allah.

The help of Allah (SwT) lies in piety and in implementation of the sacred Sharia. We should fully pay attention to the implementation of Sharia and abide by it; should perform prayers regularly and, if possible, to perform them in congregation; should not remain ignorant of supplication and the remembrance of Allah (SwT); keep company of religious scholars and pious people and listen to their good advice and act upon them. Should respect and honor the families of martyrs and never ignore them and render them every kind of assistance. Give priority to the treatment of the injured and must keep ourselves well-informed about the situation of prisoners and try to solve their problems and remain in touch with their families and help them to solve their problems. Similarly, should pay attention to the problems of the orphans and the handicapped; consolidate harmony, unity, love and fraternity among yourselves and strictly avoid discord, differences, discriminatory conduct and ethnical, geographical and lingual discrimination.

Grant duty and responsibility on the basis of merit and talent not on the basis of friendship and nepotism.

My Mujahid Brothers,

Behave with the prisoners that you hold in the best manner and don’t keep them in detention without the order of courts. Make arrangement for their education and moral training; obey your superiors in affairs of Sharia and have a good conduct with Mujahideen under your command as you have conduct with your own children. Use them for a target that you shall use your children. They are amazingly pure (dedicated) Mujahideen. Allah forbid, alas if they are used for illegitimate targets or any valueless target. Pay attention to their education and training and moral refinement and to their rights as well as to the implementation of Sharia; to education and training in the liberated areas. Carry out the work of promotion of virtues and prevention of vices through wisdom and good sermon and start it from applying it to yourselves in the beginning. Respect orders of courts and pay attention to their implementation and try to remain obedient to the courts and to the people’s rights and try hard to prevent civilian casualties and comprehensively cooperate with the DPCC (Department of Prevention of Civilian Casualties) in the cause of civilian casualties prevention.

To end, I call on all countrymen, particularly, the wealthy people to offer a share of their festivities of Eid to the miserable countrymen, the families of the martyrs and prisoners and extend them a hand of help.

Peace be on you all

Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maolavi Hibatullah Akhundzada

Leader of the Islamic Emirate

The Amir-ul-Momineen

End

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights 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”.