Category — Action Alerts

by Najlaa Al-Nashi, with Noah Baker Merrill

Today is the seventh day since Muntather was arrested.

Yesterday there was a soccer game between two famous Iraqi teams.  Tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens who attended the match chanted Muntather’s name, calling him a hero. They shouted that, Sunni and Shi’i, they wanted him to be released.

The sight and the sound showed the power behind their words, and watching impressed me deeply with the strength of these men’s demand for Muntather’s release.

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by Najlaa Al-Nashi, with Noah Baker Merrill

An Update about Muntather’s court case:

The judge has rejected the defense’s request to release Muntather on bail, refusing to change the way the case is classified under Iraqi law.

The leader of Munthather’s Iraqi team of lawyers, Mr. Hashim Al-Futyan, was surprised by the government’s decision to refer Muntather’s case to be tried in the criminal court that Ambassador Paul Bremer established at the beginning of the occupation in 2003.

Regarding what the defense was seeking, but did not achieve:

They wanted to change the legal classification of Muntather’s case to be considered under law no. 227, which would mean it would be considered in the misdemeanor court instead of the higher criminal court. Their next step is to appeal the case based on the belief that the government is discriminating against Muntather for political reasons.

The Iraqi Federation of Lawyers said yesterday that what Muntather did reflects the deep frustration resulting from the abuse of Iraq citizens during the US occupation of Iraq during the past years, a time in which journalists have been and continue to be among the professions which have been most targeted and persecuted.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 136 journalists and 51 media workers have been killed in Iraq since 2003, making it the deadliest conflict for the press in recent history.

Regarding the fate of the shoes:

The government investigators claim that they tried to find out if there was a weapon hidden in Muntather’s shoes. In the process of this “investigation”, they claim, both shoes were cut into pieces.
So the material evidence is gone - and with it two powerful symbols - but the court case continues.

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By Najlaa  A. Al-Nashi, with Noah Baker Merrill

It was only a few seconds - the shoes were flying toward President Bush, and with them a huge insult in Iraqi tradition.

You may have heard the news that an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at the American president, but as an Iraqi I’d like to share with you a few details about the journalist, and why he did that.

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DAI team members will be at the United for Peace & Justice National Assembly for a panel on Friday afternoon, the 12th; a facilitated discussion on Saturday on steps the national peace movement can take to support Iraqis; and a workshop on Sunday the 14th. Come join us to learn about ways to strengthen relationships with Iraqi families and organizations working to build a future of peace.
Click here for more information in the UFPJ Assembly.

Friends of Direct Aid Iraq,

One the day after the historic election in the United States, there is hope among many in the United States and elsewhere that the relationship between the US government and the people of Iraq will change for the better as a result of an improvement in US policy toward Iraq and the surrounding region.

We, the Iraqi and American team members of Direct Aid Iraq, very much hope this will be the case.

But we also hope that you’ll remember the other election coming up - the one in Iraq. And through this attention, we hope you and those in your community will remember the Iraqi people in these next weeks and months.

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Support Iraqi Peace and Nonviolence Activists

Direct Aid Iraq is proudly partnering with September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and other international groups to support the Iraqi LaOnf Network’s Third Annual Week of Nonviolence, which begins today!

Founded in 2006, LaOnf (which means “No Violence” in Arabic) has grown to a network of over 100 Iraqi organizations that are committed to using nonviolent means to bring a future of independence, democracy, and peace to Iraq. This year’s Week of Nonviolence, taking place from October 10 - 20, will focus on creating the conditions for free and open elections in which all of Iraq’s people may participate, without fear of violence or intimidation, regardless of ethnicity, sect, or political affiliation.

Show your support for Iraqi peace and nonviolence activists!

TAKE ACTION NOW:

Sign an International Letter of Support. Add your name to the International Letter of Support endorsing LaOnf’s Third Annual Week of Nonviolence.

Make a visual statement of support. Peaceful Tomorrows is inviting people across the U.S. (and the world) to post photo greetings to LaOnf. Email a digital photo of you or your group sending a message of support to LaOnf to: laonfsolidarity@yahoo.com

You can continue to check out the postings at the online photo gallery. Please send the link to your friends:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laonfsolidarity/

Find out more! View a short video about LaOnf.

To learn more about other ways to support LaOnf, and to follow the latest developments during the Week of Nonviolence, visit:

http://www.peacefultomorrows.org

Thank you for your continued support.