CPTnet
April 13, 2004
IRAQ URGENT ACTION: Stop excessive use of force In Fallujah
In response to lynching of four U.S. security agents last week, U.S. forces
invaded the city of Fallujah put it under siege for the past six days.
Citizens have not been able to leave their homes safely to buy groceries or
seek medical care.
Hospital workers report 518 Iraqis killed by U.S. fire as of Sunday, April
11, including at least 157 women and 146 children. Of the children, one
hundred are under age twelve and of those, 46 are under age five. More than
1,200 have been wounded. The death toll continued to rise past 600 by the
time the team wrote this release. Thus, 150 Iraqis have died for every one
of the Americans lynched.
U.S. forces destroyed Fallujah's main hospital earlier this week and took
over a second hospital for a military base. U.S. soldiers have also taken
over the hospital in Najaf. Volunteers assisting Doctors Without Borders in
Fallujah report U.S. Marine snipers are "shooting at anyone who moves" and
similar situations are developing in Baghdad, Kufa, Samarra, and other
cities.
[NOTE: CPTers have worked closely with Doctors Without Borders (Medecins
Sans Frontieres ) in Hebron and trust their reports.]
The AP reported Monday that cease-fire agreements are dissolving in Fallujah
and the Marines are sending in hundreds of reinforcements. Excessive use of
force by U.S. military at this time is inflaming Iraqi militia groups and
leading to a rapid destablization in Iraq. According to Iraqis and the
international aid community in Iraq, a greater explosion of violence is
imminent. Hundreds of Iraqis and humanitarian workers are leaving the
country.
CPT Iraq asks U.S. citizens to contact their members of Congress, calling
for U.S. forces to cease offensive military action in these cities, respect
the human rights of Iraqi citizens, and pursue honest diplomacy to resolve
this crisis.
CPT asks its Canadian constituency to contact Prime Minister Paul Martin and
encourage him to contact Canadian Brigadier General Walt Natynczyk who is
Deputy Chief for Strategy, Policy and Planning for Coalition Forces (CF) in
Baghdad. Ask Martin to tell Natynczyk that he needs to come up with a new
strategy, because the current one the CF are using is getting a lot of
people--soldiers and civilians--killed.
Rt. Hon. Paul Martin
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
tel 613-992-4284
fax 613-992-4291
email pm@pm.gc.ca
U.S. citizens please contact your senators and congress people. Fax and
phone numbers as well as e-mail addresses are available at www.congress.org.
Letters should be addressed to representatives' home offices, also available
at www.congress.org. Since not all people have easy web access, U.S.
citizens with web access can also help by making the contact information
easily available to members of their church and other local organizations.
Talking Points:
--The U.S. and Coalition forces, as the occupying power in Iraq, have an
obligation to protect women, children, the elderly, and the wounded in
combat situations. As of Sunday, nearly two-thirds of those killed by U.S.
forces were women and children.
--Dozens of U.S. soldiers are being killed in pursuing what military
officials are calling an "offensive' response strategy." Officers from the
Marines in Fallujah told volunteers assisting Doctors Without Borders that
they are unable to communicate with other U.S. military units and may be
receiving friendly fire.
--U.S. military must not deny access to medical care for the wounded and
sick. Under humanitarian law, they may not take over hospitals for military
purposes. International volunteers have been present with ambulance crews
whom U.S. soldiers fired upon without provocation.
--Since the U.S. siege of Fallujah and Muqtada al Sadr began last week,
Iraqi militants have taken thirty internationals hostage, and executed
several of them. After one week of escalating violence, Iraqi Christians
are now under threat of reprisal attacks for the U.S. killings of Muslims
and destruction of mosques. The violence and number of victims is
increasing, not decreasing as a result of U.S. military actions.
--Although the killing and dismembering of four U.S. security agents was a
terrible act, the search for perpetrators of the act cannot justify the
deaths of more than 300 Iraqi women and children.
--Many Iraqis feel this recent escalation in violence has culminated from
the Coalition's repeated human rights abuses and failure to provide basic
civilian infrastructure such as water, electricity, and government services
in the past year of military occupation.
Sample Letter to Fax to your Legislators
Dear ______________,
We are deeply troubled about the recent escalation in violence throughout
Iraq. Hospital workers in Fallujah report 518 Iraqis killed by U.S. fire as
of Sunday, April 11, including at least 157 women and 146 children. Of the
children, one hundred are under age twelve and of those, 46 are under age
five. More than 1,200 have been wounded. The death toll continues to rise.
Iraqi civilians in neighborhoods throughout Baghdad report civilian
casualties, as well as great fear of kidnappings and spiraling violence.
One eyewitness reported helicopter fire spraying heavily populated streets
of the Sadr City neighborhood to the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) in
Baghdad. Another, who welcomed the troops with joy last spring, now says,
"I hate Muqtada al Sadr, but now I can also say that I hate the Americans
for what they are doing."
Iraqi people on the streets tell members of CPT over and over that the
Coalition's use of offense military tactics encourages greater resistance.
Such use of force, rather than reducing terrorism, actually acts as fuel on
the fire. If the attempt to bring every 100 perpetrators to justice results
in 1,000 new enemies, the prospect for peace and security diminishes. 150
Iraqis have died for each of the four American security agents lynched in
Fallujah. If the Iraqis follow the example of the U.S. military, they will
need to kill 90,000 Americans.
We are asking you to use your influence to encourage the Coalition forces to
exercise restraint and to foster dialogue as a means of overcoming the
present instability. Ask the coalition forces to talk to community leaders,
and listen to their recommendations for de-escalating violence. As one
prominent Iraqi friend said to CPT, please "build bridges of dialogue, to
increase the common area of understanding."
I have enclosed the following CPT report, "CPT colleagues detail massacre in
Fallujah," as background.
Thank you.
_______________
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