Wednesday, April 20, 2005

'Just World News' by Helena Cobban: Iraq: parliamentarian humiliated by US soldiers: "This, from AP's Thomas Wagner a couple of hourse ago:

in the National Assembly, lawmaker Fattah al-Sheik stood and cried as he described being stopped at a checkpoint on the way to work Tuesday. He claimed an American soldier kicked his car, mocked the legislature, handcuffed him and held him by the neck.

'What happened to me represents an insult to the whole National Assembly that was elected by the Iraqi people. This shows that the democracy we are enjoying is fake,' al-Sheik said. 'Through such incidents, the U.S. Army tries to show that it is the real controlling power in the country, not the new Iraqi government.'"

...

"So if an out-of-control soldier on a checkpoint treats an elected Iraqi lawmaker this way, how do you think they treat the rest of the Iraqi people?"

(Via 'Just World News' by Helena Cobban.)