[antiwar-van] Bringing "DEMOCRACY", "CIVILIZATION" and "FREEDOM" to Iraqi's

[hanna kawas]

-----Original Message-----
From: ep at MennoLink.org [mailto:ep at MennoLink.org]On Behalf Of CPTnet
editor, Webster, NY
Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2003 9:24 AM
To: menno.org.cpt.news at MennoLink.org
Subject: RAQ: Testimony of Iraqi mother whose three sons are under
detention by US forces


CPTnet
November 8, 2003
IRAQ: Testimony of Iraqi mother whose three sons are under detention by US
forces

[The following is a the third in a series of human rights testimonies
being released as part of CPT Iraq's upcoming Campaign for Justice for
Iraqi Detainees.   It has been edited for length.  People wishing to see the
entire statement may send their request to guest.445947 at MennoLink.org.]
----------------------------

CPT workers Le Anne Clausen and David Milne visited this family's home in
mid-September to record their story and document the damage done to their
house during the raid. Zaynab* the mother of the three sons, sobbed during
the entire interview.

"U.S. forces attacked our house in the middle of the night. They dynamited
the front gate and threw in small bombs [percussion grenades] before they
entered the house.

" Our family was sleeping and the men were in their underwear.  The soldiers
tied them behind their backs, put sacks over their heads, and put guns to
their heads as they forced them to kneel.

"My second son was still sleeping when the soldiers entered his room.  To
wake him, the soldiers shot into the pillow beside his face.  They ripped
his clothes as they arrested him.  They kept the rest of our family under
guard in the kitchen, pointing guns at us--women and children.  They forced
my daughter-in-law to walk through the house, with four soldiers' guns
pointed at her back, showing them every possible hiding place.  There were
about forty soldiers in our home during the raid.

"The soldiers said they came searching for weapons and demanded we show them
where we had hidden them.  They didn't find anything here, so they took my
sons instead.

"The soldiers also stole our money, about 30,000 Iraqi Dinar ($15 U.S..)
They also took food--sugar and rice.  We don't own any other valuables.

"One child, my grandson, was in the home when the raid happened.  Now he
shakes and screams at night.  He thinks the helicopters took his father,
since several were hovering overhead when they raided the house.

"We went to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the military,
seeking information about my sons, but until the mosque came with
information from CPT, we heard nothing.

"We had no relationship to Saddam Hussein; we were not supporters.  During
Saddam's reign, no one came here searching in our house. We had security.
No one broke down our door.  Why didn't they pursue the looters instead of
taking our sons and
brothers?

"We are pleased the U.S. removed Saddam's regime, but there is no
improvement in our situation.

"It was like doomsday.  Are the U.S. forces like looters?  I want to tell
them, 'You shouldn't hurt people, you should treat them well because you
are Christian and you should follow the teachings of Jesus.'"

-----------------------

CPT workers observed that all windows in the home were broken out, and
major structural damage done to the front entryway.  The gate is irreparable
and the family's home is now vulnerable to looters or other trespassers.

Neither the brothers nor their family have been advised by U.S. officials of
the possibility for a judicial process, nor given any indication of how much
longer they will be detained.  When CPT workers went to the Iraqi Assistance
Center to find information on the detainees, they learned their detaining
officers had charged them with weapons possession, even though soldiers
found no weapons in the house.  CPT workers recorded testimonies of several
other families in the same neighborhood who experienced house raids and had
all male members of their households detained on weapons charges, although
no illegal weapons were found in any
of the house searches.

*names have been changed to protect families from possible repercussions.


_______________
To stop receiving messages from CPTNET on MennoLink, send a message with
only the word, "suspend," in the body to server at MennoLink.org.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative of the historic peace churches
(Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers) with support and
membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations.
Supporting violence-reduction efforts around the world is its mandate.
Contact CPT, POB 6508 Chicago, IL 60680; Telephone: 773-277-0253 Fax:
773-277-0291; e-mail: guest.903627 at MennoLink.org.

To receive news or discussion of CPT issues by e-mail, fill out the form
found on our WEB page at http://www.cpt.org/subscribe.php