CPTnet
June 7, 2004

IRAQ UPDATE: May 23-31, 2004

Sunday, May 23, 2004
An Iraqi friend of the team whose brother soldiers arrested in April
informed the team he received confirmation that his brother is in Abu Graib
prison. The friend said he also learned his brother was shot twice by
soldiers when he was arrested, once in the
hand and once in the abdomen. The friend had then gone to the Baghdad Iraqi
Assistance Committee (IAC) where he discussed with a U.S. Sergeant First
Class the shooting of his brother. He said his brother
had been unarmed at the time of the arrest.
The friend wanted the soldiers who shot his brother to be punished.

Stewart Vriesinga and Sheila Provencher met with Dobie MacArthur, the
Coalition Provisional Authority's (CPA) senior advisor for detainees and
prisoner issues. MacArthur, whose tour of duty was finishing up, introduced
the CPTers to people at the Baghdad IAC who would be helpful in his absence.
In the meeting, the CPTers learned that after the June 30 transfer of power
coalition forces would still be able to arrest Iraqis, but no one knew if
they or the Iraqi government would have authority over the detainees.
MacArthur also advised CPT to work
with the newly created Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights, which now inspects
the Coalition run detention centers.

An Iraqi whose brother was part of CPT's Adopt-a Detainee letter writing
campaign in North America, e mailed to say that on May 20, his brother was
finally released from detention after a nine month incarceration. Coalition
forces had held him without any charge.

Monday, May 24, 2004
Matthew Chandler and Provencher visited a Muslim cleric who has helped them
find people for the Adopt-a-Detainee program. He told the team of a recent
Coalition raid on his mosque in which soldiers searched the mosque twice,
breaking down the doors and pulling up tiles in search of weapons. Soldiers
also had increased their presence in the neighborhood and arrested two men.
The cleric said the bodies of the two men were found in the local morgue
several days later. "Jesus said to turn the other cheek," the cleric told
the team, "but unfortunately the governments which pretend to belong to
Jesus, they beat the Islamic countries on both cheeks at the same time."

In the afternoon, several mortars exploded in the Green Zone, the area used
as headquarters by the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004
While near the Al Fanar hotel Anne Montgomery and Anita David heard a loud
explosion. Soldiers told them a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hit a nearby
building. Later they learned the building was the Baghdad hotel.

The CPTers watched a medical helicopter touched down the street at Al Firdos
Square.

Wednesday, May 26, 2004
As recommended by MacArthur, CPTers Maxine Nash, Greg Rollins and David met
with the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights.

Thursday, May 27, 2004
An Iraqi Sheikh who is a friend of CPT's and the father of a young man in
the Adopt-a-Detainee program reported that his wife has been sick
ever since she saw the pictures of abuse at Abu Graib prison. She is afraid
guards abused her son. The Sheikh asked CPT to keep mentioning his son in
any meetings the team had with CPA officials.

Friday, May 28, 2004
In the evening an Iraqi friend recommended that CPT leave Iraq before June
15 because he believed there would be a rise in violence leading up to the
June 30 transfer of power.

Sunday, May 30, 2004
On his way back to North America, Chandler met with officials from the
United Nations to discuss Iraqi detainees held by the CPA. Provencher spent
the night with Iraqi friends. In conversation with one man, she asked what
he thought would happen in June during the build up to the transfer of
power. He smiled and said, "Nothing will happen. What do you think will
happen? Civil war? No. You see, I am
Sunni, my wife is Shi'a and Kurdish and her brother-in law is a Turkomen--so
you see we are all in one family. Most of the Iraqi people are like this."

Monday, May 31, 2004
In the morning, the team heard a loud explosion. Later they learned that a
car bomb had detonated near the Green Zone.

Montgomery and Provencher lunched with Dominican Sisters. One told them that
she had a relative in high security unit in Abu Graib prison. The CPA will
not allow family to visit him.

Montgomery and Provencher then attended a NGO Coordinating Committee in Iraq
(NCCI) meeting. Representatives from NCCI said that the level of violence
in Baghdad has not increased in the last month but attacks such as car
bombings and other attacks are more frequent during daylight hours than they
previously were.

Greg Rollins, Vriesinga and Nash visited the Baghdad IAC in the Green Zone
and gave them the names of several Iraqis CPT cannot locate in the prison
system. While there, they also talked with the Canadian Foreign Affairs
representative.