CPTnet

11 August 2008

IRAQ UPDATE: 18-31 July 2008 

Friday, 18 July

Ms. K., an American woman who has been living in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) off and on since 1999 had dinner with the team. She shared her struggles with teaching in the healthcare system and shared her concern that corruption is undermining this society.

Saturday, 19-20 July

Joe Mueller and Peggy Gish facilitated the first two days of a five-day (three hours a day) training for trainers: Applying Tools of Nonviolence.

Tuesday, 22 July

The team went to Rania youth center where Gish facilitated a three-hour-long non-violence training for six men and two women.  Chihchun Yuan and Mueller interviewed an internally-displaced (IDP) family at Zharawa camp near the Iranian border.

Wednesday, 23 July

The team spent a second day in the Rania-Zharawa area. Anita Davis and Gish met with a group of about twelve children (ages five-eighteen), who talked about the difficulties of living in the IDP camp and said they wanted the bombing to stop so they could return to their villages. After they each drew a picture of what they saw during the bombing of their village, most of them described their pictures and talked about their fears (see 5 August CPTnet release, "Through the children’s eyes," http://www.cpt.org/cptnet/2008/08/05/iraq-through-children039s-eyes). During the visit, a twenty-year-old woman, Gulala, who had lost her arm two years ago when her six-year-old brother accidentally shot her, joined the group.  She said, "Our hope is in returning to our village. There is no life here."

Saturday, 26 July

Gish, Robertson, and Yuan met an Iranian photographer who was interested in writing CPT's story. He also shared how he uses his camera to document human rights abuses in Iran.

Sunday, 7 July

CPTers participated in a rally for Mr. Soran M. Hama, an independent journalist whom a gunman assassinated on 21 July. A gunman had threatened Hama after he published the article, "Prostitutes conquer Kirkuk" in LVIN magazine. One journalist encouraged everyone re-read Hama's article, which has been translated in English and published on Kurdmedia

(http://www.kurdmedia.com/article.aspx?id=14959).

Monday, 28 July

The team's translator called from Kirkuk saying she had been a part of the city-wide protest.  She had heard the explosions of the suicide bombers and shooting, and was shaken by the events that resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.

Wednesday, 30 July

Team members decided to observe a demonstration against the Provincial Election Law.  People were organized in groups and held banners or Kurdish flags. All shops remained closed until 10:30 a.m. the team heard the phrase “Kirdistania Kurkuk" through big speakers on the street.  A TV reporter interviewed Gish and a radio reporter interviewed Garland Robertson. They spoke about witnessing the struggle and frustration of the Kurdish people concerning the process of dealing with the status of Kirkuk. (The Kirkuk referendum will decide whether the Kurdish regions within the Iraqi governorates of Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah ad Din and Ninawa will become part of the KRG region.)