by M T ButtISLAMABAD, February 7: Pakistani Army Generals think they are qualified to take over, monopolize and expand any business they think is lucrative in Pakistan, the land they think is their occupied territory. From breeding chicken to cooking cereals, manufacturing cement to fertilizer, running cargo services to passenger buses, banks and trading houses, the only business probably not yet touched by the Generals is trash removal. Pakistan`s military Incorporated is an open and unending saga, leaving everything to be desired in their real job – defending the country.This story is about the Generals` entry, monopolization and shameless perversion of passenger transport in Pakistan`s capital Islamabad. The story has been written by employees of the only bus service run by the … [read more]

by John Kelly, International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milosevic (Irish Section)Supporting the International Conference "The Hague Proceedings against Slobodan Milosevic: Emerging Issues in International Law"We live in strange times. When fun is equated with destruction and murder. Consider if you will this comment summarising a personal military ethos and directed to us by former latrine orderly US Marine officer Lieutenant General James Mattis..."It´s fun to shoot some people. You go into Afghanistan, you´ve got guys who slap women around for five years because they don´t wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain´t got no manhood anyway, so it´s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." It was this same Lieutenant General Mattis who dismissed photographic evidence of the slaughter … [read more]

by Lars Akerhaug, Int´l officer of the Red Electoral Alliance, NorwayThe Aceh province was heavily struck on the day of the tsunami. Not only did the waves wipe away families, lives, houses and entire villages, but also Aceh was the epicenter of the quake itself, and struck buildings and societies to the ground. However, TV cameras and media attention all focused on the more popular tourist areas, and the high profiled conflict between Sri Lanka and the Tamil liberation movement. Not before some days news started to slip and people realize the catastrophe that had so heavily struck Aceh in the North-West of the Indonesian islands. For many it was the first time to hear about a historical conflict with roots back to the anti-colonization movement against the Dutch expansion into today´s … [read more]

نادي Ù?لسطين العربيالحرية لساندرا باكوتز قامت الشرطة التركية بتاريخ 10Ù€2Ù€2005 بإعتقال الناشطة السياسية ساندرا باكوتز Ù?ÙŠ مطار إسطنبول بتهمة "مساعدة منظمة إرهابية"ØŒ وما زالت ساندرا باكوتز قيد الاعتقال والتحقيق على خلÙ?ية … [read more]

International call to support the two Turkish comrades held as political prisoners in ItalyOn March 5 the hearings in the trials of Avni and Zeynep will start. They have been held in prison since April 1, 2004, under the accusation of being members of the Turkish association DHKP-C which is being defined as terrorist based on the EU´s arbitrary "black list" design according to its US model. The entire investigation by the Italian judiciary has been carried out in name of the "war on terror" pleasing the Turkish regime and lending it a helping hand in order to repress whoever dares to oppose its capitalist, imperialist and anti-democratic agenda. We all know about the treatment the regime of the military oligarchy reserves for its dissidents; we know of the massacres committed against the … [read more]

Financed by campaign "Ten Euros for the resistance"About two tons of medicine are going to be sent to the Iraqi province of al-Anbar, a well-known focus of resistance against the foreign rule, and repeated massacres perpetrated by the occupying forces. Last autumn, the city of Falluja was razed to the ground, as a punishment for the struggle of her inhabitants for self-determination. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed by cluster bombs, napalm and chemical agents, all weapons of mass destruction in breach of international law.Before the massacre, the occupying forces destroyed all hospitals and medical infrastructure, killing the greater part of medical personnel. Still today large parts of the city are cordoned off and the population is cut of from vital infrastructure. The … [read more]

Sant`Anna di Stazzema - Sunday March 13th, 2005 National demonstrationOn August 12th 1944, four companies of SS commanded by the major Walter Reder and supported by Italian fascist authorities and collaborators, murdered 560 innocednt people in Sant`Anna di Stazzema. It was one of the many massacres committed by the German Nazis during their imperialist war.Nazism and fascism were beaten, but their bloodthirsty methods and their imperial ambitions were not.Already during WWII, the Anglo-American armies committed horrible crimes, through carpet bombings which exterminated millions of civilians, especially in Germany and in Italy, not to mention Hiroshima and Nagasaki where the Americans, committing the greatest war crime of all time, actually used atom bombs even though Japan was already … [read more]

by Anders PüschelShort overview of the situation in Sweden regarding the solidarity movement with the Iraqi resistanceBy Anders Püschel, chair of the Iraq Committee in Malmö, Sweden[1]At present, there is no countrywide organisation in Sweden in support of the Iraqi resistance. But then again, there never was any countrywide organisation against the U.S. and allied invasion before it occurred. Of course, as in most countries, the opposition to the invasion – which was considerable before it took place – diminished after March 20th 2003, and evaporated after the fall of Baghdad on April 9th. The aim today is not, and cannot be, to rebuild this movement, but to build a new movement of the same magnitude in support of the Iraqi resistance. Among those who opposed the invasion before … [read more]

Sandra Bakutz is accused of membership in a "terror organization"Last Thursday, February 10, Sandra Bakutz was arrested at the airport of Istanbul and, according to her lawyer, transferred to prison. She has been accused of membership in the DHKP/C (Revolutionary People´s Liberation Party/ Front). Ms. Bakutz got engaged for the rights of thousands of prisoners in Turkey. Her work, which brought her in contact with the parties of the Austrian Parliament and several civil rights groups, was focused on the acknowledgement of the civil liberty rights and to bring an end to the political judiciary and torture against of dissidents in Turkey. Now she herself seems to get victim of this regime in which still the military pulls the strings in the background. The present Turkish political system … [read more]

by Nada Al-RubaieeNada Al-Rubaiee is Member of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Patriotic Alliance (IPA).During Bush´s campaign to invade Iraq, issues concerning Iraqi women were raised on several occasions. Part of this "feminist" hoopla was carried out by a few Iraqi women who promoted the invasion as a means of "liberating" Iraqi women from male and state repression. After the desired "liberation" of Iraq was accomplished, some of these same women were appointed to …‘prestigious´ positions in different occupation institutions of the "New Iraq" like the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) and the Interim Iraqi Government of Ayad Allawy (Prime Minster). Others started operating openly inside Iraq under the banner of foreign-financed so-called NGO´s, as well as human rights and … [read more]

by Int`l Forum, DenmarkInternational Forum, Denmark requires the immediate release of Austrian human right activist Sandra Bakutz. International Forum has known Sandra for years: we have met Sandra on various international conferences on political prisoners, against torture and isolation just as we have collaborated with Sandra and many other activists in Europe and Middle East on the struggle against F--type prisons in Turkey. Sandra participated in a conference on political prisoners in Denmark last year, organized by International Forum.Sandra arrived to Istanbul on February 10 where the representative of International Forum was supposed to meet her. They were part of the international delegation which was going to observe the trial on February 11 concerning 23 Turkish human right … [read more]

Participants and EndorsersConfirmed participants FrankfurtIraqi Patriotic AllianceIraqi Communist Party (Cadre)Free Iraq Committee Germany Free Iraq Committee Italy Danish Committee for a Free IraqFree Iraq Committee Norway Free Iraq Committee Austria Free Iraq Committee HungaryGreek Initiative for Solidarity to Iraqi ResistanceInternational League of People´s Struggle (ILPS)Anti-imperialist CampOSPAAAL Solidaridad SpainFirst Int´l Conference for the support of the Resistance of the Iraqi People FranceMarxist Leninist Communist Party Turkey (MLKP)Supporters of a Conference for the Iraqi ResistanceAl Kifah People´s Struggle Movement IraqLeft Radical of Afghanistan (LRA)Afghanistan Socialist Association (ASA)32 County Sovereignty Movement IrelandFreedom Socialist Party USABulgarian … [read more]

Those who cast their ballots voted for the end of the occupation but their hope will be frustrated soon pushing them towards the ResistanceDespite the massacres committed by the occupants, the US completely failed in setting up a reliable puppet regime with a significant domestic support base. Eventually they learned their lesson and understood that the growing popular resistance can not be subdued only by brute military force. Political steps are necessary to overcome the isolation of their puppet regime in Baghdad. As the last remaining remedy appeared the elections which Washington originally intended to avoid fearing the ascendancy of forces not under their full control.Elections have been demanded from the very beginning of the occupation by Ayatollah Sistani, the leading figure of … [read more]

Rally against US military basesWe support the idea of a preparatory meeting for an Iraqi conference. Regrettably, we are unable to come to Frankfurt to participate in the meeting as we don´t have the financial resources to do so. But we are confident to be able to participate in the conference. Therefore we would ask you for information concerning the work and desissions of the meeting.January 27th we organised a rally against the US military bases. For the second anniversary of the war against Iraq we try to organise a rally with brought support from different parties and organisations. Best greetings Prof. Velko ValkanovCairman of the Bulgarian National Peace Council … [read more]

By Berta Joubert-Ceci and John Catalinotto from Porto Alegre, BrazilOf the 150,000 to 200,000 people who attended this year`s World Social Forum, which took place here in Brazil from Jan. 26 to Jan. 31, some 95 percent in one way or another showed their solidarity with the struggle of the Iraqi resistance to push the U.S. occupation out of Iraq.The assembly of social movements endorsed the call for demonstrations March 19-20 with the common slogan: "Troops out of Iraq now! No more wars!" Groups were urged to hold actions in their own countries.By far the overwhelming majority of this year`s participants were from Brazil. There were many young people, especially young women. Since the rules were changed to allow people to register as individuals, there were tens of thousands who were not … [read more]

The Green Left (parliamentary group composed of the "United Left" and the "Initiative for Catalonia"), following a request undertaken by "Solidarity Committee with the Arab Cause" (CSCA), as submitted two written parliamentary enquires: one on the situation of Abduljabber Al Kubaysi and one on the possible use of the military base of Rota by the US armed forces for the attack on Falluja. The documents are signed by the MP Íngel Pà©rez. The government is obliged to give written answers.source: www.nodo50.org/csca, 2 de febrero de … [read more]

A contribution from PolandThe reasons for the military attack on Iraq - officially declared by the US administration are not true and not justified from the logical point of view. Is it possible to impose democracy using anti-democratic solutions, like military aggression and occupation? Why did US authorities not let international experts end their mission? Who has seen any proof that confirms the existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction or Iraqi connection with terrorists? The answers are clear. The aggression against Iraq was in preparation for a long time, while democratic and disarmament slogans are used as pretexts for these military and political actions.The real reasons of the US war against Iraq can be specified as follows:1. Political - to enlarge the US sphere of … [read more]

A series of public meetings took place in Greece against the imperialist occupation of Iraq and in support of Iraqi Resistance. Fadhil Al-Rubaiee, member of the leading committee of Iraqi Patriotic Alliance, was invited to speak about the situation in Iraq and the struggle of Iraqi people.Fadhil Al-Rubaiee`s participation in the following events:Wednesday 26/1: Press Conference with the participation of journalists from daily press. Interview with one of the biggest national newspaper.Friday 28/1: Public meeting in Technical University of Athens organized by People`s Militant Movement, Unity of Working People and Initiative of Struggle.Saturday 29/1 morning: Demonstration outside American embassy in Athens organized by People`s Militant Movement, Unity of Working People and Initiative of … [read more]

Interview with Sheikh Jawad al-KhalisiSheikh Jawad al-Khalisi is a leading Shia scholar in Baghdad, chairman of the "National Conference for an Independent and Unified Iraq" as well as spokesman of a coalition of some 50 parties boycotting the electionsQ: Why do you participate in the World Social Forum?Before the war we had been in opposition to the regime of Saddam Hussein. But at the same time we decidedly opposed the presence of US soldiers in our country. When the mobilisations against the impending war began, we recognised the necessity to establish contacts to the movement outside. As Iraqis we had a special interest in the strengthening of the movement. Therefore we became part of the global network against the war. The war evenutally led to the occupation. Therefore the … [read more]

Interview with Sammi Alaa, Iraqi Patriotic Alliance, on the results of the WSF in porto Alegre and the need of an International Anti-imperialist ForumQ: Why did you come to the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre?We have been discussing with our colleagues of the Anti-imperialist Camp and the network of Free Iraq Committees in Europe whether it was worthwhile to attend. We eventually decided to form a common delegation "Support the Iraqi Resistance" unifying our efforts to address the anti-imperialist forces within the WSF´s participants. We did so because we do not agree to the official agenda of the WSF which is concentrated in the slogans "no to war, no to violence" and "another world is possible". This does not make any sense in the reality of the world today. Imperialism is waging an … [read more]