Saturday, March 10, 2007
Saddam judge seeks asylum in the UK
Saddam Hussein
(Al Jazeera) The Iraqi judge who sentenced Saddam Hussein to death has fled Iraq and sought asylum in the UK. Al Jazeera's correspondent in London quoted British official sources as saying that Raouf Abdel-Rahman, a member of Iraq's Kurdish minority, has requested political asylum in Britain with his family. Abdel-Rahman headed the Supreme Iraq Criminal Tribunal that heard Saddam's genocide trial and found the former Iraqi president guilty, leading to his execution.
Nasir al-Badri, Al Jazeera's correspondent in London, reported that Abdel-Rahman has applied for political asylum and that the British Home Office was considering his application. "We contacted the British Home Office to make sure whether he and his family have applied for asylum but they refused to comment, saying they did not comment on personal or private cases", al-Badri said. "But the accredited sources we first talked to were 100 per cent sure they have examined some papers and documents Abdel-Rahman has presented besides an application for residence in Britain", he said.
Besides sending Saddam to the gallows, Abdel-Rahman had also sentenced two other top Saddam aides to death in the same trial. The two were Saddam's half brother and former intelligence chief, Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court.
Nasir al-Badri, Al Jazeera's correspondent in London, reported that Abdel-Rahman has applied for political asylum and that the British Home Office was considering his application. "We contacted the British Home Office to make sure whether he and his family have applied for asylum but they refused to comment, saying they did not comment on personal or private cases", al-Badri said. "But the accredited sources we first talked to were 100 per cent sure they have examined some papers and documents Abdel-Rahman has presented besides an application for residence in Britain", he said.
Besides sending Saddam to the gallows, Abdel-Rahman had also sentenced two other top Saddam aides to death in the same trial. The two were Saddam's half brother and former intelligence chief, Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court.
Labels: judge, Raouf Abdel-Rahman, Saddam Hussein, Save the Children UK
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Save the Children pulls out of Iraq after 15 years
Humanitarian
(The Guardian) The last major British charity working in Iraq pulled out of the country yesterday because the security situation has made it impossible to protect staff. Save the Children UK announced the closure after 15 years in the country because it can no longer reach the Iraqi children it wants to help.
"It was not an easy decision but it became more and more difficult for staff to get around all parts of the country," said Paul Roberts, the charity's Iraq programme director. "It's been hard to keep track of local partners' day to day work and their safety has been jeopardised. In practical terms it just became impossible."
Mr Roberts is based in Jordan along with the charity's other international staff but has made monthly trips to Iraq to try to monitor work with Save the Children's local partners. He said the security situation was getting worse, which made the decision to quit all the harder. "The main focus in Iraq is around conflict and 'terrorism' but sadly that masks a huge humanitarian issue that's arising. Children can't go to school, there are problems accessing clean water."
Children in Iraq form nearly 50% of the population and around 8% are estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition. Although their needs are desperate, Mr Roberts said the charity was unable to ensure help reached them or maintain organisational standards. The charity repaired and re-equipped schools and hospitals in the aftermath of the war and successfully lobbied for children's rights to be included in the new Iraqi constitution. Mr Roberts said they were proud of that legacy and would continue to support work by local partners to form a national children's rights network.
Many other British charities have already pulled out of the country. Three years ago Oxfam stopped direct aid and switched to arms-length work through local partners in Iraq. Care International closed its operations there in 2005 after the abduction and murder of Margaret Hassan, its director in Iraq. The Swiss-based International Committee of the Red Cross is still active in the country, providing medical aid and visiting detainees to check on their welfare.
"It was not an easy decision but it became more and more difficult for staff to get around all parts of the country," said Paul Roberts, the charity's Iraq programme director. "It's been hard to keep track of local partners' day to day work and their safety has been jeopardised. In practical terms it just became impossible."
Mr Roberts is based in Jordan along with the charity's other international staff but has made monthly trips to Iraq to try to monitor work with Save the Children's local partners. He said the security situation was getting worse, which made the decision to quit all the harder. "The main focus in Iraq is around conflict and 'terrorism' but sadly that masks a huge humanitarian issue that's arising. Children can't go to school, there are problems accessing clean water."
Children in Iraq form nearly 50% of the population and around 8% are estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition. Although their needs are desperate, Mr Roberts said the charity was unable to ensure help reached them or maintain organisational standards. The charity repaired and re-equipped schools and hospitals in the aftermath of the war and successfully lobbied for children's rights to be included in the new Iraqi constitution. Mr Roberts said they were proud of that legacy and would continue to support work by local partners to form a national children's rights network.
Many other British charities have already pulled out of the country. Three years ago Oxfam stopped direct aid and switched to arms-length work through local partners in Iraq. Care International closed its operations there in 2005 after the abduction and murder of Margaret Hassan, its director in Iraq. The Swiss-based International Committee of the Red Cross is still active in the country, providing medical aid and visiting detainees to check on their welfare.
Labels: NGO, Save the Children UK
