AFP: Nine Iraqis suffocate to death in police van

[Monkie]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2005/July/focusoniraq_July57.xml§ion=focusoniraq&col=

"BAGHDAD - Nine bricklayers detained by security forces on suspicion of involvement with Iraqi insurgents suffocated to death while held for over 14 hours in a police van, an interior ministry official said on Monday.

Three other suspects, who survived the ordeal of being locked up in the metallic van in the burning sun, were taken to hospital Monday morning where they were to be interviewed by authorities who are investigating the case, the official said."

More disgusting details @ link.
I want to know who trained these police officers.

[Roland99]

1. Who trained them? Negroponte's best

[mom cat]

3. This was no accident! The Iraqi police know full well about heat in July

in Bagdad! Remember the deaths is the trucks in Afganistan? Damn. Did yoy see the article by Ken Sanders on the DU front page july 9th about the death squads? Then there was the story on the death squade that Yasser Salihee was writing about when he was shot in the head and killed!There needs to be a lot of outrage about this!

[MisterP]

21. think we'll have a warlord "provide air holes" by having it machine-gunned

until blood runs out in pools too?

[mom cat]

22. Link to the film about that: Convoy of Death:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm

[Judi Lynn]

2. They were BRICKLAYERS, f'r chrissakes. Workers with real jobs.

Not "insurgents."

From the article:

Iraqi police commandos then arrived at the hospital where they arrested the 11, along with one other man who was there accompanying his pregnant wife.

The suspects were taken to the commando headquarters in the Jihad neighbourhood in western Baghdad where they were said to have been beaten and locked in the police van from 11:00 am Sunday to 1:00 am Monday.

There have been numerous allegations of brutality, particularly by police and special commandos, against detained insurgent suspects.
(snip/)

Will this unbroken chain of hellish cruelty simply continue now forever, since it's clear no one's coming forward to stop it? What keeps people from going stark raving mad?

[mom cat]

4. We have to be the ones to go "stark raving mad" about this and all of

the other brutal acts being done with our tax dollars and in our name. This brutality must stop! We need to get organized here on DU to raise hell about this. We need to start aan anti death squad-war crimes forum here on DU. What do you think?

[Judi Lynn]

5. Sounds worthwhile, mom cat. At some point resistance should collect

among Americans who KNOW this isn't what we've been raised to believe.

It would be good to have a place where we could pool our links, and exchange information, like how to get a copy of that documentary which was shown in Europe on the truck caravan you mentioned which delivered dead men who tumbled out the doors when they were opened, who had died in agony with American awareness of their plight.

I've heard it can be downloaded on the internet, but I'm not sure I got the right information.

[mom cat]

8. I will look for the link and try to formulat e a forum request as to the

death squads as well as the other torture in the country.I have a lot of info that I have been filing on the subject and will work to make it available.

[Judi Lynn]

9. That could really be helpful. Think how much info. would be available

if so many journalists wouldn't have been killed.

No doubt there's a decent number of articles out there, anyway, in spite of the attempts to discourage reporting.

[mom cat]

11. It will take some time to work this up, but I am on it. Can I count on you

to help co-sponsor the forum? We need to get some contributers to also request this forum.Should we run it by the Admins before posting? Any suggestions that you have would be welcome. I think that we need to designate some threads to articles on specific topics such at the following: The mass killings in Afganistan, Death squads in Iraq, Torture in Iraq, etc. Please suggest any other categories that you see fit for threads. I am not exactly sure how to set it up so that we can have premanent threads where foundation articles can be preserved. Any ideas?

[Judi Lynn]

12. Gotta run off,back later.Haven't slept all night,will think about it today

I have a problem with getting dependable blocks of time to use. Time is a problem for me.

A concentrated effort would produce more than one person working alone, for sure.

I'll check this thread after getting some sleep. Thanks.

[mom cat]

23. I found the link to the film about the Afghan slaughter, and more info

Convoy of death:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm

I also have a beginning of a framework for information for the possible forum. Can I e-mail it to you. it is rather long. You can PM me your e-mail or I can check out options.

[XemaSab]

16. So they were in the van for

14 hours??????

That's outrageous!

[gatlingforme]

6. DO these people consider themselves human? n/t

[leftchick]

7. one word

Negroponte, the death merchant...



:grr:

[lebkuchen]

10. Any bullets shot through the van this time?

as per Jamie Doran's "Convoy of Death" documentary?

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm

[grahamhgreen]

13. Iraq suspects suffocate in heat - BBC

Police sources told the BBC that at least 12 men had been arrested on Sunday after they had taken a colleague to hospital in Ameriya with gunshot wounds.

A local resident, thinking they were insurgents, called the police, who sent commandos to arrest the men.

The survivors were taken to a central Baghdad hospital where staff said a ninth man died.

The Iraqi capital suffers scorching heat during the summer months, with temperatures often reaching 50 degrees.

A doctor told the BBC that one of the survivors had said he had been given repeated electric shocks by the commandos.

The survivors were kept under police guard as they were treated and were taken away without being allowed to speak to journalists.

Recent UK press reports have alleged police commandos systematically torture and abuse detainees. The security forces themselves are the target of much of Iraq's insurgency violence.

[Richardo]

14. As info, 50 degrees C = about 122 degrees F

For my American colleagues.

[daleo]

15. Let freedom reign.

Technically, it sounds more like death by overheating than suffocation, although it doesn't really matter. I think of suffocation as running out of oxygen, and overheating as the body's core temperature being above the maximum survival point for an extended period. Maybe the latter causes something like the former.

[libodem]

17. This just leaves me heavy hearted,

broken spirited and dumbfounded. I could just sit here and bawl. Those poor innocent men. Their poor families. The waste of human life. And to go in such an inhumane disgusting way. I had a heat stroke once as a 12y/o kid. The headache was blinding, much like a migraine. I vomited profusely. I couldn't speak for a short time because my words and sentences came out backward and jumbled. Hopefully they became unconscious and suffocated. I'd rather go through labor-pains than have a migraine. I wonder if they will take a suitcase of cash to their families. That seems to be the payoff. Surely no one will have to answer for the crime. I wonder if Rush Limbaugh will come out with a line of hilarious T-shirts to celebrate these captives like he has for Gitmo. How come our mercenaries are called private contractors and theirs are called insurgents. How come having no uniform entitles captors to spit on the Geneva Conventions standards. Are our mercenaries wearing uniforms? How come we were so outraged seeing their char-ed bodies swinging from that bridge last year? Where are any safeguards for the innocent? This whole war is a Godless crime. I wonder how many suitcases of money someones father, brother, or son is worth?

[rocktivity]

18. A screwup? Or torture?

The incident started Sunday in the Ameriyah district of western Baghdad when one of 12 bricklayers sustained gunshots during a firefight between insurgents and police. His colleagues rushed him to a hospital in the Shuala district where he was pronounced dead.

Iraqi police commandos then arrived at the hospital where they arrested the 11, along with one other man who was there accompanying his pregnant wife.

Note that the article doesn't refer to the bricklayers as insurgents or even suspects, just that they were caught in a crossfire. If they were bystanders, why were they arrested?

:headbang:
rocknation

[Barrett808]

19. This happened in Afghanistan, right? n/t

[justinsb]

20. Detained Iraqis suffocate in police van

Detained Iraqis suffocate in police van
by
Monday 11 July 2005 5:29 AM GMT

Nine Iraqi bricklayers detained by security forces on suspicion of involvement with armed fighters have suffocated to death while held for more than 14 hours in a police van.

Three other suspects, who survived the ordeal of being locked up in a van in the sun, were taken to hospital on Monday morning where they were to be interviewed by officials who are investigating the case, an Interior Ministry official said.

The incident began on Sunday in the Amariyah district of western Baghdad when one of 12 bricklayers sustained gunshots during a firefight between armed fighters and police.
 
His colleagues took him to a hospital in the Shuala district where he was pronounced dead.

Iraqi police commandos then arrived at the hospital where they arrested the 11, along with one other man who was there accompanying his pregnant wife.

The suspects were taken to the commando headquarters in the Jihad neighbourhood in western Baghdad where they were said to have been beaten and locked in the police van from 11am on Sunday to 1am on Monday.

There have been numerous allegations of brutality, particularly by police and commandos, against detained armed suspects.


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1EF56818-D387-4021-A206-9F645A1C5C28.htm

[Lone_Star_Dem]

24. There's no excuse for this

It's not as if they are not aware of the heat. They left those poor men in there to BAKE TO DEATH!

[OKthatsIT]

25. That's one way to settle their problems.

.