Iraqi woman fears execution, can't stop thinking of gallows

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Iraqi woman fears execution, can't stop thinking of gallows



Samar Saed Abdullah is sentenced to die by hanging in connection with the killing of three relatives.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Samar Saed Abdullah's entire body trembles as she speaks about her impending execution. She thinks of the gallows room, the noose around her neck and that moment when she will take her final breath.

"My life is meaningless," she said, choking on her tears. "I can't think of anything else. The other women, we try to help each other, but we cannot escape the reality that we are on death row and they can take us at any second."

The 27-year-old Iraqi woman is sentenced to die in connection with the slayings of three relatives in January 2005. She looks pale and frail, her face sallow, her eyes bloodshot. She shakes with each sob, anxiously twisting a tissue in her hands.

We first met Samar in spring 2007, at al-Kadhimiya Women's Prison in Baghdad. She had been on death row for about two years, and she was terrified.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/01/iraq.deathpenalty.woman/index.html

[sharp_stick]

1. Man we sure did a good job

getting rid of the sadistic son of a bitch that was running that country didn't we? A perfect example of New Boss, same as the Old Boss.

Just one more reason to add to the "Why I fucking hate Republicans" pile.

[sfwriter]

2. She was not tortured...

...if we apply our standards.

Article says:

"They kept beating me, and they told me, 'Say whatever we want you to say, and do not say anything else, and say yes, I was an accomplice to this crime.' Although I had nothing to do with it. Finally, they made me sign a blank piece of paper, and they filled it out afterwards."

She was tried and convicted in a single day: August 15, 2005. Court documents obtained by CNN read that "the court discussed the case file with her and she said that all that she had confessed came as a result of duress and torture."

****

We have used both tactics, beatings and blank confessions, to gather evidence in the war on terror.

How many people would be appalled at this but fine with our doing it?

[sharp_stick]

3. But it's not us doing it

we only torture... oops sorry... use enhanced interrogation techniques against terrorists don't ya know. The fact that they aren't convicted of anything is meaningless, we got their names from other people that we tortured... damn... used enhanced interrogation techniques on.

I think the US system is starting to sound a lot like the old Soviet one, perhaps we should rename the CIA, call it rebranding, to the KGB and just square the damned circle.