-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 7:48 PM Subject: Urgent Appeal to Save Iraq's Academics
> URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS. > Call for action to save Iraq's Academics > > <http://new.petitiononline.com/Iraqacad/petition.html> > > To: special rapporteur on summary executions at UNHCHR > in Geneva and international Human Rights & Law > organisations > > URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS. > > A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is > the systematic liquidation of the country's academics. > Even according to conservative estimates, over 250 > educators have been assassinated, and many hundreds > more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the > country in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq > undergoing a major brain drain, the secular middle > class - which has refused to be co-opted by the US > occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching > consequences for the future of Iraq. > > Already on July 14, 2004, veteran correspondent Robert > Fisk reported from Iraq that: "University staff suspect > that there is a campaign to strip Iraq of its > academics, to complete the destruction of Iraq's > cultural identity which began when the American army > entered Baghdad." > > The wave of assassinations appears non-partisan and > non-sectarian, targeting women as well as men, and is > countrywide. It is indiscriminate of expertise: > professors of geography, history and Arabic literature > as well as science are among the dead. Not one > individual has been apprehended in connection with > these assassinations. > > According to the United Nations University, some 84 per > cent of Iraq's institutions of higher education have > already been burnt, looted or destroyed. Iraq's > educational system used to be among the best in the > region; one of the country's most important assets was > its well-educated people. > > This situation is a mirror of the occupation as a > whole: a catastrophe of staggering proportions > unfolding in a climate of criminal disregard. As an > occupying power, and under international humanitarian > law, final responsibility for protecting Iraqi > citizens, including academics, lies with the United > States. > > With this petition we want to break the silence. > > 1. We appeal to organisations which work to enforce or > defend international humanitarian law to put these > crimes on the agenda. > > 2. We request that an independent international > investigation be launched immediately to probe these > extrajudicial killings. This investigation should also > examine the issue of responsibility to clearly identify > who is accountable for this state of affairs. We appeal > to the special rapporteur on summary executions at > UNHCHR in Geneva. > > This petition was launched by the BRussells Tribunal > and is already endorsed by CEOSI (Spain), the > Portuguese hearing of the WTI, Iraktribunal.de > (Germany), the Swedish Antiwar committee, the IAC > (USA), the International Association of Middle East > Studies (IAMES), the German Middle East Studies > Association (DAVO) and the European Association for > Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES), and several > personalities, like Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Tony > Benn, Eduardo Galeano, John Pilger and Michael Parenti. > See the list of endorsers. > > See also the call for action underneath and more > information on www.brusselstribunal.org/Academics.htm > > _________________________________________ > > > Call for action to save Iraq's Academics > > 1. We call upon all people, especially academics and > students, to help end the silence that surrounds the > ongoing crime of the assassination of Iraqi academics > and the destruction of Iraqi's educational > infrastructure, and support Iraqi academics' right and > hope to live in an independent, democratic Iraq, free > of foreign occupation and hegemony. > > 2. We urge that academic institutions and organisations > declare solidarity with their Iraqi colleagues. > > 3. We urge that academics forge links between Iraqi > educators, both in exile and in Iraq, and universities > worldwide. > > 4. We urge that student organisations link with Iraqi > student organisations. > > 5. We urge that educators mobilise colleagues and > concerned citizens to take up the cause of the > salvation of Iraq's intellectual wealth, by organising > seminars, teach-ins and forums on the plight of Iraq's > academics. > > The world's academics and intellectuals must act now to > save the lives of their colleagues in Iraq. > > [The Brussells Tribunal, in cooperation with other > organisations, has started to build a network of > contacts and raise public awareness and can provide > information and support to individuals and groups who > wish to mobilise on this issue. We are able to act as a > depository and hub for this campaign] > > http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Academics.htm > > _______________________________________________________ > > portside (the left side in nautical parlance) is a news, > discussion and debate service of the Committees of > Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. It aims to > provide varied material of interest to people on the > left. > > For answers to frequently asked questions: > http://www.portside.org/faq > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change settings: > http://lists.portside.org/mailman/listinfo/portside > > To submit material, paste into an email and send to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (postings are moderated) > > For assistance with your account: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To search the portside archive: > https://lists.mayfirst.org/search/swish.cgi?list_name=portside www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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