An Appeal for the Release the Italian and Iraqi Aid Workers Abducted in
Baghdad:
THEY ARE NOT INSTRUMENTS OF THE OCCUPYING FORCES
We are individuals and organizations from around the world who opposed and continue to oppose the occupation of Iraq and we plead for the release of two Italian and two
Iraqi humanitarian workers who were abducted in Iraq last September 7, 2004.
Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, both Italians, and Ra¹ad Ali Abdul Aziz
and Manhaz Bassam, both Iraqis, are members of
Un Ponte Per Baghdad (Bridges to Baghdad) an independent Italian humanitarian organization that has been working
in Iraq since 1992. During the embargo, other humanitarian organizations
refused to operate in Iraq, Bridges defied that in the belief that
the suffering of civilians should not be used as a political bargaining chip.
In this occupation, the United States and its coalition cynically blurred the distinction
between the humanitarian and the political, using aid and relief as an
apparatus for pacifying the Iraqis. As a result, Iraqis have become
increasingly and understandably suspicious of international humanitarian
organizations. Despite the perils caused by this confusion, Bridges consciously
decided to continue its operations in Iraq, convinced that Iraqis will see through their
intentions.
Bridges is not an instrument of the Italian government, nor of the
US-led coalition, to make the occupation more bearable, and therefore, more acceptable
to the Iraqis. From the very beginning, Bridges has been open And consistent with its positions: it opposed the embargo,
it opposed the invasion, and it opposes the occupation. In Italy, Bridges has been a leading critic of the
government¹s decision to join the US-led coalition. It plays a leading role in
the nation-wide movement that mobilized over a million Italians to march
against the war in February 15, 2003, as well as in various demonstrations after. Bridges has also been very
active in the global anti-war movement, maintaining links with various anti-war
organizations around the world and playing a key role in establishing the Occupation Watch Center in Baghdad, a center for monitoring the occupation founded by
anti-war organizations and coalitions from different countries.
Simona Torretta has spent a third of her life for Iraq; Simona Pari joined her in 2003. As chief of Bridges¹
in-country operations, Simona Torretta has been supervising projects to
rehabilitate Iraq¹s decrepit water infrastructure and to repair school
buildings. Among other things, Simona Pari was organizing educational programs
for Iraq¹s traumatized children. Ra¹ad is an Iraqi engineer who took charge of
Bridges¹ school projects in Baghdad and Basra. Manhaz was involved in the social programs. Aside
from these projects, Bridges has also helped build the capacity of local Iraqi organizations
to document and report cases of human rights abuses committed by occupation
forces. In April this year, Bridges organized a humanitarian convoy that
delivered food, water, blood, and medicine to civilians under siege in Falluja.
Last month, as US and Iraqi ³interim government forces² mounted their offensive
in Najaf, Bridges was also there, providing aid and
assistance to Iraqis caught in the crossfire.
Simona, Simona, Ra¹d and Manhaz are not enemies of the Iraqi people.
They stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in calling for an immediate end to
the occupation. We appeal to those holding them to release them immediately.
We also call on the Italian government to immediately withdraw its membership
in the US-led coalition. We call on the United States and the remaining members of the coalition to end the
occupation.
SIGNED:
As of 8 September, 3 PM GMT
[Organizations]
Iraq International Occupation Watch Center
Alianza
Social Continental (Latin Americano)
Campaign Genoa 2001 (Greece)
Continental Campaign Against FTAA (Latin Americano)
Code Pink (United States)
Global Exchange (United States)
Globalize Resistance (United Kingdom)
Focus on the Global South (Philippines, Thailand, and India)
International Civilian Campaign for
the Protection of Palestinians (France)
Palestinian Workers Union
Stop the War Coalition - Greece
Stop the War Coalition - UK
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