US Media Kills Story that Iraqi PM Executed 6 Prisoners

[G_j]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_19-...
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0719-02.htm


Published on Monday, July 19, 2004 by the Daily Times (Pakistan)

US Media Kills Story that Iraqi PM Executed 6 Prisoners
by Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: The US media has surprisingly failed to pick up the shocking disclosure by Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s leading newspaper, that the Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi personally executed six suspected insurgents in a Baghdad police station.

The story by award-winning Australian journalist Paul McGeough said that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi PM. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents. Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the Iraqi interior minister and four American men were present.

An Australian television channel interviewed the reporter who is in Iraq telling him that the Allawi family had denied the story. He replied, “Well it’s a very contentious issue. What you have is two very solid eyewitness accounts. Each witness is not aware that the other spoke.”

The Australian journalist said, “Well, I’ll take you through what the two witnesses said to give you the full chronology as I understand it. There was a surprise visit at about 10:30am to the police center. The PM talked to policemen and then toured the complex. They came to a courtyard where six, sorry seven prisoners were lined up against a wall. They were blindfolded, they were described to me as an Iraqi colloquialism for the fundamentalist foreign fighters who came to Baghdad. They have that classic look that you see with many of the Osama Bin Laden associates of the scraggly beard and the very short hair and they were a sort of ... took place in front of them as they were up against this wall was an exchange between the interior minister and Dr Allawi, saying that he felt like killing them on the spot.


..more..

-- "surprisingly"?
I would be surprised if they had reported the story.

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. The media's killing Iraq stories off the front page

for almost everything. Anyone noticed? As soon as a "majority of Americans now believe the Iraq war" was not a good thing, whoosh!

Now you see it! Now you don't! It's magic!!

(God, I'm hyper-cynical today.)

[dennis4868]

2. If it is not a dem prez....

lieing about a BJ then it wont automatically make the papers my friend....

[fearnobush]

3. The Sydney Morning Herald

So we still have to go overseas to our coalition brothers in the land down under for this story. The hell with the US media. I just sent this story to 50 people. US media are COWARDS!!!

<http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/16/1089694568757... >

Iyad Allawi, the new Prime Minister of Iraq, pulled a pistol and executed as many as six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station, just days before Washington handed control of the country to his interim government, according to two people who allege they witnessed the killings.

They say the prisoners - handcuffed and blindfolded - were lined up against a wall in a courtyard adjacent to the maximum-security cell block in which they were held at the Al-Amariyah security centre, in the city's south-western suburbs.

They say Dr Allawi told onlookers the victims had each killed as many as 50 Iraqis and they "deserved worse than death".

The Prime Minister's office has denied the entirety of the witness accounts in a written statement to the Herald, saying Dr Allawi had never visited the centre and he did not carry a gun.

But the informants told the Herald that Dr Allawi shot each young man in the head as about a dozen Iraqi policemen and four Americans from the Prime Minister's personal security team watched in stunned silence.

[wtmusic]

4. Now there's democracy

what was it called under Saddam again?

[maggrwaggr]

6. Bush is jealous

that he can't QUITE get away with acts like that

[amber dog democrat]

8. Brewtul Dick Tatership

it used to be called a brutal dictatership.... now its democracy and freedom....

[Old and In the Way]

9. Now if this had been a story about Saddam, can you imagine how

the media would have played this? You betcha.

[Webster Green]

5. Pravda Lite

We have now become what we professed to hate most about the old USSR!

[maggrwaggr]

7. let's all e-mail olberman

[e-mail]

I just did. He's usually good about covering the stories that nobody else will touch.

Here's what I wrote:

I can usually count on you guys to cover the stories that the other outlets won't touch (because they make Bush look bad).

This one is a biggie:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0719-02.htm

US Media Kills Story that Iraqi PM Executed 6 Prisoners
by Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: The US media has surprisingly failed to pick up the shocking disclosure by Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s leading newspaper, that the Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi personally executed six suspected insurgents in a Baghdad police station.
The story by award-winning Australian journalist Paul McGeough said that the prisoners were handcuffed and blindfolded, lined up against a courtyard wall and shot by the Iraqi PM. Dr Allawi is alleged to have told those around him that he wanted to send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents. Two people allege they witnessed the killings and there are also claims the Iraqi interior minister and four American men were present.

Please report on this.

[fearnobush]

10. Done. Allawi same as Saddam.

How many years from now will we be again attacking Iraq for Allawi's build up of WMD?

Might as well send him thi sone too...

'Secret film shows Iraq prisoners sodomised'

<http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.j... >

[G_j]

11. Done and also

sent this story and the sodomy story to some of the news outlets on this list:

http://www.fair.org/media-contact-list.html

I try to do this fairly often. At least it lets them know we are paying attention.
The OSP story is also an important one to keep reminding them of.

[Wind Dancer]

18. Keith is one of the few I trust.

Will contact him, Sy Hersh and Helen Thomas - this is horrific!

[maggrwaggr]

12. kicking

[Zorra]

13. The Red Cross is being asked to investigate these allegations.

Red Cross urged to investigate Allawi claims
By Tom Allard, Foreign Affairs Reporter
July 19, 2004
snip---------
"These are dreadful allegations. It is vital that they are cleared up one way or another, and that needs an independent inquiry," Mr Cook, who quit the Blair cabinet over the Iraq war, told the British newspaper the Sunday Herald. "An international body such as the Red Cross would be best able to give authority to the investigation that the situation now demands."

International Red Cross officials in Baghdad told the Herald last week they were still negotiating protocols with the new government to visit Iraqi-run jails. So far their officials had clearance only to visit US-run prisons.

The Red Cross was not available for comment yesterday but the Minister for Defence, Robert Hill, said he had made inquiries.

"Our mission in Baghdad hasn't heard of it, the British said they hadn't heard of it and the Americans said they hadn't heard of it," he told Channel Ten's Meet the Press.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/18/1090089035896...

Well, it's no wonder these people haven't heard of it if the press is generally not allowed to report it.

[LibertyorDeath]

14. kick

[Matilda]

15. Let's keep this thread kicked!

It will be so bad for the evil trio.

[dudeness]

16. Paul McGeough broke this story..

he has now had to leave iraq...he swears by his sources and i give him a lot of credibility for his previous works..this is true imho..

[ElsewheresDaughter]

17. PM Dr Allawi has been on our CIA payroll for 20/25 years...bush loves....

Baby Doc's he handpicked Allawi

[G_j]

19. CIA

all the way

[althecat]

20. On the back page of the front section of the Sunday Star Times..

here in NZ... effectively lead Intl story.