contributions

Rocket-propelled grenades and mortars have hit the headquarters of US-led occupation forces in Baghdad.
Reporting from the eastern al-Rustamiya district, Aljazeera sources said the attack on Tuesday was carried out at the same time as a similar raid on the Ministry of Culture.
Another bomb targeted a US convoy travelling in a street next to the Palestine and Sheraton hotels.
Iraqi police were unable to confirm if the attacks had resulted in casualties.
During the night on Monday, (…)

The National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) and the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) are filing a major lawsuit in Federal District Court in New York City to support the right of assembly in the Great Lawn of Central Park for all those who are expressing political opposition to the domestic program and war policies of the Bush administration in the days before and during the Republican National Convention.
The lawsuit is in response to the denial of a permit (…)

I mean really. How much longer are we going to let this go on? John Kerry is a horrible horrible candidate. Every day it seems to get worse. It was an embarrassment to our country when Bush stood naked in front of the American people at his press conference explaining that ’knowing what he knows now, he still would have gone into Iraq.’ We have come to accept that Bush is insane, but it makes no sense why John Kerry is following his path of being unable to accept responsibility or admit (…)

by Human Rights Watch
International Support Needed to Ensure Protection of Civilians
The Sudanese government’s pledges of progress in Darfur show little credibility as civilians face further atrocities amid growing insecurity in the region, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Instead of disarming the government-backed militias known as the Janjaweed, Khartoum has begun to incorporate them into police and other security forces that could be used to secure proposed "safe (…)

By Gina Holland
ATLANTA - The nation’s largest lawyers group condemned the government’s handling of foreign detainees yesterday over the objections of members who called it a cheap shot at the White House.
The American Bar Association (ABA) criticized what it called "a widespread pattern of abusive detention methods." Those abuses, it said, "feed terrorism by painting the United States as an arrogant nation above the law."
The ABA was responding to abuse of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison (…)

By Donald Macintyre
Prisoners taken by British forces will be liable for execution by the Iraqi authorities despite the government’s declaration that it opposed the decision by the interim government in Baghdad to restore the death penalty.
Britain’s decision to continue handing over detained insurgents and others charged with capital crimes became clear yesterday after the Danish military suspended the routine handover of their own prisoners to UK forces for fear they could be executed. (…)

by Lisa Ashkenaz Croke
Just as the US-led forces refused to release thousands of adult prisoners after the June 28 handover of partial sovereignty to Iraq, US and UK authorities continue to incarcerate children.
The Pentagon says around 60 teens, "primarily aged 16 and 17," are still being detained, though unnamed sources at the Pentagon and US Central Command (CentCom) said some prisoners are as young as 14 years old, according to Scotland’s Sunday Herald. The British Ministry of (…)

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Fort Bragg paratroopers coming back from serving in Iraq suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder at almost the same rate as Vietnam War veterans, according to a military survey.
The survey of about 1,300 paratroopers from the 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division 2nd Brigade that have returned from a year of service found 17.4 percent of soldiers have post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.
The 3,000 soldier brigade was part of the invasion force and spent (…)

Amnesty International deplores the decision of the Interim Government of Iraq to reimpose the death penalty and believes that it will do nothing to restore security for the people of Iraq.
"The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent," Amnesty International said.
Government officials announced on Sunday that capital punishment would be reinstated for a range of crimes (…)

By RAWYA RAGEH
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Siham Kadhim leaves her gold jewelry at home when she goes to a government office these days; she doesn’t want to tempt the clerks looking for more than just an application fee to process her paperwork.
"I am afraid they will think I am rich and hike up the bribe," the mother of three said, drinking coffee with friends on a recent afternoon.
As Iraq (news - web sites) works to take its first faltering steps toward democracy and transparency, its (…)