By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq – On July 28, four female suicide bombers attacked a Shiite pilgrimage in Baghdad and a Kuridsh protest rally in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. 57 people were killed and nearly 300 other were injured as a result of the blasts.
In Baghdad, three of the suicide bombers detonated their explosives in three different locations within 30 minutes of each other. The Baghdad attacks left 32 dead and wounded 102 others. The attackers targeted Shiite pilgrims taking part in an annual march to one of their holiest shrines.
In Kirkuk, another suicide bomber detonated her explosives in the middle of a crowd attending a Kurdish political protest. After the explosion, gunmen fired into the crowd. The attack killed 25 people and wounded 185 others.
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – 4 Female Bombers Strike in Iraq, Killing 57 – 28 July 2008
CNN – Female Suicide Bombers Target Pilgrims, Rally – 28 July 2008
Los Angeles Times – Female Suicide Bombers in Baghdad and Kirkuk Kill 57, Injure 280 – 28 July 2008
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LONDON, England – On July 28, the Crown Prosecution Service has said that there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone in the death of Terry Lloyd, a British journalist who was killed in Iraq in 2003.
Lloyd, who was working for Britain’s Independent Television News, was shot by an American weapon when his four-man team was caught in crossfire between U.S. and Iraqi forces on the outskirts of Basra.
A 2006 British inquest ruled that U.S. forces unlawfully killed Lloyd while he lay in the back of an ambulance. The Crown Prosecution Service said it was impossible to determine who fired the bullet that killed Lloyd.
The Pentagon completed an investigation into Lloyd’s death in May of 2003 and “determined that U.S. forces followed the applicable rules of engagement.” ITN said it was disappointed by the decision and accused U.S. authorities of being uncooperative.
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – UK: No Prosecution Over Journalist Death in Iraq – 28 July 2008
BBC – No Charges Over Reporter’s Death – 28 July 2008
Telegraph – No-One to be Charged Over Shooting of ITN Reporter Terry Lloyd in Iraq – 28 July 2008
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CAIRO, Egypt – An Egyptian court acquitted the owner of a ferry that sank in the Red Sea two years ago, killing more than 1000 people. The ship’s owner, Mamdouh Ismail, and his son, Amr Ismail, were cleared of negligence and corruption charges.
Mamdouh is a member of the Egyptian parliament’s upper house and Amr was a top executive in the ferry company. The two fled Egypt after the sinking and opposition papers accused government officials of helping them escape. They were tried absentia in Egypt.
The ferry sank in February 2006 after a fire broke out on board. The ship was traveling from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and most of the victims were Egyptian workers returning home. The slow rescue operation by the Egyptian government led many of the victims’ families to openly criticize Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The ferry incident is only the latest example in long standing charges that the Mubarak government has abetted corruption by wealthy businessmen close to the regime.
For more information, please see:
AFP – Outrage over 2006 Egyptian Ferry Disaster Acquittals – 27 July 2008
Associated Press – Owner of Sunken Egyptian Ferry Acquitted – 27 July 2008
BBC – Anger at Egyptian Ferry Verdict – 27 July 2008
