[Marxism] Falluja: Doctors for Iraq Call for Investigation into human rights abuses

[Andy <esquincle@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

<http://www.doctorsforiraq.org/FALLUJA_ONE_YEAR_ON.pdf>

Falluja - One Year On
Doctors For Iraq Call For An Independent Investigation Into Human 
Rights Abuses
By Dr Salam Ismael
12/17/05 "Doctors for Iraq" --

 Falluja is a large Iraqi town 90 kilometres west of Baghdad, the city 
is situated on the western bank of Euphrates. Falluja is a densely 
populated city of an estimated 300- 400,000 inhabitants.

 Falluja is known as the city of mosques because of the large number of 
mosques in the area and has a distinctive Arab Sunni identity. The 
majority of people living in the city were traders or farmers living 
off their land.

 Since the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 the city of Falluja 
has been subjected to fierce and heavy military attacks. These attacks 
have caused widespread devastation and destruction causing huge damage 
to the infrastructure of the city. The biggest military assaults on the 
city took place in April and November 2004, the attacks ate are known 
as the 'siege of Falluja’.

 The cities water, sanitation and electricity supplies were severely 
disrupted as a result of these military attacks. Health services have 
been devastated with medical facilities attacked and targeted. A huge 
humanitarian crisis emerged as the siege developed military curfews 
were imposed on the cities residents. Food and water was denied to 
civilians- the military used this as a weapon during the conflict. 
These military attacks left the city with hundreds and thousands of 
people homeless and displaced. The attacks caused thousands of civilian 
casualties mainly women and children.

 Doctors for Iraq had medical staff working inside the city during the 
April and November 2004 sieges. Members witnessed serious breaches of 
the Geneva Convention and human rights. These breaches have been 
embedded in our minds and the minds of civilians brutalised and 
traumatise by the illegal acts of aggression carried out by US/ Iraqi 
forces. November 2005 marked the first anniversary of the second siege 
of Falluja. One year on facts continue to emerge about the nature of 
the force used against the cities population and the magnitude of the 
breaches of international human rights law. However the majority of 
facts around the siege remain undisclosed.

 Doctors for Iraq is an independent non-governmental organisation 
focusing on health and human rights issues in Iraq. We were established 
in 2003 with the basic humanitarian principles and guidelines 
determining our activities inside Iraq. We are a non-political 
organisation working to strengthen the health system in Iraq for the 
benefit of all Iraqis. Doctors for Iraq has produced this briefing note 
to outline some of the key issues that have arisen from both the 
military attacks on Falluja in 2004.

Breaches of medical neutrality

 The simple definition of medical neutrality according to the guiding 
principles of the World medical association, the British Medical 
Association (BMA) is the bilateral obligation on parties participating 
in a military conflict and health professionals to protect and respect 
the rights of health workers and patients, the wounded and sick. Sick 
and wounded patients must be given free access to healthcare at all 
times in the conflict.

 • * Basic medication and food and water must be provided for civilians 
in need.
 • * Health workers are obliged to treat patients regardless of age, 
gender, ethnic background or religious / political persuasion.
 • * Health workers are obliged to uphold medical ethics and human 
rights.

 The following are the main breaches of medical neutrality that Doctors 
for Iraq has documented during the two sieges of Falluja:

Harassment and inhumane treatment of medical personal, the sick or 
wounded

 During the sieges of Falluja US soldiers occupied the main hospital in 
the city arresting doctors and handcuffing medical personal. The 
military treated doctors inhumanely. Myself and another doctor were 
trying to transport a patient from Falluja to Baghdad. The soldiers 
stopped our ambulance even though we had informed them in advance that 
we would be trying to move the patient. We were told to leave the 
ambulance and place our hands on our heads and kneel down. Snipers 
positioned their guns towards our heads. We were forced to remain in 
this position for several hours. We were denied the right to check on 
our patient and ensure that he was ok.

Discriminatory practice directed against the sick or wounded, including 
the withholding of healthcare or provision of only inferior standards 
of care.

 During the first siege of Falluja one of our ambulances was trying to 
transport a family of three, two women and one man near Abdul Aziz 
Asamari mosque near the centre of Falluja when US soldier shot at the 
ambulance and injured the driver. He managed to escape from the 
ambulance- but the vehicle was forced to remain in the area for three 
days with the patients inside the ambulance. After four days we were 
able to bring the ambulance back to the hospital- the three patients 
had bled to death inside the ambulance.

Punishment of medical personal for providing care consistent with 
medical ethics

 As medical ethics dictate doctors and medical staff must treat all 
patients equally. In Falluja US soldiers entered the theatre room of a 
hospital when two doctors were operating on a patient. The soldiers 
were armed with guns and forced the doctors out of the theatre room 
accusing them of treating insurgents.

Refusing doctors access to sick or wounded people

 During the two sieges of Falluja the US army announced that if any 
ambulance were found operating in the area they would be targeted. The 
US military to date has no evidence of ambulances being misused by 
paramedics and medical personal. Curfews were put in place along with 
checkpoints preventing doctors from moving around 1freely to treat the 
sick and wounded. Patients were also prevented from reaching field 
clinics in these areas. An old woman in the district of Shohada (second 
siege) was prevented from accessing medical care for her son who 
sustained injuries when the ceiling of his house collapsed on him 
causing both his legs to become crushed and huge amounts of bleeding. 
The old woman was unable to take her son to seek medical attention 
because of the curfew- he bled to death in front of her.

Military attacks on medical personnel or units

 During both sieges of Falluja field clinics inside the city were 
targeted and bombed despite the military being given information about 
where the clinics had been set up and the clinics being clearly marked. 
This happened in the second siege when US soldiers bombed a field 
clinic in Nazal district- the main field clinic where medical aid from 
outside the city is stored. The clinic is known to the US military as 
doctors had contacted the military to provide them with information 
about the whereabouts of the field clinic. One patient was killed and 
many doctors and medical staff were injured along with the medical 
store inside the city being destroyed.

Use of medical personnel or medical units for military purposes

 During both assaults on Falluja - US soldiers targeted and occupied 
the cities general hospital on the east bank of Euphrates- cutting the 
main bridge between the hospital and the rest of the city, isolating 
the city from its only hospital. US/ Iraqi soldiers have taken over the 
hospital and used it as a military camp for long periods of time during 
the siege.

Illegal heavy weapons used inside Falluja

 During both sieges of Falluja the US army used different types of 
weapons and ammunition causing random widespread damage to civilians 
living in crowded areas. Some of the weapons used are illegal under the 
conventions of warfare. These weapons have been used in densely 
populated areas and districts, even with prior knowledge that civilians 
remain in these areas the US army used these weapons. The majority of 
victims affected by these attacks were women and children. Doctors for 
Iraq documented the usage of these weapons through interview with 
members of the organisation working in the city, eyewitnesses, families 
of victims and through photos and video footage. Doctors for Iraq is 
concerned about all aspects of the attacks on Falluja. The use of 
illegal weapons is just part of our concern. The entire military action 
and all its horrific consequences on thousands of civilians will have a 
long-term impact on many generations. All violations of international 
law must be investigated equally and thoroughly.

Chemical agents and Napalm

 During the second siege of Falluja- US soldiers used chemical agents 
such as white phosphorus and napalm inside the city. Doctors for Iraq 
gathered information at the 2time from doctors working in the area and 
some eyewitnesses showing the aftermath of these chemicals being used. 
Recent media reports show how white phosphorus was used inside Falluja. 
At the time the US military denied using any chemical agents- now they 
admit to using white phosphorus but deny the use of napalm.

 Napalm is gel fuel bomb that explodes when it reacts with the ground 
producing a huge fire with substance that sticks to exposed skin 
causing it to burn on impact. Napalm produces heat as fierce as 300-350 
c he napalm bomb produces smoke that irritates and damages the 
repertory system – in some cases it can cause suffocation. Doctors for 
Iraq is trying to establish if white phosphorus has been combined with 
napalm to produce a lethal bomb that can generate e heat of up to 3000c

 US soldiers prevented aid workers from entering the city- they were 
only allowed inside Falluja three days after the end of the siege which 
raises questions as to why there was a delay. Aid workers and doctors 
gathering bodies from inside residents’ homes after the siege. Many of 
these bodies were of women and children who had died in their beds and 
in their homes without any bullets entering them. Many of the bodies 
showed signs of suffocation. Doctors for Iraq has photos and footages 
of bodies with significant burns to exposed skin. In some cases only 
the bones remained as all the skin had melted away.

Cluster bombs

 Cluster bombs are illegal and cannot be used in densely populated 
areas. These huge bombs are dropped from the sky and fragment into 
smaller bombs that can spread over a wider distance. These bombs are 
highly dangerous as each small bomb produces a massive shell that has a 
devastating impact on the human body. Some of these bombs don’t explode 
on impact and can be activated after they have been dropped which is 
why so many victims of cluster bombs are children who come across 
cluster bombs. As a doctor I saw the results of these bombs – and how 
they destroy the body’s vascular anatomy and how it’s almost impossible 
to repair the damage to the body.

 The cluster bomb was used during the first and second sieges of 
Falluja in areas crowded by civilians such as Jolan quarter in the 
north east of Falluja and Shoda quarter in the southeast. As a doctor I 
remember the third night of the siege of Falluja when the US army was 
facing difficulties entering the Jolan quarter of Falluja- they used 
cluster bombs and I and my fellow doctors ended up trying to treat 
people shattered into pieces by these bombs. The majority of patients 
that I tried to treat were women and children.

Collective punishment:

 Denial of food and water to civilians
 During the two military attacks on Falluja the US and Iraqi army siege 
the city and created a number of checkpoints in and around Falluja 
preventing trucks with food iteams from entering the area outside of 
the city. Food aid trucks from Saglawiya, Garma - the main agricultural 
areas close to Falluja were prevented from entering the city.

 The military enforced a curfew preventing shops from opening and 
civilians from buying food from markets. This had a massive impact on 
people as the siege continued for over two weeks.

 During the first siege in the main hospital in Falluja doctors and 
nurses couldn’t access food and I along with a team of medics ended up 
living on a diet of sugar and biscuits for several days.
 During the first siege families living in Askari quarter were trapped 
in their homes for two weeks unable to leave as the military attacks 
intensified. Doctors for Iraq tried to transport food and water to 
residents in this quarter. When we placed containers with water outside 
peoples homes US soldiers would shoot at the containers.

 During the second siege of Falluja – eyewitnesses documented people 
being forced to eat grass or uncooked wheat to survive.
 US troops cut the electricity and water supply to the district of 
Falluja during both sieges despite knowing that tens of thousands of 
people remained in the city. This happened in Jolan, Askari and Shohida 
quarters of Falluja.

Random arrests

 During the second siege of Falluja US soldiers told families o leave 
the city making them pass through military checkpoints. At these 
checkpoints men aged between 18-35 were randomly stopped and detained- 
taken to unknown detention centres. In many cases families are still 
kept in the dark about why and where their loved ones are being 
detained and why they are being detained.

 US soldiers entered districts where they were met by fierce 
resistance. Whilst carrying out raids on houses in these eyewitnesses 
report the mass arrest of young men with no specific charges. These men 
were also detained in unknown facilities in Iraq.

ID Cards, check points and profiling

 After the second siege of Falluja the US army issued special identity 
cards for the residents of the city. People are being forced to carry 
cards with iris recognition technology, a scanned photo of the 
individual and personal information imputed onto the card. US soldiers 
prohibit anyone who refuses to carry this card from entering the city.

 After the second siege of the city the US army formed four major 
checkpoints around the city. These checkpoints have become a symbol of 
the humiliation of the people of Falluja. People are often searched in 
an aggressive manner, verbally abused and humiliated at these 
checkpoints. Doctors including myself have witnessed this kind of 
behaviour first hand. These check points have become mechanisms to 
control the entire population of the city and many local residents have 
described Falluja as being like 'one big prison’.

Urgent Recommendations:

 1. We are calling on the EU and the UN to investigate the usage of 
illegal weapons and chemical substances inside the city of Falluja 
during the second siege.
 2. We are calling on the EU and UN to undertake an international 
investigation into the human rights violations that have been committed 
inside Falluja.
 3. Doctors for Iraq is calling on the European Union and the UN to 
pressure the Iraqi government and the US administration to lift the 
siege of Falluja. To dismantle the humiliating checkpoints and ensure 
that Iraqi civilians living inside the city have a free and safe 
passage in and out of the city.

 For more information on Doctors for Iraq or on Falluja please contact: 
 press.officer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 This briefing note was compiled by Dr Salam Ismael/ Doctors for Iraq/ 
December 2005.


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