Iraq Genocide: Silence is complicity
Iraq Genocide: Silence is complicity
By Gabriele Zamparini
On September 18, the Associated Press sent out the following news item:
I wrote on my blog on this yesterday. When I read the 70,000 figure, I thought Mr. ElBaradei had joined the supporters of Iraq Body Count, the British organization whose widely publicized figures coming from reported deaths in the English language media have been used by the warmongers and many in the state-corporate media to downplay the Iraqi genocide.
But a few hours later, the same AP news item above was circulating on the Internet with a different figure. The same paragraph now read:
These are the facts, so far.
A typo?
Now, if this accident were merely the result of a typo, it would be useful and important to have the official explanation of that coming directly from the AP and from Mr. ElBaradei office. Why?
While the 70,000 figure could have come probably from Iraq Body Count, it would be interesting to know from Mr. ElBaradei where he got that 700,000 figure. In other words, what’s the source of Mr. ElBaradei’s claims that “700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives” in Iraq since the US-led war of aggression?
Furthermore, this 700,000 figure is a GENOCIDE figure and a GENOCIDE figure that has been always rejected by the American and British governments (at least officially) and by most of the mainstream media.
Mohamed ElBaradei is the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a very important agency within the United Nations family. Should we believe that just a few words, like the ones attributed to Mr. ElBaradei by the later AP version, are enough to denounce the Iraqi genocide?
The phrase context would suggest that his words fit well with the 70,000 figure – a figure widely known and accepted by the world leaders and most of the mainstream media – but they sound out of tune with a reality of GENOCIDE that’s been so far denied by those responsible and ignored by the so-called International Community.
A reality whose responsibility falls also upon the state-corporate media that have denied paramount information in a critical and tragic time to the citizens they were supposed to serve and for this crime they have been actively aiding and abetting in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Finally and most importantly, the results of a new ORB poll have been released last Friday. This study suggests a total of 1,220,580 deaths as a result of the conflict in Iraq since 2003 (ie as a result of violence rather than a natural death such as old age).
The results of this ORB poll are consistent with the results of a study published last year in the British medical journal the Lancet. That study – ignored and discredited by Washington and London and their propaganda spread in many Western mainstream media - estimated 655,000 excess Iraqi deaths as a consequence of the war.
There are now three serious scientific studies on mortality in invaded and occupied Iraq showing the ugly truth that too many actors have been successfully working to hide. That ugly truth has a name: GENOCIDE.
Mr. ElBaradei should clarify what he really said and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon must speak out. Silence is complicity.
UPDATE: I have just received the following analysis from David Peterson
To The Cat's Blog:
FYI: It appears that Associated Press has withdrawn from circulation copies of its earliest reports to have attributed the 70,000 figure to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei (e.g., the earliest one by George Jahn, dated September 17, and time-stamped 12:38 PM GMT).
Copies of this earliest AP report no doubt still can be found. But after initially entering circulation based on comments made by ElBaradei on September 17 in Vienna in conjunction with the start of the IAEA's annual conference, it appears that the 70,000 figure was immediately recognized as a mistake, wrongly attributed to ElBaradei. The correct figure to attribute to ElBaradei is 700,000. A big difference.
For several excerpts of various news sources attributing the 700,000 figure to ElBaradei, see below.
On the other hand, anyone interested in observing the commission of the crime of silence on a massive scale ought to take a sweeping look at the U.S. news media's performance these past three days (Sept. 17-19). To date, I can find only seven instances in which ElBaradei's public and extremely important remarks in Vienna that he "would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 inn ocent civilians have lost their lives∑" (George Jahn, AP, Sept. 17), have been reported in the U.S. print media. -- Namely:
"Calm the Iran rhetoric, chief U.N. nuclear inspector urges," Houston Chronicle (TX), September 18, 2007
"Don't Attack Iran, U.N. Official Says," Lexington Herald-Leader (KY), September 18
"UN nuclear inspector urges patience with Iran," Newsday (NY), September 18
"U.N. Inspector Criticizes War Talk," South Florida Sun-Sentinel (FL), September 18
"U.N. nuclear inspector warns against military response to Iran," St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO), September 18, 2007
"Inspector warns against anti-Iran 'hype'," Telegraph Herald (IA), September 18
"IAEA Chief Exhorts Iran's Critics to Avoid Threats of Force," Washington Post, September 18
Notice that 100 percent of these print media reports derive from George Jahn's emended report for Associated Press.
Notice, moreover, that although the International Herald Tribune published a long report that correctly quoted ElBaradei's remark about "700,000 innocent civilians [having] lost their lives" ("France wants Europe to be as tough on Iran as the U.S. is," Katrin Bennhold, Sept. 18), the New York Times, the IHT's sister publication, never did.
Notice, last, that during the between 48 and 72 hours since ElBaradei did state that "700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives" in Iraq, it appears that one, and only one, U.S.-based television news service has quoted or referred to this remark: On the very first day (Sept. 17), CNN Your World Today co-anchor Michael Holmes said:
Well, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog is urging everyone to cool it, calm down on the rhetoric. Without specifically mentioning France, the IAEA chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, said any talk of attacking Iran is hype and should be avoided. ElBaradei says there are international rules regarding the use of force and "I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after Iraq where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons."
Other than this -- silence.
David Peterson
Chicago, USA
davidepet@comcast.net
Addendum: A select group of excerpts from several print media to have reported ElBaradei's use of the 700,000 figure.
"I would not talk about any use of force," said ElBaradei, noting that only the Security Council can authorize such action. "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons." (George Jahn, "IAEA Chief Warns Against Striking Iran," Associated Press, September 17, 2007, 10:10 PM GMT.)
ElBaradei said: "I hope everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation when we see a drama unfolding every day and we have 700,000 people, innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country had nuclear weapons." (Michael Adler, "ElBaradei dismisses Iran war talk as 'hype'," Agence France Presse, September 17, 2007.)
In a perceived riposte, Mr ElBaradei urged caution. "We need to be cool," he told reporters at the IAEA's annual conference in Vienna. "We need not to hype the issue. "I would not talk about any use of force," he said. "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons." ("UN Nuclear Boss Warns Warmongers over Iran," The Guardian, September 18, 2007.)
The talk of war with Iran also provoked a reaction from Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna who is brokering the discussions with Iran. ''I would not talk about any use of force'' in the event that Iran obtains nuclear weapons, he said, The Associated Press reported. ''We need to be cool. We need not to hype the issue.'' He continued: ''There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the I! raq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country had nuclear weapons.'' (Katrin Bennhold, "France wants Europe to be as tough on Iran as the U.S. is," International Herald Tribune, September 18, 2007.)
"There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons," he told reporters. (Herb Keinon, "Israel downplays Iranian missile threat," Jerusalem Post, September 18, 2007.)
"I would not talk about any use of force," Mr. ElBaradei told reporters outside an IAEA meeting in Vienna. "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons." (Steven Edwards, "U.S. targets in range, Iran says; UN nuclear watchdog resists use of force," National Post, September 18, 2007.)
By Gabriele Zamparini
On September 18, the Associated Press sent out the following news item:
IAEA Chief Warns Against Striking IranThis news item contained the following paragraph, attributed by the AP to Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency:
Monday September 17, 2007 1:46 PM
By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press Writer
There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 70,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons,'' he told reporters.The same news item with the same paragraph reported above was widely spread on the Internet.
I wrote on my blog on this yesterday. When I read the 70,000 figure, I thought Mr. ElBaradei had joined the supporters of Iraq Body Count, the British organization whose widely publicized figures coming from reported deaths in the English language media have been used by the warmongers and many in the state-corporate media to downplay the Iraqi genocide.
But a few hours later, the same AP news item above was circulating on the Internet with a different figure. The same paragraph now read:
There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons,'' he told reporters.At this point there are two different versions of the same AP news item on the Internet; the 70,000 one and the 700,000 one. Some media outlets have changed the 70,000 to 700,000 but others have now the two different versions running together.
These are the facts, so far.
A typo?
Now, if this accident were merely the result of a typo, it would be useful and important to have the official explanation of that coming directly from the AP and from Mr. ElBaradei office. Why?
While the 70,000 figure could have come probably from Iraq Body Count, it would be interesting to know from Mr. ElBaradei where he got that 700,000 figure. In other words, what’s the source of Mr. ElBaradei’s claims that “700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives” in Iraq since the US-led war of aggression?
Furthermore, this 700,000 figure is a GENOCIDE figure and a GENOCIDE figure that has been always rejected by the American and British governments (at least officially) and by most of the mainstream media.
Mohamed ElBaradei is the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a very important agency within the United Nations family. Should we believe that just a few words, like the ones attributed to Mr. ElBaradei by the later AP version, are enough to denounce the Iraqi genocide?
The phrase context would suggest that his words fit well with the 70,000 figure – a figure widely known and accepted by the world leaders and most of the mainstream media – but they sound out of tune with a reality of GENOCIDE that’s been so far denied by those responsible and ignored by the so-called International Community.
A reality whose responsibility falls also upon the state-corporate media that have denied paramount information in a critical and tragic time to the citizens they were supposed to serve and for this crime they have been actively aiding and abetting in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Finally and most importantly, the results of a new ORB poll have been released last Friday. This study suggests a total of 1,220,580 deaths as a result of the conflict in Iraq since 2003 (ie as a result of violence rather than a natural death such as old age).
The results of this ORB poll are consistent with the results of a study published last year in the British medical journal the Lancet. That study – ignored and discredited by Washington and London and their propaganda spread in many Western mainstream media - estimated 655,000 excess Iraqi deaths as a consequence of the war.
There are now three serious scientific studies on mortality in invaded and occupied Iraq showing the ugly truth that too many actors have been successfully working to hide. That ugly truth has a name: GENOCIDE.
Mr. ElBaradei should clarify what he really said and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon must speak out. Silence is complicity.
UPDATE: I have just received the following analysis from David Peterson
To The Cat's Blog:
FYI: It appears that Associated Press has withdrawn from circulation copies of its earliest reports to have attributed the 70,000 figure to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei (e.g., the earliest one by George Jahn, dated September 17, and time-stamped 12:38 PM GMT).
Copies of this earliest AP report no doubt still can be found. But after initially entering circulation based on comments made by ElBaradei on September 17 in Vienna in conjunction with the start of the IAEA's annual conference, it appears that the 70,000 figure was immediately recognized as a mistake, wrongly attributed to ElBaradei. The correct figure to attribute to ElBaradei is 700,000. A big difference.
For several excerpts of various news sources attributing the 700,000 figure to ElBaradei, see below.
On the other hand, anyone interested in observing the commission of the crime of silence on a massive scale ought to take a sweeping look at the U.S. news media's performance these past three days (Sept. 17-19). To date, I can find only seven instances in which ElBaradei's public and extremely important remarks in Vienna that he "would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 inn ocent civilians have lost their lives∑" (George Jahn, AP, Sept. 17), have been reported in the U.S. print media. -- Namely:
"Calm the Iran rhetoric, chief U.N. nuclear inspector urges," Houston Chronicle (TX), September 18, 2007
"Don't Attack Iran, U.N. Official Says," Lexington Herald-Leader (KY), September 18
"UN nuclear inspector urges patience with Iran," Newsday (NY), September 18
"U.N. Inspector Criticizes War Talk," South Florida Sun-Sentinel (FL), September 18
"U.N. nuclear inspector warns against military response to Iran," St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO), September 18, 2007
"Inspector warns against anti-Iran 'hype'," Telegraph Herald (IA), September 18
"IAEA Chief Exhorts Iran's Critics to Avoid Threats of Force," Washington Post, September 18
Notice that 100 percent of these print media reports derive from George Jahn's emended report for Associated Press.
Notice, moreover, that although the International Herald Tribune published a long report that correctly quoted ElBaradei's remark about "700,000 innocent civilians [having] lost their lives" ("France wants Europe to be as tough on Iran as the U.S. is," Katrin Bennhold, Sept. 18), the New York Times, the IHT's sister publication, never did.
Notice, last, that during the between 48 and 72 hours since ElBaradei did state that "700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives" in Iraq, it appears that one, and only one, U.S.-based television news service has quoted or referred to this remark: On the very first day (Sept. 17), CNN Your World Today co-anchor Michael Holmes said:
Well, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog is urging everyone to cool it, calm down on the rhetoric. Without specifically mentioning France, the IAEA chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, said any talk of attacking Iran is hype and should be avoided. ElBaradei says there are international rules regarding the use of force and "I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after Iraq where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons."
Other than this -- silence.
David Peterson
Chicago, USA
davidepet@comcast.net
Addendum: A select group of excerpts from several print media to have reported ElBaradei's use of the 700,000 figure.
"I would not talk about any use of force," said ElBaradei, noting that only the Security Council can authorize such action. "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons." (George Jahn, "IAEA Chief Warns Against Striking Iran," Associated Press, September 17, 2007, 10:10 PM GMT.)
ElBaradei said: "I hope everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation when we see a drama unfolding every day and we have 700,000 people, innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country had nuclear weapons." (Michael Adler, "ElBaradei dismisses Iran war talk as 'hype'," Agence France Presse, September 17, 2007.)
In a perceived riposte, Mr ElBaradei urged caution. "We need to be cool," he told reporters at the IAEA's annual conference in Vienna. "We need not to hype the issue. "I would not talk about any use of force," he said. "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons." ("UN Nuclear Boss Warns Warmongers over Iran," The Guardian, September 18, 2007.)
The talk of war with Iran also provoked a reaction from Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna who is brokering the discussions with Iran. ''I would not talk about any use of force'' in the event that Iran obtains nuclear weapons, he said, The Associated Press reported. ''We need to be cool. We need not to hype the issue.'' He continued: ''There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the I! raq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country had nuclear weapons.'' (Katrin Bennhold, "France wants Europe to be as tough on Iran as the U.S. is," International Herald Tribune, September 18, 2007.)
"There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons," he told reporters. (Herb Keinon, "Israel downplays Iranian missile threat," Jerusalem Post, September 18, 2007.)
"I would not talk about any use of force," Mr. ElBaradei told reporters outside an IAEA meeting in Vienna. "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons." (Steven Edwards, "U.S. targets in range, Iran says; UN nuclear watchdog resists use of force," National Post, September 18, 2007.)
posted by The Cat's Dream at 12:23 PM
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