The operation to eliminate Iraqi academics, which intends to put an end to the academic scene, create a 'brain drain’ of effective minds, force people to disperse, and to put an end to all initiatives, continues apace.  Not a week has passed since the invasion of Iraq without news of the assassination, or attempted assassination, of a teacher, scientist, or specialist.  Contrary to the statements of officials during this time of occupation, whether Iraqis or foreign forces, the assassination of academics is organised work, targeting only particular people, stopping at a given point, with no relation to incidences of kidnappings targeting the rest of the populace and demanding ransoms.  The perpetrators of on-the-spot executions of scientists, teachers and specialists, are not men with normal nerves, found on the sides of the roads, or from the Mafia, which is now widespread.  The mechanics for carrying out the assassinations immediately indicate that the operations are not intended to be kidnappings, demanding money to free hostages, but rather that they are deeper and more serious, and aim to demolish the ideological framework of Iraqi society.  

Most of these assassinations resemble each other in their particulars, with the exception of the cases of on-the-spot executions which were carried out by the occupying forces.  To investigate the pattern of the mode of operations for these crimes, we must read the reports of someone who was at the scene of the crime on 23^rd January, whilst the crime was committed.  Raed Ali Salih, of the Baghdad police, said in a press statement that militants opened fire on Dr. Atheer Husham as he left his house in al-Saidia, to go to his office in the district of al-Sanak, in central Baghdad, and killed him on the spot.  He then said that two cars carrying militants obstructed the car Dr. Hilal al-Bayati was climbing into, and fired a hail of bullets at the car from both sides, which injured two of his companions.  Dr. Hilal himself escaped from the attack, which is part of a larger campaign targeting scientific people in the country.  There are other noted attacks on teachers.  A source from Mustansiria University announced on 5^th August that unknown men had rained down a hail of gunfire on Dr Zaki Bakir Sajr al-'Ani, a lecturer in the College of Literature, and Dr. Husham Abd al-Amir, a lecturer in the College of Education, killing them as they were going out of the university gate.  In addition, unknown men kidnapped Dr. Samir Yalda, the assistant director of the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics at the university, in front of the university gate, with no known reason or motive for the kidnapping.  His corpse was found, wrapped up, in a street on 3^rd August.  These incidences represent the first type of assassinations.  The second is the on-the-spot executions carried out by the occupying forces in a direct manner, such as in the case of the well-known architect Bassam al-Bair.  He was fired upon by American soldiers in the middle of the day last July, as he drove his car in the vicinity of the public sports-ground in Baghdad, on his way to run some errands.   

It is well-known that the organisations responsible for the crimes of both types of deliberate killings remain at large, ready to carry out more crimes, especially since they feel secure because their crimes continue to go unpunished.  The investigation into these crimes has not been completed by the government of occupation, rather they were recorded and attributed to unknown forces.  As for the assassinations of the second type, committed directly by the occupying forces in broad daylight and in the presence of witnesses, investigations by Iraqi judges are completely impossible, for the simple reason that the occupying forces, of all differing nationalities, enjoy legal immunity and cannot be held accountable in front of the law or Iraqi judges, whatever crimes or violation of our people’s rights they have committed. 

At last, an Iraqi campaign has been launched in Brussels, petitioning to bring down the walls of silence surrounding the elimination of academics, and to place the blame on those who committed the crimes and those responsible of colluding with them.  The campaign was launched by the BRussells Tribunal, a people’s initiative set up about 3 years ago under the framework of establishing war crimes and crimes of occupation against the Iraqi people, and falls under the initiative   The operation to eliminate Iraqi academics which is taking place in an organised fashion is one side of the tragedy which is taking place in Iraq since the occupation".  On the strength of most sources, the number of assassinations is at least 250 academics. There are hundreds of missing people and thousands of people who have fled from Iraq, fearing for their lives.  This tragic situation does not only indicate that the operation to empty Iraq of intelligent minds and capable people is continuing; it also indicates that it is up to the [IVdM1] educated middle class civilians [IVdM2] who refuse to cooperate with the occupation to resist the operation of complete elimination, which would definitely threaten the future of Iraq.  The campaign of assassinations targets both men and women, not one side or one party in particular, and in all parts of Iraq.  It does not target specialists of particular disciplines; it targets geography, history and literature teachers, as well as science teachers.  Despite all these assassinations, not one person has been arrested in connection with them.   

According to the report of the United Nations University, 84% of Iraqi higher education establishments have been set on fire, looted or destroyed since the occupation.  The Iraqi education system was one of the most progressive systems in the region, and the wealth of educated people was one of the greatest riches of Iraq.   

The academics’ situation is a mirror reflecting the general situation of the occupation: a most startling human catastrophe, taking place in the shadow of a general lack of attention paid to the criminals of the occupation.  According to international law, the United States, as the occupying power, is responsible for protecting the Iraqi civilians, including the academics and the well-educated.  The signatories to the previously-mentioned initiative, who number nearly three thousand people around the world, including academics, lawyers and well-educated people, in addition to many human rights organisations and organisations concerned with the implementation of international law, call for a programme to tackle the assassination crimes.  They demand the immediate implementation of an independent international investigation into the continuous killings, on the condition that the investigation has a clearly defined authority, and there are high standards of accountability for anyone who makes an accusation.  A campaign has been set up by the BRussells Tribunal to present the appeal to the Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions at the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva.  They issued an appeal on the website http://www.brusselstribunal.org/academics.html, aiming for collaborative action from everyone who believes in the rights of Iraqis, including academics, to oppose the organised assassination campaign, to live in a stable country, free from any colonial, Anglo-American supervision, and to establish justice.   

The only solution available to us is independence, freedom, justice and the preservation of human riches.  The way to limiting the terrorism of the occupation is to expel the Anglo-American occupation forces from our country, as soon as possible.  As long as the forces of occupation remain on our land, enjoying legal immunity which provides them with total protection to commit violations and crimes, including the crime of killing our people, they will remain the true decision-makers in our country and the absolute master, whatever the politicians of the occupation say to the contrary.  And talk of these forces remaining in our country at our request, to establish democracy and to protect human rights, will remain mere empty words.    

Original article in Arabic: http://www.alquds.co.uk/index.asp?fname=2006