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Vice Chair : HUSSEIN MEHDI, Tel: 0044-7887871373
Secretary : IAN HUNTER, Tel/Fax: 0044 (0) 1416491093
E-mail : iraqi_hostages@hotmail.com
Website : www.9neesan.com/iraqihostages
24th July 2004
Prime Minister
The Rt Hon Tony Blair
10 Downing Street
London
SW1
Dear Mr Blair
The Special Iraqi Tribunal Court “The Iraqi War Crimes Court” for the trial of Saddam Hussein and his Ex-Ba’ath Regime
I would like to bring to your attention the case of our Hostages Committee against Saddam Hussein and his Ex-Ba’ath regime for the illegal deportation of thousands of Faily Kurds and other Iraqi citizens to Iran in the period from 4th April 1980 to 1990 and the Disappearance of their detained hostages in Iraq.
I have written to you and to the Foreign Office and the previous British Governments about the issue of our hostages whom were detained by the Ex-Saddam regime and until now the fate of my own brother Jamal and 11 of my cousins and 4,000 hostages is still unknown.
On the 1st of July 2004, the special Iraqi Tribunal Court read out only 7 main charges against Saddam Hussein and his top Ba’athist aides. Whereas the deportation of over one million Iraqi citizens to Iran and 4,000 disappeared hostages of these deported families which Saddam carried out as his first mass genocide against the Iraqi people starting from 4th April 1980 which was followed by the genocidal crimes of the other 7 charges which this special court read out to Saddam and the rest. We would like to ask the obvious question – why was this atrocious crime against our people forgotten and dropped from his court appearance?
Therefore this Committee is pressing for an 8th charge to this Special Iraqi Court to bring forward Saddam Hussain, his top aides and his half brother Barzan Tikriti again to read out all our charges against them. We request your Government; the American Government and the new Iraqi Interim Government to help us to enforce our 8th charge which is an equally vital crime as the other 7 charges.
I would like to state that the decision during your leadership and that of Mr Bush to topple Saddam and his Ba’ath regime was courageous, honourable and historical. However, the crimes committed by Saddam Hussein and his ex-Ba’ath regime against our people has not been resolved. Our homes which were confiscated by Saddam in 1980 are still occupied by ex-Ba’athists. Most of our deported people are still living as refugees until now and the majority of those in Iraq are now unemployed and homeless, whilst the ex-regime members remain in employment. The issue of our disappeared hostages and their fate is still unknown. There cannot be a census in Iraq if our deported people have not been brought back and their full rights as Iraqi citizens restored.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your government for any positive action you will take in regard to the above and I look forward to hear from you.
For your information I enclose the text of our presented case to the Special Iraqi Tribunal Court.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Kamal Aziz Ketuly
For the Committee of the Release of Hostages & Detainees in Iraq
Similar letters were sent to:
Mr Jack Straw
Mr George W Bush
Mr Colin Powell
Mr Kofi Annan
Mr Al-Akhather Ibrahimi