Thank you for supporting Nozad Ismail. Over 700 people have shown their support. Signers have come from: UK, Norway, Sweden, USA, Canada, Holland, Finland, New Zealand, Spain, Ireland, Japan, and Denmark.
Below is a message from Nozad, and update on the campaign and suggestions for further action.
1. Nozad Ismail sends message to signers of the Global Appeal
Abdullah Muhsin, foreign representative of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions recently met Nozad. He told us that "Nozad has seen copies of the LFIQ appeal and is very grateful for these solidarity efforts. He still receives regular death threats and says that he will not be intimidated. But he can never know when he leaves home each day if he will return. Democrats around the world must do their utmost to publicise this threat in the hope that it can avert Nozad's murder.
"As President of the IFTU in Kirkuk, Nozad is preoccupied with helping the new unions, which form the IFTU, to organise workplace committees, especially in the oil and electricity industries and in other public services, to negotiate pay increases and improved working conditions. He leads the IFTU's contribution to building a new civil society and helping to resolve the status of Kirkuk in the new Iraq."
Nozad is himself a mechanic by trade and a member of the Transport and Communications Union.
Gary Kent adds that "The status of the oil-rich and ethnically-mixed city of Kirkuk, as part of Iraqi Kurdistan or not, is one of the hottest issues in Iraqi politics, and one in which grassroots civil society organisations have an interest because its successful resolution can help determine the prospects for a united, federal and secular constitution and government."
2. The Parliamentary Campaign in the U.K.
MPs Harry Barnes, Mike Gapes, John Mann and Kevin McNamara were the first to support this Early Day Motion in the Commons backing the LFIQ appeal. (Note: EDMs can only be one sentence long…)
"That this House supports the Labour Friends of Iraq global appeal, which has been supported by numerous rank and file trade unionists and others across the world, to publicise the severe threat to the life of Nozad Ismail, the President of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions in Kirkuk, who has twice escaped assassins and who receives regular death threats; believes that the self-styled resistance in Iraq is deliberately targeting the leadership of the Iraqi labour movement and, therefore, the prospects for a united, secular and democratic Iraq, as was exemplified when Hadi Saleh, the International Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) was tortured and strangled before his house was ransacked for his comrades' contact details, when Ali Hassan Abd of the IFTU's Oil and Gas Union, was gunned down in front of his children, and when Ahmed Adris Abbas of the Transport and Communication Workers Union was also assassinated in Baghdad; and appeals for the widest possible support for the Labour Friends of Iraq initiative not only from supporters of the British Labour movement but from anyone with an interest in nurturing Iraqi democracy."
38 MPs have backed the motion: Mr Harry Barnes, Ms Diane Abbott, Mr Adrian Bailey, Mr Roy Beggs, Mr Martin Caton, Mr Tony Clarke, Mr Tony Colman,Jeremy Corbyn, Mrs Ann Cryer, Mr Andrew Dismore, Jim Dowd, Mrs Louise Ellman, Jeff Ennis, Paul Flynn, Dr Hywel Francis, Mike Gapes, Mr Win Griffiths, David Hamilton, Mr Mike Hancock, Mr Kelvin Hopkins, Dr Brian Iddon, Glenda Jackson, Lynne Jones, Mr David Lepper, Mr Calum Macdonald, John Mann, Rob Marris, Mr Kevin McNamara, Julie Morgan, Sandra Osborne, Syd Rapson,Mr Ernie Ross, Alan Simpson, David Taylor, Mr Mark Todd, Dr Rudi Vis, Mr Robert N Wareing, Tony Worthington.
Roughly equal numbers of pro- and anti-invasion MPs have backed the EDM. This symbolises a key aim of LFIQ: to unite Party members in favour of post-war solidarity.
Those who opposed military action and back this urgent appeal provide a good example to others who opposed the war but who haven't yet given sufficient priority to solidarity with Iraqi unions.
3. The next phase of the Global Appeal starts now.
The Election campaign is a great time to engage with comrades whose interest in politics is at its height.
We ask you to mail out the following to your CLP or Union branch members and help keep Nozad safe.
Defend Iraqi Trade Unionists
On behalf of Labour Friends of Iraq, I ask you to visit the LFIQ website to sign up to defend Nozad Ismail, the Iraqi Trade Union leader threatened with assassination. I also ask that you persuade other Party/Union members to sign up to the Appeal at:
hhttp://www.labourfriendsofiraq.org.uk/nozadappeal.shtml
Why you should sign up:
Hadi Saleh, the International Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) was tortured and strangled before his house was ransacked for his comrades' contact details.
Ali Hassan Abd of the IFTU's Oil and Gas Union was gunned down in front of his children. Ahmed Adris Abbas of the Transport and Communication Workers Union was also assassinated in Baghdad.
Whatever our original views on the war, the international labour movement must protest against the attempted liquidation of the Iraqi union leadership.
This is a suggested item for your website/newsletter:
( Name…) encourages you all to show your support for Iraqi trade unionists who daily face death threats form the reactionary insurgents. This week, xxx signed up to help save the life of Nozad Ismail the President of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions in Kirkuk who has twice escaped assassination attempts. Some of his colleagues have not been so lucky. Please show your support for Nozad by signing up to the Appeal on the Labour Friends of Iraq website:
http://www.labourfriendsofiraq.org.uk/nozadappeal.shtml
Background
LFIQ brings together Party members who took different views on the war but who unite to move on and support Iraqi democrats, socialists and trade unionists.
The LFIQ website is updated regularly with information about Grassroots Iraq and topical news and views.
LFIQ provides speakers for Party meetings and a helpful Solidarity Toolkit is available through the website:
http://www.labourfriendsofiraq.org
You may be interested to read about other campaigns to defend Iraqi Trade Unionists over at the IFTU website:
http://www.iraqitradeunions.org/en/
The IFTU site also carries the terrible story of the students in Basra who were attacked; one was killed, for breaking religious laws of gender association by organising a co-ed picnic:
http://www.iraqitradeunions.org/archives/000232.html
Jane Ashworth, Chair
Labour Friends of Iraq
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