Bush Must Be Tried First for Crime against Humanity

       On the eve of the crucial Congress elections in the  US, the so-called Special Tribunal set up by the puppet regime of US-occupied Iraq has sentenced Saddam Hussein to death by hanging. This has predictably triggered huge protests in Iraq and in the days to come protests are bound to be witnessed across the world.
 
The death sentence awarded to Saddam pertains to the killing of 148 Shia people in Iraq by the Saddam regime in 1982 following an abortive bid on his life. Saddam is also being tried in several other cases by the puppet regime. The crime charges levelled on Saddam are pretty serious and if the charges were investigated by a sovereign government of Iraq and a fair trial held against him there would have perhaps been little basis for international protests. In this case, the facts are however entirely different. The trial has been dubbed unfair by the Amnesty International and experts of international law have raised all sorts of valid legal questions. Iraq remains under US occupation and the trial can only be described as a pseudo-judicial extension of the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the United States.

The US occupation of Iraq is currently in its fourth year and public opinion in the US is perturbed over the growing number of American casualties in Iraq. The number of American dead has risen steadily this year from 353 in January to 847 in September and will be close to one thousand in October, the highest in a month since the beginning of the occupation. The figures have resurrected the spectre of Vietnam even in the mainstream US media. The voices of dissent and even resentment within the US military establishment are getting louder. Bush has however tried to put up a brave face, saying he will not budge from Iraq even if the only ones to support him were Laura (his wife) and Barney (his dog)! But what the US media does not discuss is the number of Iraqi lives claimed by the US war and occupation.
 
A recent study, conducted by Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health and funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and published in the prestigious British medical journal, the Lancet, has estimated the Iraqi death toll from the US war to be as high as 655,000. The study concluded with a 95 percent degree of certainty that the number of "excess deaths" in Iraq since the invasion – the number of people who have died in excess of the number that would otherwise be expected on the basis of pre-invasion mortality rates – is between 393,000 and 943,000. The figure of 655,000 is given as the most likely number. This represents an astonishing 2.5 percent of the entire Iraqi population. The researchers further estimated that about 600,000 of the deaths were due to violence in some form, including gunshots, air strikes and bombings. The study also found that the number of violent deaths in Iraq has steadily increased every year since the invasion. In the period from June 2005 to June 2006, the researchers found a nearly four-fold increase in the mortality rate relative to pre-invasion levels.

If we add to this figure the more than two million people, a third of them infant under the age of five, who had fallen prey to the pre-invasion genocidal economic sanctions, the death toll inflicted on Iraq by the US and its allies over the last fifteen years would soon touch the three million mark. The Iraqi Red Crescent says 1.5 million people have fled their homes within the country. Furthermore, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is estimating 1.5 million people are now displaced, driven by ongoing military raids and militia violence, with more than 2,000 people fleeing everyday to Syria in what the UNHCR calls a "silent exodus". To understand the gravity of the situation in its real perspective, we must also remember that the people who have been killed or who have fled Iraq include half of Iraq's doctors – an estimate puts the number of doctors who have fled since the US-led invasion at 18,000 and the number of Iraqi doctors killed at 2,000 as against a total of 34,000 registered physicians at the time of invasion.

Iraqi observers naturally describe the ongoing occupation as nothing short of calculated ethnic cleansing and virtual depopulation of Iraq. As US-backed death squads selectively assassinate the Iraqi political leadership, the US is busy building military bases, grabbing Iraq's natural resources and destroying the social and cultural fabric of Iraq from within.

"To initiate a war of aggression ... is not only an international crime; it is the 'supreme international crime' differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." This is contained in "The Judgement of the Nuremburg Trials" and upheld by international law. The US-led occupation of Iraq is the most barbaric example of such 'supreme international crime' taking place right at this moment. And the perpetrator of this biggest crime against humanity is carrying on his business from the high office of American Presidency. If there is one person in today's world who must be meted out exemplary punishment for his endless crimes against humanity, his name is George Bush.

REPORTS

Stop the Indiscriminate Sealing of  Shops in Delhi

At the call of the traders of Delhi, the capital witnessed an unprecedented 72-hour bandh from October 30 to November 1. The bandh was called to oppose the sealing of thousands of commercial establishments in residential areas shops ordered by the Supreme Court. Beyond traders' associations, the bandh call evoked widespread support from shop employees, students and teachers engaged in various vocational and professional courses (many coaching and professional institutes functioning in residential areas are also facing the threat of closure under the Supreme Court order) and large sections of the urban poor and lower middle classes.
While the Supreme Court has ordered the sealing in the name of checking illegal and unauthorised construction, the move is clearly part of a larger design of elitist urban restructuring. By getting slums bulldozed, industries relocated and shops sealed, the apex court effectively wants to 'reserve' Delhi for the big and the powerful including the big land-grabbers and real estate barons. This must be resisted and the new Master Plan 2021 now being finalised for Delhi must be made to give due recognition to the needs and rights of the urban poor, the unorganised workers, lower-middle classes and the small traders.

Protests in North East Torch rallies in Manipur demanding repeal of AFSPA

Thousands of women from different parts of Manipur took out torch rallies on the night of November 5 demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1958. The rallies was taken out under the Apunba Lup Working Committee banner to commemorate the sixth year of fast-unto-death by Irom Chanu Sharmila, who had been demanding repeal of the Act since November 2000. Meanwhile, Sharmila has announced her decision to continue with her hunger-strike.

AIPWA Protest in Guahati against State Repression

In Guahati, AIPWA organised a demonstration against increasing state repression in Assam and demanded repeal of the draconian AFSPA. Women in the demonstration demanded that peace talks be started with the ULFA while condemning the bomb explosions which rocked the city the day before. Among leaders who spoke were President and Secretary of AIPWA, Anju Borkataky, Kanaklata Dutta and other leaders, Meenali, Anjali from Karbi Anglong and Junu Borah, editor, Jonaki Baat.The meeting resolved to support the hunger strike of Sharmila and fight for 33% reservation for women.

Joint Action Committee of Women demands a stop to State Repression

The Joint Action Committee of Women's Organisations organised a mass demonstration against increasing State repression in Dhemaji, Assam. Protima Inghipi from KNCA, Arati Terongpi from AIPWA, Karbi Anglong, Mulyarina Pegu from Mishing Mimeng Kebang, Kanaklata from Sodou Asom Nari Santha and others addressed the 500- strong gathering.

District Organising Committee Formed in Kachar

District level body was formed in Kachar of Silchar, Assam comprising 13 members. Ranjana Das and Baby Nath were elected President and Secretary respectively.

Left to oppose World Bank conditions

At a meeting held on 6th November in Hyderabad, CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML New Democracy), MCPI (U), SUCI and ML Committee condemned the Andhra Pradesh government's acceptance of the World Bank conditions like introduction of Budget Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act and privatisation of AP Road Transport Corporation for the third and fourth instalments of its loan

22 Infant deaths in Kolkata government hospital 

Between 2-4 November, 22 infants died in BC Roy Memorial Hospital in Kolkata triggering off popular protests in the city. The hospital has 400 child patients on any given day but only 250 beds, forcing authorities to keep two to three infants on one bed.
In too 2002, 31 babies died there within two days, triggering protests. Sometime back, the CM Buddhadev Bhattacharya himself admitted that the conditions in the state hospitals were "very unhygienic" but his government did absolutely nothing to improve healthcare service in government hospitals.

Youth & Student's demonstration at Singur

CPI(ML) in continuously launching protest demonstration on the issue of LF govt.'s anti-peasant policy. On 4th  November RYA, AISA along with CPI(ML) of Hooghly district organized a militant mass demonstration at Singur of Hooghly district. Cadres and supporters of those organizations shouted slogans against LF govt.'s anti-peasant policy while they were carried forward a mass rally covering the affected villages of Singur. As a mark of token protest the demonstrators put the red flags on the sold land at Bajemalia and declared that they had grabed the unrecorded land. This programme has created a lot of sensation among the local people.

More on Singur

Nagarik Mancha, a Kolkata based organisaion, organized a mass convention on 3rd  Nov. at Maulali Youth Centre, Kolkata on the issue of Singur. In a packed hall different sects of people attended the convention. All the speakers unequivocally denounced the LF govt.'s anti-peasant policy vis a vis anti-labour Industrial policy. TUs except CITU were present in the convention and representatives of those organizations delivered speech supporting 10 points charter of demands for mulated by Manch. RSP ex-minister Amar Chowdhury, intellectuals like Tarun Sanyal, Sunanda Sanyal, Dipankar Chakraborty, Suvendu Dasgupta, Naba Dutta, GS of Manch, Scientist Aveek Dutta and many others spoke on the convention. AISA member Debolina Ghosh depicted her experiences while she was visiting Singur several times. She narrated the plight of the villagers who are regularly facing police atrocities. She added that affected villagers specially he women have united to resist any kind of eventuality, they will face when LF govt. will hand over the total land as demanded by the TATA Motors.

Nitish Kumar's "Abduction Raj"

While the Nitish Kumar Government in Bihar is busy drawing up bombastic plans for celebration of one year in office (Nov 24) in a big way, the Patna High Court has indicted the government for failing to act against kidnappers.
Kidnapping is a booming industry in Bihar. In the last three months, 1302 people have been abducted in the state.
Of the 904 children reported abducted since 1995, 766 were rescued, 40 killed by kidnappers and 98 are still missing and feared killed.
The court also blasted the state government for failing to arrest nearly 5,000 absconding kidnappers despite several court orders and directed the chief secretary to come up with a concrete plan. It told the state government to arrest all accused no later than March 31, 2007.
The sad irony is that Nitish Kumar became chief minister in November 2005 with a promise to turn Bihar into a crime-free state in three months!

UP Civic Polls Mulayam paves way for BJP's ascendancy in urban UP

The early trends of UP civic polls coming at the time of this writing point to an ominous turn of BJP gaining in several corporations. BJP has already won Ghaziabad, Agra, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Aligarh while Congress bagged the Bareilly mayor's seat. BJP was leading in Lucknow, Kanpur and Meerut while Congress seemed to be in a strong position in Allahabad and Jhansi. The Samajwadi Party is leading by a narrow margin of 700 votes only in Moradabad.
SP draws some consolation from winning sizable number of municipality seats but independents have gained a majority in these seats also.
Mulayam's total neglect of the urban poor and lack of power and drinking water supply and his all-out support to the land mafia and his communal-engineering conspiracies have pushed his SP to bite dust in the civic polls despite his party unleashing total terror for booth-capturing and rigging. His populist schemes like Kanya Vidya Dhan and unemployment doles have not cut much ice with the disenchanted people. The policies of this so-called champion of "social justice" and "anti-communal crusader" are only strengthening the BJP which is otherwise declining everywhere else in the country.

CPI(ML) Condemns Punjab Kishan Union's Leader Arrest

Ongoing struggles against the acquired lands in the name of the special economic zone (SEZ) by the Trident in behest of the Punjab Government the Punjab Police cowardly arrested the Punjab Kishan Union's Leader Comrade Ruldu Singh from his home, midnight.. The CPI(ML) strongly condemns the arrest of the peasant leaders and calls upon the peasant and toiling masses of Punjab to continue their struggle against SEZ and repressive measures of Punjab police. At the same time CPI(ML) also condemns the repressive measure adopted by the Rajasthan Police against the struggling peasants of Gharshana, Shri Ganga Nagar, Rajasthan.

Movement intensifies against Land Acquisition in Uttar Pradesh

The Mulayam Government has decided to acquire 1 lakh acres of land in the State for setting up SEZs and for selling to builders of Multiplexes. The former Govt. of Mayawati had earlier decided to set up 4 SEZs during her tenure. But due to poor infrastructure and bad roads, industries could not come up. Now, the peasants are seething with rage at the Govt.'s decision to acquire fertile land 10 k.m. from Varanasi for selling off to Unitech Builders. Few months back the same company purchased land in Gaziabad for building a township. Peasants are fighting for their rights under the banner of Khet Bachao Kisaan Sangharsh Samiti. CPI(ML) is a major constituent of this Samiti. A padyatra was conducted from 2 to 10 October and a mass meeting was conducted on 29 October in Kurauta Bazaar, in which Com. Akhilendra Pratap Singh shared platform with CPI(M) and VP Singh as well as Raj Babbar. Com. A P Singh condemned the pro-imperialist, anti-people policies of the UPA Government and said that these had caused hundreds of farmers' suicides. He said that fertile land belonging to farmers was sold at dirt price to the capitalist class. In Sonebhadra, for example, the Dala Cement Company was sold off to JP Group. At the same time Mulayam has given a free hand to the Sangh Parivar so as to whip up communal tension in the State. On 15 November, Unitech office will be gheraoed. The CPI(ML) has resolved to increase participation of agrarian labour and poor peasants in the movement.

National Rural Employment Denial Scheme

According to the Union Rural Development Ministry, under the NREGS, only a few job cards are being issued against the number registered for getting employment. For instance, issuance of job cards has been low in some districts of Maharashtra — 2.73% in Hingoli, 4.37% in Nanded, 8.51% in Yawatmal, 12.83% in Chandrapur, 28.58% in Amravati, 35.4% in Nandurbar and 36.09% in Dhule. Job cards issued in Manipur stood at 28.49%. Malkangiri in Orissa, no employment was provided.
• Applications for registration under the scheme are not being entertained in Bihar, Maharashtra
• Contrary to the rules, registration forms are being sold and beneficiaries are being charged for their photographs in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh , UP
• In many states, applicants were not being given dated receipts, preventing them from seeking legal redress of their problems
• In some other states, expenditure on wages were below than the prescribed 60% of expenditure on works, showing misutilisation of funds