On 6 December 2003 American occupation forces raided the headquarters of the Iraqi Federation of Workers Trade Unions (IFTU).
US soldiers ransacked the building, destroyed IFTU documents, smashed windows, smeared the banner carrying the name of the IFTU outside the building with black paint and tore down union banners condemning terrorism. The raid ended with the arrest of eight IFTU leaders who were handcuffed and taken to the US military central command at Muthan airbase.
No explanations were given for this unjustified attack. It is a stark violation of human rights, which clearly contradicts the claims of the US administration that it seeks to promote democracy and end repression and violence in Iraq.
To find out what really happened, Tareeq Al Shaab interviewed four of the eight arrested IFTU leaders; Turkey Al Lehabey, Muhsin Mashkoor, Hussein Shfaait and Hussein Al Sudany. The IFTU here translates the interview.
Mr Turkey Al Lehabey, General Secretary of the Communication and Transport Union said:
"The occupation forces acted on false and malicious information supplied by remnants of Saddam?s despotic regime who?s interests are threatened by the growth of independent trade unionism.
"Numbers of officials, starting with Abdullah Murad Ghny, general manager of the main private transport company and including managers in public transport Stations and Garages, have lost out severely as result of the fall of Saddam. These hostile elements sent the US troops against us.
"US military forces surrounded the IFTU headquarters with dozens of soldiers and armoured vehicles, eventually raiding the building, destroyed documents, smashed windows and arrested eight IFTU leaders who were imprisoned at Al Muthan airbase.
"The soldiers left us inside a tent in the compound of the airport without water or food for hours, until Mr Kelly, the local military commander arrived and told us: ?Iraq has no sovereignty and no political parties or trade unions. We do not want you to organise in either the north or south transport stations.?
"He also said: ?You can organise only after June 2004, for now you have an American governor.? He returned after 4.00 p.m. with blankets and box of ready-made food that we could not eat. He then released four of us and told us that he was able to keep us in detention for six months but did not want to do so.
"We told him that he has no legal right to raid our offices or to arrest us. These actions contradict America?s claims to respect and adhere to the international values of human rights and the US? claims to be building a democratic Iraq. He replied that his father was an American trade unionist."
Mr Muhsin Mashkoor, a member of the Public Service Industry Union, told US commander Kelly:
"You (the US Military authority) are no different to Saddam Hussein. Yes you toppled his dictatorship but you both are two faces of the same coin." Mr Mashkoor also told the local military commander: "There are no foreign or local bodies financing our trade union federation, we finance ourselves."
Mr Hussein Alsudany said that the US local commander accused the IFTU of being ?unhelpful in the re-organisation of the private transport sector.? Mr Alsudany said. "The IFTU has worked hard with little or no resources, working alongside other Iraqi social forces to build democracy. But commander Kelly didn?t listen, he ignored us and left.
At about 5.00 p.m. we requested a meeting, with one of the leaders of the military authority at the base to find out why we had been arrested. Mr Kelly himself returned and released four of us, whilst the other four were kept in detention. Soon after that they brought us blankets which were inadequate since we were kept in a tent and it was cold."
Mr Kelly told the four IFTU leaders who remained in detention:
?The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) lacks legitimacy as do Iraq?s political parties. Mr Turkey Al Lehabey, you and Saddam are two faces of the same coin.? Mr Kelly left but returned soon afterwards with an order for the release of the four remaining IFTU leaders.