Appeal for lift on Iraqi sanctions

by: Amy

London: A group of four British activists from the anti-sanctions group Voices in the Wilderness (UK) delivered a letter to British prime-minister Tony Blair on Monday (20 May, 2002), requesting the sanctions be lifted on Iraq. This follows a visit they made to Iraq to meet with families there and see for themselves the effects of the sanctions on Iraqi people, and to deliver aid and educational materials. Whilst there they interviewed an Iraqi woman, Iqbal Fartous, whose son was killed by a US bomb in January 1999, about the devastation caused by the no-fly zones. Other families who had also lost members spoke of the poverty they had suffered due to the sanctions.

It is thought that over 100 civilians have been killed by British and US bombs since 1998. According to the group the zones are not sanctioned by the UN and have no legal basis.

The UN agreed to continue sanctions against Iraq, a revised version to be implemented on 30 May 2002 (report). The US and Britain have spoken of 'smart sanctions' - designed to alleviate the suffering of civilians - yet the new sanctions regime does not differ greatly from the current ones. The sanctions leave the Iraqi people dependant on food rations, and it is Voices in the Wilderness' greatest concern that - in light of the further military action discussed by Britain and the US - this ration system will be disrupted, bringing further hardship to the Iraqi people.

Contact:
Voices in the Wilderness can be found at http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw/voices-uk.html
For more information about smart sanctions visit CASI