To save the lives of peace activists and Iraqis

As we went to press, the fate of four kidnapped members of the Christian Peacemakers Team (CPT), hung in the balance.

James Loney, Harmeet Sooden (both from Canada) along with Tom Fox, and Norman Kember were taken captive November 26 by a previously unknown group called the Swords of Righteousness Brigade.

Many peace groups and defence groups, such as those working in the resistance against the occupation of Palestine, have come forward with clear statements calling for the release of the CPT members, who are all against the occupation of Iraq.

One such statement says, “[We] express [our] deep sorrow for [the] kidnapping [of] four… peace advocates from the CPT in Iraq. [We] would like to confirm that the CPTers have [had] a very strong role in facing the Israeli crimes and violations and in protecting the life and the belongings of the Palestinians. They put themselves in many situations in front of the Israeli tanks. They confronted the Israeli bulldozers and the Israeli home demolition and escorted our children to and from their schools to protect them from settlers. Because of all their activities, the members of the team were followed, arrested and beaten by Israeli soldiers and settlers in many occasions. The Israeli authorities have prevented some of them from entering Palestine.

“We urge the brothers in the resistance and all [those of] alert conscience in Iraq, whom we consider our selves together in the same [struggle] against… American terrorism and assault, to promptly release the four kidnapped (2 Canadian, one British, and one American) from CPT, for their role in supporting our Palestinian and Arab and Islamic nations. Freedom for [the] Iraqi and Palestinian people. Shame [on the] Zionist and American occupation.”

The statement was signed by six Palestinian resistance groups on November 29. On November 30 a statement was released by the International Solidarity movement:

“Tom Fox (54) worked with CPT Hebron and participated in demonstrations against the apartheid Wall in Jayyous. Harmeet Sooden (32) a Canadian citizen who had been living in New Zealand, came to Palestine to join the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in December 2004 and stayed until January 2005. He worked in solidarity with local Palestinian people, mostly in Nablus and Jenin. While in Jenin, he worked with a group of ISM activists who planted Olive trees on the ‘Swithart’ farm outside Jenin. He was committed to come to Palestine for three months to join the ISM again at the beginning of December 2005 as a long term activist for the liberation of Palestine from Israeli occupation, but first decided to join a two week CPT delegation to Iraq.”

Palestinians in Ramallah held a demonstration December 1 in solidarity with all four kidnapped peace activists and to appeal for their release. The demonstration was attended by notable Palestinian religious and resistance figures.

Some fear that the kidnappers were following orders from Iraqi or US security forces. The CPT has been investigating abuses at the hands of special police and military groups, and may have played a role in the discovery of 173 detainees in the basement of an Interior Ministry building. The CPT is also working on a torture report, and generally doing things that could be embarrassing to the Iraqi government or the US occupiers.

Said the roommate of one of those abducted: “Tom really just feels very, very strongly that war is wrong,” he said. “He is a committed pacifist and was really saddened and concerned about the U.S. occupation… He felt like trying to do peace work was so important, so much so that it outweighed the risk of something bad happening.”

The terrible situation of the four captive CPT members is one more reason to call for the immediate withdrawal of all western troops from Iraq. The chaos and instability in that country are a direct result of the barbarism unleashed by Tony Blair and George W. Bush.