In memory of Nabil

I've just learnt that an Iraqi friend, visiting his family after decades in exile, has been killed by American soldiers. I don't have any more details at the moment.

Nabil was one of the most vibrant enthusiastic people I've ever met. He lived for many years in Switzerland, and was the cornerstone of our Jubilee Iraq demonstration against the UNCC reparations in Geneva in March.

He arranged to meet us in Geneva station, with the instruction to look out for his berret. I think Fay and myself spooked a couple of berret-wearing Swiss men as we stared at them and tryed to figure out if one of them could possibly be an Iraqi. But when Nabil arrived he was very clearly different - unfortunately I don't have a photo of the trademark berret, but the grin you can see here is equally distinctive. He was the sort of guy you can't help but warm to instantly: bright and bubbly, but also passionate and dedicated in campaigning for justice. I simply cannot conceptualise how a soldier can have imagined him to have been threatening enough to kill.

I don't feel able to write more now, but may do later. For me this obviously brings home the reality of the war. Those cold bodycount statistics (now exceeding 10,000) each represent a real person just as unique and precious as Nabil. I had been wondering whether or not to arrange a another demonstration at the end of June when the UNCC next meets (incidentally on the eve of the transition) to award yet more reparations against Iraq because of Saddam's crimes, and in fact I would probably have been emailing Nabil next week to discuss it. Now I am convinced the demonstration must go ahead as he would have wanted.

I pray for Nabil's family and friends in their grief, and I pray that Iraq may soon become the free, just and peaceful country that he longed and strived for.

[update] I've just recieved more information. Nabil was killed in the controversial strike on the wedding party near the Syrian border. It has not been widely reported that the planes also bombed all of the cars along that stretch of the road to Syria. Nabil was in one of them, on his way back to Switzerland. His elderly father had to go searching and found his still unidentified body in a hospital nearby.

Nabil was a Swiss citizen, and I hope the Swiss government will take a stand on his killing.