Peace in Najaf but more wasted life

Ashkurallah that the conflict in Najaf has finally ended. The nonviolent solution was inspiring, with around a million people entering the city and thousands going for juma prayers in the mosque enabling the Mahdi army to disengage safely. Sadly more people died unnecessarily in all this, apparently killed by the interim government forces. These casulties are just numbers on the news, but of course they represent real people. One was an aquaintance from my recent trip to Baghdad called Mousa. He was a bright young lawyer armed, in the words of a mutual friend, "with only great potential and deep religious conviction". The kind of person Iraq desperately needs to build a good future.

The Italian Olympic team are wearing black armbands today in respect for Enzo, including in their football game against Iraq. I think the best way we can remember him will be to continue striving for peace and justice Iraq, uncovering the truth and enjoying life with the same passion that he did.

Ewa is still in jail in Israel. Al Jazeera has an excellent report with some powerful quotes from her: "At what point do social relationships with people implicate someone as security threat?" asked Jasiecwiz rhetorically, noting that the Israeli army regards all men between the ages of 15-30 as a security threat. "They are equating social relationships with political relationships. But social relationships need to happen to foster coexistence and Israel is doing everything it can to prevent that. It is encouraging conditions of apartheid, and the wall is the most obscene and stark example of this."

Haraam

No true Iraqi nationalist or believing Muslim could have done this. Bastards.

Enzo, like Ghareeb, was a man amongst a million. A fiery passion, a gentle heart, a canny perception, a deep appreciation of other people, a quick wit and an infectious laugh, a dedication to his work of truthtelling.

I knew him just a few days but I will remember him always and Baghdad will be empty when I return.

Iraqi and Italian footballers appeal for Enzo

Iraq and Italy will be playing for the Olympic bronze tomorrow. Iraq's national football coach Adnan Hamad said: "We want to send a message of peace to those who have taken [Enzo]. They should let him go back to his family. We are all brothers, we are all human beings." The Italian coach Claudio Gentile has said that if Italy wins the game it will dedicate the bronze medal to Enzo... however I suspect that Enzo will be cheering for Iraq and I wouldn't be surprised if he has already won over his captors with his good humour and he is currently teaching them Italian football chants and learning Arabic ones in return in preparation for the big game!

Follow the amazing Iraqi football team on Iraqisoccer.net, the National Olympics Committee and Iraqisport.com. I spent a couple of hours wandering around Hyde Park in London a few months ago with Ewa Jasiewicz looking for them when they were over in Britain for a goodwill tour, but unfortunately I got the time wrong and so we missed them.

Appeals to Enzo's kidnappers

Italian Stop the War activists have issued an appeal to Enzo's kidnappers: "Baldoni is a journalist who has always openly spoken against the war on Iraq and against Italian participation in the occupation of that country. To harm Enzo Baldoni will in no way further the cause of peace. On the contrary, it will merely serve to strengthen the war "faction", to which the Italian government belongs. Baldoni is part of the vast majority of the Italian population. For a long time now, this majority has demanded the withdrawal of Italian troops from Iraq. In Italy, huge demonstrations have shown time and again how the people are truly committed to peace. We shall continue in this commitment, calling for the withdrawal of all occupation troops and for the end of the criminal policies pursued by the United States and their allies, policies that spell death and destruction for Iraqi civilians. We ask that Baldoni be allowed to continue to give his contribution to peace and correct information, alongside millions of Italian men and women committed to peace and justice."

Gabriella Baldoni, Enzo's daughter, appealed : "We turn to the Iraqi people, tormented by war, and to the men who are holding our father Enzo, with an appeal simply to tell them that Enzo Baldoni is in Iraq as a man of peace. He was trying to save human lives in Najaf by helping a Red Cross convoy in a spirit of solidarity which has always underscored his thinking and his actions. It is in this same spirit that we ask you to be able to hold him in our arms again, alive."

Enrico Deaglio, editor of Dairio, the magazine for which Enzo is writing, said: "We would like to let the men who are holding Enzo Baldoni know who he is. He is a person animated by human feelings for the people who suffer in the world. He is an independent and absolutely autonomous journalist."

The Italian government had said Enzo was in Iraq in "a private capacity as a journalist and was absolutely not connected to the Italian government" but insisted it will not leave Iraq, although Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told al-Jazeera today that Enzo is a man of peace who is in Iraq "to tell the tale of the suffering of the Iraqi people," and said "we are ready to leave Iraq, even tomorrow, if the government of Allawi asks us."

Ewa expelled from Israel

Today Tel Aviv District Court judge Drora Pilpel has issued an expulsion order for my friend Ewa Jasiewicz. The court granted a 48-hour injunction on the expulsion, allowing her lawyer to appeal the expulsion to the Supreme Court. The judge said that although Ewa doesn't pose a direct threat to Israeli security, Palestinians could manipulate her "naivety" !!!! Ewa is one of the most inteligent, knowledgable and canny journalists I know, so the charge of "naivety" is ridiculous and offensive. Ewa arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on 11th August (we must have crossed somewhere over the Meditaranian as I was flying back from Iraq) in order to report on Israeli and Palastinian perspectives on the Wall, and was immediately detaineed. I've been trying to call her for days at the detention centre, but they won't let me speak to her. In response to the courts charges, Ewa stated: "I know myself. My agenda is no secret. I am against racism and fascism and in favor of peace."

Enzo on Al Jazera

Enzo appeared alone on a video broadcast (looking as unflappable as usual!) saying: "I am Enzo Baldoni from Italy, I am 56 years old, I am a journalist and I do social work by volunteering with the Red Cross."

Al Jazera said it received a statement from the group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq. The group said it could not guarantee the hostage's safety or his life if Italy does not respond within 48 hours with a decision to withdraw its forces from Iraq.

The brusque response from Palazzo Chigi of the the italian government is that it will try to free Enzo but "will remain in iraq."

No news about Ghareeb. Please pray for them both and their families.

No clear news yet

The Republica newspaper reports that Sheikh Hassan al Atharii, Muqtada Sadr's spokesman, said he had no information about Enzo, which fits with my conjecture that he was taken by bandits rather than a resistance group. The Republica article also says the Italian Secret Service has heard rumours from some tribal leaders that Enzo is alive. Italian friends have warned me not to put much wieight on these rumours, as the Italian newspapers are publishing any scraps they can without proper sourcing. I've experienced this directly as some of my tentative third hand accounts have been published as fact by papers. Unfortunately the only news we have at the moment is that there is no news.

No one seems to have properly identified and arranged burial for Ghareeb's body, three days after the attack allegedly happened. As I understand a couple of people had planned to go from Baghdad to find his body yesterday but decided not to because of security concerns. Some Iraqi friends living in the area are hopefully going try and idenify his body today.

USEFUL LINKS: (via Google autotranslation into english)

• search Italian media for Enzo
• search english language media for Enzo
• Enzo's blog
• Pino's blog

Goodbye my friend

For the last two days there has been little information and a great deal of confusion about Enzo and Ghareeb. I began to grieve and then started clasping at straws, hoping there had been some mistake in the account I had recieved. However a friend in Baghdad has just told me that the iraqi police have confirmed that Ghareeb was killed in Latyifia, on the road of Mahmoudia.

I only knew him properly for a week (2-10th August 2004, though we met briefly in October 2003) but his self-giving, wisdom and humour have left a deep impression on me which i hope will shape the way i live in the future. I pray that Allah raises up many people of his caliber to give Iraq hope for the future.

little news

I have not heard or read much to verify the account I have written about Ghareeb and Enzo. I keep hoping that this means that maybe my source (who had got the information from the Red Cross yestarday afternoon) was mistaken and they are safety holed up in Kufa (as Daniela's account below implies) or somewhere, but I really have no idea. Many of the reports on blogs or newswires seem to be third hand accounts of my third hand account.

The account I have hear from Daniela (1pm GMT), who manages Enzo's website is: "Enzo and Ghareeb were going to Najaf on Thursday along with a convoy of the Italian Red Cross. Somewhere along the road, the convoy bumped into a mine, which blewed up and shattered the windows of an ambulance and a truck. The iraqi driver of the ambulance (not Ghareeb however) got injured, but not seriously. Are you absolutely SURE it wasn't *that* accident your sources were referring to? No one got killed in that accident anyway: the convoy got safe to Najaf, where they distributed humanitarian goods around. Then, part of the convoy got back to Baghdad right away within the day, and another part stayed in Kufa. Enzo and Ghareeb are reported to have stayed with this convoy in Kufa overnight, and again they decided to stay when even this convoy moved back to Baghdad yesterday."

This from Ass. Press (5.50pm GMT) is a new source"The Italian Red Cross, which is working in Iraq, said Saturday that Shiite sources in the country had also told them Baldoni's interpreter [Ghareeb] was dead. "None of us have seen the corpse," Italian Red Cross spokesman Fabrizio Centofanti stressed. But "they said he was killed by gunfire."

keep praying for Enzo

I have spoken to some of Enzo's friends and family this morning, but no one knows anything more at this stage. My information in the previous post came via a mutual friend who talked with the Iraqi red cross drivers who were in the convoy from Najaf. My working theory is that the people who have taken him are after money and therefore should keep him safe, i hope that's correct. I know that Enzo is a brave and resourceful person, as well as being warm hearted and instantly likeable. If anyone has any news you can reach me on 0044 7813 137171 or email to justin [at] jubileeiraq [dot] org (though i'll be away from my computer a little today). There are two other blogs which might carry news about Enzo in their comments pages. Here are auto-translation links for non-italian speakers (like myself): Enzo's blog, Pino's blog. If you hear any new information, please post it in the comments page of this blog and the other two so other friends will see it.

Seperately Ghareeb's closest friend Ewa Jasiewicz is back in detention in Israel. She was released on bail after an Israeli court found that the state had no evidence against her (it was claiming she was threat to security because she has been involved in the International Solidarity Movement and was an eyewitness to an Israeli killing of a 13yr old Palastinian boy last year), however immediately the Israeli government immediately appealed so she is back in detention (see BBC news). I don't know if she has heard about Ghareeb's death yet, and I can't decide whether to try and contact her and tell her since she has enough to deal with as it is.

Ma'asalama, love, peace and constant prayers.