Japanese Hostages To Be Released Soon

Japanese Hostages To Be Released Soon

Dear all,

Thank you for your greatest effort. Three kidnapped Japanese peace activists will be released very soon.

I do really appreciate efforts of Amir Rekarby, Faris, Herbert, all of Iraqi National Democratic Current, and all of you.

I really recognize again that the international network of solidarity is quite important. I hope that this network, not governmental effort, will solve the kidnapping case and create a genuine relationship of trust among people, movements and religious groups leading to the process for reconciliation.

For your reference, please see the statement of Iraqi National Democratic Current.

Yours
Yoko Akimoto Secretariat, ATTAC Japan

For the release of the three kidnapped Japanese

The kidnapping of Foreign Civilians is wrong and should be condemned, especially when these civilians are friends of the Iraqi people and opponents of the War.

Yesterday and today, Satellite TV Channels showed scenes of three kidnapped foreign journalists under death threats. the kidnappers gave the Japanese Government three days ultimatum to withdraw its troops or else these hostages will be killed. The Japanese government replied that it will keep its troops in Iraq and will not alter its course under the threat.

Some people were surprised by this reaction on the part of the Japanese government and its disregard for the life of its citizens, making observers wondering about this response.

This morning a friend from the Iraqi National Democratic Current, living in Japan telephoned and informed us that: the Japanese section of the World Social forum — ATTAC — the anti-war and anti globalisation movement had contacted him and explained that these three persons have no relation to the war being launched against Iraqi people and further these three persons are friends of the Peace organization having participated in a number of anti war and anti globalisation mass activities and especially against the war in Iraq. The group of course has made well publicized efforts during the Jakarta, Paris and Bombay peace meetings of the World Social forum side by side with Independent Iraqi democrats in opposition to the U.S. Occupation of the country.

Our friend further added that our Japanese friends request our intervention and do all possible efforts to save the life of these three activists for peace and friendship. Our comrades in the Iraqi National Democratic Current immediately made all possible communications through appeals made via the TV Channels and as much as possible of any available means of communications to try and save the life of these three peace activists.

We take this opportunity to appeal to all who may have a direct or indirect relation in this affair to do every efforts to save the life of these friends of the Iraqi people and release them.

The Japanese government may not care much about the well being or fate of these three activists, probably to set and example to all peace activists who may interfere negatively with government troops iraq deployment plans, but we do care immensely, the kidnapping of innocent foreign civilians is an Unpardonable crime as well as a serious mistake that does not at all reflect the noble aims of the true Liberation struggle from the bloody U.S. Colonialist occupation of Iraq. These Hostages must be released Immediately with full honour and apology from their kidnappers.

If the kidnappers insist on their way and refuse to release them, then we suspect some hidden links behind the scene to discredit the Iraqi Liberation movement.The U.S. occupation has quite a track record of ³ special Operations² either directly or undercover or through their quislings.

We repeat our Urgent appeal to all and any one who can help release these three friends to do everything possible assure their release. We must keep high ethics worthy of the great cause of the Iraqi Liberation struggle and its highest ideals for the noble cause of the Iraqi People¹s Uprising and its national resistance. The enemy will always keep trying to distort the reputation of the resistance.

We take this opportunity also to expose the criminal practice of the U.S. occupation of flooding the country with the worst kinds of international thugs under the title of the “Civilian Contractors” who in reality are international mercenaries with long criminal records ranging from Chile’s Pinochet to Apartheid South Africa to professional killers from Europe and America. These group of Mercenaries now actually number about 20,000 constituting the second largest contingent of the so-called “Coalition.” It is these “Civilian” Mercenaries that had the greatest contribution in blurring the borders of what is Military and what is Civilian in Iraq.

Alla Al-Lami Information Office
Iraqi National Democratic Current
Europe, April 10th ; 2004