U.S. Must Investigate Aegis & Tim Spicer

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Saturday December 03, 2005 01:05

by Daithí Mac Lochlainn

…from The Times (UK):

“Colonel Barry Johnson, the United States military spokesman in Baghdad, said the US military is reviewing the video ‘to see if an investigation is warranted and whether to open one’. Colonel Johnson, added: ‘They [the US military] are assessing it to determine if there is any evidence that warrants an investigation. The first indication I had of this case was some days ago.’

Foreign contractors are required to obey the same rules as the military in warning civilian motorists not to approach convoys by waving them away and firing warning shots. Part of the video footage appears to show a civilian car accelerating towards the convoy vehicle.”

Please urge your American acquaintances to write to their Senators and Congressional Representatives and demand an independent investigation of this tragedy.

A few points should be made. (The may copy-and-paste to their own correspondence, if they’d like!):

1.) Aegis Defence Services, the company in question, secured a contract with the United States Department of Defense.

2.) The Chairman and Chief Executive of Aegis is Lt Col Tim Spicer.

3.) Spicer’s past history in Northern Ireland, especially with regard to the death of Peter Mc Bride, has long been a matter of concern.

4.) Information regarding these issues is easily accessible, even by means of a Google search.

5.) A civil rights organization, The Pat Finucane Centre in Derry, maintains files on these issues which are accessible to all.

6.) Father Seán Mc Manus of the Irish National Caucus in Washington, D.C. has made every effort to bring these concerns to the attention of the Dubya Administration.

7.) The U.S. Government’s own intelligence apparatus is even better equipped to vet potential contractors.

8.) Hence, it is absolutely impossible that the Department of Defense was not aware of these human rights and legal concerns.

9.) The retaining of Aegis’ services in Iraq is clearly indicative of informed and deliberate disregard for the human rights and even the lives of Iraqi civilians.

10.) The motives of the Defense Department, and of the Dubya Administration as a whole, must be thoroughly investigated.

11.) The potential impact of the more recent events on “Route Irish” must be examined.

12.) What crimes may have been committed in contracting with Aegis Defence Services?

"Mark my words, this contract is going to come back and bite them." ~ Rev'd Father Seán Mc Manus.

http://gaelicstarover.blogspot.com/2005/12/investigate-spicer.html