Posts Tagged ‘Eye-witness account’
Story of Mehdi Ben Barka: The Moroccan assassinated leader
Posted by: adonis49 on: February 28, 2013
Story of Mehdi Ben Barka: The Moroccan assassinated leader
Mustafa Alaoui, the current dean of Moroccan journalists, published the French book “The Journalist and the Three Kings“. The story of the assassinated Moroccan leader was related in the book.
“My first encounter with Mehdi Ben Barka in the 50’s was in a packed waiting room, and I was the youngest journalist who published a daily. Mehdi ordered me to sit down as he stood all the time: He was conscious of his short stature and felt more comfortable with people as tall as he was.
Ben Barka was the math teacher of prince Hassan II since 1942 and had convinced the monarch Mohamed 5 to open the public schools to girls in 1943.
Via phone calls, this leader Ben Barka teleguided armed groups disseminated all over the country. The chief of police was at his order, same as most directors in public institutions and most dailies.
When in public political positions, Mahdi kept 20 phone lines constantly active: He would communicate with 3 persons simultaneously, dictate an editorial, follow-up on the activities of his party, and receive information on European political parties, all virtually in the same time.
Mehdi was chairman of the constitutive assembly (Parliament) and earned this position hands down. One of his multiple plans was to mobilize the youths and mining their potentials in order to counter the well-rooted party of Istiqlal (Independence).
Ben Barka, one of the main founder of the Istiqlal party was about to split from this largest political party in January 1959 and form the Unity party as he declared that the Resistance Liberation Army should not be taken for granted as the property of the Istiqlal but belonging to the people.
To Ben Barka, the cadres of the Istiqlal were cooperating too closely with the French mandated power and practically maintaining and sustaining the standing power of the colonial power in the administration and management of the public institutions.
For example, the government of moderate Bekkay, the guarantor of a progressive evolution as stipulated in the Aix-les-Bains treaty, was politically crushed by Ben Barka. Mehdi was in the center of the news of national political events in 1958.
The project of the Unity, supported by the prince Hassan 2 and who will succeed his father King Mohamad 5, assembled 15,000 young citizens, cadres from the army who crisscrossed the country side in working attire and taking meals under tents. Ben Barka was the Secretary general while Hassan 2 was the behind the scene leader.
In the 1958 congress held in Tangier, Mehdi was received by Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser as the leading revolutionary of the north African (Maghreb) independence movements. France saw red, especially that Mehdi was proclaiming that Morocco is Arabic, Islamic, and a Constitutional monarchy.
Ben Barka had his circle of journalists and authors that met regularly in Rabat: He took advantage of these gathering to dictate editorials in various dailies. Prince Hassan imitated Ben Barka and would meet with same circle an hour later.
In 1960, Oufkir, chief of intelligence services, arrested the director of the Unity daily Mohamaed “Fqih” Basri, and summoned to justice Youssoufi. Ben Barka got the message and he exiled himself to France.
I met mahdi in Geneva during the negotiation of Algeria and france for independence. Mahdi was the brain whispering in the ear of Karim Belkacem, head of Algeria delegates, during a TV press conference.
I again met Mahdi in the airport of Orly. I was carrying a little book on Portugal’s dictator Salazar. Mahdi said: “Are you already reading the life of your absolute monarch Hassan II?”
During a Mediterranean conference in Nice, we were approached by the Israeli Avner, supposedly the Dean of political sciences at the Univ. of Haifa. Avner extended an invitation to Mehdi to visit the university. Mahdi declined but encouraged me to jump on the occasion: “A journalist has to listen directly to all parties and see the world: the professional journalist has to set aside ready-made principles and catch the reality of facts and events…”
The brother of Mehdi, Abdelkader, recounts that after the events of March 1965 in Casablanca the ambassador in Paris, the cousin of the monarch Moulay Ali, demanded that Abdelkader visit him promptly from where he lived in Frankfort.
Moulay Ali told him: “Tell your brother Mehdi that the monarch needs to resolve an equation and he doesn’t need any intermediaries.”
Mehdi was in Cairo and responded: “Moulay Ali is a nice guy. I have no response for him”. In the meantime, Hassan 2 had extended an amnesty to political prisoners. Thus, Mehdi relayed to Moulay Ali that he will meet him in Nice in 10 days after he returns from Algeria.
The meeting took place in April 25. Mehdi said that he feared for his life from the high-ranking army officers. Hassan 2 decreated in June 4 the State of Exception which freed Mahdi’s comrades. The monarch met with the freed opposition leaders, sending the signal for forming a unity government. This sent the message for Mehdi to return from his exile.
Oufkir and the secret services were kept in the dark of the monarch’s two key decisions and they had to react quickly.
Mehdi wrote a letter to his wife Ghita in May 3:
“The monarch is apprehensive for his life and throne after the Casablanca events. He is trying to open up to the opposition. He wants to let us in his political game, but practically we will be kept hostage to this bunch of opportunists and traitors. We are demanding a contract, valid for 2 years, that guarantees from false promises.
Fact is, the position of the monarch is still not clear and the army, which accumulated wealth from the French colons, is not about to relinquish its privileges…”
Apparently, Jacques Foccard, general secretary to President de Gaulle, and the minister of the interior Roger Frey had planned with Oufkir the kidnapping and assassination of Mehdi. These French politicians have been involved in previous covert operations in Morocco, Algeria, Congo, Viet nam, Tunisia… and had their own personal agenda and views on the role of France in the previous colonies.
My impression is that Hassan 2 caved in to the comploters in order to maintain temporarily his throne, pending better opportunities to strengthen his power.
Ben Barka was born too early: he was so active and engaged that he couldn’t find enough dedicated and qualified people to keep up with his work pace.
The assassination of Mehdi made strong waves and the case lasted for decades and precipitated drastic reforms in France and the curtailment of the French secret services that were getting out-of-bounds and forming their own clubs of power.
Note: Oufkir perpetrated a military coupin 1971 against Hassan 2 who was returning from France. The monarch plane was intercepted and shot by a military jet. Hassan 2 played the dead by demanding the pilot to say it on the intercome. This move prevented a second missile to be launched. As the monarchsafely landed, the coup was foiled.
What are the Missions of physicians within the secret service agencies? An eye-witness account from Syria…
Posted by: adonis49 on: December 5, 2012
What are the Missions of physicians within the secret service agencies Mukhabarat? An eye-witness account from Syria…
All secret service agencies around the world hire their special physicians to tend to prisoners during interrogation sessions. In dictatorial and absolute regimes, the missions of the physician increase in spectrum and specificities…
Abu Salim was a physician for the military Syrian Air Force Intelligence Services, before he deserted “stopped showing up, or didn’t return to work” and started treating the victims in makeshift hospitals and clinics in Homs.
Abu Salim divulged to journalist Jonathan Littell in “Diaries of Homs” what were his missions:
1. Maintaining alive the tortured prisoners (mostly political) until they admit on specific pieces of information.
2. Re-animating prisoners who lost consciousness during interrogation.
3. Administering psychotropic chemical products such as Chlorpromazine, diazepam, Valium, ketamine, ketalar…
4. Injecting alcohol 90% in eyes and noses… Alcohol is an excellent torture technique
5. Dispatching the prisoner to the military hospital, once he reached a dangerous resistance level
6. At the hospital, only the physician working for the Mukhabarat and the chief-physician of the hospital are permitted to treat the prisoner…
After the Syrian uprising, two years ago,:
1. Prisoners, judged not to be of major importance, are left to die. The physician sends his report to the high administrator in the prison who decides for any transfer to the military hospital
2. The physician is attached to the tortured prisoner and is not allowed to talk to him…
3. The physician stays with the prisoner patient and he is searched every time he exits or re-enters the room, by the two guards posted outside the room.
Abu Salim claims that there are 16 “Arab” prisoners (non-Syrian) in jail since 1985, and they are kept in individual cells.
13 of the special Arab prisoners are Lebanese, including two considered to be highly “dangerous”, 2 Jordanians, and an Algerian.
One of the dangerous Lebanese prisoner confessed that “I had a problem with Hafez al Assad (father of bashar)”
The 16 Arab prisoners went on hunger strike for 33 days requesting:
1. The right to read dailies
2. the right for fresh bread
3. the right for food that don’t smell bad!
The Arab prisoners had their dangerous and controversial demands satisfied.
Abu Salim report was told in February 2011, a couple of weeks before the regular Syrian army devastated the district of Baba Amru in the city of Homs.
Since then, the civil war escalation has taken foolish proportions and unimaginable cruelty and brutality, especially against civilians.
So far, over 200,000 Syrian citizens flocked into Lebanon territory, and reaching even to the Arkoub region in the south.
The Lebanese government finally admitted to 125,000 refugees (official count on legitimate border crossings) and asked the UN to extend funds and support for the Syrian refugees.
And the cycle of refugees from various Arab States continues to be the name of the game in these unstable political regimes…
Lebanese Parliament deputy: Put back in Line at Heathrow airport (London). No passaran dude before me…
Posted by: adonis49 on: December 4, 2012
Putting Lebanese Parliament deputies back in Line at Heathrow airport (London): No passaran before
How do you react when a politician, minister, deputy, governor… on vacation, bypass the line of passengers and exerts “privileges” that he thinks he is entitled to?
Malek Takeiddyne posted on FB this Dec.2 “Get back in line”
I had a fight today with a well-known Lebanese Member of Parliament at the Heathrow airport in London. I was standing in line ready to board my flight and this deputy just came confidently and overpassed everyone in the queue.
The Lebanese MEA employee did not object and, instead, he welcomed the MP like a God to the astonishment of other non-Lebanese ground staff and passengers.
I did not take it lightly and voiced my complaint to the MP without acknowledging that I recognized him. The deputy did not stop and kept moving forward. My voice and anger grew louder.
This deputy felt “disrespected” and irritated and told me to shut the fuck up (‘sid bouzak‘). I was enraged and a loud fight of words and shouting erupted between me, him and his companions which drew the attention of a large crowd.
In the midst of the fight I did not loose sight of the non-Lebanese people witnessing this. I was interested to see their reaction. They were shocked and did not understand why such a chaos erupted out of nowhere.
These non-Lebanese people would never understand. They would never understand that my reaction had nothing to do with the fact that I was overpassed in the queue.
These non-Lebanese people would never understand that my reaction is the result of 30 years of anger building up against what this well-dressed man represents.
These non-Lebanese people would never understand that this “gentleman” they see in his expensive suit, well-groomed hair and business class ticket is nothing but a criminal running loose, a war thug and a thief with his hands deep in the pockets of the Lebanese people.
They would never understand that my anger is the anger of millions of Lebanese people held hostages to an malfunctioning system run by sectarian and illegal politicians.
If the London airport police had interfered in this fight I would have told them that this is a personal matter and they should keep out.
I would have explained that this is a revolution in the making and that I am an angry man; a very angry Lebanese who is committed to pursue this fight all the way – that this is a larger fight to put everyone back in line.” End of post
As soon as I get names, I certainly will post them. Names of Lebanese thugs and civil warlords and criminals must be posted.
I want to know.
Is the Lebanese Middle-East Airline a private company?
Is it owned by the Hariri Clan?
Is this deputy owns shares in that airline?
Did this deputy pay for his ticket?
In Lebanon, commentators say: “There is no need to mention names. Everyone know who we are talking about…”
But I don’t know. And I want names and I want details, like every Lebanese citizen.
And I want to know who is taking responsibility for any action and decision.
“We want to know” site on Lebanon civil war? It is never too late
Posted by: adonis49 on: March 18, 2012
“We want to know” site on Lebanon civil war? It is never too late
More than 100 interviews later, the eye-witness accounts of people and families who suffered deaths, losses, disappearances, and handicapped cases during the long civil war of Lebanon (17 years), and conducted by 44 high-school student selected from 14 schools in Lebanon, are now available to pursue on www.badnanaaref.org (We want to know).
Under the title “On generations of civil war diaries” the program was administered by Carmen Abu Jaoudeh (coordinator of the center for justice), and Maria Sanchez (EU representative in Lebanon).Maria Sanchez said: “Ignoring the past leads to committing the same mistakes in the future…”
Siege Mental Attitudes: Sample of Lebanon Civil War Account
Many Lebanese immigrated during the civil war. They did not experience the siege mentality or the horrors or psychological scars inherited by those who had to submit to these indignities and humiliations. Since 1991, there are new generations that don’t know much about the civil war or don’t care: They simply don’t read even the abridged descriptions. What they know is mainly hearsay and from biased family and peer-pressure sources. Basically, only documentary films, telling eye-witness stories, may effectively convey impressions and feeling.
This piece is a brief translation from Arabic of a chapter in “Ain Wardeh” by Jabbour Douweihy.
Marguerite, the Austrian wife of Joujou, had no control over her body each time she hears the whistling of a missile or a rocket. She hysterically and silently runs and opens the main door and steps outside with a pillow and then re-enters and keeps the same wandering habit through the staircases and outside. She then would sit on the upper stair and cry her eyes out.
In the beginning, Marguerite would freeze like a cat surrounded by drummers. At the start of the civil war, Marguerite wanted to have an idea of “What’s going on” and pointedly asked sensitive and targeted questions. Each answer generated more questions that finally baffled those who were supposed “to know it all in the Lebanese family”.
Marguerite was judged to be very naïve to comprehend this ultra complex situation. For example, when the militias started summarily executing drivers on confessional grounds, Marguerite would ask “How can a militia know the religion of the driver?” The answer could be: “Because religious affiliation is mentioned in the ID”. Then, “And if the driver is not carrying an ID?”. The reply could be “They know from his name”. The follow-up questions is: “Is the name Rida (a member in the family) Moslem or Christian?”. “The militias know from his face or his slang or his pronunciation” and on and on.
Joujou has imposed himself as the experienced worrier who never participated effectively on any front lines. He claims to know the type and caliber of every canon. When he hears a 155 mm bombs he exclaims “Those bastards. This is a field gun. The 155 mm should not be targeting civilian neighborhoods” Or he would say “This is a Hawn 80 mm caliber. It is totally useless and a relics of the short civil war of 1958″
Joujou tries to locate the coordinates of the gunners with the help of maps in his “war room”, only to realize that those guns are movable on trucks. Joujou attempted once to drive a Panhard carrier and injured 5 people when the gun got activated by mistakes. When the phone lines go dead or disrupted, Joujou would volunteer his intelligence that the communication “central” has been targeted. At the start of the civil war, Joujou refused to believe the news on the radio saying: “Those announcers behind their desks are fabricating imaginary events”
The whole family is hooked to the transistor (radio) for the routine news and emergency flash news. When the news warns of the imminence of an all-out attack then the daily routines of every member in the family is put on hold and two candles are lighted and people barely move so that their vast shadows would not scare off the others.
The worst news was when the radio announced a cease-fire with precise date and time. Everybody learned not to believe that this deal would remain for any length of time: snipers were their worst nightmares. Joujou would then carry the radio when everyone is asleep and mechanically locate “Monte Carlo” and “Voice of Cairo” and “The BBC” on the ground that these airwaves were unbiased and might bring confirmation.
In the morning, Nouhad, the tiny spinster aunt, would fetch the radio because she was not appeased with the many shelling during the night. If anyone tried to change channels then she would shout “This is not the time for chatting”. By the by, as events escalated and everyone realized that this civil war is for the duration then Joujou declared “The US Administration is not wiling to put an end to the war; it is waiting for critical political changes to take place before the Administration decides on a policy”
Nouhad started to persist commenting on the news, especially if not to her biased stand, and nobody could hear the news anymore. If the piece of news was not to Nouhad’s liking she would interject “Lier!” Slowly but surely the radio was put to rest and went into desuetude. The cook woman used the radio in the kitchen to listen to music.
Note: You may access many of my post in the category “Eye-witness account”
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