AP Issues Anti-Military Statement
The AP hired a terrorist as a photographer. His name is Bilal Hussein, and he is an Iraqi Sunni born in Fallujah. Al Qaeda is a Sunni organization. Bilal was arrested in his own home where the military found hidden bomb parts, enemy propaganda and a senior Al Qaeda bomb maker. The Iraqis are about to try him using what the U.S. military has called “convincing and irrefutable evidence” of his terrorist activities.
Hussein would often stage photographs with the enemy, and would coordinate with them to show up and take propaganda pictures when they would kill the American brothers of his AP bosses. This was a common occurence in Iraq. 3/7 Marines killed one who had arrived at an ambush with Al Qaeda at the Ramadi Government center one afternoon while I was there. Hussein had every opportunity to save the lives of American soldiers, Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi civilians, by informing on the terrorists. Instead, he accepted the money of an American news agency and continued to help the terrorists. And the AP continued to pay him, even in the face of mounting evidence that he was colluding with the terrorists, which is to say, a terrorist himself.
At this moment, Bilal Hussein is a U.S. prisoner of war who is graciously being handed to the Iraqis for some form of “criminal” trial. The AP conducted an internal investigation and cleared both themselves and Hussein.
Background on Bilal:
Michelle Malkin describes some of Hussein’s propagnda activities
Jawa Report on his arrest
Michelle Malkin on his arrest and the military’s case
The AP published this story and a statement by its CEO Tom Curley worldwide today on all of it’s wires sent to the domestic and international press, who have already begun printing Mr. Curley’s statement across the globe:
NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. military’s plan to seek a criminal case against an Associated Press photographer in Iraq without disclosing the charges or evidence against him makes a mockery of American democratic principles, AP President and CEO Tom Curley said Saturday.
“This is a poor example—and not the first of its kind—of the way our government honors the democratic principles and values it says it wants to share with the Iraqi people,” Curley said in a column in The Washington Post.
The U.S. military notified the AP last weekend that it intended to submit a complaint against Bilal Hussein that would bring the case into the Iraqi justice system as early as Nov. 29.
Military officials have alleged that Hussein, 36, had links to terrorist groups but are refusing to disclose what evidence or accusations would be presented.
Previously, the military suggested an array of possible lines of investigation, including claims that Hussein offered to provide false identification to a sniper seeking to evade U.S.-led forces, that he possessed bomb-making equipment, and that he took photographs that were synchronized with insurgent blasts.
Hussein, a native of Fallujah, was detained in Ramadi on April 12, 2006.
“We believe Bilal’s crime was taking photographs the U.S. government did not want its citizens to see. That he was part of a team of AP photographers who had just won a Pulitzer Prize for work in Iraq may have made Bilal even more of a marked man,” Curley wrote.
Hussein was part of the AP’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photo team in 2005.
A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said Saturday that Curley’s column reflected a “fundamental misunderstanding of the Iraqi court system as well as the detainee process.”
Maj. Bradford Leighton said that Hussein’s detention without charge was legal under a United Nations mandate, and explained that the case would proceed differently than it would in the U.S. because the Iraqi system follows different procedures and rules about disclosing evidence.
“It’s not like our system,” said Leighton. “The evidence is presented to a judge and the judge makes the decision whether the case goes forward.”
Leighton said that if the first judge decides there is a strong case, he will send it to a three-judge panel for the trial.
An AP investigation of the case compiled last spring and made public Wednesday concluded that the series of accusations against Hussein do not hold up to scrutiny.
Curley said the military has refused to answer questions from Hussein’s attorney, former federal prosecutor Paul Gardephe, since announcing its intentions to seek a case against him. The military would not even share the exact date of the hearing, Curley said.
“How is Gardephe to defend Bilal? This affair makes a mockery of the democratic principles of justice and the rule of law that the United States says it is trying to help Iraq establish,” Curley said.
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
If you can't handle using your real email address, don't bother posting a comment.
Hey Curley, where are the other two stooges?
Go fuck your self.
November 24th, 2007 at 8:19 pmI hope we can all see his hanging. And that of Gardephe and Curley as well. That would really be enjoyable.
November 24th, 2007 at 8:31 pmThey need to arrest Curly for aiding and abedding
November 24th, 2007 at 9:35 pmMr. Curley, they showed me the file they have accumulated on you, boy, are you going to be in an orange jump suit in Abu Grab for a long time. But, I hear you like doing it pyramid style.
November 25th, 2007 at 12:45 amLet’s do an experiment and break the AP article down into 2 separate parts, (Curleys claims and The U.S. Militarys statements).
Curleys claims:
1) “The U.S. military’s plan to seek a criminal case against an Associated Press photographer in Iraq without disclosing the charges or evidence against him makes a mockery of American democratic principles”
2) “This is a poor example-and not the first of its kind-of the way our government honors the democratic principles and values it says it wants to share with the Iraqi people,”
3) “We believe Bilal’s crime was taking photographs the U.S. government did not want its citizens to see. That he was part of a team of AP photographers who had just won a Pulitzer Prize for work in Iraq may have made Bilal even more of a marked man,”
4) “Hussein was part of the AP’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photo team in 2005.”
5) “An AP investigation of the case compiled last spring and made public Wednesday concluded that the series of accusations against Hussein do not hold up to scrutiny.”
6) “the military has refused to answer questions from Hussein’s attorney, former federal prosecutor Paul Gardephe, since announcing its intentions to seek a case against him. The military would not even share the exact date of the hearing,”
7) “How is Gardephe to defend Bilal? This affair makes a mockery of the democratic principles of justice and the rule of law that the United States says it is trying to help Iraq establish,”
What a redundant Ass Tom Curley sounds like! How did the AP do an investigation if they don’t have any information?
The U.S. Militarys statements:
1) “The U.S. military notified the AP last weekend that it intended to submit a complaint against Bilal Hussein that would bring the case into the Iraqi justice system as early as Nov. 29.”
2) “Military officials have alleged that Hussein, 36, had links to terrorist groups but are refusing to disclose what evidence or accusations would be presented.”
3) “Previously, the military suggested an array of possible lines of investigation, including claims that Hussein offered to provide false identification to a sniper seeking to evade U.S.-led forces, that he possessed bomb-making equipment, and that he took photographs that were synchronized with insurgent blasts.”
4) “Hussein, a native of Fallujah, was detained in Ramadi on April 12, 2006.”
5) “A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said Saturday that Curley’s column reflected a “fundamental misunderstanding of the Iraqi court system as well as the detainee process.”
6) “Maj. Bradford Leighton said that Hussein’s detention without charge was legal under a United Nations mandate, and explained that the case would proceed differently than it would in the U.S. because the Iraqi system follows different procedures and rules about disclosing evidence.”
7) “It’s not like our system,” said Leighton. “The evidence is presented to a judge and the judge makes the decision whether the case goes forward.”
“Leighton said that if the first judge decides there is a strong case, he will send it to a three-judge panel for the trial.”
Well that sounds reasonable to me! What’s so hard for Curley to understand about the case being in Iraq not in America? I’ll bet if the U.S. told Iraq how to operate their Judicial system that Curley would be the first to scream Fascist!
November 25th, 2007 at 1:58 amMaybe we should forward the pictures of his hanging to AP.
November 25th, 2007 at 10:30 am