Protest the Cover-Up of the Shooting of Giuliana Sgrena

[NVMojo]

Dear Media for Democracy Member,

When Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena's car was fired upon near the Baghdad airport by U.S. soldiers, resulting in her wounding and the death of intelligence agent Nicola Calipari, press freedom groups demanded an impartial and independent international investigation. The Pentagon rebuffed the call.

Instead, the United States military investigated itself -- amidst reports that an Italian invited to join the probe was denied access to the vehicle that was involved in the incident. This is consistent with earlier U.S. responses to demands by Reuters and the International Federation of Journalists for independent inquires into earlier shootings of journalists. In every case, the Pentagon rejected outsiders from the process.

Last night on CBS's "60 Minutes Two," Sgrena denied the official story and accused the United States military of lying about the details.
Sgrena says she was less than a half-mile from the airport, when the shooting began:

"Seven hundred meters more, and we are in the airport, and we will be safe and we will be in the airport. And in the same moment, started the shooting."

Sgrena says that as the car rounded a turn, driving no faster than 30 miles an hour, it was hit by gunfire and at the same time, a bright light. She and Calipari were in the back seat. "He pushed me down and with this, the body, covered me," says Sgrena. "He pushed me down in the car. And I was asking, 'Why?' Nicola doesn't say, he doesn't speak it, doesn't say nothing."

Other reports based on earlier interviews and another eyewitness account insisted: They lied about the checkpoint, speeding, hand and arm signals, warning shots, etc. There was no "checkpoint" where the shooting incident took place. The car was not "speeding", there were no "hand and arm signals", there were no "warning shots", and there were no "engine block" shots. The shooters ambushed the car from behind. There were earlier reports that an "elite combat unit," a CIA contingency of personal body guards for new national intelligence chief John Negroponte, may have been involved.

These are serious charges, yet a military-led investigation is poised to exonerate the soldiers and dismiss the critics once again. The pro-war Murdoch-owned New York Post reports today:
"April 14, 2005 -- U.S. soldiers reportedly have been cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting of an Italian journalist and an intelligence agent last month in Baghdad.

"U.S. military officials told NBC News that a joint American-Italian investigation found the soldiers acted properly in firing on a car bearing a just-freed hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, and an intelligence officer, Nicola Calipari.

"The car was about 130 yards from a checkpoint when the soldiers flashed their lights to get it to stop. They fired warning shots when the car was within 90 yards of the checkpoint, but at 65 yards, they used deadly force. Calipari was killed and Sgrena wounded."

Media for Democracy is calling on its members and supporters as well as media colleagues to join us in protesting this latest outrage and cover-up. Support press freedom -- denounce the suspicious killings and harassment of journalists in Iraq. Since the invasion in March 2003, more than a dozen journalists and media staff have been killed in Iraq by U.S. troops. Tell the Pentagon and the White House that the United States needs to act to defend its traditions of liberty and justice by addressing the concerns of journalists and citizens around the world over the failure to conduct credible investigations into the deaths of journalists and media staff in Iraq.

George W. Bush
President, United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Tel.: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense, United States of America
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Email: www.defenselink.mil/faq/comment.html

Peter Vangjel
Brigadier General, United States Army
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Email: www.defenselink.mil/faq/comment.html
We Demand the Truth. Please speak up and speak out.

Sincerely,
Danny Schechter
Editor, MediaChannel.org
Director, "WMD (Weapons of Mass Deception)"
http://www.wmdthefilm.com

[lala_rawraw]

1. She should tell the world whatever it was that she found out...

That gave them reason to shoot at her. Where are the Negroponte links? I want to pass this around. Thanks for posting.