[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

July 9




NEW ZEALAND:

Give paedophiles 'involuntary euthanasia': Adviser for Hannah Tamaki's 
Coalition NZ Party



A campaign manager for Hannah Tamaki's Coalition New Zealand Party has called 
for the Government to introduce involuntary euthanasia for paedophiles who are 
repeat offenders.

Jevan Goulter, who told the Herald his personal views don't necessarily 
represent the political party's stance, says its time for New Zealand to 
discuss the death penalty and involuntary euthanasia, alongside David Seymour's 
End of Life Bill after passing its 2nd reading.

The campaign manager originally took to social media stating he wanted the 
euthanasia bill killed and the reintroduction of the death penalty for 
paedophiles who are repeat offenders.

"Kill the Euthanasia Bill, reintroduce the 1961 death penalty for third time 
offenders," he said in a video.

"If we're already talking about euthanasia, something that's going to threaten 
our most vulnerable people in this country, the elderly, people with 
Alzheimer's, dementia patients, people with disabilities, people that suffer 
from depression and mental illnesses, then should we not just throw a few of 
these paedophiles who commit heinous crimes against our children?

"We should save $100,000 of taxpayers money that it cost us to hold them in 
jail and just damn well euthanise the bastards! If we're going to talk about 
human life, they're the ones who deserve it."

Following Goulter's strong stance the Herald contacted Destiny Church, run by 
Hannah and Brian Tamaki, who said the church is currently undertaking its own 
research on euthanasia and don't yet have a formal position regarding the 
debate.

During the launch of the Coalition NZ Party in May, Hannah Tamaki highlighted 
potential issues surrounding euthanasia, marijuana and late-term abortions.

However, in an interview with the Herald, Goulter, who works for Coalition NZ, 
said the party is yet to formalise any stance on euthanasia but says it will be 
a topic raised between party members.

Keen to elaborate on his own views, Goulter says if the country is "intelligent 
enough" to discuss euthanasia then a debate around the death penalty needs to 
be had.

He told the Herald the term euthanasia is just an "umbrella" term for many 
forms of death, including "involuntary euthanasia", and believes New Zealanders 
need to have a more in-depth discussion around the topic before making a final 
decision.

"As a country, if we believe ourselves to be intelligent enough to have a 
discussion around euthanasia, why not open the door and put other things on the 
table at the same time.

"One of the reasons they got rid of the death penalty is because it was 
inhumane. But we're in 2019 now and it wouldn't be inhumane because you 
wouldn't be giving voluntary euthanasia to people if it was inhumane.

"You'd be giving them the same thing as the death penalty. So it's no longer 
inhumane.

"When it comes to children I'm calling for 3 strikes and you're out. if our 
justice system gets it wrong 3 times then there is something wrong with that.

"People say euthanasia is completely different to the death penalty because 
you're aiding those who suffer from terminal or incurable illness, but my 
argument is when you look at the definition of euthanasia it's an umbrella word 
for voluntary euthanasia, involuntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia.

"If we're going to debate euthanasia, we are also really debating involuntary 
euthanasia which is similar to the death penalty.

"We have a lot of problems in New Zealand, such as poverty, a lack of homes. 
What makes it okay to spend $90,000-$100,000 a year to home paedophiles in 
jail, then let them out to potentially reoffend again.

"At what point do we say it's not our job to take human life. But then we 
decide we're going to allow euthanasia anyway, so I'm saying why the hell would 
you allow a paedophile out to go and screw with a child's innocence just for 
the sake you want to take the moral high ground on human life.

"It's hypocrisy from people who support voluntary euthanasia but don't support 
involuntary euthanasia."

The last person to be executed was Walter James Bolton, for poisoning his wife, 
on 18 February 1957.

Walter maintained his innocence right until his last breath, which raised 
questions about whether capital punishment was inhumane.

The death penalty in New Zealand was abolished in 1961.

END OF LIFE BILL

David Seymour's End of Life Bill allows people with less than 6 months to live 
or with a grievous and irremediable medical condition to have a lethal dose of 
medication to cause death, although Seymour has said he will put up an 
amendment to ensure it applies only to people to people with 6 months to live.

To be eligible, the patient must meet the above conditions and be in an 
advanced state of irreversible decline in capability and experiencing 
unbearable suffering, be aged at least 18 and be a New Zealand citizen or 
resident. The patient must initiate the request to their attending medical 
practitioner who must seek an independent second opinion and, if either of them 
doubt the competence of the patient, get a third from a psychiatrist or 
psychologist.

However, the bill faces a number of hurdles, including from opponents who are 
pledging to table more than a hundred amendments during the committee stages.

(source: New Zealand Herald)








GREAT BRITAIN:

Tory members support bringing back death penalty, poll finds



Members of the Conservative Party support bringing back capital punishment and 
believe Donald Trump would make a good prime minister of the UK, a new survey 
has found.

The YouGov poll also found most members believe that Islam is a "threat" to the 
UK.

The study showed 58% of members supported the death penalty for certain crimes, 
56% said they believe Islam is "generally a threat" to the British way of life, 
and 54% agreed that Donald Trump would be a good PM.

The poll also found that 46% believe climate change concern is exaggerated, 49% 
think schools should not be required to teach on LGBT relationships and 51% 
said people who claim benefits could find work if they tried hard enough.

The poll - which was commissioned for Channel 4's Dispatches - also found that 
four in 10 Tory members (42%) thought that having a multicultural country had 
damaged British society.

The Dispatches episode will air tonight at 8pm and also cover Islamophobic 
Facebook posts made by Tory members.

One member of a Boris Johnson supporters' page said they would "ban all Muslim 
entering the whole of Great Britain".

A Conservative spokesperson responded to the posts highlighted by Dispatches, 
saying: “Those people making these posts that we have found to be members of 
the party have been suspended pending investigation.

“Discrimination or abuse of any kind is wrong and will not be tolerated.”

The poll, which questioned 892 members of the party, was carried out between 
June 11 and June 14.

Tory members are currently choosing who will be the UK's next prime minister.

(source: The National)








PHILIPPINES:

Opposition senators vow to block death penalty



Opposition senators said they will try their best to fight the re-imposition of 
capital punishment in the country as the growing number of senators in the 18th 
Congress openly endorsed its passage.

Senate Minority leader Franklin Drilon admitted it will be an uphill battle 
against the revival of death penalty but he vowed to fight “tooth and nail” to 
block the proposal with fellow opposition lawmakers.

“It will be a tough fight considering that it is an administration-backed 
legislation and a number of senators have openly endorsed its passage. Let 
alone our diminished number in the Senate,” Drilon said.

“Notwithstanding these difficulties we will do our best to prevent it. We will 
never allow the 18th Congress to give license to authorities to kill the poor,” 
he added.

Apart from Senate President Vicente Sotto III and senators Manny Pacquiao, 
Ronald dela Rosa, Panfilo Lacson, and Christopher Go, who authored the bill 
reviving death penalty, those who expressed support for it include senators 
Sherwin Gatchalian, Cynthia Villar, Imee Marcos, Aquilino Pimentel III, Juan 
Edgardo Angara, Pia Cayetano, Bong Revilla, Francis Tolentino, and Lito Lapid.

Drilon said given the inadequacies of the justice system, to revive the death 
penalty is to give a death sentence to the poor, who will be made victims of 
this cruel and inhumane punishment.

“It has been proven time and again that capital punishment is not an effective 
deterrent to crimes. Only the poor will be made victim of this measure,” Drilon 
said. “No justice will be served if it involves taking a life. Let’s be more 
rational, humane, independent, and conscientious in handling this very 
sensitive issue.”

Drilon said the anti-death penalty senators will count for support from the 
majority of Filipinos who expressed strong opposition to restoration of death 
penalty.

He added a Social Weather Stations survey last year showed that 7 out of 10 
Filipinos were not in favor of imposing death penalty on a number of serious 
crimes.

Drilon said the protocol does not provide for any withdrawal or derogation 
mechanism, which means that parties to the protocol cannot reinstate death 
penalty without violating international law. “Unless this issue is resolved, we 
cannot have a complete debate, because we will be back to the same question: 
can Philippines re-impose death penalty without any regard to our treaty 
obligation?” said Drilon.

(source: Panay News)








MALAYSIA:

Word ‘mandatory’ to be removed from laws prescribing death penalty



The word “mandatory” preceding “death sentence” will be removed from laws 
against drug trafficking, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said.

It will be left to the presiding judge to decide whether to sentence the 
convicted party to death or jail for no less than 10 years, he said.

(source: themalaysianinsight.com)








ZIMBABWE:

Job Sikhala faces a death penalty for treason



Former president Mugabe once said of Madhuku "that once he is broke he provokes 
the law enforcement so that when he is arrested his sponsors will vilify 
Zimbabwe and consequently pour money to his pocket organisation which will 
eventually get into his pocket. It was rightfully named the Madhuku strategy." 
This is the syndrome which has gripped the broke MDC and are doing everything 
they can to provoke the law enforcement to action and then they cry human 
rights. This will mKe them get a high pay cheque at the expense of the Nation. 
They are desperately finding a reason to be arrested and tarnish the name of 
Zimbabwe.

It is not by coincidence that the Sky News flighted by night a damaging article 
on Zimbabwe featuring the Rural Teachers Association of Zimbabwe. It is not a 
different song which the misguided MDC youth sang on calling for removal of the 
Zimbabwean government through illegal means. Then Job the political wonderer 
coined it up when he presided over an MDC Alliance rally in Bikita.

It is a total surprise that MDC is distancing itself from the treasonous 
statements by Job Sikhala. One should remind the MDC that what is said on its 
official business is deemed to have been said by them. To ditch the folk 
tongued Sikhala at this stage shows that the MDC A can not stand by its own. 
One is reminded of Chamisa when he called MDC members stupids for standing ip 
for his cause. The speech by Job exposes MDC A as a violent party which is 
power hungry which can do anything and everything to gain power. This attitude 
of the MDC singles them out to be mercenaries and enemies of the state and the 
nation. Zimbabwe has presided over the fall of Opposition political class. We 
now have a power hungry violent outfit masquerading as opposition.

>From the day Chamisa stole the MDC leadership opposition is failing and our 
political system is collapsing. Chamisa went further to gather all the rebells 
and drafted them to his side. These are the people who would not have seen a dY 
in MDC if Tsvangirai was alive.

The Opposition has lost its meaning since the demise os Tsvangirai.

The Opposition's main role is to question the government of the day and hold 
them accountable. Opportunities for scrutinising the policies and 
administration of the Government are provided in parliament Members of the 
Opposition who are members of parliamentary committees have a further 
opportunity to scrutinise new legislation as part of the committee process.

The Opposition also utilises the media to reach the electorate with its views 
and to establish an identity as an alternative government. It is wrong for any 
opposition to Advocate for the removal of the constitutionally elected 
government by force.

The speech by Job Sikhala was. Job badly done.

The Opposition wants to present itself as a Government in waiting. It does this 
mostly through the media and by campaigning in the constituencies but 
Parliament is also an important forum for this. The opposition therefore play a 
role in criticising Government policy when there are disagreements between the 
parties, for example in reply to Ministerial statements and in debates on 
legislation. It proposes motions and amendments to legislation and is able to 
get these debated. Other opposition parties are also able to criticise the 
government and move amendments.

Parliament is part of the general debate between Government and Opposition that 
takes place between general elections and helps to establish the credibility of 
the Opposition. However MDC has no clue of its functions as an apposition 
party.

Chamisa has transformed opposition to be an entity which creates division, and 
their concern is often on national splits and challenges the government and 
mistakes by ministers rather than what the debate between the Government and 
Opposition is actually about.

Opposition is supposed to put its case through Parliamentary debate. But 
Chamisa has become known for preaching hardships and problems for the nation. 
He actually takes pride in throwing spanners in the engine of the economy. He 
has not stopped to boast about how his actions have brought Zimbabwe to its 
knees.

Then his disciple war lord Sikhala raises stench and vomits treason.

In a normal situation any opposition leader who lobbies for sanctions and prays 
for poverty against his own people would be charged of treason. His actions are 
diabolic and evil. Worse still a leader who calls for the removal of the 
government by force must be charged without any excuse. Job Sikhala has to be 
charged of treason as soon as possible.

The Opposition political system used to be seen as one of the wonders of the 
world. Max Weber, the great German sociologist, gave a seminal lecture on "The 
Profession and Vocation of Politics" in Munich. Speaking in the chaotic and 
revolutionary aftermath of the First World War, he expressed his admiration for 
the Opposition system and the way its politicians and officials managed to 
maintain prosperity and stability while allowing a working democracy to 
flourish.it was reputed around the world as the cradle of democracy, tolerance 
and downright decency. No longer. Chamisa has made opposition politics look 
like really war.

Chamisa's immature behaviour has led to the complete collapse of our political 
system. It is painful to see people engaged in real civil wars pitying us for 
the deep division in the country and the inability of our political leaders to 
resolve it. We have watched with bewilderment, despair and exasperation as the 
opposition politics degenerate into war situation in Zimbabwe.

We have gone from being the most stable country in Africa to one of the least, 
from a country governed by a broad pragmatic consensus to a society divided 
into two doctrinaire camps and from a government that managed crises well to 
political leaders who can't even control their own parties. Worst of all we 
have gone from a relatively civilised and tolerant political discourse to 
violence on our streets directed at people who are actually in power.

Job Sikhala has used a rally in Bikit to threaten the government. Action has to 
be taken against him. The law must fully coil around his lip and show others 
how peaceful se are.

Zimbabwe needs a progressive opposition.

All what we have heard by Chamisa is that he will work against the nations yet 
he wants to lead the same people he is punishing. Now his trusted thug Job 
Sikhala declares war on the government.

It is easy to hate ED without a reason. This is because the economy is 
struggling and people are really in trouble. But we need to see the big 
picture.

Opposition now operates as armed rebels. Having tried the ballot box now they 
are using the economy which they are sabotaging. They celebrate any suffering 
caused by their actions. Instead of coming up with ideas to improve the economy 
they actually campaign against it. They have taken their shenanigans to another 
level. They are now calling for an unlawful removal of the government.

So the jecha brigade are not progressive their actions are talking evil. Now 
they are talking war.

Sikhala's statements must be condemned and he must be charged of treason.

(source: bulawayo24.com)








SOMALIA----executions

Al-Shabab Kills 18 in Surge of Executions



Somali militant group al-Shabab has executed 18 people since Wednesday, an 
unprecedented rate of executions for the group, which is under pressure from 
U.S. airstrikes.

Militants put to death 4 people in the southern town of Jamame on Sunday, 
immediately after the judge in an al-Shabab court declared them guilty.

Firing squads shot and killed 2 men accused of being Somali government soldiers 
and a woman accused of being a spy for Kenya. The militants identified the 
woman as 20-year-old Iqra Abdi Aden.

Afterward, an 18-year-old man, Nur Bakar Jirow, was publicly stoned to death 
for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl. The man argued the sex was consensual, 
but the judge said he deserved the death penalty because he was married at the 
time.

On Saturday, al-Shabab firing squads killed 3 men accused of being Somali 
government soldiers in the town of Kurtunwarey in the Lower Shabelle region. In 
Buale town of the neighboring Middle Jubba region, the militants executed a man 
accused of practicing sorcery.

On July 3 and 4, al-Shabab shot and killed 10 men in 2 separate executions in 
Hagar and Salagle towns in southern Somalia. The group accused the men of 
spying for the Somali government, Kenya and the U.S. Central Intelligence 
Agency.

All of the victims were convicted by militant courts, according to al-Shabab 
affiliate media sites.

Al-Shabab courts do not allow lawyers to represent the defendants, and the 
evidence largely relies on alleged confessions. Critics believe that 
al-Shabab’s militias torture the accused to force the confessions.

The group did not give a reason for the surge in executions, but has been the 
target of dozens of U.S. airstrikes over the past two and a half years. The 
airstrikes are often ordered on the basis of ground-level intelligence 
collected by Somali government sources.

In other violence, at least 7 people were killed and 22 others were injured in 
Mogadishu on Monday in 2 separate attacks, witnesses say.

The 1st attack took place near a civilian hospital when Mogadishu police 
stopped a vehicle loaded with explosives. The driver refused to exit the 
vehicle, forcing police to open fire. Moments later the vehicle exploded 
killing two people and injuring 18 others.

Separately, a suspected militant vehicle attempted to pass through a security 
checkpoint on a crowded road in Mogadishu. Security forces responded killing 2 
militants. A member of the police and 2 civilians were also killed according to 
witnesses. 4 others were injured in the attack.

(source: voanews.com)



IRAN:

Iran to Sell Organs of Death Row Inmates



The organs of death row prisoners in Iran could be pre-sold to buyers under a 
new law that is heavily condemned by Iran’s Association of Surgeons.

The head of the Iranian regime’s Judiciary, Ebrahim Raeesi, who was involved in 
the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, explained that an article has 
been included in the criminal justice laws that would allow a convict to 
“voluntarily offers his or her organ[s] before or after execution”. This would 
be approved by the judge, the ministry of justice, and the coroners’ office 
provided there is no medical obstacle that would render the organs unfit.

This law was heavily criticised by Iran’s Association of Surgeons, who 
described it as “extremely worrying, damaging to our profession and the 
prestige of Iran in the eyes of the civilised world”.

A professor who works in the liver transplant unit at the so-called ‘Khomeini 
hospital’ in Tehran and is a member of the American Society of Transplantation 
told the state-run ISNA news agency that no specialist surgeon would follow the 
law because “it is immoral and against all the values of our profession”.

“Anyone sentenced to death would not be in a right frame of mind to 
‘voluntarily’ offer their organs, unless they are forced to do so under immense 
pressure. Members of our association of surgeon will never abide by this law."

Currently, Iran has a huge deficit in the number of organs available for 
transplant, specifically kidneys, hearts, and livers, due to the vast number of 
patients, especially those who cannot afford to pay.

Katayoun Najafizadeh, the head of Iran’s Organ Donations Society, said that 
there are over 25,000 Iranian patients waiting on a transplant, but only 926 
organs – mainly from car crash victims – were made available to the country’s 
specialist hospitals last year.

Worse still, because it is legal to sell organs in Iran, thousands of people 
from across the Middle East are visiting Iran’s private clinics in order to pay 
for organs and skip the waiting list in their own countries. This shortage, 
alongside the growing poverty in Iran, has led to an illicit black market where 
poor people will advertise the sale of one of their kidneys for as little as 
£200.

Rather than crack down or improve the lives of the poor, the regime has decided 
to lean in.

(source: ncr-iran.org)








SAUDI ARABIA:

Donald Trump Keen to Cover for Mohammed Bin Salman No Matter What He Does As 
Executions Double in Saudi Arabia, Activists Say



The 1st half of 2019 has been a bloody one in Saudi Arabia, with more than 1 
prisoner executed by the government each day on average.

The number of executions in the first 6 months of the year is the highest 
recorded in the past 5 years, and more than double the 55 from the same period 
in 2018, according to a new report by the European Saudi Organisation for Human 
Rights.

>From January until the end of June, 122 people were executed in the 
ultra-conservative kingdom. Among them are 6 minors and 58 foreign nationals, 
from nations including Pakistan, Yemen and Syria. 3 women were among those 
killed, 1 each from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Yemen.

51 of those killed were executed for drug offenses, though ESOHR noted that in 
many nations the crimes would not have been among the most serious.

Among the remainder were political prisoners—including many Shiite citizens, 
persecuted in the Sunni-dominated nation—charged in relation to anti-government 
protests. Some of these charges dated back to the Arab Spring, when unrest 
spread to Saudi Arabia in 2011 and 2012 but was quickly crushed by the 
government.

On just one day—April 23—37 people were executed. The majority of these had 
been convicted of offenses linked to Shiite anti-government demonstrations, 
ESOHR explained. The new focus on political dissenters shows that the country 
is "experiencing a particularly brutal period of repression," the report said.

The soaring rate of executions in the authoritarian state comes despite Crown 
Prince Mohammed bin Salman's promise—made in April 2018—to reduce the use of 
the death penalty to as low as possible.

Salman, colloquially known as MBS, is the son and heir of the elderly King 
Salman. Though not yet on the throne, he is widely believed to be the true 
power behind the king and has amassed a formidable collection of state 
responsibilities since seizing his position in a palace coup in 2017.

Speaking with Time, MBS said the royal family was seeking to "minimize" the use 
of the death penalty. "There are a few areas we can change or lower the 
sentence from execution to life imprisonment," he said. "So we are working for 
two years through the government and also the Saudi parliament to build new 
laws in that area. And we believe it will take one year, maybe a little bit 
more, to have it finished."

But MBS has not delivered. Since making the pledge, 221 people have been 
executed. While now hugely influential, he is part of a bigger problem—714 
individuals have been executed since King Salman took the throne in January 
2015.

The Saudi Arabian government did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request 
for comment on the latest execution figures.

Ali Adubisi, the director of ESOHR, told Newsweek there appears not to be "any 
signal" that MBS will follow through on his promise.

The young prince came to the fore lauded as a much-needed reformer, vowing to 
liberalize the nation and diversify its oil dependent economy. The Vision 2020 
initiative would, he told the world, open Saudi Arabia to global commerce, 
offer new freedoms to its citizens and phase out some of the more archaic 
elements of Saudi society.

But many of his actions have run contrary to the project. He led Saudi Arabia 
into a devastating war in Yemen, was linked to the brutal murder of Washington 
Post journalist Jamal Khasohggi, arrested and extorted billions from allegedly 
corrupt Saudi business people, and cracked down on human rights, pro-democracy 
and Shiite activists.

Regardless, world leaders have largely remained at his back. President Donald 
Trump in particular has lauded his "friend" MBS, who he said last month is 
doing a "fantastic job." Saudi Arabia's deep pockets, huge oil reserves and 
strategic value against an aggressive Iran prompt many Western leaders to 
overlook the human rights transgressions of the House of Saud.

Indeed, the next G20 summit—in November 2020—is scheduled to be held in Riyadh. 
It seems that whatever MBS and his royal relatives do, the key players in the 
international community are unwilling to ostracize them.

For domestic human rights groups, this support sends a clear message. "One of 
the main difficulties they face is the support for MBS from the international 
community, especially from the U.S. and the U.K.," Adubisi explained. "They are 
clearly supporting MBS despite all these crises in human rights."

For Adubisi, MBS is the key driver of Saudi Arabia's expansion of capital 
punishment. Only by increasing pressure on the crown prince can the 
international community curtail executions.

The Trump administration in particular is constantly covering for MBS, Adubisi 
suggested. But it is not only the president, his senior staff including Advisor 
to the President Jared Kusher, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National 
Security Advisor John Bolton are all close with MBS.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for 
comment on the latest execution figures.

ESOHR noted its "serious concerns about the extent to which the Saudi 
government will expand capital punishment this year." If the current execution 
rate is maintained, there will be 244 executions by the end of 2019.

"Despite the lack of transparency in the Saudi government's use of detainees 
and sentences, ESOHR has documented 23 cases current pending death sentences, 
including those of at least three children," the organization said.

(source: newsweek.com)








IRAQ:

Armed Factions Accuse Anbar Commander of 'High Treason'



Iraqi Commander of operations in al-Anbar province Mahmoud al-Falahi was 
recorded in recently-leaked audio talking to who he said was a CIA agent. In 
the audio, he disclosed information on military bases and locations of Popular 
Mobilizations Forces (PMF) in western Iraq.

The audio also revealed that the Iraqi official was asked to provide geographic 
coordinates of existing PMF military bases especially of ''Iraqi Hezbollah 
Brigades'' and al-Nujbaa to be attacked by US and Israeli forces.

Iraqi Defense Minister Maj. Gen Najah al-Shammari ordered the establishment of 
a commission of inquiry after the recordings were published.

The Security and Defense Parliamentary Committee called for the formation of a 
committee to investigate the veracity of the leaks, and some members even 
pointed that Falahi might face the death penalty if the recordings were proven 
to be true.

''Hezbollah Brigades'' attacked Falahi accusing him of “high treason”, adding 
that some parties close to the commander and US embassy are trying to stoke 
sectarianism.

Brigades’ spokesman Mohammed Mohiuddin asserted that evidence is clear of 
Falahi’s involvement.

Mohiuddin said that ''Hezbollah Brigades'' expect the US Embassy to question 
what has been published and adding that the case of commander Falahi involves 
treason, espionage and conspiring against the Iraqi people.

Falahi’s silence on the accusations does not mean he is unable to respond, but 
because he has been instructed by the Defense Ministry to remain silent until 
the investigation results are released, according to a source close to Anbar 
Operations Command.

The source, who preferred not to be named, said that the recording is 
fabricated by well-known parties that seek to extend their influence over Anbar 
areas, especially in the west.

He indicated that the commander of the operations regularly meets with US 
leaders to coordinate with them on security issues in Anbar and the border with 
Syria and Jordan, therefore he does not need to contact intelligence agents.

The source believes the issue is that certain factions and PMF brigades are 
trying to take over al-Nukhayb Airport and other vital areas west of Anbar to 
facilitate the movement and transit to Syria, which was not allowed by Falahi.

Anbar MP Adel al-Mahallawi condemned the “offensive fabrications” and desperate 
attempts to undermine the army and its leaders.

He said that in recent days, a number of "unacceptable" statements were issued 
against the army and its leaders. He praised the military and its efforts, 
asserting that any offense against it is directed at all Iraqis.

The MP called on all political forces and the commander-in-chief of the armed 
forces to take firm stances against anyone trying to weaken the military for 
"evil" and "suspicious" purposes supported by foreign parties that are aiming 
to target the security and stability of the country.

(source: aawsat.com)