AL-KHALIL,
West Bank, August 19 (IslamOnline.net) - The brother of Reuters
cameraman Mazen Dana said he was deliberately murdered for discovering
mass graves of U.S. troops killed in Iraqi resistance attacks.
"The
U.S. troops killed my brother in cold blood," Nazmi Dana told
IslamOnline.net in exclusive statements.
"The
U.S. occupation troops shot dead my brother on purpose, although he
was wearing his press badge, which was also emblazoned on the car he
was driving," he said.
He
also recalled that his brother had obtained a prior permit from the
U.S. occupation authorities in Iraq to film in the site.
His
last pictures show a U.S. tank driving toward him outside the prison
walls, several shots ring out from the tank and the camera falls to
the ground.
Mass
Grave
"Mazen
told me by phone few days before his death that he discovered a mass
grave dug by U.S. troops to conceal the bodies of their fellow
comrades killed in Iraqi resistance attacks," Nazmi said.
"He
also told me that he found U.S. troops covered in plastic bags in
remote desert areas and he filmed them for a TV program. We are pretty
sure that the American forces had killed Mazen knowingly to prevent
him from airing his finding."
Nazmi
said that the U.S. occupation troops were slowing down the transfer of
his brother’s body to his hometown city of Al-Khalil (Hebron) in the
West Bank.
"At
the very beginning, the Americans refused to transfer his body outside
Iraq. After Reuters intervened they offered to allow us to take the
body to Jordan by road but we refused because of the state of
insecurity in Iraq," he said.
"Thanks
to Reuters international and diplomatic contacts, the U.S. troops
reluctantly agreed to transfer the body on an army plane to Kuwait.
From there, the body will be flown to Jordan and finally Palestine to
be laid to rest," added the grieved brother.
Last
Mission
Mazen's
wife, Umm Hamza, did not rule out that the U.S. troops targeted her
husband personally, noting they had agreed to give him a permit to
film Abu Gharib prison and then he was directly shot dead by two U.S.
tanks.
Resolved
as she was, Umm Hamza said the death of her husband came as a
bombshell, especially that she expected him to be killed while
covering the developments in Palestine for his bravery and rare
heroism.
"Filming
Abu Gharib was his last mission; he was scheduled to leave Baghdad
after getting the job done.
"I
lost the dearest man to my heart, he was caring and was loved by all
his friends and relatives," she lamented.
Settlers'
Enemy
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|
Palestinian
journalists hold a mock funeral for Mazen
|
Mazen’s
camera was the Israeli settlers' archenemy, given that he exposed to
the entire world their terrorism against the Palestinians and their
wildcat outposts sprawling in four Al-Khalil posts.
His
death cast a pall of sadness over the Palestinian territories and
reporters, who mourned him as "a matchless colleague."
All
international and local news agencies sent cables of condolences to
his family, lauding his patriotism and determination to uncover the
truth wherever it was.
The
Palestinian information ministry and press syndicate issued two
separate statements, condemning the attack on Mazen and the continued
targeting of journalists.
The
two statements demanded the U.S. to show some respect for human
beings, particularly reporters, pointing out that Mazen was a
distinguished journalist who did his best to serve his country and
cause.
The
ministry further urged all Arab and international press unions
"to open a probe into this crime and expose to the entire world
the murderers who have blood on their hands and put them on
trial."
Colleagues
Mourn
Furthermore,
dozens of Palestinian journalists protested on Tuesday morning in
Al-Khalil at the killing of Mazen.
The
marchers put on a peaceful demonstration from the House of the
Palestinian Press established by the deceased and other journalists.
In
Bethlehem, journalists also held a mock funeral for Mazen, denouncing
the U.S. occupation of Iraq and displaying placards condemning his
"assassination."
