February 16, 2005
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I was curious just how many people Saddam and his buddies had killed during their 25 year reign. After a lot of digging, I found State Department reports that showed the following:
From IRAQ: CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY - Leaders as Executioners
2,040 deaths
Executed opponents and suspected potential rivals, including scores of high-level government officials and thousands of political prisoners.
1,070,000 deaths
The 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war left 150,000 to 340,000 Iraqis and 450,000 to 730,000 Iranians dead.
1,000 deaths
Ordered the invasion and destruction of Kuwait in 1990-91 with 1,000 Kuwaitis killed.
60,000 deaths
Directed the 1991 bloody suppression of Kurdish and Shi'a insurgencies in northern and southern Iraq with at least 30,000 to 60,000 killed.
7,000 deaths
Periodically ordered during 1988-99 mass prison executions of several thousand inmates ("prison cleansing").
20,000 deaths
Known as Saddam's "Shi'a thug", he violently suppressed the 1991 Shi'a uprisings after the Gulf War with tens of thousands killed.
From Saddam's Brutality Against the Iraqi People
100,000 deaths
The campaign resulted in the death of at least 50,000 to 100,000 Iraqi Kurds, according to Human Rights Watch reports.
2,000 deaths
During the 1991 Iraqi repression of the post-Gulf war Kurdish insurrection, thousands of Iraqi Kurds died, 500,000 became refugees along northern Iraq's "no-fly zone" bordering Turkey, and 1.2 to 1.4 million other refugees fled to Iran.
For good measure, I checked for data on refugees as well:
From War Crimes
900,000 refugees
The Iraqi government's campaign of forced deportations of Kurdish and Turkomen families to southern Iraq has created approximately 900,000 internally displaced citizens throughout the country.
From Saddam's Brutality Against the Iraqi People
1900000 refugees
During the 1991 Iraqi repression of the post-Gulf war Kurdish insurrection, thousands of Iraqi Kurds died, 500,000 became refugees along northern Iraq's "no-fly zone" bordering Turkey, and 1.2 to 1.4 million other refugees fled to Iran.
240,000 refugees
By 1993 the marshes sheltered 200,000 to 250,000 inhabitants — more than half Marsh Arabs; the rest various internally displaced persons and oppositionists. Today, nearly all are displaced — less than 10,000 Marsh Arabs still survive the regime's systematic destruction, bulldozing, and artillery bombardments, while thousands were secretly executed by Iraqi forces, including women and children.
From Invading Kuwait
1500000 refugees
It is estimated that 1.5 million people were displaced abroad by Iraq's occupation of Kuwait, while the remaining 750,000 endured brutalities, oppression, torture, and more than 1,000 were killed.
So a reasonable read of these numbers shows that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was responsible for the deaths of 1.26 million Iraqis and other Arabs, and for the creation of 4.54 million refugees.
- found herenow... my question is - why did it take so long for someone, anyone (WMD issues aside for the moment here), to step up. why the fuck was hussein left to rule?
WHY. ISN'T. ANYONE. STEPPING. UP. FOR. THESE?
OR. THESE?
seems to me the UN (read: france, et al) is more worried about the human rights of the countries that export the most, rather than nations of the world at large.
Comments (4)
The "vital interests" of those in control of the reins of power are often at odds with the rationalizations they put forth for the decisions they make.
Because there was no money in it.
Same reason over 4 million have died in the Congo.
$$$
Sick, and sad.
think back to when the other george bush was president. he had the opportunity, but didn't take it. WHY? who the f*ck knows....too much saudi pressure on his livelihood? but now his son is out to avenge it, at the wrong time, with the wrong excuses. can you tell i feel strongly about this?
atom blonde is right - africa is bleeding, and where are we to stop it?
The scary thing is that Saddam isn't the worst. Go take a look at Africa sometime. Makes Iraq seem kinda pleasent in comparison.
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