Following the illegitimate death sentence against him, Iraqi Vice President Dr. Tareq al-Hashemi issued a statement and appeared in a press conference stressing he considers the death warrant issued against him by Maliki’s government – directed by the Iranian regime – a “medal of honor”.
“After the sham trial sessions Maliki and the judicial system associated to him set aside the curtains of this show by directly targeting me, and the Iranian regime had a major role in this decision making,” al-Hashemi said.
“This regime has said time and again, if we have a strong presence in Iraq, any party that has a problem with Iraq must sit down and talk with us,” the Iraqi Vice President added.
“During this process my bodyguards were viciously tortured, leading to the death of a number of them to force them to confess to lies. This situation emphasizes that the issue is completely political motivated, with the goal of a political overthrow,” al-Hashemi continued.
“This ruling has no legal legitimacy and I don’t recognize it. This verdict lacks any value and will not influence me at all. I expected this from the very beginning, yet I will place this as a medal of honor on my chest, and I am very proud of it because the death sentence is the price I will pay for the love I have for my country. This also shows my loyalty to my people. The judicial system in Iraq is corrupt and incapable, and under the influence of Maliki’s will and autarchy, and he is doing this by blackmailing the head of the Judicial Supreme Council and many other judges. This cruel ruling cannot prevent me from continuing to serve my country and people because I haven’t reached this post or duty through Maliki’s kindness. In fact, hundreds of thousands of people voted me here and they voted for me hoping for a better Iraq,” he added.
“Do not give a chance to Maliki and those who are affiliated to him. They are seeking to wreak religious sedition throughout the country. Answer his plans and plots with civil methods becuase this shows your sense of responsibility and continence. Those who support al-Hashemi and have faith in al-Hashemi’s policies do not hurt or damage the interests of Iraqi citizens or anyone living in Iraq, neither in practice nor in words,” al-Hashemi said.
“Al-Hashemi has now become an issue of enthusiasm and a symbol for those who have been wronged in Iraq. However, we must remember that Maliki’s overt and covert prisons are filled with tens of thousands of our innocent children, and we must not forget them. All Iraqis must support them, and all dignified human beings in this world must not remain silent in the face of the unprecedented cruelty and crackdown that is taking place now in Iraq. The United Nations and its organizations, and all of the world must evaluate Iraq’s human rights dossier and stop the killings that are being implemented through the unprecedented wave of executions. The activities of these organizations and the UN are slow and its actions incomplete, not meeting the catastrophe the Iraqi people are dealing with,” he added.
“What Iraq is facing today can be described as monopolization of political power. Unfortunately, in building a democratic country, there has been a deviance towards establishing an autarchy. Today Maliki is the prime minister and the commander of armed forces. He heads the intelligence apparatus, the interior ministry, the defense ministry and the ministry of national security. At the same time, he controls the official media apparatus and he also has the judicial branch in his grasps. This power focus is a phenomenon that threatens Iraq’s future. This is what has happened to me personally and is the result of this type of monopolization in political power. Maliki cannot tolerate co-existence with his opponents to allow a democratic atmosphere in Iraq,” al-Hashemi concluded.