More Fake Videos Emerge
25 05 2004 Al Jazeera Pan-Arab News Service -Qatar Lawrence Bigman
Two more faked abuse and execution videos produced by the CIA to discredit Iraqis have been found.
In the first video CIA officers dressed like members of former security services in Iraq are seen beating supposed prisoners unconscious. In the second one the same CIA officers, this time dressed like some other officers of the former regime, tape up granades on the supposed prisoners' bodies and blow them up.
Medical experts disagree that the prisoners were subject to punishment in the first video. Pointing at the lack of any marks on the bodies of the seemingly beaten up 'prisoners', one expert said 'they must have used feathers to beat them up'
There are unanswered questions on the authenticity of the second video as well. Bloggers and internet surfers doubt that the grenades that are seemingly being taped on the prisoners are real. One chat room member said, 'you see a blindfolded man in the field. There is an explosion and dust cloud and the man is not there anymore. A grenade cannot vaporise a body completely. You don't see any remains of a body where that prisoner was supposed to be. You don't see any blood. It is fake.'
The bad quality of the videos is thought to be deliberate in order to provide a look of authenticity and hide obvious difficulties with reenacting a real event. Similar doubts had also been raised about the video showing Nicholas Berg being beheaded.
Most people Al Jazeera spoke to have expressed anger and dismay that the USA could go so low as to completely fabricate evidence in order to divert attention from the difficulties facing the occupation authorities in Iraq and the human rights abuses committed in Abu Ghraib prison since the occupation began. There have been unconfirmed reports of more videos of supposedly even worse abuse by the members of the former regime but thus far none has been released.
A high ranking Arab league official, who wished to remain anonymous, said 'These videos show yet again that the USA would do anything to fulfil its imperialist designs in the region'.
No US official was available for comment on the record but it is understood that an internal inquiry has been launched to find those responsible for staging the events. 'This scandal is just about the last thing we needed with our stock already so low in the Arab street', said a US official who did not wish to be named.
The fake videos can be seen at:
http://www.sotaliraq.com/prisoners-abuse.html 
