Legislator Mistreated
by U.S. Forces
By Jamie Tarabay
Associated Press Writer

04/19/05 "AP" - - The mistreatment of the legislator occurred when Fattah al-Sheik, whose small party has been linked to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, showed his identity card at a checkpoint outside the heavily fortified Green Zone and was asked to get out of his car, legislator Tourkit al-Ta'i said.

In an emotional speech to the 275-member legislature, al-Sheik, whose small party has been linked to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, sobbed as he said the American soldier had kicked his car, mocked the legislature, handcuffed him and held him by the neck.

"What happened to me represents an insult to the whole National Assembly that was elected by the Iraqi people. This shows that the democracy we are enjoying is fake. Through such incidents, the U.S. Army tries to show that they are the real controlling power in the country, not the new Iraqi government, and that they can impose their rules on every Iraqi," he said.

U.S. forces said they were investigating the incident.

Before resuming the session, lawmaker Salam al-Maliki read a statement from the National Assembly demanding an apology from the U.S. Embassy and the prosecution of the U.S. soldiers who allegedly had mistreated al-Sheik.

Copyright: Associated Press

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