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Giuliana Sgrena Blasts U.S. Cover Up, Calls for U.S. and
Italy to Leave Iraq
Howard Zinn: "To Be Neutral, To Be Passive In A Situation
Is To Collaborate With Whatever Is Going On"
Giuliana Sgrena Blasts U.S. Cover Up, Calls for U.S.
and Italy to Leave Iraq
In her most extended interview to date in the U.S., Italian
journalist Giuliana Sgrena blasts a Pentagon report that clears
the U.S. soldiers who opened fire on her car, wounding her
and killing one of Italy's highest ranking intelligence officials.
Sgrena says, "It is important that the Americans press
their government to tell the truth. Because it is in the interest
of Americans, the truth. Not only of Italians." [includes
rush
transcript]
We begin today with the ongoing controversy over the killing
of one of Italy's highest-ranking intelligence officials by
US soldiers last month in Baghdad. On Monday, a US Army official
reported that a military investigation has cleared the soldiers
who shot dead Nicola Calipari on March 4 after US troops opened
fire on the car that was also carrying Giuliana Sgrena - the
Italian journalist who had just been freed from captivity.
Sgrena has publicly rejected the U.S. claims that the shooting
was justified. The leaking of that report sparked outrage
in Italy.
The Italian officials on the US-led commission are reportedly
refusing to endorse the U.S. Army's findings. Italy maintains
that that car carrying Calipari and Sgrena had been driving
slowly, received no warning and that Italy had advised U.S.
authorities of their mission to evacuate Sgrena from Iraq.
Yesterday, Giuliana Sgrena blasted the results of the investigation
at a press conference in Rome.
- Giuliana Sgrena, Rome, Italy, April 26, 2005.
The U.S government has said it will not comment on the report
until it is officially released. Here is Secretary of State
Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chief of Staff, Richard Myers speaking
at a press conference at the Pentagon yesterday.
- Pentagon news conference, April 26, 2005.
Italian judges are conducting a separate investigation into
the killing. The report comes at bad time for Italian Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi who was forced to resign last week
in the wake of his center-right coalition's defeat in recent
regional elections. The defeat was blamed in a large part
on Berlusconi's unpopular decision to send troops to Iraq.
He quickly put together a new Cabinet, hoping to cling to
power through elections due next spring.
Yesterday I spoke with Giuliana Segrena by telephone from
Rome where she is recovering from the injuries she suffered
as a result of the shooting.
- Giuliana Sgrena, she joins us on the line from Rome,
Italy.
Howard Zinn: "To Be Neutral, To Be Passive In
A Situation Is To Collaborate With Whatever Is Going On"
We speak with legendary historian Howard Zinn, author of
one of the most popular books on American History, "A
People's History of the United States." In his youth,
Zinn was a bombardier in World War II and participated in
the Napalm bombing in France. He went on to dedicate his life
to opposing wars of all kind. He was an active fighter in
Civil Rights Movement and served as an advisor to the Student
Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. In the late 1960s, he
traveled to Vietnam with Father Dan Berrigan during intensive
US attacks and negotiated the release of US POWs. In fact,
Howard Zinn was a part of most struggles for social justice
in this country during his lifetime. He joins us in our firehouse
studio. [includes rush
transcript]
Following his life is like taking a journey through the major
struggles of the 20th Century. We spend the rest of the hour
with the legendary historian Howard Zinn. In his youth, he
was a bombardier in WWII and participated in the Napalm bombing
in France. He went on to dedicate his life to opposing wars
of all kind. He was an active fighter in Civil Rights Movement
and served as an advisor to the Student Non-Violent Coordinating
Committee. In the late 1960s, he traveled to Vietnam with
Father Dan Berrigan during intensive US attacks and negotiated
the release of US POWs. In fact, Howard Zinn was a part of
most struggles for social justice in this country during his
lifetime. He was a professor for seven years at the historically
black college for women, Spelman College. Eventually he was
fired for insubordination. He is a historian and the author
of one of the most popular books on American History, "A
People's History of the United States."
But before we go to him, we are going to go to an excerpt
of a new film that chronicles his life. It is titled, "You
can't be Neutral on a Moving Train" which is the title
of his autobiography. The film is produced by First Run Features
and is narrated by Zinn's next-door neighbor, actor Matt Damon.
- Howard Zinn, joins us in our firehouse studio.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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