Ali al-Shemari
Ali al-Shemari is an Iraqi politician from the Sadrist Movement who was the Health Minister of Iraq from April 2006 until May 2007.
Al-Shemari's deputy, Hakim al-Zamili, and his security chief, Hameed al-Shemari, were arrested and tried in 2007 on claims they ran a death squad that attacked Sunni Arabs patients and visitors in Health Ministry hospitals. They were cleared of all charges when key witnesses failed to show up after facing alleged intimidation. [1]
While Health Minister he estimated that between the March 2003 invasion of Iraq and November 2006 between 100,000 and 150,000 people had been killed.[2][3][4][5]
From a November 9, 2006 International Herald Tribune article[3]:
"Each day we lost 100 persons, that means per month 3,000, per year it's 36,000, plus or minus 10 percent," al-Shemari said. "So by three years, 120,000, half year 20,000, that means 140,000, plus or minus 10 percent," he said, explaining how he came to the figures. "This includes all Iraqis killed — police, ordinary people, children," he said, adding that people who were kidnapped and later found dead were also included in his estimate. He said the figures were compiled by counting bodies brought to "forensic institutes" or hospitals.
A November 11, 2006 Taipei Times story[2] reported:
"Al-Shemari said on Thursday [Nov. 9, 2006] that he based his figure on an estimate of 100 bodies per day brought to morgues and hospitals -- though such a calculation would come out closer to 130,000 in total."
The article also stated:
An official with the ministry also confirmed the figure yesterday [Nov. 10, 2006], but later said that the estimated deaths ranged between 100,000 and 150,000. "The minister was misquoted. He said between 100,000-150,000 people were killed in three-and-a-half years," the official said.
See also
- Council of Ministers of Iraq
- Iraqi Health Ministry casualty survey
- Casualties of the Iraq War
- Iraq War
References
- ^ "Iraq's Sadrists demand U.S. release former minister". March 4, 2008. Washington Post.
- ^ a b "Iraqi death toll estimates go as high as 150,000". Taipei Times. Nov 11, 2006.
- ^ a b "Iraqi health minister estimates as many as 150,000 Iraqis killed by insurgents". International Herald Tribune. Nov. 9, 2006.
- ^ "Official: 150,000 Iraqis Killed Since 2003". CBS News. November 9, 2006.
- ^ "Iraqi Official: 150,000 Civilians Dead". Washington Post. Steven R. Hurst. Nov. 10, 2006.
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