More4 News Blog

'We liberated a country for this?'

A few weeks ago, More4 News aired a report on the targeted killings of homosexuals in Iraq. 

Somewhat surprisingly, it generated hundreds of weblog stories in the US, as well as several hits in different languages, including Spanish and German.

The story received extensive coverage on over three hundreds American blog sites - among them, Time Magazine's Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan who said, "We liberated a country for this?"

The Petrilis File whose author Michael Petrilis said, "If I had my way, this important news account would air on American TV news channels, from local broadcasts to the networks and also all of the cable news channels."

Meanwhile, Direland directed its readers to the Channel 4 site to "Watch new Brit TV doc on murder of Iraqi Gays."

Our reporter was even invited for an interview on Air America Radio  - home of Jerry Springer, no less.

'Sources were too frightened to admit they knew gay men'

Last night we ran a disturbing but revealing piece on the persecution of homosexuals and sexually abused children in an increasingly lawless Iraq.

Film maker Jennifer Copestake described some of the source material she discovered in putting her film together.

"Graphic photos obtained from Baghdad sources too frightened to identify themselves as having known a gay man ... show other gay Iraqis who have been executed," she told The Observer.

"One shows two men, suspected of having a relationship, blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs - guns at the ready behind their heads - awaiting execution. Another picture captured on a mobile phone shows a gay man being beaten to death. Yet another shows a corpse being dragged through the streets after his execution."

The story is working its way through the blogosphere and we were struck by this comment on the American site, Gay Patriot: "Our liberal friends, who seem to think the US is intolerant of gay people could use the reminder of what much of the rest of the world is like, and is just one more reason why we need to fight the war against Islamic fascism to win."

Interview: Alleged shootings in Iraq

More 4 News has exclusively interviewed a team member of Aegis that allegedly shot at Iraqi civilians.

"We don't know whether it was an innocent civilian or whether that was an insurgent - we don't know, because we never stop". The words of a former security consultant, explaining the story behind the video footage.

He told More 4 News the contractors began firing on anyone who came too close after their employer - Aegis defence Systems - took away Arabic warning signs that had been used to distinguish their vehicles.

Watch the report here

An Iraqi Kurd confronts his accuser

An extraordinary tale of betrayal and forgiveness. Karzan Sherabayani, an Iraqi Kurd who has lived in exile for decades, returns to the room in Kirkuk he was tortured by Saddam Hussein's secret police.

He was just fourteen years old when he was suspended by his ankles and beaten. The cell is still there, complete with the haunting graffiti carved by other victims, begging God for deliverance.

He confronts the man who gave his name to the Secret Police - another individual who was tortured into making a false confession, and accusing his friends to save his own life. Watch their remarkable conversation here.

Watch the report here