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Remembering a friend killed in Iraq, Marla Ruzicka
On Saturday April 16, our colleague and friend, 27-year-old Marla Ruzicka of Lakeport, California, was killed when a car bomb exploded on the streets of Baghdad. We still don’t know the exact details of her death, which makes it all that much harder to deal with the utter shock of losing this bright, shining light whose work focused on trying to bring some compassion into the middle of a war zone.
Marla was working for a humanitarian organization she founded called CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict), which documents cases of innocent civilians hurt by war. Marla and numerous other volunteers would go door-to-door interviewing families who had lost loved ones or had their property destroyed by the fighting. She would then take this information back to Washington and lobby for reparations for these families.
more info: http://www.civicworldwide.org
from http://www.globalexchange.org
Marla was working for a humanitarian organization she founded called CIVIC (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict), which documents cases of innocent civilians hurt by war. Marla and numerous other volunteers would go door-to-door interviewing families who had lost loved ones or had their property destroyed by the fighting. She would then take this information back to Washington and lobby for reparations for these families.
more info: http://www.civicworldwide.org
from http://www.globalexchange.org
Dear Friends of Marla and CIVIC,
It is with deep sadness and regret that I am writing to inform you that Marla died on Saturday at the age of 28 in a suicide bomb attack. Faiz, her Iraqi partner, was also killed.
It is tragically ironic that two beautiful people who devoted their lives to helping innocent victims of war have now become them.
The attack occurred on the Baghdad Airport road as she traveled to visit an Iraqi child injured by a bomb, part of her daily work of identifying and supporting innocent victims of this war.
Only a few hours before her death, Marla sent me this photo of Harah. She was 3 months old when she was thrown from a vehicle just before it was destroyed by a U.S. rocket attack. Her entire family was killed. Hers just one example of the hundreds of lives Marla and Faiz touched with their heroic work.
Their deaths are profound losses not only for their family and friends, but for the entire world. There are precious few who have the courage to stand up and demand justice for all the victims of conflict wherever they may be. This troubled world cannot afford to lose people like them.
Marla overflowed with passion and had an incredible sense of obligation to help those less fortunate. She worked tirelessly to push the US military on its responsibility to keep a proper accounting of the consequences of military action on civilians in Iraq.
While her incredible passion and courage never faded, she was often torn between concern for her personal safety and a fervent desire to be in the field. She recently moved to New York City and was eager to establish a base after spending so many years living out of her suitcase and on the couches of friends, including mine.
While she was serious about her work, Marla never forgot to have fun and was always the life of the party. She had an incredible knack for making friends -- we couldn’t walk a block in DC without her running into people she knew. I, along with human rights workers, journalists and many others have been bolstered by her spirit and drive.
It is crucial that Marla and Faiz be commemorated and that their work continue. I can assure you, we will continue to shine a spotlight on innocent victims of war and ensure that their crucial work is continued.
Thank you all for your support.
with love and peace,
April Pedersen
april [at] democracyinaction.org
Click here to read our 2005 goals and please make a donation to help us continue Marla's work.
More information will be available in the coming hours.
Christian Science Monitor Article
CNN article
Al Jazeera article
Other articles
It is with deep sadness and regret that I am writing to inform you that Marla died on Saturday at the age of 28 in a suicide bomb attack. Faiz, her Iraqi partner, was also killed.
It is tragically ironic that two beautiful people who devoted their lives to helping innocent victims of war have now become them.
The attack occurred on the Baghdad Airport road as she traveled to visit an Iraqi child injured by a bomb, part of her daily work of identifying and supporting innocent victims of this war.
Only a few hours before her death, Marla sent me this photo of Harah. She was 3 months old when she was thrown from a vehicle just before it was destroyed by a U.S. rocket attack. Her entire family was killed. Hers just one example of the hundreds of lives Marla and Faiz touched with their heroic work.
Their deaths are profound losses not only for their family and friends, but for the entire world. There are precious few who have the courage to stand up and demand justice for all the victims of conflict wherever they may be. This troubled world cannot afford to lose people like them.
Marla overflowed with passion and had an incredible sense of obligation to help those less fortunate. She worked tirelessly to push the US military on its responsibility to keep a proper accounting of the consequences of military action on civilians in Iraq.
While her incredible passion and courage never faded, she was often torn between concern for her personal safety and a fervent desire to be in the field. She recently moved to New York City and was eager to establish a base after spending so many years living out of her suitcase and on the couches of friends, including mine.
While she was serious about her work, Marla never forgot to have fun and was always the life of the party. She had an incredible knack for making friends -- we couldn’t walk a block in DC without her running into people she knew. I, along with human rights workers, journalists and many others have been bolstered by her spirit and drive.
It is crucial that Marla and Faiz be commemorated and that their work continue. I can assure you, we will continue to shine a spotlight on innocent victims of war and ensure that their crucial work is continued.
Thank you all for your support.
with love and peace,
April Pedersen
april [at] democracyinaction.org
Click here to read our 2005 goals and please make a donation to help us continue Marla's work.
More information will be available in the coming hours.
Christian Science Monitor Article
CNN article
Al Jazeera article
Other articles
For more information:
http://www.civicworldwide.org
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TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
Criticism by progressive journalist Christian Parenti about Marla Ruzicka
Mon, Dec 4, 2006 1:55AM
why don't all the meddling Americans
Sun, May 8, 2005 11:30AM
Bumped up for Berkeley Liberation Radio listeners
Sun, May 8, 2005 11:02AM
David Horowitz mourns Ruzicka
Wed, May 4, 2005 10:34AM
Who Killed Marla Ruzicka?
Wed, May 4, 2005 6:00AM
"Have tears, will travel": the US military's unofficial public relations officer, Marla R.
Wed, May 4, 2005 5:31AM
Re: Joel
Mon, May 2, 2005 11:42AM
what a reversal
Sun, May 1, 2005 4:55PM
How sweet!
Sun, May 1, 2005 3:39PM
What are you willing to do to?
Sun, May 1, 2005 12:39PM
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