Fern Holland

Fern Holland was an American lawyer who was killed in the Iraq conflict that began in 2003. Holland died on March 9, 2004 while working for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq. [ [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/fern_l_holland/index.html Fern Holland's War] NY Times Magazine, September 9, 2004, and associated articles and letters on web page.]

According to reports, she was the first U.S. civilian working for the U.S. occupation authority to be killed in Iraq, [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/10/iraq/main605205.shtml Slain Civilian Fought For Women] CBS News, dated March 11, 2004.] , along with Robert J. Zangas, another U.S. aid worker, and Salwa Oumashi. [ [http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/006270.php March 27, 2004 Blog entry] retrieved July 10, 2006.] "The New York Times Magazine" reports interviews indicate she was intentionally targeted for murder by those threatened by her empowerment of women; these interviews also reflect that for many CPA staff this was a turning point in the war when Western civilians could no longer travel without guns.

In July, 2003, Fern was hired by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to investigate human rights abuses under the Sadaam Hussein regime. She was part of that agency’s Abuse Prevention Unit whose purpose is to protect victims of abuse occurring during times of war or conflict. At the conclusion of her tour with USAID, she was retained by the Coalition Provisional Authority to help Iraqis establish a democratic form of government.

In 2006, the New York Times reported that federal investigators are investigating what happened to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash issued by American authorities to Ms. Holland and Robert J. Zangas, a press officer who died in the same attack near Karbala. No suspicion for the missing money has fallen on Ms. Holland or Mr. Zangas. American investigators are trying to determine whether that money was stolen as part of the web of bribery, kickbacks, theft and conspiracy that they have laid out in a series of indictments and court papers. Investigators tracing the flow of the cash to Ms. Holland and Mr. Zangas are looking at the possibility that others took advantage of the deaths to steal additional money. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/world/middleeast/09holland.html?pagewanted=2]

Holland was a 1996 graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law. After graduation, she worked at two law firms in Tulsa before joining the Peace Corps and traveling to Namibia.

The novel Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley, in its acknowledgments, includes an homage to Holland.

In 2005, Holland was named Oklahoman of the Year. [http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/467/2026812.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.fernholland.org/ Fern Holland Charitable Trust]
* [http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/467/2028124.html Peace Corps Online Biography of Fern Holland]