The Girl From Kathmandu: Twelve Dead Men and a Womans Quest for Justice By Cam Simpson

New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice

The shocking story of the massacre of a group of Nepalese men working as Defense contractors for the United States Government during the Iraq War, and the widow who dedicated her life to finding justice for her husband and the other victims—a riveting tale of courageous heroes, corporate war profiteers, international business, exploitation, trafficking, and human rights in the age of global capitalism that reveals how modern power truly works.

In August of 2004, twelve men left their village in Nepal for jobs at a five-star luxury hotel in Amman, Jordan. They had no idea that they had actually been hired for sub-contract work on an American military base in Iraq. But fate took an even darker turn when the dozen men were kidnapped and murdered by Islamic extremists. Their gruesome deaths were captured in one of the first graphic execution videos disseminated on the web—the largest massacre of contractors during the war. Compounding the tragedy, their deaths received little notice.

Why were these men, from a remote country far removed from the war, in Iraq? How had they gotten there? Who were they working for? Consumed by these questions, award-winning investigative journalist Cam Simpson embarked on a journey to find answers, a decade-long odyssey that would uncover a web of evil spanning the globe—and trigger a chain of events involving one brave young widow, three indefatigable human rights lawyers, and a formidable multinational corporation with deep governmental ties.

A heart-rending, page-turning narrative that moves from the Himalayas to the Middle East to Houston and culminates in an epic court battle, The Girl from Kathmandu is a story of death and life—of the war in Iraq, the killings of the twelve Nepalese, a journalist determined to uncover the truth, and a trio of human rights lawyers dedicated to finding justice. At its heart is one unforgettable young woman, Kamala Magar, who found the courage to face the influential men who sent her husband to his death—a model of strength hope, bravery, and an unbreakable spirit who reminds us of the power we all have to make a difference. The Girl From Kathmandu: Twelve Dead Men and a Womans Quest for Justice

The

Cam Simpson ☆ 7 Read & download

Heart-wrenching, vivid and informative. A combination of in-depth reporting and exceptional storytelling made this an absolutely fascinating and compelling book!!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in law and human rights as well as anyone who's interested in learning more about the effects of globalization and corrupt corporations. 9780062449733 Having been on the flight from Doha to Kathmandu several times, and seeing caskets arrive at the luggage claim, this book hits closer to home than I wish. It’s an utter disgrace of the modern day slavery instituted by some of the middle east states, and more-than-indirectly, the American corporations. 9780062449733 I remember wondering about what private contractors like Halliburton and Blackwater did for the US military during the war in Iraq; I think I assumed that they employed local people or brought in Americans or other willing workers. This heartbreaking book shattered that notion and brought home for me the truth that not much good came out of this war. I'm glad I read it. 9780062449733 What a story. Incredible story of men grom Katmandu who were told they were being brought to work in a hotel in Dubai but who were instead brought to Iraq as forced labor to work under highly dangerous conditions. These men were then kidnapped and executed. This book follows litigation seeking to hold the private military successor to Haliburton liable for their deaths. Gripping from beginning to end. 9780062449733 This was a fantastic read and the only one in this set of reviews (including Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling and In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin) that didn’t read like something by Erik Larson. It still felt familiar though. Like much of my favorite narrative nonfiction, it was gripping and suspenseful. Compared to the previous two books, the suspense in this book felt less contrived. The writing was more journalistic, less like a thriller. The events themselves kept me reading. I liked that the author relied heavily on direct quotes and primary sources. I also liked the jumping back and forth between Kamala’s life before and after her husband was killed due to the coercive practices of corrupt defense contractors. This reminded me of Toms River as much as anything else. The corrupt business practices we learn about in both are frustrating, but make for engaging reading, as you hope justice will prevail.

This review first published at Doing Dewey. 9780062449733

This is an important book for a few reasons. First, it shows how for corporations, money is God; some will do anything for profit- including using what amounts to slavery to do the work so they can get as large a profit as possible. KLM, the former subsidiary of Halliburton is one such corporation. When twelve men from Kathmandu were executed on video during the Iraq War, it occurred as they were on route to an American base where they were to be forced to work despite the fact that they had taken out huge mortgages on their farms in order to buy jobs that were supposed to be at a 5 star hotel in Ammon where they would make enough money to pay back the mortgages in a few years and have enough left over to escape the poverty that had been a constant in their lives since birth. Their passports were seized by the agents of the company that had employed them and then told them they would be working in Iraq and their pay would be a fraction of what they had contracted for. They were kidnapped by terrorists who executed them. The kidnapping took place on a road known to be highly dangerous.
Making the situation worse for the widows and children of the men, customs in Kathmandu demand that all widows are to be shunned; that they are to be treated very badly, some are even thrown out on the street. One of the widows, after having a very good relationship with her in-laws while her husband was alive was suddenly treated like a pariah and even though the Kathmandu government gave a small compensation to the families effected, Kamala, one of the widows was given nothing. She took her daughter and left her inlaws house, eventually moving into a school that offered refuge for her and her daughter and taught her to sew. All the while, an American journalist picked up the story and began an investigation and before long a law suit against KLM that took nearly twelve years due to the tactics used by the KLM lawyers who did everything in their power to prevent the case going to court. In the end, KLM was aided by the right wing Supreme Court which denied that American companies are liable for human trafficking if it isn't done in this country.
This book is important because it demonstrates how low SCOTUS has sunk and how you can get justice in this country only if you have enough money to pay for it. That said, it also demonstrates that there are still high-minded lawyers willing to dedicate themselves fully to work for justice.

This is a very readable book meticulously researched. The author followed this story for years and did much of the work in finding the families of the victims and informing them of their rights-something no one else had bothered to do. 9780062449733 I was drawn to this book because it was about the incident that stunned the entire Nation of Nepal: the massacre of the12 Nepalese migrant workers in Iraq in 2004. As I expected, the book also gave a brief exposure to the socioeconomics of Nepal, in particular, the struggle of young widow such as Kamala. This book, however, is more interesting for its coverage of the struggle between social justice and corporate profit in America. It shows an ugly side of wars: youths from the third world countries are exploited in the war they have nothing to do with. It exposes the consequence of privatization of war; private companies like KBR puts profit above everything else. The book also shows the face of modern-day slavery and human trafficking and the difficulties of bringing the case against those responsible in the court of law. 9780062449733 Ms. Magar, Sarles began, addressing Kamala, are you seeking any money from KBR and Daoud in this case?
Kamala gently swiveled in the leather chair and took a long moment to consider her answer, before slightly rising her head, looking across the table, and saying quietly, I need justice.

Out of this case, the most important thing that I need is justice, and if I get justice, that's enough, Kamala said.


In August 2004, twelve Nepali men were kidnaped on the notorious Highway Through Hell in Iraq by Islamic extremists. As little as ten days later their gruesome deaths were captured in one of the first graphic execution videos disseminated on the internet. A statement on the website signed Ansar al-Sunna Army vowed to keep fighting the Americans in Iraq. The group also threatened anyone else working with US forces there, saying executions would befall every agent, traitor and spy.

And while death in Iraq was routine, everything else von Fremd said to Peter Jennings made little sense. Nepali men? Nepal was one of the remotest lands in the world, and it wasn't a member of the Coalition of the Willing. Yet these men- these construction workers, who had probably barely ever seen a paved road let alone ridden in a car before they left Nepal for the Middle East, men who quite likely never plugged anything into a wall socket or pulled open a refrigerator door or turned the handles on a faucet- were the victims of the deadliest such massacre in Iraq? How on earth had they gotten there, from mud-floored homes and villages without roads- and then four thousand miles away, across heavily guarded borders, and into a fortified American war zone? Who had brought them? What were they doing there? What possible vital skill set could a dozen farm boys from the foothill of the Himalayas have held for the American government?

In this book Cam Simpson reveals exactly how those twelve Nepali men ended up dead in Iraq by the hands of extremists. He smokes out the sophisticated globalized business of human tracking for forced and coerced labor- AKA the modern-day equivalent of slavery, and how the American Multinational Corporation KBR (Halliburton subsidiary) unprecedented profiteering from the privatization of warfare directly resulted in the murder of these men. In addition to exposing the American Government's involvement in the abhorrent cheap human labor trade, Simpson investigates the significant affect the death of those twelve men had on their families and the drawn-out David-versus-Goliath fight of the human rights lawyers dedicated to finding justice.

It's a meticulously researched book about important issues. I'd recommend it for everyone. 9780062449733 4.5 rounded down to 4.

A brilliant coverage of the human rights violations caused by US military contractors and their associates during the Iraq war and how they tried to quash any allegations against them. Sad but eye-opening. 9780062449733 Must read for human rights lawyers, particularly for those working in anti-trafficking issues/migration/supply chain/human rights litigation. Also, a fascinating read for anyone interested in a non-fiction. 9780062449733