Egyptian Woman Tortured by Police

Egyptian Woman Tortured by Police

Shaymaa Muhammad al-Sayed was born a Muslim, but got married to a Coptic man and became a Coptic Christian in 2003. This angered her family greatly.  In 2003, she fled her family, fearing the repercussions of her conversion and marriage.  Her father submitted three missing person reports after she fled, even though she was not a minor.  Reportedly, on July 16, 2007, they saw her in Alexandria, and voiced their desire to harm her. She was arrested July 21, 2007.  According to the police, she was arrested as protective custody to protect the women from her family.  However, while she was arrested she was mistreated.  She claims that the police tortured her through beatings, electric shocks, and even took a photograph of her while she was naked.

Although she had been arrested under the guise of protective custody by being protected from her family, five days later she was released to her family against her will.  While in prison she tried to press charged against her family but was repeatedly denied.  However, the police returned the woman to her family against her will, because of the missing person reports.  She was not a minor, and therefore should not have been returned to her family.  Furthermore, she they had openly threatened her she should have been protected from them, especially without ensuring the woman’s safety.   

The police’s action shows the Egyptian government’s willingness to cater to the Muslim Brotherhood at the expense of the Coptic Christians.  The woman chose to flee her family. Yet, she was arrested and tortured by the police, then returned to her family.  Although she had broken the law by converting from Islam, the police should not have released her to a family that openly expressed its desire to kill her.  According to the reports, when the woman was taken away by her family she was immediately dragged and beaten in the graveyard behind the station.  Yet, the police did not interfere.  Furthermore, she was denied her right to press charges against her family for abuse and other related charges. 

This incident by the State Security Investigation force in Egypt compounds the fears of the Coptic Christian community in Egypt. Although Mubarak takes a strong stance against the Muslim Brotherhood and extremist Islam, his stance is undercut with rules making it illegal to convert from Islam to another religion or for a Islamic woman to marry a Coptic man.  These laws give radical Islamics reign to attack those who violate the law.  Also, the laws create more tension to erupt when a person converts to Islam or Coptic Christianity.  The government must eliminate such laws and take a stance to protect its citizens irregardless of the person’s religious background.

BosNewLife. Egypt Police Hands Over Christian Convert To “Fanatical Muslim” Family. 23 July 2007.
Compass Direct News. EGYPT: POLICE RELEASE CHRISTIAN TO HER VIOLENT FAMILY. 23 July 2007.
Compass Direct News. EGYPT: SECURITY POLICE TORTURE CHRISTIAN CONVERT WOMAN. 18 July 2007.

Forced Marriage a War Crime?

By Impunity Watch Africa

On June 20, the Special Court for Sierra Leone found Alex Tamba Brima, Brima Bazzy Kamara, and Santigie Borbor Kanu guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, rape, sexual slavery, and conscripting child soldiers.  They were acquitted of sexual slavery and “other inhumane acts” related to sexual violence, including forced marriage.  On July 19 Brima and Kanu were each sentenced to 50 years in prison and Kamara was sentenced to 45.

Forced marriage was a new crime being charged for the first time at an international level.   In issuing the verdict, the trial judges stated that they saw no need to treat forced marriage as a separate crime from sexual slavery and therefore threw out the charges. Chief Prosecutor Stephen Rapp has announced that he plans to appeal that decision on August 2.  Rapp told the Institute for War and Peace Reporting that the separate charge of forced marriage described the experience of women who were kidnapped by the militia and forced into marriage, a crime he intended to prosecute as a crime against humanity.

Rapp will appeal the judges’ ruling that despite evidence of sexual slavery, the indictments for sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence are overlapping.  In the “interests of justice” the judges decided to consider evidence of sexual slavery under the count of “outrages upon personal dignity.”

The difficulty Rapp faces is that while rape and sexual slavery are separately and clearly set out in both the Special Court and International Criminal Court statutes, forced marriage is not explicitly listed as a crime but can be charged as an inhumane act.  Rapp stated that he thinks the judges “left it open that if you have proof of criminal activity that goes beyond sexual slavery that fits within the context of other obligations that arise out of marriage, there could still be a conviction on that count.”

Although Rapp intends to appeal this portion of the verdict, there has been overwhelming support for the convictions and sentencing of the three former junta leaders.  Amnesty International has stated that the verdicts and sentencing send a positive signal to the people of Sierra Leone that someone will be held responsible for the brutal crimes committed against them and their families.

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica – Amnesty Welcomes Sentences of AFRC Indictees – 24 July 2007

Institute of War and Peace – Forced Marriage Appeal May Influence the ICC – 24 July 2007

UN News – UN-Backed Court Sentences Former Rebel Leaders – 19 July 2007

South Korean hostage deadline extended

Twenty-three South Koreans, including 18 women, were kidnapped on Thursday, July 19, while riding a bus through the Ghazni province in Afghanistan.  Korean negotiators accompanied by Afghan elders and clerics met face-to-face with the kidnappers of the hostages on Tuesday in Afghanistan, as a threatened Taliban deadline to execute them passed by once again.  The rebels have pushed back their ultimatum on the Koreans’ fate at least three times.

Ghazni villagers demonstrated, demanding the hostages be released.  The province’s police chief, Mohammad Zaman, said the Taliban should release the hostages as they are guests in the country and they want them to be safe.

Originally, the rebels have threatened to kill the South Koreans unless 23 Taliban prisoners held by Afghan authorities are released and Seoul withdraws its 200 soldiers from Afghanistan.  Now, it is reported that the militants are demanding monetary payment for the South Korean hostages’ release. 

The 200 South Korean troops serving in the US-led coalition in Afghanistan are scheduled to leave by the end of 2007.  The hostages  were said to be involved in medical and volunteer aid. 

For more information, please see:

–http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/25/1987410.htm

–http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2007/07/23/afx3941168.html

–http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/24/asia/AS-GEN-Afghan-Kidnappings.php

–http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Afghan-Kidnappings.html?ex=1185854400&en=5fb2bf217bf9406f&ei=5070&emc=eta1

UN Investigates Allegations of Sexual Abuse in Ivory Coast

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch, Africa

The United Nations is investigating allegations of sexual abuse and exploitations by Peacekeepers residing in Ivory Coast. Presently, Moroccan UN troops in Bouake have been confined to their base and have been banned from conducting routine peacekeeping activities. The allegations in the Ivory Coast were uncovered by internal inquiry, and the UN is currently conducting a full investigation. While the exact nature of the offense is undisclosed, troops are alleged to have had sex with underage girls.

In the past, sexual abuse scandals had provoked ex UN chief Kofi Annan’s “zero tolerance” policy to punish “utterly immoral” crimes. In 2003, six Nepalese troops in DR Congo were found guilty of sexual abuse. Moreover, in 2004, two peacekeepers repatriated after accusations of abuse in Barundi. In 2006, UN personnel were accused of rape and sexual abuse in Sudan. Then in 2006, UN personnel were accused of rape and sexual assault in Haiti, and Liberia. In total, over 300 members of UN peacekeeping missions worldwide have been investigated for sexual exploitation since 2004.

The existing suspension in Ivory Coast “complies with the United Nations zero tolerance policy with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse.” In New York, UN Department of Field Support personnel and Moroccan officials are analyzing the current situation. The suspected Moroccan UN peacekeepers will be “held accountable to the highest standards of behavior” according to UN spokesperson, Marie Okabe.

For more information, please see:

AP – UN investigates peacekeepers in Ivory Coast – 23 July 2007

BBC – UN Probes Abuse in Ivory Coast – 23 July 2007

UN News Centre – Côte d’Ivoire: UN, Moroccan Officials Meet to Address Allegations of Sexual Abuse – 23 July 2007

Indonesian provincial legislature considers HIV-microchip implants

The Papua legislature is now debating whether to approve a bill allowing microchips to be implanted in people infected with HIV. The proposal is a way of preventing the spread of HIV in Indonesia.  However, health workers there strongly oppose the bill.

About 2.4% of Papuans are known to be HIV-carriers. Infection rates are estimated at 15 times the national average.

A member of the parliament’s health committee made the proposal. He said that microchips could track people who continued to infect others. The bill also proposes mandatory testing of every Papua resident. Also considered was tattooing HIV-positive people.

The Papua AIDS Commission has rejected the bill. It said the proposals were illogical and a violation of human rights.

To become law, the bill would need to be approved by government, health and legal experts and pass a public consultation.

The province has just over 3,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, and there have been 356 deaths reported. Papua has a population of about 2.5 million.

For more information, please see:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6913869.stm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/24/1987295.htm

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070724075657.4w2f978g&show_article=1

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070724/ttc-health-indonesia-papua-aids-b4393f8.html