Egyptian Presidency to Be Decided in Run-Off

Egyptian Presidency to Be Decided in Run-Off

by Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – After casting their votes in the first election since the Arab Spring, Egyptians will now have to decide whom to select in a run-off between Mohamed Mursi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hosni Mubarak’s former Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafiq.

Candidates Mursi (l) and Shafiq (r) will face each other in a run-off. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Mursi had won the first round with 5.8 million votes, while Shafiq placed second with 5.5 million. Hamdin Sabahi, candidate of the leftist al-Kamarah party, came in third with 4.82 million votes. Since no candidate managed to win more than fifty percent of the vote, a runoff between Mursi and Sabahi was necessary.

Only forty-six percent of Egyptians who were eligible to vote turned out for the first round of the elections. Such low figures may have been due to a lack of enthusiasm for the candidates, or due to the brevity of the campaigns, which were conducted in less than two months. Those who participated in last year’s revolution must now decide to support either a candidate who wants to create Islamist rule, or a candidate who supports a military-backed authoritarian system.

The results represent a worst-case scenario for many of those who participated in last year’s revolution, and in reaction to the results of the elections, hundreds of protestors had taken to the streets of Egypt’s cities.

Many supporters of Sabahi are disappointed with the results. One supporter, Dalia Gelaa, calls the results “a disaster,” and believes that “there will be a next revolution soon.”

After the election, Sabahi appealed the results, stating that many members of the army and police, who were banned from casting votes, had access to the polls and voted. However, the Elections Commission rejected his claim on grounds that even though there were some “shortcomings” in the electoral process, they were insufficient to substantially affect the result. Former Brotherhood member Abdul Moneim Abul, who finished fourth, also made an unsuccessful appeal.  Abul requested that the announcement of the results be delayed until the conclusion of an investigation of all reported violations.

Mursi appeals to Egyptians who want a deeply religious country that features a democratic framework. Those who support Shafiq believe that his victory in the run-off will result in a return to security and normalcy in Egypt. However, many believe that if Shafiq is elected, tensions in the country could escalate to the same point it was at during the revolution. Shafiq’s foes have even vowed to take the streets if he wins the run-off.

“In the next two weeks there will be an upsurge in violence,” predicted a Western diplomat.

For further information, please see:

BBC – Egypt poll: Islamist Mursi and Ex-PM Shafiq in Run-Off – 28 May 2012

New York Times – Egypt Confirms Candidates for Presidential Runoff – 28 May 2012

Reuters – Islamist, Ex-Military Man Contest Egypt Presidency – 28 May 2012

Al Jazeera – Egypt Vote Count Points to Decisive Runoff  – 26 May 2012

Syrian Revolution Digest – May 27, 2012

THE COMMENTARY IN THIS PIECE DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF IMPUNITY WATCH.  

*WARNING VIDEOS MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES*

 

Sunday May 27, 2012

So long as Russia remains adamant at watering down any UN resolution dealing with Syria, it should be clear to all that she cannot be part of any solution.

Death toll: 51, including 25 in Hama City, 9 in Damascus City (Midan, Naher Eisheh and Assaly), 5 in Damascus suburbs (Yalda, Daraya, Douma and Ein Mneen), 6 in Homs city, 4 in Idlib and 2 in Daraa.

UN Monitors in Syria put the number of victims of Houla Massacre at 116 dead and over 300 wounded.

News

U.N. Security Council meets on Syria massacre, Russia skeptical

Syria massacre in Houla condemned as outrage grows

McCain blasts Obama for ‘feckless foreign policy’

Syria massacre: UK ‘no right’ to ban athletes

Syria massacre: UN Security Council meets over Houla

Security Council blames Syria for shelling Houla

Syria Massacre: Assad Rejects UN-Arab League Deputy Damascus Visit

Report: Shelling on Syria opposition kills 30 in Hama, days after Houla massacre

Op-Eds & Special Reports

Syrian Carnage Fails to Budge Russia From Mideast Ally

Syrian defectors accuse Assad relatives of ordering crimes against humanity

Syrian massacre ‘could be a turning point’

Syria’s shortage of grain imports may lead to bread crisis

Will Syria’s Houla Massacre Force Action on the Crisis?

The fact is, despite restrictions on media and aid organizations operating in Syria, the world knows what is happening there, it just doesn’t know what to do about it. Will the Houla killings change anything, or will they be just another bloody footnote in a conflict that has killed an unknown number of people? The U.N. stopped counting Syria’s dead months ago. NATO has repeatedly said it has no plans to intervene in the conflict. The U.N. secretary general has admitted that “at this time, we don’t have any Plan B” for Syria. It’s hardly reassuring given that Plan A, the six-point Annan initiative, is barely viable.

Schemes & Massacres

U.S. Hopes Assad Can Be Eased Out With Russia’s Aid

That this is indeed the essence of Obama’s Administration’s approach on Syria has been quite apparent for months now. That’s why when I finally had a chance to go to Moscow and meet with some of Russia’s policy people, I took it. The trip, which took place between May 18 and 25,  gave me an opportunity to know for myself how hard of a challenge changing Russia’s position will be, especially considering how attached to the status quo its leadership seems to be.

Now, and after spending a week there, and while I wouldn’t necessarily judge the differences between U.S. and Russia’s positions over Syria as unbridgeable, let’s just say that there are quite a few circles that need to be squared first before agreement is reached. The Russians are not attached to Assad, but they are attached to the regime and their base in Tartous. What the “regime” means to the Russians is Alawite control of security and military apparatuses. If regime survival under this formula is not possible, than the powers-that-be in Russia would not be too opposed to the fragmentation of Syria so long as coastal areas remain under Alawite control, which is the likely outcome in this case. To ensure getting their desired outcome, the Russians will continue propping up the regime by supplying it with arms, which they claim are not meant to be used against protesters but against future western intervention, and by continuing to be a stumbling block in the way of any meaningful UN-led action or condemnation.

Still, believe it or not, that is not even the real problem. After all, and as the NY Times report indicates, and considering their growing disaffection with Syria’s fractious opposition, the Obama Administration is indeed seeking a deal that eases Assad’s way out but keeps the regime pretty much intact. But who can sell this plan to the revolutionaries? That’s the real question and the real problem. The off-switch to this revolution, if it exists, lies squarely in the hands of young protest leaders scattered throughout the country, and the arrangement sought by Obama and the Russians is simply too cynical to satisfy them. The protest, the crackdown, the defiance, the reprisals, and the massacres all will continue even with the Assads out of the picture so long as what gets put in place after his departure continues to lack popular legitimacy. And popular legitimacy cannot be given to a regime that is still dominated by military and security apparatuses that are still dominated in their turn by Alawite generals and officers. Pure and simple.

In other words, if the Obama Administration is pinning its hopes on squaring circles in order to reach an agreement with Russia on a deal that will be dead on arrival as far as most Syrians are concerned, then, Syria’s fate as a country has already been sealed. She will be no more. Russian policymakers insist that this is an acceptable outcome as far as they are concerned, but how about American officials? Is the dissolution of Syria as a state acceptable for them as well?

But then, perhaps Senator McCain is right in his assessment of President Obama’s policy at this stage.  Perhaps, all that U.S. officials want to achieve at this stage is to kick this bucket until after the elections, without considering the serious consequences of further delays.

Be that as it may the massacre in Houla indicates clearly that we are quickly running out of time. Just consider the following facts:

There have been high level assassinations among the ranks of the Assad security establishment; its victims might have included Assad’s own brother-in-law and one of the chief architects of the crackdown so far. We still cannot be sure of that, but Assad’s failure to attend the opening session of the Parliament as per protocol and his continued silence at this stage lends some credence to claims in this regard. Some speculate that the massacres in Houla came as a reprisal for these assassinations. Not that the Assads have ever needed any justification for perpetrating their brand of terror beyond the challenge to their legitimacy.

Meanwhile, the town of Eizaz in Aleppo Province continues to be pounded in retaliation for the kidnapping of 14 Hezbollah operatives who happened to be in the area. Hezbollah media outlets claim that the 14 were pilgrims returning from Iran, sources close to the kidnappers say interrogations prove that these were Hezbollah operative and that one of them is a nephew of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Indirect negotiations have been taken place over the last couple of days, but they have so far led to naught due to continued pounding by pro-Assad militias.

Today, the pounding of Hama City and the new massacre that was perpetrated there underscores the complete failure and irrelevance of Annan’s Mission.

So, what we have now is a situation that is quickly spiraling out of control, and the Obama Administration might need to adjust its timetable accordingly. Time is not on the side of stability and reason in this conflict. Elements of the Old Regime might need to be preserved, but the U.S. needs to avoid the miscalculations of Russian officials: instability in Syria will be product of regime survival not regime change. Bringing Syrian protesters to endorse, no matter how reluctantly, any deal that allows for Assad’s departure has to include serious assurances that the upcoming change will be far-reaching and not simply decorative, otherwise nothing will be accomplished.

Note: It should be borne in mind that locals in Houla made clear from the beginning that most victims of the infamous massacre were slaughtered by pro-Assad militias who stormed into town after it was pounded by regular troops. For Russian officials to use this fact to deflect blame from the regime is grotesque. For the UN resolution to fail to name pro-Assad militias as culprits paves the ground for further acts of genocide.

Video Highlights

Sweden’s children try to draw attention to the massacres in Syria in their own way http://youtu.be/zyMqHWAh-2c

Hama City:

A new massacre took place in the city today due to the pounding http://youtu.be/kyFMiwZofls , http://youtu.be/T5sc2IsxjHo , http://youtu.be/G1gsYoGBjCw , http://youtu.be/yknYRA8ryZE of Janoub Al-Malaab, Mashaa Al-Fouroussiyeh and Al-Hadir Neighborhoods. Tanks roll in http://youtu.be/YTeFLMorKuA Homes catch fire http://youtu.be/HH5gpZoLQpk

The Massacre http://youtu.be/W-Uuc7Z06P4 , http://youtu.be/GASV1FJmpKQ , http://youtu.be/uJIaOu4G81Y , http://youtu.be/1W2piTx9SU8 Many women were among today’s dead http://youtu.be/cqguM8psn4k , http://youtu.be/85c–hMVk6Y , http://youtu.be/0KvfgeGN4yE Martyrs bagged and tagged http://youtu.be/Aa3Td6uPHQ0 , http://youtu.be/uBnyV4I_NvU Children were included of course http://youtu.be/76A99_SiWQ4 , http://youtu.be/YfKeCaoZU0M Words of defiance from the brother of two who were killed today http://youtu.be/gURz0HwBkz4 Treating the wounded http://youtu.be/KP7PKlUBESM , http://youtu.be/mKEn_I_gBn8 , http://youtu.be/eUtA4Tch_Mk At night, the pounding resumes http://youtu.be/GDXt7FAFEZU , http://youtu.be/GqkLtVNzIQo , http://youtu.be/dEnB8JjQCws Til dawn http://youtu.be/vs_3Y-zwhCw

Damascus:

Pro-Assad militias open fire against protesters in Midan District http://youtu.be/hTVlR4tzai8 It’s militias likes these who perpetrated the massacres in Houla. Rescuing the wounded http://youtu.be/tYXzfzizdKg , http://youtu.be/eSLt6pTS2PI , http://youtu.be/2mqQyKCzHbs A martyr http://youtu.be/G_-Zkp9T3rk

A similar scene unfolds in the nearby neighborhood of Naher Eisheh http://youtu.be/HqLgWtUtvKA Rescuing a wounded http://youtu.be/368FO1gXjas , http://youtu.be/qP5TWjuuvUE

Moadamiya Suburb comes under fire at night http://youtu.be/MNkpotBuLfU

Homs

Houla: four more bodies of children discovered http://youtu.be/veTMbZH_0VU Families take advantage of the presence of UN monitors to leave town http://youtu.be/v5hVRN4854Q And another ghost town is created http://youtu.be/0OfxX9CFXp0

Idlib

The town of Khan Shaikhoon comes under renewed pounding http://youtu.be/_uG2qtLKNso , http://youtu.be/b0O0bKQ8vD4 , http://youtu.be/4fmtM7rcAfY One of the loyalist checkpoints laying siege to the town http://youtu.be/i3SM2AKjalA

Support Grows for Gay Adoptions in New Zealand

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Proponents of gay adoptions in New Zealand got a boost over the weekend as an unlikely duo joined forces to sponsor a legalization bill and a major party showed signs of a changing tide.

Kevin Hague (left) and Nikki Kaye, MPs from opposing parties, are joining forces to sponsor a bill legalizing gay adoptions in New Zealand. (Photo Courtesy of The New Zealand Herald)

Political rivals Nikki Kaye and Kevin Hague announced they are teaming up to draft a bill to legalize adoption by gay couples.  Kaye, a member of parliament from the right-leaning National Party, and Hague, a member of parliament from the leftist Green Party have been working on the initiative for about 18 months.

“We know there are thousands of same-sex couples bringing up children,” Kaye told 3 News.  She said it was time for the law to recognize and support that.

Gay adoption has been outlawed in New Zealand since the Adoption Act was passed in 1955.  The law only allows married couples to adopt, and Kaye said that creates a range of adoption problems for defacto heterosexual couples, same-sex couples, surrogate children, and the Maori customary adoption of “whangai,” where children are raised by other relatives.

“Kevin and I realize there are many complex policy and legal issues involved,” Kaye said in an interview with TVNZ.  “That’s why we have taken an approach where if we work together from the center-left and the center-right, and work through a number of those issues and come up with a draft bill, we can process the law that way.”

The announcement of their partnership came after the National’s northern conference voted over the weekend to support adoption by civil union couples.  Many viewed this as a precursor to a similar vote of support by the party’s national conference in July.

Efforts to overhaul the law have been led by younger members of the National Party, called the Young Nats, who sponsored the northern conference vote.  Young Nats President Daniel Fielding called the Adoption Act “archaic” and told NZ Newswire that people spoke passionately about both sides of the issue at the conference.

“It was supported enough to be passed,” he said, though he would not disclose detailed results.  The vote was held behind closed doors.

Kaye and Hague hope to finish their proposal of roughly 40 changes to New Zealand’s adoption and surrogacy laws within the next few months, and their efforts appear to be gaining high-level support.

“There are some wonderful adults out there that would love to be parents and would do a magnificent job, but they don’t get that opportunity,” Prime Minister John Key told TVNZ.  When asked if the issue could be discussed on the Parliament floor, Key told Radio Live, “I’m not afraid to have debates on those areas.”

Key, however, told the New Zealand Herald that gay adoptions were not a priority given the nation’s economy.

“My own personal opinion is the issue of gay adoption is not hugely significant issue (sic) and it’s not because it doesn’t matter to those couples who might want to adopt children,” he said.  “But the truth is less than 200 non-family adoptions take place in New Zealand at the moment.”

For further information, please see:

3 News ­— Support Grows for Gay Adoption Law Change — 28 May 2012

The New Zealand Herald ­— Gay Adoptions not a Priority – PM — 28 May 2012

The New Zealand Herald ­— Political Rivals Unite on Gay Adoptions — 28 May 2012

Radio New Zealand — National Party Begins Gay Adoption Debate — 28 May 2012

TVNZ — Key ‘Not Afraid’ to Back Gay Adoption Legislation — 28 May 2012

Yahoo! New Zealand ­— Young Nats Push for Gay Adoption — 28 May 2012

Abduction of Lebanese Pilgrims in Syria Sheds Light on Growing Tensions

By Melike Ince
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The release and return of eleven Lebanese pilgrims captured in Syria has caused a significant amount of unrest in both countries.

Family members in Beirut are still waiting for the release of the abducted men. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

The Shiite pilgrims were traveling through Syria last Tuesday after a trip to Iran when their bus was intercepted by a group of men offering assistance in escaping violence in the area. It later became clear that the armed group was looking to abduct some of the travelers. Women on the bus were allowed to go free but the men were taken to an unknown area in Syria. Some of the women who were freed told reporters the armed kidnappers claimed to be members of the Free Syria Army (FSA), who sought a bargaining tool to negotiate the release of its members held by the Syrian army.

The FSA denied involvement and condemned the kidnappings, claiming that the abduction does not represent the values of their party. Mustafa al-Sheikh, a senior officer in the FSA, suggested that the Syrian government is likely responsible for the act.

The abduction has sparked a significant amount of protests in Lebanon where citizens have taken to the streets, cutting off roads and burning tires, to show their opposition. Leaders of Hezbollah, the largest Shiite party in the country, have called for protestors to stay peaceful and not disrupt everyday life in Lebanon.

Despite Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s confirmation that the men would be released Friday, family members were still waiting as of Saturday evening. The men were supposed to be taken to Turkey and returned to Lebanon from there. But according to Turkish officials, they had not yet left Syria. Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said the release was delayed for “logistical reasons” and that the men were being questioned in Turkey but are safe and would return soon.

The abduction comes at a significant time for Lebanon. The country has been torn internally over the recent conflicts in Syria. Several deadly clashes have ignited among supporters and opponents of the Syrian government. The increased tension led the Lebanese cabinet to hold an emergency session on Wednesday to review security concerns in the country.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has shown her concern over the situation stating that, “the developments in Syria are contributing to instability in Lebanon” and encouraged all parties to “respect the security and stability of Lebanon.”

For more information, please see;

Daily Star Lebanon – Contacts Continuing in Effort to Release Lebanese Hostages – 27 May 2012

Al Jazeera – Location of Lebanese Pilgrims Still Unknown – 26 May 2012

Syrian Arab News Agency – Arrival of the Lebanese Kidnapped in Syria Delayed for Logistic Reasons – 26 May 2012

BBC – Lebanese Shia Pilgrims Abducted in Syria Released – 25 May 2012

CNN  – Lebanese Official: Pilgrims Abducted in Syria Soon to be Freed – 23 May 2012

Syria: Massacre of Adults and Children in Houla

By Mark McMurray
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — On Saturday, more than ninety civilians, including at least thirty-two children under the age of ten, were killed in the Syrian village of Houla, located near the city of Homs.  The deaths occurred during an artillery bombardment.

UN observers meet with victims of the Houla massacre. (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

General Robert Mood, head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS), confirmed the killing after UN observers viewed the victims’ bodies.  UN observers also confirmed artillery and tank shells were fired at Houla after examining ordnance found in the area.  According to Al Jazeera, witnesses have reported that government forces attacked Houla with mortars following anti-government protests.  Following the shelling, pro-government thugs known as Shabiha raided the area, killing men, women, and children.

The government of Syria denied involvement.  Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi told the official Syrian news agency, SANA, that the government “has categorically denied responsibility of the Syrian forces for the massacre.”  The government blamed the killing on “armed terrorist groups [where] clashes led to the killing of several terrorists and the martyrdom of several members of the special forces.”  Furthermore, it claimed that “brutal killing doesn’t belong to the ethics of the Syrian army.”

A statement released by the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) announced “that unless the UN Security Council takes urgent steps for the protection of civilians, Annan’s plan is going to go to hell.”  The FSA said it could no longer commit to the U.N.-brokered ceasefire, which went into effect on April 12, unless there was a swift response to the violence.  The massacre was one of the single deadliest incidents to have taken place during the fourteen-month-old uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syria, former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, released a joint statement declaring that “this appalling and brutal crime involving indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force is a flagrant violation of international law and of the commitments of the Syrian Government to cease the use of heavy weapons in population centres and violence in all its forms.”  Additionally, the statement declared that “those responsible for perpetrating this crime must be held to account.”

In response to the violence in Syria, the Security Council created UNSMIS in April 2012.  However, the violence and bloodshed have yet to stop, even after 270 unarmed military observers were deployed in support of Annan’s six-point plan.  The plan calls for “an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue that takes into account the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.”  Over the past fourteen months, the UN estimates that more than 9,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria, with tens of thousands having been displaced.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – UN confirms ‘massacre’ of children in Houla – 27 May 2012

The Washington Post – Syrian government denies blame in attack that killed dozens, including 32 children – 27 May 2012

BBC News – Syria crisis: Houla child massacre confirmed by UN – 26 May 2012

United Nations News Centre – Syria: UN officials deplore ‘brutal’ killing of civilians near Homs – 26 May 2012