By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Just days after the official withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on European countries to halt the return of Iraqi refugees to the country.   UNHCR’s appeal came in response to the forced return of 61 Iraqi refugees from four countries last week.   The Commissioner expressed concern about continuing violence within Iraq.  UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists that the Commissioner “strongly urge[s] European governments to provide Iraqis with protection until the situation in their areas of origin in Iraq allows for safe and voluntary returns.”  Read more...

By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East 

DAMASCUS, Syria – Student and blogger Tal Bint Dawser al-Ballouhi was summoned on 27 December 2009 by Syria’s intelligence apparatus, the Syrian Intelligence Services. The goal of the summoning was to interrogate al-Ballouhi about articles and poetry she wrote about her home country, Palestine, as well as Syrian and Arab affairs in general. After her interrogation, she was arrested and detained, and her family has not seen or heard from her since her disappearance.

Syrians are increasingly turning to blogging as a source of reliable media. Photo courtesy of arabmediasociety.com  Read more...

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Armed militias engaged in an intense four-hour firefight in the streets of Beirut after a dispute arose over a parking space.  The fighting pitted Hezbollah, an Iranian backed governmental organization many consider to be a terrorist group, against a rival militia.  The fighting left 3 dead and 11 others wounded.  Civilians recall snipers running through the streets and rocket propelled grenades being shot around a Beirut neighborhood.  Ten people have since been arrested for their involvement in the clash.

 Read more...

By Warren Popp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

As government forces surround the city and crackdown on militant forces, it is still difficult for news sources to verify government claims. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

ADEN, Yemen – Upwards of 80,000 people have reportedly fled the southern Yemeni city of Loder. The massive displaced has been caused by the government alleged battle with al Qaeda-linked militants there. The government has reported that at least thirty-three people have been killed, including eleven soldiers, three civilians, and nineteen militants with alleged links to al Qaeda. Witnesses in Loder reportedly said that the fighting intensified after Sunday night, following the expiration of an ultimatum to militants to surrender.  Read more...

By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Photos posted to Abergil's Facebook page have sparked anger and condemnation. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera.)

JERUSALEM, Israel - A former Israeli soldier who posted photos of herself posing with blindfolded Palestinian prisoners to her Facebook account is defending her actions.

Eden Abergil, twenty-six years old, claims that she did nothing wrong and was surprised at the controversy surrounding the pictures.  Read more...

By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Photo of mosque in downtown Cairo. (Courtesy of egypttourinfo.com)

CAIRO, Egypt – Up to 730 muezzins, men who transmit the call to prayer five times daily in each mosque, face unemployment after the Egyptian government instituted a uniform call to prayer earlier this week.  Religious scholars are also worried that this government-mandated regulation of call to prayer could constitute a further intrusion by the Egyptian government in religious affairs.  Read more...

By Elizabeth A. Conger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran -  Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to execution by stoning for alleged adultery has reportedly appeared on Iranian state television and ‘confessed’ to her crime.  The ‘confession’ was broadcast on Wednesday night, and Ashtiani [or a woman who identified herself as Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani] confessed to conspiring to murder her husband with her husband’s cousin, the man she is accused of having an affair with.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani / Photo courtesy of AP  Read more...

By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Migrant worker in Sharjah, UAE, where many workers have faced abandonment by employers. (Photo courtesy of dawn.com)

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates – Thirty-eight Bengali and Pakistani workers are currently stranded in the emirate of Sharjah after their Indian employers fled the country, leaving the workers without ten-months of back pay. The workers earn approximately $220 a month, and there is no sign that the employers have any intention of paying the workers. These workers are forced remain in the UAE without work visas as they generally do not have enough money to return to their respective homes.  Read more...

By Warren Popp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Domestic workers, fleeing abuse, are living in a makeshift shelter at the Philippine Embassy. (Photo by Moises Saman, Courtesy of the N.Y. Times)

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait – Hundreds of domestic workers from the Philippines are filling the lobby of the Philippine embassy in Kuwait. As more domestic workers continue to arrive, they are straining the already limited capacity of this make-shift shelter.  Read more...

By Elizabeth A. Conger,
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Children of migrant workers protesting the decision to deport 400 migrant children from Israel. / Photo courtesy of David Bachar, Haaretz.com

JERUSALEM, Israel -  On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet recommended the deportation of 400 children of migrant workers within the next month.  The recommendation was approved by thirteen ministers, and voted against by ten, with four ministers abstaining.

Out of 1,200 children considered for deportation this past year, 800 were allowed to stay in Israel.  Read more...