The Middle East

Syrian Truce Unstable

By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – The agreed upon cease-fire in Syria for Eid al-Adha fell apart Saturday with bombings and outbreaks of violence across the country. Each side has accused the other of breaking the truce.

A Syrian warplane flies over Aleppo earlier this month. (Photo courtesy of AFP)

The government accepted the cease-fire proposed by Lakhdar Brahimi, an international envoy that has been trying to negotiate a peace deal. However, the government did say that it reserved the right to resume military activity to respond to any so-called terrorist gangs.

On Friday, the first day of the four day Muslim Feast of Sacrafice,  the level of violence throughout the country seemed to lessen. Demonstrators walked the streets in the larger numbers than had been feasible for weeks. Activists said that there were planes circling above the crowds, but they did not fire any weapons.

But by Saturday, almost every violent hot spot reported resumed hostilities. The most outrageous disturbance of the truce occurred when a warplane fired missiles into a residential building in Arbeen, a suburb of Damascus. That attack killed eight men, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Although that attack has not been confirmed yet, it marks the first aerial attack since the truce began Friday morning. In pictures posted on Facebook, the residential building was shattered and a large crater filled with rubble was clearly visible.

“There is a clear breach of the truce,” Ahmad Kadour, an Idlib activist, said. According to him, government convoys of reinforcements were moving up the road to Wadi al-Deif, the site of a military base and fighting the day before.

In Aleppo, an activist who uses the nickname Abu al-Hassan claimed government tanks had resumed shelling in areas around the airport. Other activists said that towns around Aleppo and Idlib were shelled as well.

Residents in the central city of Homs sad there was no sign that  the fighting was diminishing.

“There are regime snipers shooting at us from several fronts, and the city remains under siege, as it has been for 141 days,” activist Abu Bilal said. “This siege alone is considered a military operation, so with or without the truce, this criminal regime obviously does not care.”

SANA, the official news source of Syria, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights both reported firefights between government forces and the opposition in the eastern city of Deir al-Zour. Multiple car bombs exploded near a military headquarters and in front of the Syriac Orthodox Church. At least five people were killed. Airplanes also shelled Deir al-Zour, activists said.

Although, there were areas where there was no fighting.

“It kind of depends on the area…it has been calm over here” said Iyas Kadoni, a civil-society activist from Saraqib, near Aleppo. He said that area was much quieter than other areas, like Homs.

 

For further information, please see:

CNN – Reports of Renewed Fighting Unravels Temporary Syrian Truce – 27 October 2012

Daily Star – Syrian Warplanes Stage 1st Airstrike Under Truce – 27 October 2012

SANA – Gatilov: Armed Opposition in Syria Has Thwarted Eid al-Adha Truce – 27 October 2012

NY Times – Syrian Protestors Emerge Amid Clashes and Bombing During a Holiday Cease-Fire – 26 October 2012

 

Nasrin Sotoudeh Named Co-Recipient of Sakharov Prize

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – The Sakharov Prize is one of the top honors awarded to those annually for their contributions to human rights and freedom of thought. Previous winners include figures like Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi. This year the award was given to Nasrin Sotoudeh and a fellow Iranian, film director, Jafar Panahi.

Nasrin Sotoudeh has been on a hunger strike since October 17th in reaction to harassment against her family. (Photo Courtesy of Iranian)

Nasrin Sotoudeh is a member of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre and is a jailed attorney who previously was known for defending children facing the death penalty, prisoners of conscience, human rights activists, and child victims of abuse. Currently, she is serving a six-year sentence for “acting against national security” and “spreading propaganda against the regime.” Many believe her arrest to be completely arbitrary and understand her imprisonment to be part of the Iranian government’s plan to suppress human rights lawyers.

Sotoudeh has been imprisoned since September 2010. For much of her detainment she was held in solitary confinement and tortured in attempts to make her confess. During this time she was kept away from her family and lawyer. Sotoudeh is no longer in solitary confinement, however, she is still often denied contact with her family.

“The conditions of detention imposed on Nasrin Sotoudeh are unacceptable and clearly aim at imposing additional punishment on her for her human rights activities,” stated Souhayr Belhassen, President of the International Federation for Human Rights.

Sotoudeh was caught writing her legal defense on a tissue, and ever since she has been denied face-to-face meetings with her family. Now she can only see her thirteen-year-old daughter and five-year-old son from behind a glass wall.

Authorities have taken other measures to punish the Sotoudeh family. One action they took was to change her visiting day from Sunday to Wednesday without proffering and real reason. The authorities have also placed travel bans on Nasrin’s daughter and husband and have held the husband in jail, overnight, for peaceful protests of his wife’s detention.

Ann Harrison, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa programme believes that, “[b]y harassing the family members of prisoners solely in order to stop their legitimate public campaigning, the Iranian authorities are trampling wholesale on their international human rights obligations.”

In reaction to the harassment her family was facing, Sotoudeh began a hunger strike on October 17th which still continues. She wrote to her children in a letter, “I know that you require water, food, housing, a family, parents, love, and visits with your mother. . . However, just as much, you need freedom, social security, the rule of law and justice.”

For further information, please see:

Amnesty International – Health Fears for Imprisoned Sakharov Prize Winner in Iran – 26 October 2012

Daily Beast – Iran’s Crackdown on Human Rights Lawyers – 26 October 2012

Guardian – Nasrin Sotoudeh and Director Jafar Panahi Share top Human Rights Prize – 26 October 2012

Iranian – Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day – 22 October 2012

Four on Trial in Bahrain for Tweets Against the King

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — Four men in their twenties were recently detained and charged for statements they made on Twitter which allegedly insulted King Hamad.

A torn poster of King Hamad can get you at least two months in prison. (Photo Courtesy of the Guardian)

They were all arrested on charges of defaming the king on Wednesday and had their computers and other electronic equipment confiscated. Prosecutor Ahmed Bucheeri has said that the four will face, “an urgent trial before the criminal court.”

So far three of the cases have been adjourned to October 31 for submission of defense papers. The other case has been adjourned for the verdict on November 1. The three adjourned until the 31st have all denied the charges brought against them. Additionally, all three have been denied their respective requests for release. The fourth man charged admitted to committing the act, however, later notified the judge that he was informed he would be released had from custody had he admitted to the crime.

Bahrain has been in political tumult since the Sunni rulers suppressed the Shia majority’s pro-democracy protests last year. They put down the uprising through the use of martial law and help from other Gulf neighbors. The country is in great unrest and it is a daily commonplace occurrence that protestors and police will clash in the streets.

Since the uprisings, criticism of King Hamad or the Al Khalifa family has been considered a great offense. The court interprets any insult towards the ruling family as an insult on the country of Bahrain as a whole.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (“ANHRI”), has called for the “immediate release of all the prisoners of conscience in the Bahraini prisons and respect the freedom of opinion and expression and the peaceful demonstration.”

ANHRI is upset about how these four bloggers have been arrested and in general, condemns the frequent and systematic violence in which Bahraini authorities deal with peaceful demonstrators. They have urged other international and regional human rights organizations to take greater action to change Bahrain’s policies which suppress human rights.

These four twenty year old men have not been the only alleged protestors who have been recently detained. A month ago, Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of a detained Bahraini activist, was imprisoned for two months for tearing up a picture of King Hamad.

Last July, protest leader Nabeel Rajab was convicted and sentenced to three months in jail for a comment he tweeted against the prime minister. Rajab was later acquitted on appeal which gives some hope to these four men on trial for similar charges.

For further information, please see:

Gulf Daily News – Four on Trial for Insulting His Majesty – 23 October 2012

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information – ANHRI Calls the Bahraini Authorities to Stop Suppressing the Peaceful Demonstrations – 23 October 2012

Saudi Gazette – Bahrain Detains Four for Defaming King on Twitter – 19 October 2012

Guardian – Bahrain Charges Four Men with Insulting King – 18 October 2012

 

Violence between Israel and Gaza Escalates

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East 

GAZA CITY, Gaza — Four Palestinians were killed and two Thai nationals were seriously injured within a twelve hour period last Wednesday when Israel launched an aerial assault on Gaza.  The act was a response to events that occurred last Tuesday, when Palestinian fighters launched six rockets at Israel.  The Israeli military said it had fired 72 rockets and mortar shells over the border since midnight.

 

Israel launched an aerial assault on Gaza City that resulted in the deaths of two Hamas fighters. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

The aerial bombardment began Tuesday evening and continued well into the early morning hours on Wednesday.  Israeli aircrafts killed two fighters from the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, in northern Gaza, sparking more rocket fire.  An early morning raid killed a third fighter from the Popular Resistance Commitees (PRC) near the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, while a Hamas fighter died of injuries he sustained during Tuesday night’s air raid.  Since Monday, 6 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks, while 12 have been injured.

“4 Palestinians killed in a day is a spike in numbers, with the killings and also the rockets there is an increase in tension, things currently are really tense in Gaza as border crossings are closed,” said Nicole Johnston, a reporter for Al Jazeera.

Palestinian armed groups fired 50 home – made shells from the Gaza strip as a response to Israel’s air raids.  Israeli sources say that at least 6 Israelis were injured by the attack.  Palestinian sources say that fighter groups within the region have formed a joint operations center to counter any Israeli wide spread attacks.

During a tour of the area around Gaza, Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed that “Hamas would receive its punishment for what happened [here].”  “No terror element responsible for causing damage in Israel, or to Israelis will be spared,” he said.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ensured that “every community within 7 kilometers would be properly protected against rocket fire.”  An Iron Dome battery, one of Israel’s missile defense systems, intercepted 7 rockets that were fired at the town of Ashkelon.

Haaretz reports that as of now, all Israeli communities within mid-range of Gaza rockets are properly reinforced to protect against the fire.

The events occurred after Egypt tried to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas following a round of violence where approximately 80 rockets and mortar shells were fired at the areas surrounding the Gaza strip.  A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters last Wednesday that “[t]he contacts Cairo made resulted in a verbal promise by Hamas to calm the situation down and Israel… would refrain from attacks unless it was subject to rocket fire.”

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Israel and Gazans in tit-for-tat Attacks — 24 October 2012

Gulf Today — Israeli Raid Kills Four Palestinians — 24 October 2012

Haaretz — Palestinians: Egypt Trying to Mediate Hamas – Israel Truce — 24 October 2012

International Middle East Media Center — Palestine Today 10 24 2012 — 24 October 2012

The Jerusalem Post — Palestinian Official: Egypt Mediating Hamas-Israel Truce — 24 October 2012

Rights Groups Charge Syrian Forces of Using Cluster Bombs

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — On Sunday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced that new evidence emerged proving that the Syrian air force used cluster bombs near a main highway that runs through the town of Maaret Al Numan, where a major confrontation between Syrian and rebel forces recently took place.  Rescuers said that the attack killed at least 49 people, 23 of them were children.

Human Rights Watch recently said that Syrian forces shelled the town of Maaret Al-Numan with cluster bombs. (Photo Courtesy of Al Arabiya)

Medics and rescuers said that two housing complexes and a mosque, where many woman and children had taken refuge, were among the wreckage.  Among those killed is a 9 month old baby.

Non-governmental groups say that up to 40 percent of the bomblets failed to explode and that 98 percent of the victims are civilians, including children who mistake them for toys.

Rebels responded to airstrikes by opening fire from heavy machine guns mounted on pickup trucks.  One rebel said “[i]t doesn’t matter if we die.  We must shoot down these planes.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the air force’s targets included a rebel camp near the town of Wadi Deif, where there is a major storage facility for heavy armor and fuel.

The Observatory accused the military of also dropping cluster bombs on the town of Saraqeb, north of Maaret Al-Numan. The military has denied using cluster bombs, insisting that it does not possess them.

Syrian activists have posted videos online showing cluster munition remnants in and around towns located in the Northern governorate of Idlib, Homs governorate, and Lattakia governorate.  The bomb canisters show damage and wear markings produced by being mounted and dropped from aircrafts.  Residents from the towns of Taftanaz and Tamanea also confirmed to HRW that helicopters dropped cluster bombs on or near their towns on October 9.

One resident from the Taftanaz told HRW that Syrian forces had shelled the town for the past six weeks, and that on October 9, a helicopter “dropped a [bomb] and as it fell it broke into half and released smaller [bomblets]…”  The strike hit a field of olive trees near the local airport, no casualties were reported.  The resident also reported seeing around 30 unexploded bomblets after inspecting the site.

In Tamanea, one resident reported that around noon on October 9, a low flying helicopter “released a [bomb]… that split open between two schools, Intermediary and Elementary, very close to each other…”  The resident also said that “The [bomblets] that exploded were the ones that hit the ground on the tip; we collected the ones that didn’t explode, their tip didn’t touch the ground.”

Meanwhile, the Observatory reported that at least 130 people were killed nationwide on October 15, including three children, when the army shelled the town of Abu Kamal on the Iraqi border.

For further information, please see:

Gulf News — Cluster Bombs hit Town as Syria Envoy due — 19 October 2012

Al Arabiya — Damascus Denies Using Cluster Bombs as U.S. Urges Syria Neighbors to Survey Airspace — 16 October 2012

Human Rights Watch — Syria: New Evidence Military Dropped Cluster Bombs — 14 October 2012

Kuwait Times — Cluster Bombs hit Syrian Town – 49 die as Jets Hammer Rebel-Held Town