Estonia Remains Nervous About Russia; Boosts Military Presence

October 5, 2014

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

TALLINN, Estonia – Estonia is working to build up its military support in order to further defer Russia from invading like it did in Ukraine. Unlike with Ukraine, however, Estonia is receiving some help.

Volunteers in the Estonian Defense League prepare for training near Tallinn. (Photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journal)

United States heavy military equipment of the First Brigade of the First Cavalry Division has arrived today in Tapa, Estonia. This military equipment, according to the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces, includes nine US Strykers, eight Bradley fighting vehicles, and other US military equipment. This will all be used over the next three months in military drills.

In addition to the United States’s recent additions, three prior Strykers were delivered in September. The United States will also be splitting 600 servicemen from the First Brigade of the First Cavalry Division of the US Army between the Baltic states and Poland, and will be replacing the paratroopers of 173d Airborne Brigade with these new troops. Estonia has also reportedly purchased 44 Dutch 193 CV9035NL IFV’s.

Estonia is also receiving help from home, as recruitment in the volunteer unit has doubled in comparison to last year. The Estonian Defense League (“Kaitseliit”) has around 14,500 members in its fighting units, compared to around 3,800 in the professional military.

Along with more recruiting, Estonia has also combated the Russian aggressor by arresting former KGB officers alleged to have crossed into Estonian territory. Mihhail Suhoshin, 64, and Alexander Ladur, 54, are being detained on charges of resisting arrest and illegally entering Estonia. It appears that the men “may have been merely fishing,” according to Kalev Stoicescu, a research fellow and Russia expert at the Tallinn based International Centre for Defence Studies.

Lithuania and Germany have also sought to help another east European nation against Russia. Germany will be sending 200 peacekeepers, including 50 paratroopers, to Ukraine. This marks the first time German troops are being deployed to Ukraine since the Nazi invasion of the then-Soviet territory. Lithuania also plans to increase monetary aid to Ukraine, along with convincing other nations to do the same. The reason behind all of this increased aid to Ukraine is the increased fighting near Donetsk over control of an airport, along with general fighting increasing in eastern Ukraine.

Russian aggression this year has caused many problems throughout Eastern Europe, and Russia has often been the nation playing offense and making the moves. Now the border countries are not only increasing their own defenses, but finally receiving significant help from other allies against Russia.

For more information, please see:

Ria Novosti – US Armored Vehicles Arrive in Estonia for Drills – 5 October 2014

Ria Novosti – US Armoured Vehicles to Arrive in Estonia – 4 October 2014

Mail Online – Germans set to send first troops to Ukraine since WW2 – 4 October 2014

News.com.au – Lithuania puts forward plan to provide defence fund for Ukraine – 3 October 2014

The Guardian – Estonia arrests former KGB officers – 3 October 2014

The Wall Street Journal – Alarm Over Russia Draws Volunteers to Defend Estonia – 2 October 2014

IHS Jane’s 360 – Estonia to buy Dutch CV90s – 2 October 2014

The Monthly Statistical Report on the Dignity Revolution’s Martyrs Violations Documentation Center in Syria September 2014

October 5, 2014

The Syrian Commission for Transitional Justice: Syria in the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance

October 5, 2014

SCTJ Publishes a Report on Enforced Disappearance

Due to the widespread perpetration of enforced disappearance in states ruled by dictators and military regimes such as Latin America, the United Nation declared the 30th of August to be international Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance. On this occasion, enforced disappearance in Syria should be highlighted as tens of thousands have become forcibly-disappeared over the past three years. The United Nations’ International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance classifies this crime as a crime against humanity because it entails many violations of human rights, which affect the victims and their families.

The Syrian regime has systematically perpetrated this crime for decades. Hafez-Al-Assad used this crime as a method to strengthen his rule and to silence dissents. Additionally, the policy of enforced disappearance has affected the families of the victims for many years. It is estimated that about 17,000 persons had been victimized by this crime since the 1980s. The families of the victims have been suffering from systematic governmental discrimination since 1979. When the Syrian revolution erupted in 2011, the intensity and the scope of the violations committed increased tremendously to include enforced disappearance. The documented number of cases recorded since the beginning of the Syrian revolution reached more than 53,000 cases. The United Nations acknowledged in most of its reports that enforced disappearance in Syria is being used in a widespread manner as a war tactic to terrorize civilians.

The Syrian Commission for Transitional Justice (SCTJ) affirms that the widespread perpetration of enforced disappearance by the Syrian regime against tens of thousands of victims and families is considered a crime against humanity. Subsequently this violation is one of the worst and the most widespread by Syrian regime. SCTJ urges the Security Council to investigate and refer these crimes to the I.C.C. in order to hold the perpetrators accountable. In addition, SCTJ calls the Human Rights Council to address this issue and work on investigating the enforced disappearance cases in Syria.

SCTJ published a report on enforced disappearance, which highlighted that there are more than 60,000 missing persons and about 53,525 forcibly-disappeared persons in Syria, 6722 of whom were killed including 1,348 children and 1,511 women.

The above figures reflect a challenge for us and for the entire world to end this ongoing crime, to take all the necessary measures to refer these crimes to the I.C.C., to hold the perpetrators accountable, and to put an end to the impunity culture.

The Syrian Commission for Transitional Justice: Regime’s Airstrikes Targeted a Bakery Killing Tens of Civilians and Wounding More than 80 People

October 5, 2014

SCTJ Statement on al-Bab Massacre, September 18, 2014 in Aleppo

Tens of innocent civilian victims in al-Bab city in Aleppo were killed due to barrel bomb airstrike by Assad regime forces. The strike targeted a queue of civilians waiting in line to buy bread from a bakery. The outcome of the strike resulted in high number of casualties and injuries. Not to mention the damages and the ruins in such condensed neighborhood which were caused by the barrel bomb.

On Thursday 18 September, 2014, at approximately 10:00 AM the Syrian regime carried out an airstrike assault against the heavily populated city of Al-Bab in al-Makateb Street, where a barrel bomb weighing approximately 450 was dropped by Regime warplanes.

The Syrian regime targeted an area in the street where residents and IDPs live. Furthermore, the civilians in that area were standing in line in front of a bakery when the incident took place. The outcome of the massacre resulted in tens of civilian victims; most of whom were children and women. Additionally, the shelling wounded more than 83 civilians and caused great material damages to the buildings and the near local markets.

The targeted area is an absolutely civil area that has no military presence during or before the time of the shelling. Civil defense and Fire fighters teams headed immediately to the targeted area while Ambulance San Frontiers (MSF) organization transferred the wounded and charred dead bodies to field-hospitals. Nevertheless, the fires that broke out in the buildings due to the shelling hindered the medical teams to reach the charred bodies, transfer them, or even recognize them.

While the final death toll is still not confirmed especially with more than 83 injuries, including critical cases, 41 victims were documented at the end of the day, Thursday, September 18, 2014:

1- Abdullah Othman Ar-Ragheb.
2- Samer Haddad.
3- Beshr Shehabi.
4- Mohammad Abdulaziz Al-Ataqi.
5- Mustafa An-Naqou.
6- Ahmad Taqi Assfour.
7- Trad Al-Abd Al-Jawad.
8- Hussein Al-Kousa.
9- Ahmad Mohammad Kalzi.
10- Ahmad Kassar.
11- Hamidi Ad-Dahham.
12- Khawla Haj Omar.
13- Child Mohammad Ali Az-Zou’bi.
14- Abdulmu’ti Ar-Ragheb.
15-16- Two unidentified victims, from “Ar-Ragheb” family.
17- Unidentified 30-something woman victim.
18- Unidentified female child victim.
19- Unidentified victim/
20- Victim called Mansour. His full name wasn’t confirmed.
21- Victim called Faraj, his full name wasn’t confirmed.
22- Mohammad Ali Al-Bzie’i.
23- Walid Abulasal.
24- Unidentified victim, Walid Abulasal’s son.
25- Bassam Abulasal.
26- Mohammad Abulasal.
27- Eidou Al-Ali.
28- Othman Bakri.
29- Osama Ibied.
30- Abdussalam Ar-Ragheb.
31-41- Eleven unidentified victims.

SCTJ strongly condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians and residential areas using various methods of bombing including barrel bombs which are killing more and more children, women, and elderlies in Syria every day. Furthermore, SCTJ affirms that the Syrian regime perpetrated war crimes that are considered serious violations of the international law, which strictly prohibits the targeting of civilians or anyone that is not involved in military operations, shelling, or even attacking cities, villages, condensed neighborhoods, and buildings that are not military targets.

The Syrian regime’s ongoing policy of indiscriminately shelling civil areas and civilians’ gatherings which are not considered military targets reflects a complete and utter disregard of the international humanitarian law and recklessness of the lives of innocent civilians especially women and children.

SCTJ urges U.N. and the Security Council to take all the necessary measures to protect the Syrian civilians and IDPs from the Syrian regime warplanes, which are continuously targeting them and their residential areas. Also, SCTJ affirm the necessity to hold all the individuals responsible for this massacre and any other similar crimes accountable.

Moreover, SCTJ renews its demands to refer all Assad massacres and crimes, which is being perpetrated daily, to the specialized international courts in order to hold the individuals responsible accountable and bring them to justice.

Images of the Victims and the damages caused by the barrel bomb

The Syrian Commission for Transitional Justice: Civilians in Ar-Raqqa Suffer from Regime Airstrikes and ISIS Besiege

October 5, 2014

SCTJ Statement on Ar-Raqqa Massacre, September 06, 2014

On Saturday September 06, 2014, Ar-Raqqa city witnessed a horrible massacre in which tens of civilians were killed by the Syrian regime warplanes. The Syrian regime targeted Al-Andalus bakery in Tal Abyad Street where civilians were standing in line to buy for bread. On the same day Ar-Raqqa, which is under the control of ISIS (The Islamic State in Iraq and Sham), was targeted with more than eight airstrikes. Most of these airstrikes killed civilians, not ISIS militants.

At least 49 were killed by the airstrikes that targeted Ar-Raqqa on September 06, 2014 including women and children, the following were documented:

1- Mohammad Taha Al-Hussein Ad-Dakhil, 20 years old.

2- Ahmad Haj Khalaf.

3- Hammadi Hussein Al-Hammadi Al-Ahwal, 22 years old.

4- Zina Hussein Al-Hammadi Al-Ahwal, 18 years old.

5- Adla At-Tahhan.

6- Aisha “Awwasha” Hassan Ash-Shu’ib, 60 years old.

7- Houriya Al-Ahmad Al-Haram.

8- Zina Al-Ahmad, 18 years old.

9- Hussein Al-Amin.

10- Abd As-Suliman As-Saleh.

11- Awwad Al-Khairi.

12- Qusai Al-Mohammad.

13- Abdulkarim Hallaq.

14- Hussein Al-Halalq.

15- Nazih Al-Ashram.

16- Aboud Al-Hawwash.

17- Mohammad Al-Jomaa.

18- Jamal Al-Ibrahim.

19- Saleh Al-Mhimed.

20- Mohammad Hammash.

21- Ammar Al-Ghniem (Al-Assaf).

22- Seham Jasim Al-Ilies.

23- Khalil Khalaf Al-Habib.

24- Mahmoud Al-Mohammad Al-Hamoud Al-Abd, 27 years old.

25- Ali Al-Mohammad Al-Hamoud Al-Abd, 24 years old.

26- Child Ahmad Al-Mohammad Al-Hamoud Al-Abd, 11 years old.

27- Child Ibrahim Al-Mohammad Al-Hamoud Al-Abd, seven years old.

28- Mousa Al-Hamad Al-Karsa.

29- Ahmad Al-Imier.

30- Dham Ibrahim Al-Mousa.

31- Saleh Al-Haj Hassan.

32- Victim called Anwar, his full name not been received.

33- Khalil Khalalf Al-Habib Al-Jarrad.

34- Hassan Al-Ghadier.

35- Fayyad Sweidan Al-Halloun.

36- Unidentified woman victim, Fayyad Sweidan Al-Halloun’s wife.

37- Qusai Al-Ahmad Al-Imier.

38- Unidentified victim, Nazih Al-Ashram’s son.

39-46- Eight unidentified victims, from the same family “Khaled Al-Haj Omar”.

47- Unidentified woman victim.

48-49- Two unidentified victims.

This massacre is another crime of a long string of continuous violations that the Syrian regime has been perpetrating for weeks against civilians in areas controlled by ISIS. Furthermore, the Syrian regime strikes such areas to justify ISIS presence but never targets them directly, but in fact ISIS was the least militant group to be targeted by the Syrian Regime, and that’s can be an evidence that both ISIS and Assad are cooperating to terrorize civilians.

SCTJ urges the international community to take all the necessary measures in order to put an end to the Syrian regime’s policies which resulted in crimes against humanity and war crimes which violate the international humanitarian law. Moreover, the Islamic State, which also has been perpetrating horrific crimes in Ar-Raqqa since its rise, should be held accountable. Also, investigations should be opened regarding all the violations, and the individuals responsible for these massacres, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Syria and no criminal shall be granted any form of impunity.

Damages and Ruins caused by the airstrike