By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — On August 3, in what has been called a defining moment of the Arab Spring, Hosni Mubarak, the former president of Egypt, was placed on trial for charges of financial corruption and for ordering the shooting of unarmed protesters.

The sight of Mubarak being tried is certainly a welcome, if not nearly unbelievable, image for the Middle East and world alike, but some doubt the forthcoming results.  Most Egyptians believe that Mubarak is guilty without question, however the case that has been brought against him has been called weak by many including some independent analysts.

As it stands today, the prosecutors have yet to present the court enough concrete evidence to convict Mubarak, and thus far, he has been tried separately from his minister of Interior (who directed the killings) and the police officers (who actually committed the violence).  This could lead to an issue of scapegoating the offenses.

Further, many feel that the prosecution made a mistake by rushing the case into court to dispel public outcries.  There simply was not enough time to put together a solid case with the type of evidence necessary to convict.

Others in the country feel the entire trial is illegitimate, and possibly a violation of the principles of basic human rights.  They see the imagery of Mubarak in a cage as nothing more than proof of a show trial, being for the benefit of the people with a verdict having already been decided.

A big issue with the trial is the lack of credibility of the prosecution.  Most of the prosecutors were appointed by Mubarak himself, and are part of the regime the trial is attempting to vanquish.

Still, regardless of the trial’s outcome, many feel that it is important that it is happening at all.   They see the trial as proof that no matter what happens in the future Egypt will never be the way it used to be.  This is the start of something brand new.

One thing all sides appear to be concerned with is the issue of justice.   It is only the order of the issue’s importance that differs.  As international law scholar and United Nations human rights export Richard Falk said:

“We have to question whether the procedural side of justice is or really can be the most important part of justice in a revolutionary or post-revolutionary situation, where other considerations may be equally or more important. It’s part of the liberal imagination to focus on procedural justice, often at the expense of substantive justice. In the Mubarak case, there is substantive justice inherent in bringing him to trial given his notorious public record of abuse and oppression, which necessarily makes the outcome a foregone conclusion.”

Mubarak’s trial is playing a big role on the international scene.  It may set the stage for the future actions of other threatened dictators like Qaddafi and Assad, who may now think twice before negotiating with the popular uprisings seeking their removal.  No matter the outcome this trial will usher in something different, and there is no going back.

For more information, please see:

The Nation — Mubarak behind bars: Human rights and justice — 16 Aug 2011

Ahram Online — The tables have turned: Human rights lawyer once jailed by Mubarak gets his chance to press the pharaoh in court — 15 Aug 2011

Al Jazeera — Mubarak behind bars: Human rights and justice — 15 Aug 2011

The Telegraph — Hosni Mubarak trial: swift justice v human rights — 15 Aug 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Even as the United States and much of the Arab world condemn President Bashar al-Assad’s use of violence in cracking down on dissidents, Syria retains a small cadre of backers.  Since late July, Iran has been vocal in its support for the embattled Middle Eastern nation.  Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki spoke out in favor of more peaceful means of action by the demonstrators, blaming the protesters for the present situation.

Iran and Syria have been longtime allies in the Middle East.  On July 24, Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Rahimi said that his country would stand strongly alongside Syria during a meeting with Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw.  Rahimi declared Iran and Syria to be “…two inseparable countries and allies,” adding that “…Iran will stand by its friend under all conditions.”

Since then, both countries have strengthened their rhetoric, particularly against the United States and the Western world.  This has been especially noticeable over the past week.  On August 7, Hamed Hassan, the Syrian Ambassador to Tehran, said that he considered the present state of his country to be the result of a foreign conspiracy.

“Americans are pushing for hegemony over the region and the disintegration of regional governments is in line with the interest of the Zionist regime,” Hassan told a press roundtable on Syrian unrest at the Iran Cultural and Press Institute (ICPI).  “Syria does not pay heed to foreign hegemony and the Zionist policies in the region.”

Three days later, senior Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi accused the United States of doing the same thing.  “Having lost Egypt [following the Egyptian revolution], the US is now targeting Syria,” Boroujerdi said during a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi.  “The US aims to defeat the resistance in order to achieve its objectives and the [objectives of the] Zionist regime [of Israel]. [Therefore] Syria must be helped to end the unrest in the country.”

Unlike Iran, Iraq has not historically been an ally of Syria’s.  When sectarian violence was rampant in Iraq following the American invasion of 2003, Syria was blamed for not doing enough to keep militants and suicide bombers out of the country.  The shift in relations began with Maliki’s rise to power in Iraq, which was due in large part to support from Iran, who urged Assad to support him.  Maliki has since won a second term as Prime Minister.

“Maliki is very reliant on Iran for his power and Iran is backing Syria all the way,” Joost Hiltermann, the International Crisis Group’s deputy program director for the Middle East, told the New York Times.  “The Iranians and the Syrians were all critical to bringing him to power a year ago and keeping him in power so he finds himself in a difficult position.”

Since then, Iraq and Syria have been working to strengthen their relations.  On July 25, the three countries signed an agreement to build a pipeline that would supply Iranian natural gas to Iraq and Syria.  The project is expected to cost an estimated $10 billion over the next three to five years.

But within Iraq, the alliance has reignited sectarian divides in Iraq and jeopardizes the government’s recently restored functionality.  Maliki’s Shiite regime claims that the Syrian protesters were Al Qaeda operatives, who would be in position to use the country as a base to launch attacks if Assad were to fall.  Within the Sunni-dominated Iraqiya bloc of the Iraqi government, the assessment is very different.

“What is happening in Syria is not because of a terrorist group, as some say, that is not accurate,” said Jaber al-Jabri, a member of the Iraquiya. “There are whole towns rising up to demonstrate against the regime. We call on the Syrian government to listen to the people’s demands and to stop violence against their people.”

The new alliance between Iraq and Syria also creates a potentially dangerous situation for Israel.  According to Hossein Ebrahimi, the deputy chairman of the Majlis (Iranian Parliament) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, the Jewish state is now bordered by at least three countries (Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria) that are presently in a state of revolution.  “The Zionist regime is collapsing,” he said.

For more information, please see:

New York Times — Iraqi Leader Backs Syria, With a Nudge From Iran — 12 August 2011

PressTV — Iran MP urges Pro-Syria front against US — 11 August 2011

PressTV — Defend Syria from US meddling: Iran MP — 10 August 2011

Iran Daily — Syria Envoy Blames Foreign Powers for Turmoil — 8 August 2011

Iran Daily — Iran, Iraq, Syria Sign Gas Deal — 26 July 2011

Iran Daily — Rahimi Voices Support for Assad’s Syria — 26 July 2011

PressTV — Iran Vows Support for Syria — 24 July 2011