Syrian Revolution Digest – Tuesday 5 June 2012

Syrian Revolution Digest – Tuesday 5 June 2012

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

*WARNING VIDEOS MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES*

The Milkshake At Road’s End!

This revolution is against the Assad regime not just against Assad, the sooner the Russians (and Chinese) understand that the better.

Tuesday June 05, 2012

Today’s death toll: 54. The Breakdown: 15 in the town of Hiffen (Lattakia Province), 13 in Hama, 9 in Homs, 6 in Idlib, 5 in Daraa, 2 in Aleppo, 3 in Damascus, and 1 in Hassakeh.

Battles in the mountainous Hiffeh District in Lattakia Province have intensified today as the local resistance managed to repel an advance by pro-Assad militias. 15 locals were killed, and 5 tanks were destroyed. But the continuous pounding of the towns did force many inhabitants to flee their villages. Naturally, pro-regime websites spread stories of Salafist- take-over of villages where a Salafi Emirate is said to have been declared. This is the usual propaganda that proceeds a mass assault. With this, the ethnic cleansing of the coastal area will now begin at earnest. As western leaders watch on, Abkhazia on the Mediterranean inches closer to reality, with Russian, Chinese and Iranian backing. At night, intensive gunfire was heard in the majority Sunni neighborhood of Sleibeh in Lattakia City:http://youtu.be/jjNiKlHCgYQ.

Turkish officials declare that over 27,000 Syrians have crossed the border into Turkey over the last 5 days alone after loyalist troops set fire to fields and forests in an effort to flush out members of the local resistance.

So-called Jabhat Al-Nusrah today claimed the killing of the 13 locals in Deir Ezzor Province whose bodies were discovered last week. The victims, the announcement claimed, were pro-Assad informants and security agents. But this account contradicts with reports from locals who now say the dead were defectors insisting that the Jabha, which had earlier claimed responsibility for the most recent bombings in Damascus, is nothing but a regime creation.

Meanwhile, the war continues to rage in the countryside of Aleppo and Hama, with the continuing pounding affecting the towns of Eizaz and Hayan and reaching the outskirts of Aleppo City itself. In the town of Kafar Zeiteh, Hama Province, members of the local resistance was forced to evacuate after days of fighting.

Battles in Daraa City left Colonel Mohammad Aslan, one of the architects of the local crackdown dead.

News

Op-Eds & Special Reports

KAFER ZAITA, SYRIA — For four days, Syrian army units and armed rebels of the Free Syrian Army fought for control of this town in a battle that demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. In the end, the rebels abandoned their positions, but only after fighting off multiple assaults by the army… (More)

Joshua says: “Let’s be clear: Washington is pursuing regime change by civil war in Syria. The United States, Europe, and the Gulf states want regime change, so they are starving the regime in Damascus and feeding the opposition. They have sanctioned Syria to a fare-thee-well and are busy shoveling money and helping arms supplied by the Gulf get to the rebels. This will change the balance of power in favor of the revolution. It is also the most the United States can and should do.”

Let’s be clear indeed: everything that Joshua said above is false. At this stage the best thing that can be said about U.S. policy towards Syria is that they are pursuing regime change in rhetoric. So far, the opposition is ill-fed if not severely malnourished, while the regime can still count on the support of its allies to meet its basic crackdown needs, then some. U.S. and allies have come to us bearing the good intentions outlined above by Joshua, but so far, their support remains conceptual.

So, if we have asymmetrical civil war conditions currently prevailing in Syria, we have the Assads and their allies to thank for this (and it’s indeed noteworthy that the role of Assad’s allies has been completely ignored in Joshua’s analysis). The U.S. can be blamed only for its absence and for allowing the situation to devolve to this point. The kind of U.S. intervention that we seek is meant exactly to stop this civil war, asymmetric as it is, and ensure that some of our basic expectations are still met. There is no “democratization Kool-aid” to be drunk in this conflict, as Joshua implied, but there a milkshake at end of the road, and there will be blood on the way to it. Democratization is never easy, and, in a region like ours, it cannot be a purely internal affair as so many are advocating. There are too many players involved, domestic, global and regional, and too many intersecting and clashing interests to allow for this.

The situation needs to be judged on its merits. Not on what happened before or what sort of mistakes could be made in the future. Inaction might indeed save the U.S. and its allies from having to deal with a logistical nightmare and can help them avoid some blame for the unavoidable mistakes that come with intervention, but this inaction might just amount to an all-out betrayal of the values that America stands for, while jeopardizing certain of her interests.

If inaction is the lesson that some are drawing from the experiences of Iraq and Libya, Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda have more compelling lessons to teach in this regard.

It’s also interesting to see how analysts like Joshua who have advocated and helped chart yesterday’s wrong policies toward Assad, namely: engagement, are now advocating inaction, something that still benefits Assad. After all, inaction gives him the needed time to lay the necessary foundations for his Abkhazia on the Mediterranean.

No, this is not a personal swipe against Joshua. After all, he is not the only analyst that fits in this category. Almost all engagement-advocates of the days of yore are now inaction advocates. But Advocating inaction after advocating the wrong policy is a way for shirking responsibility for doing the right thing, just to avoid dealing with the headaches and the mess that come with it.

By the way: yes, a policy that calls for arming rebels and watching from the sidelines, while providing occasional advice, is inaction. Stopping a civil war and keeping a country, or most of it, together, requires far greater involvement than allowing arms to flow in. There is a need for some micro-level involvement while managing this situation.

Video Highlights

The Battle for Hiffeh, Lattakia Province: members of the local resistance confiscate a tankhttp://youtu.be/mEZHdt0KcZk

Father Paolo visits the activists in Homs http://youtu.be/mbwDARff8Ok Including Dr. Mohammad Al-Mohammad, the former field doctor of Baba Amr neighborhoodhttp://youtu.be/d3_W33xcur8

In Aleppo City, nighttime protesters in Salaheddine Neighborhoodhttp://youtu.be/4GQLSlRU78c  come under fire http://youtu.be/MJG-HkbvEUMExplosions heard at the outskirts of the city http://youtu.be/UakcBKRsl3k

The town of Hayan, Aleepo province, is pounded http://youtu.be/TcHs1pvqdnYBayanoun as well http://youtu.be/VEX6XWu5qzo Choppers take part in bombing of the town of Eizaz http://youtu.be/pfBLn5UtYQM

The Jib Neighborhood in Hama City comes under heavy nighttime poundinghttp://youtu.be/u2fbYSsV_hc

After retaking the town of Kafar Zeiteh, Hama Province, pro-Assad militias venture into town o their motorcycles for a brief victory parade http://youtu.be/p2Pk2fmJJqE

The city of Ma’arrat Al-Nouman, Idlib Province comes under heavy poundinghttp://youtu.be/fVx5Qo2_4dA

Clashes come within meters of the Syria-Turkish borders: Kilishttp://youtu.be/ZC6geke9MfU

UN Monitors pay a visit to the town of Qouriyeh, Deir Ezzor Provincehttp://youtu.be/uCf2uvDHcNI

The pounding of Homs City continues: Qoussour http://youtu.be/74r46Blr18c ,http://youtu.be/_krfG6q5rGw

In Damascus, tanks storm through the town of Saqba http://youtu.be/zsXaw89xOWU

Daraa City received its fair share of pounding today as well http://youtu.be/F1kDzWAv-jsespecially the area of the Palestinians camps http://youtu.be/F1kDzWAv-js Attempt by loyalist troops to storm the camps at night was repelled by members of the local resistancehttp://youtu.be/7Qozj5gllx0 , http://youtu.be/9Yj3D45VzI4

Bolivian Right-Wing Politician Seeks Refuge in Brazilian Embassy

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SUCRE, Bolivia — Roger Pinto, the head of an opposition party in Bolivia took political refuge in the Brazilian Embassy, in La Paz, Bolivia. Pinto stated that he and his family face death threats and political persecution after alleging that links existed between corrupt government officials and drug trafficking.

Roger Pinto Seeks Refuge in Brazilian Embassy. (Photo Courtesy of JournadaNet)

Pinto, a long-time foe of the current Morales government, stated that “I have no other alternative to the relentless harassment and persecution to which I was subjected to under the government of Evo Morales.”

President Evo Morales is head of the Movimiento al Socialismo (Movement for Socialism, MAS), a left wing, Socialist party founded in 1997. The MAS has governed the country since 2006 after the first majority victory by a single party in the elections held in December 2005. The MAS regime grew out of a movement to defend the interests of local Bolivian coca growers.

Since Morales came into the Presidency, international law enforcement officials have said that drug activity has increased dramatically. In 2006, Morales promised to expand the cultivation and growing of the coca plant which is the raw material of cocaine—a legal crop in Bolivia, used often as a chewable, mild stimulant.

This is not the first time Pinto has taken a stand against the Bolivian government. Recently, Pinto made several claims presenting documents alleging meetings between several senior level Morales officials and drug traffickers.

Since presenting these allegations, Pinto says he became a victim of at least 20 criminal investigations including sedition and defamation. These investigations developed into death threats which prompted him to seek political asylum in the Brazilian embassy. In a letter Pinto wrote to the Embassy, he said “I have been a victim of constant death threats, and my family has also been threatened.” His daughters also mentioned that they received many anonymous calls that they believed were from people affiliated with the Bolivian government.

As of yet, Brazil has not yet decided whether to grant Pinto the asylum he has requested. While Brazil continues to work for good relations with its neighbors, the country is also hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2009 coup in Honduras. In 2009, Honduran leader Zelaya took up residence in a Brazilian embassy claiming that he was under attack by unseen Israeli agents. Because Brazil lost some credibility in trying to resolve this situation, the country remains hesitant to offer Pinto political asylum.

 

For further information, please see:

ABC News–Bolivia: Senator’s Asylum Bid Embarrasses Morales–1 June 2012

The Republic–Bolivia says right-wing senator’s asylum bid seeks to embarrass Morales on eve of OAS summit–31 May 2012

Topix–Bolivia: Senator’s asylum bid embarrasses Morales–31 May 2012

The New York Times–Bolivian Politician Takes Refuge at Brazilian Embassy–30 May 2012

Palestinian Prisoners Threaten to Renew Hunger Strike

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEL AVIV, Israel–Palestinian prisoners in Israel threatened to resume a hunger strike on Sunday.  They claim that Israeli prison authorities have reneged on an agreement to make changes to their current prison policies.

Prison protesters
Palestinian protesters gathered in support of prisoners who went on hunger strike. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

On April 17, about 1,600 prisoners launched a massive  hunger strike in efforts to obtain improvements to their conditions, and an end to certain practices such as limited visitation rights, and solitary confinement.  The original hunger strike ended on May 14, when Palestinian prisoners were promised a package of measures in exchange for ending their hunger strike, and also to not engage in militant activity. In return, Israel promised the prisoners visitation from relatives in Gaza, and to also transfer detainees out of solitary confinement. Also part of the agreement was Israel’s promise to not extend its program of administrative detention, where suspects could be held without charge for renewable periods of up to six months.

The Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Issa Qaraqaa, said that Israel failed to keep its promise. At a press conference in Ramallah, Qaraqaa stated that “Israel has begun to violate the deal it signed with the prisoners, and within ten days after announcing the end of the strike, Israel renewed administrative detention orders for approximately 30 prisoners.” Qaraqaa also said that he does not believe Israel that would grant visitation rights to prisoners. “So far, we don’t know if Israel will even allow families of prisoners from Gaza to visit their imprisoned relatives,” he claimed.

An Israeli defense official, who preferred to remain anonymous, refuted Qaraqaa’s claims. The official said that “as of the end of last week, three administrative detention orders were renewed.” The official also stated that Israel is currently working towards enabling visitation between Palestinian prisoners and their family members.  But it is a process that “would take some time,” however, because it “involves many different bodies.”

In his press conference in Ramallah, Qaraqaa discussed the situations of two prisoners, Mahmud Sarsak and Akram Rikhawi, who are currently on extended hunger strikes.  Sarsak, a recognized prisoner of war from Gaza, began his hunger strike on March 23. He went without food for 53 days until May 14, when he temporarily ceased his hunger strike after the agreement was signed. He resumed with his strike the following day.  Rikhawi wants the prison authority to deliver his medical file before he appears in front of a prison release committee so that his release may be expedited.  Qaraqaa stated that “both prisoners are currently on the verge of a coma and have a low heart rate.”

Sivan Weizman, an Israeli Prison Service spokeswoman, said the two were under medical supervision in Ramle Prison, located near Tel Aviv.   Should further care prove necessary, they will be transferred to a nearby hospital.

For further information, please see:

The National — Palestinian Prisoners Threaten New Hunger Strike — 4 June 2012

Al Jazeera — Jailed Palestinians Warn of New Hunger Strike — 3 June 2012

The Daily Star — Palestinians Threaten to Relaunch Prisoner Hunger Strike — 3 June 2012

The Jerusalem Post — Palestinian Prisoners Threaten to Strike Again — 3 June 2012

Government Officials Steal $4 Billion from South Sudan

By Tara Pistorese
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

JUBA, South Sudan—South Sudan President Salva Kiir has accused past and present government officials of stealing $4 billion in public funds from South Sudan. The alleged corruption follows less than one year after the nation seceded from Sudan.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir speaks to the media on the first day of voting for South Sudan independence. (Photo Courtesy of Zimbia)

The Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army were locked in battle from 1983-2005. The civil war claimed approximately two million lives—the highest civilian death toll since World War II.

In July, South Sudan’s capital city, Juba, split from the North and claimed 75 percent of the region’s oil. To this day, South Sudan is still battling with Khartoum over oil revenues, crude transit fees and border delineation.

South Sudan filed a complaint with the U.N. Security Council on Friday against Khartoum for repeated airstrikes against South Sudan border states. Khartoum, however, denies the accusations.

In January, South Sudan shut down the vast majority of its oil output to stilt Sudan’s ability to seize the oil in lieu of what Sudan called unpaid export fees. At that point, oil production formed 98 percent of the South Sudan’s revenue.

According to South Sudan’s Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin, more than half of the stolen funds were taken during the “durra” scandal, when a large government purchase of sorghum, the country’s staple food, was never distributed.

The 8.6 million people in South Sudan suffer some of the most devastating education and health statistics in the world. Similarly, just last month, the World Bank expressed its “deep concern” for Juba’s economy.

“We fought for freedom, justice and equality. Many of our friends died to achieve these objectives. Yet, once we got to power, we forgot what we fought for and began to enrich ourselves at the expense of our people,” reads a letter written on May 3 by President Kiir.

The letter, which was verified by Minister Benjamin on Monday, was addressed to 75 former and current government officials and asked for the return of all or a portion of the stolen funds in return for amnesty. “The credibility of our government is on the line,” President Kiir pleads.

Although it is unclear exactly when the money was taken, President Kiir believes it has “been taken out of the country and deposited in foreign accounts,” or that the funds were used to make cash property purchases.

President Kiir has reached out to leaders of eight other nations in regions of Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and Africa, for help recovering the missing funds.

 

For further information, please see:

Chicago Tribute—South Sudan Officials Have Stolen $4 Billion-President—4 June 2012

CTV News—S. Sudan President Asks Officials to Return Stolen Funds—4 June 2012

Expatica Switzerland—Sudanese Refuge Spike to South Worries U.N.—4 June 2012

Modern Ghana—Corrupt South Sudan Officials Have Stolen $4 Billion: Kiir—4 June 2012

Reuters-Africa—Sudan, South Sudan Start First Security Talks Since Border Clash—4 June 2012