Syria Revolution Digest – Wednesday 31 October 2012

Syria Revolution Digest – Wednesday 31 October 2012

The Honest Truth!

By failing to react in time to the worsening situation in Syria, Obama has created his own Iraq. He did it without involving American troops or spending billions of dollars, proving that America does not always need to employ her military and economic might to screw things up. Soon, however, the messiness of it all notwithstanding, America’s dual might will be needed to help put things together and prevent the establishment of a firm Al-Qaeda haven on the Mediterranean.

 

Wednesday October 31, 2012

 

Today’s Death toll: 121. The Breakdown: 53 in Aleppo, 44 in Damascus and suburbs (including 18 in aerial bombardment of Zamalka), 11 in Homs, 5 in Hama, 4 in Idlib, 3 in Daraa and 1 in Deir Ezzor. Other Developments: LCC counted 131 points of random shelling and bombardments by regime forces, including 17 points of aerial shelling, 35 points of mortar shelling, 11 rockets, 2 explosive drums (LCC).

 

News

 

 

 

 

Clinton warns Syria rebels to resist extremism The rebels should “strongly resist the efforts by the extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution”, she warned.

 

China announces new proposal on Syria Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Wednesday elaborated China’s new four-point proposal on a political resolution to the Syrian conflict.

 

 

Russia warns West on Syria RUSSIA has warned that the “bloodbath” in Syria will continue if the West sticks to its demand for President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

 

Iran and Syria swap fuels as both aim to dodge sanctions Iran and Syria have arranged a gasoline-for-diesel swap, helping each other overcome international sanctions.

 

Syria civil war ‘kills 36,000’ More than 36,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of Syria’s anti-regime revolt in March 2011, with an average of 165 people killed a day since August 1.

 

Death of extremist second Syria link A MUSLIM extremist known to Australian police and intelligence agencies has reportedly been killed while manufacturing weapons for Syrian rebels.

 

Special Reports

 

 

The powerful, anti-American alliance of Iran, Syria and militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, once dubbed the “Axis of Resistance,” is fraying. Iran’s economy is showing signs of distress from nuclear sanctions, Syria’s president is fighting for his survival and Hezbollah in Lebanon is under fire by opponents who blame it for the assassination of an anti-Syrian intelligence official. Hamas — the Palestinian arm — has bolted.

 

 

There is a proxy war going on in Syria, one measured in megabytes rather than in arms. On one side, Iran is providing Bashar al-Assad’s regime with the tools of digital dictatorship to locate and bait the Syrian opposition. On the other side, the United States is trying to help the opposition protect itself from such attacks and set up alternate channels of communication. The outcome of this proxy war will affect the lives of many Syrians and the credibility of the State Department’s efforts to promote digital freedom internationally.

 

 

Many people in Iraq’s Sunni heartland, once al Qaeda’s stronghold in the country, are most concerned with helping their kin. Tribal ties span the border, and Sunni chieftains and community leaders say Iraqi tribes regularly send Syrian relatives food and supplies. Some openly support Free Syrian Army rebels with arms when border controls allowed… In a sign Syria’s crisis is dragging its neighbours into a proxy war, Iraqi Shi’ite militants are also fighting there, often alongside Assad’s troops, claiming fidelity to Iran’s supreme religious leader. Iraqi officials and arms dealers acknowledge the intensifying conflict has already spurred demand in weapons markets in Iraq.

 

 

Everywhere you turn in Aleppo, the scars of a brutal war pitting rebel fighters against government soldiers are evident. Entire streets are littered with concrete blocks and rubble caused by mortar or rocket attacks. Walls are pockmarked, often from indiscriminate sniper fire.

 

Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla Yusuf: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today

 

Video Highlights

 

In the Damascene suburb of Moadamia, a car explosion leaves many dead and only locals to help pull the wounded from under the rubble. Explosions in restive neighborhoods targeting civilians are often blamed on the regime as rebel groups, even those with Islamist agendas, consistently target military and security outposts in Damascus and Aleppo http://youtu.be/b8wQRpu8_k8 ,http://youtu.be/bnUMPIhuebE

 

Meantime, the pounding of Zamalka Suburb in Eastern Ghoutah region left many buildings on fire http://youtu.be/Wf4sA8piXVc Nearby Douma was also poundedhttp://youtu.be/EHfzaCFfcfg , http://youtu.be/OMdUOUm9BXU ,http://youtu.be/fswCRidCKk8 So was Hazzeh http://youtu.be/h2I8sG6qt8gArbeen http://youtu.be/7nj-Lr2bjVg Deir Al-Asafeer http://youtu.be/PcdTTPTnLf8Kafar Batna http://youtu.be/MOa0__uWpkk , http://youtu.be/Cc4noKw3YsoJobar Neighborhood in Damascus City itself was also poundedhttp://youtu.be/wbmMotJK1_E In Dhiyabiyeh people run for cover from the shelling http://youtu.be/9msq2uC9q24

 

The pounding of old neighborhoods in Homs City resumes: Qoussourhttp://youtu.be/cgXTSuiyPOw , http://youtu.be/HhU_myYa-CA

 

Meantime, the pounding of the town of Rastan continues http://youtu.be/RsH-0AoyIag , http://youtu.be/OdA2-x7Q9Sw

 

Australian Asylum-Seekers Unhappy, Start Hunger Strike

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

CANBERRA, Australia — Nearly half of the asylum-seekers being held in an Australian detention center on the Pacific island of Nauru began a hunger strike on Thursday, protesting the conditions at the facility.

Asylum-seekers at an Australian immigration center on Nauru Island have begun a hunger strike to protest the conditions at the detention facility. (Photo Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald)

Of the nearly 400 people held at the center, the Australian Department of Immigration said at least 170 have stopped eating their meals and refused their water.

“This is a clear message that we are not happy here,” the protesters wrote in a statement addressed to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the Nauru government, human rights commissions, and the international community.

“We want to go back from this hell to Australia, and we request to the Australian government to start our processing,” the statement continued.

Australian immigration authorities embraced tough new offshore processing policies earlier this year, including the reopening of the Nauru detention center.  The policies have sparked criticism and concern from Australian and international human rights organizations about the treatment of people seeking asylum.

Earlier this week, the Australian government approved increasing the capacity at the Nauru facility to 1,500 people.  Current detainees are kept in tents, and advocates have reported conditions there as hot and unbearable.

Asylum-seekers claimed their Internet access was cut off on Thursday as a way of censoring their access to human rights supporters and the media.  But authorities said that was untrue.

“It is well known that on Nauru, there are Internet service problems,” an Immigration Department spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald.

But the Australian Human Rights Commission said there was reason for the public to be concerned about the detainees’ health and well-being.

“Asylum-seekers have been left with no idea when their claims will be processed and what will be their ultimate fate,” said Ian Rintoul, a refugee advocate.  “They have no choice but to protest.”

Yet while the uncertainty caused some asylum-seekers to begin a hunger strike, it prompted others to, at least temporarily, give up on their immigration hopes.  Six detainees chose to leave the Nauru detention center and return to their home country this week.  They marked the first Iraqi and Iranian nationals to voluntarily give up their asylum claims.  More than 80 people have chosen to return to their home country since the new Australian immigration policies took effect in August.

But that has not caused Australia to reverse course regarding new immigrants.

“People arrive by boat will be sent to Nauru and Papua-New Guinea,” an immigration spokesperson said.

For further information, please see:

ABC Radio Australia — Australian Human Rights Commission Concern for Nauru Hunger Strikers — 2 November 2012

The Sydney Morning Herald — Asylum Seekers on Hunger Strike — 2 November 2012

The Sydney Morning Herald — ‘Unhappy’ Asylum Seekers on Hunger Strike — 2 November 2012

Fraser Coast Chronicle — Asylum Seekers Voluntarily Leave Nauru to Go Home — 1 November 2012

Green Left — Refugees Tell Gillard Nauru Is ‘The Worst Condition of Our Lives’ — 1 November 2012

Juju Man sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

LONDON, United Kingdom – On Monday, a British court sentenced Osezua Osolase to 20 years in prison for smuggling three Nigerian orphans into the United Kingdom to sell as sex slaves.

Osezua Osolase (in baseball cap) with young victims under surveillance at Stansted Airport. (Photo courtesy of The Daily Mail)

Osolase was apprehended by UK Border Agency officials at Stansted Airport where he was caught travelling with the three girls aged 14, 16 and 17.

Depicted by the local press as a “British linchpin of a multi-million pound global child sex trafficking ring”, Osolase reportedly used West African “Juju” witchcraft rituals to instill fear in the children and to force their obedience and silence.

Osolase, who worked at a trendy London fashion shop, found his victims begging on the streets of Nigeria and promised to take them to the UK to get an education.

“Osolase led these girls to believe a better life awaited them in the UK,” said Insp Eddie Fox from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Inspectorate. “The mental and physical scars inflicted by Osolase will remain with the victims for the rest of their lives. Juju is a well established belief but Osolase corrupted it in a bid to gain control and bend the wills of his victims,” Fox added.

The young victims were sexually abused and subjected to voodoo-style rituals once in the clutches of the  trafficking ring. The girls were told they would die or never bear children if they tried to escape or revealed what had happened to them.

Osolase’s home was a secret staging post for vulnerable teenage orphans as they were smuggled from Africa to several European countries.

The authorities discovered evidence that Osolese had smuggled at least 28 other victims in and out of Britain over a 14-month period, earning him up to £1.5million.

The actual figures, however, could be greater as one girl overheard Osolese boasting that he had been operating for 15 years while he tried to sell her for £60,000.

Investigators said the case was difficult to bring to court because human trafficking victims often feared retribution. Their experience of dealing with the authorities in their home country often left them lacking confidence in the justice system. British officials said the girls were courageous in giving evidence.

During the six-week trial, Osolase, nicknamed “Uncle”, refused to admit trafficking the teenagers, forcing them to relive the crimes in front of a jury.

Sentencing him to 20 years imprisonment, judge Adele Williams described Osolase as a man who was “devoid of conscience, devoid of compassion…”.

Osolese showed no emotion as the sentence was passed.

She said Osolase treated the girls as objects to be sold as sex slaves. The fact that he raped one girl knowing he had HIV was a “seriously aggravating” feature, she said.

Osolase also faces the possibility of deportation as the prosecution has recommended that he be deported once he has served his sentence.

 

For further information, please see:

 BBC News – Osezua Osolase jailed for ‘juju’ rituals trafficker – 29 October 2012

The Guardian – Sex trafficker jailed for smuggling Nigerian orphans into Britain – 29 October 2012

The Sun – Evil ‘Juju magic’ people smuggler jailed for 20 years – 29 October 2012

BBC News – Osezua Osolase used witchcraft on trafficked girls – 26 October 2012

The Daily Mail – ‘Evil’ Nigerian people smuggler used witchcraft to terrify girls into sex slavery – 26 October 2012

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya—The situation in Kisumu County has grown progressively more dangerous. The County stands to lose billions of shillings worth of investments if this insecurity continues. The latest riots began after a businessman was murdered in Kisumu.

Kisumu Traders Fear Riots Will Negatively Impact Investors. (Photo Courtesy of Business Daily)

The businessman, Phanuel Marwa, who is the head of Visho Security, a local security agency, was hacked to death by a number of thugs along the Kisumu Kakamega road at the Mamboleo junction just meters from a police roadblock. The thugs are believed to have trailed Marwa and his driver from his home in Mamboleo as he made his way to his security firm near the Uzima University.

His death comes only two days after the violent death of a local politician. Shem Onyango Kwega, a local candidate for parliament, was also shot by local thugs on Monday morning. His murder sparked two days of riots in which four people died as the residents protesting the insecurity clashed with Kenyan police.

Kwega’s attackers shot him in the head. He was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Police also said that Kwega’s wife was critically injured in the attack and is now fighting for her life in the Kisumu hospital.

A senior police officer noted that three people “died from either burning or suffocation after tear gas was lobbed into a hardware shop they were hiding in.”

A police officer in a nearby province, Joseph Oli Tito, confirmed these deaths but claimed that the police were not involved in the killings. He stated, “three people inside a workshop died in a fire…There are rumors that police officers lobbed tear gas into the workshop which caused the fire, but we are disputing that and we are suspecting an electric fault.”

A Kenyan government official spoke to this question saying that “the Government of Kenya does not condone extrajudicial killings and there is no policy sanctioning such killings…The assertion that police killings are widespread, opportunistic, reckless or personal is not supported by facts.”

The region has been experiencing a wave of this kind of criminal activity after the rise of two rival gangs called China Squad and American Marines. Competition and rights between these two gangs brought business in Kisumu to a halt last month as the thugs went on a rampage destroying houses, businesses and vehicles.

 

For further information, please see:

Press TV – Violent Protests Hit Kenya After Murder of Local Politician – 1 November 2012

All Africa – Businessman Murdered in Kisumu – 31 October 2012

Business Daily – Kisumu Traders Fear Riots Over Insecurity Will Put Off Investors – 30 October 2012

The Star – Kenya’s Record on Human Rights is Not Appealing – 29 October 2012

Qatar’s Most Recent Media law Draft Restricts Free Speech

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DOHA, Qatar – Compared to its neighbors in the Middle East, Qatar considers itself to be “a center for media freedom.” Nevertheless, the last draft of Qatar’s media law, which was approved by the Shura Council in June 2012, does not meet international standards for freedom of expression, as it does not permit the right to criticize rulers or government policies. In response to this law, Human Rights Watch has censured Qatar.

 

The new media law has already been approved by Qatar’s legislature and awaits ratification from Sheikh Hamad, seen above. (Photo Courtesy of Hamsayeh)

The new draft would signify the first change to Qatar’s media laws since ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, created the Doha Center for Media Freedom. The Doha Center has been promoting press freedom and quality journalism in the country since its inception in 2008. This desire to protect the press is clear, as the new law abolishes criminal penalties for media law violations. The same act, however, in article 53 also prohibits the transmission of any information that would “abuse the regime or offend the ruling family or cause serious harm to the national or higher interests of the state” or “throw relations between the state and the Arab and friendly states into confusion.”

If a person were to be sanctioned under the article 53 provision, one could face some pretty harsh penalties. A violation of the act faces a fine of up to 1 million Qatari Riyals ($275,000). Additionally, the media act serves as a cognate to article 134 of Qatar’s penal code, which makes criticism of the emir illegal. That code carries with it a five-year prison sentence.

Qatar’s constitution guarantees the freedom of expression and opinion. The country is also bound by article 32 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, which grants the right to free expression. Despite these pledges, Qatar has refused to ratify the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which under article 19 stipulates that the criticism of a public figure does not warrant penalties. Allowing criticism of public officials is crucial to permitting debate about governance which is essential to true freedom of expression.

“’Qatar’s commitment to freedom of expression is only as good as its laws, which in this case do not meet the international standards it professes to support,’ said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. ‘Instead of supporting press freedom, this draft media law is a commitment to censorship.’”

While the Shura Council, Qatar’s legislative body, has already approved the law, it must still be ratified by Sheikh Hamad before it becomes official.

For further information, please see:

Alunaniya – Qatar: new Draft on Media law Restricts Exercise of Free Speech – 31 October 2012

Hamsayeh – Human Rights Watch Slams Hamad, Raps Qatar’s Media law – 31 October 2012

Guardian – Qatari Sheikh Must not Approve Media law, Says Human Rights Group – 30 October 2012

Human Rights Watch – Qatar: Revise Draft Media Law to Allow Criticism of Rulers – 30 October 2012