SNHR Condemns Seven Pool Square/Damascus Explosion and Demands Neutral Investigation

DAMASCUS, Syria — A terrorist explosion took place in the area between seven pool square and Shahbander in the capital Damascus on Monday noon 8/4/2013  , causing the death of at least 10 victims and more than 25 injured , and heavy material damages in the surrounding buildings.

Syrian Network for Human Rights condemns the seven pool square explosion and all acts of bombing that took place in residential districts and targeting civilians , regardless of their perpetrators and considers it as a terrorism criminal act aimed to loss human spirits.

Syrian regime is the main responsible of Lawlessness that led the country to a unprecedented state of destruction and Chaos by their daily and continuous acts od shelling by Scud missiles , surface to surface rockets and other different kinds of weapons , causing loose of  security and more than five million displacements inside Syria  and nearly two million refugees.

SNHR demands UN to send special commission of inquiry to investigate the explosion and all other bombings took place before and disclose who is behind the acts of bombing , so to not adopt the Syrian regime point of view , which adopt only one story that Al-Qaeda, Islamist extremists  and  Alnosra are responsible for all the explosions in Syria, noting that Syrian Parliament or even Syrian judiciary didn’t open any investigation about any bombing or any massacre on Syrian territory since the beginning of the Syrian Revolution and up to the minute, even that the Syrian regime banned all media except the loyal to them to cover events , and also prevented us and all human rights organizations to work freely on Syrian territory.

Tamil Journalist Faces Forced Deportation From the UAE Back to Sri Lanka

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Human rights organizations around the world are urging the United Arab Emirates (UAE) not to deport Tamil journalist, Rathimohan Lohini, back to Sri Lanka where she may face torture and other reprisals for her affiliation with the rebel group.

Lohini (pictured above), was a Tamil news anchorwoman. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Lohini, along with 19 other Tamil refugees in the UAE, were given the deadline of April 11th to leave the country.  Lohini faces deportation from the UAE despite enjoying UN refugee status which gives her the right to stay.  Because of her status, she should be afforded basic rights under international refugee law and international human rights law.

Lohini, an ethnic Tamil who was born and raised in Northern Sri Lanka, lived in the Kilinichchi District which the Tamil rebels retained control over during their bloody, twenty six year civil war with the current Sri Lankan central government.

She went to work for the National Television of Tamil Eelam (NTT) in June of 2006.  She attained the post of main female news anchor and gained notoriety and fame with the domestic news watchers.  Lohini left the television network in December of 2008, and fearing for her life, she fled Sri Lanka in April of 2009.

Lohini knew that her post as a Tamil news anchor woman and her regular appearances on the evening news would make her easily identifiable to the military and central Sri Lankan government authorities.  She fled to Dubai in October of 2012, believing that it would be a safe alternative to persecution back in Sri Lanka.

Reporters Without Borders and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka both expressed their concerns regarding Lohini’s forced deportation from the UAE back to Sri Lanka.  Because of the current political climate and human rights abuses toward the Tamil minority and former rebels, the consequences of Lohini’s forced return are feared to be dire.

The two human rights groups pleaded with UNHRC to at least stay the decision of forced deportation citing that the action by the UAE is a complete violation of international human rights and refugee law.  The risks of torture and any bodily harm are apparent as evidenced by the finding of a Tamil reporter in 2009 who was bound and naked.

The reporter was a colleague of Lohini’s and was identified only as Isaipriya.  Lohini is currently being held at a refugee camp in Dubai which is operated by UNHCR in cooperation with Dubai immigration awaiting her ultimate fate.

For further information, please see:

BBC – UAE urged not to deport Sri Lanka journalist Lohini – 10 April 2013

Colombo Telegraph – UAE Urged Not To Deport Tiger TV Journalist Rathimohini – 10 April 2013

Committee to Protect Journalists – UAE may deport refugee Tamil journalist to Sri Lanka – 10 April 2013

Tamil Guardian – UAE urged not to deport Tamil journalist – 10 April 2013

Muslims in Myanmar Grow Fearful After 13 Muslim Children Perish from a Fire with Questionable Origins

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar – The Muslim population in Myanmar continues to live in fear after a recent fire engulfed a downtown Yangon mosque and religious school killing 13 students on April 2nd.

Muslims in Yangon gather to pray for the 13 children who perished in the fire. (Photo Courtesy of NBC World News)

The central government and local police investigators maintain that the fire was accidental and most likely a product of faulty wiring which caused an electrical short circuit.  The police attempted to calm the fears of the people and promised that an investigative committee would be established to look into the incident a bit further.

Security forces were sent in by the central government to disperse an angry crowd that had gathered in downtown Yangon demanding the truth regarding the deadly fire that killed Muslim children.  Muslims continue to believe that the fire was a product of sectarian violence.

The fortunate children and teachers that were able to escape the blaze told the press that the doors to the mosque and religious school were locked when those inside attempted to escape when the fire first started.  The doors were only opened after emergency response teams reached the scene.

Furthermore, the escapees said that there was an oily substance on the ground that smelled like petrol or diesel.  Many of the children and teachers slipped on the dirty, oily substance while trying to escape.  Muslim leaders continue to impose their suspicions with new evidence, like the oily substance on the floors, coming to light.

The Muslim population’s fears are not unfounded.  The accidental fire at the mosque comes at a time when the Buddhist “969” movement is gaining steam in Myanmar.  The 969 movement has been the driving force behind anti-Muslim violence throughout Myanmar.

969 supporters, like Kyi Lwin, tell the media that the movement is not necessarily supporting violence against Muslims.  Kyi says that the movement is meant to “build a fence” around Buddhism and its followers.  They want to discourage Buddhist to Muslim interaction; they are not trying to convert or destroy the religion in anyway.

Muslims in Myanmar, however, like Mohamed Irshad, say that they cannot even sleep at night due to the rising amounts of sectarian violence.  Irshad says that those in his neighborhood must be on constant guard in case the Buddhists attack again.

Ruhla Min takes a different approach.  He and his congregation were instructed to peacefully pray for a resolution to the violence and conflict.  Ruhla Min’s congregation does not want to add any more fuel to the fire that is already smoldering in Yangon and beyond.

For further information, please see:

Reuters – Fear stalks Yangon’s Muslims after Buddhist-led killings – 10 April 2013

France 24 – Muslim school fire kills at least 13 in Yangon – 2 April 2013

India TV News –  13 die in devastating fire in Muslim orphanage school in Yangon, Myanmar – 2 April 2013

NBC World News – 13 boys killed in Myanmar Islamic school fire amid anti-Muslim violence – 2 April 2013

Syrian Revolution Digest: Tuesday, 9 April 2013

Silent Wringing!

The predictable continues to happen in Syria, as world leaders hold on to their well-rehearsed befuddlement, wringing their hands, while fate wrings our necks.

News

Syria’s al-Nusra Front ‘part of al-Qaeda’ Al-Qaeda in Iraq has confirmed for the first time that a prominent jihadist group fighting in Syria is part of its network. The al-Nusra Front is at the forefront of the armed opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The leader of the Iraqi wing of al-Qaeda said that al-Nusra is battling for an Islamic state in Syria. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of the Islamic State in Iraq, added that both groups were merging. He said: “We announce the abolition of the Islamic state of Iraq’s name and Jabhat Al-Nusra’s name and their amalgamation in one state under one name: The Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant.”

Libya arms fueling conflicts in Syria, Mali and beyond: U.N. expertsThe experts said transfers of arms to Syria – where a two-year-old civil war has killed more than 70,000 people – had been organized from various locations in Libya, including Misrata and Benghazi, via Turkey or northern Lebanon. “The significant size of some shipments and the logistics involved suggest that representatives of the Libyan local authorities might have at least been aware of the transfers, if not actually directly involved,” the experts said.

Syria ‘death video’ of Sheikh al-Bouti poses questions A video currently circulating on the internet, purporting to show the explosion on 21 March that killed Sheikh Muhammad al-Bouti in a Damascus mosque, raises many questions about the death of a man who was more familiar to Syrian TV viewers than anybody other than President Bashar al-Assad.

Twelve Hezbollah members killed in ambush near Damascus

U.S. deals with the ‘symptoms not the disease’ in Syria: analyst


Special Reports

In Syria, some brace for the next war The capture last month of the city of Raqqah, Syria’s first provincial capital to fall under opposition control, consolidated the gains of an assortment of mostly Islamist-inclined groups across three northeastern provinces. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad cling to just a tiny number of scattered bases and could be ejected anytime. Yet even as the regime continues to hold out, schisms are emerging among rebel groups over ideology, the shape of a future Syrian state and control of the significant resources concentrated in this long-neglected but crucial corner of the country.

Syria’s Jihadists face test of government in eastern city Hardline Islamist brigades patrol streets abandoned by police. A religious court has replaced a collapsed judicial system, and minorities have fled, according to civic activists in Raqqa, the largest city to fall to the opposition since the uprising against four decades of Assad family rule broke out in March 2011. The Jihadist show of force coupled with the absence of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, the main grouping of the political opposition, could consolidate an Islamist sweep in the north and east of the country. But the experience of Raqqa, where there have been demonstrations and strikes, shows that Islamist rule has got off to a difficult start.

Why Turkey Won’t Attack Syria The government doesn’t want to boost the stature of the military, it has a big Alawite community, and plenty of other reasons.

A Very Busy Man Behind the Syrian Civil War’s Casualty Count He has been called a tool of the Qatari government, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Central Intelligence Agency and Rifaat al-Assad, the exiled uncle of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, among others. The Syrian government and even some rebels have accused him of treachery. “Rami’s objectivity is killing us,” said Manhal Bareesh, an activist from Saraqib who knew him before the war. But he and other activists in Syria credit him with working hard to document all the cases, and not hesitating to document potential war crimes.

My new paper, prepared for a briefing in Washington, D.C. that took place on January 15, 2013, is now out and is titled “Syria 2013: Rise of the Warlords.” It should be read in conjunction with my previous briefing “The Shredded Tapestry,” and my recent essay “The Creation of an Unbridgeable Divide.

Video Highlights

Two days ago, this Scud missile fell on the village of Salhabiyeh in Raqqah Province, but failed to explode http://youtu.be/gxPDvik9w6k

The pounding of restive neighborhoods in east and south Damascus City continues: Jobar http://youtu.be/Ce5sCtCFIS4 , http://youtu.be/PcOEXoycaj0Al-Hajar Al-Aswad http://youtu.be/tmxSVglOgZQ ,http://youtu.be/IlnSmOKjO2M Al-Madniyeh http://youtu.be/RouNVgSjnAk

Meanwhile warplanes continue their bombardment of the towns and suburbs ofEastern Ghoutah http://youtu.be/Pa0XcZgP5u8 But sometimes, pro-Assad militias are too eager, and accidents happen in which they end up hurting each other http://youtu.be/Cj6tiRzUXII

Tanks keep trying to pound their way into the town of Daraya, west of Damascus City http://youtu.be/pAmXIxa4SVw , http://youtu.be/haIdMXOCjec ,http://youtu.be/lC0DLSepJ-I , http://youtu.be/OuOZWmVLECo ,http://youtu.be/eU8_JwVbiaI Meanwhile, tanks lay siege and continue their pounding of the nearby town of Moadamiya http://youtu.be/dpjsvuDRuBE ,http://youtu.be/y8HGRkBbBw8

Chileans Seek Justice on the 22nd Anniversary of the Death of Senator Jaime Guzmán

By Pearl Rimon
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 SANTIAGO, Chile – Chile’s Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez in Havana. Conservative groups hope the talks cover the extradition of fugitives suspected of killing Senator Jaime Guzmán in 1991.

People gathered at the 22nd anniversary of Guzmán’s death. (Photo Courtesy of Evan Lang/The Santiago Times)

However, it is reported that Moreno will meet privately with Rodríguez about the Guzmán case.

Guzmán founded the conservative Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party in 1983. He was also an advisor to General Augusto Pinochet and co-authored the country’s 1980 constitution.

 Moreno and Rodríguez will meet with Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, the three together form the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC) to discuss agreements reached in January during a conference in Santiago.

During the January CELAC conference, Cuban President Raúl Casto, promised President Sebastián Piñera his cooperation in locating the people who took part in the assassination plot. Piñera presented a UDI report that discussed that the alleged criminals are residing in Cuba.

The UDI received renewed impetus due to April 1st, being the 22nd anniversary of the senator’s assassination. He was assassinated by members of the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (FPMR).

UDI president, Patricio Melero, spoke at a memorial event for the slain senator. He said he hoped the diplomatic efforts would “…[P]ut an end to two decades of impunity and restore the dignity of Jaime Guzmán as a person, a politician and a good man.”


“We owe it not only to the memory of Jaime Guzmán but to all Chileans who believe in justice to continue pressuring national and international institutions to complete their role in facilitating the just conviction of those who planned and perpetrated his assassination, all of whom are today at liberty; this is the greatest injustice of all,” Melero said.

Groups like the FPMR credit Guzmán for some of the human rights abuses during the Pinochet dictatorship. The FPMR describes him as “one of the principal intellectual authors and ideologues of the (1973) military coup and subsequent genocide,” who “despite attempts to portray him as a saint, was always behind criminal acts enacted against the people.”

The only people to have been convicted for Guzmán’s murder were rescued in a dramatic prison escape via helicopter, which was planned by the FPMR in 1996.

A memorial for Guzmán was held on April 1, the 22nd anniversary of his death. PResidiental candidate Laurence Golborne, Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick, and UDI President Melero were in attendance.

 

For more information, please see:

Radio Cadena Agramonte — FMs of Cuba and Chile Hold Talks in Havana – 06 April 13

Santiago Times — Chilean Right seeks extradition for Guzmán killers – 03 April 13

Latercera — Jaime Guzman, ideals and leadership – 01 April 13

Santiago Times — Chilean conservatives commemorate assassinated Senator Jaime Guzmán – 01 April 13