by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — On Monday, September 19^th, an aid convoy near the Syrian city of Aleppo was struck by an air strike hours after the army declared the end of a U.S.-Russia ceasefire.

The aid convoy was intended to deliver aid to 78,000 individuals in Aleppo. A U.N. spokesperson confirmed that at least 18 of the 31 trucks in the convoy were destroyed. A witness at the scene indicated that the trucks were parked at a Syrian Red Crescent location when they were hit by approximately five missile strikes. The Red Crescent stated that approximately 20 civilians and at least one of its volunteers were killed in the attacks. It has suspended its operations for three days in protest. It further stated that the attack may have “serious repercussions” for its humanitarian work in the area. The U.N. has also suspended all aid convoy movement in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that the attacks were carried out by either Russian or Syrian aircraft. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby noted that the destination of the convoy was “known to the Syrian regime and Russian Federation.” He further stated that the aid workers were “killed in their attempt to provide relief to the Syrian people.” The U.N. Aid Chief, Stephen O’Brien, declared that the “callous attack” would amount to a “war crime” if it was found to be deliberate. Russia has denied that its aircraft or those of its Syrian government allies were involved.

The ceasefire between the U.S. and Russia went into effect on September 12^th. It was the most recent attempt to bring enough peace to the country to allow political negotiations to begin. A key part of the cessation involved humanitarian aid deliveries to civilians in besieged areas. The agreement further entailed halting fighting between government and rebel forces across Syria. If the ceasefire held, the U.S. and Russia were to set up a joint military cell to target the Islamic State group.

Despite an initial drop in fighting following the ceasefire, violence began to escalate late last week. The deal came under strain on Saturday, September 17^th when a coalition strike led by the U.S. hit a Syrian army post near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor. The Syrian Armed Forces General Command issued a statement on Monday, September 19^th declaring that the ceasefire had ended. Following this announcement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that jets fired strikes, killing and wounding individuals in the Aleppo region. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to hold a meeting regarding Syria and the ceasefire on Wednesday, September 21^st.

For more information, please see:

CNN—Syrian ceasefire: Is it all over?—20 September 2016

Reuters—Russian aircraft believed to hit Syria convoy, U.S. officials say—21 September 2016

BBC News—Syria conflict: US ‘outraged’ over aid convoy attack—20 September 2016


Middle East Eye—UN outraged at ‘callous attack’ on aid convoy, as Syria ceasefire collapses—20 September 2016

NPR—Syrian Cease-Fire Negotiated By U.S., Russia Goes Into Effect—12 September 2016

by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — On Saturday, September 16^th, an Egyptian court ordered the assets of five human rights activists and three non-governmental organizations (NGO) to be frozen.

The Zeinhom Criminal Court based its decision on a case that has been pending since 2011, in which the NGOs were accused of receiving foreign funds to “sow chaos.” The case was brought on charges that include “pursuing acts harmful to national interests,” “destabilizing general peace,” or “harming security and public order”. This decision now paves the way for criminal proceedings against these defendants. All of them could face life sentences if found guilty, which is equivalent to a twenty-five-year prison sentence in Egypt.

The individuals and NGOs whose assets were frozen include Hossam Bahgat (founder and former director of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights), Gamal Eid (head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information), the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and its director Bahey el-din Hassan, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and its director Mostafa al-Hassan, and the Egyptian Right to Education Center and its director Abdelhafiz Tayel. While the assets of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and the Arab Network for Human Rights Information were not frozen immediately, they could be linked to Mr. Bahgat and Mr. Eid and frozen at a later date.

Egypt had begun looking into foreign funding in early 2011 during a crackdown against civil society groups after an 18-day uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule and left the military in charge. At the time, Egypt had come under international fire when it raided Egyptian and Western NGOs in Cairo on suspicion of illegal financing, including the U.S. National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

Following Saturday’s ruling, NGOs and Egyptian human rights activists have stated that they are “facing the worst assault in their history” during a campaign to remove the liberties that were won in the 2011 uprising. In response to the court’s decision, Mr. Eid stated that the decision was expected, but that the NGOs and activists “will carry on despite living under threat.” He further declared “we will not live in complicity with a police regime that hates human rights, the 2011 revolution and democracy.” Amnesty International declared the ruling “a shameless ploy to silence human rights activism,” and further stated that it is a “reprehensible blow to Egypt’s human rights movement.”

For more information, please see:

Middle East Eye—Egypt court freezes assets of top human rights defenders—17 September 2016

World Bulletin—Egypt freezes assets of human rights defenders, NGOs—17 September 2016

Amnesty International—Egypt: Asset freeze is a shameless ploy to silence human rights activism—17 September 2016

BBC News—Egypt Court freezes assets of human rights workers and NGO’s—17 September 2016

AlJazeera—Egypt court freezes assets of rights defenders and NGOs—17 September 2016