German Parliament Passes Partial Burqa Ban

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

BERLIN, Germany — On April 27, German lawmakers passed a bill that partially bans face coverings such as the burqa and niqab.  The lower house of parliament approved a draft law that, if passed, would prevent civil servants, judges, and soldiers from wearing full face veils at work.  The law, which still needs to be approved by the upper house of parliament, might also require Germans to remove face coverings for identity checks when voting, as well as at universities and public demonstrations.

A woman wears a burqa in Afghanistan (Photo Courtesy of Telegraph)

Supporting its law, the German government released a statement saying that the “religious or ideological covering of the face contradicts the neutrality required of state functionaries.”  According to German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, “[i]ntegration also means that we make our values clear ​​and express the limits of our tolerance to other cultures.”  Maiziere believes that the draft law is important step towards that integration.  Maiziere also commented that “[w]e are an open society. We show our faces. We do not [wear] burqa.”

Some see the law as symbolic, as the burqa is not overly abundant in Germany.  Hamed Abdel-Samed, Egyptian-German political scientist, estimated in 2016 that only about 200-300 people wear a burqa in Germany.

The new law proposes a partial ban, which falls short of the right wing’s call for a blanket ban on the burqa similar to the one recently enacted in France, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s call for a burqa ban “wherever legally possible.”

Legal experts claim that a blanket ban is impossible to enact under the German constitution, and would be struck down by the courts. In 1 2014 parliamentary research document, Germany’s constitutional court established that “in a society that gives space to different religious beliefs, individuals do not have the right to be shielded from professions of faith by others.”

Critics addressed Maiziere’s ideas on the new law, believing that a “dominant culture” would become a source of social tension and would hinder multicultural development.  Chair of the Free Democratic Party in Germany, Christian Lindner, accused Maiziere of distracting voters from real issues before elections.  Lindner accuses Maiziere’s and Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party of being unable to develop a sufficient immigration policy, and is “[re-igniting] old debates instead.”

 

For more information, please see:

RT — ‘We do not Wear Burqa:’ Germany’s Interior Minister Favors Introduction of ‘Dominant’ Culture — 30 April 2017

EuroNews — Germany Approves Partial Burqa Ban — 28 April 2017

Newsweek — German Parliament Passes Partial Burqa Ban — 28 April 2017

The Telegraph News — Limited Burka Ban Approved by German Parliament — 28 April 2017

VDC Media Team: Violations Documentation Center in Syria

The Monthly Statistical Report on Victims, April 2017
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April 2017 Statistical Report on Victims, full report.
التقرير الإحصائي الشهري ، نيسان 2017، التقرير كاملا
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Ceasefire in Syria Leads to Conflicting Reports of Reduced Violence

by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — An agreement aimed at reducing violence in Syria went into effect at midnight on Saturday, May 6th. The ceasefire was headed by Russia, which is the strongest ally of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, and backed by Turkey and Iran.

The four “de-escalation zones” cover a total of 2.5 million citizens (Photo courtesy of AlJazeera)

The plan calls for ending hostilities between rebel groups and government forces by creating “de-escalation zones” in the major areas of conflict in western Syria for a period of six months, which could be extended if all three signatory countries agree. Although Russia is permitted to fly over the de-escalation zones, the agreement strictly prohibits the use of weapons and air strikes in those areas.

The ceasefire further calls for the creation of “conditions for humanitarian access, medical assistance and return of displaced civilians into their homes.” The Syrian government is required to allow “unhindered” humanitarian aid into rebel-held areas, and must restore services such as water and electricity.

The largest de-escalation zone, in northern Syria, covers a population of over one million and encompasses the Idlib province, which was hit by a chemical attack in early April. The three remaining zones cover the northern Homs province, the eastern Ghouta region, and the area surrounding the Jordanian border in southern Syria, encompassing a total of over 1.5 million citizens. Qaboun, a town in the eastern Ghouta region, is exempt from the deal due to its history as housing the Nusra Front, a group linked to al-Qaeda.

Despite the agreement, however, there have been conflicting reports of its effectiveness. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (“SOHR”) stated that it has already started seeing breaches of the deal, mainly in the northern Hama province. A spokesperson for the Jaish al-Nasr rebel group, Mr. Mohammed Rasheed, stated that the fighting started after midnight. The SOHR added that fighter jets shot upon al-Zalakiyat, a village held by Syrian rebels, as well as upon the countryside of northern Hama. Mr. Rasheed further noted that barrel bombs were also used in the attacks. He added that “[t]he bombardment has not stopped, it is no different from before[.]” Furthermore, on Saturday, May 6th, less than twenty-four hours after the ceasefire was implemented, four opposition fighters were killed and a child was wounded when a suburb of Damascus was shelled by government forces.

The SOHR, in contrast, also noted that despite the reduction in fighting, that it was still “too early” to determine whether it would last. The director of the SOHR, Mr. Rami Abdulrahman, noted that “[t]he reduction in violence must be clear and lasting[.]”

For more information, please see:

AlJazeera—Syria’s ‘de-escalation zones’ explained—6 May 2017

Washington Post—Syria violence kills 4, wounds child despite safe zones—6 May 2017

Reuters—Syria fighting eases as Russian deal takes effect—6 May 2017

Deutsche Wells—Fighting continues in Syrian ‘safe zones’—6 May 2017

CBS News—Russia’s proposed Syrian “safe zone” deal goes into effect—6 May 2017

Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies: Death Toll Since March 15, 2011 in Syria

Contact Dr. Radwan Ziadeh للاتصال: د.رضوان زيادة

Tel. +1571-205-3590 تلفون

Email: radwan.ziadeh@dchrs.org إيميل

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اضغط هنا لترى الإيميل في متصفحك

 

Death Toll Since March 15, 2011 Until April 30, 2017

DCHRS documented 147,498 victims including 16,261 children and 11,343 women since March 15, 2011

Throughout March 15th, 2011 to April 30, 2017, the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS) documented a provisional total of 147,498 casualties. 80% of those killed were civilians accumulating to 117,788 civilian victims. The remaining 20% belonged to one of the fighting factions. The number of documented children during the indicated period is 16,261 Children victims at a rate of 11% of the total victims. The documented number of women casualties is 11,343 at a rate of 8% of the total victims.
 

The total number of combatants that DCHRS documented is approximately 29,710 casualties with a ratio of 20% of the total number of victims. Nevertheless, 19% is the ratio of women and children combined. Therefore, for every soldier killed, a child or a woman is killed, and about more than three civilians are also killed.

 

Based on the above statistics and charts, the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS) calls the international community to terminate the indiscriminate aggression of aerial aviation, which is designed specifically to target civilians deliberately. DCHRS commends any efforts or initiatives to establish a safe zone in Syria, which shall save many lives of civilians. Furthermore, DCHRS condemns the constant aerial bombardment of the regime air forces, Russian air forces, and the U.S led coalition forces, for perpetrating crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Syrian Civilians. Also, DCHRS denounces the continues failure of the UN Security Council to achieve mechanisms to end violence in Syria, and to account crime perpetrators to justice. Additionally, DCHRS urges the UN and the international community to implement the “Ceasefire” agreement and to create a no-fly zone that could prevent the deaths of many children, women, and civilians.

 

DCHRS, inspired by its main mission in documenting and monitoring human rights violation in Syria and as a member of the  International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP), urges all the concerned organization to work on, referring the cases of these massacres, and the many other massacres perpetrated by the Syrian regime, to the I.C.C. and the specialized courts, holding the individuals responsible for these crimes accountable including Bashar Al-Assad as he is the chief-in-command of the army and the armed forces.

 

توثيق 147,498 ضحية من 15 آذار/مارس 2011 وحتى نهاية نيسان/إبريل 2017

 

وثّق مركز دمشق لدراسات حقوق الإنسان في الفترة الممتدة بين 15 أذار – مارس من العام 2011م حتى تاريخ 30 من شهر نيسان/إبريل من العام 2017م، ما مجموعه 147,498  ضحية، تم تسجيلهم بالاسم الثلاثي والثنائي، قرابة 80 % منهم كانوا مدنيين وعددهم 117,788 مدني، من بينهم وثق المركز 16,261 شهيداً من فئة الأطفال بنسبة قدرها 11%، و11,343 امرأة من فئة النساء بنسبة قدرها 8% من العدد الكلي للقتلى، بلغت النسبة المتبقية وهي 61% توثيق ما يقارب 90,184 رجلاً من فئة المدنيين.

 

بلغ مجموع القتلى من العسكريين وفق الأرقام التي تمكن المركز من توثيقها ما يقارب 29,710 شخص. شكل العسكريون نسبة 20% من مجموع الضحايا الكلي، وهذا عدد يقارب مجموع عدد النساء والأطفال معاً ونسبتهم 19%، وبالتالي من كل عسكري يقتل، هناك طفل أو امرأة تقتل، و3 رجال من فئة المدنيين يلقون حتفهم،.

 

بناء على ما تقدم من إحصائيات، فإن مركز دمشق لدراسات حقوق الإنسان يناشد المجتمع الدولي بوضع حد للعدوان العشوائي المتمثل بالطيران الجوي الذي صمم خصيصاً ليستهدف المدنيين حيث بات يوقع في صفوفهم على نحو يومي ضحايا مستمرين. ويشير المركز إلى أن مبادرات إقامة منطقة آمنة في سوريا ستقي الكثير من أرواح المدنيين، كما ينكر مركز دمشق قصف قوات النظام المدعومة بغطاء جوي روسي وقصف قوات التحالف الدولي لارتكابهم جرائم ضد الإنسانية وجرائم حرب عجز مجلس الأمن الدولي عن ردعها عبر إيجاد آلية ما للجم العنف والقتل الذي لم يتوقف ليوم واحد منذ بداية الثورة السورية وحتى نهاية شهر نيسان/إبريل من العام 2017 حيث تشهد الإحصاءات المذكورة أعلاه، بـ147,498 ضحية 80% منهم مدنيون.

 

وباعتبار مركز دمشق عضو في التحالف الدولي من أجل تطبيق مبدأ مسؤولية الحماية (ICRtoP)، يطالب مركز دمشق أيضاً بالسعي الحثيث لتحقيق العدالة الانتقالية في سوريا، عبر ضمان الإنصاف لكل الضحايا الأبرياء وإعلاء مبدأ المساءلة وعدم الإفلات من العقاب.

 

كما يعود المركز ليدعو مجلس الأمن الدولي والمنظمات ذات الصلة للاضطلاع بمسؤولياتهم وفقاً لمبادئ مسؤولية الحماية (R2P)، وعدم الوقوف موقف المتفرج على ما يحصل من انتهاكات في سوريا أضحت تطال البشر والحجر معاً.

28 Massacres Committed After CW Attack in Khan Shaykhun

Throughout April 5th, 2011 to April 30, 2017, and following the Sarin Chemical attack that took place in Khan Shaykhun, and after the U.S assaults against Shayrat air base, the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS) documented a total of 28 massacres committed in different Syrian provinces. 19 out of these massacres were perpetrated by the Syrian regime and Russian forces, and the remaining 9 were perpetrated by the U.S led coalition. Most of the victims killed in these massacres were civilians including children and women.

28 مجزرة عقب مجزرة الكيماوي بخان شيخون خلال شهر نيسان/إبريل 2017
وثق مركز دمشق لدراسات حقوق الإنسان خلال المرحلة الممتدة من الـ5 من شهر نيسان/أبريل الماضي وحتى 30 منه ارتكاب النظام السوري والقوى المتحالفة معه وفي مقدمتها روسيا حوالي 19 مجزرة، فيما رصد بجانب التحالف الدولي ضد داعش ارتكاب نحو 9 مجازر.

Khan Sheikoun Chemical Weapon Attack With Sarin Gas Suffocated Hundreds Of Victims

The Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies prepared a comprehensive report detailing the chemical weapon attack against Khan Sheikoun. The evidence collected by DCHRS confirmed the use of Sarin Gas, and eye whiteness testified to DCHRS valuable information about the CW attack. DCHRS could only document 69 victims by name. most of the victims who had been suffocated by this attack were children, women, and civilians.

بعيداً عن العدالة: مذبحة بالكيماوي في خان شيخون بريف إدلب

من جديد جريمة مروِّعة تتشابه من حيث الطبيعة مع الجريمة التي وقعت في الغوطة الشرقية لدمشق صيف عام 2013، والتي مررها المجتمع الدولي دون حساب أو عقاب، مكتفيا بعبارات التنديد والقول بحسب السلاح من القاتل، ليعود القاتل ذاته مستخدما ذات لسلاح معلنا مذبحة مدوية جديدة يندى لها الجبين على مرأى ومسمع العالم أجمع.

وفي هذا التقرير يسلط مركز دمشق الضوء على قيام ًالنظام السوري أو حليفته روسيا بقصف مواقع سكنية في مدينة خان شيخون بريف محافظة إدلب شمال سوريا ومناطق قريبة، عبر نوع من الغازات التي وصفت بـ”الخانقة” و”السامة”، مستعينا المركز بما توفر من معلومات وفرها ناشطوه وناشطون ميدانيون متعاونون مع المركز في الشمال السوري.

Monthly Reports
التقارير الشهرية

 

 

Casualties Report for April 2016 تقرير شهداء سوريا لشهر نيسان / إبريل لعام 2017

 

Casualties Report for March 2016 تقرير شهداء سوريا لشهر آذار / مارس لعام 2017

 

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Turkish Military Launches Airstrike into Iraq and Syria

by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Turkish military released a statement indicating that its military jets attacked fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (“PKK”) with airstrikes on Tuesday, April 25th, in northern Iraq and northeast Syria.

Turkey’s attack, which hit “shelters, ammunition depots and key control centers[,]” was intended to “prevent infiltration of Kurdish rebels, weapons, ammunition and explosives from those areas into Turkey.” (Photo courtesy of the New York Times)
Despite the Turkish military’s statement claiming that the attack was carried out “within the scope of international law[,]” it has been characterized as “unusually intense[.]” The statement indicated that the airstrike, which took place before dawn, hit targets on Sinjar mountain in Iraq and a mountainous region in Syria. It noted that the attack was necessary to “prevent infiltration of Kurdish rebels, weapons, ammunition and explosives from those areas into Turkey.” A second statement indicated that the airstrikes hit “shelters, ammunition depots and key control centers[.]”

The spokesperson for the Syrian Kurdish militia, also known as the People’s Protection Units (“YPG”), Mr. Redur Khalil, stated that Turkey’s jets struck their headquarters in the town of Karachok in the northeastern Syrian province of Hassakeh. Mr. Khalil added that the attack caused extensive damage to the headquarters as well as to neighboring civilian property.

The Turkish military’s statement noted that the airstrike killed a minimum of seventy people, with forty militants in Sinjar and thirty in northern Syria being “neutralized.” The YPG, however, stated that the attack killed twenty of its fighters and wounded eighteen more. The mayor of Sinjar, Mr. Mahma Khalil, stated that five members of the Iraqi Kurdish militia (“the peshmerga”), who support the fight against the Islamic State (“ISIS”) with the U.S.-led coalition, were also killed in the airstrike.

The YPG is a close ally to the U.S.’s fight against ISIS. However, Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist group due to its ties to Turkey’s Kurdish rebels, the PKK, which are being harbored in neighboring Syria and Iraq.

The attack attracted immediate international criticism and condemnation. The U.S.-led coalition stated that Iraq’s neighbors must be respectful of state sovereignty and encouraged “all forces to . . . concentrate their efforts on [defeating] ISIS [in Iraq and Syria.]” While Turkey claimed to have notified the U.S. and Russia in advance of the attack, the U.S. State Department indicated that it was “deeply concerned” by the airstrike and that it was not authorized by the U.S.-led coalition. The Foreign Minister of Iraq, Mr. Ahmad Jamal, stated that the airstrike was a “violation” of its sovereignty, and called upon the international community to end Turkey’s “interference[.]” The Syrian Kurdish fighters denounced Turkey’s airstrike, noting that the attack was “treacherous[,]” and accusing Turkey of “undermining the anti-terrorism fight.” Russia, which is a close ally of the Syrian government, also criticized the airstrike by stating that it “hindered efforts to combat [ISIS]” and added that it was “serious[ly] concern[ed]” about the strikes.

For more information, please see:

ABC News—Tensions rise after Turkish attack on Syrian Kurds—26 April 2017

The New York Times—Turkish Strikes Target Kurdish Allies of U.S. in Iraq and Syria—25 April 2017

AlJazeera—Turkey targets Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria—25 April 2017

BBC News—Turkey air strikes on Kurds in Syria and Iraq spark US concern—25 April 2017

The Washington Post—The Latest: Russia slams Turkish strikes in Iraq, Syria—26 April 2017

Boston Herald—Turkey strikes Kurds in Iraq, Syria, drawing condemnation—25 April 2017