By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq ­ –  For the fourth time this week, tens of thousands of Sunnis flooded the streets of Ramadi, in the Anbar province, to denounce Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the rest of the Shia led government. As a result of the demonstrations, the main trade route to Jordan and Syria was blocked.

These protests come just a week after ten of Rafia al-Issawi’s bodyguards were arrested by troops loyal to Maliki. Issawi is Iraq’s finance minister and is one of the government’s most senior Sunni officials. Issawi actually went to one of these demonstrations and declared to his fellow Sunnis that, “injustice, marginalisation, discrimination and double standards, as well as the politicisation of the judicial system and lack of respect for partnership, law and constitution . . . have all turned our neighbourhoods in Baghdad into huge prisons surrounded by concrete blocks.”

The Sunni people believed that their government officials were being persecuted even before the arrests of Issawi’s bodyguards. Prior to the arrests, Vice-president Tariq al-Hashemi, Iraq’s highest Sunni official, was sentenced to death. He was charged with running hit squads which he claims are fabricated and is currently in Turkey on exile.

Protestors at the rally flew the old Iraqi flag which Saddam’s Baath party introduced and chanted that, “the people want to bring down the regime.”

Issawi stated that, “this sit-in will remain open-ended until the demonstrators’ demands are met, and until the injustice against ends.”

Others, like Sheikh Ali Hatem Sulaiman, the leader of the Dulaimi tribe, say that if the protests demands are not met, they will bring the protests to “the gates of Baghdad.”

Shia analysts have discounted the effects that these protests will have on any upcoming election. While the demonstrations may have earned a national audience; analyst for the Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies, Yahya Qubaisi, maintains that the demands are not national but merely regional.

There is a serious fear that Iraq will erupt into sectarian violence. These events are particularly problematic given the health status of Jalal Talabani. Talabani, Iraq’s Kurdish president, suffered a stroke around the same time which Issawi’s bodyguards were arrested. Talabani has been seen as a unifying figure who could successfully mediate among the Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish.

Political analyst Sabah al-Mukhtar reminded Al Jazeera not to forget that, “we have the Arab Spring. The Iraqis are saying, “if everybody else revolted, why aren’t we revolting against a regime, which is anyway imposed on us by an occupying force in 2003?”

For further information, please see:

Reuters – Iraq Sunni Rallies Gather Steam – 27 December 2012

Al Jazeera – Iraq Sunnis Block Trade Routes in new Protest – 26 December 2012

Guardian – Iraq Protests Signal Growing Tension Between Sunni and Shia Communities – 26 December 2012

New York Times – Iraq: Sunnis Continue Protests Against Prime Minister – 26 December 2012

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — On a late Tuesday evening, President Mohamed Morsi signed into law a new constitution, which was approved by a referendum monitored by the media, judges, and non-governmental organizations just hours earlier.

The constitution itself was criticized by opponents of Morsi for what was within its provisions and the ratification process it followed.  Some say that it sacrifices individual and minority rights for the sake of ensuring power for the religious and military establishments.  Others criticized the constitution and its passing through a series of unilateral moves that silenced the dissent within both the judiciary and Constitutional Assembly.

A spokesman for the main opposition group, the National Salvation Front (NSF), said that they will still continue with their protests, and will hold one in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt on January 25, the second anniversary of Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow.

The NSF alleged that there were a few incidents of fraud during the vote, but Judge Samir Abou el-Maati, head of the electoral commission, denied the allegations, saying that the judicial supervision involved with the referendum successfully prevented the occurrence of fraud.

Despite the criticism, the final draft of the constitution passed with the support of just over ten million of Egypt’s 85 million citizens, supporting it during two rounds of votes.  Out of the 33% of citizens who came to the polls, 65% of voters approved of the final draft.

On Wednesday, Morsi addressed the nation to show his support for the constitution’s passing, emphasizing that the powers granted by the document is for the sake of maintaining a democracy and not a dictatorship.  “Today we celebrate our new constitution.  It is a historic day.  Egypt has a free constitution chosen chosen by the people.  It is not a grant from a king or an obligation from a president or dictation from an occupier,” said Morsi.

In his speech, Morsi stressed his focus on the economy, saying that the passing of the constitution will bring security and stability for the people.  “I will deploy all my efforts to boost the Egyptian economy, which faces enormous challenges but has also big opportunities for growth…”

Morsi also promoted the opportunity of working together with his criticizers, yet condemned those who responded with violence.  Morsi also promised Egyptians to relinquish the powers he granted himself once a national charter was passed.

In response to Morsi’s Wednesday address, NSF spokesman Hussein Abdel Ghani accused the government of trying to create an “autocratic tyranny in the name of religion,” and that the dialogue “lacked serious business.”

For further information, please see:

Al Bawaba — Morsi Addresses the Nation, Says Talking is the Answer — 26 December 2012

Al Jazeera — Egypt’s Morsi Signs Draft Charter Into Law — 26 December 2012

BBC News — Egypt’s President Morsi Hails Constitution and Urges Dialogue — 26 December 2012

Daily News Egypt — Morsy Addresses Nation After Passing new Constitution — 26 December 2012

By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – The Israeli government granted initial approval for a total of up to 3,000 homes in Jerusalem, including a 1,500-unit settlement in East Jerusalem. The announcement came a day after the U.S. State Department strongly condemned Israel’s plans for building in East Jerusalem.

The new settlements and expansions to existing ones on land on the Palestinian side of the pre-1967 “green line” was originally announced during Vice President Biden’s visit in 2010. At the time, the announcement resulted in somewhat of a political crisis. It was put on hold because of the controversy it created, but was reinstated and approved this past week. It is one of many plans pushed by Netanyahu to expand into Palestinian territory since November.

Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev told CNN: “The actual construction is of 3,000 housing units, as was decided by the government on November 30, 2012. All these units are in Jerusalem and the settlement blocs that will stay a part of Israel in a future peace agreement. All other announcements regarding construction refer to stages of planning and zoning, a bureaucratic process that takes years to complete. In any case, this process necessitates a separate decision by the government before actual construction can begin.”

In November, the U.N. granted Palestine an upgrade of their status to nonmember observer state status. Although the change in status still does not recognize Palestine as a State, the U.N. decision symbolically created a degree of statehood for Palestine.  Israel was unhappy with the outcome of the U.N. vote and some see this expansion of settlements as a direct reaction to Palestine’s change in status.

The United Nations and many countries in the world consider Israeli settlements illegal and an impediment to the peace process because they inhibit a two-state solution.

“If there is a financial cliff in Washington or the United States today, there is a political cliff over a two-state solution (here), and I think we are already slipping down the cliff, because the implementation of the massive settlement program that Israel has announced just today and yesterday it is putting an end to the possibility of a two-state solution,” Mohammad Shtayyeh, a Palestinian Authority negotiator and minister, told CNN on Wednesday.

Victoria Nuland, U.S.  Department of State spokesperson said, “we are deeply disappointed that Israel insists on continuing this pattern of provocative action,” and said that such actions “run counter to the cause of peace. Israel’s leaders continually say that they support a path towards a two-state solution, yet these actions only put that goal further at risk.”

For more information, please see:

JPost – Analysis: In the Eye of the Beholder – 24 Dec. 2012

CNN- Israel Says it Will Build Settlements in East Jerusalem Neighborhoods – 20 Dec. 2012

Telegraph – U.S. Condemns ‘Provocative’ Israeli Settlement Building – 19 Dec. 2012

Al Jazeera – U.N. Votes to Upgrade Palestinian Status – 29 Nov. 2012

 

 

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

AMMAN, Jordan – On Monday, King Abdullah II instructed the government to work with the state prosecutor to release detained protestors. One hundred and sixteen detainees are said to be released. Only thirteen detainees who had committed crimes previously will remain incarcerated on other charges.

The detainees all took part in protests over the past couple of months which criticized King Abdullah II. Some of the most recent protests occurred when gas prices rose by fifty-four percent and oil derivatives rose by twenty-eight percent.

The oil and gas protests led to violence in which three people were killed and seventy-five more were injured. Of these seventy-five individuals who were hurt, fifty-eight of which were police officers.

The Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications announced that, “the government reaffirms that freedom of expression and assembly is guaranteed by the constitution as a natural right of the human and considers these freedoms as one of the pillars of reform in general and political reform in particular.”

The minister went on to distinguish freedom of expression from violently attacking policemen and destroying property.

King Abdullah discussed his stance on protestors in late October when he stated that, “constructive opposition is a legitimate and required ambition. The negative movements, hollow slogans and attempts to foment sedition and chaos are unacceptable.”

He continued to say that “we must remember that catchy slogans are not the answer, and that extremist reactionary mentalities cannot be entrusted with the future of our children.”

Instead of protests, King Abdullah II advocated for citizens to come out and vote in the next parliamentary elections if they wanted to make changes.

These statements came shortly after he pardoned detainees in October after twenty individuals were incarcerated for what Amnesty International described as a peaceful demonstration calling for anti-corruption reforms.

In response to the king’s most recent pardon announcement, Amnesty International said that it was “too little, too late.” The human rights group was happy that the one hundred and sixteen detainees would be set free, and hoped that it would happen quickly so that those who desperately need medical treatment could receive it.

While Amnesty International was happy that all those prisoners would be set free, they worried that the King’s maneuver was a hallow gesture. “There’s a danger King Abdullah’s announcement will be seen as nothing more than a PR exercise because the reality is that dozens of people in 2012 have been detained solely for peacefully calling for economic and political reforms,” stated Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ann Harrison.

Amnesty International will further investigate the charges of the thirteen individuals who continue to be detained.

For further information, please see:

Amnesty International – Jordan: Release of Detainees ‘too Little, too Late’ – 11 December 2012

Time – Jordan King Orders Release of Jailed Protesters – 11 December 2012

Petra – King Orders Government to Take Legal Measures to Release Detainees – 10 December 2012

Al Monito – Jordan King Releases Detainees who Protested, Urges all to Vote – 24 October 2012