By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Sunday marked the deadliest day in Iraq in nearly a month with a number of bombings that killed at least thirty-two people and wounded approximately one hundred.  The insurgents seem to be targeting Iraq’s Shiite Muslim community.

Baghdad’s Shiite-majority government blames the recent attacks on Sunni insurgents with ties to al Qaeda.  A local news source noted that insurgents are have recently been regarded as weaker than before by the public but are still able to carry out mass-casualty attacks.  Twenty people were killed in the seven explosions in and around Baghdad, while at least thirty-seven others were wounded in explosions in al-Mashada and al-Amel, neighborhoods closer to the city center.

“I was in my shop and I heard the sound of a very powerful explosion,” said Abu Ihab, a shop owner in central Baghdad’s Karada district. “Dust was everywhere.”

“We were sitting in the shop while police were collecting flesh,” he said. “Human flesh was on the sidewalk, being collected and put in plastic bags.”

“When the explosion happens…I sit in my shop and I am afraid for my life,” Ihab told reporters.

Abu Ihab had good reason to be afraid, as the blast was followed by another car bomb that hit the same area.

Later in the day, a Shiite shrine in al-Madaan, about 20 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, was the target of a car bomb. Four people were killed by the blast, and nineteen others were wounded. Four of the wounded were Iranians who had traveled to the shrine on a religious pilgrimage from Iran.

In Kut, a predominately Shiite city about 110 kilometers south of Baghdad, a car exploded at a police checkpoint, killing six people. Three of those killed were members of the Iraqi police.

These explosions demonstrate a marked increase in violence after a relatively calm period. The last outburst of violence occurred on September 9, when 63 people were killed and around 200 wounded. Most of those victims were Iraqi security forces and took place in Shiite areas.

Infighting among Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds has been common in Iraq, and was particularly terrible in 2006. Although the level of violence has generally been on the wane since the war in 2005 and 2006, recent months show that the violence is escalating again. This past July, the death toll reached a two-year high of 325 reported casualties.

The recent events have raised concerns that the political conflict will continue to escalate and return to the high level of violence that plagued the country a half-dozen years ago.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Many Killed in String of Iraq Attacks – 30 September 2012

CNN – Iraq Suffers Deadliest Day in Nearly a Month – 30 September 2012

Khaleej Times – Wave of Iraq Attacks Kills At Least 32 – 30 September 2012

Rueters – String of Iraq Blasts Kills at Least 32 – 30 September 2012

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Wednesday, the Nigerian government reported that approximately 200 of its women were deported from Saudi Arabia.  Another 900 had been detained in Mecca, and three planes were turned around from Medina.  The women had attempted to enter the country to take part in a hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, that is mandated by their religion. They were turned away for not having a male guardian with them.

In the the eyes of Saudi law, women are no different from children.  As legal minors, they cannot work, leave the country, and often, receive medical treatment, without the consent of a male relative. These women flew into Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah airport, expecting to take part in a holy pilgrimage. Abubakar Shehu Bunu, Nigeria’s Saudi ambassador, claimed it had been agreed that the Nigerians could partake in their hajj as long as they were chaperoned by local authorities.  But instead, the Saudi ministry would not permit any woman under the age of forty-five to enter the country without a male guardian.

Those who were detained reported horrendous treatment by the Saudis. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria remarked that the women had been kept “in very poor living conditions” where some needed “urgent medical attention.”  Nigeria is home to approximately eighty million Muslims, the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa.  One of the five pillars of Islam mandates that all Muslims who are able to must make at least one pilgrimage in their lifetime.

Halima Muhammad was one of the women who had been detained. She claimed that, “[f]rom the airport we were all rounded up and taken to a facility that is not fit for humans. No one offered us anything, we had only water and slept on bare floors.”

“Some of us were kept in two halls for five days in humiliating conditions with little food, water and other basic needs and inadequate toilet facilities,” reported Zainb Mohammed, another detainee. “Many of us have cold and fever. We did not have blankets and it was cold, especially at night.”

Saudi Arabia’s actions have greatly disturbed relations between itself and Nigeria. Namadi Sambo, Nigeria’s Vice President, said that if Saudi Arabia was not going to permit its pilgrims to perform hajj that it should have let them know that in advance. Bunu has filed a formal complaint with the Saudi authorities.  In response to the deportations and detentions, former governor and Nigerian Muslim leader Lawan Kaita called the incident “a slap in the face for Nigeria and all Muslims. Saudi Arabia has the privilege of being hosts, but it shouldn’t stop others from coming to do the hajj.”

These women came to Saudi Arabia from Nigeria believing that they were fellow Muslims, but ultimately ended up feeling as if they were infidels.

“We were held like criminals in debasing conditions,” stated Maryam Abdulah, another one of the many who were denied access.  “We deserve human treatment and as women and mothers, we deserve to be treated with honour but the Saudis have shown that they have no heart.”

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Nigeria Stops Hajj Flights Over Deportations – 28 September 2012

The National – Detention of Almost 1,000 Femal Haj Pilgrims Causes Diplomatic Rift – 28 September 2012

Arabian Business – Nigeria Says Saudi Deported 150 Female Pilgrims – 27 September 2012

Guardian (UK) – Nigeria Protests After Saudis Deport Female Hajj Pilgrims – 27 September 2012

Radio Netherlands Worldwide Africa – Saudi Denies Entry to Some 1,000 Nigerian Women for Hajj – 26 September 2012

By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – As the civil war rages on, the Syrian government has taken action to safeguard its chemical weapons. US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Friday that there had been “limited movement” to secure the chemical weapons.

Syria has admitted to having a large stockpile of chemical weapons but has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention or ratified the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.  According to CIA intelligence, Syria has had a chemical weapon program for years and has developed mustard gas and Sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent. The C.I.A. also believes that the country has attempted to develop more toxic nerve agents, such as VX gas. A report citing Turkish, Arab, and Western intelligence agencies put its stockpile at around 1,000 tons of chemical weapons stored across 50 towns and cities.

Mr. Panetta told a news conference at the Pentagon on Friday: “We continue to have a concern about the security of the CBW [chemical and biological weapons] sites.”Although he added that the major sites “still remain secured by the Syrian military” there has been intelligence that there has been “some movement in order for the Syrians to better secure… the chemicals.”

“There has been intelligence that there have been some moves that have taken place. Where exactly that’s taken place, we don’t know,” Panetta told reporters. “I don’t have any specific information about the opposition and whether or not they’ve obtained some of this or how much they’ve obtained and just exactly what’s taken place.”

These chemical weapons can be deployed using aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery rockets.  There is no evidence that Syria has used them in the 18-month conflict with the rebel forces, but has threatened to use them if the country came under attack.

President Barack Obama has declared that the threat of chemical or biological warfare in Syria is a “red line” for the U.S. meaning the U.S. will not tolerate it if the weapons fall into the wrong hands.

If the weapons do fall into the hands of militant groups, President Obama has said that at that point, it’s “an issue that doesn’t just concern Syria. It concerns our close allies in the region, including Israel. It concerns us.” With the recent, more intensified fighting throughout the country, the possibility of militant groups obtaining the chemical weapons is becoming real.

“We cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people,” said President Obama.

For further information, please see:

BBC – Syria ‘Moving Chemical Weapons to Safety’ – Panetta – 28 September 2012

Huffington Post – Syria Chemical Weapons Moved, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Says – 28 September 2012

Washington Post – Panetta: Intelligence Suggests Syria Moving Some Chemical Weapons – 28 September 2012

CBS News – Obama: Chemical Weapons in Syria are a ‘Red Line’ – 20 August 2012

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUNIS, Tunisia – This past Friday, the military court in Tunis found former presidential advisor Ayoub Massoudi guilty of “defaming a civil servant” and “undermining the reputation of the army.”

For his remarks, Massoudi was given a DT1 fine. The former presidential advisor of media resigned from his position two days after the extradition of former Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi al Mahmoudi this past June. On August 15, Massoudi was arrested and charged regarding his public criticism of the extradition.

Tunisian President and Commander-in-Chief Moncef Marzouki never wanted Mahmoudi extradited because he knew Mahmoudi would not get a fair trial in Libya. Despite Marzouki’s opposition, Prime Miniser Hamadi Jebali sent Mahmoudi back to Libya with the help of Rachid Ammar, the Tunisian Armed Forces’ Chief of Staff, and Minister of Defense Abdelkrim Zbidi.

In response to the government’s actions, Massoudi went on the Attounisia television channel and remarked that the extradition was a, “treason against the State” because Ammar and Zibidi “were aware of the extradition, its time, and all of its circumstances…did not utter a word, and did not inform the President who is the Commander-in-Chief.”

He claims his statement was directed specifically at those two officers and did not extend to Tunisia’s military forces in general. Massoudi thus reasoned that his criticism should not violate article 91 of the Military Code.  Massoudi also had some critical words for how the government dealt with the protests in Sidi Bouzid, which he posted on his blog.

Massoudi was not originally notified that charges were being brought against him. He tried to leave the country to visit his family in Paris for the Eid festivities, but was stopped at the Carthage Airport and informed that a travel ban had been imposed on him. Throughout his hearings, Massoudi tried to get it lifted, but he was unsuccessful.

The Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, said that, “Friday’s verdict against Ayoub Massoudi is yet another blow to the right to freedom of expression in Tunisia and should be quashed immediately.”

Sahraoui further believes that Massoudi never had a chance at a fair trial because he was tried by a military tribunal. Since he was a civilian and not a military officer, trying him in front of a military tribunal disregards basic international human rights standards. He also tried attempted to transfer his case to a civil court during his hearings, but his requests were denied.

Eric Goldstein, Human Rights Watch’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director, agreed with Sahraoui.

“The right to subject public officials to scrutiny and criticism is one of the most basic elements of freedom of expression, a hallmark of democracy, and essential to promote debate about matter of public interest,” he said.  “These charges and the laws they are based on, should have no place in a democratic Tunisia that respects human rights.”

According to Human Rights Watch, “the charges brought against Massoudi by the military tribunal violate his right to free expression, protected under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Tunisia is a party.”   In its 2011 omments regarding Article 19 and the ICCPR, the United Nations Human Rights Committee placed specific emphasis on states not inhibiting expression pertaining to issues of public debate about public figures.

For further information, please see:

Amnesty International – Tunisia: Former Presidential Adviser Convicted for Criticizing the Army – 24 September 2012.

Tunisialive – Court Case Continues Against Former Presidential Adviser for Remarks Against Military – 30 August 2012

Global Voices – Tunisia: Former Presidential Advisor Faces Military Trial Over Army Criticism – 23 August 2012

Human Rights Watch – Tunisia: Drop Charges for Criticizing Army – 22 August 2012

Tunisialive – Former Presidential Adviser Ayoub Massoudi Faces Military Trial Today – 17 August 2012

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Dozens of men were arrested on Monday by Saudi security forces in the desert around Tarfiya prison in central Qassim province, where more than 100 demonstrators staged a one-day protest to press for the release of relatives.  The arrests happened after the police confined protesters to a desert area outside the prison, where they were kept without food or water for nearly a day.

Protestors say they ended the demonstration when police forces confronted them with shields and batons, telling them that “their message had been heard and their demands would be looked into.”

Referring to Monday’s arrests, Reema Al-Juraish, who protested her husband’s incarceration, said “[w]hen we left the ‘Emergency Forces’ followed our cars.  They chased us to detain the men.  I saw them grab five and when I tried to intervene they pushed me and hit me with a baton.”

Al-Juraish claimed that she saw the police arrest up to 60 men, who were then taken to an unknown location.  Saudi Arabia says that it is holding protestors’ relatives for reasons of security.  The activists believe that their family members were detained for purely political activity and have never been charged with crimes.

A spokesman for the Interior Ministry claimed that those accused of “terrorism related” activity were undergoing a fair judicial process.  “As for the gathering of a limited number of relatives of the detained people at a prison, they have been stopped according to legal procedures and will be dealt with if they are found in violation of the laws,” the spokesman said in reference to the protestors.

The Interior Ministry says that 5,080 of the nearly 5,700 people it detained last year on security grounds were put on trial.

In Riyadh, a separate protest took place in front of the Saudi Human Rights Commission.  Ever since uprisings took place last year, the country has been criticized for its human rights record regarding prisoners detained for participating in anti-government protests.  Rights activists say hundreds of political prisoners remain incarcerated in harsh conditions without access to a lawyer.  People have even been arrested by police forces for “looking suspicious,” and have been held for many years without ever being formally charged for a crime.

One such prisoner, human rights campaigner Mohammed Al-Bajadi, was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison last April.  He had been accused of forming a human rights association, tarnishing Saudi Arabia’s reputation, questioning the independence of the judiciary, and owning illegal books.

The non-governmental Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association claims that some 30,000 political prisoners are currently being held by Saudi forces.

For further information, please see:

The Daily Star — Dozens Arrested After Prison Protest in Saudi Arabia — 25 September 2012

Tehran Times — Saudi Forces Detain Dozens of Protesters — 25 September 2012

Al Jazeera — Dozens of Saudis ‘Detained’ After Jail Rally — 24 September 2012

Reuters — Dozens Arrested After Saudi Prison Protest — 24 September 2012