By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and his Chief Officer Ahmad al-Qahtan were sentenced in absentia by the Criminal Court of Iraq last Sunday to death by hanging for the murders of Suhad al-Khafaji, a lawyer, and the National Security Officer, Talib Balasim.  Speaking at a press conference in Turkey on Monday, Hashemi insisted his innocence and denounced the verdict, calling it “politically motivated.”

“While reconfirming my complete innocence and my guards, I totally reject and will never recognize the unfair, unjust and politically motivated verdict, which was expected at the beginning of this ridiculous lawsuit,” he said.  Hashemi fled Iraq in December after the government announced the charges against him.  The court has given him 30 days to return to Iraq to appeal the charges, but Hashemi has said that he will not return.

Since his escape, Hashemi, a Sunni, continues to criticize Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his longtime rival, accusing him of manipulating the Iraqi judiciary.  In a statement regarding Maliki, Hashemi’s political party, the secular Iraqiya political bloc, said that “[t]he conduct of court hearings only reinforces the feeling that the sentence by the court is politicized and predictable.”

Hashemi’s case has created an issue for the Iraqi government, as it has fueled resentment from Sunnis and Kurds against Maliki, who critics say is monopolizing power.

“The verdict is unjust, politicized, illegitimate and I will not recognize it,” Hashemi said.  “But I put it as a medal of honor on my chest because it was Maliki, not anyone else, behind it.  I’m proud that it is Maliki, and not anyone else, to target me.”  He also said that “[t]he death sentence is a price I have to pay due to my love for my country and my loyalty to my people.  I reiterate that I’m innocent, and am ready to stand before a fair judicial system and not a corrupt one under Maliki’s influence.”

Hashemi’s defense team also accused the court of losing its objectivity and siding with the Shia-led government.  In his closing argument, attorney Muayad Obeid al-Ezzi, head of the defense team, said that “[f]rom the beginning and through all procedures, it has become obvious that the Iraqi judicial system has been under political pressure.”  In an interview with Al Jazeera, Ezzi said “This ruling has no legal value or effect.  In-absentia rulings cannot be considered final or enforced.  It should remain with the court until the person sentenced is handed over to authorities or arrested.”

The Iraqi government has also accused Hashemi of playing a role in 150 bombings, assassinations, and other attacks from 2005 t0 2011 – most of which were carried out by his bodyguards and other employees.

The verdict against Hashemi is also expected to spark tension with neighboring Turkey.

“Political tensions are likely to escalate in Iraq and relations between Ankara and Baghdad could also worsen in the coming months,” said John Drake, a security specialist.  Drake added that Hashemi’s death sentence “will certainly exacerbate divisions between Maliki and Iraqiya.  This could hinder the work of Parliament.”

For further information, please see:

Al Bawaba — Iraqi VP Rejects Death Sentence — 10 September 2012

Al Jazeera  — Iraq Vice-President Rejects Death Sentence — 10 September 2012

BBC News — Iraq VP Tariq al-Hashemi Rejects Guilty Verdict — 10 September 2012

Guardian — Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi Attacks ‘Unjust’ Verdict in Terror Trial — 10 September 2012

National Iraqi News Agency — Death Sentence to al-Hashemi and his Chief Office — 9 September 2012

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain – On Friday, members of Bahrain’s Shi’ite Muslim majority congregated in the capital for an anti-government demonstration but were suppressed by riot police. The protesters, organized by the opposition group al-Wefaq, planned to stage a march on Manama, but armored vehicles blocked the roads. Police also fired tear gas and stun grenades at the demonstrators.

The Bahraini government has dealt with these uprisings through the use of martial law, troops from Saudi Arabia, and police from the United Arab Emirates.  Approximately fifty people have been killed, and hundreds have been arrested since the Shi’ite protest movement began in February 2011.  These demonstrators gathered in Manama despite a ban on unauthorized demonstrations.  Thousands of like-minded protesters participated in a government-approved march just a week prior, which passed without incident.

On Tuesday, the High Criminal Court of Appeal in Bahrain upheld the convictions and sentences of thirteen men who received jail sentences of between five and twenty-five years for their roles in setting up last year’s pro-democracy demonstrations.  Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, said that the “court decision [was] another blow to justice and it shows once more that the Bahraini authorities are not on the path of reform, but seem rather driven by vindictiveness.”

While the general purpose of the protests is to seek political and economic reform for the marginalized Shi’ites from their authoritarian Sunni monarch, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, it is clear that Tuesday’s court decision has been a major motivating factor in recent demonstrations.

At Friday’s protest, groups held banners that read sayings like “Freedom for the prisoners of conscience” and “We want an independent judiciary.”

Such demonstrators have encountered police intervention on a daily basis. If Friday’s march was any indication of the future, the Shi’ites are going to continue their protests and the government’s police are going to continue to put down those uprisings with force.  As long as Bahrain’s Sunni government refuses to make any concessions to its Shi’ite opposition, it is likely that the number of protesters killed and arrested will continue to rise.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Police Fire Tear Gas at Bahrain Protesters — 8 September 2012

BBC — Bahrain Protesters Clash With Police in Manama — 7 September 2012

Reuters — Bahrain Police Fire Tear Gas at Banned Anti-Government Protest — 7 September 2012

Amnest International — Bahrain Must Free Prisoners of Conscience After Outrageous Verdict — 4 September 2012

Impunity Watch — Thousands Gather in Bahrain’s First Authorized Protest Since June — 3 September 2012

 

 

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – Ever since the 2009 presidential election that saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad retain control of the country, Iranian journalists and rights activists have been targeted as criminals for peacefully writing or saying anything that can be construed as anti-government propaganda. On Sunday, Zhila Bani-Yaghoub–also known as Jila Bani-Yaghoub, Jila Baniyaghoob, or Jila Jacob–arrived at the women’s wing of Evin prison to serve at one-year sentence. There, she will join many of her former colleagues, including activists Nasrin Sotoudeh, Bahareh Hedayat, and Mahsa Ambradi.

“Journalists in Iran face numerous restrictions on their legitimate work, including peaceful criticism of the authorities and reporting on human rights,” wrote Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Deputy Programme Director for Middle East and North America.  “The Iranian authorities must relax unlawful restrictions on them and release all journalists held solely for their journalism and human rights work.”

Bani-Yaghoub was the editor of the women’s rights website, Focus on Iranian Women. In 2009, she was awarded the Courage in Journalism prize by the International Women’s Media Foundation. Additionally, in 2010, she was awarded the Freedom of Speech Award from Reporters Without Borders.

In addition to serving a one-year prison term, Bani-Yaghoub also faces a thirty-year ban on any journalistic or media activities.  The sanctions against her stem from a 2010 charge of “spreading propaganda against the regime” and “insulting the president.”  The charges followed articles she wrote during the campaign period for Iran’s 2009 election .

At the same time, her husband, Bahman Ahmadi-Amoui, was also arrested. Ahmadi-Amoui was the editor of the business paper, Sarmayeh.  He wrote articles that were critical of the Ahmadinejad government which earned him the charges of “propaganda against the state,” “insulting the president,” “acting against the national security,” and “disrupting public security.”  Ahmadi-Amoui was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison, as well as thirty-four lashes.  On appeal, his sentence was reduced to five years in prison.

Ahmadi-Amoui originally started his jail stay in Evin prison but was “violently transferred” to a solitary confinement cell in Rajai Shahr prison. Human Rights Watch reported, through an anonymous source, that “during the transfer, authorities harassed and insulted Ahmadi-Amoui, and subjected him to a strip search.”  The authorities at Rajai Shahr have consistently denied him visitation rights and phone privileges.

Bani-Yaghoub and Ahmadi-Amoui are not the first Iranian journalists and activists to be imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights of freedom of expression, nor will they be the last; nor will their charges be the worst.

Arzhang Davoodi, a peaceful political activist who preached freedom and democracy, has been imprisoned in Iran since October 2003.  Despite being jailed for nine years, he was brought back in front of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on August 28 for a hearing on a new charge of “enmity against God,” which carries a possible death sentence.

For further information, please see:

Guardian – Iranian Activist Zhila Bani-Yaghoub Packs Her Bags and Heads to Prison – 5 September 2012

Amnesty International – Iran Must Release Prisoner of Conscience Zhila Bani-Yaghoub – 4 September 2012

Iranian – Jila Bani-Yaghoub: Prisoner of the Day – 3 September 2012

Focus on Iranian Women – Jacob in Prison Jila + Photos – 2 September 2012

Amnesty International – Iran Must Immediately Release Prisoner of Conscience Arzhang Davoodi – 24 August 2012

Human Rights Watch – Iran: End Abuse of Imprisoned Journalists – 13 July 2012

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — Tens of thousands of protesters marched along a three-kilometer stretch of highway west of Manama on Friday.  It was the country’s first authorized protest in over a month since the government  announced a ban on protests in June.  The Interior Ministry said the ban was necessary to “restore order.”

Protesters chanted pro-democracy slogans, waved Bahraini flags, and demanded the release of Nabeel Rajab, a prominent human rights activist who was jailed two weeks ago for leading illegal protests.  The Al-Wefak National Islamic Society and other opposition groups led the rally, which bore the slogan, “Liberty and Democracy.”  The opposition parties voiced their demand for the elected parliament to have full powers and the ability to form governments.  It was considered to be a peaceful demonstration, and there were no clashes between government authorities and protesters.

Even though Bahrain is mostly comprised of Shiite Muslims, the country’s government, whose current structure grants King Khalifa considerable power, is Sunni.  Because of this, many Shiites in the country believe they are discriminated against by the ruling Sunni minority.  They feel that their access to government positions and better jobs is restricted.  In response to these complaints, the government has enacted some reforms, yet the opposition remains unsatisfied.

Pro-democracy protests have been ongoing since February 2011. Even when the ban was in place, many unauthorized protests occurred around the country, especially in Shiite villages.  In an interview with Al Jazeera, journalist Reem Khalifa said that since the protests began, “[i]t has never been quiet…especially in the over-populated Shiite areas.  Every day there is tension in various areas around the island.”

The Bahraini government believes that the protests have occurred under the direction of Iran, whose majority of the population is also Shiite.

On Friday, the Bahraini Ministry of Interior released a statement in which the Northern Governorate Police announced that public and private property was violated during the rally.  The statement also claimed that participants chanted illegal political slogans and “that the case will be referred to the competent authorities.”

Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East Division told Al Jazeera that he would give Bahrain a “very bad review,” but that the criticism the country is facing must be “having an impact.”

“It’s also true that some members of the government are very sensitive to their international image.  They’re concerned about their reputation that Bahrain has gotten over the last couple of years as a place that doesn’t tolerate any peaceful dissent,” said Stork from Washington.

For further information, please see:

Russia Today — Thousands Swamp Bahrain Highway in First Legal ‘Freedom and Democracy’ Demo in Weeks — 2 September 2012

Daily News Egypt — First Authorised Protest in Bahrain Gathers Thousands — 1 September 2012

Digital Journal — Op-Ed: Bahrain Demonstrators Call for Democracy and Release of Activist — 1 September 2012

Al Jazeera — Tens of Thousands Join Protest in Bahrain — 31 August 2012