By Melike Ince
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was arrested on Wednesday for thoughts he made public on the popular social networking site, Twitter.

Early Wednesday, reports were released detailing the issues surrounding the arrest.  Rajab’s lawyer, Mohamed al-Jishi, claims the arrest occurred over tweets that allegedly insulted residents of a Sunni dominated area of Bahrain with close ties to the ruling regime.  A complaint was made by twenty-four retired police officers in Muharraq accusing Rajab of “casting doubt on their patriotism.”

An avid critic of King Hamad al-Khalifa, Rajab had just been released on bail Monday after spending weeks in jail from previous charges of “inciting illegal rallies and marches online by using social networking websites.”  This is the fifth time Rajab has been arrested since the beginning of May this year.  Demonstrators took to the streets in the city of Sitra on Thursday to protest the arrest and demanded Rajab’s release.  Authorities used tear gas and sound grenades in an effort to disperse the crowd.

“I was targeted because I was exercising my right to defend human rights, which is a right that is stipulated by the Bahraini constitution,” Rajab said in court Wednesday, adding that the charges against him were “vindictive accusations.”

Many supporters of Rajab say the true reason behind the arrest were the comments he made in an interview with the popular news agency, Al Jazeera.  During the interview, he explained his skepticism over the government’s seriousness about reform. “Bahrain doesn’t seem to be serious about reform.  Bahrain does not seem to be serious about reconciliation,” he said.  “The King, what he says looks good.  The King never keeps his promises”

Despite a “commitment to dialogue” with those opposed to their rule, the Bahraini government had recently come under fire  for the deaths and arrests of protesters calling for reform.  This stems from earlier claims that police tried to “crush” pro-democracy demonstrators last year during the rise of the Arab revolts influenced by neighboring states.  The government often accused the protestors of being agents of Iran.  Reports of torture to extract confessions and punish protestors have caused international rights groups to increase their involvement.

Bahraini officials deny these allegations, with Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah al-Khalifa saying that “torture and killing is not part of the government’s policy.”  Though some lower level officers have been tried, activists are looking to pressure the government into charging higher officials criminally as well.

Rajab played an important role in the exposure of alleged abuse by authorities during the uprisings.  Bahrain’s Shiite majority is looking to gain more political rights, and Rajab’s following has increased awareness of the cause internationally.

Although he is still in prison, Rajab’s Twitter account continues to stay active and is updated frequently.

For further information, please see:

Tehran Times – Bahrainis Hold Anti-regime Rally to Demand Activist’s Release – 8 June 2012

Gulf Daily News – Activist Held for Insulting People – 7 June 2012

Daily Star Lebanon – Bahraini Prominent Rights Activist Under Arrest Again After Twitter Post – 7 June 2012

BBC News – Bahrain Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab Back in Detention – 6 June 2012

International Business Times – Bahrain Activist Nabeel Rajab Arrested Again After Critical Tweets of Kind Hamad – 6 June 2012

Al Jazeera – The Stream – 4 June 2012

Twitter – Nabeel Rajab – @nabeelrajab

By Mark McMurray
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — On Tuesday, the trial of forty-three non-governmental organization (NGO) workers was adjourned until the first week of July.  The delay follows a hearing which dealt with the procedural aspects related to the case.  The trial has stirred fears that Egyptian authorities will continue to crackdown on civil rights activists operating within the country.

All of the accused deny the government’s charges of receiving illegal funds from foreign governments and organizations and operating within the country without proper permits.  The charges originate from the work conducted by the NGOs last year, prior to the parliamentary elections.  Authorities claim the work undertaken by the NGOs, focused primarily on civil society and pro-democracy issues, was a plot to promote unrest following the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.  When the trial resumes, the aid workers face up to six years in prison if they are found guilty.

The diverse group includes nineteen U.S. nationals and fourteen Egyptians, with the remaining defendants hailing from a variety of European and Arab countries.  At the hearing on Tuesday, only seventeen defendants were present: the fourteen Egyptians, two Americans, and a German national.  Those defendants present in court were released until the trial resumes.  The others elected not to return for the hearing.  They left Egypt when their travel ban was lifted.

U.S.-Egyptian relations have been strained as a result of the accusations.  In response to the charges, forty-one members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.  The letter urged the administration to withhold aid to Egypt, including $1.3 billion in yearly military aid, until Egyptian leadership allowed the offices of the NGOs to reopen and returned seized property.  Seeking to ease tensions, Egyptian authorities lifted a travel ban that was imposed in March, allowing the accused Americans to leave the country.  The maneuvering was seen as a way to avoid having a trial, as it was unlikely that those who left would return to stand trial.

However, Robert Becker, an American working with the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute, elected to remain in Egypt to stand trial.  Becker, who was present at the hearing on Tuesday, explained his reasoning for staying within the country.  “I keep saying captains stay with their crew.  There is no way that I would be able to live with myself being safely in the United States if they were potentially facing a jail term,” he said.

Lawyers for the defendants made a number of requests during Tuesday’s court proceeding.  These included requests to have defense witnesses be allowed to give testimony, to have the documents seized from the NGOs during raids translated into Arabic, and to have Egyptian officials give testimony in court.  With Egyptian officials slated to testify at the trial, Becker told the Los Angeles Times that the evidence “against us doesn’t match what we were doing,” and that the Egyptian government was undertaking a “demonization of NGOs.”

For further information, please see:

Christian Science Monitor – In Egypt, American NGO Workers Head to Court in Civil Society Trial – 5 June 2012

CNN – Trial of NGO Workers Set to Resume in Egypt – 5 June 2012

Egypt Independent – Defense Witnesses Can Give Testimony in Next NGO Trial Session, Court Rules – 5 June 2012

Los Angeles Times – New Trial Date Set for Pro-democracy Activists in Egypt – 5 June 2012

Washington Post – Hearing in Egypt NGO Case Resumes Tuesday – 4 June 2012

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEL AVIV, Israel–Palestinian prisoners in Israel threatened to resume a hunger strike on Sunday.  They claim that Israeli prison authorities have reneged on an agreement to make changes to their current prison policies.

On April 17, about 1,600 prisoners launched a massive  hunger strike in efforts to obtain improvements to their conditions, and an end to certain practices such as limited visitation rights, and solitary confinement.  The original hunger strike ended on May 14, when Palestinian prisoners were promised a package of measures in exchange for ending their hunger strike, and also to not engage in militant activity. In return, Israel promised the prisoners visitation from relatives in Gaza, and to also transfer detainees out of solitary confinement. Also part of the agreement was Israel’s promise to not extend its program of administrative detention, where suspects could be held without charge for renewable periods of up to six months.

The Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Issa Qaraqaa, said that Israel failed to keep its promise. At a press conference in Ramallah, Qaraqaa stated that “Israel has begun to violate the deal it signed with the prisoners, and within ten days after announcing the end of the strike, Israel renewed administrative detention orders for approximately 30 prisoners.” Qaraqaa also said that he does not believe Israel that would grant visitation rights to prisoners. “So far, we don’t know if Israel will even allow families of prisoners from Gaza to visit their imprisoned relatives,” he claimed.

An Israeli defense official, who preferred to remain anonymous, refuted Qaraqaa’s claims. The official said that “as of the end of last week, three administrative detention orders were renewed.” The official also stated that Israel is currently working towards enabling visitation between Palestinian prisoners and their family members.  But it is a process that “would take some time,” however, because it “involves many different bodies.”

In his press conference in Ramallah, Qaraqaa discussed the situations of two prisoners, Mahmud Sarsak and Akram Rikhawi, who are currently on extended hunger strikes.  Sarsak, a recognized prisoner of war from Gaza, began his hunger strike on March 23. He went without food for 53 days until May 14, when he temporarily ceased his hunger strike after the agreement was signed. He resumed with his strike the following day.  Rikhawi wants the prison authority to deliver his medical file before he appears in front of a prison release committee so that his release may be expedited.  Qaraqaa stated that “both prisoners are currently on the verge of a coma and have a low heart rate.”

Sivan Weizman, an Israeli Prison Service spokeswoman, said the two were under medical supervision in Ramle Prison, located near Tel Aviv.   Should further care prove necessary, they will be transferred to a nearby hospital.

For further information, please see:

The National — Palestinian Prisoners Threaten New Hunger Strike — 4 June 2012

Al Jazeera — Jailed Palestinians Warn of New Hunger Strike — 3 June 2012

The Daily Star — Palestinians Threaten to Relaunch Prisoner Hunger Strike — 3 June 2012

The Jerusalem Post — Palestinian Prisoners Threaten to Strike Again — 3 June 2012

By Melike Ince
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel has recently found itself at the center of an ironic controversy amidst this week’s release of an annual US  human rights report. It claims that Israel is denying basic public services to African asylum-seekers.

It has become common practice for Africans escaping persecution to illegally enter Israel through Egypt. While those with official refugee status are provided with health care and work permits, asylum-seekers do not receive either of these services despite their great need for them.  The report also mentions that Israeli officials occasionally refer to asylum-seekers  as “infiltrators” and associate them with “the rise in crime, disease and terrorism.” Right wing parties have also been known to compare the immigrants’ existence to a cancer in the body of Israel.

Angry Israeli citizens took to the streets in protests and riots this week, attacking Africans and shattering African-run shops to express their frustration over the situation. Many attribute the increased violence in southern Tel Aviv to the Africans. Locals have also accused the immigrants of decreasing employment among nationals and argue that there are insufficient economic resources to provide for the 60,000 illegals currently in Israel.  Africans for many years considered Israel to be peaceful and tolerant but now find themselves living in fear.

“I cannot live this way. I’m afraid for my life,” said Amene Tekele Haymanot, an illegal immigrant seeking refugee status.

In an effort to calm the tense population, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence but promised “the infiltration problem must be resolved and we will resolve it.” The government hopes that the security barrier that is currently under construction near the Egyptian border will hinder illegal entry. If it succeeds in doing so, Israel plans to begin the deportation process soon after its completion

Those sympathetic to the Africans’ plight believe that race is playing a role in the conflict, and the irony of the situation is not lost on them. It was not long ago that those of Jewish ancestry were escaping their own persecution in Europe and settling in Israel. In the past year, Israel has  received over 4,000 applications for asylum but has approved just one.  Though it is considering deportation as one potential solution, international law will likely render Israel unable to send any of the illegals back to their home countries due to the risks of persecution there.

For further information, please see:

CNN News – Why Did Anti-immigration Sentiment Boil Over in Israel? – 31 May 2012

Jerusalem Post – Tel Aviv: Clashes, Arrests at Anti-African Demo – 30 May 2012

Al Jazeera – Should Israel be Responsible for Immigrants? – 29 May 2012

BBC News – Israel Denies African Migrants’ Rights, Says US – 25 May 2012