The Middle East

Fugitive Iraqi VP Travels to Qatar

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq’s fugitive Sunni vice president, left the country on Sunday for a diplomatic visit to Qatar, despite being under an international travel ban imposed by the Iraqi government.  The development is likely to put a wrench in the Iraqi government’s recent attempts to repair ties with other Arab nations.

Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's fugitive VP (Photo courtesy of CNN).

Al-Hashimi has increasingly frustrated the Shi’ite led government in Baghdad, as he has thus far avoided their attempts to prosecute him on terrorism charges.

Last December, al-Hashimi fled to the semiautonomous Kurdish region of Iraq after the government accused him of using his bodyguards as a personal death squad and issued an arrest warrant.  For the last few months he has lived under the protection of Kurdish officials, who refuse to turn him over for a trial in Baghdad.

Al-Hashimi has denied all of the charges levied against him, and claims he is the victim of a political witch hunt.

This visit is the first time al-Hashimi has left Kurdistan since the issuance of his arrest warrant.

Iraqi officials are enraged that al-Hashimi was allowed to leave Iraq.

“How could they let him leave?” said Ali al-Moussawi, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. “He is prevented from traveling. This is a violation. And receiving him in Qatar is a violation.”

Al-Moussawi has called upon Interpol, the international police organization, to arrest the vice president.

Iraq has been making strides recently to portray itself as a stable, functioning country, mending rifts with its powerful Sunni Arab neighbors.

The Qatari prime minister recently expressed concern about the growing sectarianism in Iraq, and the disenfranchisement of the country’s Sunni minority.  Similar concerns have been expressed by other Sunni-led Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Sunni Gulf states are also wary of the close ties Iraq’s government has formed with the Shi’ite state of Iran, which they see as a rival.

Al-Hashimi’s office has said that he does plan to return to his temporary headquarters in Kurdistan once he finishes his diplomatic travels.  Any attempt to re-enter Iraq will likely set off a struggle between Iraqi and Kurdish authorities over who controls the country’s airports, borders, and airspace.

Before official news of al-Hashimi’s travels emerged, al-Malawi issued a warning to other Arab states that afford him an official welcome.

“They must know that the accused is wanted by a country which is a member of the Arab league … so he is not supposed to be received as a vice president, which is a violation of the nature of the international relations,” he said.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Fugitive Iraq vice president arrives in Qatar — 1 April 2012

Boston Globe — Qatar: Iraq’s fugitive VP arrives for visit — 1 April 2012

CNN — Iraqi VP visits Qatar despite travel ban — 1 April 2012

New York Times — Iraq’s Fugitive Vice President Travels to Qatar — 1 April 2012

The Guardian — Fugitive Iraqi vice-president Tariq al-Hashemi travels to Qatar — 1 April 2012

 

Afghanistan Imprisons Women For ‘Moral Crimes’

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

KABUL, Afghanistan – On Wednesday, 28 March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released “I Had to Run Away,” a report highlighting the approximately 400 Afghan women and girls who are imprisoned in jails and juvenile detention facilities for “moral crimes.”  The authorities jailed women for escaping domestic abuse and surviving rape.

Zarghona holds her seven-month old son Balal to look out the window from the Kabul Women's Prison in Afghanistan. (Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press)

HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth commented, “It is shocking that 10 years after the overthrow of the Taliban, women and girls are still imprisoned for running away from domestic violence or forced marriage.”

The report notes “some women and girls have been convicted of zina, sex outside of marriage, after being raped or forced into prostitution.”  Judges routinely sentence women to lengthy prison sentences, including 10 years in some cases where a zina conviction could hold a 15 year sentence.  Illiterate women often are convicted on “confessions” they “signed” without the government reading the confession to them and without a lawyer present.

The number of convictions for running away rose after the Afghan Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that women who ran away and did not immediately go to the police or a close relative would be incarcerated.  The Court recommended these women be jailed as a precautionary remedy against promiscuity and prostitution.  However, the Afghan criminal code does not define fleeing her home without permission as a crime.

The report emphasizes that President Hamid Karzai did not meet the standards prescribed by international human rights law.  Although he passed the Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2009 to protect women, President Karzai has struggled ensuring women’s rights to please the conservative religious forces.

For example, the traditional practice baad (where families give their daughters away to settle disputes), forced under-age marriage, and domestic violence remain present in Afghanistan.  President Karzai also supported a “code of conduct” submitted by the Ulema Council, a powerful council of clerics, that permitted certain situations for husbands to beat their wives, forbade women to study or work in mixed company, prohibited women from travelling without male chaperones, and stated a woman is secondary to a man.  However, President Karzai declared pardons should be given to women that left their home to marry a husband of her choosing.

HRW interviewed 58 jailed girls and women for this 120-page report.  The report details Asma W., a 36 year old women imprisoned when she ran away once her husband beat her, tossed boiling water on her, transmitted sexual diseases, and declared he intended to marry his mistress; 15 year old Fawzia sought security from a family that forced her into prostitution after they drugged her; and Farah G. is a 16 year old girl that eloped with her friend’s brother after they fell in love.

For further information, please see

Brisbane Times – Women’s Hefty Price for ‘Crimes’ – 30 Mar 2012

Pakistan Observer – Hundreds Of Women, Girls Jailed For ‘Moral Crimes’ In Afghanistan – 29 Mar 2012

BBC – Hundreds of Afghan Women Jailed For ‘Moral Crime’ – 28 Mar 2012

Irish Independent – 400 Women and Girls Held In Afghanistan For ‘Moral Crimes’ – 28 Mar 2012

Al-Assad’s Regime Agrees to Peace Accord, Brings Hope To End The Violence

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria–According the spokesman for UN delegate Kofi Annan, The Syrian government has agreed in principle to accept the joint UN-Arab League envoy’s six-point plan on ending the violence in Syria. This is tremendous news for the civilians of Syrian who are desperate to see the violence end and receive proper humanitarian attention.

Kofi Annan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

“The Syrian government has written to the joint special envoy Kofi Annan, accepting his six-point plan, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. Mr. Annan views this as an important initial step that could bring an end to the violence and the bloodshed, provide aid to the suffering, and create an environment conducive to a political dialogue that would fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.”

The six points of the peace plan are listed below:

1)Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people

2)UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians

3)All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause

4)Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons

5)Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists

6)Authorities to respect freedom of association and right to demonstrate peacefully

Mr. Annan is currently in Beijing on a mission to remove any skepticism about his six-point plan so that it can be approved and implemented. Annan met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who pledged his support for the tireless efforts to bring peace to the people of Syria, and Annan has also met with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow. It seems that support from both China and Russia should see the plan through and have the needed assistance reach the citizens of Syria immediately.

China and Russia are both close allies of Syria and already blocked two United Nations Security Council resolutions that condemned al-Assad’s regime. Their previous blocking of resolutions has drawn harsh criticism from Western nations. China continues to oppose foreign military intervention or any type of regime change after witnessing Western forces helping in the successful removal of Libya’s Moammar Gaddafi.

Russia President Medvedev stated on Tuesday 27 March 2012 that it was “short-sighted” to believe that the solution to the crisis is Assad agreeing to Western demands to step down.

As the news of al-Assad’s willingness to agree to the plan broke, opposition forces in Syria known as the Syrian National Council (SNC) met for a second day in Istanbul, Turkey to have a meeting of the minds on common objectives for their nation’s future as the weekend’s “Friends of Syria” conference looms. The opposition in Syria is fragmented and has struggled to remain united in the face of the regime’s deadly crackdown. The talks in Istanbul are aimed at bringing the members to a general consensus and securing international recognition.

Basma Kodmani, a spokeswoman for the SNC, shared these words with Reuters.

“A peaceful transition means that the regime needed to be changed. And that starts with the removal of the head of the state. Mr. Annan’s initiative for us should lead to development of clear terms of reference for negotiation on the modalities of change. Not on whether the change should happen or not.”

While al-Assad and the opposition leaders continue to talk amongst themselves, the situation on the ground has not changed at all. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Syria forced continued their assault across the nation with at least eight people, including three women, killed overnight in battle with rebel troops. Video posted on the Internet by activists showed thick black smoke and blazing buildings in a district of Homs. There were wounded and bleeding men and women lying in a street.

The United Nations has estimated that more than 9,000 people have lost their lives in Syria’s upheaval over the past year, according to the UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry. The Syrian government has continually blamed foreign-backed terrorists for the violence and reported that 3,000 soldiers and police have been killed.

Activists in Syria have shared their skepticism for Kofi Annan’s plan, noting that the Syrian government had only partially implemented a previous Arab League-led plan to halt the violence. A rebel spokesman, identifying himself as Abu Rami, shared with Reuters from Homs, the main arena for fierce fighting between Syrian forces and protesters, that he expected the violence to continue.

“It’s like other initiatives that have been before. They did not stop the shelling.”

There is a widespread consensus among Syrians that al-Assad is simply attempting to bog down Annan and his team of mediators in a frivolous diplomatic process that will give him political cover to continue his military campaign against the opposition. One can hope that Annan’s plan and method of implementation will not allow this to happen or hope for change will dissipate. And the life of every Syrian civilian and protester will remain in imminent danger.

 

For more information, please see:

Ahram – Syria Accepts Annan Peace Plan – 27 March 2012

Al-Jazeera – Syria ‘Accepts’ Annan Plan To End Strife – 27 March 2012

BBC – Syrian Government Accepts Annan Peace Plan – 27 March 2012

The Guardian – Syria ‘Accepts Annan Peace Plan’ – 27 March 2012

NYT – Syria Reportedly Accepts Peace Plan as Clashes Erupt Near Lebanon – 27 March 2012

Reuters – Annan Says Syria Accepts Peace Plan – 27 March 2012

Washington Post –Syria Accepts Annan’s Peace; China, Russia Also On Board – 27 March 2012

 

 

 

 

Syrian Troops Clash With Rebels In Lebanon

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

AL QAA, Lebanon – On Tuesday, 27 March, Lebanese residents and local security forces reported fighting between Syrian rebels and security forces spilled into Lebanon.  The witnesses saw Syrian troops destroy Lebanese farm buildings and fight with Syrian rebels who sought refuge in their neighboring country when the troops entered Lebanon.

A Syrian woman emotional reacts to Syrian forces attacking her home in northern Syria. (Photo Courtesy of News Times)

Over the past year, thousands of Syrians have escaped to Lebanon.  Since the Baba Amr district of Homs sustained four weeks of bombardment in early March by Syrian forces, over 1,500 Syrians fled to Lebanon.  The Free Syrian Army (FSA), who wants to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and smugglers also utilized this border.  Residents stated the Syrian troops followed the FSA over the border to enter Lebanon.

Abu Ahmed, a 63 year old resident of al-Qaa (a Sunni Muslim rural mountain region) said, “More than 35 Syrian soldiers came across the border and started to destroy houses.”  Another resident added troops in armored vehicles demolished one home with a bulldozer, lunched rocket-propelled grenades, and fired machineguns in a clash with rebels.  A witness also stated the forces also burned several houses.

A Lebanese security source stated the clashes occurred near a poorly marked border where people easily and frequently cross.  A Lebanese security official stated, “There is no Syrian military presence on the Lebanese side of the border.”  Two Lebanese officials asserted bullets just passed through the rural village near the border.  However, residents reported dozens of Syrian forces are presently located 200 to 500 meters inside Lebanese territory.

Residents also stated Syrian forces momentarily entered Lebanon to shadow fleeing rebels throughout the recent months.  Al-Jazeera documented cases where Lebanese residents believed Syrian troops planted landmines near populous areas.  In October, the regional English-language news organization added a Syrian army tank launched shells at military targets inside Lebanon’s territory.  Last week, Syrian shells landed in northern Lebanon.

On Monday, 26 March, Syria accused Lebanon of supporting armed “terrorist groups” with weapons.  In his letter to the United Nations (UN) Security Council and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week, Syrian UN Ambassador Basah Ja’afari wrote, “Experts, officials and observers are unanimous that weapons are being smuggled into Syrian territory from bordering States, including Lebanon.”

These clashes occur on the same day of Syria’s acceptance of a cease fire and peace plan composed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Syria Crisis: Clashes Spill Over Lebanese Border – 27 Mar 2012

MSNBC – Annan Says Syria Accepts Peace Plan, Fighting Enters Lebanon – 27 Mar 2012

News Times – Syria Accepts UN Peace Plan But Bloodshed Persists – 27 Mar 2012

Reuters – Syrian Forces, Rebels Clash Inside Lebanon – Residents – 27 Mar 2012

 

 

Bahrain Prosecutes Medics as Protesters Seek Underground Aid

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — The Bahraini government is continuing its prosecution of a group of medics who treated wounded protesters during an Arab Spring inspired uprising last year.  The continuation of the internationally criticized high profile case comes despite a statement from the prosecutor suggesting that most of the charges would be dropped.

Bahrain medics have become a target for helping injured protesters (Photo courtesy of The Guardian).

Last week it was announced that charges would only be pursued against five of the 20 medics that are involved in the case.  The other medics’ cases would be sent to a professional tribunal.

So far none of the charges have been dropped, and there has been no pronouncement as to why.

There appears to be some problem within the Bahraini government as to the policy that should be applied.

“It looks like various people are making decisions in the Bahrain government without an agreed policy. What’s happening with the medics smells of incoherence and incompetence,” said Brian Dooley of the US-based Human Rights First.

The prosecution has inspired a lot of international ire, as rights groups claim that the medics are being punished for helping civilians who had been attacked by state security forces during anti-government demonstrations.

This case is technically a retrial.  The original trial took place in a military court where the medics received jail terms of up to 15 years on charges including incitement to overthrow the government and attempting to occupy a hospital.

Some of those charged are said to have taken part in a protest inside the Salmaniya hospital.  Government witnesses claim that there was a plan to stockpile weapons inside the hospital and take hostages.

The prosecution of these medics is just one portion of a larger story.  There is currently a push in Bahrain for injured protesters to seek out underground medics rather than risk hospitals.

Police have been setting up shop in hospitals to interrogate the admitted injured. Some reports talk of interrogations happening in circumstances where the injured was barely conscious or unaware of their situation.

Sixteen-year-old Mohammed al-Jaziri was seriously injured when he was struck in the face with a tear gas canister on February 18.  He was taken to the hospital, where, within ten minutes of arriving, police attempted to interrogate him despite the fact that he was heavily bleeding.  Throughout the night, the police repeatedly attempted to interrogate Mohammed, even though he was only semi-conscious.  His brother, Hussein, begged the police to leave him alone, but the next day Mohammed was subjected to a three-hour interrogation by a public prosecutor who refused to identify himself.

The treatment of patients like Mohammed has led many protesters and their families to distrust hospitals.

Last month Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority issued a warning to all private hospitals and clinics.  It said: “Providers must report cases with injuries due to suspected criminal activities irrespective of their causes to concerned authorities.” The letter added that failure to do so “constituted collaboration and is criminalized by law”.

While reporting criminal behavior is a norm in many societies, in Bahrain, where the act of going out and protesting is a crime, the repercussions are more severe.

“Calling for freedom and democracy in the streets makes me a criminal in Bahrain,” says Zainab al-Khawaja, a veteran human rights campaigner.

If an individual is injured during the protests they are likely to face interrogation and the possibility of criminal charges if they seek medical aid in a hospital.

This had led to a noticeable decline in the number of people being admitted into emergency rooms.  Some estimates show that admittances have been halved since the protests began in February 2011.

While the number of people seeking aid from hospitals has decreased, all signs show that violence between protesters and the police is escalating, and so is the number of injuries.

The need for non-hospital medical care has led many medics to begin practicing underground medicine on the side, despite the risks of facing criminal charges themselves.

For more information, please see:

RT — Bahrain retries convicted protest doctors — 23 Mar. 2012

Al-Jazeera — Bahrain to go ahead with medics trial — 21 Mar. 2012

International Business Times — Bahrain Pushing the Trial of Medics Who Treated Protesters — 21 Mar. 2012

Chicago Tribune — Bahrain to push on with medics trial, not drop cases — 20 Mar. 2012

BBC — Bahrain’s ‘underground medics’ secretly treat injured protesters — 24 Feb. 2012