By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya–Libya’s Transitional Council (NTC) is holding some 2,500 detainees in the capital of Tripoli. Many of these individuals have been beaten, subjected to other types of ill-treatment, and been denied access to lawyers or judicial proceedings.

Amnesty International, a London-based rights group, claimed that it had uncovered evidence of torture and ill-treatment of thousands of people detained in recent months.

Prisoners interviewed by the group’s researchers said they had been held for various durations, from a few days to a few months and that with rare exception, they had not been arrested under any kind of legal order.

In the report released on Thursday 13 October, Detention Abuses Staining the New Libya, Amnesty International reported that routinely involved beatings, particularly involving the use of wooden sticks or ropes on the feet. The human rights group conducted the report after interviewing some 300 prisoners.

The report included visiting eleven detention facilities in and around the capital of Tripoli and the cities of Zawiya and Misrara. The group made their visits to these cities between 18 August, just before Tripoli, and 21 September. At least two guards at two different detention facilities told Amnesty International researchers they beat detainees in order to elicit “confessions” more quickly.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, the group’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, shared these sentiments about the developing situation.

“There is a real risk that without firm and immediate action, some patterns of the past might be repeated. Arbitrary arrest and torture were a hallmark of Colonel Gaddafi’s rule. We understand that the transitional authorities are facing many challenges, but if they do not make a clear break with the past now, they will effectively be sending out a message that treating detainees like this is to be tolerated in the new Libya.”

Sub-Saharan Africans who were suspected of being Gaddafi’s mercenaries were particularly targeted, according to the report. The NTC pledged to look into these reports.

Jalal al-Galal, a spokesman for the NTC, told Reuters correspondents that the council leadership would look into the report.

“NTC Chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil has said time and time again that he will not tolerate abuse of prisoners and has made it abundantly clear that he will investigate any such allegations.”

There are unconfirmed reports that Colonel Gaddafi’s son Mutassim has been seized. NTC authorities have claimed that he had been captured in the family’s embattled home town of Sirte. Meanwhile, a military commander in the city has denied the claims, which have ignited celebratory gunfire in several cities. If these reports are confirmed, the capture of Gaddafi’s son would represent a major breakthrough for the NTC, according to BCC correspondent Caroline Hawley.

Mutassim is a senior officer in Gaddafi’s army and was also a national security advisor to his father.

Amnesty International has stated that black Libyans, particularly those from the Tawargha region, which happens to be a base for Gaddfi forces in their efforts to regain control of Misrata, are vulnerable to attacks and abuse. Dozens of Tawarghans have been taken from their homes, checkpoints, and even hospitals.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have also expressed concern over the sweeping arrests of men accused by interim authorities of fighting for Gaddafi.

Al-Jazeera correspondent James Bays visited some police stations in Tripoli and shared these sentiments. Some of these stations were also visited by Amnesty International during their investigation.

“Many of them were from Sub-Saharan African countries who came here as workers and were then rounded up and accused of being mercenaries. It’s quite possible that some of those people were fighting for Gaddafi but having spoken to some of them myself, it was pretty clear that some of them were also innocent people, rounded up simply because of the color of their skin.”

Amnesty International’s Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui shared these sentiments after meeting with NTC officials. During these meetings, the NTC acknowledged concerns over arbitrary detention and promised to do more to ensure that all those detained enjoy equal protection of the law.

“The NTC has to act urgently to translate their public commitments into action, before such abuses become entrenched and stain the new Libya’s human rights record. These detainees have in many cases been arrested without a warrant, beaten and sometimes worse, on arrest and arrival in detention. They are vulnerable to abuse by armed militias who often act on their own initiative. The authorities cannot simply allow this to carry on because they are in a ‘transitional’ phrase. These people must be allowed to defined themselves properly or be released.”

One can only hope that the NTC will act soon enough to prevent more abuses. Gaddafi’s throne has been successfully taken from him but the practices delegated from that throne appear to remain. And as long as that appears to be the case, the NTC will have a difficult time in substantively distancing itself from Gaddafi.

For more information, please see: 

Al-Jazeera – Libya’s NTC Accused of Detainee Abuse – 13 October 2011

BBC – Amnesty Urges Libya to Tackle ‘Stain’ of Detainee Abuse – 13 October 2011

CNN – No Confirmation Yet of Gadhafi Son’s Arrest; New Report Details Detainee Abuse – 13 October 2011

NYT – Anti-Qaddafi Fighters Are Accused of Torture – 30 September 2011

The Guardian – UK Tells Libya to Form Interim Government After Taking Over Sirte – 13 October 2011

Human Rights Watch – Libya: Protect Civilians in Sirte Fighting  – 12 October 2011

 

 

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – After security forces fired on Sunday’s peaceful march by Coptic Christians, killing at least 25 people and injuring at least 300 more, Egypt responded to allegations of running protesters over with armored vehicles and the use of live ammunition by saying that their actions were justified.  Wednesday, the ruling military council that is serving as the country’s interim government, suggested that the security forces were acting in defense from violent demonstrators.  At the same time, Egypt faces identical opposition.

During Wednesday’s press conference, two Egyptian generals claimed that the soldiers were unarmed and shocked by what they saw.  According to these leaders, a force of 300, armed with only riot gear, encountered a cadre of 6,000 Coptic dissenters who were armed with weapons, including sticks, stones, swords, and Molotov cocktails.

“The armed forces would never and have never opened fire on the people,” General Mahmoud Hegazy, a member of the ruling military council, told the assembled media.

Hegazy was also shown footage of military vehicles at the scene.  In response, the generals asked for sympathy, saying that soldiers were trying to escape the area, not run over protesters.  The New York Times believed that their tone of voice was meant to soften allegations of the military attempting to assert greater power.

“I want you all to imagine, as parents would, the soldier in his vehicle now who sees the scene and wants to run for his life,” said General Adel Emara. “He sees a car burning, and if people jump out, the crowd beats him up severely, so this is not safe either. What can he do, other than try to drive his car out of this hell to safety?  He wanted to get away with his car; he must’ve been traumatized.”

Emara’s efforts to deny the claim of vehicles being used to run over dissidents has already been proven false.  Forensic analysis of the dead indicated that they were run down by vehicles.

Exactly what started the violence is unclear.  The military council accused Christian figures and notable public figures of inciting the riot.  Emara said that only a minority of the Coptic Christians present were peaceful, while the rest attacked the soldiers.

But Thursday, a lawsuit was filed against Minister of Information Osama Heikal and Rasha Magdy Rasekh a television presenter for the state-run media, accusing them of inciting violence against the peaceful Coptic rally.  According to the complaint, Rasekh, whose job was under Heikal’s jurisdiction, made a report of Christians attacking the armed forces that “was, in fact, the intentional broadcast of false news, information and rumors, which disturbed public security, cast terror among the public, and harmed the public interest.”

While controversy over the incident in Maspero continues to fester, the Egyptian government also promised to investigate disputes over church-building.  In response to the massacre and Coptic claims that the government has not paid sufficient attention to them, Haikal announced Thursday that the Justice Ministry will be forming a review committee.  Its mission will be “to review all the incidents that occurred in the past few months concerning disputes over churches … to identify those responsible and take appropriate action.”

The military council emphasized that it does not want sectarian violence to continue.  The generals used Wednesday’s press conference to call for Egypt’s disparate religious groups to come together as one.

“The Egyptians include everyone in Egypt, whatever their religion, race or color. The Copts are part of the fabric of Egyptian society, which means they have rights and duties,” Hegazy said.  “The strength of the Egyptian people comes from its unity.  The Egyptian Armed Forces belong to the people, as they are part of the same fabric.”

The shooting in Maspero was Egypt’s worst incident of this kind since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

For more information, please see:

Egyptian Gazette — “Copts Are Part and Parcel of Egypt” — 14 October 2011

Al Jazeera — Egypt’s Army Accuses Christians of Incitement — 13 October 2011

Al-Masry Al-Youm — Information Minister Alleged to Have Incited Killing of Protesters — 13 October 2011

Daily News Egypt — Egypt to Review Church Permit Disputes after Violence — 13 October 2011

New York Times — Egypt Promises to Address Coptic Christians’ Concerns –13 October 2011

BBC — Egypt’s Army Defends Tactics in Coptic Rally Crackdown — 12 October 2011

New York Times — Egyptian Generals Plead for Understanding after Death of Coptic Protesters — 12 October 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ABU DHABI, The United Arab Emirates — Five activists charged with insulting state officials are facing ongoing prosecution in the United Arab Emirates.

Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith, Fahad Salim Dalk, Ahmed Abdul-Khaleq, and Hassan al-Khamis have been charged with committing crimes of instigation, breaking laws and perpetrating acts that pose a threat to state security, undermining the public order, opposing the government system, and insulting the president, the vice president and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

One of the men, Ahmed Mansoor, faces additional charges for supporting a petition advocating for wider powers for the UAE’s quasi-parliament.

The defendants deny all the charges.

The men’s lawyers have complained about the secrecy of the first four hearings, and their inability to adequately cross-examine state’s witnesses. State officials opened up the trial to the public on Sunday, but critics of the trial were not satisfied.

“If this was the showcase hearing, we can only imagine what previous hearings were like,” said Samer Muscati, a researcher with Human Rights Watch.  “This is more a political theater than a trial.”

The trial is unprecedented for the small gulf Arab nation. The United Arab Emirates is a young wealthy country ruled under a revered hereditary leadership.  Political expression is minimal.

The incident was a small tremor brought on by the larger Arab Spring movement that incited similar outbursts throughout the region. It is likely the fear of further incidents that has led the state to respond the way it has.

Rights groups dispute whether or not there is actually enough evidence for the state to have brought the action to be tried in Abu Dhabi’s Federal Supreme Court, which is usually used for charges like terrorism and forgery.

Due to the type of court this action has been brought in, the men will have no right of appeal.  The lack of due process, and other procedural mishaps has many rights groups

Government supporters, who are camping in a park outside of the court in support of the trial, have called the action of the five men un-nationalistic.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Front Line Defenders, and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information have teamed up for a campaign – the first of its kind – to urge the UAE to drop the charges against the men.

A verdict is expected at next week’s hearing.  If the defendants are found guilty they face up to five years in prison, except Mansoor who faces up to nine years if found guilty of his additional charges.

For more information, please see:

Arabian Business — UAE activists boycott court over ‘unfair trial’ — 3 Oct. 2011

Wall Street Journal — UAE Trial of Activists Enters Home Stretch — 3 Oct. 2011

Arab Times — UAE Activists Trial ‘Unfair’: Rights Groups — 2 Oct. 2011

CNN — Activists on trial for insulting UAE president — 2 Oct. 2011

Human Rights Watch — UAE: Trial of Activists ‘Fundamentally Unfair’ — 2 Oct. 2011

Wall Street Journal — United Arab Emirates Trial Attracts Scrutiny — 30 Sept. 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen — As the situation in Yemen grows worse, aid workers fear it is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster.   Needs in the country are on the rise, and the delivery of aid is becoming increasingly more complicated.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, and it currently finds itself in a struggle with a rebel movement in the north, a secessionist movement in the south, and an ever-growing al-Qaeda presence.

Yemen’s inner turmoil has recently been complicated further by the recent violent governmental crackdown on pro-democracy protests across the country, a fuel crisis, and rising food prices.

The region’s insecurity, an almost uniform hesitancy of financial donors, and a series of logistical complexities have brought the delivery of aid to a near standstill.

“We have here in Yemen many concurrent humanitarian situations to deal with,” said Geert Cappelaere, representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen. “Each and every one of these humanitarian situations is very often of an unprecedented complexity for us as the international humanitarian community.”

Historically, it has always been difficult to get the international community to pay attention to Yemen.  Donations in the billions of dollars have been made to Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, but Yemen once again finds itself left behind.

The funding that did exist is quickly shrinking, mainly out of fear that the money would be funneled through a widely reported government patronage system.  Countries and international organizations such as the United States, the European Union, and the World Bank have withdrawn or suspended funding, citing security and governmental concerns. The Friends of Yemen, a group of donors specifically concerned with the future of Yemen, have not met since the current crisis began in February.

“While the political stalemate has caused many donors to pause, this is the time when it is most critical to act,” said Oxfam, the international poverty and injustice organization. “No longer should politics and security be the drivers of aid strategies in Yemen,” it added, referring in part to a US insistence on focusing its aid on counter-terrorism, rather than on the areas of Yemen in most need.

Overall insecurity is one of the biggest complications facing the country.  The violent crackdown on protests throughout the country has led the United Nations to temporarily evacuate almost half of its international staff.  Similarly, most aid organizations have evacuated a large number of their staff in the country.

Renewed fighting in Southern Yemen has led to the displacement of over 100,000 people since May.  The World Food Programme has seen an increase in the number of people it is feeding from 30,000 in June to 63,000 today.  If the turmoil continues to worsen the organization will not have the resources to comply with the need.

In Northern Yemen malnutrition rates are among the worst in the world.  Nearly 1/3 of the children under five suffer from moderate to severe acute malnutrition.  This is more than twice the threshold for an emergency as defined by UNICEF.

A rupture to a major pipeline in March has made fuel prices rise (The price of transportation has increased by 100% and 200% in urban and rural areas respectively) as well as increase the price of food across the country (up 46% since January).  This increase in food prices comes at a time when 1/3 of the population, around 7.5 million people, already do not have enough to eat.

An Oxfam survey found that out of 100 families nearly 1/5 of them had taken their children out of school to put them to work, and nearly 2/3 were skipping meals.  Others have begun selling valuable items to buy food.

Despite these obvious problems the insecurity has hampered attempts at aid.  Anti-Government tribes make it difficult for humanitarian agencies to deliver supplies.  They have a strong distrust of the motives of outside groups.  Local agents are employed to attempt to bypass this barrier, but it is still proving difficult.  In cities affected by the anti-government protests there is indiscriminate shooting, which can make the humanitarian workers into indirect targets.

The problems in Yemen are so complex and layered that by attempting to deal with one it is possible to create or exacerbate another.  About 20,000 of the displaced people have taken temporary residence in 112 schools in Southern Yemen.   For this reason the new school year for many of the southern cities has been indefinitely suspended.  The government and aid community are searching for a more permanent location for the displaced peoples, but so far one has not been found.  If one can’t be found soon the problem will likely change to finding places to teach the school-less students.

On top of the need for humanitarian aid, international organizations are also worried about the steady increase in violence.  Almost weekly news comes out of new massacres and acts of brutality.  A serious concern for many is the number of women and children that are being targeted.  According to UNICEF, at least 94 children have been killed and 240 wounded since the current crisis began earlier this year.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, has called numerous times for the government and opposition groups to meet with his special advisor, Jamal Benomar, to attempt a peaceful resolution to the crisis.  This so far has fallen on deaf ears.

For more information, please see:

Yemen Observer — WFP continues its operations in Yemen amongst civil unrest — 7 Oct. 2011

Bikyamasr — Urgent protection of children needed in Yemen — 6 Oct. 2011

The Examiner — At least 94 children killed so far in Yemen: UNICEF –6 Oct. 2011

AlterNet – Is Yemen on the Brink of Humanitarian Disaster? — 5 Oct. 2011

IRIN – Analysis: Aid delivery in Yemen becomes more complex — 5 Oct. 2011

UNICEF — Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on the worsening situation in Yemen — 5 Oct. 2011

UN — UNICEF warns of lack of nutrition supplies to meet unprecedented global demand— 5 Oct. 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – The Egyptian revolution that galvanized the “Arab Spring” that dominated headlines for much of the summer approached a new flashpoint Sunday, as the military fired on Coptic Christians who were marching toward Maspero.  At least 25 people were killed.  This incident further eroded public confidence in the military, which has acted as a temporary ruling body since former President Hosni Mubarak was deposed in February.

It was not supposed to be like this.  Eight months ago, Egyptians celebrated as the military refused to follow orders from Mubarak to fire on protesters against his regime.  Since Mubarak’s abdication of power, the provisional ruling council has been under near constant fire for general incompetence in governing and its efforts to retain power now that they are in charge.

The march took place in response to a Muslim attack on a church in the Aswan province that the government did not investigate in the aftermath.  After stones were thrown back and forth between the Christian activists and observers, the military intervened by firing tear gas and live ammunition into the crowd of about 2,000 peaceful demonstrators.  Human Rights Watch believes that at least 17 deaths were the result of being run over by armored vehicles.  State-run television said that the Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of about 85 million, were attacking the military and called for civilians to fight back against the demonstrators.  The Minister of Information has since retracted those statements, attributing them to the announcers being under “emotional stress.”

Regardless of why the riot took place, it does not reflect well on the Egyptian provisional government, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

“This [incident] reflects an unprecedented failure in running the country during the transitional period,” said Egyptian political analyst Khalil al-Anani. “Since 11 February, the country has been going from worse to worst.  If the military stays in power for much longer, the country might head towards more violence, and social peace will be in jeopardy.”

In response to Sunday’s shootings, Finance Minister Hazem el-Beblawi resigned from his position, saying that it was time for a different way of thinking. The resignation comes as the Coptic community called for a three-day fast to mourn those who died in the violent crackdown.  Thousands attended mass at the Abbasiya Cathedral to honor the dead.  Several Muslims also attended as a show of solidarity.  The ceremony doubled as a protest for the living, who expressed frustration at the military’s response.

A Coptic lawyer who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Every event that takes place in Egypt against Copts is never investigated properly. Why did they open fire on peaceful protesters while they did not against those who attacked the Israeli embassy?”

The SCAF has called for an investigation of the incident.  But in making that decision, it blamed the conflagration on “efforts by some to destroy the pillars of the state and sow chaos” and said it would “take the necessary measures to restore the security situation.”  What that means is uncertain, as the government did not explain why it opened fire on the protesters.  As of Monday, Egyptian news organizations said that at least 15 people were in custody and facing questioning about their involvement as instigators of the riot.

That an investigation will happen at all may be good news for the Egyptian people, “who feel that military has not been interested in finding out who is behind the events of Sunday night,” according to Al Jazeera’s Sherine Tadros.  The Coptic community remains skeptical, as it has long been the victim of various forms of discrimination by the government, even before Mubarak fell.  Since then, the SCAF has done nothing to make practicing their religion easier or bring perpetrators of acts against Christians to justice

To columnist Karina Kamal, Sunday’s crackdown indicates that the SCAF does not plan to ease tensions between the two religions.  “[T]he military has given a clear sign that Copts are easy targets,” she said.  “We have reached the climax… We will either have a civil war or rational people will be able to take the country in the right direction.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Egypt Army Seeks Probe into Cairo Clashes — 11 October 2011

BBC — Egypt Minister Hazem el-Beblawi Quits over Coptic Clash — 11 October 2011

Al-Masry Al-Youm — Maspero Violence Raises Questions about Military’s Fitness to Run Egypt — 10 October 2011

Daily News Egypt — Thousands Mourn Victims of Maspero Violence; Church Blames ‘Infiltrators’ — 10 October 2011

Egyptian Gazette — Maspero Probe States; Egypt Copts Angry — 10 October 2011

Human Rights Watch — Egypt: Investigate Violence against Coptic Christians — 10 October 2011

New York Times — Copts Denounce Egyptian Government over Killings — 10 October 2011