By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SIRTE, Libya – Forces of Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) launched an assault on former leader Muammar al-Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte on Friday.  The coastal city, home to about 100,000 people and one of the few places in Libya still loyal to the deposed despot, has been the site of fierce fighting for several weeks now.  As the battles have raged, civilians caught in the crossfire have tried to leave the city for safer lodging.

NTC forces fire missiles at pro-Gaddafi fighters outside Sirte. Libya’s transitional government began a ground assault on the former leader’s hometown Friday. (Photo courtesy of Libya TV)

Thousands of people took advantage of a 48-hour ceasefire announced by the NTC earlier this week to pack up their belongings and leave.  The rebel organization played a part in the exodus by providing fuel to outgoing cars from a pair of fuel tankers.  Though many of those departing were Gaddafi supporters, but the NTC assisted them as well because they were also victims of the present conditions.  Many of the fleeing families described life in Sirte as a “living hell.”  Others feared for their lives.

“We didn’t know there was going to be an assault,” said Saeed Ramadan, whose vehicle had shrapnel holes and a broken window. “I couldn’t sleep last night, there was very heavy shelling. I was afraid for my kids and had to get them out.”

Medical facilities were also forced to relocate.  A Sirte resident named Abdel Nasser told the Libya TV: “You can smell the rotting corpses at the hospital.”

Workers from Ibn Sina hospital reported that patients were dying in the operating rooms due to lack of oxygen and fuel for the hospital’s generators.  When the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the city on Saturday, it found major supply shortages, while indiscriminate fire left residents at risk.  The organization also brought fresh supplies for the first time since it first came under siege from NTC forces on September 15.  By Monday, the situation had become so bad that the ICRC could not make a scheduled visit.

The NTC has been attempting to evacuate Ibn Sina to a field hospital on the outskirts of Sirte, but concerns remain.

“All those involved in the fighting have legal obligations to spare civilians by ending immediately the use of indiscriminate weapons like GRAD rockets, and not firing artillery and mortars into residential areas,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, on Monday.

Using weapons of this nature is prohibited by international humanitarian law.  The United Nations seconded Amnesty International’s opinion.

“Libya’s revolution is based upon the demand for human rights and dignity,” Ian Martin, Special Representative to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said in a news release. “I appeal to all to respect the calls made by the National Transitional Council that there should be no revenge even against those responsible for war crimes and other grave violations.”

For the NTC, the concern is to take Sirte.  The organization will have the continued support of NATO, which has said that it will remain involved for now.  U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that NATO must first determine whether any remnants of Gaddafi supporters exist and if they pose a threat to civilians, as well as whether the NTC can protect civilians.

The NTC is confident that it will soon have control of Sirte.  One commander told the BBC that it already had three quarters of the city.  Jonathan Head, reporting on site for the BBC, compared Sirte to “a ghost city: there are very few people here now.”  A recent bombing campaign has left many buildings damaged or on fire.

Field Commander Salah al-Jabo told Al Jazeera that he estimated about 400 and about 800 pro-Gaddafi fighters civilians remained in the city.  Despite his belief, concerns exist that thousands of civilians remain because they have been unable to do so or that loyalists told them that the NTC would attack them if they surrendered.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Libya Fighters Launch Assault on Sirte — 07 October 2011

BBC — Libya NTC Forces Take Most of Gaddafi Hometown Sirte — 07 October 2011

Libya TV — NTC Forces Battle for Sirte while Civilians Pour Out — 07 October 2011

United Nations –In Libya, UN Calls on All Sides to Respect Human Rights as Battle for Sirte Nears End — 07 October 2011

New York Times — NATO Is Not Yet Willing to Halt Its Libya Operations — 06 October 2011

Amnesty International — Warring Libyan Forces Must Allow Humanitarian Aid to Reach Sirte — 03 October 2011

Tripoli Post — Thousands Flee Sirte to Face Another Crisis – 03 October 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUBA-ZANGARIA, Israel – Years of general peace in the northern Israeli region of Galilee were shattered Monday after a mosque in Tuba-Zangaria was set on fire.  The attack is the latest in a series of arsons, but it is believed to be the first of its kind to be perpetrated within Israel’s pre-1967 borders.

These actions, referred to as “price tag” attacks, are part of what is believed to be a radical campaign to make local Palestinians or Israeli security forces pay a proverbial “price” for violence against settlers or removing settlements form the West Bank. Police found severe damage to the building’s interior.

“The whole mosque was burnt – the carpet, the books, the Korans, all burnt,” the village imam, Sheik Fuad Zangariya, said in describing the scene to Israel’s Army Radio.

In addition to the scorched interior, graffiti had been spray-painted on the exterior walls.  The Hebrew words for “price tag,” “revenge,” and “Palmer” were the primary comments seen.  “Palmer” is believed to be a reference to a September 23 incident in which Palestinians threw stones at a car driven by Asher Palmer, a recent settler.  One of the stones may have hit him in the head, causing the car to crash and overturn.  The 25-year-old Palmer and his year-old son both died in the accident.

Israeli authorities were quick to condemn the attack.

“This is an act which is against the values of the state of Israel, which places supreme importance on freedom of religion and freedom of worship,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Monday, Israeli President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Tuba-Zangaria mosque in an effort to calm tensions after Bedouin protesters set fire to several buildings and scuffled with police.  He brought with him a delegation of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze spiritual leaders as part of a show of religious solidarity.  Zangariya said that the Bedouin village had always enjoyed friendly relations with neighboring Jewish towns.  By Monday night, the New York Times described the atmosphere there as “tense but calm.”

Peres denounced the arsonists as he reviewed the damage.

“I am shocked to the depths of my soul. I am full of shame and disgrace to see what they caused to this mosque, to the holy books in such a manner. We will not accept this, this is not acceptable. There is not one Israeli who is not ashamed,” he said.

Peres was particularly upset by the arson’s timing.  It took place during the Ten Days of Atonement between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).  He said this time period is meant to be one for reflection.

Netanyahu has instructed the Shin Bet security service to locate the perpetrators of these acts and bring them to justice.  The organization believes that attacks like these by right-wing extremists could lead to violence in the future.  This radicalization, which Shin Bet first noticed in 2004, appears to have been rising and no longer requires an incident to trigger action.  The variety of targets has also increased to include defacing military vehicles and the homes of left-wing activists.

But for now, the goal is to minimize the attacks’ effect and control tensions while the investigation into these incidents proceeds.  Israel appears to be taking the “price tag” group’s efforts very seriously.

“These acts are so dangerous, and harmful on a national level. They can result in an escalation, and this is the last thing the country needs,” Police Inspector General Yohanan Danino said in September.

Shin Bet believes that most settlers oppose these actions, which it suspects are being carried out by a few dozen individuals.

For more information, please see:

Ha’aretz — Israel Police on High Alert as Clashes Ensue Following Mosque Arson — 04 October 2011

Ma’an News Agency — Israel’s Peres Condemns Mosque Burning — 04 October 2011

Arutz Sheva — Arson in Galilee Mosque — 03 October 2011

BBC — Mosque in Northern Israel in “Price Tag” Arson Attack — 03 October 2011

Ha’aretz — Peres: Galilee Mosque Arson Shameful for the State of Israel — 03 October 2011

Jerusalem Post — Mosque Set Alight in Suspected “Price Tag” Attack — 03 October 2011

New York Times — Mosque Set on Fire in Northern Israel — 03 October 2011

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SANAA, Yemen–Yemen’s defense ministry reported that Anwar al-Awlaki, a prevalent and controversial imam allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, was killed on Friday 30 September along with four other individuals. Tribal sources reported to the AFP news agency that al-Awlaki was killed early on Friday in an air raid that crushed two vehicles travelling through an al-Qaeda stronghold in central Yemen.

The 40- year-old U.S.-born al-Awlaki was a father of five children. Government officials reported that al-Awlaki was targeted 8km (approximately 4.97 miles) from the town of Khashef in the province of al-Jawf. Khasef is located just 140km (approximately 86.99 miles) from the capital of Yemen, Sanaa.

Another U.S. citizen, Samir Kahn, was also killed in the air raid. Kahn was the co-editor of al-Qaeda’s Inspire magazine, a specialist in computer programming, and was also wanted by the American and Yemeni authorities.

U.S. President Barack Obama said the killing of al-Awlaki was a “significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat al-Qaeda and its affiliates.”

“[A]l-Awlaki repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women, and children to advance a murderous agenda.”

The aircraft that carried out the mission to eliminate al-Awlaki was probably American, according to tribal sources. American aircraft had been patrolling the skies over Marib, a central Yemeni province, for the past several days.

Al-Awlaki had been targeted for quite some time.  In May 2011, a U.S. drone aircraft targeted him but missed its mark. In July 2010, the Obama Administration placed al-Awlaki on its list of terrorism supporters, freezing his financial assets and banning any transactions made with him. On 24 December 2010, the Yemeni defense ministry had announced his death, saying that he had been killed in an air attack, only to admit later that he was still alive.

Hakim al-Masmari, the editor-in-chief of the Yemeni Post, shared these sentiments with Al-Jazeera about the targeting of al-Awlaki.

“He has been a target of US drones at least three times. The Yemeni government will face a lot of criticism, especially in the south, for allowing US drones to attack Yemeni civilians. But it will not be a blow to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula from any perspective. We don’t feel they will suffer because al-Awlaki did not have any real role in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).”

U.S. President Obama’s counterterrorism advisor John Brennan has directly accused al-Awlaki of having links with Major Nidal Hassan. Hassan is suspected of shooting dead 13 people at Fort Hood military base in Texas in November 2009. Hassan is set to face a trial in a military court on 5 March 2012.

Also, according to Brennan, al-Awlaki may have had contact with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian student accused of attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound aircraft on Christmas 2009. In a video posted on websites in May 2010 by AQAP, al-Awlaki urged Muslims serving in the U.S. military to follow Hassan’s example and defended Abdulmutallab’s actions.

While the death of al-Awlaki may be considered a U.S. victory in the War on Terror, the legality of the action has not been settled at all.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), which had previously brought a challenge in federal court to the legality of the authorization to initially target al-Awlaki in Yemen, condemned the killing and called into question the existence of such practices. The organization’s media office released the following statement on 30 September, the same day the killing was reported.

“The assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki by American drone attacks is the latest of many affronts to domestic and international law. The targeted assassination program that started under President Bush and expanded under the Obama Administration essentially grants the executive the power to kill any U.S. citizen deemed a threat, without any judicial oversight, or any of the rights afforded by our Constitution. If we allow such gross overreaches of power to continue, we are setting the stage for increasing erosions of civil liberties and the rule of the law. ”

In addition, Pardiss Kebriaei, a CCR senior staff attorney, shared these words in addition to the general statement.

“In dismissing our complaint, the district court noted that there were nonetheless ‘disturbing questions’ raised by the authority being asserted by the United States. There certainly are disturbing questions that need to be asked again, and answered by the U.S. government about the circumstances of the killing and the legal standard that governed it.”

The news of al-Awlaki’s death comes amongst daily reports of new violence in Yemen. The impoverished Arabian Peninsula country has witnessed demonstrators staging protests, demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. President Saleh has been in power since 1978.

For more information, please see:

Ahram – Killing of American in Yemen Raises Legal Questions – 1 October 2011

BBC – Anwar al-Awlaki Killing Sparks US Travel Alert – 1 October 2011

The Guardian – How US Tracked Anwar al-Awlaki to His Death in Yemen – 1 October 2011

Al-Jazeera – Anwar al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen – 30 September 2011

Washington Post – Anwar al-Aulaqi, U.S.-Born Cleric Linked to al-Qaeda, Killed in Yemen – 30 September 2011

Center for Constitutional Rights – CCR Condemns Targeted Assassination of U.S. Citizen Anwar Al-Awlaki – 30 September 2011

NYT – Two-Year Manhunt Led to Killing of Awlaki in Yemen – 30 September 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain – Justice was perverted Thursday.  Courts in Bahrain sentenced 20 medical professionals to lengthy prison terms for doing their jobs in providing aid to participants in protests against the Kingdom’s government that took place earlier this year.  The sentences ranged from five to fifteen years in length.

The medics in question worked at Manama’s Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain’s largest public hospital.  Security forces stormed the facility on March 16 after clearing the nearby Pearl Roundabout of protesters, who had been demonstrating peacefully at the time.  Numerous medical personnel were arrested.  According to the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA), they faced trial for “forcefully occupying Salmaniya Medical Centre… possessing unlicensed arms (AK-47s) and knives, incitement to overthrow the regime, seizing medical equipment, detaining policemen, and spreading false news.”  BNA added that they conducted these activities for purposes of terrorism.

The March 16 incident was not the last time Bahrain’s security forces have interfered with the ability of medical professionals to provide much needed care.  On July 28, armed troops raided a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Manama.  All medical equipment and supplies were confiscated, and a volunteer was arrested (he has since been released).  The organization later withdrew from the kingdom entirely.

Bahrain’s International Affairs Authority (IAA) was pleased by the verdict.

“The Salmaniya hospital was used as a co-ordination center for three weeks for protests calling for the overthrow of the government,” an IAA spokesman said.  “Those doctors who have been found guilty were charged with abusing the hospital for political purposes. Nobody is above the law.”

None of the accused attended the hearing, which was held by the National Safety Court of First Instance, a hybrid military court.  It lasted just seven minutes.  The medical professionals were given 24 hours to turn themselves in at the nearest police station or have arrest warrants issued.  The daughter of one medic issued a statement, which was reported by Al Jazeera.

“These cruel sentences present a serious breach of law and is considered to be an attack on the medical profession,” it said.  “We urge all international medical organizations, societies, bodies to take an action, issue a statement or do anything to condemn the recent sentences of Bahraini medical professionals.”

Amnesty International, a global organization that seeks to defend human rights wherever violations exist, called the trial “a travesty of justice.”

“These are simply ludicrous charges against civilian professionals who were working to save lives amid very trying circumstances,” said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of its Middle East and North Africa Programme.  “It appears that the real reason for targeting these health workers was the fact that they denounced the government crackdown on protesters in interviews to international media.  We’ve repeatedly said that Bahraini authorities should never have used military courts to prosecute ordinary civilians, including doctors, teachers and human rights activists.”

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a Nobel Prize-winning organization that attempts to use science and medicine to prevent or mitigate human rights atrocities, was similarly outraged.

“These are medical professionals who were treating patients during a period of civil unrest, as their ethical duty requires them to do. To imprison them as part of a political struggle is unconscionable,” said Hans Hogrefe, PHR’s Chief Policy Officer, who called for the sentences to be overturned.

According to the organization, the medics were handled in a manner that denied them basic human rights.  Among other claims, they were arrested and interrogated by military personnel, despite being civilians.  These actions, PHR believes, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Bahrain has ratified.  Allegations of torture also exist, as their health declined while in prison, in part due to a hunger strike that eventually led to their being freed on bail.

A lawyer for the accused medics said that they will appeal their convictions next week before the High Court of Appeal, which is part of the kingdom’s civilian justice system.  But for now, they are saying goodbye to family as they prepare for imprisonment, according to Fatma Haji, one of the doctors.

“I know that I am definitely, 100% innocent,” said Haji, who was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.  “Our crime – I’m talking about all the medics – was that we helped innocent, helpless people who were just protesting and got injured,”

For more information, please see:

Arabian Business — Bahrain Jails 20 Doctors on Unrest Related Charges — 30 September 2011

Gulf Daily News — SMC Siege Medics Jailed — 30 September 2011

Al Jazeera — Bahrain Medical Staff Sentenced over Protests — 29 September 2011

Amnesty International — Bahrain Military Court Finds Medics Guilty — 29 September 2011

BBC — Bahrain Sentences Medics Who Treated Protesters — 29 September 2011

New York Times — Bahrain Court Hands Down Harsh Sentences to Doctors and Protesters — 29 September 2011

Physicians for Human Rights — PHR Denounces Sentences Passed on Bahraini Medics and Protesters — 29 September 2011

Doctors Without Borders — Bahrain: MSF Condemns Armed Raid on Office and Detention of Staff Member — 3 August 2011