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

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran — A Christian pastor who converted from Islam to Christianity is facing the death penalty in Iran for refusing to return to Islam.

Youcef Nadarkhani, of the Church of Iran, currently faces hanging after refusing to follow a court order to renounce Christianity.  If the execution goes ahead it will be the first time a Christian has been executed in Iran for religious reasons in 20 years.

Nadarkhani was originally detained in his home city of Rasht in October 2009 when he attempted to register his church.  His supporters claim he was arrested after questioning the Muslim monopoly on the religious instruction of Iran’s children.

The original charges Nadarkhani faced were for protesting, but those charges have since been changed to ‘apostasy’ – or abandoning Islam — and ‘evangelizing Muslims.’   Both of these charges carry the death penalty in Iran.

He was tried and found guilty of apostasy in September 2010.  The court sentenced him to death.

Last June, the Supreme Court of Iran upheld the death penalty, but also asked the lower court to re-examine whether or not Nadarkhani had been a practicing Muslim adult prior to his conversion, offering recanting as an option.

Nadarkhani has made it clear that he has no intention of returning to Islam. He said: “Repent means to return.  What should I return to?  To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?”

The court is ordering his repentance because of his deep Islamic ancestry.  Based upon the type of apostasy Nadarkhani has been charged with he will likely be given a short period of time to repent or else he will be executed.  Many believe the execution could occur as early as Friday, however due to misinformation practices carried out by Iran there is a chance, though unlikely, that it already happened.

The written version of the Supreme Court’s ruling included a statement that the death penalty would be annulled if the pastor recanted.

Nadarkhani’s lawyer is hopeful that an appeals court will acquit his client, but history does not give much defense for his optimism.  Even if the sentence is commuted he could still face life in prison, and if were to be set free his life would still be in danger.  Rumors abound of numerous counts of other Iranian Christian converts who have been assassinated because of their beliefs.

The story has garnered outrage and condemnation from Christian organizations worldwide.

Estimates put the number of devoted Christians in Iran at around 100,000.  Iran’s leadership is concerned about the spread of Christianity throughout the state, and has been cracking down on its influence.

For more information, please see:

The Daily Mail — Christian pastor faces execution in Iran for refusing to renounce his faith — 29 Sept. 2011

International Business Times — Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Nadarkhani Refuses to Convert — 29 Sept. 2011

Voice of America — Lawyer Hopes Iranian Christian Sentenced to Death Will be Freed — 29 Sept. 2011

The New Statesman — The Trial and punishment of Yousef Nadarkhani — 28 Sept. 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia took a gigantic step forward Sunday.  Claiming to “reject any marginalization of women in Saudi society in every domain,” King Abdullah used his address to the Majils Al-Shura, a council that advises him on issues of public policy, to grant women the right to vote in the municipal elections of 2015.  Women will also be able to run for office in that election and be eligible for appointment to the council as full voting members.  They will not, however, be able to vote in Thursday’s elections, which a group of at least 60 Saudi intellectuals and activists have called to boycott for that reason.

“Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior clerics and others… to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from next term,” he said.  “Women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote.

The Middle Eastern country has historically been one of the most conservative countries in the world when it comes to women’s rights.  One of the most notable restrictions is a ban on women drivers, which was challenged by numerous women in May.  The general rule in Saudi Arabia is one of male guardianship, which means that women cannot make decisions about their lives without the approval of a male relative.

King Abdullah’s announcement is viewed as a possible response to the “Arab Spring” that has gripped the Middle East for much of this year.  He has promised reform for over a decade, but his efforts have been slow to take hold due to fear of a religious backlash.

“There is the element of the Arab Spring, there is the element of the strength of Saudi social media, and there is the element of Saudi women themselves, who are not silent,” said Hatoon al-Fassi, a history professor and one of the women who organized a campaign demanding the right to vote this spring. “Plus, the fact that the issue of women has turned Saudi Arabia into an international joke is another thing that brought the decision now.”

Saudi women enthusiastically responded to the monarchy’s announcement, even if they will have to wait four years to take advantage of their new rights.

Writer Nimah Ismail Nawwab told the BBC: “This is something we have long waited for and long worked towards.”

The Twitter page Women2Drive, a key player in the organized protest where women drove on the streets of Saudi Arabia, also spoke with great hope.  “A new day for Saudi women..a new era..the dream comes so true..Good morning ladies..and gentlemen,” a tweet read.

Deputy Education Minister Noura bint Abdullah Al-Fayez, Saudi Arabia’s first female minister, was strongly encouraged by King Abdullah’s remarks.

“Woman is a partner of man in building society. The new assignments are an honor for Saudi women,” she said.  “During this prosperous era of King Abdullah, women enjoy a lofty position as the king recognized their achievements in the areas of education and science and their ability to carry out different roles in an efficient manner. Women have won the king’s confidence through their hard work.”

Majils Al-Shura President Abdullah Al-Asheikh seconded Al-Fayez’s remarks.  He pointed out the significant contributions that women had made in several fields of Saudi society, including education, heath, and economics.  He also noted that women had done well in research, and some had acted as consultants to the council.  In 2006, six women were appointed in that capacity, which has since grown to 12.  Despite their role as advisors, they lack voting power.  In Al-Asheki’s opinion, allowing women to serve and vote on the council would provide the council with “new blood.”

While the actual reform will have to wait, women are encouraged by the announcement.  A Facebook page titled “We are all Manal al-Sharif,” in support of an activist who was arrested for defying the ban on women drivers, has numerous comments on King Abdullah’s decision, almost all of them positive.  But it is clear that there are other key issues on their minds.

“Al-Bandari Abdallah” commented on that page: “Our hope has grown with the new decisions. God willing Saudi women will drive soon,” and “Sawdiyah La-Diniyah” notes that it’s a “Good start…but when [will women be] driving!!”

On Monday, the Majils Al-Shoura announced that it is reviewing the ban on women drivers in order to reconsider the issue.

For more information, please see:

Saudi Gazette — Shoura Reconsidering Women Driving Issue — 27 September 2011

Arab News — Saudi Women Won Confidence through Hard Work: Al-Fayez — 26 September 2011

Arab News — Shoura Chief Says Women Will Bring New Blood to Council — 26 September 2011

BBC — Saudi Social Media Joy at Reform Promise — 26 September 2011

Human Rights Watch — Saudi Arabia: Women to Vote, Join Shura Council — 26 September 2011

Al Jazeera — Saudi Women Given Voting Rights — 25 September 2011

Arab News — King Abdullah Grants Women the Vote — 25 September 2011

BBC — Women in Saudi Arabia to Vote and Run in Elections — 25 September 2011

New York Times — Saudi Monarch Grants Women Right to Vote — 25 September 2011