By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A diplomatic cable recently made public by WikiLeaks provides evidence that U.S. troops executed at least 10 Iraqi civilians, including a woman in her 70s and a 5-month old infant, before calling in an airstrike to destroy the evidence.  This incident took place in 2006 in Iraq’s central city of Ishaqi.

The cable contains questions posed by a United Nations (U.N.) investigator about the incident after local Iraqi officials, who were angered by the soldier’s actions, demanded some sort of a remedial response.  The official U.S. response at the time was to deny that anything out of the ordinary had occurred.

In 2006, at the time of the incident, Ishaqi, about 80 miles from Baghdad, and not too far from Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, was considered extremely dangerous.  All roads in the area had been classified as “black,” meaning that there was a high probability they were booby-trapped with bombs.

The original report of the incident put the fault on an intense battle with an Iraqi Al Qaeda suspect that resulted in the complete decimation of the house he was hiding in, and the death of all of its inhabitants.

Townspeople denied this explanation, claiming instead that the soldiers had executed the 11 people living in the house, but military officials said that other accounts of the incident were highly unlikely to be true, and that they didn’t warrant further investigation.

Philip Alston, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, sent the cable to Condoleeza Rice, then Secretary of State, 12 days after the incident took place.  He had a different view of how the events unfolded.  Most disconcerting was his revelation that the autopsies performed on the dead from the incident revealed that they had been handcuffed and shot in the head.  Among the dead were four women and five children, all of which were 5 years old or younger.

Alston’s version of the events is as follows:  The troops approached a house belonging to a local farmer, and were met with gunfire lasting about 25 minutes.  After the firefight ended “troops entered the house, handcuffed all residents and executed all of them.” After the initial ground operation was completed a U.S. air raid occurred that destroyed the house.  “Iraqi TV stations broadcast from the scene and showed bodies of the victims.”

When questioned in an interview on Wednesday after the cable became public knowledge, Alston said that as of 2010 the U.S. officials still hadn’t responded to his requests for more information. He further said that such inaction and lack of response “was the case with most of the letters to the U.S. in the 2006-2007 period” of the Iraq war.

“The tragedy,” he continued, “is that this elaborate system of communications is in place but the (U.N.) Human Rights Council does nothing to follow up when states ignore issues raised with them.”

The newly leaked cable seems to vindicate the townspeople’s claims, and creates a lot of questions for both the military and Washington.  While civilian casualties are sadly a common occurrence during raid operations the killings described in the cable would clearly constitute a war crime.

Not surprisingly, the Pentagon hasn’t responded to any requests for comments on the incident, or the leak.

For more information, please see:

Daily Mirror — WikiLeaks reveals Atrocities by U.S. forces — 1 Sept 2011

Digital Journal — WikiLeaks cable says Iraqi children shot in head during U.S. raid — 1 Sept 2011

Huffington Post — WikiLeaks: U.S. Troops Executed Iraqi Children in 2006 Raid, According to U.N. Sources — 1 Sept 2011

International Business Times — WikiLeaks Cable Release: New Evidence that U.S. Troops May Have Massacred Iraqi Civilians — 1 Sept 2011

McClatchy — WikiLeaks: Iraqi children in U.S. raid shot in head, U.N. says — 31 Aug 2011

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain–In a televised speech to his nation, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa made a pledge on Sunday 28 August to release protesters. The Bahrain government will dismiss charges against some people detained during a deadly government crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators earlier this year.

The king gave this address as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan comes to a close. This month has greatly contributed to the restoration of the unity and structure of the nation. The recalling of traditional exchanges, compassion, and brotherhood has peaked hope among the rift that exists in Bahrain between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa’s pledge comes more than six months after his regime attempted to thwart the efforts of protest demonstrators in pursuit of holistic change for the nation.

“There are those who are charged with abusing us and senior officials in Bahrain, we today announce that we forgive them. Although I do not like t0 interfere in the course of justice, I would like to confirm that all cases of civilians will have their verdicts issued by a civil court.”

While this pledge by the leader of Bahrain appears generous, he made a point of not mentioning any concessions towards Bahrain’s Shia population. The Shia population holds a majority in Bahrain and helped head up the protests against the al-Khalifa’s regime as well as setting demands. Some of these key demands are the easing of the Sunni dynasty’s stranglehold on power, the process of policy formation, and hand picking government officials.

The Shia population makes up about 70 percent of the island nation’s 525,000 citizens. Despite the majority, widespread discrimination from a multitude of situations, such as exclusion from top political and security posts, is a concern for the Shia population. It is evident that the Shia’s current situation is a stem for discontent in Bahrain and that displeasure will stay the norm until the Shia believe that the discrimination gap has closed.

Human rights groups reported that at least 32 individuals have lost their lives since the protests against al-Khalifa’s regime began. After the government crackdown, thousands of demonstrators were forced from their jobs, an apparent punishment for supporting those against the regime. Students were dismissed from schools and universities.

But al-Khalifa’s regime has seemingly attempted to make visible strides to try and repair the damage. The University of Bahrain and the Bahrain Training Institute have allowed some 340 students back while several employees were allowed back to work by their employers. But several large companies have dragged their feet to incorporate the reinstatement process.

In addition to dismissing all charges, King al-Khalifa implored all individuals who had been mistreated in custody to file a formal complaint. He confirmed that the law grants them compensation.

“Bahrain has a law that allows victims of ill-treatment to ask for compensation. The decision to setup independent fact-finding commission is the best indication of our full commitment to knowing the whole truth and to giving people their rights.”

“There are those who were arrested, and investigations proved that they were the victims of individual behavior and were ill-treated in custody. This is not tolerated by God and we do not condone it. The recent period was painful to all of us. Although we live in one country, some have forgotten the inevitability of co-existence. Therefore, we should not abandon our belief in having the same and common future, and should not lose trust in each other as brother, colleagues, and citizens.”

Bahraini security forces, bolstered by Saudi led troops from around the Gulf, demolished protests earlier this year in March after allowing demonstrators to camp out in central Manama for about thirty days.

The protests in Bahrain are sort of viewed differently by the international community than the rest of the Arab Spring. The crackdown on protests was heavily criticized by the US but the rest of the international community did not show the same level of support as it has done for protests in other countries. The West has traditionally blamed Iran for instigating the protests in an effort to cause dissent within Bahrain. But the Shia majority within the country has harshly denied this claim.

In July, Bahrain officials opened reconciliation talks with Shia leader in an effort to assuage the anxiety and hear the Shia party’s demands. But unsatisfied with the progress, the Shia party walked out and threatened to bring further protests.

Perhaps some of this dissatisfaction comes from the continued turmoil of the 20 doctors and nurses arrested earlier this year for treating demonstrators from protests. These doctors and nurses were also accused of stockpiling medical supplies and weapons. On 28 August, a special security court resumed the trial for these 20 doctors. The court adjourned the trial until 07 September, when it will begin hearing defense witnesses.

The 20 doctors and nurses in this situation are among at least 45 medical personnel whom face charges stemming from the anti-government protests. Various human rights groups have heavily scrutinized Bahrain’s usage of a special security court for this manner.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera-Bahrain king pardons some protesters-28 August 2011

Associated Press-Bahrain’s king pardoning some protesters-28 August 2011

CNN-‘Arab Spring’ becoming the Arab Year?-25 August 2011

Gulf News-Bahrain king calls for more tolerance-28 August 2011

Human Rights First-Bahrain Government Makes U-turn on Military Courts-22 August 2011

Impunity Watch-Military Court in Bahrain Pursues Physicians For Giving Treatment to Protesters-16 June 2011

Human Rights Watch-Bahrain: Stop Military Court Travesty of Justice-14 June 2011

The Guardian-Bahrain doctors deny stealing medicines or stockpiling arms-13 June 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya — Rebel forces making sweeps around Tripoli to clear out the last of Qaddafi’s forces have found a warehouse containing the charred remains of a large number of prisoners who were killed and burned.

The site was located near the southern Tripoli headquarters of the Khamis Brigade, Libya’s most notorious military unit.  Residents who lived near the warehouse say they heard shooting and explosions on Tuesday evening.  Due to the continued fighting no one was able to investigate until Saturday when residents and rebel forces discovered the remains of at least 53 people.

In addition to the news of the horrific find, Libyan rebels are also concerned over the fate of thousands of other prisoners, who had been held in Tripoli by the Qaddafi regime. Rebel military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani said almost 50,000 people arrested in recent months are still unaccounted for.

It is believed that prisoners of the Qaddafi regime were kept in underground bunkers, which were subsequently abandoned during the rebel push into Tripoli.  Human rights groups have noted evidence of human remains near prisons, but the rebels have yet to accuse anyone of killing the prisoners.

Specifically, Human Rights Watch has documented evidence of at least 17 detainees who were killed in a makeshift prison in Tripoli around August 21. “Torture was rife in Qaddafi’s prisons but to execute detainees days before they would have been freed is a sickening low in the government’s behavior,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The evidence we have been able to gather so far strongly suggests that Gaddafi government forces went on a spate of arbitrary killing as Tripoli was falling.”

Despite the hesitation from the rebel forces to label the missing prisoners as dead they are still attempting to get information on them.  “Between 10,000 and 11,000 prisoners have been freed up until now…so where are the others?” asked Colonel Bani.  Rebel forces are attempting to gather intelligence in hopes of finding clarifying information.  Bani further noted that it would be “catastrophic” if the prisoners had been killed.

This harrowing news, which likely adds evidence for any future war crimes prosecution against the Qaddafi regime, was announced simultaneously with an admittance from the rebels that they have no real leads on where Qaddafi might be hiding.  Rumors place him everywhere from Tripoli to his hometown of Sirte.

An offer was made over the weekend by a spokesperson for Qaddafi to open talks with the rebel government.  It was flatly denied, and described by observers as “delusional.”  The rebel government identifies Qaddafi as a war criminal, and has expressed their desire to put him on trial for war crimes upon his arrest.

For more information, please see:

BBC News — Libya rebels fear for Gaddafi’s prisoners — 28 Aug. 2011

Human Rights Watch — Libya: Gaddafi Forces Suspected of Executing Detainees — 28 Aug 2011

Daily Mail — Libya: Inside Gaddafi’s torture chamber: The bloodstained cells inside a former primary school used to brutalise his enemies — 27 Aug. 2011

Sky News — “Mass Killing” Evidence Found in Libya — 27 Aug. 2011

The Telegraph — Human slaughterhouse discovered in Tripoli — 27 Aug. 2011