By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Even as the United States and much of the Arab world condemn President Bashar al-Assad’s use of violence in cracking down on dissidents, Syria retains a small cadre of backers.  Since late July, Iran has been vocal in its support for the embattled Middle Eastern nation.  Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki spoke out in favor of more peaceful means of action by the demonstrators, blaming the protesters for the present situation.

Iran and Syria have been longtime allies in the Middle East.  On July 24, Iran’s First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Rahimi said that his country would stand strongly alongside Syria during a meeting with Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw.  Rahimi declared Iran and Syria to be “…two inseparable countries and allies,” adding that “…Iran will stand by its friend under all conditions.”

Since then, both countries have strengthened their rhetoric, particularly against the United States and the Western world.  This has been especially noticeable over the past week.  On August 7, Hamed Hassan, the Syrian Ambassador to Tehran, said that he considered the present state of his country to be the result of a foreign conspiracy.

“Americans are pushing for hegemony over the region and the disintegration of regional governments is in line with the interest of the Zionist regime,” Hassan told a press roundtable on Syrian unrest at the Iran Cultural and Press Institute (ICPI).  “Syria does not pay heed to foreign hegemony and the Zionist policies in the region.”

Three days later, senior Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi accused the United States of doing the same thing.  “Having lost Egypt [following the Egyptian revolution], the US is now targeting Syria,” Boroujerdi said during a meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi.  “The US aims to defeat the resistance in order to achieve its objectives and the [objectives of the] Zionist regime [of Israel]. [Therefore] Syria must be helped to end the unrest in the country.”

Unlike Iran, Iraq has not historically been an ally of Syria’s.  When sectarian violence was rampant in Iraq following the American invasion of 2003, Syria was blamed for not doing enough to keep militants and suicide bombers out of the country.  The shift in relations began with Maliki’s rise to power in Iraq, which was due in large part to support from Iran, who urged Assad to support him.  Maliki has since won a second term as Prime Minister.

“Maliki is very reliant on Iran for his power and Iran is backing Syria all the way,” Joost Hiltermann, the International Crisis Group’s deputy program director for the Middle East, told the New York Times.  “The Iranians and the Syrians were all critical to bringing him to power a year ago and keeping him in power so he finds himself in a difficult position.”

Since then, Iraq and Syria have been working to strengthen their relations.  On July 25, the three countries signed an agreement to build a pipeline that would supply Iranian natural gas to Iraq and Syria.  The project is expected to cost an estimated $10 billion over the next three to five years.

But within Iraq, the alliance has reignited sectarian divides in Iraq and jeopardizes the government’s recently restored functionality.  Maliki’s Shiite regime claims that the Syrian protesters were Al Qaeda operatives, who would be in position to use the country as a base to launch attacks if Assad were to fall.  Within the Sunni-dominated Iraqiya bloc of the Iraqi government, the assessment is very different.

“What is happening in Syria is not because of a terrorist group, as some say, that is not accurate,” said Jaber al-Jabri, a member of the Iraquiya. “There are whole towns rising up to demonstrate against the regime. We call on the Syrian government to listen to the people’s demands and to stop violence against their people.”

The new alliance between Iraq and Syria also creates a potentially dangerous situation for Israel.  According to Hossein Ebrahimi, the deputy chairman of the Majlis (Iranian Parliament) Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, the Jewish state is now bordered by at least three countries (Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria) that are presently in a state of revolution.  “The Zionist regime is collapsing,” he said.

For more information, please see:

New York Times — Iraqi Leader Backs Syria, With a Nudge From Iran — 12 August 2011

PressTV — Iran MP urges Pro-Syria front against US — 11 August 2011

PressTV — Defend Syria from US meddling: Iran MP — 10 August 2011

Iran Daily — Syria Envoy Blames Foreign Powers for Turmoil — 8 August 2011

Iran Daily — Iran, Iraq, Syria Sign Gas Deal — 26 July 2011

Iran Daily — Rahimi Voices Support for Assad’s Syria — 26 July 2011

PressTV — Iran Vows Support for Syria — 24 July 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, IRAQ — The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report on Monday that highlighted a fragile plague of human rights abuses in Iraq.

The report details how armed violence has become an everyday part of life for a large number of Iraqis, with minorities (especially members of the LGBT community), women, and children suffering disproportionately.   Torture and other matters of impunity are also rampant throughout the Middle Eastern state.

According to UN and Iraqi government estimates, approximately 3,000 civilians were killed by violence in 2010.  Armed insurgents and terrorist groups were the main culprits behind these attacks.  The majority of the targeted civilians have been religious leaders, journalists, and medical and education professionals.

The report also notes many “silent” human rights violations.  “Widespread poverty, economic stagnation, lack of opportunities, environmental degradation, and an absence of basic services…affect large sectors of the population,” it says.

Political rights, such as the freedom of expression and the right to assembly, have slightly improved from previous years, but still have many challenges.

There are significant problems with Iraq’s system of law, especially with respect to due process and fair trial rights.  Defendants are frequently unaware of the charges being brought against them, have no access to lawyers, and are held longer than legally allowed without trial.  The condition of detention centers has improved, but there is still a large overemphasis on using confessions to convict, which has led to an ideal environment for torture.

Women’s rights issues continue to hover on the human rights radar with instances of domestic violence, trafficking, genital mutilation, and honor crimes continually being reported.

The battle to end impunity for those who commit human rights abuses “remains a serious challenge in Iraq.  Perpetrators of crimes committed over many years continue to be unaccountable.”

The report concludes by giving some suggestions for fixing the current abuses, including placing a limit on the arresting powers of the police, putting a moratorium on the death penalty, and creating and enforcing laws designed to protect individual rights.

The Iraqi response to the current state of its human rights record has been mainly aimed at the UN, and what they call its “limited role” in the involvement of the difficult nation-building process that is currently on going in Iraq.  The hope is that a stronger presence in Iraq by the UN would lead to greater successes in nation building, specifically in the area of human rights.

Iraq has been closely scrutinized for its human rights record for years.  In June, the UN special representative to Iraq urged, yet so far unsuccessfully,  the government to ratify the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.  It appears that while there have been many advances made towards recognizing human rights violations the government is still facing many obstacles.

For more information, please see:

AFP — UN calls situation in Iraq ‘fragile’ — 8 Aug 2011

Aswat al-Iraq — UN should play greater role — 8 Aug 2011

CNN — Significant human rights issues noted in U.N. report on Iraq — 8 Aug 2011

Examiner — UN: Iraq plagued with numerous human rights violations — 8 Aug 2011

Jurist — Iraq human rights abuses continue: UN report — 8 Aug 2011

United Nations — Human rights in Iraq remain fragile amid armed violence, torture, and impunity — 8 Aug 2011

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt–From behind the bars of a holding cell, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak remained defiant. The 83-year-old man listened to the charges of corruption and complicity in the unlawful killing of protesters against him and gave a simple, yet potent answer.

“I have not committed any such crimes.”

Premeditated murder, the killing of protesters, the failure to use his power and resources to stop the mistreatment of civilians, and collusion with other government officials in the misuse of state funds all included the charges against Mubarak.

The proceedings took place in a temporary court at the Police Academy of Cairo and were shown on live television. A trial for the former Egyptian leader has been one of the crucial demands and desires that united protesters since 11 February, the day that Mubarak’s regime collapsed. Some 3,000 soldiers and police officers were drafted with the sole purpose of maintaining order at the police academy for the first day of the trial.

Mubarak was flown to Cairo from Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort where he has resided since being removed from power. Due to recent health complications, including treatment since April for a heart condition, there was speculation that Mubarak would not actually appear in court. But he did appear and was wheeled into the cage from where he observed the proceedings. Mubarak’s two sons, Gamal and Alaa, accompanied their father inside the defendants’ cage, both donning white prison robes.

When the presiding judge, Ahmed Refaat, requested that Mubarak identify himself, the former leader responded and slightly raised his hand from the horizontal position that he was situated on the bed of the cell.

“Yes, I am here.”

Mubarak’s lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, made numerous requests to the court on behalf of Mubarak. Arguably, the most noteworthy request was to summon some 1,600 witnesses to testify, including Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak’s longtime defense minister.

Sherine Tadros, an Al-Jazeera correspondent, shared these sentiments about this request from el-Deeb.

“El-Deeb asked for Tantawi-who is also the defense minister and effectively the person running this country right now-to become a witness within this trial. He said it was Field Marshal Tantawi who has been in control of this country since 28 January 2011. I think it raises a lot of questions about the proceedings of this trial, how many others serving still-within the government, within the authority, within that structure-are going to be implicated in what is going on.”

Some 800 people were killed and approximately another 6,000 wounded in the 18 total days of protests that overthrew Mubarak’s seemingly everlasting regime. His trial represents a very tangible victory of sorts for all of those involved in the region-wide uprisings that have been dubbed the Arab Spring.

The image of Mubarak sitting behind bars and listening to the charges is certainly a surreal feeling for many Egyptians as well as those in other Middle Eastern countries. One of the protest leaders, film-maker Ahmed Rasheed, told BBC correspondents that people across Cairo had cluttered around televisions in shops and cafes, watching and debating as the trial was broadcast.

“I was quite overwhelmed to see the scene taking place. I was very pessimistic about this. I didn’t believe he was going to show up in court.”

The trial will resume on 15 August 2011.

Public demonstrations and riots continue to occur in Egypt. Before the trial began, scuffles broke out between hundreds of supporters and opponents of Mubarak. Hundreds of white-clad police and riot police armed with shields and helmets intervened to stop the demonstrators from throwing stones and bottles at one another.

It is evident that the Arab Spring has a long way to go in order to be viewed as a holistic success. But perhaps the beginning of Mubarak’s trial is just the kinetic energy that it needed to secure healthy change throughout the region.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera-Mubarak pleads ‘not guilty’ at Cairo trial-03 August 2011

BBC-Mubarak trial: Egypt’s ex-president denies all charges-03 August 2011

CNN-Ailing Mubarak wheeled into courtroom cage for trial-03 August 2011

NYT-Mubarak on Trial, in Stark Image of Arab Upheaval-03 August 2011