By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya – Government forces continue to advance on rebel strongholds in Libya Friday despite declaring an immediate ceasefire to hostilities with civilian opposition.  Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa declared that “Libya has decided an immediate ceasefire and an immediate halt to military operations.”  The announcement came shortly after the passage of a UN Security Council resolution calling for the end to the government’s violent suppression of civilians and threatening military enforcement if the resolution’s conditions are not met.  Rebel forces however, say that Colonel Gaddafi is “bluffing” and report facing bombing raids and attacks from Libyan troops in a number of cities.   

Security Council Resolution 1973, passed on Thursday, condemns the suppression of Libyan citizens by the Gaddafi regime and authorizes the international community to use “all necessary measures” to protect civilian populations in Libya.  In particular, the resolution authorizes the international community to establish no-fly zones and initiate an arms embargo.  The creation of no-fly zones over Libyan airspace would require the destruction of Libyan air defense systems.  While the resolution states that international forces will not be deployed on the ground, it notes that Libyan military forces may be legitimate targets of international enforcement efforts if they fail to halt operations against civilians.  In conjunction with Res. 1973, the UN also ratcheted up economic sanctions against the government and froze Libyan assets.

The Resolution also condemns the government’s deployment of mercenaries to subdue civilian resistance.  The regime has actively recruited mercenaries from surrounding countries and tribal regions.  Advertisements for pro-Qaddafi fighters have been launched in a number of countries including Kenya and Ginuea.  Reports indicate that mercenaries are offered up to $2500 per day to fight for the Libyan government.  Manpavan Joth Kaur, commentator for S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), expresses that mercenaries are particularly “dangerous and brutal because they are monetarily-motivated and lack personal or cultural ties with the local people. Their earnings are guaranteed on unconditional loyalty to their recruiters.” 

The International Criminal Court has warned that the government’s indiscriminate attacks against civilian populations constitute “war crimes.”  The United Nations estimates that over 1000 people have been killed and an additional 300,000 have fled Libya since clashes began a month ago.  A coordinated international humanitarian aid effort has been organized to assist those displaced by the crisis.

To read the full text of Resolution 1973 click here.

To watch President Obama’s remarks about Res. 1973 click here. 

For more information please see:

Sydney Morning Herald – Rebels say Libyan Govt Ceasefire a Bluff – Mar. 19, 2011

ABC News – How Would a No-Fly Zone Work Over Libya? – Mar. 18, 2011

Bloomberg – Libya’s Qaddafi Under Threat from Allied Military Forces – Mar. 18, 2011

RSIS Commentaries – “Mercenaries” in Libya: Impact of Legal Impunity – Mar. 17, 2011

UPI – Gadhafi’s Mercenaries Trigger Terror Alarm – Mar. 17 2011

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia announced Monday a decision to send 1000 troops to Bahrain to assist local forces in stabilizing the country amid protests.  For weeks, Bahrain has been the site of large anti-government demonstrations.  Bahraini security forces have taken aggressive action to end protests, resulting in the death of a number of civilians and injury of dozens more.  The inability of police forces to end opposition rallies prompted Bahraini officials to request troops from neighboring countries.  The Saudi troops are only part of a deployment by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), a six member regional group comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to stabilize Bahrain.  An additional 500 troops have been sent by the UAE.

The move represents an attempt by Saudi Arabia to strengthen and project its power in the region.  One analyst contends that the Kingdom’s decision to send troops may have been influenced by its desire to contain Iran.  Saudi Arabia has increasingly asserted its influence in the region, offering foreign assistance to Yemen, Lebanon and Syria in recent years.

Shia leaders within Bahrain have criticized Saudi Arabia’s decision saying that foreign intervention amounts to a declaration of war.  Both governments contend that troops have been sent to help protect government facilities from attack and “to look at ways to help [to] defuse the tension in Bahrain.”  Sheik Abdullah, foreign minister of the UAE told reporters “There are other Gulf countries which are going to participate to support the Bahrain government, and to get calm and order in Bahrain.”  Saudi Arabia has also set up a $20 billion fund to finance new incentives promised to citizens by the government in Bahrain.

Officials in Saudi Arabia have linked the maintenance of stability in Bahrain with its own security, fearing that the success of protests in Bahrain could spark similar rallies at home.  The Saudi government has warned its citizens not to protest and has taken measures to neutralize opposition.  Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz, the country’s interior minister and half-brother of the King, welcomed the decision to send troops saying that “Some evil people wanted to spread chaos in the kingdom and called for demonstrations that have dishonorable goals.”

The Saudi government’s decision has put the United States in a precarious position as the U.S. walks a fine line between supporting freedom, democracy and social reform on the one hand, and the interests of its regional allies on the other.  White House spokesperson Jay Carney urged the government of Bahrain to exercise constraint but noted that Saudi Arabia’s intervention is not an invasion.  Protesters in Bahrain continue to hold the capital’s main square despite clashes with security forces.  Dialogue between the government and opposition forces however, remains absent. 

For more information, please see:

BBC Middle East – Gulf States Send Forces to Bahrain Following Protests – Mar. 14, 2011

Financial Times – Saudi intervention Raises Gulf Stakes – Mar. 14, 2011

Guardian – Saudi Arabia Polices the Region as Trouble Stirs at Home – Mar. 14, 2011

New York Times – Saudi Troops Enter Bahrain to Help Put Down Unrest – Mar. 14, 2011

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait – Human rights groups have called for the immediate release of stateless persons arrested during anti-government protests in Kuwait on Friday.  Roughly 100,000 stateless Arabs, known locally as “bedoons” or ”bidoons,” live in Kuwait and are deprived of many civil rights available to Kuwaiti nationals. In particular, bedoons are not afforded basic rights to health care, education and employment. In 2000, the government launched a large scale security crackdown against bedoons and continues to suppress bedoon dissidents who seek rights and recognition.  Although some officials have drafted bills designed to secure civil rights for the stateless population, the Parliament has continuously blocked attempts to debate such legislation. 

Friday’s peaceful protests in the country’s capital were met with a violent response from riot police who used teargas and water cannons to disperse protestors.  Despite the participation of Kuwaiti citizens in the rallies, bedoons were singled out for arrest and detention.  The independent Human Rights Association has demand the “release of all those arrested during the events on March 11 without delay and without pressing charges against them.”  Fueled by successful oustings in North Africa and the mass mobilization of Arabs throughout the Middle East, bedoons have been increasingly vocal about their desire for civil rights in recent weeks. 

Bedoons have been stateless for over fifty years and demands for equality have historically fallen on deaf ears.  Today, the government continues to justify the suppression of stateless persons as a means to secure Kuwait from “illegal residents.”  As non-citizens, bedoons are also prohibited from possessing a driver’s license, receiving birth and death certificates and having marriage contracts attested by representatives of the State.  Despite warnings by the government to not engage in anti-government protests, hundreds of Kuwaiti’s continue to take to the streets of Kuwait City, Sulabiya and oil-rich Al-Ahmadi. 

For more information please see:

Ahram Online – Kuwait Urged to Free Stateless Detainees – Mar. 12, 2011

Kuwait Times – Bedoons State Protest for Citizenship – Mar. 12, 2011

Agence France Presse – Kuwaiti Stateless Protest for Citizenship – Mar. 11, 2011

Los Angeles Times – Kuwait: Riot Police Break Up Protests by Stateless Arabs – Mar. 11, 2011

Reuters Africa – Riot Police Fire Tear Gas to Disperse Kuwait Rally – Mar. 11, 2011

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – As protests continue throughout the country, the international community has ratcheted up pressure on Iran due to its excessive use of the death penalty to punish crimes.  This comes after ten people were hanged Wednesday for trafficking narcotics.  Statements from Amnesty International and United Nations representatives condemned the executions, noting that international law reserves the use of the death penalty for only the most serious crimes.   Iran’s death penalty policy has received much scrutiny over the years but the government has yet to succumb to demands to reform the policy.   According to Amnesty International, Iran executed 388 people in 2009 alone and is second only to China in the total number of individuals put to death.

Recent unrest and uprisings in the country have led the government to crack down on opposition groups.  UN rights chief Navi Pillay reported that a wave of arrests of protesters and critics has occurred since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt over a month ago.  Supporters of the government have called for the execution of opposition leaders and anti-regime demonstrators. 

Some argue that these latest executions are being used as a political tool to frighten and deter the citizenry from protesting.  Drewery Dkye of Amnesty International contends that “[t]he Iranian authorities have used the implementation of the death penalty…to convey a message to opponents of the regime to get in line.”   The government denounced critics of its policy noting that it was necessary “to maintain law and order and is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.”  One report finds that 89 individuals have been executed since the beginning of the year. 

Now Sweden and the United States are seeking to appoint a special investigator to look into human rights violations committed by Iran.  Iranian activists have applauded this move and have expressed their hope that the United Nations Human Rights Council embraces the proposal.  In addition to drug related crimes, the death penalty is considered a proper punishment in Iran for rape, armed theft and adultery.  While the proposal has received wide support, analysts predict that the resolution will fail under opposition from Russia and China who generally disfavor international quarries into other nation’s affairs.

For more information please see:

Reuters – U.S. and Sweden to Push U.N. Rights Body to Act on Iran – Mar. 4, 2011

Payvand Iran News – Iran Executions Under Scrutiny – Mar. 3, 2011

Agence France Presse – Iran Hangs 10 Drug Traffickers – Mar. 2, 2011

Agenzia Giornalistica Italia – Iran: 10 Drug Dealers Hanged – Mar. 2, 2011

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – Debate over Israel’s illegal settlement policy has reignited in recent days after Palestinian protesters were met by violent resistance from Israeli settlers in the West Bank.  Israel’s temporary moratorium on settlement construction ended in September but many hope that recent international pressure will force the government to continue a “silent freeze.”  Last month, members of the United Nations put forward a draft resolution condemning Israel’s building of settlements in the West Bank.  The resolution failed only after the United States exercised its veto power in opposition to the resolution.  While Prime Minister Netanyahu has come under intense fire from the international community, internal pressure from Israeli settlers may force him to take a more hardline stance on settlements in the future. 

Since the settlement freeze, about 1700 new housing units in 67 different settlements have been constructed according to Peace Now and 4000 new housing units are still waiting government authorization.  Despite further settlement development, the Prime Minister has been increasingly vocal about Israel’s unsustainable settlement policy noting that “the diplomatic struggle isn’t over additional building in the settlements, it’s over the settlements themselves.”   While the Prime Minister has called for the immediate destruction of all illegal settlement outposts, actions speak loader than words.  And while Netanyahu has promised one thing, he appears to be doing just the opposite.  Despite his anti-settlement rhetoric, Netanyahu on Monday swore to legalize established outposts, stressing “we are currently making efforts to maintain existing construction.”

There are other reasons why the Prime Minister’s promise has been received with skepticism.  The Israeli Supreme Court has already ruled that the settlements are a legal mechanism to promote and strengthen the Jewish state.   In addition, “outposts” have a distinct legal meaning from “settlements” in Israel.  Therefore, while the government has promised to dismantle all of its outposts, all Israeli settlements, which remain a central impediment to peace, will continue to stand.  Finally, history has showed that anti-settlement policies are political suicide for Israeli Prime Ministers.  This may be especially true for Netanyahu who has already faced intense backlash from his Likud party for being too soft on the settlement issue. 

To address these concerns, one senior official noted that the government may seek a smaller piecemeal peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority.  Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed that such an approach may be taken by the government, calling this option a “phased path” which would seek to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict on an issue by issue basis instead of through a comprehensive treaty.  This approach has already received substantial criticism from Palestinian officials and some in the international community; including German Chancellor Angela Merkel who has stressed the importance of a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.  Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated “[t]his talk about interim agreement and ‘phased path’ is just a reflection of the fact that we don’t’ have a partner for the end game in this Israeli government.”  

For more information please see:

Haaretz – Israel Vows to Raze all Illegal Outposts Built on Private Palestinian Land – Mar. 1, 2011

Vancouver Sun – Israel Might Seek Interim Palestinian Peace Deal – Mar. 1, 2011

Jerusalem Post – Netanyahu Slams Settlers Over Gilad Farm Clashes – Feb. 28, 2011

JTA – Settlers Accusing Netanyahu Gov’t of Imposing Silent Building Freeze – Feb. 28, 2011