By Elizabeth A. Conger
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East Desk

CAIRO, Egypt –  According to a report issued by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR), Egypt ranked 125th out of 134 countries when it came to women’s rights in 2010. The report also showed that Egypt ranked thirteenth among countries in the Middle Estate/North Africa region.

Nehad Abu El Komsan, chair of the board of ECWR, said: “The regional ranking is especially saddening . . . Palestine – which is under occupation – preceded Egypt in the women’s rights ranking.”

Among the factors which determined Egypt’s low ranking was the state council’s refusal to appoint female judges in February of 2010.  The ECWR report also stated that the women’s quota system, which reserves sixty four parliamentary seats for female candidates, was only a temporary solution and did not adequately integrate women into the polical sphere.

Abu El Komsan stated: “The women [candidates] were used to decorate the parliament.  It is not an issue of development, it is only a political tool.”

The report noted that although representation of women in political parties turned out ot be weak, some women did successfully emerge as leaders in a few political parties, such as Asmahan Shoukry, who was named the Labor Party’s first female president.

The report’s examination of educational opportunities in Egypt revealed that school curriculum in Egypt reaffirm the stereotypical view that women are only suitable for domestic roles.  Additionally, the study showed many reports of men attempting to break into girls’ schools and harass girls. Girls also reported harassment by teachers and security guards at universities.

As for workplace conditions, women still receive lower wages than men for the same work, are regularly deprived of promotion opportunities, and are treated as temporary labor because of their domestic responsibilities.  A new labor law reduced maternity leave from ninety to one hundred an eighty days, and limited it to twice in a lifetime.

Additionally, the study showed a marked increase in violence against women. According to the report, 71.4% of violent crimes committed in Egypt during 2010 were against women. A study by several NGO’s also showed that incidents of rape have increased in Egypt, with twenty seven rapes reported daily. It is also estimated that roughly 95% of rape cases in Egypt go unreported.

The study stated that two thirds of young men polled felt that physically torturing a women is “justifiable in some situations.”

The report also noted the rise in two new police practice practices in Egypt: the practice of holding women hostages in order to force fugitives to surrender themselves to the police, and sexual violation of women by police officers. In 2010, several Christian women women were also reported to have disappeared as a part of sectarian violence in Egypt.

The ECWR report concluded with recommendations that the Egyptian government pass more legislation to protect women, do more to integrate women into the political sphere, and promote gender equality through art.

For more information, please see:

thedailynewsegypt.com – Women’s rights in Egypt deteriorate in 2010, says report – 28 December, 2010

msn news – Violence against women increased in Egypt in 2010: Report – 28 December, 2010

ECWR /Bikyamasr – Egypt Women: Postponed rights in 2010 – 28 December, 2010

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Thousands of Somali immigrants in Saudi Arabia have been deported to the war torn city of Mogadishu, reports Human Rights Watch.  Calling the government’s policy “inhumane,” the rights organization has found that roughly 2000 Somali immigrants have been sent back into the war zones of Mogadishu since this summer.  International law prohibits the forcible return of refugees to any place where they may face further oppression and violence. 

Noting that the deportations have placed hundreds of refugee children back in harm’s way, Rona Peligal, the Africa Director at Human Rights Watch stated “[d]eporting anyone to a war zone like Mogadishu is inhumane, but returning children is beyond comprehension.”  The human rights situation in Somali remains abysmal as domestic conflict continues to engulf the country.  The United Nations estimates that approximately 1.4 million civilians have been displaced in recent years and up to 270,000 civilians have fled the capital city in the last year alone. 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reiterated these concerns and called upon the Saudi government to stop the deportation of Somali refugees from the country.   The U.N. agency stressed that civilians face a “risk of serious harm” in Somali.   The Saudi government ignored the U.N.’s initial demands in July of this year to stop deportations of Somali immigrants and it appears that a change in policy is unlikely in the near future. 

Saudi Arabia has not been the only country receiving international condemnation for deportations.  In July, Human Rights Watch and the UN criticized the government of the Netherlands for forcibly deporting Somali refugees back to their home country, citing similar fears that civilians face continued violence in the country.  Ensuring the safety of Somali refugees continues to be an important goal for the United Nations.  Despite initiatives to protect and facilitate the resettlement of displaced citizens, more action is necessary at the national level to prevent the deportations of those fleeing internal conflict.

For more information please see,

Agence France Presse – Saudi Deportations to Mogadishu Inhumane: HRW – Dec. 22, 2010

Human Rights Watch – Saudi Arabia: Stop Deporting Somalis to Mogadishu – Dec. 22, 2010

Human Rights Watch – Somalia Documents / Reports – 2010

Africa News – Somalia: UNHCR Decries Saudi Arabia’s Deportation of Somalis – July 26, 2010

By: Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – As Christmas draws near, Christians have increasingly become targets of extremist violence throughout Iraq.  While the government has condemned the attacks and promised to do more to stem the violence, the death toll continues to rise.  The Islamic State of Iraq, a militant group with links to al-Qaeda, has taken responsibility for recent attacks against Christians and declared that all Christians will be considered “legitimate targets” for future operations.

Amnesty International stepped up its pressure on the central government to protect Christian populations within the country after an attack on a Christian church in October left 44 worshippers dead.   The human rights group noted that targeted attacks against Christians have increased in recent weeks leading up to the Christmas celebration.  The group remains concerned about the prevalence of war crimes against minority groups in Iraq and notes that Christians have been forced to flee Baghdad and surrounding cities in great numbers to find refuge.  Over a third of those Iraqis who have resettled in the U.S. are Christians and hundreds of thousands more have fled to surrounding countries within the Middle East.  Up to a million Christians have fled Iraq since 2003. 

Amnesty International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa, Malcolm Smart fears that “militants are likely to attempt serous attacks against Christians during the Christmas period for maximum publicity and to embarrass the government.”  The government reported to have stopped another set of suicide attacks on Monday after killing 3 Libyan nationals in a house raid.  Police found suicide vests, bombs and explosive material in the house.  The presence of the three foreign militants in Iraq highlights the government’s growing concerns about the threat of violence from neighboring countries. 

For the government today, terrorism remains equally an internal and external threat to peace and security.  The rush of foreign militants into Iraq continues to be problematic for the government and its attempts to promote stability.  As the Iraqi leadership searches to create a unified and legitimate government, it must do more for the politically underrepresented Christians in Iraq.   Failure to find a comprehensive and religiously-neutral solution to this crisis may only further exacerbate religious divisions in Iraq and risks further violence. 

For more information, please see:

The National – Christmas is Not for Us, Say Iraqi Christian Refugees in Jordan – Dec. 21, 2010

Agence France Presse – Amnesty Calls on Iraq to Protect Christians – Dec. 20, 2010

Amnesty International – Iraqi Christians Fear Spike in Christian Attacks – Dec. 20, 2010

Washington Post – Grim Xmas for Iraqi Christians as Many Flee North – Dec. 19, 2010

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – The head of Iran’s High Human Rights Council announced today that Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, an Iranian women sentenced to death by stoning for committing adultery, “could be saved.”  It appears that the judiciary’s latest review of Ashtiani’s case precipitated the announcement although no details about its review were provided.  Ashtiani’s case has drawn significant international criticism from numerous governments and human rights organizations urging Iran to set aside the stoning verdict.

Ashtiani’s sentence has been stayed since July, pending the resolution of the judiciary’s final review.  She has been on death row for four years and has already dodged one death sentence.  In 2006, Ashtiani was found guilty for her involvement in the murder of her husband and received a sentence of death by hanging.  This sentence was reduced however, to a 10 year prison term.   

Ashtiani has already suffered 100 lashes as punishment for her crime.  Reports indicated that she has also been beaten up and tortured on a number of occasions.  Some fear that she may be tried a second time for the murder of her husband despite already being found guilty of complicity in his death.  If she is found guilty, she may again be sentenced to death. 

Since 1983, stoning has been the traditional punishment for the crime of adultery under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code.  Although the government has imposed a moratorium on the use of this punishment, the government has yet to officially abandon the practice and courts continue to issue stoning sentences.  According to Farshad Hoseini, head of the International Committee against Execution, at least 150 people have been stoned to death in Iran since 1980.  The majority of the victims were women.   Although the government denies any correlation between today’s announcement and the political pressure it has faced from this case, it seems likely that the international community’s efforts are a significant factor in the process to commute Ashtiani’s sentence.

For more information, please see:

Agence France Presse – Iran Stoning woman’s Life ‘Could be Spared’ – 22 Nov. 2010

Jerusalem Post –Life of Woman in Iran Stoning Case May be Saved – 22 Nov. 2010

National Post – Iran’s Stone-Age Justice system – 19 Nov. 2010

CBS News – Case of Sakineh Ashtiani Reflects Iran’s internal Divisions – 18 Nov. 2010

By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – This past Tuesday, a United Nations general assembly committee accused Iran of serious human rights violations. The violations include torture, persecution of ethnic minorities, pervasive gender inequalities, and violence against women. The resolution was sponsored by the United States, Canada, the European Union, and other western countries. The resolution passed with a vote of 80-44, with 57 abstentions.

Specific human rights violations were addressed in the resolution, and pointed specifically toward acts of flogging, amputation, and stoning. Stoning is a form of punishment in Iran that is codified in the legal code. It is considered by some to be a less cruel punishment than execution because it allows the punished a chance to survive.

Iran’s stoning laws state that a man should be buried up to his waist, but a woman should be buried up to her shoulders. Sometimes, the punishment is stopped if the accused confesses their crime and is able to dig themself out of the hole.

According to the International Campaign for Human Rights, six people were stoned to death between 2006 and 2008, and an additional thirteen remain in prison with stoning as their punishment.

The resolution has faced condemnation from the Iranian government, but also has proponents. Mohamad Javad Larijani, secretary-general for Iran’s high counsil on human rights, stated that this resolution was filled with “fallacies and unverifiable accusations”. Larijani is also recorded in the UN assembly minutes as saying the United States was “the mastermind and main provocateur behind a text that had nothing to do with human rights”. However, Maryam Rajavi, leader of Iran’s main opposition group, stated that this resolution is insufficient to address the human rights concerns in Iran.

Before the resolution was introduced, Iran attempted to block it’s introduction by calling for a vote to take no action. This vote failed 51-91 with 32 abstentions. The last time Iran was faced with a resolution like this was in 2008. At that time, Iran also called for a vote to take no action, where the vote failed but was much closer with 71-81 and 28 abstentions.

The new UN resolution is expected to be passed by the entire 192 member body.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Iran human rights official draws fire for defense of stoning – 19 November 2010

Al Jazeera – Iran dismisses UN rights criticism – 19 November 2010

CNN – UN committee condemns ‘serious rights violations’ in Iran – 19 November 2010

Canada East – UN committee expresses ‘deep concern’ about flogging and other rights violations in Iran – 18 November 2010

Reuters – UN committee slams Iran over human rights record – 18 November 2010