By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East 

DAMASCUS, Syria – Student and blogger Tal Bint Dawser al-Ballouhi was summoned on 27 December 2009 by Syria’s intelligence apparatus, the Syrian Intelligence Services. The goal of the summoning was to interrogate al-Ballouhi about articles and poetry she wrote about her home country, Palestine, as well as Syrian and Arab affairs in general. After her interrogation, she was arrested and detained, and her family has not seen or heard from her since her disappearance.

Syrian authorities seized al-Mallouhi’s computer from her Damasucus home after her detainment. Al-Mallouhi specifically criticized the Partnership for the Mediterranean (an EU initiative to reach out economically to certain Arab countries), a French diplomatic initiative bringing together Arab and European countries, as well as Israel. The Syrian authorities have not commented on her arrest, which is common in the arrest of political activists.

Al-Mallouhi’s situation is not unique, as many Syrian bloggers have been arrested and sentenced to long prison terms. Syrians have turned to the internet as an outlet of news and information since print media in the country is largly regulated and censored by the government. Blogging has allowed citizens to express their opinions and obtain news to which they would otherwise not have access.

Al-Mallouhi’s Mother has appealed to Syrian president Bashar Assad and has attempted to make compelling pleas to the government for her daughter’s release. She has even gone so far as to talk to specific Syrian security branches and obtained a promise from one security branch that her daughter would be released before Eid ul-Fitr, or the end of Ramadan, which this year occurs on 10 September 2010. Al-Mallouhi’s mother does not believe this security branch will honor their deadline and is petitioning President Assad to intervene, citing that her daughter, who is a high-school student, did not know the political implications of her writings.

For more information, please see:

Arab News – Mother of young Syrian blogger appeals for her release – 3 September 2010

The Peninsula – Arrested blogger’s mom writes to Assad – 3 September 2010

Syrian Human Rights Committee – Humanitarian campaign for the release of prisoners of conscience – 2 July 2010

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Armed militias engaged in an intense four-hour firefight in the streets of Beirut after a dispute arose over a parking space.  The fighting pitted Hezbollah, an Iranian backed governmental organization many consider to be a terrorist group, against a rival militia.  The fighting left 3 dead and 11 others wounded.  Civilians recall snipers running through the streets and rocket propelled grenades being shot around a Beirut neighborhood.  Ten people have since been arrested for their involvement in the clash.

This outbreak in violence however, is not an isolated incident and the recent rise in hostilities between armed militias in Lebanon has received international attention.   Earlier today the United Nations voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), an international peacekeeping force in Lebanon, for at least another year.   UNIFIL currently operates approximately 12,000 troops in southern Lebanon.   Although UNIFIL’s primary mandate is to deter encroachment over the blue line between Israel and Lebanon, it recognizes that internal disputes within Lebanon may raise tensions between the two nations. 

Nadim Houry, the Beirut director at Human Rights Watch, told the Associated Press that many “people still in this country have RPGs in their homes.”  This fact allows street clashes to escalate quickly, threatening the lives of many civilians.  General Jean Kahwaji, in a statement to As-Safir, reports that the government will continue army operations in southern Beirut in order maintain peace.  General Kahwaji notes “what is important is that no one ignite a fire and then demand the army put it out.”  The Lebanese army has stepped up operations in Beirut in order to address fears surrounding the outbreak of another civil war in the country.

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri, has also repeated his call for militias to disarm.  The United States has already temporarily suspend $100 million of military aid money to the Lebanese government to support its ill-equipped army in response to concerns that Mr. Hariri is not doing enough disarm militias in his nation.  The Prime Minister stated that he will continue to examine an additional “series of measures.”

It is unlikely however, that Mr. Hariri’s order will be heeded.   Hezbollah is not only the largest militia in Lebanon, obtaining both financial assistance and arms from Iran, but it also is a party of the Lebanese government and has veto power.   Even Prime Minister Hariri himself notes that his call for a “weapons free” Lebanon does not apply to Hezbollah.   Although there is wide popular support for Hariri’s attempts to disarm Lebanese militias, many still support Hezbollah and rely on services provided by the organization.   Until a more comprehensive security arrangement can be agreed upon, the nation will likely continue to be the victim of internal violence. 

For more information, please see;

Daily Star Lebanon – Higher Defense Council Vows to increase Security Measures – 1 Sept. 2010

Daily Star Lebanon – UNIFIL to Maintain Troop Numbers After Clashes in South – 1 Sept. 2010

Agence France Presse – 10 Held Over Beirut Clash as government Mulls Arms Control – 31 Aug. 2010

Associated Press – Armed Militias: A Quandary for Lebanon, U.S. – 31 Aug. 2010

By Warren Popp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ADEN, Yemen – Upwards of 80,000 people have reportedly fled the southern Yemeni city of Loder. The massive displaced has been caused by the government alleged battle with al Qaeda-linked militants there. The government has reported that at least thirty-three people have been killed, including eleven soldiers, three civilians, and nineteen militants with alleged links to al Qaeda. Witnesses in Loder reportedly said that the fighting intensified after Sunday night, following the expiration of an ultimatum to militants to surrender.

A security official told the AFP that Yemeni forces have recently been able to enter the city and impose control over most of it, claiming that al Qaeda elements have since fled.

Al Jazeera reports that it is difficult to independently verify reports coming out of Loder, including government claims that only gunmen are left in the embattled city, because the city is surrounded by troops.

Southern Yemen was independent from the north from 1967 until its unification with the north in 1990. There have since been efforts in south Yemen to regain independence, including a failed succession bid in 1994. According to the Examiner, Southern Yemenis began protesting three years ago in an effort to obtain equal rights, triggered by escalating state violence and arbitrary arrests. The current coalition of groups, the Southern Movement, which has a range of demands from economic and social improvements to full independence for the region, is allegedly leading the present opposition, including calls for independence. The Examiner reports that nearly seventy percent of southerners are now in favor of succeeding from the north.

Southern Yemen is also believed to have become a haven for the al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the ranks of which have allegedly been filled in part by foreign fights from states such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Yemeni authorities claim that they killed AQAP’s second-in-command in Loder, along with eighteen other militants linked to AQAP.

Some opposition forces, including the prominent exiled south Yemeni leader, Ali Salem al-Baid, condemned the government’s “massacres” in the south, claiming, “The military campaign in Loder is aimed against our people’s resistance in the south,” and that the government’s claim that it is fighting al Qaeda is “an attempt to cover up the massacres committed against our people.”

Al Jazeera says that the separatist movement the government has been battling in the South may be related to the current siege. They cite Mohammed Al-Qadhi, a Sana’a-based journalist with The National newspaper, as saying, “The government is trying to use al-Qaeda as a pretext to attack movement activists who are pushing for independence for the south,” he said.

The Yemeni government fully stands by its position that it is battling elements of AQAP in Loder. The Yemeni army reportedly uncovered a large stash of weapons, including rockets and anti-tank weapons hidden in homes in the area, and the Yemeni Defence Ministry stated on its website that “Outlaw separatist elements” collaborated with al Qaeda in the clashes in Loder.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Yemeni Army Regaining Control of Southern City – 24 August 2010

Al Jazeera – Thousands Flee South Yemen City – 24 August 2010

United Press International – AQAP Leader Killed in Yemen – 24 August 2010

Examiner – Yemen Bombs Southern Town and Blames Al Qaeda, Dozens Dead and Wounded – 21 August 2010

By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – A former Israeli soldier who posted photos of herself posing with blindfolded Palestinian prisoners to her Facebook account is defending her actions.

Eden Abergil, twenty-six years old, claims that she did nothing wrong and was surprised at the controversy surrounding the pictures.

The pictures show Abergil posing in provocative positions near the blindfolded prisoners. They were part of an album she posted entitled, “Army – the best time of my life.” The pictures were discovered by a blogger who circulated them around the Internet. The images prompted comments from many users, and her Facebook account quickly became blocked to outside users.

In one of the photos, in which Abergil is shown smiling in front of blindfolded prisoners, a friend of hers posted about the photo, “That looks really sexy for you.” Abergil posted a response – “I wonder if he is on Facebook too – I’ll have to tag him in the photo,” referring to one of the prisoners in the background.

Abergil says that she did not intend to make a political statement or spark such outrage. In an interview with Israeli Army Radio, Abergil claimed that the images had no “political significance.”

“There was no violence in the pictures, there was no disrespect,” she said. “I did it out of excitement, to remember the experience.”

Yet both Palestinian and Israeli groups have attacked her actions. The incident highlights a pattern of claims of alleged abuse of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

“This shows the mentality of the occupier, to be proud of humiliating Palestinians,” Ghassan Khatib, Palestinian Authority spokesman, told the Associated Press. “All aspects of occupation are humiliating. We call on the international organisations, starting with the UN, to work hard to end the occupation, because it is the source of humiliation for Palestinians and a source of corruption for the Israelis,” Khatib said.

The Israeli army has attempted to distance itself from the controversy. IDF spokesman Barak Raz said that the pictures did not “reflect the spirit of the IDF, our ethical standard to which we all aspire.”

Because Abergil was discharged from the army last year, future legal action is still unclear.

Yet Jawad Amawi, director of legal affairs for the Palestinian government’s prisoners ministry, told CNN, “She did this act while she was in military service, so in retrospect the Israeli occupation is responsible for her acts. This is a breach of international law, clearly a breach of human rights.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Storm over Israeli ‘abuse’ photos – 17 August 2010

BBC – Israeli woman soldier denies Facebook photos wrongdoing – 17 August 2010

CNN – Israeli in Facebook incident dismisses criticism – 17 August 2010

Haaretz – ‘Facebook photos of soldiers posing with bound Palestinians are the norm’ – 17 August 2010

New York Times – Ex-Israeli Soldier’s Photos Condemned – 16 August 2010

By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Up to 730 muezzins, men who transmit the call to prayer five times daily in each mosque, face unemployment after the Egyptian government instituted a uniform call to prayer earlier this week.  Religious scholars are also worried that this government-mandated regulation of call to prayer could constitute a further intrusion by the Egyptian government in religious affairs.

Officials at the Ministry of Religious Endowment have said that the regulation is necessary to restore the dignity of the azan, the Islamic call to prayer. Although the government has stated that the muezzins would be able to maintain their salary, their tasks around the mosque would become much less prestigious and could include anything from leading prayers to custodial work. Muezzins are generally paid a  small wage, roughly $55 per week in some instances, but that wage goes far in a country with a yearly per capita income of  $2,161.

Sheik Youssef al-Badri, a religious conservative, opposes this regulation on the basis that “the Prophet Muhammad never ordered people to unify their calls to prayer in (his home of) Medina, so we shouldn’t do the same in Cairo.” Other conservatives are worried about the fact that the regulation tampers with an age-old Islamic ritual.

The Ministry of Religious Endowments hopes to regulate all of Egypt’s over 100,000 government-funded mosques after successful implementation of the program in Cairo. However, muezzins in impoverished areas of Cairo are worried that this regulation would mean that non-government funded mosques would be prevented from transmitting a call to prayer, which could possibly result in many people missing the five-times daily prayer ritual.

Other religious scholars have said that they are not worried about the governmental interference on religious affairs. Mohamed el Shahat el Gindy, Professor of Islamic Law at Helwan University, indicated that this decision could lessen the confusion caused by the mix of voices heard during the call to prayer.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Egypt’s unified call to prayer – 12 August 2010

USA Today – Cairo mosques begin unified call to prayer – 12 August 2010

NPR – In Cairo, and end to the cacaphony of calls to prayer – 5 August 2010

Egypt then and now – Unified call to prayer will be first activated in Greater Cairo – 2 August 2010