The Middle East

Parents of captured Israeli soldier march to obtain his release

By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Protesters joined Shalits parents to press for his release. [Photo Courtesy of The Observer.]
Protesters joined Shalit's parents to press for his release. (Photo Courtesy of The Observer.)

JERUSALEM, Israel – The parents of Staff Sgt. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who has been held captive in Gaza for the past four years, began a twelve-day march on Sunday from their home to Jerusalem, where they plan to camp out in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence until the Israeli government wins Shalit’s release.

“We won’t wait any longer in our home,” said Noam Shalit, Gilad’s father, at the start of the march, which drew approximately two thousand supporters, including dozens of local celebrities. Hundreds of the supporters waved Israeli flags and carried signs, many of which read, “Gilad Shalit, we’re waiting at home for you.”

Shalit was captured in a cross-border dispute in June 2006 by Palestinian militants, and has been held in Gaza by Hamas militants who are demanding the release of as many as one thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit’s release. Several prisoner swap deals between Israel and Hamas have failed in the past.

An Israeli poll indicated that seventy-five percent of Israelis would support the release of Palestinian prisoners, some of them convicted killers, in exchange for Shalit’s release.

Shalit has not been allowed any contact with the outside world nor with the International Red Cross. Apart from one audio tape and a video tape released by Hamas in October 2009 as a proof of life, the details of Shalit’s physical condition remain unknown. He was nineteen years old when he was captured.

Palestinians and Israelis alike are vested in the prospect of a prisoner exchange. Many Palestinians have relatives who are currently jailed in Israeli prisons. And in Israel, where military service is compulsory for most Jews and where most people have a family member or relative who serves in the military, the fate of Shalit resonates deeply.

Israel’s restriction of goods into and out of Gaza began shortly after Shalit’s capture in 2006 in an effort to pressure Hamas to release him. Later, a full blockade was imposed, but was eased after the recent deadly Israeli raid on the aid flotilla. The Shalits fear that the easing of the blockade has shown that the government is abandoning their son.

Negotiations for Shalit’s release have occurred through German and Egyptian mediators, since Israel does not deal directly with Hamas, considered by Israel to be a terrorist organization.

For now, Noam and Aviva Shalit will wait. “We don’t see any alternative after four years of government failure to obtain the release of my son,” Noam told England’s Observer, adding, “there have been many, many failures, but it’s time to put public pressure on the government.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Israeli soldier’s family urges swap – 27 June 2010

BBC – Captive Israeli soldier Shalit’s parents begin march – 27 June 2010

CNN – Captured Israeli soldier’s family marches to bring about release – 27 June 2010

Los Angeles Times – Family of captured Israeli soldier launches march to Jerusalem to press for his release – 27 June 2010

Observer – Israeli protesters press Binyamin Netanyahu to help free abducted soldier Gilad Shalit – 27 June 2010

New York Times – Family of Captured Israeli Soldier Press for Deal – 27 June 2010

Beating Death of Young Man Illuminates Culture of Police Impunity in Egypt, Sparks Public Uproar

By Dallas Steele
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

[Warning: Graphic photo at the end of the article.]

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt– Twenty-eight-year-old Khaled Said was forcibly dragged from an internet café and savagely beaten to death by two plainclothes police officers in broad daylight. Although Khaled’s death occurred on June 6, 2010, public prosecutors have not yet summoned for interrogation any of the key players involved in the incident, including the two plainclothes officers involved in the death.  The lack of accountability by investigators, and allegations that Khaled was intentionally murdered by the police have sparked a wave of demonstrations across Alexandria.

One of the nine witnesses that came forward as witnesses to the beating, Haitham Misbah, the son of the internet café owner, told investigators how the plainclothes officers did not ask Khaled any questions before they began to beat him. Misbah described how the officers continually smashed Khaled’s head against a marble wall and iron wrought fence before he fell to the ground and was continually kicked long after he stopped moving. Numerous witnesses say Khaled’s last words were, “I am dying. I am going to die.” Allegedly, the plainclothes officers replied:“You’re already dead.”

Misbah said that when he attempted to intervene, the officers told him to stay out and threatened to shut down the café. Other witnesses have only recently come forward for fear of reprisal from law enforcement authorities in the area.

The initial investigation by the local prosecutor concluded that Khaled died of asphyxiation after swallowing a packet of drugs when he saw the plainclothes officers approaching him. The investigation into Khaled’s death reportedly failed to gather any evidence from the scene of the crime or interview any witnesses. The two plainclothes officers allegedly responsible for Khaled’s death remain on active duty and have yet to be questioned by the prosecutor. Furthermore, reports have emerged that the officers responsible for Khaled’s death returned to the area of the incident days later and threatened people not to cause trouble for them.

After public protest over the incompetence of the first inquisition, a second, higher-level investigation was conducted. The forensic medical investigation in the second inquest also said that the cause of Khaled’s death was asphyxiation. However, the second medical report also stated that Khaled suffered numerous injuries from the beatings and concluded that there was “nothing to prevent the injuries from having occurred as a result of beating during the arrest of the victim.”

The entire incident has caused a public uproar in Egypt, and has resulted in various demonstrations. Certain individuals protesting Khaled’s death and the two inquests are claiming that Khaled was targeted for trying to expose official corruption in the area. Others are claiming that Khaled’s death is direct evidence that Egypt’s emergency law, created thirty years ago following President Sadat’s assassination by an Islamic militant, has created a culture of police impunity in Egypt.

Khaled Said apparently died of asphyxiation
Photographs of Khaled Said from the Facebook group organized to protest his death. (Photo Courtesy of Facebook)

For more information, please see:

BBC – Mohamed ElBaradei leads Egypt ‘police death’ protest – 25 June 2010

CNN – Demonstrators in Egypt rail against brutality, man’s death – 25 June 2010

Human Rights Watch – Egypt: Prosecute Police in Beating Death – 24 June 2010

Syria Refuses to Release Journalist and Imprisons Activist/Lawyer

By Warren Popp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

Syria continues to imprison journalists and activists who criticize the government. (Photo Courtesy of Global Voices)
Syria continues to imprison journalists and activists who criticize the government. (Photo Courtesy of Global Voices)

DAMASCUS, Syria – On 16 June, Syrian journalist, Ali al-Abdallah, completed a two and half year prison sentence for “disseminating false information with the aim of harming the state,” for “membership of a secret organisation designed to destabilise the state,” and “inciting ethnic and racial tension.” He was sentenced, along with eleven others, for charges based on their calls for a radical shift in Syrian relations with Lebanon, as demonstrated by their support of the Damascus Declaration, a movement that is calling for peaceful and democratic change in Syria (Al-Abdullah had been elected to the secretariat of the Damascus Declaration Movement shortly before his arrest). However, shortly after he was set to be released, he was informed that new charges were being brought against him, and that he would therefore not be released.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the latest charges accuse al-Abdallah of  “disseminating false information with the aim of harming the state and weakening national feelings,” and with “taking actions, producing writings or speeches not sanctioned by the government that would expose Syria to the danger of hostility, or harm its relationship with a foreign country, or expose Syrians to retaliation against them or their property.” These charges stem from an article al-Abdallah wrote about three months ago, while he was imprisoned in Syria, that was critical of Syria’s ties with Iran, and criticized the religious form of government advocated by Iranian Shiite leaders.

Calls both condemning the detention and calling for the release of al-Abdallah have come from numerous human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On 23 June 2010, the prominent lawyer and head of the Syrian Organisation for Human Rights, Muhannad al-Hassani, was sentenced to a three year prison term under the same laws that were used to convict al-Abdallah and many other journalists and activists. Al-Hassani has represented numerous journalists and activists charged with crimes similar to that of al-Abdallah. According to Amnesty International, Al-Hassani had recently drawn public attention to both unfair trials of political prisoners before the Supreme State Security Court, and to a death that may have been caused by torture and ill treatment while in detention; he has allegedly held meetings with officials from foreign embassies to discuss human rights issues; and he has undertaken efforts to repeal the very law that was used to convict him. He is also the winner of the 2010 Martin Ennals Award, which recognizes the work of human rights defenders

The arrest and conviction has been condemned by numerous human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, the Syrian Human Rights League, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights, and the National Organisation of Human Rights in Syria.

The arrest of al-Abdullah, al-Hassani, and other critics of the government are reportedly part of a broader campaign against political opponents that has intensified over the past two years. While several of the other people detained for being part of the Damascus Declaration Movement have recently been released, there are many other journalists and activists who are currently detained in Syria. Riad Seif, a well-known opposition figure who is ill with cancer, continues to be imprisoned despite calls by Western leaders to release him. In addition, the office of the Syrian Centre for Media and Free Expression was closed and placed under seal in September 2009.

Reporters Without Borders notes that Syria was ranked 165th out of 179 countries in their 2009 press freedom index, and that President Bashar Al-Assad is on their Internet Enemies list, as well as their list of “Predators of Press Freedom.”

For more information, please see:

AFP – Syria Jails Award-Winning Lawyer: Rights Group – 23 June 2010.

Amnesty International – Syrian Human Rights Leader Jailed for Three Years – 23 June 2010

BBC – Syria Jails Leading Rights Lawyer – 23 June 2010

Committee to Protect Journalists – Syria Detains Journalist Beyond Sentence – 21 June 2010

Human Rights Watch – Syria: Political Detainee, Sentence Ended, Held on New Charges – 19 June 2010

International Free Expression Exchange – Authorities Refuse to Release Journalist on Completion of Sentence – 18 June 2010

Kaleej Times (U.A.E.) – Syrian Political Prisoner Re-Arrested on Release – 18 June 2010

Radio Netherlands Worldwide – Syrian Political Prisoner Re-Arrested on Release – 18 June 2010

Syrian Human Rights Committee – Detainee Ali al-Abdullah Transferred to SSSC Before Completion of His Sentence – 4 April, 2010

Update: Israel Eases Gaza Blockade, Allows Building Supplies into Region

By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – In response to discussion and comments about the Gaza embargo led by British Middle East envoy Tony Blair, and U.S. special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified in the foreign affairs and defense committees of the Knesset, Israel’s legislative branch, that the Gaza blockade should restrict fewer critical items. Netanyahu’s testimony came after Arab League prime minister Amr Moussa’s trip to Gaza this past week to meet with Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh.

Building materials and other critical items can now enter Gaza. Photo courtesy of the New York Times.
Building materials and other critical items can now enter Gaza. / Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Netanyahu indicated last week that he supported increasing the amount and type of items that would no longer be subject to Israel’s blockade of Gaza. The former rules governing Israel’s blockade required all items entering Gaza be on an “allowed items” list. This rule was amended so that items not explicitly on a “banned items” list could be imported into Gaza.

Significantly,  building materials can now be shipped into Gaza.  The region’s infrastructure underwent intense damage during the 2008-09 three week Gaza War.  Roughly five percent of Gaza’s commercial and government buildings were destroyed, resulting in the loss of 189 buildings, including eleven factories and eight warehouses.  Furthermore, 6268 homes are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed during the war. These buildings have, largely, remained unrepaired since 2009 due to the difficulty in attaining necessary repair materials. As a result of the damage to these dwellings and the lack of available material to repair them, it is estimated that roughly 20,000 Gazanas have remained displaced after the war.

The Knesset’s decision to allow building materials into Gaza is the first stage in the process of  rebuilding infrastructure in the war-torn region.  Schools, hospitals, government buildings, and other critical institutions that were severely damaged, hope to begin rebuilding as soon as the materials become available in Gaza.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Israel to loosen Gaza blockade – 21 June 2010

BBC – Israel outlines changes to Gaza blockade – 21 June 2010

Ha’aretz – Decision to ease Gaza seige weakens Hamas –  21 June 2010

Reuters – U.N. agency calls for full lifting of Gaza blockade – 21 June 2010

United Nations Development Programme – Gaza – One Year After Report – 24 May 2010

Human Rights Watch – Israel: Investigate Unlawful Destruction in the Gaza War – 13 May 2010

Iran hangs Sunni militant group leader

By Polly Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Sunni militant group leader Abdolmalek Rigi was hanged on Sunday. [Photo Courtesy of BBC.]

TEHRAN, Iran – The leader of a former Sunni militant group was hanged in Iran on Sunday after being convicted of seventy-nine crimes in Iran, including murder, terrorist activities, armed robbery, kidnapping, and assassination attempts, among other serious crimes.

On the orders of the Islamic Revolution Court, Abdolmalek Rigi was hanged at dawn at Tehran’s Evin prison in front of family members of the victims of his crimes. Intelligence agents arrested him in February over the Persian Gulf while on a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan.

His younger brother, Abdulhamid, was executed last month in Iran.

Jundallah (Soldiers of God) has been blamed by Iran for carrying out bombings, abductions, and killings in the southeastern Sistan-Balochistan province, which borders Pakistan and is about seven hundred miles southeast of Tehran. The group says it is fighting to defend the rights of ethnic Baluchis, the majority of whom live in Sistan-Baluchistan. Iran has accused the group of trying to destabilize Iran. Jundallah claims that it just wants freedom from persecution.

Sistan-Baluchistan is a center of drug trafficking, kidnappings, and armed clashes. Iran claims that Jundallah is similar to Al Qaeda, and also that Jundullah receives support from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Pakistan. All three countries have vehemently denied such allegations.

On October 18, 2009, Jundallah killed forty-two people, including six senior Revolutionary Guards commanders, in Sistan-Baluchestan. A bombing in a Shia mosque in Zahedan killed twenty-five people in May 2009.

Tehran authorities said that Rigi was en route to a meeting with U.S. or Western officials in Kyrgyzstan. Ragi, in a video statement broadcast on Iranian television said, “They said they would cooperate with us and would give me military equipment.”

According to a court statement, Rigi “collaborated and ordered fifteen armed abductions, confessed to three murders, and order the murders of tens of citizens, police and military personnel through bombings and armed actions.”

“The execution of Abdolmalek Rigi is the result of his shameful acts, and other criminals should be aware that if they continue with their outrageous acts against Islam in the country, they will meet the same fate as this criminal,” state news agency IRNA quoted Nazir Ahmed Salami, a top Sunni cleric who represents the province in the Assembly of Experts, as saying.

For more information, please see:

Tehran Times – Terrorist mastermind Abdolmalek Rigi hanged – 21 June 2010

BBC – Iran hangs Sunni militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi – 20 June 2010

CNN – Iran executes militant group leader – 20 June 2010

Los Angeles Times – Iran hangs leader of outlawed Sunni militant group – 20 June 2010

Jakarta Globe – Iran’s top Sunni rebel hanged – 20 June 2010

FOX News – Iran hangs man accused of leading insurgent group active near border with Pakistan – 19 June 2010