By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY, Gaza – Amid the stalemate in prisoner-swap negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the ruling party in the Gaza Strip, a Hamas spokesman has advocated abducting more Israeli soldiers as part of a strategy to “force the hand” of the Israelis.

The statement from Hamas came as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody enter their second week of a prison strike. The prisoners are demanding equal treatment between Palestinians and Israeli prisoners in Israeli-run prisons.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on April 8 that Palestinians must support the prisoners’ strike, adding that “Palestinians who seek justice for prisoners may be obliged to search for new friends for Gilad Shalit,” referring to the Israeli soldier who has been held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since June 2006, and who has been the focal point of the prisoner swap negotiations.

While the Hamas rhetoric ramped up, militants in Gaza fired rockets across the border into southern Israel, where an Israeli Defense Forces patrol was reportedly hit, though no injuries were reported. The rocket fire came within twenty-four hours after Palestinians reported that six mortar shells were fired at Israel, but landed in Gaza, short of their target, and injured six Gazans. Hamas has asserted it is not responsible for the rocket fire, and says that it is working to stop the rocket attacks.

“The government in Gaza is in charge of the situation, and it does know clearly who launches the rockets,” said Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha to the BBC. “It is working hard to deter any faction from acting individually.”

Meanwhile, Hamas has come under international criticism for officially reinstating the death penalty after a five-year hiatus. Human Rights Watch called on Hamas to rescind its announcement that it would once again execute criminals by hanging or firing squad. In its statement, Human Rights Watch argued that the death sentences imposed by the Hamas military courts violated fair trial standards. Most of those who have been executed in the past have been members of the rival Fatah political party, or those who have been accused of collaborating with Israel. Human Rights Watch reports that many political prisoners in Gaza are not allowed access to lawyers until after interrogation, and that judges selectively allow defense counsel to present evidence at trial.

For more information, please see:

Ma’an News Agency – Amid Jail Strike, Hamas Urges More Soldier Abductions – 9 April 2010

Associated Press – Hamas in Gaza Takes Steps to Carry Out Executions – 8 April 2010

Ha’aretz – Hamas: We Will Abduct Israelis Over Maltreatment of Palestinian Prisoners – 8 April 20101

Human Rights Watch – Gaza: Do Not Resume Executions – 6 April 2010

By Ahmad Shihadah
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NA, Yemen – A 13-year-old Yemeni girl died three days after marrying a man twice her age, due to internal bleeding following intercourse, a Yemeni human rights group and UNICEF said.

The girl’s death comes amid ongoing debate on whether to set a minimum age for brides in Yemen, where human rights groups say one in every three girls is married before the age of 18.

Elham Mahdi Shoi died in the west of the Arab state earlier this month, said Sisters Arab Forum (SAF). “Elham is a martyr of abuse of children’s lives in Yemen and a clear example of what is justified by the lack of limits on the age of marriage,” SAF said in a statement.

A medical report by the hospital where she was treated said she had suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding after intercourse, the group said. In a statement obtained by the Reuters news agency, Unicef’s regional director, Sigrid Kaag, said the UN child agency was “dismayed by the death of yet another child bride in Yemen.”

The Yemeni rights group said the girl was married off in an agreement between two men to marry each other’s sisters to avoid having to pay expensive bride-prices. The group said that was a common arrangement in the deeply impoverished country.

Yemen’s gripping poverty plays a role in hindering efforts to stamp out the practice, as poor families find themselves unable to say no to bride-prices in the hundreds of dollars for their daughters.

Human rights groups have been pressuring the authorities to outlaw family-arranged child marriages in Yemen, which has a tribal social structure.

For More Information, Please See;

BBC – Yemen Child Bride ‘Bleeds to Death’ – 8 April 2010

The Washington Post = Child Bride Dies Of Internal Bleeding In Yemen – 8 April 2010

AP – 13-Year-Old Yemeni Bride Dies Of Bleeding – 8 April 2010

The National – Dead Yemeni Bribe, 13, ‘A Victim Of Childhood Abuse’ – 8 April 2010

By Bobby Rajabi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On April 8, the United Nations Ambassadors of six world powers met to discuss the possibility of new sanctions being imposed against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The countries that attended were the United States, China, Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia.  The meeting took place in New York and was a forum for the world powers to express their concern with Iran’s developing nuclear program.

Those who attended later spoke of how while the talks were productive, there will more meetings int he coming weeks. China and Russia have thus far refused to back any of the new measures proposed by the United States and European states. The two countries have repeatedly stated that the negotiations have not been exhausted in efforts to persuade the Islamic Republic to rein in its nuclear program.

Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev, later commented that his country is concerned about Iran, saying that, “We cannot turn a blind eye to this.” He also added that Russia favored “smart” sanctions. Medvedev noted that he favors sanctions that will change the government’s behavior as opposed to resolutions that will bring down the government or impose hardship on its people The Russian President also expressed concern about the Islamic Republic’s lack of cooperation, saying that, “unfortunately Tehran is not reacting to an array of constructive compromise proposals.”

Iran has repeatedly insisted that its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful purposes. Top leaders in the country lashed out against Western nations over the threats of new sanctions. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked comments by US President Barack Obama where the American president emphasized his goal of working with Russia and the UN Security Council to pass sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Ahmadinejad said that his country does not welcome the idea or threat of new sanctions.

Iranian commander General Hassan Firouzabadi used more pointed language, saying that Iran was willing to strike back at United States forces in the Middle East if it is attacked. Despite the strongly worded statements, Iran insists that it needs to highly enriched uranium for research, not for the development of nuclear weapons.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Talks Begin on Iran Sanctions – 9 April 2010

BBC – World Powers Hold UN Meeting on Iran Nuclear Sanctions – 8 April 2010

Voice of America – Iranian Leaders Criticize New Threat of International Sanctions – 8 April 2010

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch, Middle East Desk

WASHINGTON D.C., USA – The Obama administration has authorized the CIA to capture or kill the New Mexico-born Muslim cleric believed to be in Yemen. He is thought to have taken on an operational role in terrorist plots.

Anwar Awlaki, 38, who was born in New Mexico, recently was added to the CIA target list after a special government review of his activities, prompted by his status as a U.S. citizen, one of the officials said.

Last month, in an audio message, Awlaki called on American Muslims to revolt against the U.S. government because of its actions against other Muslims around the world.

Awlaki is now considered a legitimate target for military strikes and lethal CIA operations.  He has ties to the Nigerian man accused of attempting to detonate an explosive device in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, according to the Post. Officials said Awlaki also corresponded by e-mail with Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, last year.

Over the past year, the US has increased the number of militants it has killed or captured, with those killed seeing the most pointed rise, says Thomas Sanderson, deputy director of the transnational threats program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. That rise is due to a “confluence of factors,” including better intelligence, more targeting, and increased cooperation between the US and Pakistan, he says.

Yemen has intensified its campaign against al-Qaida militants after the group’s local branch claimed responsibility for the failed bombing of the plane in December.

For More Information, Please See:

The Christian Science Monitor – Anwar Al-Awlaki: Is It Legal To Kill An American In War On Terror? – 7 April 2010

LA Times – U.S. Citizen Anwar Awlaki Added To CIA Target List – 7 April 2010

Politics Daily – American Cleric In Yemen Targeted By CIA – 7 April 2010

VOA News – Reports CIA Authorized To Kill US-Born Cleric – 7 April 2010

By Bobby Rajabi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – On April 6, a number of bombings took place all throughout the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The bombings killed at least thirty five individuals. Additionally, over one hundred and forty people were injured in the attacks. The attack comes just two days after suicide near the foreign embassies in Baghdad killed over forty people. The bombings come at a time of political instability as the March 7 parliamentary elections left no single political group with enough votes to form a government.

There were at least seven bombings that struck residential areas throughout the Iraqi capital. According to Iraqi military spokesman, Major General Qassam al-Moussawi, the types of bombs were inconsistent, varying from homemade bombs to a vehicle packed full with explosives. The blasts targeted residential buildings that were in a mix of both Sunni and Shi’ite areas.

In the Shula district, an area located in western Baghdad, a car bomb exploded. The explosion caused an number of buildings to collapse. The collapse of the buildings, according to Iraqi security sources, killed a number of people. Zeina Kohr, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, explained that Shula “is a mostly Shi’ite neighborhood. It used to be a former stronghold of the Mahdi Army.” The Mahdi Army refers to the army of the supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a Shi’ite leader.

In addition to the car bomb in the Shula district, there were two car bombs that exploded in Chkook, Kahdamiya district. These bombings killed five people. Additionally, three blasts in northern Baghdad targeted apartment buildings filled with people. Another black targeted a building located in the south western part of the Iraqi capital. According to the BBC’s Jim Muir, some of the buildings targeted by bombs collapsed under the force of the blast, burying resident under the rubble.

The Iraqi elections resulted in former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi having a slim lead, but the country lacking certainty in who will form the next government. Bahaa al-Araji, a member of the Iraqi parliament spoke of the effect of the uncertainty on Iraq’s security. Araji said that the security forces lack direction as “they don’t know what will become of them.” Araji explained that the forces are “scared they will their position if government changes.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Multiple Explosions Rock Baghdad – 6 April 2010

BBC – Baghdad Shia Areas Hit By Blasts Killing At Least 35 – 6 April 2010

New York Times – Iraq Bombing Raise Fears of Resurgent Violence – 6 April 2010