By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On February16 Iran’s top human rights official confirmed that Iranian officials were considering allowing the families of three detained Americans to visit them in prison. The three hikers were detained after allegedly crossing into the country illegally in July of last. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said that he was hopeful that the case of the hikers would be resolved and they they would be freed.

The mothers of the three hikers recently wrote to President Ahmedinejad, requesting a visit. Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of Iran’s High Council of Human Rights said that the mothers’ request had a good chance of being approved. Larijani spoke in Geneva at a UN review of Iran’s human rights record and said, “we recommend that the families should be able to see them and I hope that this be done.”

The three hikers were arrested on July 31, 2009. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shroud and Josh Fattal say that they were hiking in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region when they accidentally crossed in the border into Iran. The three were accused of spying on the Islamic Republic and illegal entry. Their families insist that they had no intention of entering Iran. They have had been allowed to make any phone calls to the hikers in jail. Their mothers also said they want to meet the Iranian President to explain why they should be released.

Iran’s foreign minister announced in December 2009 that the three Americans would be tried in court, but failed to say the specific crime they would be charged with. President Ahmadinejad repeated on February 16 that the final decision regarding the US hikers rested with the judiciary. He said that, “we are eager to see them released but it depends on the crime they have committed and the judge’s verdict.”

Ahmadinejad also indicated that the fate of the US hikers should be tied to that of Iranians jailed in the United States. Iran claims that eleven Iranians are being held in the US, including a missing nuclear scientist and a former deputy defense minister who hasn’t been seen since 2007. However, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that no prisoner exchange discussions had taken place between the two countries.

For more information, please see:

AP – Iran Mulling Family Visit For Detained Americans – 16 February 2010

BBC – US Hikers’ Mothers May Be Allowed to Visit Iran – 16 February 2010

Reuters – Ahmadinejad Says Hopeful on Detainees in Iran/US – 16 February 2010

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon– Nabih Berri, a Parliament Speaker in the Lebanese government, urged France to take a “firm stand” to stop Israel from launching an attack on Lebanon.  “In view of its ties and influence, we demand France take a firm stand to prevent Israel from attacking Lebanon… and from turning Lebanon into an arena for regional proxy wars,” Berri said while visiting with Gerard Larcher, a member of the French Senate.

Berri’s statements come amid heightened concern over Israeli warnings that all of Lebanon, including the Lebanese Cabinet, would be targeted in the event of a Hezbollah attack on Israel.  In a poll conducted by ABC News, an overwhelming number of people feel that conflict with Israel is looming.  Despite such sentiments, neither side wants to be guilty of starting the next war, but people in Lebanon say tension is now so high that the smallest incident may trigger the start of hostilities.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri described Israeli threats and military activity as “escalating” and “really dangerous” in a recent interview.

Additionally, Syrian President Bashar Assad has said Damascus would back “the government and people of Lebanon against any possible Israeli aggression launched on Lebanon.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since sought to ease tensions, saying his country wants peace with all its neighbors.

Earlier this year, Netanyahu accused Beirut of allowing Hezbollah to smuggle weapons into Lebanon in “blatant violation” of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the summer 2006 war.  The Israelis fear Hezbollah’s growing arsenal of long range rockets.  Today, Hezbollah has somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 missiles, many more than they had on hand when hostilities broke out during the summer war a few years back.  In light of the threat posed by Hezbollah, Israeli officials have warned repeatedly in recent weeks that any attack by that group will spark a tough response.

The 2006 war lasted for 33 days, and in the end there were over 1,200 casualties, many of which were civilians.

For more information, please see:

ABC News- Are Lebanon and Israel Headed for War– 15 February 2010

The Daily Star- Berri Urges France to Take a Firm Stand Against Israeli Aggression– 15 February 2010

AFP- Lebanese Army Fires on Israeli Fighter Planes– 14 February 2010

By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – In the wake of the first session in state security court, Human Rights Watch called on the Egyptian government to move the trial of twenty-five suspected terrorists to criminal court.  The twenty-two Egyptians and two Palestinians of the so-called “Zeitoun” cell were arrested and charged in connection with an armed robbery and murder in Cairo in May 2008 and a planned attack on the Suez Canal.  One additional defendant is abroad and is being tried in abstentia.

Human Rights Watch and other rights organizations have criticized the Egyptian government’s handling of the twenty-four defendants since their arrest in July 2009.  The members of the Zeitoun cell are accused of setting up a terrorist cell targeting Coptic Christians and foreigners in Egypt, with possible connections to Al Qaeda.  The twenty-four men were held without charge for several weeks without being charged, as State Security Investigations (SSI) officers were granted consecutive fifteen-day detention orders under Egypt’s emergency law.  Defense lawyers have filed multiple applications to visit with their clients in private; the defense attorneys reiterated their requests at the first session of the trial on February 14.

Since the case was moved to the State Security Court on July 22, 2009, some of the defendants’ lawyers were not allowed at the prosecution’s interrogations.  Additionally, during the first session, several defendants told the state security forces that they had been tortured during their interrogations, obtaining several confessions by torture.

The case is drawing heavy media attention in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.  The trial opened under tight security, as security officers prevented late-arriving journalists and family members from entering the courtroom.  Defendants’ family members who were in the courtroom were prevented from talking with the defendants, even though many have seen their relatives only once or twice in nearly two years.

After the initial court session on February 14, the judge adjourned the trial until March 20 to allow defense attorneys an opportunity to examine police documents.  Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East director, called on the Egyptian judiciary to ensure that the defendants are granted a fair trial.

“The government’s reliance on a state security court that lacks fair trial protections means that the verdict will be unsound,” said Whitson.  “If the prosecution feels it has sufficient evidence, if should bring this case before a regular Egyptian criminal court.”

For more information, please see:

Gulf News – Egypt Accuses Terror Suspects of Links with Al Qaida – 16 February 2010

Al-Masry Al-Youm – “Zeitoun” Cell Suspects Claim Police Torture – 14 February 2010

Human Rights Watch – Egypt:  Transfer Zeitoun Trial to Criminal Court – 14 February 2010

TMCnet.com – Zeitoun Terrorism Case Begins Amid Heavy Security Presence – 14 February 2010

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On February 11 Iranian opposition demonstrators clashed with security forces throughout the country. The clashes took place as the country celebrated the thirty first anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Opposition protesters chanted anti-government slogans in Tehran’s (the Iranian capital) neighborhoods. Security forces fired teargas at large crowds in major city squares to disrupt the actions of the protesters

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi, who lost the greatly contested June 2009 Presidential election to incumbent Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Mehdi Karroubi both aksed supporters to turn out for a peaceful demonstration to mark the anniversary of the revolution. Karroubi’s son reported that his father was attacked by pro-government agents. Additionally, Karroubi’s brother was arrested by government agents.

Unconfirmed reports said that Moussavi was prevented from joining a rally against the Ahmedinejad government. Additionally, the reports claim that Mousavi’s wife, Zahra Rhanvard was “beaten” by government forces. Reformist former President Mohammad Khatami was also reportedly attacked. His brother, Mohammed Reza Khatami, and wife, Zahra Eshraghi, the granddaughter of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, were reportedly arrested but later released.

Witnesses report that the protests that too place throughout Tehran only turned violent after security forces began firing teargas at the members of the crowd. Additionally, security forces chased down opposition protesters with motorcycles.  In other parts of town reports came that protesters tore down pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Clashes between security forces and opposition protesters also took place in a number of other cities in Iran. One such clash took place in the southern city of Shiraz where violent clashes took place between security forces and students who had turned out in the main square to demonstrate. Other anti-government protests were reported in the cities of Tabriz and Isfahan.

The disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in June 2009 plunged Iran into its worst political crisis since the 1979 revolution. The election was surrounded by reports of voting irregularities and rigging. The opposition to the Ahmedinejad government has repeatedly refused to the fight off the streets despite deadly crackdowns.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Rallies Mark Revolution Day – 12 February 2010

AFP – Iran Marks Revolution Day Amid Tight Security – 11 February 2010

BBC – Hundreds of Thousands Back Iran Revolution – 11 February 2010

Voice of America – Iran Protesters Clash With Security Forces – 11 February 2010

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia– In what could become a test case for banning child marriage in Saudi Arabia, a twelve-year-old girl is seeking to divorce her eighty-year-old husband.  It is believed that the girl will receive legal assistance from the government.

The state run Human Rights Commission has hired a lawyer to represent the girl when she takes her case to court in Buraidah, a conservative town near the capital Riyadh.  Currently, Saudi Arabia has no minimum legal age for marriage and it is fairly common for girls in the poorer, tribal areas to be married off.  Nonetheless, it is rare for a child bride to challenge the arrangement.

The young girl was married to her father’s cousin last year against both the wishes of her and her mother.  Locally, reports suggest that the marriage was sealed with a dowry of 85,000 riyals and subsequently consummated.  The girl’s mother filed for divorce, but withdrew her case earlier this month without explanation.

A draft law prohibiting child marriage is under discussion within the Saudi government, and activists hope that the case will be a watershed moment for the eventual implementation of an age minimum.  While no minimum currently exists, the draft law is expected to establish a minimum age for marriage between sixteen and eighteen.  Until a decision is reached, the government is seeking to ban notaries from sealing marriages for girls under the age of eighteen.

The government’s proposal of legal assistance would be the first time that the Human Rights Commission has publicly intervened in a case.  Alanoud al-Hejailan, a lawyer for the commission, said “Our main concern is to safeguard the child’s rights; it is in the hands of the court but the commission is firmly on the child’s side.”  It is believed that the court will have a ruling within the next few days.  If the divorce is not granted, the commission has suggested that it will pursue the matter through the appellate process if need be.

For more information, please see:

AOL News- Saudi Arabia Shifts Course on Child Marriage– 9 February 2010

Times Online- Twelve-Year-Old Saudi Girl in Divorce Battle with Eight-Year-Old Husband– 9 February 2010

Reuters- Saudi Rights Panel Takes Up Child Bride Case– 8 February 2010