PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania– On Tuesday, four men were indicted by a grand jury in Philadelphia for an alleged plot to support Lebanese based Hezbollah through a number of illegal practices, including providing the group with hundreds of weapons.

The indictment filed Tuesday says two suspects sought to provide over a thousand machine guns to Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon.  The indictment states that two of the alleged plotters were to purchase the weapons in Philadelphia and then ship them to a port city in Syria where they would eventually be distributed to Hezbollah.  The two other indicted men were accused of trying to raise funds for the terrorist group with fake passports and counterfeit cash said U.S. Attorney Michael Levy.  According to Levy, “They were selling counterfeit visas.  They were trying to sell counterfeit U.S. currency as a way of raising money for Hezbollah.”  The FBI has said that an undercover agent thwarted the plotter’s plans.

In a released statement, Levy noted that the indicted men were seeking to support Hezbollah with some serious firepower.  He added that “the purchase of stolen goods- or what they believed were stolen goods- was a way of raising money by selling those items.  The purchase of machine guns is clearly buying military weapons, which can only be used in warfare.”

In addition to the four men indicted, eight others were charged with lesser offenses related to schemes to traffic in stolen or counterfeit goods.  In all, federal authorities have said that thirteen suspects are in custody, while eleven more were being sought in connection with the alleged plot to aid Hezbollah.

The indictment comes just a day after officials say they broke up a similar plot.  That plot was disrupted when undercover meetings in Philadelphia unearthed plans to send machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.  Said Levy, “We have, in this case, charged a number of people who are basically part of a supply stream for a terrorist organization.  But this is just part of an ongoing fight we’re going to have for a long time.”

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Feds: Philadelphia Plot to Buy Weapons for Hezbollah– 25 November 2009

Fox News- Grand Jury Indicts Four Men for Alleged Plot to Support Hezbollah– 25 November 2009

KYW Newsradio- Four Indicted in Philadelphia in Alleged Plot to Support Terrorists– 24 November 2009

ANKARA, Turkey– The Turkish government in Ankara is considering a human rights bill aimed at finding a political solution to remedy longstanding issues with Kurdish minorities in the country.

Besir Atalay, the Turkish Interior Minister, said the government was preparing a human rights bill complete with anti-discriminatory measures to send to lawmakers for their approval.   Atalay added that the government reforms which, in addition to easing restrictions on the use of the Kurdish language, will establish independent commissions to investigate human rights violations.

Atalay also noted that there were plans for a trilateral committee of U.S., Iraqi and Turkish officials to discuss the resettlement of members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from camps in northern Iraq to compounds inside his country.

The reform is meant to boost Turkey’s chances of joining the European Union and encourage the PKK guerrilla group to disband. The PKK is seeking self-rule for the Kurds in southeastern Turkey and is considered a terrorist group by the government in Ankara, as well as by the EU and the United States. It has been engaged in a conflict with the Turkish government since 1984 that has left more than forty thousand people dead.

The bill, in its current form, will allow Kurdish-majority towns to again use their Kurdish names.  It will also allow politicians to campaign in the Kurdish language, which is a concession that builds upon earlier efforts by the ruling AK Party (AKP) to expand Kurdish cultural rights.

However, the proposed bill is not being well received by all in the Turkish government.  The main opposition party leader, Deniz Baykal, said that the government’s reforms were a “plan to destroy and split Turkey.”  In response, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan responded that “there are some people who want martyrs (dead Turkish soldiers) so they can exploit it better.” This comment prompted Baykal and other members of his party to walk out of the talks mid- session.

For more information, please see:

Deutsche Welle- Turkey Outlines Plan to Expand Kurdish Rights– 20 November 2009

Kurdish Human Rights Project- KHRP Urges Turkey to Protect Kurdish Children from Discrimination– 20 November 2009

BBC News- Hopes of Peace in Turkey’s 25 Year Conflict– 19 November 2009

BEIRUT, Lebanon– On November 9, Human Rights Watch reported that eight women migrant workers died during October 2009, a rate that is believed to be disproportionately high given that an estimated two hundred thousand domestic workers are currently employed in Lebanon.  The migrant workers primarily come from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Ethiopia.

Of the eight deaths, four were classified by police reports as suicides, while three were classified as work accidents and one cause of death was said to be from a heart attack.  The police reports noted that six of the eight deaths occurred when the workers either fell or jumped from high places.

Nadim Houry, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch said that “the death toll last month is clear evidence that the government isn’t doing enough to fix the difficult working conditions these women face.”  Houry further mentioned that “the government needs to explain why so many women who came to work in Lebanon end up leaving the country in coffins.”  As one diplomat at the consulate from the country where one of the dead women came told Human Rights Watch “these women are under pressure, with no means to go away.  Their passports are seized and they are often locked away in their employer’s house.  It is like they are living in a cage.  Human beings need to mingle with others; otherwise they lose their will to live.”

During 2006, the labor ministry in Lebanon began an official steering committee aimed at remedying the treatment of domestic migrant workers.  Then, in January of this year, the labor ministry introduced a contract that clarifies terms and conditions for domestic workers.  The new contract puts limits on such things as the maximum number of daily working hours as well as new standards for oversight within the country.

Despite these standards though, the migrant workers are not covered under Lebanon’s labor law, and consequently, there is not much in the way of enforcement for newly adopted principles aimed at helping domestic migrant workers.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times- Clear Pattern of Migrant Worker Deaths Alarms Rights Advocates– 10 November 2009

Human Rights Watch- Lebanon: Deadly Month for Domestic Workers– 9 November 2009

Human Rights Watch- Lebanon: Migrant Domestic Workers Dying Every Week – 24 August 2008