By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt– Mounir Hanna Said Marzouk was a civil servant in Egypt, and wrote satyrical verses for his friends and colleagues. He had only been writing for two years. None of his writing had ever been published, and it was only after a colleague found his work offensive to the President that Marzouk was reported to the authorities.

Marzouk insists that his poems are not meant to be offensive to the president, they are meant only to reflect daily life in Egypt.  In spite of his intentions Marzouk was sentenced to three years imprisonment, and fined 100,000 Egyptian pounds for his poems on June 27. This is the maximum penalty that exists for the crime of publicly insulting the president, which carries a penalty from 24 hours imprisonment to three years imprisonment.

The Arab Network for Human Rights is appealing his verdict, based on Marzouk’s lack of access to representation at his first trial. Marzouk and his family did not hire a lawyer, because none of his poems mention Mubarek by name. There are also many satirical poems available in Egypt and on the Internet by much more well-established poets than Marzouk.

Much of the attention came to Marzouk’s case after his brother wrote a clemency plea to the local newspapers for his brother. Although none of his brother’s verses were published in the paper, it brought his brother’s case international attention, and representation. The final verdict is expected to come down this Saturday, July 18.

For more information, please see:

Afrik – Egypt’s Dangerous Poetry: Civil Servant Imprisoned for Writing a Poem – 15 July 2009

AFP – Ode to Egypt President Lands Clerk in Jail – 14 July 2009

BBC – Egyptian Jailed for Insult Poem – 14 July 2009  

LA Times – Egypt: Poet Accused of Mubarek Awaits Final Verdict – 14 July 2009

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East Desk

ALGERIA– Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb or “AQIM” has vowed to avenge the deaths of many Islamic Uighur people during the recent riots in the northwestern province of Xin Jiang in China.  Although the threat does not come directly from Al Qaeda, the Algeria based group’s threat is likely to be supported by other branches of the terrorist organization.

This is the first threat by any branch of the greater Al Qaeda organization on China. Following the recent violence in the province of Xin Jiang many jihadists have been calling for vengeance. 

There are an estimated fifty thousand Chinese living in Algeria,  and they are part of hundreds of thousands of Chinese that work in North Africa and the Middle East.  There are many potential targets for AQIM very close to their cell in Algeria. Earlier in June AQIM attacked a convoy that carried many Chinese engineers. In this attack 24 Algerian security officers were killed, as the target was the greater project, and not the Chinese engineers.

Most of the people who have died in the recent attacks in Xin Jiang are ethnically Han, with only a small portion of Islamic Uighur casualties. China has asked for understanding from the terrorist group, and believes that if AQIM was aware of the whole story, that they would support China’s actions.

One Uighur living in exile in the United sates, Rebiya Kadeer, hopes that other Muslim countries, besides Algeria, will support the Uighurs in China. Kadeer was once a very successful businesswoman in China, but was forced to leave because of her peaceful protesting of Chinese rule. Kadeer hopes that increased Muslim support of Uighurs will help their rights in China.
For more information please see:

The Australian – Algerian Al-Qa’ida Vow to Target Chinese Workers – 15 July 2009

AFP – Al Qaeda Vows to Hit China Over Uighur Unrest – 14 July 2009

Penn Energy – Al Qaeda Threatens China’s Overseas Oil, Gas Interests – 14 July 2009

Telegraph UK – China Pleads for Understanding as Al Qaeda Vows for Revenge over Uighur Deaths – 14 July 2009

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Vehicle bans were imposed in two predominantly Christian towns and security was increased around churches in Baghdad following a recent string of attacks that targeted the Christian minority.

The most fatal bombing occurred around dusk on June 12 as worshipers left the Church of Mariam Al-Adra, or the Church of the Virgin Mary, which is part of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, in central Baghdad. A car bomb exploded outside the church killing three Christians and one Muslim who was also outside the church at that time. More than twenty others were injured by the blast.

On the evening of July 11, and early morning on July 12 four other homemade bombs were placed at two churches in the neighborhood of Wahda and two other churches in the Dora and Al Gadir neighborhood. At least eleven people were wounded in these attacks and some minor damage to the churches occurred.

Also on Saturday, Aziz Rizko Nissan, a senior Christian Government official, was shot and killed in the northern city of Kirkuk. It is unclear whether or not his religion played a role in the killing, or whether the killing was related to Mr. Nissan’s position in government.

In addition a bomb exploded next to a U.S. convoy of personnel that included U.S. Ambassador Christopher R. Hill. No one was injured in this explosion, and it is unclear if this attack is at all related to the other attacks.

On the morning of July 13, another bomb detonated near a church in the city of Mosul, injuring at least three children. This was the seventh church to be attacked in Iraq in this recent string of violence, bringing the total injuries to at least 35 with four fatalities over the past three days.

All of these attacks follow an announcement by Iraq’s senior military commander, Lt. Gen. Babakir Zebari, warning that attacks by extremists and insurgents would continue for years, even though these groups were losing ground. Zebari explained that although losing ground, the extremists and insurgents have a few strongholds and will continue to attack for the next several years. This announcement comes only weeks after American troops have moved out of Iraqi cities. Many Iraqis are complaining about their own military’s lack of action now that the US military has withdrawn from the cities. Referring to Iraq’s security services in the heavily secured government zone, Hossain Ali, a college student said, “They are just hanging out in the Green Zone and staring at us being killed.”

In October of 2008 in Mosul, many Christians fled the country following a string of attacks deliberately targeting Iraq’s Christian population. At the time, more than a thousand Christian families fled the city and at least fourteen Christians were killed in the city. There has been speculation that the attacks were designed to stir religious tensions, even though Sunni and Shi’ite groups are the ones targeted.

There are around 750,000 Christians in Iraq. Christians have been targets of attacks in the past, but are spared much of Iraq’s deadly violence. Authorities imposed vehicle bans in the predominately Christian towns of Tilkaif and Hamdaniyah, which are near the northern city of Mosul. Christian- dominated areas are now a security priority, although deputy head of Ninevah provincial council which includes Mosul said that “we will make our best efforts to keep security for the province and all its citizens of all ethnic and religious backgrounds without exception.”

For more information please see:

AP – Iraq Beefs Up Security After Attacks on Christians – 13 July 2009

CNN – Wave of Church Bombings Stretches into a Third Day – 13 July 2009

The Washington Post – Car Bomb Kills at Least Four Near Church in Baghdad – 13 July 2009

BBC – Baghdad Church Bombing Kills Four – 12 July 2009

NY Times – Church and Envoy Attacked in Iraq – 12 July 2009

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CASABLANCA, Morocco– On June 29 three Arabic language newspapers were ordered to pay  three million Dirhams, about $372,300 US, for defaming a head of state.  The papers, the Al-Massae, Morocco’s most popular daily paper, Al-Jarida Al-Oula and Al-Ahdath Al-Magrebia, were sued in an action brought by a public prosecutor on behalf of the Libyan Embassy. The action was based on content published by all three papers since the beginning of 2008 that allegedly defamed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

In addition to the three million Dirham fine, several individual reporters from each paper have also been convicted of “attacks on the dignity of a head of state” and fined 100,000 Dirhams (about $12,410 US) per reporter. The reporters had called Gaddafi’s viewpoint “childish,” criticized the political theories that Gaddafi presented in his Green book, and for reporting the arrest of Gaddafi’s son and daughter-in-law in Geneva for assaulting their servants.  

The papers and their journalists are shocked and upset by this verdict.  The Moroccan Press Union demonstrations staged immediately following the decision.  If the convicted papers and journalists have to pay the fines, it could bankrupt all three papers.

The verdict has been taken as a direct attack on free speech and on Morocco’s developing press. Laws that restrict the press have been in effect throughout Morocco’s sovereign existence, but many of the laws were amended in 2001 granting the press more freedom.

The fines were not based upon a measure of damages that Gaddafi suffered, nor were the damages based upon the papers’ resources. The lack of basis for the fines makes it appear as though the fines were imposed as a means to scare journalists away from writing the stories that they want to and from expressing their opinions and analysis openly.

Mohamed Abdel Dayem, Committee to Protect Journalists program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, said “The exorbitant amount in damages indicates that the courts are being used again to settle political scores with critical journalists and to put critical publications out of business.” In its annual report released this month the Moroccan Association of Human rights concluded that the right to a fair trial was violated in all proceedings involving journalists in 2008. The group said “the judiciary has been used by the state to settle scores with journalists, to seek revenge and terrorize citizens.”

The papers plan to appeal the verdict. Defense attorney for the papers Hassan Semlali has stated that this decision was a “clear violation of the law.”  Furthermore, Editor of Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Ali Anouzla, said the ruling would not prevent him or his colleagues from “doing their job” and thinks that the decision was politically motivated.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera- Papers Fined for Gaddafi Libel – 30 June 2009

Magharebia- Moroccan Newspapers Ordered to Pay in Kadhafi Defamation Suit– 30 June 2009

Al Arabiya- Moroccan Newspapers Fined for Insulting Gaddafi– 29 June 2009

Committee to Protect Journalists- In Qaddafi Case Court Hands Down Harsh Judgment– 29 June 2009

Reuters- Moroccan Papers Fined for Defaming Libya’s Gaddafi – 29 June 2009

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RABAT, Morocco– On June 24, Moroccan human rights activist Chekib El-Khiari, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for “gravely insulting state institutions” and for minor violations of Moroccan foreign account regulations. In addition, El-Khiari has been fined about 753,000 dirhams (US $90,360) for his actions. El-Khiari has been actively speaking out against Morocco’s drug policies for several years.

Human Rights Activist Chekib El-Khiari, Image Courtesy of Global Voices Online

El-Khiari was convicted of “gravely insulting state institutions” for his criticism that Morocco is failing to regulate and reign in the drug trade. This crime carries a maximum sentence of one month to one year imprisonment and a fine between 1,200 and 5,000 dirhams (US $144 to US $600), according to the Moroccan Penal code articles 263 and 265.

El-Khiari was also convicted of violating Moroccan foreign finance regulations for opening a bank account abroad in Melilla, in which he deposited € 225 (US $288) after he received authorization from the Moroccan exchange office. This money was payment for an article that El-Khiari wrote for the Spanish daily El País in 2006.

Human Rights Watch has speculated that the financial charges were only added in order to increase the maximum sentence El-Khiari could receive, and to further discredit El-Khiari and his statements. “Morocco is opening up in some respects, but its treatment of Chekib El-Khiari shows that when someone speaks out in ways that truly bother officials, they come down on him like a ton of bricks,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. Whitson further charged that the verdict against El-Khiari violates the basic right of freedom of expression, and that the verdict was meant to silence other activists in Morocco’s Rif region and to intimidate others.

Moroccan news agency MAP reported that Khayari also has been accused of taking money from foreign leaders in order to lead a campaign to discredit Moroccan efforts to stop drug trafficking.
El-Khiari is being held at Oukacha Prison in Casablanca, and his lawyers are planning to appeal the June 24 verdict.    

For more information, please see:

E-Taiwan News- Moroccan Activist Gets 3 Years in Jail on Contempt– 26 June 2009

Global Voices Online – Morocco: Human Rights Activist Jailed for Whistleblowing– 26 June 2009

Reuters- Morocco Court Jails Critic of Govt Drugs Policy– 24 June 2009

Human Rights Watch- Morocco: Narco-Traffic Whistleblower Unfairly Sentenced-24 June 2009