The Middle East

Shia Worshippers Targeted

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

BASRA, Iraq- Nasiriyah police reported that 13 people were killed and around 45 were injured occurring from fighting instigated by a Shiite messianic sect, Soldiers of Heaven, against the local police officers.  The Soldiers of Heaven suffered heavier losses with 30 fighters killed and 25 wounded and 40 others arrested.  (Washington Post)

The Soldiers of Heaven, under the leadership of Ahmed al-Hassani al-Yamani, wore black uniforms and yellow bandannas and were equipped with machine guns and light arms and attacked police in both Basra and Nasiriyah around noon local time (0900 GMT).  (AFP) This is the second year that the Soldiers of Heaven attacked during Ashura.  Last year, 263 people died from the clashes including the sect’s previous leader Dhia Abdul Zahra Kadhim al-Krimawi, better known as  Abu Kamar.  (Al-Jazeera)

Yamani claims to be an ambassador of the eighth century Imam Mahdi who vanished as a boy.  The Shias believe that Mahdi will return as a messiah to bring justice to the world.

Hundreds of thousands of worshipers gathered to celebrate the Shia religious celebration of Ashura in the holy city of Karabala.  Ashura commemorates the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein at the hands of the armies of the Sunni caliph Yazid in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala.  Imam Hussein is regarded as one of the Shia’s holiest saints.

The government’s commitment to protecting the Shia worshipers is crucial for the free practice of different religions in Iraq.  The government must make a concerted effort to protect those who are peacefully worshiping in the country.  If the country protects those who are worshiping peacefully in the country then it can form a coalition against religious sects that violence as a foundational principle of their sect.  Otherwise, if the government does not protect those who are worshiping peacefully, especially on their holy days, it will make the peaceful sects become more likely to resort to violence for protection.

For more information, please see:

AFP- Deadly clashes mar Iraq Ashura ceremonies- 18 January 2007

Al-Jazeera- Clashes erupt in Iraq’s South- 18 January 2007

The Press Association- Dozens killed in Iraq Cult attack- 19 January 2007

Washington Post- Dozens Killed in Clashes in S. Iraq- 19 January 2007

BRIEF: Gaza Power Plant Shuts Down

GAZA CITY, Gaza – Gaza’s main power plant began shutting down early January 20.  One of the plant’s two turbines shut down and, according to the Palestinian Energy Authority, the plant will be completely closed within 24 hours.  Gazans prepare by buying batteries, candles, and basic food staples such as rice.  The Energy Authority stated that over one million Gazans will be affected by this closure, which includes hospitals, sewage treatment plants, and water facilities.  United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Christopher Gunness said that “the logic of this defies basic humanitarian standards.”

Plant director, Rafik Maliha, said that the regular fuel delivery had not arrived, as a result of the border closure, and the plant had no reserves.  On January 18, Israel closed its border crossings into Gaza, including the Nahal Oz fuel terminal, in response to an increase in Qassam rocket attacks coming from Gaza.  The border closing also affected the delivery of UN humanitarian aid, with only aid approved by Defense Minister Ehud Barak allowed through.

Israeli officials place the responsibility of the closing and any humanitarian crisis that results on Hamas and militant groups.  Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said “if they stop the rockets today, everything would go back to normal.”  Also, Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror stated that the fuel shortage is not creating a crisis in Gaza, but rather accused Palestinians officials as trying to create the impression of crisis.

The UN and the international community criticize Israel’s use of fuel sanctions and border closings as collective punishment.  John Holmes, UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, stated “we all understand the security problems and the need to respond to that but collective punishment of the people of Gaza is not, we believe, the appropriate way to do that.”  Holmes is worried that the violence in Gaza could cause an even more serious humanitarian situation than already exists.

The UN also condemned Israel’s air strike on January 18, which targeted Gaza’s Interior Ministry office.  While the office was vacant, there was a wedding celebration nearby and 50 attendees were injured and one woman was killed.

For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Gazans Facing Power Shutdown – 20 January 2008

BBC – Gaza Fuel Shortage Begins to Bite – 20 January 2008

Jerusalem Post – ‘Gaza Power Plant to Shut Down’ – 20 January 2008

Washington Post – Gaza Power Plant Begins Shutting Down – 20 January 2008

Jehovah’s Witnesses Face Discrimination in Armenia

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

YEREVAN, Armenia – Many Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia face discrimination and imprisonment because of their beliefs. While young men in the religious organization are jailed because their faith prohibits them from serving in the army, other members have been attacked allegedly by supporters of the country’s dominant religion.

There are approximately 9,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia. The religious organization gained prominence following their registration in the former Soviet state in 2004, but its pacifist beliefs have brought it into conflict with the Armenian government whose armies are still based on conscription.

Over the years, the number of male Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned for refusing to join military service has grown larger and the duration of their imprisonment longer. As of September 2007, there were 82 imprisoned. And because there is no genuinely civilian alternative service in Armenia at present, rights group such as Amnesty International considers them “prisoners of conscience” who must be immediately released with compensation.

Furthermore, other members of Jehovah’s Witness have been subjected to increasing number of attacks allegedly by members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which includes 90 percent of the country’s population. Consequently, attackers of Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoy impunity because the authorities refuse to fully investigate and prosecute, and sometimes outright ignore “the fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses are specifically targeted for attacks.”

The Armenian authorities deny that Jehovah’s Witnesses are specifically targeted. “Armenia does not follow a deliberate religious policy and does not sow enmity or intolerance towards religious minorities,” Hranoush Kharatian, Adviser to the RA Prime Minister on National Minorities and Religious Issues said. And she said, “Law on Alternative Service” functions well in Armenia. Jehovah’s Witnesses simply avoid service.”

For more information, please see:

ArmeniaNow.com – Free to believe?: How far has Armenia come in religious tolerance? – 18 January 2008

Amnesty International – Religious minority faces discrimination in Armenia – 16 January 2008

Armenian Daily – Jehovah’s Witnesses discriminated in Armenia – 16 January 2008

Reuters – Armenia violates Jehovah’s Witnesses’ rights-Amnesty – 15 January 2008

Iran Urged to Abolish Execution by Stoning

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Iran to abolish the “grotesque and horrific” execution of people by stoning to death. At least three people in Iran are said to have been stoned to death since 2002. Eleven more – nine of them women – are waiting to face a similar fate.

Under Iranian Penal Code, execution by stoning is the penalty for adultery by married persons. According to the Code, men are buried up to their waists and women up to their breasts before being pelted with stones until they die. Stones are deliberately chosen to be large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately. Victims typically die within 20 minutes.

The majority sentenced to death by stoning are women. According to Amnesty’s report titled “Iran: End executions by stoning,” women suffer disproportionately because “they are not treated equally before the law and courts… and they are particularly vulnerable to unfair trials because they are more likely than men to be illiterate and therefore to sign confessions to crimes they did not commit.” For example, one of the nine women facing execution was allegedly forced into prostitution by an abusive husband who was a heroin addict. She was sentenced to eight years in prison for being an accomplice to the murder of her husband by one of her clients, and is scheduled to be executed by stoning for adultery.

Despite the harsh reality, human rights activists in Iran are hopeful that international publicity can help bring an end to stoning. Amnesty says Iran’s parliament is already discussing an amended Penal Code that would permit the suspension of at least some stoning sentences. However, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director Malcolm Smart believes the Iranian government should take further steps and ensure “that the new Penal Code neither permits stoning to death nor provides for execution by other means for adultery.”

Iran has one of the highest rates of execution in the world, but the Iranian authorities deny that executions are carried out by stoning.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – End death by stoning, Iran urged – 15 January 2008

Guardian Unlimited – Amnesty demands Iran ends ‘grotesque’ stoning executions– 15 January 2008

Amnesty International – Campaigning to end stoning in Iran – 15 January 2008

Reuters – Amnesty urges Iran to stop stoning executions – 15 January 2008

AFP – Amnesty calls on Iran to abolish death by stoning – 14 January 2008

Escalation in Gaza Following Talks on Core Issues

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter

GAZA CITY, Gaza – On January 17, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak closed Israel’s border crossings into Gaza.  This decision follows a week of Israeli escalation, mainly in the form of air strikes, aimed at stopping rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel.  Such escalation includes an air strikes on January 18, that destroyed the building that housed the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza.

The closure not only prevents people from traveling in and out of Gaza, but it also prevents the delivery of essential supplies.  Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, stated that they were unable to deliver necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza, which only adds to the “already dire situation.”  In addition to humanitarian aid, the closure also prevents the delivery of fuel, which Gaza is dependent on Israel for.

According to Israeli officials, this closure is a demonstration of possible actions that Israel will take if the rocket attacks continue.  A spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Shlomo Dror, stated “It’s time that Hamas decide to either fight or take care of its population.  It’s unacceptable that people in Sderot are living in fear every day and people in Gaza are living life as usual.”  Israeli officials indicate that the closure will be reviewed on Sunday.  In a statement on January 17, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that while Israel does not desire to harm the residents of Gaza, that Israel will continue its campaign against militants “without compromise and without pity.”

The border closure ends a week of Israeli escalation that resulted in the deaths over 30 Palestinians. While most of Palestinians causalities were militants at least five were civilians.  The escalation began on January 15, when the Israeli military conducted a pre-dawn raid, described as “a routine operation to distance terrorists from the fence.”  The raid involved both ground operations and air strikes.  The air strikes targeted two groups of militants launching mortar shells and one car carrying militants and weapons.  One militant that was killed was the son of Mahmoud Zahar, a senior leader in Hamas.

In retaliation to the Israeli operations, militant groups launched an increased number of rockets into Israel; over a 150 since Tuesday.  Several landed in the town of Sderot, injuring four people.  Also, in a rare sniper attack, one Ecuadorian volunteer farmer was killed.

In addition to the operation in Gaza, Israel also conducted a raid in the West Bank, on the Balata refugee camp in Nablus.  On January 18, Israel’s Security Service personnel surrounded the home of Ahmed Senakreh in the Balata camp.  He is wanted by the Israeli government for his involvement in the planning and implementation of suicide attacks.  Senakreh was killed during the incident.

Many Gaza residents called for vengeance as they attended funerals; Zahar vowed “to answer Israel in the only language that it knows.”  Abbas deplored the operation as a “massacre” and “a slaughter against the Palestinian people.”  Abbas called on the US to intervene in order to preserve on-going peace talks.  Earlier this week, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet to discuss core issues and US President Bush stopped in Israel and the West Bank to promote the peace talks.

For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Israel Orders Gaza Lockdown – 18 January 2008

BBC – Israel Closes Crossings With Gaza – 18 January 2008

CNN – Israel Closes Gaza Border, Raids West Bank Camp – 18 January 2008

Reuters – Israel Flattens Hamas Ministry in Gaza Strip – 18 January 2008

Telegraph – Ehud Olmert: “We are at War with Hamas” – 18 January 2008

AFP – Palestinians Urge US to Intervene Over Israeli Raids – 17 January 2008

Associated Press – 3 Civilians Die in Israeli Strike – 17 January 2008

Telegraph – Israeli Attack Kills 18 Palestinians in Gaza – 17 January 2008

YouTube – Gaza Violence Escalates – 17 January 2008

BBC – Fresh Gaza Air Strike Kills Three – 16 January 2008

Daily Star – Abbas Deplores Israeli “Massacre” in Gaza – 16 January 2008

Reuters – Palestinians on Strike over Israel’s killing of 18 – 16 January 2008

BBC – In Pictures: Gaza City Raid – 15 January 2008

Washington Post – 20 Palestinians, Mostly Fighters, Killed in Israeli Raids – 15 January 2008