By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

A crowd of 30,000 protesters gathered to show their disapproval of the results of the presidential election.  The main opposition candidate, Levan Gachechiladze, reaffirmed his commitment to them to fight for their democracy.  “We will not compromise.  We will not take a single step back. We will not let them falsify the election.” (AP)

Last week, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was reelected president.  However, his main opponent Gachechiladze contends that votes were not tallied correctly, because he contends that Saakashvili should not have received more than 50% of the vote.  The Georgian election law usually allows for two rounds of presidential election.  This allowance was created to account for the multiple numbers of candidates who run for the presidency, which this year was nine candidates running for president.  Typically, the top two vote getters will move on to a final round of voting, which would have really helped Gachechiladze since the seven candidates that were eliminated probably would have supported Gachechiladze.  However, in this election Saakashvili received a majority vote (53.5%) and so it was not necessary to hold a second round vote.

The outright election of Saakashvili caused opponents such as Gachechiladze to assert that the votes were miscounted. Therefore, he began discussions with the acting president of Georgia, Nino Burjanadze.  Burjanadze was made president by Saakashvili to enable Saakashvili to be able to run for another term in office.  However, Gachechiladze has promised that he will continue to fight for the democracy of his country without compromise as he talks with the president.

Gachechiladze has rejected the idea that he would take a government post as a payment to stop protesting the legitimacy of the election.  “Making deals on government positions is not going to happen. I am one of those who do not recognize [Saakashvili as President],” he said.  (Civil Online Magazine)

The resolution of this election and the preservation of the democratic process is essential in Georgia as it tries to deepen its ties with the European Union and the West. If the election is not resolved quickly it could lead to a possible bitter rivalry between the opposing parties.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Georgia Opposition Holds Protest Rally- 15 January 2008

Civil Online Magazine- Gachechiladze on ‘Speaking’ with Authorities- 16 January 2008

Reuters- Georgia opposition vows court move to win recount- 15 January 2008

BEIRUT, Lebanon – On January 15, a bomb explosion in northern Beirut killed three, two Lebanese and one Syrian, and injured over 20.  However, the US State Department reports that four people died as a result of the attack.  According to Lebanese security forces, the bomb was placed either behind dumpsters next to a main road or packed into a stolen car on the road.  It is thought that the target of the bombing was an US embassy vehicle that was passing the bomb as it exploded.  While armored, the vehicle did not have any embassy markings and had Lebanese license plates.

The explosion occurred after the US embassy vehicle had passed and the car following it, carrying the two Lebanese nationals, was hit.  The Syrian national was riding a scooter close by.  The driver of the US embassy vehicle sustained non-life threatening injuries and the sole passenger, a non-American, sustained no injuries.  Lebanese security forces state that the unmarked car was scouting the road in security preparations for a ceremony for the outgoing US ambassador.  One American was injured in the attack; however, he is not affiliated with the US embassy.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack stated that preliminary evidence indicated that the car was the target.  According to McCormack, evidence supporting this conclusion includes the type of car (an SUV), the location – a road frequently used by American diplomats – and the lack of other potential targets in the area.  This is the first attack directed against US personnel in Lebanon since the end of the Lebanese civil war.  In the 1980s, US military barracks and the embassy were targets of attacks.  However, no individual or organization has claimed responsibility for the attack so the intended target remains unstated.

Following the explosion, Lebanese police and US embassy security personnel cordoned the area to begin investigations.  McCormack stated that a joint diplomatic and security team, including the FBI, will investigate the attack.

Lebanese and US officials have condemned the attack.  US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the US was outraged “against the terrorist attack” and that “the United States will, of course, not be deterred in its efforts to help the Lebanese people, to help the democratic forces in Lebanon, to help Lebanon resist force and interference in their affairs.”

Lebanese officials condemned the attack as an attack against Lebanese security and stability.  Hezbollah also condemned the attack since it was on Lebanese territory and killed innocent people.

This follows a January 8 explosion injuring several UN peacekeeping personnel south of Beirut.

For more information, please see:
Associated Press – US Embassy Vehicle Hit by Car Bomb – 16 January 2008

Daily Star – Three Killed by Bomb Meant for US Embassy Vehicle – 16 January 2008

Middle East Times – Lebanon US-Targeted Blast Raises Stakes – 16 January 2008

New York Times – Bomb Targets US Car in Beirut – 16 January 2008

Reuters – US Car in Beirut Seems to Have Been Target – 16 January 2008

Telegraph – Beirut Attack on US Embassy Car Kills Three – 16 January 2008

BBC – Four Killed in Beirut Explosion – 15 January 2008

BBC – Bomb Strikes UN Patrol in Lebanon – 8 January 2008

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch released a report calling on the Iranian government to amend or abolish laws that allow the government to arbitrarily suppress and punish individuals for peaceful political expression, association and assembly in breach of international law.

In “‘You Can Detain Anyone for Anything’: Iran’s Broadening Clampdown on Independent Activism,” Human Rights Watch documents the expansion in scope and number of the individuals and activities persecuted by the government over the last two years. The 51-page report accuses Iran of using vague “security laws” to suppress in effect any public expression of dissent. Furthermore, those arrested are subject to prolonged detention without charge, solitary confinement, and torture.

“Dozens of Iranian laws provide the government cover for suppressing any peaceful activity they perceive as critical of their policies,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities can trample over people’s basic rights and still claim to be acting legally.”

Since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assumed office in August 2005, the Iranian government has increasingly used “security laws” as a pretext for persecuting civil society activists. A set of laws within Iran’s Islamic Penal Code entitled “Offenses Against the National and International Security of the Country” enables the government to stifle peaceful political activities and deny due process rights to anyone, including women’s rights campaigners, student activists, workers, and journalists and scholars.

The report also claims that Iranian authorities often hold detainees arrested on security grounds in facilities operating outside the mandated prison administration, most notoriously in Section 209 of Tehran’s Evin prison. There, detainees are purportedly subject to various psychological and physical abuses during interrogation and in detention.

For more information, please see:

AKI – Political crackdown on public dissent worsens, says rights group – 9 January 2008

Albany Times Union – Human rights? Not in Ahmadinejad’s Iran – 8 January 2008

Human Rights Watch – End widespread crackdown on civil society – 7 January 2008

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’ADA, Yemen – In northern Yemen, fighting between the Yemeni military and Shiite rebels broke a six-month old ceasefire.  According to a government official, fighting was renewed after rebels attacked military camps in the nearby Marran mountains.  The military responded with ground and air strikes on villages in Saada province, a stronghold for rebel activity.  However, rebel leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, denied official allegations and stated that the military struck first.  As a result of the renewed violence dozens of people have been killed in the past week; including 18 rebels and 29 Yemeni military and pro-army tribal fighters.

Earlier, al-Houthi warned the government to honor the terms of the ceasefire and complained of constant government discrimination and campaign of harassment.  While, al-Houthi stated that he was concerned about bloodshed, he added that they must defend themselves “against any assaults by the army.”  Currently, both sides are preparing for what al-Houthi called the “fifth war.”

In June 2007, the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels signed a cease-fire agreement, which was brokered by Qatar.  In the agreement, the government promised to free detainees, compensate victims, and to rebuild villages affected by the war.  In return, the rebels agreed to turn in their weapons and expel al-Houthi from the country.  However, both sides accuse the other of not fulfilling their obligations.

For more information, please see:
Yemen Post – Sa’ada 5th War Ruptures; 47 Killed So Far – 14 January 2008

Associated Press – 30 Killed in Renewed Fighting in Yemen – 11 January 2008

Yemen Times – Sa’ada Crisis Worsens Amid Threats of Violence – 6 January 2008

ADEN, Yemen – At least two people were killed and 15 injured during a rally for reconciliation between the northern and southern provinces of Yemen.  According to a statement by official local authorities, the violence resulted from actions by “criminal elements”, firing indiscriminately into the crowd, and who were later arrested.  The official state news agency, Saba, reported two deaths and 16 injuries.