JERUSALEM, Israel – Mohammad al-Ashkar, a Palestinian inmate in Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, died of wounds sustained during a riot early October 22.  Prison Authority spokesman, Lt. Col. Ian Domnitz, said that prison guards met “violent resistance” while trying to carry out a routine search for contraband and weapons at 2 a.m. on Monday morning.  An estimated 1,000 of the 2,000 prisoners took part in the riot.  Domnitz stated that prison officers responded with “non-lethal weapons” and used the correct response in view of the danger.  In addition to Ashkar, 14 inmates and 15 Israeli guards sustained injuries.

Palestinian officials claim that the number of inmates is higher and that the prison officers provoked the riot and then used violent means to regain control.  Palestinian Authority’s minister for prisoner affairs, Ashraf Ajrami, accused the prison officers of violating an agreement of no night time searches and of using “forbidden weapons” – such as rubber bullets.

The response in Palestine is widespread and immediate.  Many of the 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails went on a hunger strike and hundreds of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have gathered to protest Ashkar’s death and to call for the release of prisoners.  On October 23, 200 Palestinians marched in Ramallah and chanted “We want the prisoners, not negotiations.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Protests after Israel prison riot – 23 October 2007

BBC – Palestinian inmate dies of wounds – 23 October 2007

International Herald Tribune – 3 Palestinian militants killed by Israeli army fire – 23 October 2007

Guardian – Palestinian prisoners riot in Israel – 22 October 2007

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY and RAFAH, Gaza – Tensions between Hamas’s police forces and Gaza residents resulted in several deaths in the worst outbreak of in-fighting in Gaza since June.  There are two separate internal conflicts developing inside Gaza.  First, fighting between Hamas and the Heles clan broke out on October 17, when Hamas’s security forces tried to arrest members of the Heles clan in Gaza City.  The large Heles clan is affiliated with the Fatah party.  Fighting between the two groups resulted in four deaths, two from Hamas and two were clan members, and at least 20 injuries.  The fighting involved rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns.

Later, on October 20, violence between the two groups broke out again when members of the Heles clan fired on a car carrying members of Hamas.  Witnesses state that Hamas snipers took to the rooftops while clan members blockaded the streets with rocks and sand.  The fighting resulted in two deaths; Mohammed Susi, a 13-year old boy, and a man who was a member of the Heles family.  Tensions between the two groups remain high after Hamas demanded that the clan hand over a “wanted gunman”.

Second, fighting broke out in Rafah, between Hamas and Islamic Jihad.  On October 20, fighting between the two groups resulted in the death of a 51-year old woman and 15 people injured.  According to Hamas, a member of the Islamic Jihad was killed on October 21, when members of the Islamic Jihad attempted to kidnap a member of Hamas.  The attempt was foiled and 15 members of the Islamic Jihad were seized.

However, later on October 21, the two groups agreed to a renewed cease-fire.  In a joint statement, the members of the groups agreed to return abductees and to withdraw their gunmen from the streets.  The deal was brokered by the Popular Resistance Committees, who will also observe the withdrawal.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Man killed in Palestinian clashes – 22 October 2007

International Middle East Media Center – New Hamas-Islamic Jihad ceasefire announced after one Palestinian is killed in Rafah – 22 October 2007

AFP – Three Palestinians killed in factional clashes in Gaza – 21 October 2007

Associated Press – Hamas police battle Fatah clan; 2 killed – 21 October 2007

BBC – Three die in heavy Gaza fighting – 21 October 2007

Reuters – One Palestinian killed in internal Gaza fighting – 21 October 2007

International Herald Tribune – Palestinian woman killed in clashes between Hamas and Islamic Jihad – 20 October 2007

International Herald Tribune – Young man, teenage boy killed in battle between Hamas police, Fatah clan – 20 October 2007

New York Times – 2 killed in Gaza fighting between clan and Hamas – 20 October 2007

BBC – Four die as Gaza factions clash – 18 October 2007

International Herald Tribune – Four killed in fighting between Hamas and Gaza clan – 17 October 2007

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia’s poor human rights situation has raised concern amongst some leaders in Europe. Two critics of the Tunisian government held a month-long hunger strike seeking to obtain more freedom of expression, and a European parliamentarian who met the critics said on Saturday called the situation of human rights in Tunisia is “worrying” and “unbearable.” (Reuters)

Maya Jribi and Ahmed Nejib Chabi are members of the Progressive Democratic Party – one of only nine opposition groups not banned in Tunisia. Jribi and Chabi began the hunger strike on September 20 protesting a court order that compelled them to vacate their political party’s office. A court allowed their landlord to obtain an eviction against the Jribi and Chabi, because the landlord complained that using the office space for political purposes violated the original lease. The two protested that the ruling violated the freedom of expression and thus have refused to eat solid food for a month.

Jribi believes the government triggered the landlord’s action against her, because she leads an opposition party. In contrast, an official source close to the government called their hunger protest an “irresponsible behavior” stating that the political dispute had nothing to do with a civil and real estate case between a landlord and a tenant.

Tunisia is north Africa’s most stable and prosperous country, but the government has been accused of tolerating little dissent and harassing those who are critical of the government. The government has also been criticized of stifling free speech by tightly controlling media and beating or jailing opponents. Human rights advocates criticize that Tunisia can get away with more impunity than other authoritarian governments in the area, because Tunisia’s Western allies are distracted by its sound economic performance and successful containment of radical Islamist activism.

Helene Flautre, head of the European Parliament’s human rights sub-committee, sent a letter earlier in the week to Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali asking him to suspend the eviction order and demanding “respect of fundamental rights.” Jribi and Chabi ended the strike shortly after obtaining an agreement with the landlord that they could return to the offices.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Tunisia’s rights situation worries EU, deputy says – 20 October 2007

BBC News – Contry profile: Tunisia – 9 October 2007

AllAfrica.com – TMG condemns attempts by authorities to silence dissenting voices – 3 October 2007

Maghreb – Two Tunisian opposition figures start an open hunger strike – 25 September 2007

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

IRBIL, Iraq- The Turkish parliament has approved a resolution to allow its military to attack Northern Iraq. Turkey is seeking to retaliate against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Over 30,000 people have died in the warfare between the PKK and the Turkish military. The PKK is a rebel militia based on fighting for liberty and independent statehood for the Kurds. In response to the Parliamentary vote, over 5,000 Kurds filled the streets in Irbil to protest the the possible invasion.

The Kurds are one of largest people groups without its own independent nation. Around 20 million Kurds live in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The Kurds are a largely Sunni Muslim people. Previous to World War I, the Kurds were a nomadic people. After World War I their lifestyle drastically changed forcing them to partially integrate their culture, which has caused them to fight for independent statehood.

This has caused tension between the Kurds and their host nations. Turkey has been reluctant to designate the Kurds as a minority people group and the Kurdish language was banned in Turkey until 1991. Also in Iraq during the Anfal war, over 100,000 Kurds were killed forcing many Kurds to flee to Iran for safety.

Currently, Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam Hussein’s cousin, widely known as ‘Chemical Ali’ for his usage of chemical agents to kill Kurds, is being held by the Iraqi government and will be executed in “the coming days.” (Al- Jazeera)

In response to the Turkish Parliament’s vote, the Kurds protested in the streets of Erbil, which is located in Northern Iraq. The Kurds have promised to support the PKK if the Turks attack Iraq. The Kurds believe that an attack against the PKK would be degrading the new found independence that the Iraqi Kurds have obtained since Saddam Hussein’s removal from office.

Turkey has stated that it would prefer the US and the Iraqi government to respond to the PKK’s attacks firmly and that invasion is not the first option. However, if the Turks do attack Iraq, then it is likely that the Kurds will stick together and fight back.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera- ‘Chemical Ali’ execution ‘in days’- 18 October 2007

BBC News- Kurds ‘will fight Turkish raids’ – 19 October 2007

Bloomberg News- Turkey Urges U.S. to Seize PKK Rebels to Prevent Raid (Update2)- 18 October 2007

Encyclopedia Brittanica- The Kurds: People without a country- Accessed 20 October 2007

Reuters- Turkey expects US actions against Kurd rebels-PM- 20 October 2007

WashingtonPost.com- Who Are The Kurds?– Accessed 20 October 2007

USA Today- Iraqi Kurds protest Turkish incursion vote- 18 October 2007

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On October 14, one of Iran’s most prominent human rights defenders was arrested, raising fear of many who believe that the government is taking a tougher line with its critics to silence them.

Journalist Emadeddin Baghi was arrested on Sunday and charged with “propaganda against the system” and “publishing secret government documents” for his activities as president of the Society for the Defense of Prisoners’ Rights. Although bail was initially set for 500 million rials (approximately US $50,000), prison authorities revoked it by converting a 2003 suspended sentence to imprisonment. His family currently has no idea where he is detained.

Baghi has been a dedicated campaigner for human rights in Iran despite constantly being summoned to court for various allegations. In 2000, a court sentenced Baghi to a three-year prison term for his writings about the serial murders of dissident intellectuals in Iran in 1990s. In 2003, Baghi was sentenced to a one-year suspended term for “endangering national security” and “printing lies” in his book, The Tragedy of Democracy in Iran. In July, Baghi and his family were sentenced to suspended three-years terms for documenting and publicizing human rights violations in Iranian courts and prisons.

Baghi founded the Society for the Defense of Prisoners’ Rights in 2003 to monitor allegations of torture and to promote abolition of death penalty in Iran. The number of executions in Iran has increased over the years, and this month, nine people were executed in a mass hanging.

Human rights groups around the world have condemned the arrest and many reformist students in Iran have come out in support of Baghi. Joe Stork, Middle East and North Africa deputy director at Human Rights Watch said “the Iranian government should applaud Baghi for his efforts on behalf of prisoners’ rights, not arrest him.”

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Iran Hangs 12 for rape and murder – 18 October 2007

BBC News – Iran Human rights activist held – 16 October 2007

Human Rights Watch – Release leading defender of prisoners’ rights – 16 October 2007

USA Today – Iran detains human rights activist – 16 October 2007