By Brittani Howell

Impunity News Desk Reporter, The Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen – Saudi led warplanes bombed Yemen’s capital city, Sana’a, on Friday killing at least 29 people. Bombing continued in Sana’a through Sunday, becoming one of the heaviest bombardments since the coalition began.

On Sunday, 10 people were killed in the province of Ibb as air strikes targeted a military compound. Coalition forces are trying to retake Sana’a from the Houthi rebels so that exiled president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi may return.

On Friday the home of an Omani ambassador was attacked during the fighting, The Saudi-led coalition denies that they attacked the ambassador’s residence.

Brigadier-General Ahmed al-Asiri, military spokesperson for the coalition, stated that he would welcome an investigation as the ambassador’s house could have been hit by a Houthi mortar shell. He stated “One would be able from the beginning to distinguish between a mortar strike and plane strike.”

Friday’s airstrikes targeted Yemen’s Interior Ministry building, but apartment buildings and under passes, of no apparent military value, were also struck.

An apartment building in the UNESCO world heritage site was struck, killing a family of nine. A neighbor, Taha al-Maghribi stated that he did not know why the family had been targeted as they had remained neutral throughout the conflict. In addition, he stated that the apartment building was not close to any military installation.

Critics of the coalition believe the airstrikes that hit the residential areas are part of a deliberate policy to terrorize the population, in hopes that citizens will turn against the Houthi rebels.

On Saturday a 100 people protested in front of the Houthi rebel’s headquarters. The protesters demanded for the release of Mohammed Qahtan, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as for the release of others.

Five people were arrested as a result of the protest. Ahmed Moslah, a protester, stated, ”They beat us with batons and heaped insults on us.”

UNICEF, the United Nations child agency was appalled that water supplies, intended to help as many as 11,000 were destroyed in the bombing of a warehouse in Sana’a on Friday. Blame was not assigned, but it is suspected that coalition airstrikes were responsible.

For more information please see:

Al-Jazeera – Coalition-led bombings hit Yemen’s Capital – 20 September 2015

Reuters – Saudi-led Coalition Denies Attacking Home of Oman Envoy to Yemen – 20 September 2015

The Associated Press – Saudi-led Coalition Airstrikes in Yemen’s Capital Kill 29 – 19 September 2015

The New York Times – Arab Coalition Bombs Yemen’s Capital, Killing Dozens – 19 September 2015

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – Mohammad Allaan, a Palestinian lawyer, was re-arrested by Israel on Wednesday after being discharged from the hospital. Allaan was in the hospital as a result of his hunger strike, protesting his incarceration

Allaan, an alleged member of the Islamic Jihad militant group was detained by Israel without charges or a trial. The administrative detention allows military courts to detain militant suspects indefinitely, subject to a renewal every six months. According to the Israeli civil rights group, B’Tselem, “Israeli’s use of administrative detention blatantly violates the restrictions of international law.”

Israel states that the detention orders are necessary to protect intelligent sources in security-related cases. The Shin Bet internal security agency stated that Allaan was still, “a danger to peace and security in the region” and placed him back in custody because his health had improved.

Israel’s justice ministry alleges that Allaan is involved in “grave terrorism” which necessitates his detention. Allaan denies the allegations and denies involvement with the Islamic Jihad militant group.

Allaan was detained November 2014 and his detention was renewed in May. Allaan stopped eating on June 16 and, as a result, suffered brain damage among other medical conditions. Allaan’s lawyer, Mr. Khatib, intends to appeal the re-arrest because of the brain damage Allaan suffered. He also argues that only the Supreme Court had the authority to cancel the suspension of Allaan’s detention. The re-arrest was a result of a military directive, not a Supreme Court order canceling the suspension of the detention.

Sawsan Zaher, a lawyer for an Arab-rights group which also represented Allaan, stated, “The fact that the authorities renewed the order the moment his situation improved, without checking relevant or justifiable evidence – this means that the order is only an act of revenge.”

In July, Israel passed a law which allows force-feeding to those who are hunger-striking, if the strike’s life is in danger. The United Nations finds the law a “cause of concern” and the Israel Medical Association equates the law to torture.

Allaan was not force-fed, as the government could not find any willing doctors to do the procedure. Instead, Allaan was given intravenous fluids when his condition deteriorated.

Israeli police stated Allaan will be held in detention until November 4, which is when his detention is scheduled to end.

For further information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Palestinian Hunger Striker Detained on Hospital Release – 16 September 2015

BBC – Israel Re-Arrests Hunger Striker Mohammed Allan – 16 September 2015

CNN – Palestinian Hunger Striker Mohammed Allan back in Israeli Detention – 16 September 2015

The New York Times – Palestinian is Rearrested and Resumes Hunger Strike – 16 September 2015

The Seattle Times – Israel Re-Arrests Palestinian Hunger Striker – 16 September 2015

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen – On Sunday, Yemen’s exiled President, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, announced that he will not participate in United Nation’s peace talks with the Houthi rebels. President Hadi stated that there will only be peace talks with the rebels in the event that the Houthis withdraw from the areas they seized and surrender any weapons.

The self-exiled government is making plans to return to the city of Aden by the end of this month. Over 200 soldiers from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, have travelled to Aden in order to secure the city so that the exiled government can return. Currently, part of Aden is under the control of al-Qaeda.

Previous attempts to end the conflict and to enter into peace-talks have all failed. Over 4,500 people have been killed since the conflict began. According to the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, from the start of the Saudi-led offense and through June 30, 1,527 civilians have been killed. Of the 1,527 killed, 941 deaths were caused by airstrikes.

The Saudi-led coalition’s strikes have strayed from military targets and have struck civilian areas, causing many to accuse the coalition of punishing all who reside in areas under Houthi rebel control. Residents in northern Yemen, largely Shi’ite Muslims, have claimed the Saudi-led coalition attacks are a sectarian purge, as the coalition is largely Sunni Muslim.

“They kill innocents and claim to be killing Houthis. They are targeting the whole population.” Stated Adam Mujahid Abdullah, a survivor of an airstrike that targeted residential homes overlooking a university that had been used as a base for Houthi rebels.

Many people have been forced to take shelter in the mountains, as a result of the frequent airstrikes. Dr. Natalie Roberts, from Doctors Without Borders, stated “It’s no kind of life. Waiting in a cave to see if you’re going to get bombed.” Others have been forced South, most forced to walk on foot.

In the province of Marib, 25 fighters from both the rebels and the coalition were killed when the Saudi-led coalition advanced and cut off the Houthi rebels supply lines.

On Saturday, it was alleged that a United States drone attack killed 4 people in the province of Hadramawt. Security officials stated that masked gunmen prevented access to the site of the attack as the victims had been buried near by.

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday mourned the loss of 52 soldiers, who were killed in a Houthi rebels’ missile attack on September 5, 2015. This was the heaviest loss the country has seen since 1971.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times – Yemen’s Exiled President Backs Out of Talks With Rebels – 13 September 2015

Reuters – Exiled Yemeni Government Pulls out of Planned Peace Talks – 13 September 2015

The Associated Press – Yemen’s Exiled President Backs out of Talks With Rebels – 13 September 2015

The New York Times – Airstrikes Take Toll on Civilians in Yemen War – 12 September 2015

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch News Desk Reporter

DAMASCUS, Syria –   On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council announced it will authorize an international body to investigate who is behind the chemical warfare in Syria and Iraq. Prior to this announcement, the United Nations has only been able to investigate without assessing blame for the attacks.

Russia decided to not use its veto power and had its U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, deliver a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in support of the joint investigative unit. The investigative unit will be able to go anywhere in Syria to conduct its investigation.

U.N. disarmament chief Kim Won-soo stated that “access will be a very challenging issue” particularly because of the Islamic State’s involvement in Syria.

The Iraqi government, on Monday, stated they were sending a team of experts to investigate the allegations that chemical weapons had been used on the Kurdish Forces. It is suspected that the Islamic State has access to chemical weapons, which have not been used in fighting conflicts in Iraq since 2003.

Kurdistan Regional Government officials stated that lab tests showed positive for the chemical agent chlorine. The use of Chlorine as a weapon is forbidden under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. Chlorine is lethal if inhaled, as it turns into hydrochloric acid and causes an individual’s lungs to burn which causes a build up of fluids and results in the drowning of the individual.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has destroyed known stockpiles of chemical weapons in both Syria and Iraq.

According to a United States official, the Islamic State has been using mustard agents in both Iraq and Syria.

The United Nations investigative body will begin in the next few weeks and will have its first report within 90 days of being operational. The investigative body is authorized for one year with the possibility for extensions.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – US Official: ‘IS Making and Using Chemical Weapons in Iraq and Syria’ – 10 September 2015

The Associated Press – UN Security Council OKS Syria Chemical Probe – 10 September 2015

The Los Angeles Times – New U.N. Probe of Syrian Chemical Weapons use to Name Perpetrators – 10 September 2015

Reuters – Iraqi team to Probe Alleged IS Chemical Attacks on Kurds – Diplomats – 7 September 2015

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

 DAMASCUS, Syria – Violence erupted on Saturday in a Southern Syrian province, in response to a double-car bombing that occurred Friday. The car-bombing killed 28 people, including Druze cleric Sheikh Wahid al-Balous.

Druze cleric Sheikh Wahid al-Balous led the group Sheikhs of Dignity. The Sheikhs of Dignity called the re-election of President Bashar al-Assad a “void election”. Two weak and relatively unknown candidates ran against the President during the elections held in July 2014. In addition, rebel-held territories were not allowed to vote.

The group also protested the lack of adequate water and electricity. Sheikh Wahid al-Balous was a critic of President Bashar al-Assad and urged the youth of Sweida to refuse military service. A movement in the Druze community urges the youth to serve in the local National Defense forces, a pro-government military to defend Sweida.

The two explosions occurred in and around the city of Sweida. One bomb hit Sheikh Wahid al-Balous’s convoy. The second bomb struck the hospital where the victims of the first explosion were taken. As a result, 28 people were killed.

Nine more individuals were killed during the riots outside government building of Swedia. Six security personnel were killed by Druze gunman.

The statute of former President Hafez al-Assad was destroyed by protestors. Walid Jumblatt, Druze political leader in Lebanon, told Syrian Orient TV, “It is time for the honorable citizens [of Sweida] to rise up in the face of the Syrian regime that wants repression and to spread sedition”.

The Syrian Government blamed “terrorists” for the explosions. Syria’s state new media neglected to report the cleric’s death as well as the deaths of the security forces.

The Druze sect is an off shoot of Shi’ite Islam and is related to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The Druze faith is practiced by 1.5 million people, mostly residing in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Druze Gunman Kill Six Syrian Security Personnel After Bomb Blasts Kill Dozens – 5 September 2015

The New York Times – Unrests Mounts in Southern Syria After Druse Cleric Dies in Blast – 5 September 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Violence Erupts in Syrian City After Druse Cleric Killed – 5 September 2015

The World Post – Syrian Druze City Turns on Assad After Top Cleric Killed by Car Bomb – 5 September 2015