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

By Brittani Howell 

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon – On Tuesday, activists for the “You Stink” Movement lined the halls of Lebanon’s environment minister’s office. The protestors engaged in a 9-hour sit-in to protest the garbage piling up in the streets and the incompetence of the government.

Garbage has been collecting in the streets since July. Residents of a town just south of Beirut blocked garbage trucks from continuing to dispose of waste in the already overfull landfill because of environmental concerns. Since the incident, the government has not reached a solution for the proper disposal of the trash.

The “You Stink” movement gave the Lebanon government three days to reach a solution for the garbage issue on Saturday. If the demands of the protestors were not met, the activists stated they would escalate.

Activists were able to sneak into the Ministry building in small groups until security personnel locked the main doors. As many as 40 activists participated the sit-in and refused to leave until Environment Minister Mohammed Machnouk resigned. While in the halls the protestors chanted “Out, out, out!”

When asked what the protestors intended to do if police were to enter the building, one activist responded, “They don’t understand that we are doing civil disobedience. We will not leave. And of course we will not confront them.”

During the protest the air conditioning was turned off and the bathroom doors were locked, while the army and riot police gathered outside. Nine hours from the beginning of the sit-in, the activists were forced out of the building when they refused to leave. Activists claim to have been struck by batons on their way out and two reported injuries, including a broken shoulder. Interior Minister Mouhad Machnouk, a relative of the Environmental Minister Mohammed Machnouk, stated that force had not been used on the protestors.

Protestor Wadih Asmar stated, “In other countries people have asked to take down their state. We are asking for a state and they are beating us.”

The “You Stink” movement has united people of different religious background, which is rare in a country constantly divided along religious and political lines. “The fact that we have this spontaneous nonsectarian movement is really the most important thing here,” stated a former interior minister and lawyer, Ziad Baroud.

Lebanon has been without a president for over a year. The country continues to have daily power cuts and water shortages is further strained by the influx of over one million Syrian refugees.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Lebanon Rubbish Crisis: Police Eject Ministry Occupiers – 1 September 2015

Reuters – Beirut Protestors Occupy Ministry, Demand Minister Resigns – 1 September 2015

The New York Times – Police Clear ‘You Stink’ Protestors from Minister’s Office in Beirut – 1 September 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Lebanese Activists Occupy Environment Minister’s Office – 1 September 2015

By Brittani Howell 

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon –  Protests over uncollected trash transform into anti-government protests in Lebanon this week. The “You Stink” movement expresses protestors’ discontent with the government.

The garbage crisis has been going on since July. Landfills became overfilled and the residents neighboring one particular landfill, blocked garbage trucks from entering because of potential environmental hazards. Since July, garbage has been collecting in the streets of Lebanon.

For many, the garbage filling the streets is the last straw. Mohammad Rizk, a sandwich shop owner, told the New York Times, “Enough. This is Enough. No electricity, we said O.K. No water, we said O.K. But the trash?”

The country cannot meet the power needs of its citizens and many have needed to purchase generators or merely go without power for hours at a time.

In addition, running water is only available for a few hours on certain days, even though Lebanon has water resources that neighboring countries would envy. When the water is running, it flows into the streets from the neglected, broken pipes. Citizens are thus forced to buy water to fill personal water tanks for daily use, or use salty water from wells.

Lebanon’s infrastructure is further strained as refugees from war torn areas seek shelter. As many as 1.3 million refugees from Syria have sought shelter in Lebanon, a country of 4 million people.

Lebanon’s Parliament has failed to elect a new President for 15 months. The sectarian nation is currently seeking a Christian to fill the Presidency, but the different religious sects have not reached an agreement on the person for the job.

The Parliament has been unable to even come to terms with a solution for cleaning up the garbage that lines the streets and adjourned from an emergency meeting held Tuesday with no solution.

Sunday’s protest turned violent. Sticks and stones were thrown at police officers and tear gas and hoses were turned onto protesters. Over 400 protesters and security forces were injured during the protest, according to the International Community of Red Cross. Subsequent planned protests have been delayed as 32 of the protesters were arrested.

Earlier this week Prime Minister Tammam Salam threatened to resign if the meeting on Tuesday was not productive regarding possible solutions to the garbage problem. If Salam did resign, Lebanon would be thrown into additional chaos, as it is the President who appoints the Prime Minister.

For further information, please see:

The Wall Street Journal – Anger Over Garbage in Lebanon Blossoms into Demand for Reform – 28 August 2015

The New York Times – As Trash Piles Up, So Does Contempt for Lebanon’s Government – 27 August 2015

CNN – Lebanon: How Piles of Trash Led to a Violent Uprising Against the Government – 24 August 2015

Reuters – Lebanon Protest Postponed as U.N. Urges Restraint – 24 August 2015