By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

Beirut, Lebanon 

Since the start of the conflict in Syria, many refugees fleeing the fighting have settled in refugee camps across Lebanon. It is now reported that there are some 1.2 million registered Syrian Refugees scattered across Lebanon. There are a reported 45 municipalities across Lebanon who have imposed curfews on these refugees. Some of these curfews have been in place for about a year, many other were recently created. The municipalities in Lebanon, who have adopted these curfews claim that they are a safety measure created in response to the five-day battle that took place in Arsal between the Lebanese Army and jihadist militants from Syria. Arsal is a town on the border of Lebanon and Syria, for five days in August the Lebanese Army fought jihadist militants, over the course of the fighting the Lebanese army suffered many casualties and the militants also abducted many of its personnel.

Human rights groups have condemned these new curfews as a violation of international law and Lebanese domestic law. The Syrian refugees claim that these curfews are discriminatory and create a hostile environment. The curfews are officially enforced by municipal police forces however, there are reports that vigilante groups have been formed in many of these municipalities and are also enforcing the curfews. This development has created many concerns and increases the possibility of abuse.

The BBC has reported on a number of individual instances where the curfews that been abusive. One man was prevented from going to the pharmacy next to his house in the night to get medicine for his ill child. Another situation was reported where a group of Lebanese men stabbed a Syrian refugee, saying he was not able to go out. These stories show the hostility and tension is growing between the refugees and native Lebanese. When asked by Human Rights Watch to produce evidence to show that the curfews are necessary the Lebanese government did not respond.

It seems that the recent trend to restrict the rights of the refugees is continuing with other security polices. The government has also increased the number of troops at the border and are allowing less and less Syrian refugees into the country; for fear that they may be militants. There have also been an increase of military personnel on the streets and they have been searching amongst refugees for militant group members. With this trend there is a fear among human rights groups that there could be retaliatory actions from the refugees.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch — Lebanon: At Least 45 Local Curfews Imposed on Syrian Refugees — 3 October 2014

Reuters — Curfews on Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Fuel Hostility: Rights Groups — 3 October 2014

BBC News — Lebanon”Imposes Curfews on Syrian Refugees — 3 October 2014

The Daily Star — Lebanon’s Curfew for Syrian Refugees Feeds Hostility: HRW — 3 October 2014

By Benjamin Williams
Impunity Watch Middle East Desk Reporter  

GAZA, Palestine — In the wake of the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel, thousands of Palestinians are fleeing the Gaza Strip. Refugees are risking the perils of the Mediterranean Sea in an effort to begin a new life in Europe. Sources stated that news of the peril suffered by the fleeing Palestinians “has raised alarm among Gazan families awaiting word that their loved ones had arrived safely.”

This year has seen an estimated 10,000 Palestinians flee the country, with a swell in numbers since the conflict began in July. With the Israeli offensive, known as “Operation Protective Edge,” killing more than 2,000 mostly civilian Palestinians, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents, and destroying much of Gaza’s infrastructure, it comes as no surprise that residents would seek refuge elsewhere. Migrants looking for a fresh start are subjected to not only the elements, but human traffickers, as well.

One such boat bound for the Egyptian coast was filled with upwards of 500 men, women, and children. Among the dead were Syrians, Palestinians, Egyptians, and Sudanese. Two survivors, after days clinging to flotation aids, were recovered from the wreckage after human traffickers intentionally sunk their ship when migrants refused to move to a smaller vessel. One survivor said, “After they hit our boat, they waited to make sure that it had sunk completely before leaving. They were laughing.” The two Palestinian men rescued stated as many as 100 children were on board when the boat went down.

Gazan residents have increasingly turned to smugglers to get across the Egyptian border. With tight border regulations making the journey extremely difficult, refugees have resorted to paying about $4,000 per person. The fee allows an individual to be smuggled into Egypt though an underground tunnel and on to Europe on a raft. However, even if residents can afford the trip, they will encounter criminals and treacherous conditions along the way.

Hundreds of families have lost contact with their loved ones making the dangerous trek to a new life. One man learned of the death of his son from a survivor who had seen him on a ship that sank on September 10th. Khalil Abu Shammal, director of Gaza’s Ad-Dameer Association for Human Rights, said, “The number of people with whom families in Gaza have lost contact is around 400. Measures are required to stop such travel towards death and the unknown.” “The risks [residents] take reflect their desperation and we cannot keep abandoning them to their fate,” stated the International Organization for Migration director general William Lacy Swing.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera America – Palestinian migrants fleeing Gaza Strip drown in Mediterranean Sea – 22 September 2014

CNN – “Laughing” traffickers ram boat full of migrants and kill 500, survivors say – 22 September 2014

Oman Daily Observer – War spurs more Gazans to risk migration to Europe – 22 September 2014

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Managing Editor Impunity Watch

DOHA, Qatar – On Monday Theo Zwanziger, Executive Committee member for the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA) suggested that the Committee may choose to remove the 2022 World Cup from Qatar, which has been preparing for the games for years.  According to the FIFA official the decision will come down to one factor: Extreme heat. However, if true, the decision to strip Qatar of the World Cup followed months of international criticism of the Gulf State’s treatment of migrant workers and complaints of slave labor conditions for workers at the World Cup sites.

Theo Zwanziger, the former German soccer association (DFB) chief said that the most widely watched tournament in sports will have to be held somewhere else due to health concerns over the extreme heat that players will experience in the Qatari desert. “I personally think that in the end the 2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar,” he said. “Medics say that they cannot accept responsibility with a World Cup taking place under these conditions.”

Qatar remains adamant that it will host the 2022 World Cup. “The only question now is when, not if,” Qatar 2022 communications director Nasser Al Khater said in a statement. He added “summer or winter, we will be ready.” The oil-rich Gulf state insists that it will be able to use state of the art cooling technologies currently being developed for stadiums, training areas and fan zones. However, there FIFA officials still cite concerns over the health of players and fans; “they may be able to cool the stadiums but a World Cup does not take place only there,” Zwanziger said. “Fans from around the world will be coming and traveling in this heat and the first life-threatening case will trigger an investigation by a state prosecutor. That is not something that FIFA Exco members want to answer for.”

Labor rights activists have raised concerns about dangerous working conditions and have made allegations about unpaid salaries and other abuses of workers’ rights. The Qatari economy is heavily dependent on large numbers of low-paid migrant workers, many of whom ar brought from Asia.

Two weeks ago the Qatari government confirmed that it is holding two British citizens who went missing while researching migrant labor conditions in the country, saying that the men are being questioned about possible illegal activities in the country. The confirmation came after Amnesty International urged authorities to reveal the men’s whereabouts and insure their safety. The Norway-based Global Network for Rights and Development reported that the two British citizens, a researcher, Krishna Upadhyaya, 52, and a photographer, Ghimire Gundev, 36, went missing on Aug. 31 as they were preparing to leave the country.

While at least one high ranking FIFA officials believes Qatar will be stripped of its hosting duties for the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of concerns over extreme heat, the organization has faced criticism for choosing the Gulf State to host the games despite concerns over human rights abuses in the country. Any decision by FIFA to remove the tournament from Qatar on the bases of temperature concerns will likely be interpreted as an attempt by FIFA save face as the organization has been continually criticized by activists as new allegations of abuses in Qatar continue to surface.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Qatar Won’t Host the World Cup: FIFA Official – 22 September 2014

Fortune – FIFA May Pull 2022 World Cup from Qatar ‘On Medical Grounds’ – Exec – 22 September 2014

Reuters – Qatar Adamant it will Host 2022 World Cup Despite Doubts – 22 September 2014

The New York Times – Officials in Qatar Confirm Detention of Britons – 8 September 2014

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Managing Editor

DAMASCUS, Syria – On Monday U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration announced that U.S. military and civilian personnel had completed the destruction of the Syrian regime’s declared chemical weapons stockpile. In a statement President Obama said that the neutralization of these chemical agents “advances our collective goal to ensure that the Assad regime cannot use its chemical arsenal against the Syrian people and sends a clear message that the use of these abhorrent weapons has consequences and will not be tolerated by the international community.”

On Monday morning, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called the captain of the Cape Ray, the ship chosen to oversee the neutralization of chemical weapons in international waters, , to congratulate him and the crew for eliminating the stockpile. President Obama thanked Denmark, Norway, Italy, Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom for key contributions to the mission. He also noted Russia’s and China’s assistance.

“While the international community’s work to completely eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons program is not yet finished, the secretary believes this is a clear demonstration of what can be achieved when diplomacy is backed by a willingness to use military force,” said Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby.

The effort was conducted with the support of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as the United Nations. While the Obama Administration acknowledgment the milestone of destroying Syria’s declared stockpile it acknowledgement that the Syrian regime was likely less than forthcoming in declaring the exact extent of its chemical weapons stockpile. “In record time, even amid a civil war, we removed and have now destroyed the most dangerous chemicals in the regime’s declared stockpiles,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. “But much more work must be done.”

Kerry said there are still “discrepancies and omissions related to Syria’s chemical weapons declaration.” Secretary Kerry expressed concerns over the continued use of chlorine gas against Syrian civilians by the regime forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Kerry also reaffirmed the United States’ support of moderate rebels.

“The United States,” Kerry said, “will continue to provide political, financial, and other support to the moderate opposition because we are committed to help those who seek the right of all Syrians to choose a future of peace and oppose the violent extremists who exploit the chaos and ruin that Assad has brought to Syria.”

The announcement comes almost a year after more than 1,4000 people were killed by sarin gas attacks On August 21 2013 in the  Ghouta suburbs of the Markaz Rif Dimashq district outside of Damascus, which were struck by rockets containing the chemical agent sarin.

For more information please see:

For More Information Please See:

Foreign Policy – Syria’s Most Lethal Chemical Weapons Destroyed With Little Fanfare – 18 August 2014

The New York Times – Syria’s Chemical Arsenal Fully Destroyed, U.S. says – 18 August 2014

The Washington Post – Declared Syrian Chemical Weapon Stockpile Now Completely Destroyed –18 August 2014

The White House – Statement by the President on the Completion by the M/V Cape Ray of the Destruction of Syria’s Declared Chemical Weapons – 18 August 2014