By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen-Reports have indicated that at least four Yemeni soldiers were killed by local tribesmen in an attack on the army commission assigned to guard oil installations.  The tribesmen warned the army to stop its operations in the area.

One witnesses recalled that gunmen and troops traded fire after the attack, adding that the army reinforcements had arrived in the area.

Government troops and facilities in southeaster Hadramawt province have been targeted by armed tribesmen since as early as December.  Tensions arose between the army and tribesmen when a local tribal leader was killed at an army checkpoint upon refusal to hand over his weapons.

The death of tribal leader Bin Habrish has sparked protests and attacks on government facilities.  Most recently, several people were killed in  a brief seizure of the Yemeni oil ministry offices in Hadramawt.

Tribesmen have demanded that Habrish’s killers be handed over, as well as demanding withdrawal of the army from Hadramawt and creation of more jobs for the local people in the area.

The attack occurred one day after a tribal alliance formed in the area, warning that all operations should be suspended starting on this past Saturday.  The operations are run by Norwegian DNO International,  an oil and gas exploration company, which had no immediate comment.

On Saturday, members of the tribal alliance killed two soldiers and wounded one other in another attack on oil installations operated by Norwegian DNO in Hadramout.

Ever growing hostility in Yemen has due to their strategic position next to the major oil exporter Saudi Arabia and useful shipping lanes have caused international concern.  Mass protests and political turmoil since the forced resignation of long-serving President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011have worsened matters.  He was succed by deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Further, Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world experience.  Yemen relies on crude exports to finance up to 70 percent of its spending budget.  Yemen also faces increasing attacks by al-Qaida as sectarian tensions increase in the north and the occurrence of a secessionist movement in the south.

Hadramawt was once part of the formerly independent South Yemen, which was unified with the north in 1990.  A secession attempt four years later caused a brief but bloody civil war that ended with northern forces taking over the south.

For more information, please see the following: 

Al Jazeera-Tribesmen kill soldiers in southern Yemen-12 January 2014

Global Post-Yemen tribes kill 4 soldiers in fresh anti-army attack-12 January 2014

Gulf News-Yemen tribesmen kill soldiers in oil field attack-12 January 2014

Voice of America-Yemen Tribes Kill 2 Soldiers, Tell Norway DNO to End Oil Work-12 January 2014

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Ahmed Shafik, Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister before his 2011 ouster announced Thursday that he plans to run for the Egyptian presidency if the military does not contest elections.

“I believe now I will run for the presidency,” Shafik told the press adding that he will add his name to the ring if army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stayed out of election, which is expected to be held later this way after a referendum vote is held for the state’s new constitution in January.

Sisi has not yet announced whether he will enter the race. He is widely supported by supporters of the military coup that took Morsi’s out of power but is reviled by the former president’s supporters.

Sisi’s candidacy would deepen divisions between supporters of the military role in the Egyptian government who believe force is to secure the state and those who believe such a government would further encourage the military to crack down on the basic rights of the Egyptian people

A security official told the press that Sisi “most likely going to announce that he will run for the presidency”, adding: “The army in a recent meeting expressed its support for him to run.”

Shafik left the country last year after being defeated by Mohamed Morsi, who was removed from power last July, in the country’s first democratic presidential elections. Shafik has a strong history with the Egyptian military, he served as a former air force commander. He called former President Mubarak a “role model” and was charged with corruption after leaving Egypt.

Last month Shafik was acquitted by an Egyptian court for a corruption case. However, another corruption charge has been shelved by the courts.

Shafik’s return to Egypt would signify the dramatic shift in power in Egyptian that has occurred since the ouster of Morsi, to many it would symbolize a return to the Egypt that existed under Mubarak.

Shafik called for maximum force to be used against former President Morsi’s political party, the Muslim Brotherhood. Shafik called the organization a “terrorist” group last December. Egypt’s interim military government has cracked down on the organization and other Islamist groups in the country, drawing criticism from human rights activist around the world.

Islamist militant groups have responded by increasing bombing and shooting attacks on Egyptian security forces since Morsi’s overthrow, raising fears of prolonged instability in the country.

While speaking in the United Arab Emirates Shafik stated that he may return to Egypt to vote in the Constitutional referendum. The Constitutional referendum is set for January 14 and 15.

Dates for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections have yet to be set.

For more information please see:

Daily News and Analysis – Hosni Mubarak’s last PM interested in running for Egyptian presidency – 10 January 2014

Al Jazeera – Mubarak PM considers bid for Egypt presidency – 9 January 2014

Reuters – Mubarak’s last PM interested in running for Egyptian presidency – 9 January 2014

Reuters – Egypt’s army chief Sisi seen edging closer to presidential bid – 6 January 2014

By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran-As the world powers are set to resume meeting in Geneva, nuclear talks with Iran are resuming.  Discussions center on activating a landmark deal to reign in Tehran’s nuclear program.

“The talks will focus on remaining issues pending a political decision before the deal can go into effect on January 20, a date mooted by both sides,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham.

The two-day meeting began yesterday between Abbas Araqchi, Irans negotiator, and Helga Schmid, the representative of the P5+1 group of world powers.  The U.S. State Department confirmed that Wendy Sherman, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, would also be in attendance.

The last attempt at discussion occurred in mid-December involving technical experts from Iran as well as the U.S., China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany.

Under the deal discussed, Iran will receive modest relief from international sanctions and a promise of no new measures against Iranian economy if Iran reduces parts of its nuclear drive for six months.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, has voiced optimism regarding the regarding the talks, but observes have warned of potential delays.  The European Union, which is chairing the P5+1 group, has kept a tight lid on details surrounding the talks.

The U.S. has been the driving force in implementing the interim deal with Iran.  Western nations have long suspected the development of atomic weapons under Iran’s nuclear program; a claim that has been strongly denied by officials in Tehran.

“We have to make sure our right to research and development is respected,” stated an Iranian government official.  His claim follows alongside officials in Tehran saying that the actions related to Iran’s nuclear program are part of crucial research.

Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has expressed his disdain for the actions of the U.S., referring to the nation as “Satan”.  “We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we feel it is expedient, we would negotiate with the Satan (the U.S.) to deter its evil,” said Khamenei.

However, Javad Zarif, who is also the chief nuclear negotiator, said he was confident of a positive outcome from the Geneva talks.  “The nuclear talks are continuing with serious and strong political will,” stated Zarif.

For more information, please see the following: 

Al Arabiya-Iran’s Khamenei: deterring evil worth talking to Satan-09 January 2014

Al Jazeera-Iran set to resume nuclear talks in Geneva-09 January 2014

International Business Times-West Wary of Iran’s Centrifuge Research as Talks on Nuclear Deal Set to Resume-09 January 2014

Israel National News-Iran, World Powers Resume Talks on Geneva Deal-09 January 2014

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Middle East

Tel Aviv, ISRAEL – More than 30,000 African asylum seekers crammed into the streets of Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, Israel calling for migrant workers to go on strike and demanding the Israeli government recognize their status as refugees with chants of “we need asylum,” “We are all refugees” and “yes to freedom, no to prison!” The demonstration is the largest protests by migrants in the history of the Jewish state.

According to police spokesperson Mickey Rosenfeld, most of the protesters were asylum seekers who had fled Africa and wish to stay in the country. He said “There are thousands of people assembling in central Tel Aviv and they are mostly Africans who are requesting to stay in the country.”

Under new legislation passed by the Knesset on December 10 last year Israel police are able to identify and detain any migrants who have entered the country illegally. Under this legislation these migrants can be held for up to a year without trail in Israel. The state has also opened a new facility in the Negev desert for the purpose of detaining illegal migrants.

Mutasim Ali, of the African Refugee Development Center, entered Israel after fleeing Darfur is among those calling for African migrants to be granted Refugee status by the Israeli government. He says “All of us are fleeing genocide, fleeing dictatorship regimes. Looking for protection,” according to Ali a migrant “doesn’t care where he gets it. We know it’s too difficult to cross the border making our way to Israel, but that’s the only option at the time.”

An Eritrean asylum-seeker who participated in the demonstration said “We have fled persecution, dictatorships, civil wars and genocides.” Arguing that the government of Israel “must study our requests for asylum and treat us like human beings.”

Asylum seekers complain that the new legislation in Israel is evidence that their call for refugee status is being ignored by the Israel government, which is instead trading the migrants as illegal workers, the state’s new legislation treats migrants as illegal workers.

The asylum seekers complain that the Israeli government isn’t viewing their goal as legitimate, but rather sees them as migrant workers. According to activists, more than 50,000 migrants work in illegal, low-wage, positions in Israel, a country of 7.9 million people. Most of these activist have fled violence and feminine in East-Africa.

The fight for recognition of refugees in Israel is an uphill battle. Since the creating of the Jewish state in 1948, Israel has recognised the status of fewer than 200 refugees, human rights groups say.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Thousands Of Asylum Seekers Protest In Israel – 5 January 2014

CNN International – African Migrants Protest, Push for Asylum in Israel – 5 January 2014

Haaretz – Knesset Okays Detention of Migrants without Trial – 10 December 2014

The Guardian – African Migrants Stage Tel Aviv Protests against Israel’s New Detention Law – 6 January 2014

By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt-For the past eight days, three Al Jazeera journalists working for the broadcaster in the Cairo, have been detained by Egyptian police.  They include the Al Jazeera’s chief of the Cairo bureau, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, producer Baher Mohamed, and correspondent Peter Greste.

Greste is an award-winning journalist who joined Al Jazeera English after working with CNN and BBC.  He won the Peabody Arad in 2-12 for his documentary on Somalia.  Fahmy worked for CNN and the New York Times before joining Al Jazeera.

Egypt’s interior ministry claimed that the journalists had held illegal meetings with the Muslim Brotherhood which was declared a terrorist group this past week.  Al Jazeera denies the accusations against its team and has expressed outrage at the continued detention of its journalists without charge.

“The allegations that are being made are totally false and unfounded,” claimed Al Anstey, managing director of Al-Jazeera English.  Anstey also stated the reporters were operating in Cairo legally, covering a number of other topics besides protests supporting the Brotherhood, including traffic congestion and soccer games.

General Hisham Barakat, Egypt’s top prosecutor, has ordered that the journalists be held for 15 days for suspicions of spreading false news harmful to state security.  Further accusations allege the journalists set up a media network aimed at “tarnishing Egypt’s image abroad and harming its political position.”

Egyptian authorities arrested the journalists in a five-star hotel in Cairo, claiming they confiscated a number of cameras, microphones, computers, gas masks, cash, and statements that include incitement of student protests.

Concern for Mohamed Fahmy’s health has caused him to be moved from the city’s Torah Prison to a hospital facility.  His shoulder, which was already dislocated from a previous fall, was fractured when the journalists were transported to a Cairo police station for interrogation.

“He is in pain and sleeps on the floor in a maximum security prison which is bad for a broken shoulder,” stated Ragia Omran, a lawyer for the Cairo based Arab human Rights Institute.  Both Fahmy and Greste were expected to undergo further questioning today.

Several global media freedom organizations have joined the movement for the immediate and unconditional release of the journalists.  Those organizations include the Committee for Protection of Journalists, Reporters without Borders, and International News Safety Institute.

Al Jazeera’s Cairo offices have been stormed several times and a court order has barred its local affiliate from broadcasting in Egypt since September.

For more information, please see the following: 

Al Jazeera-Al Jazeera team still detained in Egypt-05 January 2014

Guardian-Arrested al-Jazeera journalist’s health causing concern, says Egyptian lawyer-01 January 2014

Washington Post-Egypt: Al-Jazeera journalists’ detention renewed-31 December 2013

BBC-Egypt crisis: Al-Jazeera journalists arrested in Cairo-30 December 2013