The Middle East

Ali Abdulemam Resurfaces in UK

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrian – Bahraini human rights blogger and free speech activist, Ali Abdulemam, who had gone missing for two years has finally resurfaced in the UK. He will reunite with his wife and daughters who he has not seen or spoke to since his escape from Bahrain, and is set to speak next week at the Oslo Freedom Forum.

Ali Abdulemam, founder of Bahrain Online, has made it to the UK after spending the past two years in hiding. (Photo Courtesy of the Guardian)

Since the inception of pro-democratic demonstrations in Bahrain in 2011, the Bahraini government has sought to control the media. The media paints a picture of human rights activists as criminals attempting to subvert the state. The 2002 Press Law allows the state to incarcerate journalists who are found to have criticize the religion of Islam, the king, or who have been deemed to have threatened national security.

Back in March 2011, Abdulemam’s home was raided by security forces, however, Abdulemam was not home and has not been home since. He was able to escape Bahrain while being hidden in a secret compartment of a car and was brought to Saudi Arabia , Kuwait, and Iraq before finding his way to the UK.

While Abdulemam was missing he was tried in absentia and found guilty by a a military court for “plotting a coup.” He was then given a fifteen year sentence.

Abdulemam’s activist activity dates back to at least 1998 when he created the web blog, Bahrain Online, for individuals to have a place to discuss the government. Back then, Abdulemam was using a psyuedonym. He eventually began using his real name because he wanted people to know that a real person was behind the posts.

Once his name was known, it was not long until him and other Bahrain Online bloggers were arrested on charges of inciting hatred against the regime and publishing false information. He was only held for seventeen days back in 2005 when he was released. The detention did not deter Abdulemam, but inspired him with purpose.

Abdulemam was not arrested again until 2010 when he and twenty-two other rights activists were detained and accused with having ties to a London-basd terror network whose aim was to bring down the state. Before he was tried for those allegations, he was given no notice of the charges against him and was not permitted to have a lawyer.

As a result, he was detained for another five and a half months before being released. During those months, Abdulemam claimed that he was beaten, insulted, and made to sign false confessions.

As soon as Abdulemam was released, he joined the protest movement that was going on at Manama’s Pearl Roundabout. Martial law was invoked to deal with the demonstrations, and Abdulemam fled the country before he could be detained again.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Missing Bahraini Blogger Surfaces in London – 10 May 2013

Atlantic – Escape From Bahrain: Ali Abdulemam is Free – 10 May 2013

Guardian – Bahrain Online Founder Ali Abdulemam Breaks Silence After Escape to UK – 10 May 2013

Voice of Bahrain – The 10 Worst Countries for Journalists – 6 May 2013

Syrian Rebels May Have Used Sarin Gas

By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – Carla Del Ponte of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria stated in an interview on Swiss TV that Syrian rebels may have used sarin, a chemical nerve gas, in skirmishes with the Syrian army.

Carla Del Ponte. (Photo Courtesy of AFP)

Sarin gas is capable of causing respiratory arrest and death.  It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction and banned under international law.

Del Ponte reported the Commission received “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof” that rebels used the chemical agent.  She explained that the information came from testimony by doctors and victims from neighboring countries.  The testimony revealed that the victims’ treatments were compatible with methods used to treat injuries from the use of sarin.

The Commission was appointed in 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate war crimes in Syria.  It has little access within Syria, but conducted extensive investigations and gathered testimony from individuals in many neighboring countries.

Since Del Ponte’s statement Sunday night, the Commission has downplayed the comment.  Paulo Sergio Pinheiro clarified on Monday that the Commission has not yet reached any conclusive results.  He declined to comment any further on the allegations, but stated that the Commission would report its findings on the subject to the Human Rights Council on June 3rd.

The statement followed reports issued last week by the US and UK that claimed an investigation found evidence the Syrian government forces used sarin against rebels.  The reports said investigations revealed “compelling” evidence that Bashar al-Assad’s loyal army used the gas, but required incontrovertible proof in order to request UN intervention.

The US responded to Del Ponte’s statement on Monday.  White House spokesman Jay Carney stated that the US is “highly skeptical” of her remarks.  The US contends that any use of sarin gas likely came from al-Assad’s army.

Both the Syrian government and the rebels accused each other of using sarin.  The government denied allegations from the US and UK reports.  The government claimed that the opposition is attempting to frame the Syrian army.  Both sides assert that the other used chemical weapons on three separate occasions near Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs.

 

For further information, please see:

BBC – UN commission downplays claim Syria rebels used sarin – 6 May 2013

CBS – W.H. on Syrian sarin gas claim: Look to regime, not rebels – 6 May 2013

Guardian – US casts doubts on claim Syrian rebels may have used sarin gas – 6 May 2013

VOA – UN Panel: No Proof of Syria Nerve Gas Claim – 6 May 2013

Yahoo – U.N. has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator – 6 May 2013

Lebanon Registers its First Civil Marriage

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon — On April 25, history was made in Lebanon, when the Lebanese Ministry Interior registered the marriage contract of Kholud Succariyeh, a Sunni Muslim, and Nidal Darwishon, a Shia Muslim.  The registration of their contract was regarded as the first civil marriage contract “made in Lebanon.”

The registration of Sukkarieh and Darwish’s wedding is seen as an accomplishment by human rights groups. (Photo Courtesy of Al-Monitor)

Prior to then, Lebanon, a country with more than eighteen different religious sects, had no institutional civil marriage.  The contract was finally registered after a year-long campaign took place in the country to grant such unions.  Institutional civil marriages were banned in Lebanon since 1936, when a French mandate granted religious communities to govern personal matters, also governing marriage.

Just over four months ago,  Succariyeh and Darwishon initiated their campaign to promote institutionalized civil unions to the Lebanese government.  Religious clerics attempted to prevent their marriage, who, on January 28, 2013, issued a fatwa saying: “Every Muslim official, whether a deputy or a minister, who supports the legalization of civil marriage, even if it is optional, is an apostate and outside the Islamic religion.  [Such officials] would not be washed, not be wrapped in a [burial] shroud, would not have prayers for their soul in line with Islamic rules, and would not be buried in a Muslim cemetery.”

After Succariyeh and Darwishon’s union was registered, religious activists quickly denounced the move.  Sheikh Sharif Tutayo of the Islamic Labor Front , considered the Interior Ministry’s approval a “blatant defiance of Islamic and Christian religious references.”

Regardless of the outspoken criticism by clerics and politicians, the couple garnered support for their cause by many public figures, including President Michel Sleiman.  Sleiman even took to Twitter to support the two on their marriage.

Lebanese law never prevented Succariyeh and Darwishon from the registration of their marriage, but since religious communities are in charge of governing the marriage, a legal problem may arise in terms what party or sect will govern the couple’s affairs with regards to inheritance, adoption, and divorce.  Lebanese spouses that come from different sects typically chose to marry outside of Lebanon, and later register their marriage with Lebanese authorities.  Therefore, when conflicts arose, Lebanese courts would settle disputes by applying the personal status law of the country they were married in.

Darwish said of the registration, that it was “the first victory for the civil state in Lebanon, the state we all dream of.”  Sukkarieh added that, “this is Lebanon’s first historic step towards institutionalizing civil marriage.”  Sukkarieh and Darwish’s marriage registration might seem like a small step for a secular Lebanon, but advocates believe it had a major impact.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Lebanon Civil Marriage Raises Hope for Change — 2 May 2013

The Voice of Russia — Lebanon’s First Civil Marriage Registered — 30 April 2013

The Daily Star — Qortbawi Lauds Charbel for Civil Marriage Move — 27 April 2013

Al Arabiya — Lebanon’s First Civil Marriage Registered, Agency says  — 25 April 2013

Al-Monitor — Lebanon’s First Civil Marriage A Sign of Change — 25 April 2013

Too Sexy for Saudi Arabia…Milan, New York, and Japan yet to Weigh in

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The treatment of women in Saudi Arabia has long been a concern of many human rights activists. Each woman is assigned to a relative male guardian who basically controls where and if a woman can travel, whether she can go to university, or work. Women are also required to wear an abaya (full length, loose fitting cloak) in public, and often wear niqabs (facial veil) as well.

Omar Borkan al-Gala, and likely the other two men pictured above, were the three men recently deported from Saudi Arabia for being “too handsome,” and a threat to Saudi women. (Photo Courtesy of Welcome 2 Cali)

One rationale for wearing a niqab is to hide the beauty of the woman’s face as to not tempt other males. Saudi Arabia recognizes polygamy as legal and permitted by Sharia law. That ultimately means that a man can have dominion over a whole flock of women. These women are often made to wear niqabs so that no man is tempted to lead one of a man’s many wives astray from the nest.

Get out of town . . . Seriously, get out of town

Despite the male dominated controls aimed at preventing any possibility of the apparent second class from committing infidelities, there are some external factors that are generally uncontrolled for. One of such factors is the irresistible impact a dashing young United Arab Emirates man can have on the minds and bodies of Saudi women.

That is why three Emirati men were recently kicked out of a festival in Saudi Arabia and deported back to Abu Dhabi. The mutawwa, Saudi religious police, deemed that the three men, including actor Omar Borkan al-Gala, were “too handsome” to stay in the country because their looks may cause women to be attracted and fall for them.

Previously, I have seen Middle Eastern regimes punish individuals for peacefully congregating to protest in violation of a freedom to express and assemble. I have seen similar punishments for criticisms of regimes over the internet in violation of a freedom of expression. Women have also been detained for attempting to enter or leave Saudi Arabia without a male guardian in violation of a freedom of movement.

Never before though have I seen a person be punished for simply being too good looking. Discrimination based on one’s appearance, generally because of race or gender, is perhaps the most insidious type of discrimination. This specific discrimination, while not quite as insidious, is still nonetheless a problem, although perhaps not the worst problem to have.

Actor Omar Borkan al-Gala. (Photo Courtesy of the New York Daily News)

Many wonder, some seriously and some jokingly, why the authorities did not just order the three men to wear facial veils themselves, instead of forcing them to leave the country.

Others are calling their deportations the most jealous, insecure move an authoritarian monarchy could potentially make.

This also marks the first time someone was told that it should be a crime to have such a face, that it was meant as a compliment, and literally considered a crime.

For further information, please see:

JD Journal – Omar Borkan Al Gala Deported by Saudi Arabian Religious Police for Being ‘Too Handsome’ – 26 April 2013

New York Daily News – Was This Hottie Deported from Saudi Arabia for Being ‘too Handsome’? – 25 April 2013

Time – Saudi Arabia Reportedly Deports men for Being ‘Too Handsome’ – 17 April 2013

Arabian Business – UAE men ‘too Handsome’ for Saudi Festival – 16 April 2013

Car Bomb Explodes Outside French Embassy in Libya

By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya – A car bomb exploded outside the French embassy in Tripoli on Tuesday morning, injuring two French guards and multiple local residents.

Remains of the exploded car in Tripoli. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

The bomb exploded directly in front of the embassy in al-Andalus, a small, residential neighborhood in Tripoli.  The blast demolished nearly half of the building, including the embassy’s front wall and first-floor reception area.  The explosion also damaged many local business shops and homes as well.  No casualties have been reported, but one 13-year-old local girl sustained a spinal injury was transported to a hospital in Tunisia for treatment.

The French Foreign Ministry immediately condemned the attack.  French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stated that the French and Libyan governments are working in conjunction “to ensure that all light be shed on the circumstances of this heinous act and its perpetrators quickly identified.”  The authorities initiated a criminal investigation to determine the source and motivation for the attack.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack as of yet.  However, Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz characterized the attack as a “terrorist act.”  The Libyan government suspected that it was planned by a militant Islamic group in retaliation for French intervention in northern Mali.

French troops entered Mali in January to help prevent a hardline Islamist government takeover.  Some Islamist militant groups believe France initiated the intervention in an attempt to reestablish control over its former colony.

French President Francois Hollande issued a separate statement, claiming that the bombing constitutes an attack against “all the countries of the international community engaged in the struggle against terrorism.”

Though the attack came as a surprise to most, some believe that the embassy was a likely target for such an attack.  One local resident remarked, “It was a big mistake to cite the French embassy in our neighborhood.”  Others locals claimed there was inadequate policing around the facility, as well.

This was the first major attack in the Libyan capital since 2011 during the revolution that overthrew Muammar al-Gaddafi.  However, the bombing revived memories of the attack on the United States consulate in Benghazi last September, in which four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens perished.

 

For further information, please see:

BBC – Tripoli: French embassy in Libya hit by car bomb – 23 April 2013

CNN – Car bomb explodes outside French embassy in Tripoli; 2 guards, girl injured – 23 April 2013

New York Times – Car Explodes Outside French Embassy in Libya – 23 April 2013

The Guardian – Libya bomb attack hits French embassy in Tripoli – 23 April 2013