By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya – Earlier this month, smoke billowed from Benghazi’s Coptic church, but it had nothing to do with the coming of a new pope. A group of jihadist militants set the church on fire while the church’s priest was still inside. Some local Muslims rushed in to save the priest, but the church was successfully scorched. Do not expect the church to be resurrected this Easter, because currently any action that can be perceived to threaten Islamic culture is being met with plenty of hostility in Libya.

Hide your bibles, hide your faith, because the Islamic militants and Office of Preventive Security are getting every Christian. Whether a Coptic Christian or one of the Greek Orthodox faith, it has been recommended that you keep your Easter celebration low key. While many Muslims in Libya are very friendly with their Christian neighbors, others get very offended by anything non-Islamic.

Besides the burning of Benghazi’s Coptic church, there was a bombing of a Coptic church in Misrata killing two, and a shooting of a Greek Orthodox priest outside of his home. Additionally, at least fifty-one Christians, forty-nine of which were Copts, have been arrested. One of the Copts died while being held in detention. An evangelist warehouse was also raided, which resulted in the seizure of approximately fifty-five thousand Bibles and Christian tracts.

The surviving arrested Copts were released as a “diplomatic gesture.” Preventive security commander Abdul Salam Barghathi was amazed that the bibles were being printed in the city of Benghazi and that they were even being given to children.

The official causes of the arrests have come under charges of proselytizing and spreading Christian literature. Barghathi said that, “Libya is 100 per cent Muslim, we don’t have Christians and Jews, and nobody will accept any other religions.” He added that, “anything that comes from abroad can be an invasion against our ideas and our thoughts, which can be a danger to homeland security.”

Reverend Vasihar Baskaran of Tripoli’s Christ the King church stated that, “we usually celebrate [Easter] with pomp, but I said no. . .I thought it was better not to attract the attention of bad elements. I told the congregation: when the service is finished, don’t stand in the churchyard and drink tea on the church steps.”

An Egyptian Christian living in Benghazi, Meged Labib, said that she will have her Easter services in her home since her priest has ran back to Egypt.

For further information, please see:

Scotsman – Libyan Christians Spending Easter in Fear – 30 March 2013

Bloomberg – Libya’s Christians Tense as Easter Celebrations Commence – 29 March 2013

Guardian – Christians in Libya Braced for Easter Trouble from Islamists – 29 March 2013

Radio Vaticana – Libyan Christians Prepare for Holy Week Amid Persecution – 25 March 2013

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – It is not easy to be an Ahwazi Arab in Iran. Negative treatment in the arenas of education, employment, and culture have led many angered Ahwazis to demonstrate and some to call for separation. Iranian authorities have not appreciated such protests and have sentenced to death and killed a handful like Abd al-Rahman Heidarian, Taha Heidarian, and Jamshid Heidarian after an allegedly unfair trial. Five more men, Mohammad Ali Amouri, Hashem Sha’bani Amouri, Hadi Rashidi, Sayed Jaber Alboshoka, and Sayed Mokhtar Alboshoka have recently been sentenced to death after another highly questionable trial.

The Amouris, Alboshokas, and Rashidi, a few of which are teachers, all co-founded the cultural institute known as Al-Hiwar. The group organized conferences, poetry recitals, and arts and education classes before being banned in 2005. Since its ban, many former Al-Hiwar members have been arrested.

The five men have been charged under the vague claims of “enmity against God and corruption on Earth”, “gathering and colluding against state security”, and “spreading propaganda against the system.” These charges arise as of an alleged linkage between the men and a terrorist group who was involved in a shooting around Ramshir. Currently, no evidence was ever made public which showed any support of the allegations these five men faced. Additionally, their trials were held completely behind closed doors.

In an effort to protest their hunger strike and previous mistreatment while being detained in Karoun prison, the five men began a hunger strike. While being held, despite their requests, the men were denied medical examination and treatment. The need for treatment is believed to be as a means to treat injuries resulting from torture.

The torture was believed to be used to coerce confessions, false or true, out of the detained. These confessions are also often broadcast on television before a trial even begins. Such actions violate Article 38 of the Iranian Constitution and Article 9 of the Law on Respect for Legitimate Freedoms and Safeguarding Citizen’s Rights. The broadcasts violate trial obligations under Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party.

Hunger strikes often lead to negative publicity for the authoritarian regime which often has its hand forced to undo its previous action. To prevent that from happening, prison authorities banned the hunger striking Ahwazis from making or receiving phone calls. Eventually, families of the strikers were allowed to visit and were able to convince the detained men to begin drinking water again. Currently, they are still refusing to eat solid food.

For further information, please see:

Ahwaz News Agency – Profile of a Hero: Mohammad Ali Amouri – 28 March 2013

Guardian – Iranian Ahwazi Arabs on Hunger Strike Over Death Sentences -27 March 2013

Amnesty International – Urgent Action Dead row Ahwazi Arab men on Hunger Strike – 26 March 2013

Payvand Iran News – Iran: Death row Prisoners in Ahwaz Begin Hunger Strike – 9 March 2013

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

AMMAN, Jordan — Last Wednesday, Jordanian prosecutors charged five Al al-Bayt University students with incitement, for allegedly desecrating the Quran and engaging in acts of “devil worship.”  The students had been detained for fifteen days, since March 12, 2013, and were charged by prosecutors after Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Jordanian government to either charge or release them.  If convicted, the students could face up to three years in prison.  The students deny the accusation.

They were accused of ripping and burning Quran manuscripts while performing a “religious ritual” in a campus bathroom in the city of Mafraq.  Prior to being detained, the students were assaulted by a crowd of other students when rumors had spread about their involvement in the act.  A sister of one of the students claimed that a mob of 200 other  students had attacked the accused, which is comprised of her sister and four male students.

HRW released a statement from the students’ families, which said that “no evidence of criminal activity had been presented to the accused.”  HRW said that Jordanian authorities should actively do their best to protect the students and arrest anyone who allegedly attacked and threatened them.  “Jordanian authorities should release the five students and take steps to protect them from further attack,” said Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East Director at HRW.  “The authorities should hold to account anyone who joined in this witch hunt and committed acts of violence.  They should not be allowed to walk free while their victims are locked up.”

HRW also urged Jordanian authorities to investigate reported remarks that advocated the students’ deaths, such as those made by a well-known Salafi shaikh.  Salafists are an ultra-conservative group derived from the Sunni sect of Islam.  HRW believes that these remarks have sparked a chain reaction of Facebook messages by other university students calling for the death of their fellow students.  HRW says that such messages have “prompted fears for their safety and doubts about whether they will be able to complete their university studies in Jordan.”

International law, and Jordan’s treaty obligations as a member of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) requires Jordan to take reasonable steps in ensuring that the right to security for all people within Jordan is protected.  Jordan is also required to uphold the rights to freedom, expression and thought, conscience, and religion.  This establishes that it must not prosecute people who peacefully express their views, and must protect those who do from others who coercively try to curb their expressions of opinion and religious belief.

Al-Rai, a Jordanian newspaper, reported that the president of the university had established an investigative committee to determine the truth as to whether the students were involved in “throwing manuscripts of the Quran in the toilets.”  The head of the investigative committee informed a news website, Kharbani, that it could not find any evidence that the students had committed such acts, and also said that none of the statements against them were based on first-hand evidence.

For further information, please see:

Al Bawaba — Jordan Charges Students With Incitement After Claims of “Devil Worship” — 27 March 2013

The Raw Story — Jordan Charges Students With ‘Devil Worship’ — 27 March 2013

Al Jazeera — Jordan Urged to Free ‘Devil Worship’ Students — 26 March 2013

Human Rights Watch — Jordan: Students Accused of ‘Devil Worship’ — 26 March 2013