By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt –  A day before the film, The Jews of Egypt, was set to open in Egypt, it was banned by an Egyptian security agency. The film captures the lives of the sixty-five thousand some Jews who lived in Egypt prior to the bad blood that developed between Israel and Egypt during the late nineteen-fifties.

Producer of the documentary, Haytham el-Khamissy, has been very disappointed by this recent development. He claims that there is “no excuse for this except delay and obstruction,” and that the Egyptian security agencies seek to “terrorise thought and repress creativity.” Khamissy and director Amir Ramses’ anger is directed at multiple agencies including the culture ministry, the Supreme Council for Culture and the General Censorship Authority, as long as the interior ministry and the National Security apparatus.

The film had been cleared twice by the state’s official censorship body. Its script was approved back in 2010. Later, before it was viewed at film festivals it was granted a screening license by the same censorship body.

The Jews of Egypt was already viewed at the Panorama and Palm Springs International film festivals in Egypt last year. Additionally, it had been aired at festivals in the United States.

The documentary purports to show a heterogeneous society that got along really well together, without many problems. It begs the question in the mind of director Amir Ramses of “how did the Jews of Egypt turn in the eyes of Egyptians from partners in the same country to enemies.”

Because of tension that developed as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the creation of Israel as an independent home for Jews in nineteen-forty-eight, very few Jews remained in Egypt. Today, Jewish temples in Egypt are filled mainly with tourists.

The movie was set to open in three different venues before it was banned by local censors. The local censors took their actions after a security agency pre-viewed the documentary, on censorship committee director Abd El-Satar Fathi’s request. Fathi alleges that he never put the kibosh on the film, and that he has “supported the film all along.”

One possible reason that the film’s official premiere was delayed was because there was a fear that the documentary’s title could stir a commotion. This concern developed after Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam El-Erian’s controversially declared that all Israeli’s of Egyptian descent should come back to Egypt.

If the ban on the film is not soon lifted, its producer may take legal action against all relevant ministries. He will do so if he deems that the documentary’s delay has caused economic loss.

For further information, please see:

Guardian – Egypt Bans Film About Jewish Community – 13 March 2013

World Jewish Congress – Egyptian Authorities Stop Cinema Documentary on Jews – 13 March 2013

Abram – Egypt Security Apparatus Delays ‘Jews of Egypt’ Premiere: Producer – 12 March 2013

New York Times – Egypt: Film on Egyptian Jews is Blocked – 12 March 2013

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Recently, Saudi Arabia has been under a lot of heat for the amount of people it has been executing under capital punishment. The most common method used in Saudi Arabia for executions has been that of beheading by swordsmen. Saudi Arabian authorities finally seem ready to retire the traditional Sharia technique.

Those beheaded last year were convicted for the capital crimes of armed robbery, drug smuggling, murder, rape, sorcery, and witchcraft. International human rights group, Amnesty International, opposes the administration of death sentences for the commission of any crime.

Those still contemplating committing witchcraft anytime soon should know that they will still be executed for a capital crime. Instead of being killed by a beheading, a sorcerer will be executed by firing squad.

The switch has nothing to do with the Saudis seeing beheadings as antiquated. The real reason why the ministerial committee of the interior has decided to potentially cease beheadings is because there is a shortage of swordsmen. Swordsmen are largely unavailable in a number of areas in Saudi Arabia. This shortage leads to swordsmen needing to often travel great distances in order to perform executions. When such travels are necessary, executions are often delayed. They are simply impractical.

Saudi Arabia is currently the only country which still beheads criminals in public by sword. Executions by beheading has always been seen as the proper technique under the Koran to punish a person who committed a capital offense since medieval times. Death by the gunfire of a firing squad has also been deemed to be consistent with Sharia law. Though they have been more uncommon, such executions have occurred before and are not considered to be a religious violation.

The manner in which an individual, sentenced by a judge to death, will be killed will ultimately come down to the discretion of a local governor or prince. So far seventeen individuals have been executed this year. At least fifteen of those seventeen were beheaded. The seventeen people already killed this year represent a great increase in the rate of individuals executed, after just eighty individuals were killed a year for the past two years.

For further information, please see:

Arabian Business – Saudi Could Replace Beheading with Firing Squad – 11 March 2013

Guardian – Saudi Shortage of Swordsmen Prompts Approval of Executions by Firing Squad – 11 March 2013

New York Times – Saudis Consider Firing Squads for Executions – 10 March 2013

Global Dispatch – Amnesty International Calls for Saudi Arabia to Stop Beheading ‘Nearly two People a Week’ – 12 February 2013

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East 

AMMAN, Jordan — For the first time in Jordan’s history, its Prime Minister was appointed under a recommendation by Parliament.  Previously, the position was decided by King Abdullah II.

 

Under the new process, Ensour was selected by the king after Parliament put forward two names to him last Saturday.  King Abdullah II then selected Ensour, who collected the most votes in Parliament.  King Abdullah II heralded the elections, the Parliament, its new found involvement in selecting a prime minister, and the significant step Jordan took in creating a more participatory political system.

Prime Minister-designate, Abdullah Ensour retains the position after having been selected by King Abdullah II earlier as a “caretaker Prime Minister.”  Ensour was originally selected by the king because of he believed that Ensour would reform for the government and quell the tensions of the Jordanian people that were sparked by the Arab Spring, rigged elections and a government that was said to be corrupt.

However, since October, Ensour saw his popularity drop significantly.  Originally expecting to retire from politics and receive a hefty pay-out, he will now have the opportunity to continue making reforms to a government that he criticized when he was a member of the opposition.  In November, Ensour’s government raised gas prices as part of an economic plan necessary to instill so Jordan could receive a loan from the International Monetary Fund.  The move set off street riots and demonstrations throughout Jordan.  Critics believe that Ensour’s government will continue to raise prices in an effort to revive the Jordan’s economy, one of the poorest countries in the Middle East.  Critics believe that these actions will lead to more street protests.  “There was an opportunity to restore some trust in government. We missed that chance,” said Hassan Barari, an independent economist and commentator, of the election. “We were a divided society before the elections.”

Ensour is expected to name his new cabinet in the coming days.  The king will then swear the new cabinet in and Parliament will install it with its vote of confidence.  In a letter to Ensour, written by King Abdullah II, he requested Ensour and his incoming cabinet to “pursue further liberalization and decentralization,” without mentioning specific issues.  In his letter, the king mentioned that the cabinet should focus on targeting government bureaucracy, which has been marred with nepotism, corruption, and inefficiency. “We also want a white revolution in the public sector to improve its performance and skills, ensure transparency and better service to citizens…”

For further information, please see:

Al Bawaba — Same old PM Marks Radical Change for Jordan — 10 March 2013

Jordan Times — PM-Desigante Enters Talks with MPs over Cabinet Make-Up — 10 March 2013

Wall Street Journal — Jordan Appoints New Prime Minister — 10 March 2013

Al Jazeera — Jordan’s Parliament Chooses PM for First Time — 9 March 2013

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Human Rights Watch has just released a report criticizing the United Arab Emirates for their treatment of ninety-four detainees. The poor treatment has impacted the detainees health and may have a further detriment to the administration of their justice.

The defendant detainees reported serious mistreatment. They had reported being held in solitary confinement for extended periods of time. Additionally, they faced constant exposure to fluorescent lights, which served to deprive them asleep. Furthermore, they were subjected to inadequate heating, and “hooding and blindfolding” whenever they were transported. Other detainees even reported being punched repeatedly and denied medical care.

The ninety-four detainees are all being held on state security charges of attempting to overthrow the government. The group of defendants included academics, doctors, lawyers, and judges who were believed to have developed a covert network to raise money in order to stage a coup. The ninety-four detainees are allegedly members of the Islamist group al-Islah and have supposed ties to the Muslim Brotherhood who were allegedly providing knowledge and money for the coup.

Attorney General Salem Saeed Kubaish has said that, “they launched, established and ran an organisation seeking to oppose the basic principles of the UAE system of governance and to seize power.”

Eighty-four of which were marshaled into court to make their pleas. All eighty-four pleaded not guilty. Twelve of these eighty-four individuals were women. The charges were largely based on two confessions that were allegedly extorted under duress of two of the detainees.

Ahmed al-Suweidi, one of the two men who had previously confessed, proclaimed his innocence and begged to the court that, “I know that what I’m going say may cost my life, but I deny the charges and I ask the court to protect my life and the life of my family.” There is a serious fear amongst human rights groups that these detainees are not given the opportunity to receive a fair trial. Evidence cannot be utilized that was manufactured under duress.

The UAE authorities kept a bunch of journalists and other international spectators from entering the courtroom. Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, Sarah Leah Whitson astutely observed that “The UAE authorities seem intent on keeping this trial as much under wraps as they can.”

The prosecutors are due to introduce their first witnesses when the trial continues on March 18th.

For further information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – UAE: Ensure Safety of 94 on Trial – 11 March 2013

NPR – Rights Group: UAE Must Investigate Torture Claims – 11 March 2013

CNN – Trials of 94 Detainees Accused of Plotting to Overthrow Government Start in UAE – 5 March 2013

Al Akhbar – 94 Defendants Plead ‘not Guilty’ of Attempted Coup in UAE Trial – 4 March 2013

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt  – The death sentences for twenty-one individuals deemed responsible for the February football riots of last year have been upheld. Twenty-four others, including two police officers were sentenced to jail, while twenty-eight others were acquitted. The court’s ruling was televised throughout Egypt, and was met by much protest.

The football riots occurred in Port Said during February 2012 when the local Al-Masry squad was taking on Cairo’s out-of-town, Al-Ahly. When the game ended, a majority of Al-Masry supporters stormed the pitch, while the police locked the stadium gates, turned off the electricity, and kept away from the violence. Many who tried to escape the stadium were trampled in the process. Seventy-four people died as a result of the riots. Most of the deceased were supporters of Al-Ahly.

After the verdict was announced, hundreds of Al-Masry supporters congregated outside of the local government headquarters of Port Said calling for independence. Football fan Mohamed Ataya said that, “what we need now is to separate from the rest of the country,” after describing how his friend was given jail time for “helping to carry the dead outside the stadium.” Others thought the towns inhabitants were “scapegoated” in the verdict, and yearned for the military enforced curfew to be removed.

Many in Port Said attacked the Egyptian Football Federation and set it ablaze. Others in Port Said released docked speedboats in an effort to block the Suez canal before the military intervened. There has been only one reported death so far.

The police of Port Said locked themselves in the safety of their station. Since the trial began a month ago, at least fifty people have died. Most of these deaths have come as a result of police gunfire. Police forces in ten of Egypt’s twenty-nine provinces have gone on strike to demonstrate against President Morsi’s use of the police in quashing protesters.

In Cairo, supporters of Al-Ahly rejoiced upon first hearing of the court’s result, but then quickly became angered. While they initially were happy that more Al-Masry supporters were sentenced, they were enraged that only two out of the nine police officers, who were charged, ended up convicted. Many believe that the police’s actions in locking the gates and turning off the lights contributed tremendously to the deaths of those seventy four individuals.

Many Al-Ahly supporters attempted to block Cairo’s important October Bridge. Two other protesters were killed in Cairo by police. One died after inhaling tear gas while the other’s life was taken by bird shot. These deaths are said to have been unrelated to the football trial.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Deadly Egypt Riots Follow Football Verdicts – 9 March 2013

BBC – Unrest in Egypt Over Port Said Football Riot Sentences – 9 March 2013

Guardian – Egyptian Court Confirms Death Sentences for Port Said Football Rioters – 9 March 2013

Daily Star Lebanon – Clashes in Egypt Port Said as Police Move Prisoners – 3 March 2013