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Palestinian Protest Camp Dismantled by Israeli Security Forces

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel — Last Sunday, Israeli security forces dismantled a Palestinian protest camp that was constructed during President Obama’s recent visit to Israel in protest to the expansion of settlements in the controversial site known as E-1, a corridor that connects the West Bank with East Jerusalem.

Around 50 demonstrators were released by Israeli forces in the Palestinian controlled portion of the West Bank, while four others were questioned in an Israeli police station. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that, just before dawn, around 200 Israeli officers removed some 40 demonstrators from the camp.  Police said that no weapons were used, and  that they were deployed to the area after activists refused to leave.  Forces arrested four people, including two women charged with violating military orders and resisting arrest.  Also among the arrested was the event organizer, Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouti.  Arrestees were taken to Maale Adumim Police Station and were later released on bail.  Barghouti said that around 50 other protesters were placed on a bus and later released in the Palestinian-controlled portion of the West Bank.

Dubbed “Ahfad Younis,” the camp was pitched last Wednesday on a hill adjacent to another camp site known as Bab al-Shams, which was erected earlier this year before eventually being taken down by security forces on the grounds of “public disorder.”  The camps are an attempt to draw attention to Israeli plans to expand settlements into the controversial E-1 corridor.  Critics of the expansion say that the plan to build 3,500 housing units in E-1 would “cut off the northern part of the West Bank from the south, and would leave Palestinian areas of Jerusalem surrounded by a chain of Jewish ones, threatening the vulnerability of a future Palestinian state.”

Similar encampments have sprouted throughout the region, but were taken down quickly by security forces.

During his visit to Israel, Obama acknowledged that the expansion into E-1 would be “particularly problematic.”  “Israelis must recognize that continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace, that an independent Palestine must be viable with real borders that have to be drawn,” said Obama in a speech to students in Jerusalem last Thursday.

The international community itself has urged Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his government to reconsider the expansion.  Early in Obama’s first term, Netanyahu agreed to a ten-month slow down.  Talks then resumed briefly in 2010.  Afterwards, talks went stale as Netanyahu refused to extend the slowdown and construction continued.  Palestinians might increase their efforts for international recognition if Israel continues to construct settlements in the West Bank.  “We have to focus on the steadfastness of our people, and we have 63 international agencies we can join,” said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, referring to the Palestinian plan for international recognition.

For further information, please see:

Al Bawaba — Israel Dismantles Palestinian ‘Bab al-Shams’ Protest Camp — 24 March 2013

Al Jazeera — Israel Dismantles Palestinian Protest Camp — 24 March 2013

Haaretz — Israel Dismantles Palestinian Tent City Built at Start of Obama Visit — 24 March 2013

San Francisco Chronicle — Palestinians Cool to Partial Settlement Freeze — 24 March 2013

SNHR: More Than 80,000 Killed Since Uprising Against Bashar Al-Assad

More than 80,000 people have been killed since Syria’s uprising against Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, according to a statistic made by SNHR ( Syrian Network for Human Rights )

The revolution victims has been documented carefully by name , date and location of death , verified by photo or video , and all circumstances surrounding their death

The UN commissioned reports for documentation the killing in Syria , depends on SNHR as one of the most important sources of information at all , because of the  high credibility and semi-permanent communication between SNHR and Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights

SNHR doesn’t issue any statistical without supplying files contain very precise details of each death case fully identified by the name of the victim , as well as the date and location of death

Since Syria’s uprising began in March 2011 to10-3-2013 , SNHR documented at least killing of 80159 people, including :

7783 Children

7045 Women

2189 tortured to death

7483 armed rebels

(On the following link to the official website of SNHR , you can find all names and details of the victims )

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9Bj18tlYYKBQ0lSb1VXTTI1OVE/edit

Proportion of  women and children to the total number of victims accounted as follows :

80195 ÷ ( 7783+7045) = 5,4

Targeting women and children is one of the international standards to identify the percentage of targeting civilians in wars. This percentage should not exceed 2%, but in the Syrian case, it reached 5.4%, The Syrian government exceeded twice the recognized percentage in wars , and in other months exceeded three times , which is a strict evidence of targeting civilians by Alassad troops

Distribution of recorded death by Syrian Province :

Damascus and countryside : 16111

Homs : 14331

Aleppo : 10769

Idlib : 10538

Daraa : 7169

Hama : 6386

Dier Alzoor : 5463

Damascus : 5112

Lattakia : 1473

Raqqa : 836

Al -Hasaka : 569

Another nationalities ( mostly Palestinian live in Syrian ) : 565

Quneitra : 558

Tartous 338

Swaidaa : 121

It is significant to mention that if we could work freely and move around without prosecutions the actual number will be more than that in thousands , we couldn’t document hundred of massacres and killing cases for many reasons including procedures repeatedly and systematically made by Alassad troops like communications disconnect and blockade  areas for many days , not to mention that the cases like family buried the victims in mass graves as a fear of spread diseases and epidemics  .

All of that because the Syrian government has prevented any of the human right organization to perform their duty on its territory

SNHR doesn’t document Alassad troops murders of Shabiha , security , military and intelligence loyal to Alassad for lack of mechanism to verify them , cause of the ban practiced by the government on SNHR and arresting its members

We have tried repeatedly to communicate with some families of the victims , they reply with abuse , insults and accusations of treason

Results and Recommendations:

Alassad troops with its act of killing systematically more than 80000 Syrian citizens committed thousands of crimes against humanity and war crimes according to articles 7 and 8 of ROME STATUE OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT,

Murder;

(b)     Extermination;

(c)     Enslavement;

(d)     Deportation or forcible transfer of population;

(e)     Imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law;

(f)     Torture;

(g)     Rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity;

(h)     Persecution against any identifiable group or collectivity on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender as defined in paragraph 3, or other grounds that are universally recognized as impermissible under international law, in connection with any act referred to in this paragraph or any crime within the jurisdiction of the Court;

(i)     Enforced disappearance of persons;

(j)     The crime of apartheid;

(k)     Other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.

1-      2- Crimes against humanity , according to article 8 War Crimes of ROME STATUE OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT :

a)     Grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, namely, any of the following acts against persons or property protected under the provisions of the relevant Geneva Convention:

(i)  Willful killing;

(ii)     Torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments;

(iii)     Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health;

(iv)     Extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly;

(v)     Compelling a prisoner of war or other protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile Power;

(vi)  Willfully depriving a prisoner of war or other protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial;

(vii)     Unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement;

b)     xxii)     Committing rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, as defined in article 7, paragraph 2 (f), enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence also constituting a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions;

Therefore We demand the Security Council and the United Nations and Member States to work at a maximum speed to take all safety procedures for protecting  to protect civilians in Syria, and they are taking responsibility with the Syrian regime in droop for supporting Syrian people and the protection of civilians   ,where they have to comply with the responsibility of ethical, legal and accelerate steps toward reference all those involved in the those massacres to the international Criminal Court.

On the other hand, there are groups of armed rebels committed war crimes condemned in the strongest terms and have been recorded and documented and will be prosecuted criminals and offenders who committed, but remain within the framework of individual attacks unsystematic and non-extensive as we did not record single incident indicates a partisan political or ideological or sectarian or tribal attack

The SNHR holds Bashar Alassad as the Syrian president and the commander of the Armed forces , the hole responsibility of all acts of murders , torture and massacres that have occurred in Syria.

Assad is primarily responsible for ordering these acts, and we consider all officials of the Syrian government , which leads the security and  army operations as a direct partner of this crimes , and  the same for the Iranian government and Hezbullah participate actively killings and holds them legal judiciary and responsibility , as well as all financiers and supporters of the system and who is committing massacres an almost unstopped daily basis, systematic in day or night, and we hold them all reactions and consequences, and that may be issued from the Syrian people, especially relatives of the martyrs and their families .

Malian Media Strikes Following Editor’s Arrest

By Hannah Stewart
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BAMAKO, Mali — Mali’s private media launched a news strike after an editor was arrested for publishing a letter about the substandard conditions of Malian soldiers fighting Islamist militants in the north.

Man selects one of the 40 newspaper titles typically published each week in Bamako. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Agents from Mali’s intelligence service arrested Boukary Daou, editor-in-chief of Le Republican newspaper, and took him from his home on March 6.  This followed soon after his newspaper published a letter from an army officer denouncing Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo’s recently-decreed salary of $8,000 per month.

Sanogo’s salary is incredibly high salary for anyone in the impoverished country.  The letter contends that the salary — as much as 26 times what Sanogo earned before last year’s coup — serves as an incentive for future coups.

The letter further threatened that if Sanogo’s salary is not reduced, soldiers deployed in northern Mali’s will refuse to fight.  Currently, the average salary of an enlisted soldier is just $100 a month, which is 80 times less than what Sanogo’s salary.

Sanogo seized power a year ago last March.  Just weeks later, he was forced to relinquish control due to international sanctions.  Sanogo managed to negotiate a “golden parachute” before resigning, including the salary of an ex-head of state.  Despite officially stepping down, many observers contend that Sanogo continues to pull the strings in government, as Daou’s arrest evidences.

President Dioncounda Traore spoke to reporters at a stop in Dakar, Senegal, and defended his administration’s decision to arrest Daou.  President Traore assured reporters that if Daou is innocent that he will be freed.  Moreover, President Traore condemned the letter published in Le Republican as subversive and aimed to demoralize the nation’s troops during wartime.

Sources in the capital of Bamako, say that approximately 40 periodicals are published weekly; however, none appeared on newsstands on Tuesday morning.  Furthermore, the 16 local private FM radio stations are either silent or only playing music.

According to a statement from the country’s press association, the media strike “will continue until Boukary Daou is freed.”

“Mali is in a state of emergency.  We all need to remember this.  We are in a state of war, and we cannot allow this kind of thing,” President Traore said.  “If he is guilty, he will need to answer to the courts.  If he is not, there’s no reason he’ll be kept in prison.”

Following Sanogo’s coup last year, various rebel groups allied with al-Qaeda forces in northern Mali have sent the the country and the region careening into crisis.  Since January, French troops have joined with Malian and regional soldiers to push back against the northern rebels.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Mali Media Strike Over Editor Boukary Daou’s Arrest – 12 March 2013

Bloomberg – Media in Mali Protest Journalist’s Arrest with National Strike – 12 March 2013

Financial Times – Mali Media Strike Against Editor’s Arrest – 12 March 2013

NPR – Mali Media Outlets Go Silent Over Editor’s Arrest – 12 March 2013

Bemba’s War Crimes Trial Resumes

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The hearings in The International Criminal Court (ICC) trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba will resume on Monday, February 25.

Jean-Pierre Bemba is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes related to the conflict in the Central African Republic from 2002 to 2003. (Photo courtesy of RNW/ANP/EPA)

Bemba, the former leader of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo, was charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes and has been in ICC custody since 2008. Bemba was accused of failing to stop his troops from committing mass rape, murder, and pillage during the 2002-2003 conflict in the Central African Republic.

ICC judges ordered a temporary suspension to the hearings last December until March 4, 2013. The suspension was necessary to allow Bemba’s lawyers to prepare additional evidence in light of a possible “legal re-characterization” of the charges.

Last year, the defense counsel argued that a possible modification of the charges will be prejudicial to their client unless the court gives them an extension. According to Bemba’s lawyers, changing the charges will require them to prepare additional evidence which they may not be able to carry out due to lack of resources, insufficient time, and lack of “valid, prompt and legally adequate notification” by the judges. Thus, on December 13, 2012, ICC Judges Sylvia Steiner, Joyce Aluoch, and Kuniko Ozaki issued a temporary suspension order in Bemba’s favor invoking the court’s power to “suspend [a] hearing and ensure that the participants have adequate time and facilities for effective preparation”.

On February 6, the ICC judges lifted the suspension and scheduled Witness D04-19 to testify via video link. However, the defense filed a request to be present at the actual location of Witness D04-19 which the prosecution opposed.

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda contended that the presence of defense lawyers at the location where the witness would give evidence from was “unnecessary” and would “provide a distinct advantage to the defense during questioning.”

“Without knowing the defense’s particular justification, it is difficult to imagine any good reason to depart from this [common] procedure and allow the defense to be present with the witness while the prosecution and the chamber remain in The Hague,” said Bensouda.

Bensouda also argued that the ICC judges’ power to control and oversee the proceedings would be “diminished” if they allowed the defense’s request. According to her, they will not be able to monitor “the events between the defense team and the witness that might occur off-camera.”

In their February 15 ruling, the judges sided with the prosecution stating that “it is not necessary for members of the defense team to be authorized to question the witness from the location of the video-link.” The ICC judges also explained that it has been common practice in The Hague to place video link witnesses in a remote location unknown to both parties.

 

For further information, please see:

All Africa – Congo-Kinshasa: Bemba Trial to Resume Monday With Protected Defence Witness – 21 February 2013

Zapaday – ICC resumes trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba early following defense request – 20 February 2013

All Africa – Central African Republic: Bemba Trial Hearings Resume Next Week – 19 February 2013

Bemba Trial – Status Conference Discusses Bemba’s Upcoming Witness – 11 February 2013

All Africa – Congo-Kinshasa: Judges Suspend Bemba’s ICC Trial Hearings Until March 2013 – 19 December 2012

 

Nine Lawyers Accused of Terrorist Affiliations

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ANKARA, Turkey  Yesterday, a court in Istanbul ordered the pre-trial detention of nine human rights lawyers.  Turkish authorities had charged them under anti-terror laws, claiming that the lawyers were affiliated with the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party (RPLP), a banned terrorist organization.  The nine were among twelve lawyers arrested, eleven during early morning raids conducted on January 18, and one arrested on January 20.

Human Rights Lawyers who advocated those accused under anti-terror laws were charged and detained under such laws themselves. (Photo Courtesy of Hurriyet Daily News)

The RPLP, a pro-Marxist organization, is responsible for many assassinations and bombings since the 1970’s.  They have not been as active in recent years.  Nearly 70 people accused by the Turkish government for being affiliated with the RPLP were also detained for questioning.  Among those targeted in the crackdown, aside from activist lawyers, were journalists and musicians.

Opposition parties expressed their outrage to the arrests, including the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD), in which all nine lawyers were members of.  “Police raids against lawyers at 4 a.m., their arrest and imprisonment are part of a wider clampdown on those who oppose the government,” said Emma Sinclair-Webb, the senior Turkey researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Mahmut Tanal, the deputy to the main opposition party, Republican People’s Party (CHP), said that he believed the attorneys were detained because of the part they played in advocating for those accused in some of Turkey’s most controversial human rights abuse incidents.  “This is an attempt to put lawyers on trial for artificial links with terror organizations.  This is intimidation for all lawyers and citizens.  Accusations and questions addressed to the lawyers show that there’s no legal protection for citizens in Turkey,” said Tanal.

Hasip Kaplan, a lawmaker for the Peace and Democracy Party, said that charging human rights lawyers under anti-terror laws prevent them from diligently defending people accused under anti-terror laws, or speaking critically of the Turkish government.  “The first message given to lawyers is that lawyers defending the suspects of [alleged terrorist] organizations could be put on trial for links with the same organizations.  The second message is that their participation in public demonstrations could be considered evidence of being a member of an illegal organization…,” said Kaplan.  Kaplan said that the Turkish government’s incentive in charging people under anti-terror laws is to spread fear in society from participating in protests, and, for lawyers especially, to not defend anyone accused under such laws.  “Those lawyers were detained just because of their professional activities…,” said Kaplan.

Human Rights groups frequently criticize Turkey for charging activists and journalists under their broad anti-terrorism laws.  The charges are often accompanied by prolonged pretrial detention.

For further information, please see:

Committee to Protect Journalists — Several Journalists Jailed in new Turkish Crackdown — 22 January 2013

Human Rights Watch — Turkey: Nine Human Rights Lawyers Imprisoned — 22 January 2013

Turkish Weekly — More Lawyers Arrested in Crackdown on Leftists — 22 January 2013

Hurriyet Daily News — Nine Lawyers Arrested on Alleged Terrorism Links — 21 January 2013

Washington Post — Lawyers Arrested in Turkey for Alleged Links to Leftist Militants — 21 January 2013