Trial of Pro-Democracy NGO Workers in Egypt is Adjourned

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt–The first day of a controversial trial of 43 non-governmental organization workers accused of working illegally and pressing American and Israeli interests in Egypt has adjourned in Cairo. Mohammed Shoukry, the chief judge, stated on Sunday 26 February 2012 that the court would reconvene for the next hearing on 26 April 2012. The court session adjourned after being suspended “until order is restored” due to a brawl between civil claimants and the judge.

Some of the NGO workers wait in a holding cell at the courthouse in Cairo. (Photo Courtesy of NYT)

The defendants include 19 Americans and 16 Egyptians. Only seven of the US citizens reportedly remain in the country, where they are not permitted to leave. The others include Serbians, Lebanese, Germans, a Norwegian, a Jordanian, and a Palestinian. Only 13 Egyptians and one German defendants actually appeared at the hearing.

A prosecutor at the hearing read the charges against the defendants, alleging that their “acceptance of illicit funds had detracted from the sovereignty of the Egyptian state.” All 14 defendants who were present denied that they had committed the crimes they were charged with. Upon the case’s adjournment, human rights lawyer Hafez Abou Seida told Egyptian State television reporters that the circumstances surrounding the trial do not necessitate allowing civil claimants as plaintiffs in the case. Abou Seida also stated that the defendants’ representatives should begin submitting evidence of innocence by the upcoming hearing on 26 April 2012.

The charging of US citizens has brought relations between Egypt and the United States to their lowest points in almost three decades. US politicians stated they may cut off Egypt’s $1.3M in annual military aid if the US citizens are tried in the case, although none of them appeared at the hearing. Les Campbell, the regional director of one of the accused US organizations, stated tat his group’s foreign employees did not receive official summons from the court. Thus, they saw no reason to present themselves.

On the other hand, Egyptian officials have stated that the trial has absolutely nothing to do with the government and is in the hands of the judiciary. They have blamed the continued unrest in their country on foreign interference and attribute much of it to the organizations from which the workers in this case are charged.

Ashraf El-Ashmawi and Sameh Abu Zeid, two judges also handling the case, stated the charges could lead to up to five-year prison sentences. El-Ashmawi shared these words with Al-Jazeera.

“These organizations conducted unlicensed and illegal activities without the knowledge of the Egyptian government. Documents confiscated during the raids on the NGO offices confirm illegal foreign funding.”

Seven of the Americans remain in Egypt and have been residing on the grounds of the US embassy in Cairo since the charges were filed and they were barred from leaving the country. Outside of the courtroom on Sunday 26 February 2012, approximately 100 protesters called for the release of Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric imprisoned in the US following the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, in exchange for the US defendants.

The main US organizations involved in the trial are the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.

The activists were charged with the illegal use of foreign funds to stimulate and fester unrest and operating in the country without a license. But the investigation against these workers fits into a much larger framework. There is a campaign within Egypt’s leaders against foreign influence since the collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s regime last year, considered by many as the first real victory for the Arab Spring.

Rights groups have sharply criticized the existence of the investigation into the groups and the charges, stated that they are part of an orchestrated effort by Egyptian authorities to silence all those critical of the current military rulers. Since the ouster of Mubarak, the civilians in Egypt are ready to begin a new era of change and prosperity. They are putting pressure on the country’s military rules over their stewardship of the economy and the transition to a civilian government. The head of the ruling military council, Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantwai, ordered on Sunday 26 February 2012 that parliament convene on 3 March to elect a committee to draw up a new constitution.

Since Mubarak’s ouster, Egypt has run through over 50 percent of its foreign reserves and is currently seeking a $3.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, as well as additional help from the World Bank and other foreign donors. The Egyptian people are left wondering how and when this desired loan will be used to address their needs and desires, the same needs and desires that removed Mubarak from power and placed the military in control.

One of the defendants, Islam Shafiq, shared these words with the AFP. He works as a financial manager with the US-based International Center for Journalists.

“Of course this trial is politicized. We proved during the investigation that we didn’t do anything.”

 

For more information, please see: 

Ahram – Egypt’s NGO Trial Adjourned for 26 April in First Session – 26 February 2012

Al-Jazeera – Egypt NGO Workers Trial Adjourned – 26 February 2012

Bloomberg – Egypt Court Adjourns Trial of Pro-Democracy NGO Workers Until April 26 – 26 February 2012

CNN – Trial Is Adjourned After Americans Fail To Appear in Cairo Court – 26 February 2012

The Guardian – Egypt Opens Trial of 43 Pro-Democracy Workers – 26 February 2012

NYT – Trial of U.S. Nonprofit Workers in Egypt Is Abruptly Put Off – 26 February 2012

 

Amid Chaos and Violence, Syria Holds Vote For New Constitution For Its Citizens

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria–As the crackdown against civilians continued across the nation, the Syrian government called its citizens to the polls on Sunday 26 February 2012 to vote on a new constitution. Although the new text of the constitution ends the legal basis for the five-decade stranglehold o power for the ruling Baath party, it still leaves the executive powers in the hands of President Bashar al-Assad. This is a tremendous problem for the situation and had already been criticized by the opposition.

Voters in Damascus submit their votes on Sunday 26 February. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

The opposition stated that the changes offered were entirely cosmetic and that only the removal of al-Assad from power will bring the desired changes. After 11 months of crackdowns, human rights groups have reported that more than 7,600 individuals have lost their lives, with more deaths occurring every day.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on Saturday 25 February 2012, 98 individuals were killed and 72 of them were civilians.

On Sunday 26 February 2012, the polls opened at 7:00AM local time (5:00 GMT). Reports from the around Syria stated that more than 14 million people over the age of 18 eligible to vote appeared at the 13,835 polling stations.

Louay Safi, a leading member of the Syrian National Council, an opposition group, said that the new constitution would be fruitless in bringing about the desired change because it is being promulgated and offered by the current government. The same government that continues to violate its own laws in its ongoing efforts to crush the uprising.

“The major problem is that the government is violating the current constitution. What we fear is if the regime stays intact, the new constitution will be meaningless. So the real step to have a new constitution is to have a new or transitional government.”

In the capital of Damascus, opposition activists claimed that they would try to hold protests near polling stations and even burn copies of the new constitution. One activist named Omar shared these words with Al-Jazeera on Sunday February 26 2012.

“No one is going to vote. This was a constitution made to Bashar’s tastes and meanwhile we are getting shelled and killed. More than 40 people were killed today and you want us to vote in a referendum? No one is going to vote.”

Another activist, Waleed Fares, shared these words from the Khalidiyah district of Homs.

“What should we be voting for, whether to die by bombardment or bullets? This is the only choice we have.”

On the reverse angle, Adel Safar, the country’s prime minister, stated on Sunday 26 February 2012 that the opposition’s call for a boycott displayed a lack of interest in a substantive dialogue for change.

“If there was a genuine desire for reform, there would have been movement from all groups, especially the opposition to start dialogue immediately with the government to achieve the reforms and implement them on the ground.”

While the voting was underway, the violence did not take a break to visit the polls. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, government forces shelled residential areas in Bab Amr for the 26th day in a row, claiming at least nine lives. The group stated that rebel soldiers had also killed at least four government troops in the city.

Al-Baath, the ruling party’s newspaper, stated in an editorial this week that the new constitution “does not represent a loss for the party and just keeps up with political and social evolution.” The new text does eliminate all references to Syrias as a social state. But Article 60 maintains the mandate that half of the deputies must be “workers and farmers.”

Al-Assad would remain in power under the new constitution, keeping several important responsibilities such as naming the prime minister and the ability to veto legislation. Another provision in the new constitution that has drawn negative attention in Article 3, which states that the president should be a Muslim and that “Islamic jurisprudence shall be a major source of legislation.”

Sunni Muslims makeup 75 percent of Syria’s population of 22 million, while the Alawite community accounts for another 12 percent. President al-Assad comes from the Alawite community and this further exacerbates his refusal to relinquish his power.

Article 88 of the new constitution also states that the president can be in office for two seven-year terms. But subsequent Article 155 states that these conditions would only take effect after the next election for the head of state, which is set for 2014. This would allow al-Assad to theoretically stay in power for another 16 years. This is unacceptable for the Syrian people and quite frankly, would be a nightmare for all of them.

Syrian specialist Thomas Pierret said stated that regardless of the proposed and debated changes, the type of government and political system in Syria does not matter in a country “dominated by the intelligence service.”

“Nothing indicates that this would change under the current regime.”

 

For more information, please see:

Ahram – Syria Puts New Constitution To Vote In Thick of Unrest – 26 February 2012

Al-Jazeera – Syria Holds Vote On New Constitution – 26 February 2012

BBC – Syria Votes On New Constitution Referendum Amid Unrest – 26 February 2012

CNN – Syria Says Referendum Results Coming Monday; Vote Punctuated By New Violence – 26 February 2012

The Guardian – Syria Votes On New Constitution As Shelling Of Homs Continues – 26 February 2012

NYT – Syria Offers A New Charter As Battles In Cities Continue – 26 February 2012

Reuters – Syria Referedum Goes Ahead Amid Military Onslaught – 26 February 2012

 

HRW Calls IOC To Ban Saudi Arabia

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – On 15 February 2012, Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) called for the International Olympic Committee (“IOC”) to prevent Saudi Arabia from participating in the Olympic games until the country allows women  to compete, beginning with the 2012 London Games.  Saudi Arabia has received criticism that the country violates the spirit of the Olympics by not bringing a female team to participate at the international event.

Girls in Saudi Arabia at basketball practice. (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

HRW’s 51-page report entitled “Steps of the Devil: Denial of Women and Girls’ Right to Sport in Saudi Arabia” highlights discriminatory practices against females when the State denies them physical education at state schools, limits women’s athletic facilities, and refuses to support female athletes participation in the Olympic games.

HRW’s report documents that “opponents of sport for women and girls put forward the ‘slippery slope’ argument that, once women start to exercise, they will shed modest clothing, spend ‘unnecessary’ time out of the house and have increased possibilities of mingling with men.”  Opponents also purpose women could engage in sport outside the view of men while wearing modest cloths.

Since the country’s law restricts women from driving, women face challenges accessing athletic facilities.  Furthermore, when a woman is outside, she must wear an abaya, a black cloak that covers her from head to toe.  HRW reported a woman received permission to run a marathon a few years ago if she ran in the abaya.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s denial of women’s right to sport raises health concerns for women and girls, where obesity and diabetes rates climbed in the country.

HRW asserts Saudi Arabia’s policy violates the pledge of equality in IOC charter.  Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Brunei are the only countries that have not sent women’s teams to the Olympics.  However, their cultural counterparts, including Indonesia, Algeria, Bahrain, and Iran, have supported women’s Olympic teams.

The IOC has banned countries in the past for their policies toward women.  Afghanistan, for example, could not participate in the 2000 Sydney Olympics because of the country’s stance on women under Taliban rule.

In 2006, Reema Abdullah organized Jeddah King’s United, the country’s first all-female soccer team, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  The 33-year old reported the women practice three times a week on “a proper size football field with grass that is surrounded by a wall.”

Regarding the upcoming Olympic games, Abdullah told the Associated Press, “We will watch the London Olympics and we will cheer for our men competing there, hoping that someday we can root for our women as well.”

For further information, please see:

The Guardian – Olympic Outrage at Saudi Ban On Women Athletes – 25 Feb 2012

Hamilton Spectator – Saudi Arabia’s Sports Gap – 22 Feb 2012

Sports Illustrated – Female Athletes In Saudi Arabia Challenge Tradition Muslim Norms – 17 Feb 2012

Human Rights Watch – IOC/Saudi Arabia: End Ban on Women in Sport – 15 Feb 2012

HUNDREDS OF TIBETANS DETAINED FOR REEDUCATION

by Hibberd Kline
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China– According to Human Rights Watch, hundreds of Tibetans returning from India have been arbitrarily detained and now face “political re-education.”

A Tibetan refuge participates in a candle light vigil in India (left), while Chinese troops patrol the streets in Kangding, Ganzi Prefecture (right). (Photograph Courtesy of The Telegraph).

The detainees were part of a group of 7,000 Tibetans who were granted permission by the Chinese government to attend teaching sessions held by the Dali Lama in Bihar, India. The travelers reportedly possessed all the necessary documentation for the journey including Chinese-issued passports.

At first, human rights groups hailed the initial travel grant as a relaxation of Chinese government policy in Tibet. However, applause for the perceived policy shift has been abruptly cut short in recent weeks as China continues to expand its crackdown on ethnic minorities.

According to Human Rights Watch, some 700 ethnic Chinese accompanied the Tibetans on their journey to attend the Dali Lama’s teaching sessions. However, the group stressed that there have been no reports of ethnic Chinese travelers being detained upon re-entry into China. Accordingly, Human Rights Watch believes that the travelers are being detained solely based upon their ethnicity.

In addition to extensive indoctrination sessions, the “reeducation” faced by many of the detainees reportedly will include forced denunciation of the Dali Lama as a spiritual leader. Though there has been no official word regarding the duration of the detainees’ reeducation, previous programs have typically lasted for several months. Sources cited by Human Rights Watch suggest that detainees’ families have not been notified of the detentions.

The detainment follows recent escalating unrest in the regions of Sichuan and Gansu, which both possess sizable ethnic Tibetan populations. In recent weeks, at least 15 monks are thought to have died in the two regions from self-immolation in protest against Chinese rule. An additional seven Tibetans were shot dead and dozens wounded in clashes with police in Sichuan in January.

However, the recent detainees reportedly hail from areas as of yet untouched by the recent unrest. This has led some analysts to view the detainment as a preemptive move by the Chinese authorities to tighten control over the Tibetan plateau in order to prevent violent unrest from spreading to the regional capital, Lhasa.

A February 10 article in the Beijing-based newspaper, Global Times, reported that Chinese officials in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) had been ordered to “prepare for a war against secessionist sabotage.” The government-owned tabloid quoted Xiong Kunxin, a professor at the Minsu University of China, who explained the recent string of self-immolations as having to do with “geographic and historical factors, which made the Tibetan people [in Sichuan] more aggressive.” The professor was further quoted as he decried “less strict management” for having contributed to the “problem” as well.

Conversely, the exiled Dali Lama has blamed the self-immolations on a “cultural genocide” committed by the Chinese authorities against his people. However, he rejects government claims that he is behind the violence.

Growing unrest in the region has led China to significantly bolster its police, military and secret service presence in an effort to clamp down on dissent and tighten communist party control. For instance, the Gami Temple, which lies at the edge of the TAR, houses not only Buddhist monks, but also a local police headquarters. Such close proximity between police and local religious leaders allows for easy surveillance and control and is increasingly commonplace.

Additionally, in many parts of the region police roadblocks make travel difficult. In some towns, the authorities have even gone so far as to block all internet and telecommunications access by the local population.

In a statement released on its website, Human Rights Watch alleged that the recent crackdown has seen the largest number of Tibetan laypeople detained by the Chinese Government since the 1970s.

As a result of the authorities’ heavy-handed tactics, traditional Tibetan New Year celebrations, which the Tibetan Government in exile had called upon Tibetans to boycott, appear to have largely gone off without incident. However, some activists suggest that China’s approach may be serving to unite ethnic Tibetans against Chinese rule. Some analysts suggest that the March 10 anniversary of a 1959 uprising against Chinese rule may pose more of a challenge to security forces than the innocuous new year celebrations.

China has ruled Tibet since its troops occupied the region in 1950. Many Tibetans fear that Chinese migrants and government policies are eroding Tibetan culture.

For more information, please see:

AP News — As China Clamps Down, Tibet Struggle Grows Radical — 22 February 2012

Reuters — Tibetans Mark New Year under Shadow of Immolations — 22 February 2012

Reuters — China Detaining Tibetans Returning from India – Human Rights Watch — 18 February 2012

Jurist — China Must Release Tibetan Prisoners: HRW — 17 February 2012

The Guardian — China Detains Hundreds of Tibetans for ‘Re-education’, Says Human Rights Group — 17 February 2012

The Telegraph — Hundreds of Tibetans ‘Detained and Forced to Undergo Political Re-education’ — 17 February 2012

Human Rights Watch — China: End Crackdown on Tibetans Who Visited India — 16 February 2012

The Global Times — Tibet Officials ‘Prepare for War’ — 10 February 2012