Israeli Ground Troops Enter Gaza

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

GAZA CITY, Gaza – On January 3, Israel ground troops began an offensive into Gaza.  The Israeli army said the assault is intended to take control of territory from where Hamas fires its rockets. 

Major Avital Leibovitch, a military spokeswoman, said, “The objective of this stage is to destroy the terrorist infrastructure of the Hamas in the area of operation, while taking control of some of rocket launching area used by the Hamas, in order to greatly reduce the quantity of rockets fired at Israel and Israeli civilians.”

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the ground campaign against Hamas “will not be easy or short, but we are determined”. He added, “Our aim is to force Hamas to stop its hostile activities against Israel and Israelis from Gaza, and to bring about a significant change in the situation in the southern part of Israel.”

The incursion followed a day of artillery barrages aimed at clearing the way for the 10,000 Israeli troops who had massed on the border.  Apparently, the artillery shells were intended to detonate Hamas explosive devices and mines planted along the border area and reduce the risk to IDF ground troops.

Following the incursion, Hamas remained defiant. Hamas spokesman, Ismail Radwan, said, “Your incursion into Gaza will not be a walk in the park and Gaza will become your cemetery God willing.”  Additionally, Hamas said it broadcasted a Hebrew message on Israeli military radio frequencies: “Be prepared for a unique surprise, you will be either killed or kidnapped and will suffer mental illness from the horrors we will show you.”

As the ground offensive began, the air strikes continued.  Palestinian health officials report that 13 Palestinians were killed during a raid on a mosque in Beit Lahiya.  According to the Associated Press, it is not immediately clear why the mosque was hit.  However, when explaining earlier raids on mosques, Israel stated that the mosques were being used as weapons caches.

In addition to continued Israeli air strikes, rocket fire from Gaza was also unabated.  On January 3, at least 29 rockets were fired into Israel; damaging four houses and “slightly injuring” three people.  One rocket hit on a house in the southern city of Ashkelon, causing nearby houses to catch on fire.

As Israel began its ground incursion, Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concerns regarding the heightened need to protect civilian life because of likely combat in densely populated urban areas.  HRW called on both sides to strictly abide by the laws of war, specifically the taking of all feasible measures to avoid civilian causalities.

There are reports that Israel made at least two attempts to limit civilian causalities during the ground offensive.  First, the IDF dropped leaflets over Gaza City and the border areas, which urged Palestinians to flee their homes. The warning stated, “For your own safety, you are required to leave the area immediately.”

Also, prior to firing artillery shells in Beit Lahiya, a resident reported that Israeli army called and told them to leave the house within 15 minutes.  Despite the warning, two residents were killed and five were wounded when an artillery shell hit their home.

Not only did HRW call for increased precaution but only called for increased accountability for past violations of the laws of war.  According to HRW, the IDF reported that there have been no investigations into unlawful deaths from the March 2008 Gaza operations, called Operation Warm Winter.  Also, Hamas has done nothing to hold those firing rockets into civilian areas accountable.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Israel Begins Gaza Ground Offensive – 4 January 2009

BBC – Israeli Troops Enter Gaza Strip – 4 January 2009

Ha’aretz – Barak: Gaza Invasion Won’t Be Short, and Won’t Be Easy – 4 January 2009

AFP – Israeli Army Takes War Against Hamas into Gaza – 3 January 2009

Associate Press – Israeli Ground Forces Enter Gaza in Escalation – 3 January 2009

Guardian – Israeli Ground Forces Cross Border into Gaza – 3 January 2009

Human Rights Watch – Israel: Gaza Ground Offensive Raises Laws of War Concerns – 3 January 2009

Jerusalem Post – “Gaza Will Become Graveyard for Troops” – 3 January 2009

New York Times – Israel Troops Launch Attack on Gaza – 3 January 2009

The Telegraph – Israeli Tanks Roll into Gaza to Halt Hamas Rocket Attacks – 3 January 2009 ml

The Times – Israeli Tanks Roll into Gaza to Crush Hamas – 3 January 2009

Violence Increases in Iraq Following Troop Withdrawal

By Nykoel Dinardo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. and British troops withdrew from the fortified Green Zone surrounding Baghdad with the turning of the new year after the expiration of the U.N. mandate.  Iraqi forces are now responsible for ensuring the safety of the region.  Although the Iraqi defense minister pledged that Iraqi armed forces could handle the security profile, there has been a surge of violence in the area since January 1st.

On January 2, a suicide bomber acted just outside Baghdad, killing 23 and injuring approximately 110 people.  The attack was aimed at a group of Sunni tribal leaders.  The bomber entered the home of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Salih and proceeded to set off the explosives.  The meeting of the leaders was being held in a marquee on the grounds of the Sheikh. 

The meeting was held at the request of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.  Those in attendance included the leaders of Sunni and Shiite groups in the region known as the Triangle of Death, due to the violence, in hopes of convening reconciliation. 

On January 1, attacks killed three Iraqi police force members and two others in Mosul, a city about 250 miles north of Baghdad.  The UN has condemned violence in Mosul following the assassination of Mowaffaq al-Hamdani, a candidate for provincial council.  The UN said that campaign violence must not be allowed to intimidate candidates.   According to the UN secretary general’s special representative for Iraq, violence of this kind interferes with the right of every Iraqi to exercise their vote.  Al-Hamdani is the second candidate to be assassinated. 

U.S. troops have agreed to stay on in the area in order to assist with the transition; however they are to follow Iraqi orders.  Iraqi forces are officially in charge of the region and U.S. troops have agreed to leave if asked.  Iraqi generals have expressed their opinion that the Americans are not there to follow, but to supervise.  However, they believe that it is still a good first step.

For more information, please see:

Washington Post – Peacemaking Event is Attacked in Iraq – 3 January 2009

BBC – Suicide Bomb Kills Many in Iraq – 2 January 2009

Reuters – Election Friction Flares in Iraq’s Violent North – 2 January 2009

Washington Post – Green Zone Handed Off With Little Fanfare – 2 January 2009

BBC – Iraq Takes Control of Green Zone – 1 January 2009

New York Times – Attacks Occur As Iraq Takes Control of Key Sites – 1 January 2009

Saudi Arabia Launches New Initiative to Curb Domestic Violence

By Lauren Mellinger

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – On December 29, 2008, Princess Hussa bint Tarad Ashaalaan, wife of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, launched a nation-wide campaign sponsored by the Human Rights Commission to aid the victims of domestic violence in Saudi Arabia.

 

The new campaign against domestic violence in Saudi Arabia is designed to educate women of their rights under Saudi law, according to Wafiqa Al-Dakheel, Director of the Saudi Human Rights Commission’s Women’s Division.  In addition, the campaign will educate Saudi men as to the appropriate treatment of women, provide counseling to newly married couples as to how to settle marital disagreements without resorting to violence, the rights of divorced women, and will raise funds to establish centers to treat victims.

 

The campaign against domestic violence was developed in response to an increase in incidents of violence against women and children throughout the country.  Jeddah the Kingdom’s largest city, currently has the highest rate of domestic violence in Saudi Arabia.  According to the National Society for Human Rights, in 2007, there were more than 152 reported incidents o domestic violence, 106 of which included allegations of both physical and emotional abuse.  According to the Association for Family Protection in Jeddah, over the past five months, 250 incidents of domestic violence were reported.  120 incidents were reported in Riyadh.

 

While most initiatives to discuss the treatment of women and other women’s issues are generally shunned from the public forum in the conservative kingdom, the current campaign has been welcomed by the Saudi population as a necessary initiative designed to curb a growing problem.  According to Dr. Abdul Ilah Saaty, Vice Dean of Jeddah Community College, Saudi women “have suffered for decades because their legitimate rights were not protected.  Islam protects the rights of women.  The Qur’an and Sunna urge Muslims to be kind to women.  But we are not doing that.”

 

In addition to the campaign’s plan to educate the Saudi population, government authorities are in the process of developing a legal framework that will curb violence against women and children.  The Mecca branch of the National Society for Human Rights is currently calling on the government to pass legislation that will make domestic violence punishable as a criminal offense under Saudi law.  The NSHR is also involved in a cooperative agreement with both the Family Safety Program and the Saudi National Guard to coordinate their efforts to eliminate the problem of domestic violence.

 

For more information, please see:

Saudi Gazette – NSHR Calls for Law Against Family Violence – 3 January 2009

Khaleej Times – Jeddah Leads in Cases of Family Violence: Report – 2 January 2009

 

Arab News – Stop Violence Against Women: Campaign Starts on Monday – 26 December 2008

 

Islam Online – Saudis Fight Domestic Violence – 26 December 2008

Port Moresby Governor Wants Settlements Not Based Along Ethnic Lines

By Sarah E. Treptow
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea– The Governor of the National Capital District in Papua New Guinea, Powes Parkop, wants to be sure that residents from Port Moresby’s squatter settlements are rehoused in communities that are not structured around ethnic lines.  Mr. Parkop insists that the Tete settlement must be closed permanently.  Much of the Tete settlement was destroyed under police direction after the brutal murder of a PNG businessman highlighted the violence of the settlement.  Though six were arrested, critics of settlement communities called for tougher action.

The Governor officially made his stand at a press conference at Unagi oval, “Tete settlement has seen some of the most heinous of crimes ever committed in PNG’s history and in the interest of the security of the majority of our people, we must close this settlement permanently.  If we do not close it, we will live to regret it in the future as we have seen in the recent past.”  Mr. Parkop continued, “I neither condemn nor condone the action of the police in razing down the settlement but am adamant that this settlement must be closed permanently.”  He said innocent persons have been affected but the rights and freedom of the majority of the community of the city who wish to live in peace and security were paramount.

Mr. Parkop said he was advised that Tete is state land and it was the NCDC that allowed the settlement to be established in the early 1990s.  The settlers will be relocated and NCDC will make parts of Morata and Duran Farm at Laloki available for resettlement.  NCDC will also assist with the initial cost of relocation and in setting up temporary accommodations for settlers willing to resettle, the NCDC will call on the government to support this.  Addressing the ethnic balance, Mr. Parkop said, “The resettlement exercise will follow the principle of ensuring that there is ethnic balance in the new locations the residents find themselves.  There will no longer be a settlement or community where a particular ethnic group dominates or is a major community among others.  This has been the problem with Tete in the past.”

Mr. Parkop said the cycle of violence must be stopped in similar squatter settlements or the perpetrators will be removed from the city.  The settlements are described as a mixed blessing, blamed as a source of a lot of the problems in urban areas but also where a large portion of the workforce lives by choice or necessity.

For more information, please see:
Post-Courier – Parkop set to remove Tete – 31 December 2008

Radio New Zealand International – Port Moresby Governer advocates for new settlements that are not along ethnic lines – 31 December 2008

TVNZ – Bulldoze PNG’s settlements due to crime, business boss says – 18 December 2008

Pakistani Journalist Tortured in Prison

By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PAKISTAN – Twenty year old reporter Javid Lehri, from Balochistan, a southwest province in Pakistan, revealed that he was tortured while imprisoned in Quetta.  Lehri was a reporter for Azadi, a Urdu language local daily newspaper.

Lehri disappeared on November 29, 2007, taken by military intelligence agents from his dormitory in the Kuzdar district.  There was no explanation for his forced disappearance.  Some claim it was for his bold reporting in criticizing the government.  Lehri was imprisoned and released nine months later in August 2008.

In an interview with the Daily Times, he revealed that in the first three days of imprisonment, Lehri was hung up by his feet and beaten.  He was then chained and tortured.  “The torture was so unbearable that I prayed for death,” he said “I hoped I could find some object in my cell that I could use to commit suicide with.”

He was then asked the meaning behind Azadi and what “liberation” they were fighting for.  Lehri said in response, “I told them that I only worked for the newspaper as a correspondent and I could not change either its name or its editorial line.  They wouldn’t believe me and continued to beat me.”

After his release this past August, Lehri suffers from depression, insomnia and digestive problems.  He also states that he receives threats.  He said, “I am still receiving threatening phone calls on my mobile phone warning me against talking about what happened to me in prison.”

Human rights groups such as the Worldwide Press Freedom Organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders urge the government to investigate these cases involving journalists.  “The conflict between government forces and separatist movements ravaging Baluchistan has been devastating for the region’s journalists,” said the Worldwide Press Freedom Organization.  “This arrest was in fact illegal and constitutes an offense against the rule of law.  The terrifying account given by Javid Lehri, who was kidnapped and tortured for political reasons, should prompt the central government to open an early investigation so that those guilty of these vicious acts can be punished.”

In Baluchistan, there is tension between ethnic Baluch militant groups and government forces.  As a result, journalists are often caught in the middle of the violence.

For more information, please see:

Committee to Protect Journalists – Three Reporters Missing in Pakistan’s restive Baluchistan Province – 6 March 2008

Daily Times – 3rd Journalist From Same Newspaper ‘Disappears’ – 4 March 2008

Reporters Without Borders – Balochi Journalist Reveals He Was Tortured in Prison – 24 December 2008