Israeli construction in settlements

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – On November 7, Peace Now, an Israeli NGO, released a report on development of illegal settlements in Occupied Palestinians Territories (OPT).  The report stated that, according to government statistics, the settler population is now 267,500; showing an annual growth of 5.8%.  This is more than three times the annual growth of Israel (1.8%).

The settlements are viewed as a violation of international law, which prohibits occupiers from populating occupied land.  Expansion of settlements is underway, despite Israel’s claims of a “settlement freeze” and its obligations under the US-backed “road-map” to dismantle unauthorized outposts built since March 2001.  According to the report, in 34 unauthorized outposts permanent structures are being built and construction is underway in 88 authorized settlements.  Most of the large projects are being built in settlements located in the West Bank, but on the Israeli side of the Separation Barrier, especially in settlements near East Jerusalem, the Ma’ale Adumim bloc, the Gush Etzion bloc, and Giv’at Ze’ev bloc

The report on the continued settlement expansions has several implications regarding the upcoming peace conference scheduled for later this month.  The settlements are a key issue for Palestinians, who want their future state to include all of the West Bank.  The settlements threaten the continuity of the West Bank, breaking it up into two portions, and will cut it off from East Jerusalem.  Peace Now’s director, Yariv Oppenheimer, said that “if you want to have a two-state solution then you can’t continue to expand settlements.”  The continued expansion of settlements makes an already difficult discussion of borders more difficult.

The report:
Peace Now – Construction in settlements continues – 7 November 2007

For more information, please see:
Telegraph – Israeli settlers increasing in West Bank – 8 November 2008

Al Jazeera – Jewish settler outposts “expanding” – 7 November 2007

Associated Press – Israeli watchdog: Settlements growing – 7 November 2007

BBC – West Bank settlements “expanding” – 7 November 2007

International Herald Tribune – Israel talks peace, but expanding settlement hurts prospects for Palestinian state – 7 November 2007

Jerusalem Post – Peace Now: settlements are expanding – 7 November 2007

International Middle East Media Center – Report: Illegal Israeli settlements rapidly expanding – 7 November 2007

Torture Endemic in Egypt

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Torture is endemic in Egypt. In less than a week, two separate incidents of Egyptian torture have surfaced on media, raising concerns over the country’s current human rights condition.

On Monday, an Egyptian court jailed two police officers for three years each for torturing a bus driver during police custody. Although a trial featuring police officers accused of torture was nothing new in Egypt, it was the first case involving a video that was circulated on the Internet.

In January 2006, Emad el-Kebir was detained for trying to stop an argument between his cousin and a policeman. Following his release, he was arrested again and was jailed for three months after a judge found him guilty of resisting arrest. El-Kabir later filed a complaint about his mistreatment during detention.

In November 2006, several Egyptian bloggers posted a video, which also later appeared on the popular video-sharing site YouTube, showing el-Kebir naked from the waist down being sodomized with a stick. As he screamed in pain, the officers ridiculed him. He was also hit with shoes, a whip, and a gun. The video was apparently filmed by the assailants on a mobile phone, and was circulated in order to intimidate others.

El-Kabir, who was in court to hear the verdicts against officers Islam Nabih and Reda Fathi, rejoiced the ruling. “God is great! Thank God!” he shouted. “I regained my right. I don’t want anything more than that.”

Torture is widespread in Egypt because suspects are often held in incommunicado for long time and police interrogations take place without restraint. A few days after el-Kebir’s victory, a man’s body was found on the street in Giza. He had been tortured by police for three days, and eventually died.

The Egyptian authorities deny all allegations of systematic torture in the country and insist that these cases are isolated incidents.

For More information, please see:

BBC News – Egyptian man dies ‘after torture’ – 7 November 2007

News 24 – Man dies after police torture – 7 November 2007

Human Rights Watch – Police officer get three years for beating, raping detainee – 7 November 2007

Associated Press – 2 cops sentenced for torture – 5 November 2007

BBC News – Egypt police jailed for torture – 5 November 2007

BRIEF: Tongan Mother Seeks Inquiry Into Son’s Death

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – Saane Fifita is calling for an inquiry into her son’s death after seeing footage showing him alive in front of the burning building in which he is said to have died during last year’s riots.  Former Tonga Police Commander Senilau Kolokihakaufisi, who was the police commander at the time of the riots, said that he did believe that Senituli Fifita died in the building, and suggested that he re-entered the burning building to loot it.

However, Saane Fifita has also heard, from a senior police detective, that her son was taken into custody and beaten by police.  A study on the treatment of riot prisoners has shown that 53% of those arrested were abused at the hands of the police.  Kolokihakaufisi does not believe the report to be accurate, though he does concede that it was one of his own men who reported the beating to Saane Fifita.

For more information, please see:

ONE News – Mother seeks independent inquiry over son’s death – 05 November 2007

Pacific Magazine – Tongan Mother Wants Inquiry Into Son’s Death – 07 November 2007

Kenyan Police Blamed for Killings

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR) has accused the police of carrying out hundreds of extrajudicial executions during an operation against the Mungiki criminal sect. 

The Mungiki are a politico-religious group and a banned criminal organization in Kenya.  Earlier this year, the Mungiki gang went on a spree of beheadings and killings after clashing with the police in Nairobi.  Late last month local human rights groups accused the police of executing suspected members and dumping their bodies outside Nairobi when the morgue was filled to capacity.

KNHCR announced Monday that it has evidence that almost 500 suspects were shot and their bodies dumped during the past five months.  While not explicitly blaming the police for the deaths, the report does state that “circumstantial evidence” linked the police to the killings and that the force seemed to be blocking efforts to find the killers. 

The commission has called for a probe led by international experts and the UN to verify their investigation.  KNHCR’s Njonjo Mue announced today that post mortem reports on some of the suspects confirm that they were shot at close range.  Mr. Mue, the head of advocacy, explained to journalists that the reports show the cause of death was multiple organ injures due to multiple gun shots and that pathologists concluded the fatal bullets were shot from behind.   This supports the commission’s findings that the suspects were executed. 

The Police Commissioner, Hussein Ali, has accused KNHCR of spoiling the name of police to justify its existence.  Ali stated, “The police takes great exception to the grave accusations make recklessly by KNHCR, accusing police of involvement in the murder of missing persons.  These are allegations without a shred of evidence.” 

On Tuesday the police chief held a press conference, in which he rebuked the human rights investigators.  He emphasized that the KNHCR has no investigation experience and that Kenya’s legal system requires any crime to be reported to the police.   Therefore, any action taken outside that legal framework is illegal and unacceptable. 

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Post mortems on executed Kenyans – 7 November 2007

AllAfrica.com – Kenya: Ali Dismisses KIAI’s Report on Executions – 7 November 2007

AllAfrica.com – Kenya: Show Us Evidence on Killings, Says Ali – 7 November 2007

Time – Kenya Accused of Mass Killings – 6 November 2007

Reuters Africa – Kenya’s police deny killing hundreds of Mungiki suspects – 6 November 2007

AP – Kenyans Blame Police for Killings – 6 November 2007

BRIEF: Man dies after torture by Egyptian police

Egyptian Ahmed Saber Saad died Tuesday in a Giza hospital.  Saad was admitted to the hospital because of wounds he incurred during the police’€™s three day interrogation of him.  After the police’€™s interrogation, the police dumped Saad off near the Pyramids.

An official at the scene reported that Saad €œwas unconscious with wounds and bruises all over his body when some locals found him and took him to a hospital.€  (International Herald Tribune)   Egypt’€™s prosecutor general has ordered an immediate investigation into interrogation of Saad.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune- Officials: Egyptian feared tortured by police, found near Giza Pyramids, dies- 6 November 2007

New York Times (AP)- Egypt: Police Officers Guilty of Torture- 6 November 2007