By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

AMMAN, Jordan – Prior to Jordan’s address to United Nations General Assembly, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the country for the continued detention of Ahmed Al Oweidi Al Abbadi. Al Abbadi was arrested on May 3 for charges relating to an e-mail he allegedly sent to US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid.  HRW accuses Jordan of targeting Al Abbadi because his pro-democracy stance and for his criticism of the government.  It called for Jordan to halt its “politically motivated prosecution” against Al Abbadi.  Sarah Leah Whitson, director of HRW’s Middle East division, stated, “The only reason al-‘Abbadi languishes in jail waiting for his court verdict is that he’s a government opponent exercising his right to free speech.”

Al Abbadi is charged with several crimes by the Jordanian government: (1) harming Jordan’s reputation, (2) harming state dignity, (3) slandering officials, (4) violating laws of e-mail practices, (5) illegally distributing leaflets, and (6) being a member of an illegal organization.  Al Abbadi, a former member of parliament, is the head of the Jordanian National Movement, a small right-wing organization that calls itself pro-democratic.  Since the Jordanian National Movement is not licensed, under Jordanian law, it is illegal.

In the e-mail, Al Abbadi allegedly accused the Jordanian government of increasing corruption and human rights violations.  Such violations included clamping down on public freedoms, especially the media.  In the letter Al Abbadi allegedly blamed the declining levels of health care and education on government corruption.  His arrest in May followed a complaint by Interior Minister Eid Fayez whose name was mentioned in the letter.

Al Abbadi claims that he is innocent and calls the accusation “politically motivated and malicious.”  He is being tried by the military style State Security Court.  If he is convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

For more information, please see:
Gulf Times – Free ex-MP, rights group urges Jordan – 30 September 2007

AHN – HRW calls for release of Jordanian opposition leader – 28 September 2007

Human Rights Watch – Jordan: Free jailed dissident – 28 September 2007

International Herald Tribune – U.S-based human rights body urges Jordan to release government critic – 28 September 2007

AFP – Jordan ex-MP denies posting anti-regime letter on Internet – 20 September 2007

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran-  In May 2007, three pro-democratic student protesters were arrested regarding their actions protesting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech at the Amirkabir University.

In December, President Ahmadinejad launched scientific research to determine whether the Holocaust existed.  On the same day he came to the Amirkabir University to display his ability to silence his critics.  However, President Ahmadinejad’s speech to the Amirkabir student body was shortened because of the crowd’s disapproval with the president.  The pro-democratic student body was filled with protesters who chanted “Death to the Dictator” while hurling items at the Iranian president. The Iran security detail used flash grenades to ensure Ahmadinejad’s safe removal from the premises.  Allegedly during his removal, Ahamdinejad threatened student leaders of possible future retaliation.

Following the protest, three Amirkabir University students Ehsan Manouri, Ahmed Ghasaban, and Majid Tavakoli, were arrested as political prisoners.  However, reports show that the evidence used to indict the students may have been falsified by the police.

The Iranian government accused the students of being paid by the US government for beginning a velvet revolution to overthrow and destabilize the Iranian government.  A velvet revolution is also called a soft revolution, which indicates a bloodless revolution through the expansion of certain ideas rather than a revolution through force.  This may be a contributing reason to the new Iranian declaration that the CIA and the US military are terrorist organizations.  (International Herald Tribune)

The students were mistreated.  For example, reports show Mansouri was beaten so brutally that the prison guards would not initially accept Mansouri as a prisoner, unless he was taken to the hospital for immediate attention.

The students were taken to Evin, which is an Iranian prison for political prisoners where they were interrogated. They were placed in solitary confinement and supposedly beaten while in prison. The Guardian Observer reported that the college students “had undergone marathon interrogation sessions lasting up to 48 hours and frequently involving severe beatings. Interrogation teams of up to eight men have subjected the students to physical assaults interspersed with insults and psychological abuse. The students have been made to lie on the floor while interrogators stood on their backs. They are also said to have been beaten with electric cables. When they fainted from stress, the interrogators revived them by throwing cold water over them.”

The students have recently been released and reportedly did not have connections to the US government.

For more information, please see:

Guardian Observer- Tyranny in Tehran- 30 September 2007

International Herald Tribune- Iran government backs parliament’s ‘terrorist’ label for US army, CIA- 30 September 2007

Radio Free Europe- Iran: Former Inmates Shed Light On Secret Prison Ward- 27 September 2007

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CASABLANCA, Morocco – The Moroccan government canceled a 30 percent price hike of bread due to violent protests that left at least 50 people injured. The protest was reminiscent of bread riots in 1981 that resulted hundreds dead in Casablanca. Breads and pastries are widely consumed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as families hold large feasts after daytime fasting. The government had authorized the price rise back on September 10.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Morocco rolls back bread price hike – 25 September 2007

Huston Chronicle – Moroccan unrest over bread price – 25 September 2007