A Voice for the Voiceless

By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Egypt continues to imprison those who exercise their right to freedom of expression. The latest victims are four newspaper editors who published stories critical of high officials of the Egyptian government.  One editor is also accused of harming the Egyptian economy by publishing the article saying the health of 79-year-old President Hosni Mubarak is in decline. Prosecutors said investors consequently took out $350 million out of Egypt.

On September 13, 2007, a Cairo misdemeanor court sentenced the four editors to a maximum one year in prison and a 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($3,540) each. The four are Adil Hamouda, editor of the weekly Al-Fagr, Wael al-Ibrashi, of the weekly Sawt al-Umma, Abd al-Halim Qandil, former editor of the weekly Al-Karama, and Ibrahim Issa, editor of the daily Al-Dustur.

The ruling is yet another blow against Egypt’s freedom of expression. On May 2, 2007, a Cairo criminal court imprisoned Al-Jazeera journalist Huwaida Taha Mitwalli for her documentary about torture in Egypt. On March 12, 2007, another Cairo court for the first time sentenced a blogger who criticized Islam and President Mubarak. On October 31, 2006, a Cairo military court ordered a former parliament member Tal`at al-Sadat to one year in prison for “insulting the military and the republican guard.”  On June 26, 2006, a court near Cairo sent a journalist for Al-Dustur to one year in prison for “insulting the president.”

For more information please see:

BBC News – Editor charged over Mubarak story – 13 September 2007

Al-Jazeera – Egypt sentences newspaper editors – 13 September 2007

Human Rights Watch – Four editors get prison terms, fines – 15 September 2007

Human Rights Watch – Government detains Al-Jazeera journalist – 17 January 2007

Human Rights Watch – Blogger’s imprisonment sets chilling precedent – 22 February 2007

Human Rights Watch – MP jailed in lastest attack on free expression – 4 November 2006

Human Rights Watch – Jailing journalists strikes at press freedom – 28 June 2006

The oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which is 250 km north of Baghdad, has become a center of ethnic violence.  The violence between the Kurds and the Arabs has recently escalated because of the December referendum, which determines whether the Kirkuk becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region or remain part of Iraq.  The referendum has given the Kurds incentive to drive out the Arabs from Kirkuk who migrated to the city during Saddam Hussein’s “Arabisation” policy of the early 1980’s, because the Kurds do not significantly outnumber the Arabs.  (IRIN)  Arabisation was created to displace those from the city who were not loyal to Saddam Hussein, and replace them with his loyal subjects.  Hussein’s desire was to disperse those who were not loyal to him, since it lessens a unified revolt against his authority.  Hussein’s policy created resentment amongst the Kurds towards the southern Iraqis forced to inhabit the Kurdish city of Kirkuk, which was displayed during the Kurds return to Kirkuk with the American invasion in 2003.  Following the invasion,  some Kurds attacked Arabs, because the Arabs inhabited what was the Kurds’ former property.
The Kurds’ resentment from being removed from their land has motivated them to use any means necessary ensure that Kirkuk becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.  Thus the IRIN has reported that the Kurds have used military intimidation to continually force the Arabs out of the city.  According to the spokesman of the Kirkuk’s Arabs Association, “The number of [Arab] families fleeing the city has increased by 20 percent on previous years.  Their flight will seriously affect the upcoming referendum in which the Kurds will have a majority not because of their numbers but because, with guns in their hands, they will have forced all Arabs to flee the city. It is absolutely unfair,” he said.  (IRIN)

For more information, please see:

Newsweek-  What They Are Missing- 24 September 2007 Edition

IRIN-   IRAQ: Ethnic violence forces more Arabs to flee Kirkuk- 16 September 2007

Kurdish Aspect-  Working Against the Clock- 15 September 2007

Dubai’s Finance Minister Sheik Hamdan bin Rashin al Maktoum has been named in a lawsuit for his involvement in allegedly enslaving of thousands of boys to use as jockeys for camel races.   This new lawsuit comes less than two months after a similar suit was dismissed in Florida because of a lack of jurisdiction.  However, the attorney representing the plaintiffs in the class action suit Elizabeth Seif believes that the Sheik’s horses and stables in Kentucky will give the sheik enough substantial contact with Kentucky to give the court jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs claim that boys were apprehended from Pakistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, and other countries.  The plaintiffs claim that some of the boys were kidnapped outright, while other boys were lured to the United Arab Emirates under the false pretense that they would be educated.  Once apprehended, the boys were forced to live under inhumane living conditions.  For example, the boys are starved to lighten the weight the camels carry to enable faster times for the camels.  The boys are raised to take care of the animals and trained to ride them.

Sheik Hamdan is famous for his love for racing.  He and Dubai’s ruling family has tried to bring horse and camel racing to Dubai.  He has sponsored many large races and has created the Dubai World Cup, which has the largest purse for a horse race in the world at six million dollars.  Since the ruling family has poured so much money and interest into horse racing, winning the races has been seen as a way to win favor of the ruling family.  This desire to impress the ruling family through winning camel and horse races has created the motive to enslave young boys with the intention of training them into becoming future jockeys.

If the plaintiffs win this case it could be monumental to show that anyone, including highly connected leaders, implicated in a child enslavement case will be accountable for their actions.  However, it may be more probable that the Kentucky court will agree with the Florida court that the case would be better tried in another forum outside of the United States.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune- UAE leader sued by U.S. attorney over use of children as jockeys in camel races- 12 September 2007

Lexington Herald Leader- Camel jockey suit refiled, alleges children abused by a Maktoum- 12 September 2007

BBC News- Lawyers Refile Dubai Slavery case- 13 September 2007

Official Website of the Dubai World Cup

Early September 11, Islamic Jihad fired a rocket at the Zikkim training base in southern Israel.  The rocket landed, around 1:30am, amidst canvas tents that housed new recruits training at the base.  Israeli military officials stated that one soldier was critically wounded, four were in serious condition, seven were moderately injured, and 57 received only minor injuries.  It is the largest number of casualties sustained in a single rocket attack from Gaza.

The base is located just 1km north of the Israel-Gaza border.  A mother of a recruit spoke on Israeli radio how her son complained that the base was constantly peppered by crude rockets from Gaza.  While there is a concrete wall around the base, the recruits sleep in tents, which offer little protection from rocket attacks.  Parents of the recruits argue that there is insufficient protection for their children given the high probability of a rocket attack from Gaza.

The majority of the injuries resulted from flying shrapnel.  However, the source of the shrapnel is debated.  The spokesperson for the Islamic Jihad, “Abu Hamza”, stated that the group fired a Quds missile.  A Quds missile is larger and has a longer range than a Qassam rocket, which the most frequent type of rocket fired into Israel.  Hamza also reported that the missile was packed with shrapnel so that it would inflict the maximum number of casualties.

While the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committee, an umbrella group of Palestinian militants, claim responsibility for the attack, Israel blames Hamas.  Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, stated that “it doesn’t matter which terror group took responsibility. Gaza is totally controlled by Hamas, and it has the ability to stop this and decided not to.”  Also, Israel has previously accused Hamas of supplying various militant groups with weapons to use against Israel.

This attack, in addition to a rocket attack in Sderot, an Israeli town also located 1km from the Israeli border, has prompted many Israelis to call on Prime Minister Olmert to retaliate. A few days prior to the attack on the training base, a rocket landed in Sderot, outside a children’s day care.  While there were no casualties, Israelis say that it was only a matter of luck.  Thus far, the only military reaction was an air strike on launch sites in the Palestinian town of Beit Hanoun.  During the strike, only civilians incurred injuries, which were moderate.

There are conflicting reports as to whether Israel will retaliate against the constant rockets attacks.  Following the rocket attack in Sderot, several Israeli ministers called for Olmert to suspend delivery of water, electricity, and fuel to Gaza.  Now, following the attack on the training base, Israeli citizens are calling for Olmert to react.  Livni hinted that suspensions of water, electricity, and fuel may occur when he claimed that “we have means, means which are not only military.”

A hasher response may be possible, such as a military operation into Gaza.  While the prime minister met with ministers and security chiefs, Palestinians report seeing Israeli tanks entering Gaza.  However, Israel is also receiving international pressure to practice restraint when responding to the attack.

For more information please see:
AFP- US cautions Israel of any retaliatory attack on Gaza– 12 September 2007

Guardian- Israel holds back from rocket attack retaliation– 12 September 2007

Independent- Israel to retaliate after army base rocket attack– 12 September 2007

Washington Post- Israel resists calls for broad assault in Gaza– 12 September 2007

BBC- Rocket injures dozens in Israel– 11 September 2007

BBC- Anger at Israel boot camp safety– 11 September 2007

CNN- Group: We fired Israel rocket– 11 September 2007

On September 6, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released “Why They Died”, a report on the Lebanese casualties during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.  This report was released days after “Civilians Under Assault”, a report on Hezbollah’s deliberate targeting of civilians during the same war.  In both reports, HRW chided Hezbollah and Israel for not abiding the laws of war, which ultimately resulted in the high number of civilian casualties during the 34-day war.

“Why They Died” is the result of five months of research and interviews conducted by HRW.  In preparation for this report, HRW researched 510 civilian deaths, 302 of which were women and children, and 51 combatant deaths.  These figures represent nearly half of the casualties in Lebanon during the war.  HRW investigated 94 air, artillery and ground attacks carried out by the Israel Defense Force (IDF).  They visited over 50 Lebanese villages and conducted over 300 interviews with victims and eyewitness.  HRW also spoke with 39 military experts, journalists and Israeli, Lebanese and Hezbollah officials.

In the summary of the report, HRW refutes Israel’s claim that many of the civilian deaths resulted from Hezbollah’s policy of using civilian “shields” and not from Israel’s military policies.  It states that despite the media reporting otherwise, Israel assumed that their warnings to evacuate villages in southern Lebanon were followed and anyone left was a combatant.  From this assumption, the IDF labeled any visible person as a legitimate target.  However, there are several indications that Israel knew that this assumption was erroneous.  In some instances, it seemed as though Israel knew exactly how many civilians remained.  Also, the report summary lists several Israeli attacks on vehicles evacuating civilians where there was no justification for the attack.

In addition, the report also states that the IDF unlawfully targeted all aspects of Hezbollah organization.  During the war, Israel said that they considered the entire organization as a legitimate military target.  Israel’s targets incorporated private homes and offices of Hezbollah members who were neither combatants nor participating in any military operations.  Other targets included Hezbollah affiliated schools, banks, welfare agencies, research centers, and political offices.

Other concerns detailed in the report were the use of out-dated, unreliable information, the use of cluster munitions, and two cases where IDF soldiers killed unarmed civilians who clearly posed no threat.  Both cases involved IDF soldiers killing civilians who returned to their homes, which Israeli soldiers were occupying.  HRW also noted that no formal investigation into either incident took place.

In “Civilians Under Assault”, HRW reports that during the war, Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets indiscriminately into densely populated areas, violating international rules of war.  The report consists of more than 20 case studies into rocket attacks in Jewish, Arab and mixed villages in northern Israel, which resulted in 39 civilian deaths and over 100 injuries.  Not only did the research show that many of the rocket attacks were conducted indiscriminately, but in some cases Hezbollah deliberately targeted densely populated areas with no military purpose.  Even in cases where there was a legitimate military target, the type of rockets used was so inaccurate that it was more likely to hit civilians than the target itself.

The reports end by recommending that both Israel and Hezbollah follow international rules of war and to revise military policy to limit attacks on legitimate military targets.  In addition, HRW noted that neither Israel nor Lebanon has investigated cases of serious violations of international humanitarian law.  They also recommended that UN establish an International Commission of Inquiry to investigate reports of violations of international law, including possible war crimes.

For the reports please see:
Human Rights Watch:  “Why They Died:  Civilian Casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 War” September 2007.

Human Rights Watch:  “Civilians Under Assault:  Hezbollah’s Rocket Attacks on Israel  in the 2006 War” August 2007.

For more information please see:
The Daily Star:  “Rights group slams Israel’s ‘reckless’ conduct in war” 7 September 2007.

The Toronto Star:  “Lebanon war rebuke ‘nonsense,’ Israelis say” 7 September 2007.

Associated Press:  “Rights group accuses Israel on Lebanon” 6 September 2007.

BBC:  “Israel accused over Lebanon war” 6 September 2007.

Human Rights Watch:  “Israel/Lebanon:  Israeli indiscriminate attacks killed most civilians” 6 September 2007.

Human Rights Watch:  “Israel/Lebanon:  Hezbollah rockets targeted civilians in 2006 war” 29 August 2007.