SYRIA DEEPLY- WEEKLY UPDATE July 16, 2016

July 18, 2016

The Basics · The Government · ISIS · The Opposition · Global Players

WEEKLY UPDATE
July 16, 2016

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is a brief overview of what happened this week:

A nationwide cease-fire was in effect at the start of this week, and later extended until early Friday morning in Syria, but the truce did very little to halt the ongoing fighting on the ground.

Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, effectively came under siege at the end of last week as forces aligned with President Bashar al-Assad cut off the last supply route into opposition-held areas of Aleppo city. On Monday, several armed opposition factions launched an offensive on the western, government-held areas of the city, in an attempt to break the siege and reopen the coveted Castello Road.

Recent fighting in Aleppo throughout the week left dozens of civilians dead, but the battle for the city is ongoing. The highway has been rendered “impassable,” leaving some 300,000 people stranded in the city without access to much-needed humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

Idlib and Deir Ezzor provinces also came under attack this week. On Monday, an airstrike hit a fuel market in Idlib, killing at least 14 people, including a journalist who worked with Al-Jazeera.

In Deir Ezzor, Syrian government forces launched an operation on ISIS-controlled areas of the province. On Friday, the army carried out at least 50 airstrikes and were able to retake the majority of al-Sina’a district.

The renewed government offensive in Deir Ezzor came just after ISIS claimed responsibility for shooting down a Syrian army aircraft. ISIS released a propaganda video purporting to show militants shooting down a Syrian warplane and killing the pilot.

That was the second aircraft ISIS claimed responsibility for shooting down in the past seven days. Earlier this week, two Russian pilots were killed when ISIS reportedly shot down their helicopter over the city of Palmyra.

Weekly Highlights:

The Plight of Syria’s Star-Crossed Lovers

Syrian women living in the government-controlled province of Latakia must decide between love and danger if they are to marry the men of their choosing. If those men live in opposition-held areas of Syria, women often face harassment and extortion in order to be with the men they love.

Analysis: ISIS’s Ramadan Campaign of Terror

Middle East expert Mohamad Bazzi explains how the so-called Islamic State’s territorial losses in Syria and Iraq pushed it to focus on large-scale attacks around the world during the holy month of Ramadan.

Abandoning Syria to Two Tyrannies

The siege of Aleppo will have horrific ramifications for Syria, the region and global security. If the current U.S. policy in Syria does not change, the war-torn country risks falling into the hands of both Assad’s regime and the Islamic State group.

Additional Reading:

For new reporting and analysis every weekday, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria.
You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

Top image: Syria Civil Defense volunteer search and rescue workers respond to an air attack on a fuel market in Idlib. Syria Civil Defense

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R2P Monitor, Issue 28

July 18, 2016

Dear colleague,

I would like to draw your attention to the latest issue of our publication, R2P Monitor.

R2P Monitor is a bimonthly bulletin applying the Responsibility to Protect lens to populations at risk of mass atrocities around the world. Issue 28 looks at developments in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Burma/Myanmar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Burundi, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Central African Republic. To read R2P Monitor please access the document via the following link: R2P Monitor, Issue 28.

I hope you will find this edition a useful tool as we work together to prevent and halt mass atrocity crimes.

Dr Simon Adams
Executive Director

Global Centre for the
Responsibility to Protect

Ralph Bunche Institute for
International Studies
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5203
New York, NY 10016-4309, USA

Phone: 1 212-817-2104
Fax: +1 212-817-1565
info@globalr2p.org

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Hundreds of Activists Have Disappeared and Tortured in Egypt Since 2015

July 18, 2016

By Zachary Lucas
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — A new report from Amnesty International has documented hundreds of people disappearing since early 2015. The enforced disappearances are being carried out by the Egypt’s National Security Agency (NSA) and torturing some of those that are taken.

Egyptian Security Forces Have Detained Hundreds of Activists for Months (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Amnesty International has documented over 630 instances of people disappearing since early 2015 by NSA. This amounts to three to four people everyday being taken by Egyptian security forces. The main targets of the disappearances are political activists, protesters, students, and other opponents to the regime. Those targeted include both Islamists that support the ousted political party, the Muslim Brotherhood, and secular activists. People as young as 14 have been victims to these enforced disappearances. Amnesty International says enforced disappearances are a “key instrument of state policy.”

Amnesty International’s report describes that some people, including children, are taken from their home in the night and sometimes blindfolded and handcuffed as they are transported to detention facilities. They are detained for months without access to a lawyer or their family with no formal charges brought against them and they do not stand trial.

The report also lists numerous instances of torture to those that were captured. Some of the examples of torture have ranged from long instances of interrogation to use of electric shocks to force confessions.

One example of torture was the enforced disappearance of Aser Mohamed, a 14 year old. Aser was arrested and held for 34 days in NSA offices in Cairo. While there, Aser suffered electric shocks and beatings to force a confession. Aser was later brought before a prosecutor that warned him more electric shocks would occur if he retracted his confession. When he returned to his family, he had wounds from electric shocks on his lips, head, arms, chest, and genitalia. Aser is currently awaiting his trial before an Egyptian court.

The disappearances and torture may have also extended to foreign activists. An Italian PHD candidate at Cambridge University, Giulio Regeni, was found dead on the outskirts of Cairo with visible signs of torture. The Egyptian government denied any responsibility for his death, but Amnesty International says his case matches the other documented instances.

Enforced disappearances are illegal under Egyptian law. Authorities are required to refer arrested persons to the Public Prosecution within 24 hours of detention. Enforced disappearances are not a new tactic in Egypt but are on the rise recently according to Mohamed Lotfy, Executive Director of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom. Most of those that forcibly disappear are later charged with terrorism related charges.

The Egyptian government has denied the information that was released in the report and accused Amnesty International of being a “non-neutral organisation motivated by political stances aimed at tarnishing the image of Egypt.” Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid told CNN that torture is illegal in Egypt and all suspected cases are prosecuted. Zeid also said that a committee was being formed to investigate the allegations in the report. The United States State Department issued a statement calling the report “deeply troubling.”

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International — Egypt: Hundreds disappeared and tortured amid wave of brutal repression — 13 July 2016

BBC — Hundreds forcibly disappeared in Egypt crackdown, says Amnesty — 13 July 2016

CNN — Amnesty: Hundreds ‘disappeared’ by Egyptian forces — 13 July 2016

NPR — Amnesty International Report Documents Activist Disappearances In Egypt — 13 July 2016

Unpacking the Nuances of Complementarity On International Justice Day

July 17, 2016

July 17, 1998 changed the global landscape of accountability for the most egregious crimes. At that time 120 states ratified the Rome Statute, bringing the International Criminal Court (ICC) into being. It was a day in which nations around the globe took a stand against impunity, which we celebrate annually on International Justice Day.

The Rome Statute linked the newly created ICC to the national courts of its member states, establishing it as a court of last resort. National courts have primary jurisdiction over atrocity crimes, with the ICC serving as a failsafe of sorts to ensure that perpetrators are held to account. This relationship between national courts and the ICC is known as complementarity, a concept critical to understanding the role that the ICC plays in criminal prosecutions and indeed why we celebrate International Justice Day.

Complementarity affects many people beyond The Hague, in the signatory countries where these horrendous crimes have been committed –victims of human rights abuses, activists, lawyers and judicial officials, even journalists and civil society at large.

Because of the central role complementarity plays in the global fight against impunity, this year ICTJ is celebrating International Justice Day with the release of The Handbook on Complementarity: An Introduction to the Role of National Courts and the ICC in Prosecuting International Crimes. Avoiding technicalities, this handbook unpacks the relationship between national courts and the ICC in a straightforward manner for people who are fierce defendants of justice in their own countries, but not necessarily lawyers or specialists. Download the full version for free and explore our multimedia presentation.

Think you’re an expert on how national courts and the ICC work together? Put your knowledge to the test with our interactive quiz!

Experience shows that without the significant help of civil society organizations working in the country where the crimes are committed (and the pressure they can put on governments) the chances of seeing justice tend to be low. We hope that this handbook will be a useful tool in their tireless fight for accountability.

The struggle against impunity remains as important –and precarious –as ever. In recent years, the ICC has come under attack. States that signed the Rome Statute have ignored arrest warrants from the Court, allowing alleged perpetrators to flout the law. Several national efforts to prosecute perpetrators of atrocities have failed. International cases have crumbled. In short: there is serious concern that perpetrators of atrocity may evade justice, and the lives and well-being of millions of people across the planet hang in the balance.

Given these stakes, complementarity is of utmost importance – to understand it is to understand one of the key tools in this fight. The drafters of the Rome Statute had it right by placing the onus on state parties to investigate and prosecute Rome Statute crimes, as the ICC can realistically only play the role of a court of last resort. That does, however, leave many hard questions – and much work – for the rest of us who work to strengthen national judiciaries. Join us as we explore these questions this International Justice Day.

Sincerely,
David Tolbert,
ICTJ President

Campaigns Shut Down After Violence in Zambia

July 14, 2016

By: Samantha Netzband

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

LUSAKA, Zambia—A campaign ban has been put into effect in the Zambian cities of Lusaka and Nawala by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ). The ban comes after a political rally for the United Party for National Development (UPND) turned violent on July 8^th. A police order was issued against the rally being held, but it proceeded as planned anyways. Police opened fire on UPND protesters when the situation became violent. One person has died as a result of the protest and a number of others are injured. The suspension of campaigning includes “public rallies, meetings, procession, or door to door campaigns.”

Campaign rally in Zambia. (Photo Courtesy of Today)

The United Party for National Development along with the Patriotic Front are cited as being the center of the violence by creating tension as the August elections draw nearer. Hakainde Hichilema, the leader of the UPND, says that the cancellation of campaign events is meant to save face for the current President of Zambia Edgar Lungu, a member of the Patriotic Front. Hichilema believes that Lungu was experiencing low turnout at his campaign events.

Human rights activists are calling on members of law enforcement to take the campaign break as a time to reflect on the alleged poor treatment of the United Party for National Development. Activists claim that the UPND has had trouble getting permits for rallies. Police have already promised to make an inquiry into the death of the one protester.

Forum for Democracy & Development (FDD) party member Antonio Mwanza, who is running for MP, says that the parties inciting the violence should be punished: “What ECZ should do is punish the violent candidates and parties as opposed to inconveniencing some of us who have been peaceful; us who have nothing to do with the madness of violence.”

Despite the ban on in-person campaigning, campaign activities via electronic and print media will still be allowed. However, these communications will be monitored for hate speech. Normal campaign activities will start back up on July 18^th after a review of the the political situation. In the interim, all campaign vehicles will remain parked.parked and campaign activities will not happen in hopes of stopping the political violence.

For more information, please see:

All Africa – ECZ Impose 10 Day Ban On Campaigns in Lusaka and Namwala – 10 July 2016

Daily Mail – Zambia Elections Body Halts Campaigning in Capital Over Violence – 10 July 2016

Sun Daily – Zambia Suspends Election Campaigning Over Violence – 10 July 2016

Today – Zambia Electoral Body Suspends Campaigns – 10 July 2016

Zambia Daily – FDD Decries Campaign Ban – 10 July 2016