David M. Crane Briefs House Committee on Syria

Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT) affiliated faculty member David M. Crane, a professor of practice in the College of Law, testified Thursday, July 31, in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs about allegations of torture and war crimes committed by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

David Crane

David Crane

Along with Crane, M. Cherif Bassiouni, emeritus professor of law at the DePaul University College of Law and a frequent collaborator with INSCT, and the Hon. Frederic C. Hof, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic House Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, addressed the panel as well.

Also testifying was the person responsible for bringing to light more than 50,000 graphic photographs documenting the abuse and systematic killing of as many as 10,000 of Assad’s opponents. The photos were smuggled out of Syria by a Syrian army defector code-named “Caesar.” Now under protection, Caesar spoke to the committee in disguise, and to protect his identity, the briefing was not webcast or televised.

“Over the past three and a half years, the Assad regime has carried out a campaign of unspeakable brutality against the Syrian people, including chemical weapons attacks, mass torture, and mass executions against even peaceful political opposition,” said Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), who served as chairman for the hearing. “The slaughter’s systematic nature is shocking. At the briefing, committee members listened to, and saw pictures from, the sobering account of a firsthand witness of Assad’s killing machine.”

INSCT is a joint academic research center at the College of Law and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

For more information, click here.

IHRDC Releases Report on Apostasy in the Islamic Republic of Iran

July 30, 2014

Apostasy_Cover_Thumb_801567951(New Haven) — Today, the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) released a detailed report, Apostasy in the Islamic Republic of Iran, explaining the jurisprudential as well as the legal context in which apostasy cases are prosecuted in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The report takes an in-depth look at a number of apostasy cases involving a diverse range of defendants, and provides an account of the legal and religious issues raised in each case. A full version of the report is accessible here.

Although apostasy is punishable by death in Iran, the Islamic Republic has never codified the crime of apostasy. Instead, relying on the Iranian Constitution, the Islamic Penal Code authorizes the enforcement of certain Islamic laws known as hodud crimes even when the crime is not specifically mentioned in the criminal code. The fact that apostasy is not explicitly proscribed by the Iranian legal framework, and the differences in interpretations of Islamic law regarding apostasy, contribute to a lack of legal certainty for those living under Iranian laws.

Apostasy in the Islamic Republic of Iran relies on witness interviews, media reports and court documents to demonstrate how Iranian authorities have handled apostasy cases. This report also describes how the Iranian government violates its international obligations with respect to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as the right to life.

“Religious freedom has been a pressing human rights issue in Iran since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979. The Iranian government has systematically discriminated against Christian converts, Bahá’ís, Sunni Muslims and others,” said Gissou Nia, the Executive Director of IHRDC. “Apostasy in the Islamic Republic of Iran looks at religious persecution from a different angle and contributes to a better understanding of this topic.”

The Persian translation of the report and full testimonies of witnesses interviewed for the report will be published in upcoming weeks.

For further information, please contact:
Gissou Nia
Executive Director
Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Email: GNia@iranhrdc.org
Phone: +1 203 654 9342

South Sudan Rebels Skip Out on Peace Talks

By: Danielle L. Cowan (Gwozdz)
Senior Desk Operator, Africa

JUBA, South Sudan – South Sudan rebels have failed to attend the second day of peace talks aimed at ending months of conflict, BBC News reports.

The UN is struggling to cope with the large number of refugees fleeing the fighting (photo courtesy of AFP)

 

Organizers of these talks state that it is unclear why the rebels did not show up.

On Monday, the rebels had appeared and made this appearance with complaints about the continued presence of Ugandan forces in South Sudan.

It is unclear whether these talks are going to continue.

These talks have been part of a long effort by the government to finalize a transition for South Sudan.

The deadline that has been in place for these talks is August 10. By this date, they had hoped to agree on a transitional government and a ceasefire.

They had tried a round of talks in June between President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar, but these talks stopped as well.

Instead, another conflict arose in December. President Kiir accused rebel leader Machar of plotting a takeover.

Although Machar denied these accusations, he gathered a rebel army to fight the government.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry stated that Machar “needs to understand the importance of living by the agreements.”

The UN has warned that this country is on the verge of famine.

More than 1.5 million people have been displaced.

Over the last two days, at least six Sudanese aid workers have been killed in violence close to the South Sudan border.

These ethnically targeted attacks have been said by the UN as characteristic violence which has ruined South Sudan.

The murdered aid workers belong to the Nuer ethnic group, BBC News reports.

For more information, please visit:
BBC News – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – 5 August 2014
Africa Time – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – 6 August 2014
Ethiopian Headline News – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – BBC News – 5 August 2014
Africa News – Rebel no-show at South Sudan talks in Ethiopia – BBC News – 6 August 2014

 

Anti-Semitism is on the Rise in Europe as the Casualty Count in the Israel-Gaza Conflict Continues to Grow

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The battle between Israel and Gaza has led to many casualties, mostly on the side of Gaza. The massive loss by the Palestinians, many of whom were civilians, has led to a growing anti-Semitic behavior across Europe.

Israel strikes Gaza City with an air and artillery strike. (Photo courtesy of The Independent)

With multiple strikes by Israel upon U.N. compounds in Gaza sheltering Palestinian civilians, the most recent occurring this past weekend, many nations have become angered by Israel. Even the United States, an ally to Israel, labeled Israel’s most recent attack as “disgraceful.” French President Francois Hollande also questioned the aspect of remaining neutral with a conflict of such magnitude raging on.

But governments are not the only ones who are upset with Israel as a result of this major conflict. While Israel is not without its own sizeable casualty list, with well over a thousand rockets having been fired at Israel over the past month or more, the Palestinian casualty count is nearly ten times as great. Specifically the high civilian casualty count in Gaza has led to a growing hatred towards Israel that appears to be spreading throughout Europe. A British poll goes as far as to call some of the attacks by Israel against Gaza “war crimes.”

Within Belgium, a doctor refused emergency care to a Jewish woman. In Spain, a writer called for expelling a Jewish community. In Italy, philosopher Gianni Vattimo harshly states how he would like to shoot “Zionists.” A teenager in Germany firebombed a synagogue. In France, anti-Israel protestors attacked a synagogue. Even in Ireland a councilman urged the shelling of Israel.

While given that a large portion of this new brewing dislike is a result of Israel’s actions and it is likely that most of these remarks and attacks are the result of political distaste, it has given fuel to an underlying anti-Semitic minority. Germany is a strong advocate of educating people as to the atrocities that occurred during World War Two, and has always been quick to stomp out any hateful protests.

However, amid condemnation by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck, anti-Semitism has seen a recent violent increase in Germany. This fear has spread not only among Jewish citizens of Germany, but many other European countries as well. France has seen a large emigration of its Jewish citizens to Israel as of late.

With anti-Semitism across Europe slowly beginning to spread and boil as the Israel-Gaza conflict drags on, the safety of Jewish citizens in Europe is becoming more unsure by the day.

For more information, please see:

Daily News – Behind Europe’s anti-Semitic slurs – 4 August 2014

The Washington Post – How Israel is losing Europe – 4 August 2014

The New York Times – Anti-Semitism Rises in Europe Amid Israel-Gaza Conflict – 1 August 2014

The New York Times – Number of French Jews Emigrationg to Israel Rises – 20 June 2014

Media Restrictions in Fiji Threaten Free and Fair Democratic Elections

by Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania 

 

Suva, Fiji

Fiji is preparing for its first democratic election since the military coup in 2006. Since the coup the Fijian media has been subjected to restrictions by the military government seeking to control the flow of information to its citizens, the government has ramped up these restrictions as the September elections approach. The Fijian government has added new regulations monitoring the level of bias in political reporting. The regulations cover both local Fijian reporters as well as foreign reporters working in Fiji and covering Fijian politics. Violation of the regulations results in fines and can be punishable by up to five years in jail. So far a number of foreign reporters have been banned from Fiji after writing articles or conducting interviews that the government believed  to reflect bias that they did not want the public exposed to. One of these reporters was New Zealander Michael Field who made comments about the state of the Fijian media being farcical and that it does not represent a fair and free democracy.

FIJI DEMOCRACY MARCH SYDNEY
Fijians protest the military government and the restrictions to freedom and democracy they’ve suffered.
(Photo Curtesy of SBS News Australia)

Amnesty International has stressed that in regards to the Fiji election freedom of expression is crucial for the media to achieve governmental transparency. The government has passed legislation aimed at restricting the freedom of journalists writing on the election and other issues within the government. Many journalists have been intimidated by the government, slapped with heavy fines and jail time. Amnesty International also reported there has been a number of arbitrary detentions of  number of local journalists. In order for elections to be free and fair there must be an unrestricted media with the ability to criticize the government and the candidates without fear of retribution by the authorities.

When the media decree was first enacted after the coup it stated that media reports must not include material, which goes against public interest or order. These decrees put the media under the effective control of the military government. When the laws were first enacted there was an opportunity for public consultation, however those members of the public who had the opportunity to consult were only given two and a half hours to read the law and prepare for the consultation. There was not a proper opportunity for an opposition to the decree. This sort of policy has continued even during the transfer to democracy and these sorts of laws are in opposition to the democratic changes the country is trying to make and hopefully not a reflection of the rest of the election process.

For more information, please see:

ABC Australia Network News — Fiji to Set up Media Monitor Ahead of Election — 27 March 2014

Fiji Times — Media restrictions — 29 April 2014

Amnesty International — Fiji: End Harassment of Journalist Ahead of Election — 27 June 2014

ABC News Australia — Fiji Media Decree ‘Extremely Worrying’ — 7 April 2010

SBS News Australia — In Fiji, Free Press Remains Elusive — 11 July 2014