Assad Sworn in for another Seven Year term Amidst Deadly Violence

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Managing Editor

DAMASCUS, Syria – On Wednesday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad placed his right hand on the Holy Quran and took his oath of office at the “People’s Palace” overlooking Damascus and was sworn into a third seven-year term as President of Syria. SANA, Syria’s state-run television station aired what it said was a live broadcast of the ceremony showing Assad arriving in a black BMW sedan as members of the Syrian military band played the national anthem.

Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for a third seven-year term as Syria’s president in a ceremony in Damascus celebrating Assad’s victory in an election that was widely condemned as a farce by the Syrian opposition as well as other Arab and Western leaders.

In an address Assad claimed that the Arab spring uprising against established Arab leaders had brought nothing but ciaos to the region, arguing that “What we are seeing today in Iraq and Lebanon, and all countries struck by this ‘fake spring’ disease … proves our warnings were right: Soon we will see Arab, regional and Western countries paying a high price for supporting terrorism.”

“Syrians, three years and four months… have passed since some cried ‘freedom’,” Assad said in his address referring to the peaceful protests that turned violent in March 2011 when Assad’s forces attempted to silence protesters. Assad continued “They wanted a revolution, but you have been the real revolutionaries. I congratulate you for your revolution and for your victory.”

Even as Assad prepared to begin his next term in office, claiming victory over the Syrian rebels, State media reported that four people had been killed when rebel shells struck near Umayyad Square in Damascus. The Assad regime continues target rebel-held and rebel-sympathetic areas including the embattled city of Aleppo. On Friday video was posted to YouTube of an indiscriminate barrel bomb attack by the Syrian Air force that reportedly killed 20 people in Aleppo. The video shows rescues franticly trying to save a young baby who was stuck in the rubble.

Assad won re-election on June 3rd in an election that only allowed voting in regime-controlled territories. Assad claimed victory with a reported 88.7 percent of the vote, defeating two other candidates who were seen as figureheads, rather than true political rivals. Syrian opposition groups and members of the international community have condemned the election as illegitimate.  The opposition National Coalition branded the election a “farce” even before it was staged, in a statement later echoed by the US secretary of state, John Kerry, and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the secretary general of NATO.

The Syrian Civil war has become a massive humanitarian crises, in the 3½ years since the conflict began more than 1 million refugees have fled the country, mostly entering Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. The sudden displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from Syria has created growing tensions in the region, in Lebanon alone the Syrian refugee population is approaching one third of the overall population of the country placing strain on state infrastructure.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Syria’s Assad Sworn in For Third Term – 16 July 2014

National Public Radio – Syria’s Assad Sworn in For Third 7-Year Presidential Term  – 16 July 2014

The New York Times – Assad Is Sworn in For Third 7-Year Term in Syria – 16 July 2014

The Washington Post – Baby Rescued From Rubble after Syria Bomb Attack – 11 July 2014

The Washington Post – Syrian Crisis: Barrel Bomb Attacks in Aleppo – 11 July 2014

Ahram Online – Syria Refugees Set to Exceed A Third of Lebanon’s Population – 3 July 2014

40 Years Later, Cyprus Still Struggles to Reunite

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

NICOSIA, Cyprus – Forty years ago today, a coup led by Greeks chased out President Archbishop Makarios. Less than a week after, Turkey invaded Cyprus and overthrew the coup in a bloody engagement. While Turkey eventually halted its advance, 35,000 Turkish troops still remain in northern Cyprus today.

A sign in the town of Pyla, sitting within the U.N.-controlled buffer zone between northern Cyprus and the rest of the island. (Photo courtesy of The Guardian)

Today, the northern one-third of Cyprus remains separate from the rest of the nation, separated by a buffer controlled by the United Nations. This northern section of the island self-identifies themselves as an independent nation, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. While Turkey also recognizes northern Cyprus as an independent nation, Turkey is alone in doing so. However, it remains unclear what exactly that region of the island is, as it acts as a de facto nation with its own government.

Over one-third of the Cypriots on the island are mainland Turks, which makes unification of the north and south even more difficult. Now, a group of Cypriots is taking action against Turkey in an attempt to push Turkey out of the north.

European Parliament member Costas Mavrides, representing his nation Cyprus, a European Union member nation, filed a war crimes complaint against Turkey. Tens of thousands of Turkish troops in northern Cyprus, A sizeable Turkish population in northern Cyprus, backed by tens of thousands of Turkish troops also stationed there, are increasing in numbers, a move that is making Cyprus feel threatened.

Along with Mavrides, a group called Cypriots Against Turkish War Crimes has taken part in filing the complaint against Turkey. This group has been backed by an Israeli-based rights organization called the Shurat HaDin Law Center.

The claim is that Turkey is pushing Turkish mainlanders to move to the island. Turkey is allegedly enticing Turkish settlers by providing job opportunities, financial aid, and giving homes and land to Turks who make the move. The impact of these moves could drastically increase the Turkish population, as has already been seen in the northern section of Cyprus where over one-third of the 300,000 population is people who came from Turkey.

Cyprus is afraid that the increase in the Turkish population on the northern section of the island could further push the northern part of Cyprus to breakaway from the rest of the island. The filed complaint in the International Criminal Court is an attempt by Cyprus to contain the situation and nip it in the bud before things escalate, especially in the wake of the recent quiet takeover of Crimea by Russia in a similar manner. Although it has been forty years now since the conflict began, it is clear that a solution is still far away.

For more information, please see:

Cyprus Mail – Congressmen urge Obama to enhance US support for Cyprus’ reunification 15 July 2014 

Cyprus Mail – Forty years since the coup 15 July 2014

ABC News – Cypriots File War Crimes Complaint Against Turkey 14 July 2014 

The Guardian – Cyprus divided: 40 years on, a family recalls how the island was torn apart 5 July 2014

In A Symbolic Demonstration of Sovereignty the Haudenosaunee Fields a Team at Lacrosse World Championship Four Years after Being Denied the Right to Play the Creator’s Game

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Managing Editor

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America –  As they take the field to play the sport they call the Creator’s Game at the Lacrosse World Championships, the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois National Lacrosse Team is playing for much more than a title, they are playing for their standing in the International Community. The team, whose players represent the six Haudenosaunee nations — the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora — is the world’s only indigenous team competing as a sovereign nation for the World Lacrosse Championships in Denver. The Iroquois men’s lacrosse team has been competing internationally under the Haudenosaunee flag since 1987 and is the only Native American team officially sanctioned to compete internationally as an independent entity.

Four years after being denied entry into the United Kingdom under Haudenosaunee Passports to compete at the World Lacrosse Championship in Manchester England the Iroquois Nationals, the world’s only international sanctioned indigenous team is competing at the World Championships in Denver, defeating England 15 to 4 on Friday. (Photo Courtesy of Lacrosse Magazine)

For the Haudenosaunee Lacrosse is much more than a game, it is a way of life. Called the Creator’s Game, Lacrosse is a deeply spiritual game and is frequently used for healing purposes and can be summoned by clan mothers on behalf of any person or people who is in need of its healing powers.

“We play for the creator, and the game was put here to please the creator,” said team goalie Marty Ward who grew up in Syracuse New York just outside of the Onondaga Nation reservation and is playing for his third world team. “Every time we pick up a stick, it is a medicine game first.”

Although Lacrosse was born on Haudenosaunee land, the road to representing their people at the Lacrosse world Championships has not been easy for the Iroquois Nationals. Four years ago, the Iroquois Nationals made international headlines when the British government refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Haudenosaunee Passports under which the team was traveling despite the fact that the Haudenosaunee passports have been recognized abroad since 1923 when delegates from the Six Nation’s visited the League of Nations. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded by offering the team members one-time travel waivers. While they team was offered expedited United States passport the they refused to accept the offer; Wishing not only to play, but also to travel under their own flag.

As a result of being denied the right to play their own sport at the lacrosse World Championships in Manchester the Iroquois nationals fell in the international rankings and the Federation of International Lacrosse stripped the team of  its ability to compete in the coveted top-flight blue division against fellow lacrosse powerhouses including the United States and Canada.  The Iroquois Nationals successfully appealed the federation’s decision and regained entry into the blue division in the 2014 world championships. “We’re going to play to win,” Marty Ward said. “We’re going to play with a clear mind, clear heart and a free spirit when we’re out there.”

For more information please see:

ABC News – Iroquois Lacrosse Team Playing for Redemption – 11 July 2014

Al Jazeera America – Fighting For More Than a Win: Iroquois Lacrosse Team Back In Championships – 9 July 2014

Denver Post – Brothers Playing For Nation, Redemption in World Lacrosse Championships – 10 July 2014

Indian Country Today Media Network – Iroquois Nationals Gearing up For World Lacrosse Championships in Denver – 4 July 2014

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Conflict Zones

Syria Justice and Accountability Centre

“For decades – if not centuries – there has been a near-total absence of justice for survivors of rape and sexual violence in conflict. We hope this Protocol will be part of a new global effort to shatter this culture of impunity, helping survivors and deterring people from committing these crimes in the first place.” – Rt. Hon. William Hague MP, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

As SJAC has noted before, sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) is widespread in conflict zones all over the globe, and Syria is no exception.  Women and men in Syria have been subjected to sexual, physical, and psychological assault and abuse while in detention, during home raids, or even while walking on the street.  When SGBV is committed as part of a broad pattern of violations, as is almost certainly occurring in Syria, it can constitute a crime under international law: namely, a war crime, a crime against humanity, or genocide.  The effects of SGBV on individual victims and entire communities have had a dramatic impact on the Syrian people’s sense of security, and they have been a major force in driving families out of the country and into refugee camps in neighboring countries.

SGBV can be difficult to document due to the lack of evidence available following the violence, the stigma often associated with the violence, and victims’ corresponding reluctance to disclose.  In Syria, women in particular are hesitant to disclose sexual violence due to cultural, social and religious beliefs related to marriage and sexuality.  Moreover, even where SGBV in conflict zones has been documented, the incidents have systematically been ignored or downplayed in post-conflict justice mechanisms and courts.  Perpetrators of SGBV in conflict zones have rarely been held accountable for their crimes.

Last month, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner on Refugees, co-chaired the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.  The gathering was held in London and brought together 1700 delegates and 129 country delegations to focus on ending impunity for sexual violence in conflict.  Meetings were held on a wide range of issues related to sexual violence in conflict, including conflict prevention, international justice, women’s rights and participation, men and boys, and children affected by conflict.  The Summit corresponded with the launch of an International Protocol on the Documentation of Sexual Violence in Conflict, aimed at establishing international standards for documenting and investigating sexual violence in conflict zones.  The Protocol uses current best practices to provide guidance to investigators, activists, national policymakers, prosecutors, counselors, and medical professionals.

SJAC is in the process of integrating many of the best practices from the Protocol into its own polices, methodology, and operations manual for documenting SGBV in Syria.  Other organizations documenting SGBV in Syria and in other conflict zones should make use of this comprehensive document to further our shared goals of documenting SGBV and holding perpetrators of these crimes accountable.