By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran-An Iranian naval officer has said that a number of war ships have been ordered to approach U.S. maritime borders in response to U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf.

Admiral Afshin Rezayee Haddad, stated “Iran’s military fleet is approaching the United States’ maritime borders, and this move has a message.”  Haddad, known as the commander of the Iranian navy’s northern fleet, further said the vessels began their voyage towards the Atlantic Ocean by way of waters near South Africa.

“A destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship have already entered the Atlantic Ocean via waters near South Africa,” stated Haddad.  The ships reportedly set sail last month from the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, carrying some navy academy cadets for training along with their regular crews.  The ships are on a three-month mission.

A U.S. defense official responded by casting doubt on any claims that the Iranian ships were approaching the U.S. maritime borders, but added that the ships are free to operate and sail within international waters.

Iran views the Persian Gulf as its own “backyard” and believes that it has a legitimate interest in expanding its influence in the Gulf. However, the U.S. and its allies regularly hold naval exercises in the Gulf in order to ensure freedom of navigation where 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil exports pass through

Iran has made claims that they could block the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf and has been under military attack due to its disputed nuclear program.  As such, Iran has been developing its presence in international waters, regularly launching vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates within the area.

Iranian Members of Parliament have accused President Hassan Rouhani of stopping a scheduled missile exercise.  IRNA has reported that 24 members of parliament stated that the Supreme National Security Council, headed by President Rouhani, stopped the annual test while not approving its budget.

For more information, please see the following:

 Al Jazeera-Iran says warships to approach US borders-09 February 2014

Payvand Iran News-Iran: Warships to Approach US Maritime Borders-09 February 2014

Reuters-Iran says warships sailing towards U.S.: agency-08 February 2014

Voice of America-Iran: Warships to Approach US Maritime Borders-08 February 2014

By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq-Thousands of women have suffer torture and other forms of abuse, including sexual assault, while being illegally held in Iraqi prisons, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday.

The allegations were based on a report containing the testimony of the female detainees, their relatives and lawyers, prison medics, court documents and meetings with official.  Thus, giving credit to one of the central claims made by disaffected Sunni Arabs frustrated with the Shiite-led government.

The minority community has taken issue with the dominating long-running protests in Iraq’s Sunni-dominated areas, saying it is unfairly targeted by the authorities and security forces, and points in particular to the treatment of women in prisons.

One of the 27 women interviewed by the New York-based watchdog had to walk on crutches because she said she had suffered nine days of beatings, electrical shocks and other forms of abuse leaving her disabled.

HRW reported that that woman was later executed despite a medical report supporting her allegations of torture.

A vast majority of the women prisoners have reported being beaten, kicked, and slapped, given electric shocks, and raped, while others have been threatened with sexual assault, sometimes in front of male relatives.

The women were often arrested either in order to question their male relatives’ alleged support for militants or to harass male family members or the community more generally.

“Iraqi security forces and officials act as if brutally abusing women will make the country safer,” HRW deputy Middle East and North Africa director Joe Stork said in a statement.

“In fact, these women and their relatives have told us that as long as security forces abuse people with impunity, we can only expect security conditions to worsen.”

Human rights groups, analysts, diplomats and lawmakers have become increasingly vocal over alleged abuses, including mass arrests, prolonged periods of detention without trial, the closure of some neighborhoods and detainee abuse.

Analysts say that while most Sunnis do not actively support militant groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a powerful jihadist group, their anger means they are less likely to cooperate with authorities in providing intelligence or handing in suspected insurgents.

“These abuses have caused a deep-seated anger and lack of trust between Iraq’s diverse communities and security forces, and all Iraqis are paying the price,” Stork said.

For more information, please see the following: 

Al Arabiya-HRW: Iraq security forces abuse women prisoners-06 February 2014

Al Jazeera-Iraq slammed for women prisoners abuse-06 February 2014

BBC-Iraqi security forces ‘abuse female prisoners’-06 February 2014

Rudaw-Human Rights Watch: Thousands of Women Suffer Abuse in Iraqi Jails-06 February 2014