A Voice for the Voiceless

Egypt: Constitutional Referendum Set for Mid-January

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Adly Mansour, Egypt’s interim president called on citizens to vote “yes” for the amended constitution in a referendum vote that will be held in mid-January. Mansour said the vote, set for Jan. 14-15, would be a first step in Egypt’s transition to a modern democratic state.

Interim President Adly Mansour announces the upcoming constitutional referendum to the 50-member committee that drafted the document. (Photo courtesy of Al Arabiya)

Mansour told an audience of government officials, which included members of a government panel that was reasonable for drafting the constipation, and relatives of victims of the past three years of unrest across the countries that “The document in our hands today is a text that should make every Egyptian proud, and (it is) the correct starting point for building the institutions of the modern democratic state that we all aspire to,” claiming the amended constitution is a important step towards what the military-backed government calls a transition to democracy.

On Friday Egypt’s Interior Ministry reported that at least two demonstrators were killed, sixteen arrested and 54 arrested during a protest against the military-run government.

The first protester killed in during the protests was shot and killed by birdshot during clashes between demonstrators and Egyptian police in the canal city of Suez. The second Demonstrator was killed during a clash between ant-government protesters and supporters of the military-backed government in the town of Fayoum, a community south of Cairo.

Since the military-backed government seized power in July Egyptian security forces have brutally cracked down on ant-government protesters. According to Human Rights Watch more than 1,000 people have been killed the organization says has been the most violent era in modern Egyptian history. The majority of the victims have been supporters of Mohamed Morsi, who was thrown out of power in July.

Some Morsi-Supporters and Islamist groups are considering a Boycott of the upcoming constitutional referendum.  “We are heading toward a boycott campaign,” said Islam Tawfiq, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Tawfiq participating in the constitutional referendum, even with a vote of no, would be “an implicit recognition of the legitimacy” of the military-backed government’s road map for the country.

However, Some Islamists groups are planning to rally behind the new referendum. The ultraconservative political power, Salafist Al-Nour, which was the only Islamist political party to take part in the constitutional drafting process, is calling for a yes vote. The party has received harsh criticism from Morsi allies, some of whom claim the new conisation is anti-Islamic.

The adoption of the constitution is vital for the country’s current authorities as it could be interpreted as a sign of renewed popular support as voices of dissent have begun to rise even among secular, anti-Morsi forces.

Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, a group that is currently carrying out a study of the amended charter, said he will recommend a vote of “no” during the referendum. He said nearly 30 articles in the 247-article draft charter are too vague; giving Egyptian authorities greater room to supress freedom of association and information. He also said other amended articles give the military too much power, “making it a state above the state.”

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Egypt President Sets Date for Referendum – 14 December 2013

Al Arabiya – Egypt Referendum to Be Held Mid-January – 14 December 2013

ABC News – Egypt to Vote on Amended Constitution Mid-January – 13 December 2013

Al Jazeera – Clashes during Egypt Anti-Military Protests – 13 December 2013

Israel’s New Migrant Detention Facility Accused of being a “De Facto” Prison

By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel-In a heavy criticized decision, Israel Prison Service (IPS) opened a new detention facility for African migrants on Thursday.  IPS began the process of moving 480 migrants who are currently held in a prison in Saharonim, with 50 migrants moved so far.

A mobile home moves into the new Israeli prison facility (photo courtesy Telegraph)

The transfer was made possible after the Knesset passed an amendment to Israel’s anti-infiltration law last Tuesday.  This new entry follows the Israel Supreme Court’s cancellation of a previous amendment due to it being disproportionate.

The new amendment will reduce the maximum amount of time a migrant can be held in a detention facility, while creating a default of open detention indefinitely for migrants.  The facility will currently hold 1,000 people with expansions to 3,300 in the next few months.

“We are determined to deport the tens of thousands of illegal migrants who are here after having reduced to zero the number of illegal labor migrants who enter Israel’s cities,” said Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

He further stated, “The steps that we unanimously approved today are proportionate and necessary for maintaining the Jewish and democratic character of the state and will restore security to Israel’s citizens while upholding the directives of the High Court of Justice and international law.”

Agitated human rights groups have called the new facility a “de facto” prison.   A group of Israeli human rights activists said detention of African asylum seekers “is not only draconian, undemocratic, and a fatal blow to human rights, it will also do nothing to help the already marginalized residents of South Tel Aviv.”

Marc Grey, spokesperson for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said, “We don’t see this as an improvement…The law itself, whether it’s three years or one year…it’s still just absolutely a massive violation of asylum seekers’ rights.”

The Israeli government addressed these concerns by saying “the law creates a suitable balance between the right of the State of Israel to defend its borders and prevent infiltration, and its obligation to act in a humanitarian manner toward anyone within its borders and protect the human rights due to every person.”

Police Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonvitch, also rejected the claims that it resembled a prison.  “I invited the press in order not to conceal anything.  I wanted you to see it with your own eyes.  This will be a fenced site allowing entrance and exit through a main gate,” Aharonvitch said.

For more information, please see the following: 

Al Jazeera-Israel opens ‘de facto jail’ for migrants-12 December 2013

Haaretz-Israel’s new holding center for African migrants opens Thursday-12 December 2013

Jerusalem Post-Israel to begin using ‘open’ detention facility for migrants-12 December 2013

Telegraph-Israeli to open migrant ‘detention centre’-12 December 2013

SNHR: Human Rights Defenders were Kidnapped on Human Rights Day

Human Rights Activists were shocked about the news regarding the kidnapping of Lawyer and Human Rights Activist Razan Zaitouneh, and three of her colleagues working in the same field.  Their names are: Human Rights Activist Samira Alkhalil, Mr. Wael Hamada; he is Razan’s husband, and Lawyer Nazem Al-Hamidi.  A masked and armed group kidnapped them from the Office of Violations Documentations Centre in the city of Doma, where our colleagues were working (the armed group are unknown at the moment of issuing this statement).

As known, kidnapping in general is prohibited in International Humanitarian Law and Customary International Human Rights Law; which is a binding law, so it is considered a war crime  Their perpetrators must be pursued and held accountable.

In the case of Human Rights Defenders, this is a more egregious violation regarding their value and special care.

Syrian Network for Human Rights expresses strong condemnation over the inhuman terrorist act of kidnapping, and stand by the abducted colleagues in their Rights Journey.

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and the Supreme Military Council should take their responsibilities in this regard, where the kidnapping incident has occurred in an area outside the regime’s control.

They should start a quick investigation, and follow up the case to the highest levels.  First: to do everything possible to release them.  Second:  hold perpetrators accountable to deter them, because it forms additional risk if we add it to the violations committed by the Syrian regime against human rights defenders, and these seriously threaten the documentation process in Syria.