Syrian Revolution Digest: Monday, 15 April 2013

Screwed by Design?

The U.S. is secretly “feeding” us, while Russia and Iran are “secretly” arming Assad, now he has a “second wind,” and we are doubly screwed. For fear of “mission creep,” the U.S. has so far been indulging in mission crap. By refraining from doing what should be done, that is, supporting moderate rebels and imposing a no-fly zone, and by keeping secret its humanitarian aid to the Syrian population, thus allowing extremist to claim credit for it, the U.S. has weakened moderate forces, strengthened the hand of extremists, and gave Assad all the leeway he needed to plunge the country, and perhaps the region, into chaos and mayhem. Had this been by design it wouldn’t have worked so perfectly.

Death Toll: 75 martyrs, including 7 women, 4 children and 1 martyr under torture: 47 reported in Damascus and Suburbs, most in Douma; 9 in Aleppo; 7 in Daraa; 5 in Idlib; 3 in Deir Ezzor; 3 in Homs; and 1 in Hama (LCC).


News

U.S. feeds Syrians, but secretly So secretive is the operation, however, that almost none of the Syrians who receive the help are aware of its American origins. Out of concern for the safety of the recipients and the delivery staff, who could be targeted by the government if their affiliation to the United States were known, the Obama administration and the aid workers have chosen not to advertise the assistance…

The bakery is fully supplied with flour paid for by the United States. But Waisi credited Jabhat al-Nusra — a rebel group the United States has designated a terrorist organization because of its ties to al-Qaeda — with providing flour to the region, though he admitted he wasn’t sure where it comes from.
Assad’s forces break rebel blockade in north.

SNHR Casualties Report: Monday, 14 April 2013

The Syrian Network for human rights documented 66 victims, on Monday, 15 April 2013 all across Syria, including 4 children, 5 ladies, 5 tortured to death, and 14 armed rebels

Damascus and countryside : 53 victims
Homs : 1 victim
Aleppo : 3 victims
Idlib : 2 victims
Dier Alzoor : 1 victim
Daraa : 6 victims

Israel Opens West Bank Prison to Journalists

By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli prison officials agreed to admit journalists to view the interior conditions of a West Bank prison that holds Palestinian inmates.

Palestinian using a sling to hurl tear gas back at Israeli forces. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

The Israel Prison Service (IPS) made the decision in response to reports of torture and wrongful death of multiple Palestinian inmates that were detained in Israeli custody.  In particular, one prisoner died of cancer earlier this month, spurring accusations of mistreatment and failure to provide proper medical assistance.

Prison warden Yaakov Shalom boldly stated, “We have nothing to hide,” after agreeing to allow journalists to view Ofer, a prison in the West Bank that holds approximately 700 Palestinian detainees.  Ofer is just one of a group of prisons that collectively hold roughly 5,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The prison exterior is large and intimidating.  High walls lined with guard towers are capped with barbed wire.  Inside, the prison is divided into sections based on the inmates’ faction membership.  Some of individual sections are devoted to Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, smaller groups, and inmates under 18 years of age.

Inmates are generally permitted to pray in prison yards surrounded by a fence of metal bars.  Abdul Kahir Srour, a Palestinian inmate and resident of Ramallah, claimed his treatment “fluctuated” as a result of the allegations against the IPS.  Nevertheless, Srour maintained his innocence, asserting that he has been in custody for five months without charge for alleged activities related to Hamas.

Despite four months of pleading, Muhammad Natsheh, an inmate in the Hamas section, complained that prison guards denied accommodation to his request for specific medical treatment.  A prison medic stated that referrals were provided when necessary, arguing, “There is no neglect.”

Silwad resident Tarek Hamed, 17, explained that he was beaten by soldiers following his arrest for throwing stones at a highway near his home.  Due to the mistreatment, his sentence was reduced from five months to one month of imprisonment.  Yousef Hamed, 15, received similar treatment for the same offense.  Mohammed Safi, 17, recalled that he was “slapped around” after his arrest and interrogation.  However, none of the boys cited any mistreatment at the Ofer facility itself.

Shalom stated that his policies and interactions with inmates remained unchanged in the wake of the outside allegations.  He concluded, “As long as they don’t create disturbances, it doesn’t matter what is going on outside.  They have a lot to lose, and it’s worth it for them to behave accordingly.”

 

For further information, please see:

Reuters – Palestinians open Israeli jail replica to honour prisoners – 16 April 2013

Xinhua – Israel offers rare visit of Ofer prison ahead of Palestinian Prisoner Day – 15 April 2013

Media Line – Israel Trumpets Fair Treatment in Prisons – 14 April 2013

Washington Post – Israel allows journalists to visit West Bank prison after deaths in custody – 14 April 2013

Impunity Watch – Palestinian Inmate Death Causes Widespread Protests – 25 February 2013

Start Your Engines: Tear Gas Fired at Activists in Bahrain

By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain – Police fired tear gas at activists at the Jabriya school for boys in Manama on Tuesday following a protest for the release of a detained student.

Activists flee from police tear gas. (Photo Courtesy of Bahrain Center for Human Rights)

Police arrested Hassan Humidan, 17, on Monday as part of a government crackdown on protests and general unrest in anticipation of the upcoming F1 Grand Prix race scheduled to take place next week.  Humidan is one of approximately 100 people that have been arrested in the past month as a result of increased law enforcement and boosted security.

The government claimed the police acted within the bounds of the law.  The Ministry of the Interior tweeted that “police dealt with a group of thugs outside Jabriya school according to legal regulations.”

Many observers tweeted pictures of protestors fleeing from the tear gas.  According to the Associated Press, Mohamed Jaber, a father of one of the Jabriya school’s students, attempted to pick up his son from the school, but was denied entrance by police.

The protests are a reaction to the Bahraini government’s human rights violations.  Activists call for the cancelation of the Grand Prix race.  The confrontation is the most recent in a span of clashes that began in February 2011.

The race was planned to exhibit to the world that the social unrest in Bahrain decreased and the nation is stabilizing.  Andy Slaughter, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Democracy in Bahrain, reported to the BBC that “There is a close relationship between the race and the repression by a regime that is using F1 to try and establish normalcy.”  Slaughter referred to the race as a “propaganda exercise.”

Clashes between the government and human rights activists occur in Bahrain on a near-daily basis.  Human rights groups approximate that fifty individuals have died since confrontations began two years ago.  The government disputes this number.

Despite the violence, the Bahraini government refuses to cancel the race.  Nicholas McGeehan of Human Rights Watch criticized the government’s decision to go ahead with the race, condemning it as a “political event which will gloss over serious rights violations.”

Both the Bahraini government and Formula One President and CEO Bernie Ecclestone contended that the race is crucial to the country’s fragile economy.  The government vowed to maintain strict security over the event.

 

For further information, please see:

Albawaba – Police ‘fire tear gas’ at boys’ school following student’s arrest – 16 April 2013

BBC – Bahrain: Police ‘fire tear gas’ at boys’ school – 16 April 2013

Philly.com – Bahrain GP on despite anti-government protests – 16 April 2013

Washington Post – Bahrain police raid high school, fire tear gas in clash with students following arrest – 16 April 2013

Hungry, Hungry Detainees, How Gitmo Prisoners Are Facing Detention

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

HAVANA, Cuba – The prisoners of Guantanamo Bay live in a legal quagmire. Deemed either too dangerous to be freed, or pushed under the rug, hoped to be forgotten by the United States legislature, executive and judicial branches that have kept them there. Due to their status as non-Americans, in a territory not of the United States, they are forbidden from exercising many legal remedies that the United States Constitution upholds, habeas corpus, article 3 courts. Instead they took what they felt was their only available remedy, a hunger strike.

Guantanamo Bay prison camp, also known as GITMO, where hundreds of detainees are being held without cause.(Photo courtesy of NPR)

Over the weekend detainees clashed with the prison guards with makeshift weapons: batons, broomsticks and water bottles crafted together with duct tape. Beyond the mere hopelessness many feel, there have been a number of setbacks for the detained. Revelations that a figure was secretly monitoring and censoring the pretrial hearings of men, and the discovery of a listening device in the client-attorney conference room drove many to begin their three-month hunger strike. After the clashes, detainees were separated and each placed into solitary confinement.

Unwilling to allow the detainees to slowly kill themselves, guards were forced to subdue them, and insert feeding tubes up their noses in order to stave off starvation. One inmate describes the feeling as “painful,” and claimed that “As it was thrust in, it made me feel like throwing up. I wanted to vomit, but I couldn’t. There was agony in my chest, throat and stomach. I had never experienced such pain before. I would not wish this cruel punishment upon anyone.”

The hunger strikes and physical defection are just the latest from the Guantanamo Bay detainees who are seeking international recognition of their plight. Despite an executive order by President Barack Obama, the prison remains open due to funding plights. After Congress passed legislation that effectively eliminated any way for detainees transfer into the sovereign United States the camp remains in limbo, surviving on an ever shrinking pool of funding leading to cuts in resources.

Attorneys for the detained have stated that it is unclear how the hunger strike will eventually end. The strike originally arose out of the detainee’s sense of hopelessness that the administration will ever be closed. But until either another country agrees to take the prisoners, or Congress alters legislation, it is unclear how the detainee’s story will end.

For more information, please see:

Truth-Out – Gitmo Trial Ethics Breaches Called Possible Obama Plan To Close Prison – 15 April 2013

Policy Mic – Guantanamo Hunger Strike: Abused Prisoners Riot At GITMO – 15 April 2013

Wired – It’s Forced Feeding Vs. Scotch-Tape Batons As Gitmo Detainees Continue Hunger Strike – 15 April 2013

The New York Times – Gitmo Is Killing Me – 14 April 2013