Syrian Revolution Digest – Friday 28 September 2012

The Way Out Goes Further In!

All scientific studies confirm that the world does indeed go on even after one buries one’s head in the sand. The fires in Syria will not burn themselves out, and as they continue to rage unabated, they will burn more and more people in the process. But you cannot fight fire from a safe distance. 

Friday September 28, 2012 – Dedicated to the unity of the Free Syrian Army

Today’s Death toll: 167. The Breakdown: including 15 due to aerial shelling, 4 children and two women. 57 in Aleppo City (including 25 field-executed in Al-Rashideen), 48 in Damascus and suburbs (including 10 field-executed in Barzeh, and 17 in Qudsaya), 22 in Deir Ezzor, 14 in Aleppo Province, 10 in Daraa (including two martyred in Damascus), 7 in Hama, 5 in Homs, 2 in Raqqah and 1 in Lattakia  (LCC).

News

Special Reports

Op-Eds

While our allies could take the lead in maintaining the no-fly zone, it is necessary in Syria, as in Libya, for America to take the lead in establishing it; only our Air Force and Navy have the weaponry needed to dismantle Syria’s Russian-designed air defenses with little risk. A “lead from behind” approach can work in Syria. President Obama need only apply it.

Even at 8.1 percent unemployment, America has historical responsibilities, which are also historical privileges. Even on the back burner, the world burns.

Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla Yusuf: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today

FSA Unity? Col. Mithqal Al-Bateesh announces the creation of a joint command of all revolutionary military councils http://youtu.be/s40a7fLHwjY Once again, the move underlines not growing unity, but increasing rivalry between different rebel groups on the one hand, and between different factions in the Antakya-based officers on the other. Despite dedicating this Friday’s rallies to the unity of the Free Syrian Army, unity remains elusive.

Habeet, Idlib Province: people remain defiant as fighter jets fly over their anti-Assad rally http://youtu.be/cwi_h2J9hCo

Aleppo city: Rebels declare the liberation of the neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud http://youtu.be/HgmwK5u17MI

Fire rage near the Syrian-Turkish borders http://youtu.be/RLOM9XJS26s

The continuing bombardment of Eastern Ghoutah Region in Damascus Province leaves any communities destroyed and farms on firehttp://youtu.be/KcKAJzJXImE , http://youtu.be/l_8PzVz62-g

The pounding of Homs City continues: Hamidiyeh http://youtu.be/KZLnUfWksq8, http://youtu.be/PmDRZuk72rM Sultaniyeh http://youtu.be/Gm0I-FLuFMo The nearby town of Rastan was also pounded http://youtu.be/mFaAe622QX0

Syrian-American protesters assault the Iranian UN Ambassadorhttp://youtu.be/gmER3d_0duo

Despite the continuing shelling and battles, hundreds of rallies took place across the country. This is a small sample:  

Kafar Yahmoul, Idlib: http://youtu.be/iOIf-wfeq5E

Harasta, Damascus: “the people the unity of the Free Syrian Army”http://youtu.be/r23tvy7WL3c

Saqba, Damascus: http://youtu.be/whjE7lqOQO0

Douma, Damascus: http://youtu.be/xy6IZW06Tdk

Al-Wa’er, Homs City: http://youtu.be/WaDLHaCMegc

Chilean Student Protests Lead To Arrests

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

SANTIAGO, Chile — Approximately 70,000 Chileans marched in Santiago and eight other cities, demanding free quality education for the entire population of Chile. The students have advocated for a stronger public education sector and an end to state subsidies to private education.

Masked Chilean protesters march for education sake. (Photo Courtesy of Peoples Daily Online).

The march, while intended to peacefully influence the budget bill of 2013, ended with violent clashes with the police. At least 59 individuals were arrestedt by special police forces after the protest. Noam Titelman, president of the Federation of Catholic University Students of Chile explains, “[we are] mobilizing because we believe that so far there has been no real debate about public education.” He continues to demand that if the politicians want to earn the respect and participation of the young than they need to address their needs.

The movement still seems to have broad public support despite the length of the protest. The message of fair and free public education seems to have resonated with demonstrators elsewhere in the world. Other Latin American countries have seen students challenge their education systems, causing some to raise the Chilean flag as an example.

The government claims that the private sector involvement should be welcomed, however only 16% of higher education spending comes from public sources and three-quarters of Chile’s universities are privately owned. This privatization continues to high school as less than half of Chile’s students go to fully state-funded schools.

The first clash occurred when masked and hooded individuals threw objects at uniformed police. In response Special Police Forces used water cannons and tear gas on the protesters, those peaceful and disruptive alike.

The remaining protesters made their way to the staging area to hear the leaders of the movement speak and listen to local bands. And while students claim that they had at least 70,000 attendees, the police estimate only about 5,000 protesters.

The Chilean government has refused to respond to all the demands of the movement. In response students have planned two new protests on October 11 and 16. According to spokesman of the National coordinator of Secondary Students, Cristofer Saravia, “The 2013 budget… affects us, [and] is a small battle in the middle of our great struggle for a change in the structure of Chilean education.” He and other student leaders have promised to continue protesting until their demands to increase in the allocation of resources for public education in the National budget are met.

Of the 59 arrested, 23 were adults and 36 were minors.

 

For further information, please see:

Cooperativa – Amounted To 70,000 Students Attending The March In Santiago – 27 September 2012

La Segunda – Incidents Are Recorded At The End Of The Student March – 27 September 2012

Peoples Daily Online – Chilean Students March For Education Retake – 27 September 2012

The BBC – Chile’s Student Protests Show Little Sign Of Abating – 24 October 2011

Deportation May Be Put on Hold for Gay Couples

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — New guidelines from the U.S. Homeland Security Department mean immigration agents can consider an undocumented immigrant’s same-sex relationship in deciding whether to pursue deportation.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced a new immigration policy that could spare some same-sex couples from deportation proceedings. (Photo Courtesy of Newsday)

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a memo to Congressional members on Thursday that gay and lesbian partners in committed relationships are now considered family members when it comes to immigration policy.  Under the Obama Administration’s “prosecutorial discretion” initiative unveiled last summer, agents have leeway in taking certain factors—such as family members—into account when deciding who should be deported.

“In an effort to make clear the definition of the phrase ‘family relationships,’ I have directed [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to disseminate written guidance to the field that the interpretation of the phrase ‘family relationships’ includes long-term, same-sex partners,” Napolitano wrote.

Supporters of the change called the new policy a turning point that shows the government intent is not to split families up through deportation.

“It will mark the very first time that lesbian and gay couples have been recognized within immigration policy for relief,” said Steve Ralls, a spokesperson Immigration Equality, which advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender immigrants.

Relationships would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and the move only grants a potential reprieve from deportation.  It does not grant same-sex couples an automatic stay, nor does it let them file petitions for legal residency and citizenship, as it does for immigrants with opposite-sex couples.

“It’s not equal access to green cards, which is what we really need,” said Immigration Equality Executive Director Rachel Tiven.  “But it’s certainly another building block.”

The change was prompted by requests from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan).  They and other members of Congress said same-sex couples should not have their families needlessly torn apart.

There are an estimated 29,000 same-sex couples nationwide involving a U.S. citizen and an immigrant, according to The Williams Institute, a think-tank based at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Opponents say the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage in the United States as between one man and one woman, should prohibit same-sex couples from applying for immigration benefits.

The Obama administration has stopped defending DOMA, but that has not stopped the issue from being played out in court.  Newsday reported on Friday that a Long Island couple was among several who filed a lawsuit in April to have their immigration petitions recognized.

It was unclear Friday how DOMA might affect the new immigration policy.

For further information, please see:

The International Business Times — Same-Sex Relationships Can Help Undocumented Immigrants Avoid Deportation — 28 September 2012

Newsday — Deportation Cases to Consider Gay Couples — 28 September 2012

USA Today — Gay Couples Could Get Reprieve in Deportation Cases — 28 September 2012

The Washington Times — DHS Grants Gay Partners Discretion in Deportation Cases — 28 September 2012

New “Cybercrime” Law in the Philippines Abridges Freedom of Expression

By Karen Diep
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MANILLA, Philippines – The Filipino legislature introduced a new “cybercrime” law, Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which will increase punishment for criminal libel.  Furthermore, it grants authorities the power to shut down Internet websites and monitor online traffic.

Petitioners outside court. (Photo courtesy of Inquirer News)

In the statute, a section states that criminal libel apples to conduct “committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future.”

According to Business Mirror, the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMO) believes that the law “will not curtail freedom of expression and of the press, but will also allow the government to bring down web sites [sic], blogs[,] and social networking sites with ‘libelous’ contents.”

The “cybercrime” law augments the minimum punishment from six (6) months to six (6) years with the potential of the maximum punishment of twelve (12) years, doubling the minimum.

According to the Guardian,  Human Rights Watch (HRW) believes that the punishment for Internet libel is a blatant and grave threat to freedom of expression, specifically, freedom of press.

“The cybercrime law needs to be repealed or replaced,” urged Brad Adam, HRW’s Asian Director.  “It violates Filipinos’ rights to free expression and it is wholly incompatible with the Philippine government’s obligations under international law.”

Recently, a number of journalists in the Philippines have been imprisoned for libel.  For example, radio journalist Alexander Adonis, convicted five (5) years ago, spent two (2) years in jail.

In regards to Mr. Adonis’s case, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) concluded that the Filipino government violated the international covenant of political and civil rights.

For further information, please see:

Guardian – Philippines law threatens press freedom – 28 September 2012

National Inquirer – ‘Cybercrime Prevention Act unconstitutional’ – Senator Guingona – 27 September 2012

Business Mirror – Law vs cybercrime to curtail press freedom-groups, senator – 25 September 2012

National Union of Journalists – Cybercrime law threatens freedom of expression – 18 September 2012

 

 

Greece Budget Cuts Spark Violent Protest

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

ATHENS, Greece – On Wednesday, tens of thousands of protestors flooded the streets of Athens for a nationwide strike to challenge new government measures that are expected to cut wages, pensions and healthcare. The potential cuts in Greece aroused anger and fear of increased insolvency as the nation begins its third round of austerity measures in the past three years.

A protestor in Athens flees police as strike becomes violent. (Photo Courtesy of The New York Times)

Similarly, Spain also experienced two days of violent protests due to cuts to public benefits and jobs. Workers across Greece and Spain have recently watched various jobs disappear and wages cut. Both countries continue to make budget cuts to pay debts created by overspending.

A gathering that started out as a peaceful protest to demand their governments to slow down budget cuts to avoid bankruptcy, quickly turned into a massive violent riot. Over 50,000 employees, such as hospital doctors, pensioners, teachers and shopkeepers, were among the demonstrators that participated in over 60 walkout rallies throughout Greece.

In an attempt to gain control, Athens police fired stun grenades at protestors who simultaneously hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks. Police fired back in an effort to scatter the angry crowds around the parliament building.

A worker, Maria Vasiliandi, who took part in the march said, “People were just protesting against the new austerity measures, and it suddenly started raining flash-bang grenades and Molotov cocktails, so we had to leave the square.”

Roman Gerodimos, senior lecturer at Bournemouth University in the U.K, states, “There’s a lot of frustration and a sense of public disappointment. People feel like there is no progress, that they’re sacrificing their welfare for nothing.” A physics researcher, Dimitris Palles, said, “I feel my country is on auction and we’re just an economic experiment.”

As a result of various budget cuts, chemists and pharmaceutical companies have stopped producing drugs  to medical insurers because they claim they have not compensated by the state. Furthermore, Greece’s power company cut the electricity at a kidney hospital on the island of Aegina for a period of time while the patients were experiencing blood dialysis.

Anna Afanti, a teacher, removed a surgical mask she wore to protect herself from the tear gas to say, “They just want to impoverish us, to bring our salaries down to the level in India and swoop in and buy everything on the cheap. I should have left this country a long time ago. Now I’m stuck here.”

For further information, please see:

The Independent — Day of rage in Greece as more stringent cuts loom – 27 September 2012

USA Today — Protests against budget cuts in Spain, Greece rock world markets – 27 September 2012

NBC News — Rage against austerity: Protesters in gas masks, helmets clash with Greek police – 26 September 2012

The New York Times — Markets Falter in Europe Amid Protests on Austerity – 26 September 2012