Syrian Revolution Digest – Friday 21 September 2012

It Continues!

It continues: the rallying, the killing, the cluelessness, the downright indifference. It continues. They all continue, mercilessly gnawing at our humanity until they reduce it to utter insignificance.

Friday September 21, 2012

Today’s Death toll: 117. The Breakdown: 48 in Damascus and Suburbs (including 17 martyred in a massacre in Buwayda town), 17 in Aleppo, 15 in Homs, 15 in Idlib, 9 in Deir Ezzor, 9 in Daraa, 2 in Hama, 1 in Lattakia, and 1 in Raqqah (LCC).

Other Developments (LCC):

On Friday:

Aleppo: Heavy artillery shelling of Sakhour neighborhood is renewed, with more than 12 shells landing; Heavy artillery shelling of Massaken Hanano neighborhood is reported; Heavy shooting by warplanes on Bezagha Area.

Daraa: Shajra: Heavy gunfire is reported from heavy machine guns located west of the town, next to Abdeen checkpoint

Hama: Shahshabo Mountain: Sounds of heavy shelling shake the mountain’s villages. They are from the artillery located in Seqelbiya

Damascus Suburbs: Hamourieh: Mortar shelling targets the city; Jdeidet Artouz: Shelling targets Dahra area at a rate of one shell per 2 minutes; Daraya: Gunfire from light and medium-grade weapons is reported from checkpoints to scare residents; Diabiyeh: Heavy mortar shelling targets the area; Saqba: Shelling targets Bassateen area in the city.

On Thursday, September 20, the Kurdish activist Mahmoud Wali, AKA Abu Jandi, was assassinated by an unknown assailant on a motorcycle in his hometown of Ras Al-Ain (Seri Kanye). He was the founder of the independent Kurdish grassroots movement, Shabab Al-Thawrah, which played an important role in galvanizing support for the Syrian Revolution among Kurdish youth. The assassination comes at a time of increasing tensions between different Kurdish factions as well as between Kurdish and Arab population in Kurdish-majority areas.

Also, on Thursday, rebels in Eastern Ghoutah Region in Damascus Province managed to shoot down an attacking helicopter gunship.

News

Syrian rebels say government airstrikes killed 30 in Raqqah. Long deemed a bastion of support for President Bashar Assad, Raqqah may be the latest battle zone.

Special Reports

Besides growing reservations about the dynamic on the ground in Syria, last week’s killings at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi have raised new questions about Libya as a model for intervention

A Lebanese solution for Syria, in which different areas have different outside backers, may be the end result, but it is nobody’s goal.

The Times’s C.J. Chivers travels with an antigovernment fighting group in and near Aleppo, where the war for Syria’s future has hardened all involved.

The statements of Iranian military involvement can also be interpreted as the IRGC’s way of threatening to increase its intervention, which would transform civil war in Syria into a regional war. The threat obviously aims to force Westerners, Turks, and Saudis to think twice before getting further embroiled in a proxy war.

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

Video Highlights

Pro-Assad militias open fire on protesters in Raqqah City as the city joins the revolution in full force http://youtu.be/3yjo44MX1Xk ,http://youtu.be/m9pYLjmon94

The pounding of restive neighborhood in Damascus City continues: Tadamonhttp://youtu.be/niKnlC-yUoE Qadam http://youtu.be/sGiKsWuks40 ,http://youtu.be/rbFDzxiGSb8 , http://youtu.be/yw5T2Fop9Ps ,http://youtu.be/D3oCT1bRQdg But in nearby Jobar, locals held a rallyhttp://youtu.be/DiIHrSlGbPo

In Damascus Suburbs, street battles raged in Doumahttp://youtu.be/RDqGgrjs8Ns A pro-Assad sniper taking up position in Doumahttp://youtu.be/kFmGoP5U4Cg , http://youtu.be/WDYbs8Rb7HU The pounding ofSaqba http://youtu.be/kU7x6tWt9FY But earlier in the day locals held a rallyhttp://youtu.be/AtaeGlhTF2k The pounding of Misrabahttp://youtu.be/Inj9FCjQJGA victims of summary executions fo0und in Buaydahttp://youtu.be/gu6ABUxfy2k More such executions took place in Yelda: victims came from the same family http://youtu.be/knAow4BcnlI

Rallies took place across the country: (Idlib, Maraat Al-Nouman)http://youtu.be/_aKhE3Zhl6A (Idlib, Kafar OUaid) http://youtu.be/6T7AnehGvsc(Hama City, Aleppo Road) http://youtu.be/Uvmdr6GmscY (Hama, Khattab)http://youtu.be/W5Ac1ATRb9I (Dabeq, Aleppo) http://youtu.be/g0Mk59sRNrc(Hassakeh, Amoudeh) http://youtu.be/WlXpiL3QKm4 (Arbeen, Damascus)http://youtu.be/ivBozhabv3U (Harasta, Damascus) http://youtu.be/j71S60vujgQ(Jisreen, Damascus) http://youtu.be/E6gVkzXg4J4 (Nasseeb, Daraa)http://youtu.be/WG1rjiNA02c

Syrian Government Accused of Using ‘Barrel Bombs’

By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East Desk

DAMASCUS, Syria – The Syrian opposition has reported that the Syrian government used ‘barrel bombs’ this past weekend.  ‘Barrel bombs’ are large drums that are filled with explosives, oil, and pieces of steel.  The crude explosives are dropped from helicopters or low-flying jets and usually result in craters close to seven meters deep where they fall.  Their purpose is not only to destroy its target, but also to cause terror and permanently maim its victims.

Based on eye-witness accounts and amateur videos, a large number of people were killed on Saturday when a barrel bomb was dropped by a low-flying military aircraft in Aleppo.  Macit Abdunnur, a local activist, claimed that a residential building was destroyed by the blast and several corpses of women and children have been pulled from the rubble so far.

“The sound was like nothing else I’ve ever heard. It was an almighty whoosh,” Mohammed Ibrahim, a rebel fighter who got caught by the explosion, told the Telegraph. He lost his cousin in the blast and his own eardrums were perforated by the noise. He told reporters, “I was lucky I was standing behind a corner, but I was still knocked off my feet.  When I came round my ears were bleeding.”

There have been amateur videos posted online of the bombs exploding in Aleppo, although news agencies have not been able to independently verify the location of the videos. There are also videos of the helicopters and military planes hovering above targets while the crew pushes the barrel bomb out of the door.

The recent use of barrel bombs follows Syrian government’s use of indiscriminate shelling and bombing in an attempt to quell the opposition for the past several weeks.  These recent indiscriminate strikes constituted deliberate targeting of civilians, far from the front lines of the battle. Some opposition members speculated that the recent use of a barrel bomb is in response to the opposition’s attack on the regime’s security buildings in the Aleppo area on Friday.

A spokesman for the Local Coordination Committee in northern Aleppo said that the barrel bombs have been used in at least two areas of the city previous to this incident.

“How long are we going to sit and watch while an entire generation is being wiped out by random bombardment and deliberate mass targeting?” asked Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu.

For further information, please see:

CNN – Syria Accused of Using ‘Barrel Bombs’ – 11 Sept. 2012

Turkish Weekly– Syrian Opposition Says Military Jets Drop “Barrel Bombs” on Aleppo – 10 September 2012

Israel National News – Video: Syria Drops New ‘Barrel Bomb’ on Aleppo – 2 Sept. 2012

Telegraph – Syrian Regime Deploys Deadly New Weapons on Rebels – 31 August 2012

Gambia Will Not Push Through With Death Row Execution

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BANJUL, Gambia – Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has halted the execution of the 37 prisoners on death row. In a statement issued last week, President Jammeh said that the suspension is a response to “numerous appeals” from various social organizations, at home and abroad. His declaration to execute all death row prisoners last month gained many condemnations including from the European Union, the United Nations and Amnesty International.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh overturns his decision to execute all death row prisoners. (Photo courtesy of Simon Maina/AFP-Getty Images)

Had the Gambian government carried out the execution, it would have marked the end of an execution-free regime that has been in place for almost 30 years.

The halt, however, is temporary. It will only remain in effect on the condition that violent crime does not rise in Gambia. “What happens next will be dictated by either declining violent crime rate, in which case the moratorium will be indefinite, or an increase in violent crime rate, in which case the moratorium will be lifted automatically,” the President stated.

Nevertheless, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations and human rights groups construe President Jammeh’s decision as a “sign of progress, however small”. According to them, his about-turn decision is an indication that public pressure on the Gambian President was successful. Sherman Nikolaus, an Amnesty International Gambia researcher notes, “for far too long the international and regional community has been far too quiet [on Gambia] – we haven’t been able to test if pressure does indeed work.”

Governments and organizations still think they can persuade President Jammeh to make the suspension of the execution permanent. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “[we just have] to exert more sustained pressure on the [Gambian] government to clean up its human rights act.” After all, Gambia is a signatory to to the 1984 Convention against torture and other cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the 1966 International Covenant on civil and political rights, both of which refer to the death penalty.

The suspension of the execution precedes a series of pardons issued by the President.

5 days ago, President Jammeh pardoned the country’s former secretary general and head of the Civil Service, Ousman Jammeh, as well as the manager of the Kanilai Family Farms in Siffoe, Karafa Sanneh. These two were convicted for negligence of official duty, economic crimes and obtaining money by false pretense. Ousman Jammeh and Karafa Sanneh are also among the second batch of prisoners to be granted a presidential amnesty this week.

The Office of the President said that these pardons were issued “in exercise of [President Jammeh’s] prerogative of mercy”.

 

For further information, please see:

IRIN News – GAMBIA: Stepping up pressure on human rights – 20 September 2012

Jollofnews – Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh Pardons More Prisoners – 18 September 2012

Al Jazeera – Gambian leader halts executions – 15 September 2012

BBC News – Gambia’s President Jammeh halts executions amid outcry – 15 September 2012

 

Germany Debates Banning Anti-Islam Film

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe 

BERLIN, Germany – German politicians and Muslim groups are currently debating whether to prohibit a populist group, Pro Deutschland, from publicly showing an anti-Islam film, The Innocence of Muslims, in November.

A Muslim protester outside the US Embassy opposing “The Innocence of Muslims.” (Photo Courtesy of Spiegel)

This particular film attributed to violent protests in Pakistan to Sudan and has been deemed insulting to the Islamic religion, which has a large presence in Berlin. European officials have grown increasingly concerned in the past decade over the rise of extremism.

However, the German’s government’s potential ban of The Innocence of Muslims has sparked a wide criticism invoking the right of freedom of speech.

Pro Deutschland leader, Manfred Rouhs, states, “The public has a right to see this film and to make up its mind or express an opinion after having seen the film in full.” Additionally, German Social Democrat lawmakers maintain that a ban should be a last resort, and “a purely foreign-policy-related consideration is not enough to warrant limiting basic civil rights.”

Renate Künast, head of Germany’s the Green Party parliamentary group, state, “Freedom of expression is a prized value in German society, we won’t simply throw that away.” She believes instead of a government ban, the people of Germany should simply protest a public viewing.

Conversely, various German government officials refer to the film as an “abuse of free-speak laws.” German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who favors freedom of expression and the press, said that she fears the anti-Islam movie will generate violence, and her fear is a “good reasons” for issuing a ban. She further states, “It’s not about banning the film itself, but about whether the public screening would endanger public safety.”

German’s Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, expresses his concern as to the image of Germany as a country. He says, “Germany wants to send the signal that ‘we remain a tolerant country.’”

German officials have looked to anti-blasphemy laws, which state that anyone who publicly “insults the content of the religious or ideological views in a manner likely to disturb the public order, will be penalized with up to three years’ imprisonment or fined.”

German Interior Minister, Hans-Peter Friedrich, says, “I want more respect for people’s religious beliefs.” He also believes such a screening would be a “political action” that would only serve to “pour oil on the fire”.

For further information, please see:

USA Today — Anti-Islam film controversy hits Europe, Asia – 20 September 2012

Channel News Asia — Germany wrestles with ban on anti-Islam film screening – 19 September 2012

Spiegel — Germany Mulls Ban on Showing Hate Film – 18 September 2012

The Times of India — Germany mulls ban on screening of anti-Islam film – 17 September 2012

 

Decades After Desegregation, U.S. Schools Still Largely Segregated, Report Says

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — Nearly 60 years after segregation was ruled unconstitutional, a new study released this week claimed students across the United States still are learning in segregated classrooms.

A new study shows U.S. Schools are largely segregated, leaving black and Latino students racially isolated. (Photo Courtesy of Chicago Magazine)

The Civil Rights Project reported on Wednesday that black and Latino students are racially isolated because whites are largely concentrated in schools with other whites.  The Project, based at the University of California, Los Angeles, analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Education in drawing its conclusions.

“Extreme segregation is becoming more common,” said Gary Orfield, author of the report and co-director of the Project.

The study showed 43 percent of Latinos and 38 percent of blacks across the country attend schools where fewer than 10 percent of their classmates are white.  Moreover, roughly one in seven black and Latino students go to school where fewer than 1 percent of the class is white.

New York, California, and Texas were states where Latino segregation is most pronounced.  New York, Illinois, and Michigan were states where black segregation is most pronounced.

“Simply sitting next to a white student does not guarantee better education outcomes for students of color,” the report said.  “Instead, the resources that are consistently linked to predominantly white and/or wealthy schools help foster real and serious educational advantages over minority segregated settings.”

In the Chicago area, for instance, 70 percent of all black students attend schools that are more than 90 percent minority.  Nearly half attend schools that are 99 percent minority, making Chicago more segregated than Detroit, New York-Newark, and Los Angeles.

“These trends threaten the nation’s success as a multiracial society,” Orfield said.  “We are disappointed to have heard nothing in the campaign about this issue from neither President Obama, who is the product of excellent integrated schools and colleges, nor from Governor Romney, whose father gave up his job in the Nixon Cabinet because of his fight for fair housing, which directly impacts school make-up.”

The report also targeted charter schools for falling short of equal education promises.

The results come nearly six decades after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which marked the end of legal segregation in public schools.  The case involved a class action suit brought by 13 parents against the Board of Education of the City of Topeka, Kan.

Among states with most integrated schools for black students are Kansas, Nebraska, and Washington, according to the report.

For further information, please see:

Chicago Magazine — Chicagoland Schools: For Blacks, the Most Segregated in the Country — 20 September 2012

The Huffington Post — American Schools Still Heavily Segregated by Race, Income: Civil Rights Project Report — 20 September 2012

The Root — Too Many Black Kids in ‘Apartheid Schools’ — 20 September 2012

The New York Times — Segregation Prominent in Schools, Study Finds — 19 September 2012