Impunity Watch: Middle East

Kuwait Police Accused of Torture

    Jassim Al Qames and Bashar Al-Sayegh were arrested and tortured by the Kuwaiti secret police.  The police’s grounds for apprehending the two Kuwaitis was that someone had anonymously posted on their blog, Al Jareeda, a negative comment concerning the Emir of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.  Although the bloggers quickly removed the comment within fifteen minutes, the police noticed the comment and acted upon it.  Therefore, the police apprehended Jassim Al Qames forced him to sign a document of consent, which he was prohibited from reading.  Bashar Al-Sayegh was not apprehended.

    This action by the Kuwaiti police is deeply concerning because the men running the blog were not connected to the anonymous commenter, rather they only hosted the website where this person decided to criticize the Emir.  This action by the government encroaches on the country’s journalism, since it makes journalists accountable for their readers’ reactions.  This increased burden on will make journalists and bloggers more hesitant to publish information concerning volatile issues.

    Also, two Egyptian laborers recently complained that they were tortured by the Kuwaiti police.  The men were laborers arrested for forging their work papers.  The Egyptians claim that the Kuwaiti police’s interrogation techniques included the police pouring sulfuric acid on the men’s bodies, including the genital organs.  The Egyptians’ lawyer produced a forensic report, which allegedly supports the men’s claim. 

    The local Egyptian papers have tried to appeal to the local Egyptian authorities to investigate the Kuwaiti police action.  The Egyptian newspapers have covered the story closely to create a strong public reaction through publishing photos of the men's burns.  The probable long term purpose of the independent Egyptian media's coverage is the hope that this review of the Kuwaiti interrogation policies may lead to reforming Egyptian police’s torture techniques, by providing a safe way to criticize police brutality.

International Herald Tribune.  Kuwait releases Egyptian who claimed police torture.  30 August 2007.
Almasry Alyoum.  Kuwaiti Police Torture Two Egyptians with Sulfuric Acid.  23 August 2007.
Kuwait Times.  Torture, a way of life?  24 August 2007.
Social Work Society of Kuwait Blog.  BASHAR AL SAYEGH AND JASSIM AL QAMES HARASSED AND ATTACKED BY SECRET POLICE IN KUWAIT.   19 August 2007.

Human Rights Watch Visits Jordanian Prisons

Members of Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently spent two weeks in Jordan, touring five prisons and interviewing their prisoners.  While the organization commended Jordan for opening its prisons, it stated that Jordan needs to address the beatings and mistreatment that are widespread among its prisons. 

On August 22, the day following HRW’s visit of Swaqa Correction and Rehabilitation Center, the security staff beat nearly all 2,100 prisoners held there.  The guards also forcibly shaved the heads and beards of all the inmates.  Most of the inmates are Muslims whose religious beliefs require them to keep a beard.  Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, commented that shavings occurred to humiliate and degrade the prisoners and served no “legitimate penal purpose”.

Following reports of the new beatings, HRW returned to Swaqa on August 26.  They spoke with over 40 inmates who reported that they heard cries of inmates being beaten for over eight hours and showed HRW bruises on their backs, arms, and legs.  The inmates believe that all the prisoners were beaten that night and one, `Ala’ Abu `Utair, died as a result from the abuse.

In response to these new beatings, 350 prisoners at Swaqa cut themselves during HRW’s second visit to the facilities.  Members of HRW report seeing prisoners with cuts on their chests, arms and legs and seeing prisoners cut themselves when the delegation was exiting the prison.  Inmates report that self-mutilation is a common reaction and, like hunger strikes, is designed to draw attention to the abuse of the inmates.

On August 27, Jordan suspended Majid al-Rawashda, the director of Swaqa.  The beatings of August 22 occurred on his first day as the director.  HRW welcomed the suspension as a “swift and necessary action”.  While al-Rawashda was implicated in the earlier abuses, Maj Bashir al-Daaja, the spokesperson for Jordanian Public Security Department, did not say whether the dismissal was connected to the incident.

In addition to the beatings at Swaqa, HRW documented abuses at each prison its delegation visited.  Other abuses include inmates being hung by their arms and beaten over the course of an entire day, an inmate losing teeth as a result of being hit by a metal pipe, and at Aqaba prison, an inmate died as a result of beatings over the course of two days.  Also, at Qafqafa prison, the unsanitary conditions seriously affected the prisoners’ mental health. 

For more information please see:
Human Rights Watch:  “Jordan:  Rampant beating in prisons go unpunished”  30 August 2007. 

BBC:  “Jordanian prison head dismissed”  29 August 2007. 

France24:  “Jordan fires warden after prison disturbances”  29 August 2007.

Middle East Times:  “Jordan inmates hurt themselves during watchdog visit”  28 August 2007. 

Saudi Arabia Bans London Based Arabic Paper

Al- Hayat, a popular London based pan-Arabic paper, was recently banned by the Saudi government.  It is unclear what caused the banning of the paper, especially because officials stated it was not any single article that caused the government’s regulation.  However, two possible reasons emerge for the government’s displeasure with the newspaper causing the banning of the newspaper.  The first possibility is related to the Al-Hayat’s insinuations that the recent deaths of camels in Saudi Arabia were actually caused by infectious diseases, rather than the government’s view that blamed the mysterious deaths on the camels’ poor diet.  Secondly, the Associated Press suspects that the paper may have been banned because the newspaper recently published an article connecting a Saudi man, Mohammad al-Thibaiti, to an Iraqi extremist group, the Islamic State of Iraq.  Although Saudi Arabia’s reasons for banning the newspaper are unclear the fact that they have silenced the newspaper probably because it criticized the government is alarming.  However, the ban of Al-Hayat may be a unique situation and may not indicate a shift from Saudi Arabia’s new found openness in reporting. 

    Al-Hayat has always had a strenuous relationship with the Saudi government.  In the past the newspaper was banned by the government multiple times, and the government always allowed the paper to circulate again.  Therefore, it is likely that soon this ban will also be removed.  The newspaper has close connections to the government causing the strain.  Al-Hayat is owned by the Assistant Defense for Military Affairs for Saudi Arabia, Prince Khaled bin Sultan.  Also, he is the eldest son of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.  Since the owner, Prince Khaled bin Sultan, is so closely related to the Saudi government it is likely that his paper is more closely monitored then other news sources.  The Saudi government may have banned Al-Hayat because of Al-Hayat’s close alliance with the government, which allowed the newspaper to access and propagate information that the government deemed sensitive.  Thus, the banning of Al-Hayat is not a clear indicator of stricter rules of monitoring independent news sources from the Saudi government.

BBC News.  Saudis 'ban' pan-Arab newspaper.  29 August 2007.

Khaleej Times Online. Saudi bans Al Hayat newspaper for 2 days.  28 August 2007.

Arabian Business.  Leading Arab daily still banned in Saudi.  29 August 2007.

Associated Press.  Saudi Government Bans Leading Arab Paper.  28 August 2007.

Fatah and journalists protest in Gaza

On August 24, Fatah supporters staged the largest protest in Gaza since Hamas took over in June.  Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Unknown Soldier Square in Gaza City for noon time prayers.  They were protesting “incitement” against Fatah members in mosques controlled by Hamas. 

After prayers, the protesters marched to Al Sayara, a Hamas security complex formerly controlled by Fatah.  There, members of Hamas’s Executive Force fired their guns into the air to disperse the crowds and clashed with protesters.  Palestinian Authority television claims that seventeen demonstrators were injured.  However, Hamas denied that any injuries occurred.

During the protest, members of the Executive Force arrested four journalists covering the event.  While the journalists were quickly released, the Executive force broke a TV camera belonging to Al Arabiya’s cameraman and other reporters claimed to have been “roughed up”.  In addition to the four arrests, the Executive Force attempted to arrest two others but were prevented from doing so by the demonstrators.

Two days later, on August 26, a hundred journalists staged their own protest at the journalists’ union building in Gaza.  They carried banners which read, “Yes to freedom of the press!  No to journalists arrests!  Keep journalists out of politics!”  They were protesting not only the earlier arrests but also Hamas’s policies against journalists covering pro-Fatah events and the confiscation of equipment.

For more information please see:
London Times:  “Journalists protests Hamas pressure”  27 August 2007. 

Middle East Times:  “Gaza journalists sit-in for press freedom”  26 August 2007. 

New York Times:  “Protest broken up by armed Hamas force”  25 August 2007. 

Al Jazeera:  “Rivals battle at Gaza protest”  24 August 2007. 

BBC:  “Hamas opens fire at Fatah rally”  24 August 2007. 

Ma’an News Agency:  “Thousands of Fatah supporters demonstrate in Gaza”  24 August 2007. 

50 Africans Deported to Egypt

    African asylum seekers were deported from Israel and returned to Egypt, where they had originally been granted asylum.  These 50 refugees also included some Darfur survivors.  The Africans had fled to Egypt in order to escape genocide and other atrocities that refugees had faced while in their home nations.  However, because of their maltreatment in Egypt the refugees later tried to flee to Israel.  A Sudanese leader in Egypt reported in the Washington Post that the deported Africans “have escaped from an Egyptian reality of suffering very similar to that of Sudan -- racism in the Egyptian street, killing by the authorities” and have not received help from the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees.  The refugees also fear that the Egyptian government will try to transport the refugees back to Sudan.  However, Israeli officials asserted that part of the agreement with Egypt regarding the deportation of the refugees included an Egyptian promise not to send the Africans to their native countries.  Yet, this promise does not fully relieve the deported immigrants fear.  One of the fears is that if the refugees can be unilaterally moved without their consent or without following the internationally outlined protocol the refugees will always have to fear future movement.

    Many refugees fled north to Egypt from Sudan and other war torn nations.  The war in Sudan, which is centered on the western Darfur province, has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties.  Therefore, those who are afforded the opportunity to escape the genocide in Sudan usually take the opportunity.  Millions of people fled their homes in order to gain safety and protection.  The Israeli and Egyptian governments must afford these survivors these basic rights, and if they are deporting the refugees they must follow internationally recognized standards to ensure the protection of the refugees.

IRIN.  ISRAEL-AFRICA: Deportation of 50 Africans sparks concern.  22 August 2007.

NY Times.  Israel Returns Illegal African Migrants to Egypt.  19 August 2007.

Washington Post.  A Crisis of Conscience Over Refugees in Israel.  24 August 2007.

Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam agree to evacuate the last civilians

On May 20, the Lebanese army began their fight with the militants from Fatah al-Islam in Nahr al-Bared.  Since the conflict began, over 140 Lebanese soldiers have died, 100 militants, and about forty were civilians.  While 40,000 Palestinian refugees fled Nahr al-Bared and went to nearby camps, eighty civilians have remained.  Those who remained are mostly wives and children of the remaining militants. 

After three months of heavy bombing, all that remains of Nahr al-Bared are tunnels and niches beneath piles of rubble.  Since the militants refuse to surrender, the Lebanese army continues to bombard the camp.  Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese Army recently reached a temporary cease-fire agreement to allow the families of the militants to evacuate the camp.  This agreement is not an official cease of fighting but rather provides the remaining civilians an opportunity to leave the camp.  Officers in the Lebanon Army view this agreement by the Fatah Islam as a signal that the end of the fighting is near.

Lebanese officials do not believe that Fatah al-Islam is capable of fighting back from their current position.  Rather, army officials speculate when Fatah al-Islam will be completely destroyed in Nahr al-Bared.  This agreement is seen by the Lebanese officials as the militants’ last opportunity to evacuate their family members before the end of the fighting. 

Also, Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza charged 107 members of Fatah al-Islam in custody with terrorism.  Mirza also charged an undisclosed number of individuals at large with terrorism.  In addition to Lebanese, there were also Palestinians, Saudis and Syrians.  If convicted of terrorism, the individuals could face the death penalty.

For more information please see:
The Daily Star:  “Mediators await word from Fatah al-Islam on evacuation”  24 August 2007. 

Al Jazeera:  “Fatah al-Islam seeks Lebanon truce”  22 August 2007. 

BBC:  “More Lebanese army raids on camp”  22 August 2007. 

Gulf Times:  “Lebanon army agrees to let families move out of camp”  22 August 2007. 

The Daily Star:  “Army steps up siege of Nahr al Bared, former general assures militants are ‘doomed’”  21 August 2007. 

International Herald Tribune:  “Lebanon’s military agrees to militants’ request to allow their families leave camp”  21 August 2007. 

International Herald Tribune:  “Lebanon charges over 100 people suspected of battling army with terrorism”  18 August 2007. 

Indonesian Maids Beaten by Saudi Family

    Four Indonesian maids were gravely injured by their employers.  According to the attackers, the women practiced witchcraft on the employing family’s eldest son.  Reportedly, the family’s 17 year old son whipped the women with his igal, which is a ropelike cord used for the traditional Saudi headdress.  In all, seven family members attacked the four women.  Two of the women were killed while the other two women were severely injured.  One of the survivors has recovered from the hospital and been removed by police to an undisclosed place.  The police are also protecting the woman in critical condition.  However, the police have also barred the women from having visitors, including representatives from the Indonesian Embassy.  The Saudi authorities are hoping to question the injured maids to investigate the employers’ attack of the maids.  Saudi authorities detained the employers accused of the attack for interrogation. 
   
    The Saudi government must respond quickly and decisively in this action since the problem of employers abusing foreign migrant workers plagues Saudi Arabia.  Human Rights Watch reports that many Saudi employers and employment agencies have been accused of raping and impregnating their maids or physically and verbally assaulting their workers.  For example, in 2005 an Indonesian maid suffered from gangrene, because her employer locked her up.  The employer also withheld food from the woman and verbally and physically abusing her.  When the maid complained to the authorities, she was given 79 lashes for making false accusations against her employer.  Recently, maid was awarded a monetary judgment by the court and allowed to return to Indonesia, however, the employer has not yet been forced to give her a settlement.

    Although over 24 million migrant workers live in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government has not taken an active role to protect its large contingent of foreign workers.  The workers are rarely given either legal protection or a translator when interrogated by the police for accusations involving employers.  Subsequently, the workers are not treated fairly by the Saudi authorities.  For example Human Rights Watch reported that an Indonesian maid was recently sentenced to death for practicing witchcraft.  However, her sentence was reduced to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes.  Furthermore, the Indonesian Embassy was only informed of the woman’s accusations a month after she received her sentence, which barred the Embassy from defending the woman in trial. 

    The Saudi Arabian government must act decisively to protect the foreign born workers.  The problem has plagued the Saudi Arabia and can only be resolved through the implementation of harsh consequences against employers for abusive actions.  If the Saudi Arabian government does not respond quickly, then it must quickly alert foreign embassies to allow them to protect their citizens.  However, if Saudi Arabia does not enact stringent punishments against abusive employers nor alerts foreign embassies of abusive practices against its citizens, then the appalling behavior of abusive employers will continue indefinitely.

Human Rights Watch.  Saudi Arabia: Migrant Domestics Killed by Employers.  17 August 2007.

Arab News.  Battered Indonesian Maid Held for Questioning.  22 August 2007.

Reuters India.  Saudi should do more to stop maid abuse- watchdog.  17 August 2007.

Iraqi refugee children attend school in Jordan

On August 19, many Iraqi children in Jordan began school for the first time.  In 2006, it is estimated that only 20,000 of the 200,000 Iraqi school-aged children in Jordan attended school and only 6,000 completed the school year.  These low numbers are attributed to Jordan’s policy of only allowing Iraqis with proper residency or who could pay, to attend school.  However, this year Jordan officials agreed to allow Iraqi children to attend school regardless of their legal status, allowing a greater number of children to go to school. 

Many of these children are refugees from Iraq, fleeing the violence of the war and sectarian fighting.  Since 2003, about 2 million Iraqis fled the country, with the majority going to Syria, Jordan and Egypt.  It is thought that 750,000 Iraqi refugees currently reside in Jordan, a country of 5 million people, making it the highest per capita ratio of refugees to citizens.  The large number of refugees and the number of services that Jordan provides puts a strain on the government.  One year of elementary or secondary education will cost $1400 per pupil.  UNHCR and UNICEF recently appealed for $129 million dollars to help several host countries, including Jordan, to finance the costs of these additional students.

Other obstacles include how to accommodate this influx in enrollment.  It is estimated that 50,000 Iraqis children will attend Jordan’s already crowded schools, resulting in classes of over 50 students.  Education Ministry official, Mohammed Okour, stated that if schools become too crowded that a shift-system of morning and afternoon classes will be introduced. 

For more information please see:

Reuters:  “UNHCR hails decision to let Iraqi children attend school in Jordan”  20 August 2007. 

BBC:  “Iraqis enrol in Jordan’s schools”  19 August 2007. 

France14:  “Back to school for Iraqi children... in Jordan”  19 August 2007. 

International Herald Tribune:  “Iraqi refugee children in Jordan finally have first day of school”  19 August 2007. 

Human Rights Watch:  “Jordan:  Government pledges to grant Iraqis education, health rights”  16 August 2007. 

UNICEF:  “UNICEF welcomes Jordan’s offer of education to Iraqi children”  10 August 2007. 

Hijacked Turkish Hostages Escape

An Egyptian and a Turk hijacked a Turkish passenger plane.  The Atlas Jet airplane departed from Northern Cyprus and was headed to Istanbul, Turkey.  Fifteen minutes after takeoff, the hijackers approached the cockpit and threatened the crew with a knife and an alleged bomb.  In reality, the alleged bomb was only modeled clay with wires attached to it.  Upon the threat, the crew members responded immediately.  Also, the hijackers claimed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda and tried to redirect the flight to Iran.  However, the plane did not have enough fuel to fly to Tehran.  Thus, the hijackers allowed the crew to make an emergency crash landing in Antalya, Turkey to refuel the plane.  Immediately after landing, many of the crew and passengers escaped through initial negotiations with Turkish security forces.  However, the hijackers kept six of the passengers as hostages in a four hour holdout.  Eventually these hostages were also freed.  All 136 passengers and six crew members escaped basically unharmed. 

The hijackers’ motives were unclear.  The Gulf Daily News reported that Turkish Cypriot authorities believed that the hijackers were Iranians protesting American polices.  The Egyptian, Mommen Abdul Aziz Talikh, was known to have contact with Al-Qaeda.  He was a Saudi Arabian prison mate of an organizer of the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.  Talikh also was trained at an Al-Qaeda camp.  Less is known about the Turkish kidnapper.  The hijackers gave themselves up and are in the custody of Turkish Security forces, along with another passenger who the police believe was involved in the hijacking.

People's Daily Online.  Many of passengers manage to flee from hijacked plane in Turkey (2).  18 August 2007.

People's Daily Online.  Turkish aircraft hijacked en route from northern Cyprus to Turkey: TV.  18 August 2007.

People's Daily Online.  Some passengers injured as escaping from hijacked plane in Turkey.  19 August 2007.

People's Daily Online.  Many of passengers manage to flee from hijacked plane in Turkey.  18 August 2007.

Gulf Daily News. Turkish plane hijack bomb 'block of clay'.  20 August 2007.

Gulf Daily News. Hostages freed in hijack dilemma. 19 August 2007.

Reuters.  Turkish plane hijack hostages freed.  18 August 2007.

Suicide bombers kill hundreds in Northern Iraq

On August 14, suicide bombers drove trucks into two Yazidi communities, al-Qataniyah and al-Adnaniyah, in northern Iraq.  The Iraqi Army reported the death toll to be over 400, making it the most deadly attack of the Iraq war.  However, casualty estimates range from 150 to as high as 500.  Estimates of those injured range from 200 to 350 people.  The attack also left 600 homeless.

The majority of the deaths and injuries resulted from mud houses collapsing on their inhabitants.  Rescue teams used bulldozers, shovels, and hands to remove the fallen debris to uncover survivors and bodies.  In these poor communities, as many as 30 family members live in a single house.  So the destruction of a single home may result in many losses.

While no group claimed responsibility for the bombing, it is believed that members of the al-Qaeda (AIQ) in Iraq were the perpetrators.  The US military stated that the attack bore resemblance to other AIQ attacks.  It also stated that it expected an increase in violence in the region prior to a report on the Army’s troop surge due in mid-September.  In addition, targets such as these are seen as soft (easy) targets by insurgents driven out of large cities as a result of this recent surge.

The Yazidi are a religious minority in the Kurdish region of Iraq.  They are an isolated community, due to their religious beliefs and years of persecution by Muslims and Christians.  The main reason for their continued persecution is that the Yazidi revere an angel, in addition to a god, which Muslims and Christians equate to Satan.  Recent violence against the Yazidi includes an attack by gunmen in April, which resulted in 23 deaths.  It is believed that a stoning of a Yazidi girl who converted to Islam and eloped with a Sunni man sparked the earlier attack.

Many have condemned the attacks and Major-General Mixon, the commander of US forces in northern Iraq described the attacks as acts of genocide.  As many individuals in the Yazidi community lost family members in the attack, members fear annihilation.  Members of the Yazidi community have talked with Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih and asked for more security.  Other members have threatened that unless Iraq provides them with sufficient security that they will form their own security to protect their community.

For more information please see:
BBC:  “Fears over rising Iraq bomb toll”  16 August 2007. 

The Economist:  “No one is safe”  16 August 2007. 

International Herald Tribune:  “Iraq’s intolerance”  16 August 2007. 

London Times:  “Al-Qaeda bombing kills and maims 600”  16 August 2007. 

St. Petersburg Times:  “Once more, Yazidis find themselves as targets”  16 August 2007. 

Telegraph:  “Iraq bombs:  500 die in worst terror attack”  16 August 2007. 

Washington Post: “Toll in N Iraq Passes 400; Attack is deadliest of war”  16 August 2007. 

Washington Post:  “Yazidis fear annihilation after Iraq bombings”  16 August 2007. 

Reuters:  “Factbox: Who are the Yazidis?”  15 August 2007.