Israel Prisoner Exchange; Saudi King Hosts Inter-Faith Conference; Bahraini Convictions Tainted by Abuse Claims

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

NAHARIYA, Israel – On July 16, thousands of Israelis attended the funeral of Ehud Goldwasser, in Nahariya, and Eldad Regev, in Haifa.  The bodies of the two soldiers were returned as part of a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah.  The exchange agreement required the release of five members of Hezbollah.

While Israelis mourned, Hezbollah and its supporters celebrated the return of its prisoners.  The most notorious is Samir Qantar, who was convicted of a 1979 attack that killed four people.  Those killed in the attack included Qantar-s four year old daughter and an Israeli policeman.

Some Israelis criticized the prisoner swap because it did not include Cpl. Gilad Shalit, the third soldier involved in the Hezbollah attack that began the Israeli-Lebanese war in June 2006.  A woman who attended Goldwasser’s funeral stated, “From the ethical point of view, it's not acceptable that we got the bodies of two men, and for that we released a murderer who is alive and celebrating in Lebanon. It creates a greater danger for kidnappings in the future. It shows the weakness of our leadership.”   

For more information, please see:

Christian Science Monitor – In Israel, a Nation Mourns  with the Familities with Slain Soldiers – 18 July 2008

Times – Israelis Mourn at Funerals of Soldiers Whose Capture Sparked War with Hezbollah – 18 July 2008

Daily Star – World Leaders See Prisoner Exchange as Positive Step 17 July 2008

Reuters – Israel Buries Soldiers After Swap with Hezbollah – 17 July 2008

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MADRID, Spain – On July 15, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia opened an inter-faith conference co-hosted by Spain.  During the opening, King Abdullah called on the followers of the world’s main religion to reject extremism and embrace the spirit of reconciliation. 

“My brothers, we must tell the world that differences don't need to lead to disputes,” King Abdullah said.  “The tragedies we have experienced throughout history were not the fault of religion but because of the extremism that has been adopted by some followers of all the religions, and of all political systems.”

During the conference, religious representatives of Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism, stressed the role of women and encouraged gender equality.  “They are organised hierarchically and patriarchically, excluding women in all fields of knowledge and religious matters,” said Juan Jose Tamayo, director of theology at Madrid's Juan Carlos III University.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Theologians Call for Gender Equality at Saudi Inter-Faith Conference – 18 July 2008 

Arab News - Dialogue Will Remove Mistrust: King – 16 July 2008

BBC – Saudi King Appeals for Tolerance – 16 July 2008

NYT – Spain: A Conference of Religions – 15 July 2008

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MANAMA, Bahrain – On July 13, Bahrain’s High Criminal Court jailed 11 men for periods ranging from one to seven years on charges such as illegal assembly, arson, attacking security forces, and theft of and illegal possession of weapons.  The charges stem from confrontations between protesters and security forces in and near Manama in December 2007 where protestors set fire to a police vehicle and allegedly stole weapons from it.

The convictions were based on confessions made during the men’s interrogations and detentions.  However, during the trial, allegations of abuse during the interrogations and detentions were made repeatedly.  In early 2008, family members of the detainees told Human Rights Watch that interrogators had tortured some of the detainees and sexually assaulted at least one. 

In addition, a court-ordered medical inquiry in April concluded that the men may have had injuries consistent with abuse they described, but that delayed examinations made verifying claims of torture impossible. 

“By convicting these people partly on their confessions without having credibly answered claims of coercion and abuse, Bahrain’s courts are failing to address the possibility of torture,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “They should suspend the verdicts and thoroughly investigate the claims of abuse in detention.”

For more information, please see:

ArabianBusiness.com – Torture Claims Dog Bahrain Riot Trial- 16 July 2008

Human Rights Watch – Bahrain: Convictions Tainted by Claims of Abuse – 16 July 2008