I stole this animation from Wael’s blog… (Zazou, I know you’ll like this)
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Black Hole: The Fate of Islamists Rendered to Egypt
Tag: Human rights
Detaining Egypt
Ma’at Center for Legal and Constitutional Studies will organize a conference, Monday 31 July, on “Conditions of Detention in Egypt.”
Several speakers will take part including Dr. Diaa Rashwan of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Hussein Ibrahim, the deputy head of the Muslim Brothers’ parliamentary block, in addition to some detainees’ family members and a number of recently released detainees.
The conference will start at 1pm, in Hor Mohebb Hotel, in Haram Street in Giza.
Several speakers will take part including Dr. Diaa Rashwan of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Hussein Ibrahim, the deputy head of the Muslim Brothers’ parliamentary block, in addition to some detainees’ family members and a number of recently released detainees.
The conference will start at 1pm, in Hor Mohebb Hotel, in Haram Street in Giza.
Cluster bombs used against civilian populated areas, HRW says
From the BBC…
Israel urged to shun cluster bomb
US-based Human Rights Watch says Israel has used cluster bombs in civilian areas during its assault on Lebanon.The group says an attack using the munitions on the village of Blida last week killed one person and injured 12.
It says the explosives – which disperse after impact – are “unacceptably inaccurate and unreliable”, and should not be used in populated areas.
The Israeli military says their use is legal under international law, and that it is investigating the Blida incident.
‘Outdated’
Critics say cluster bombs leave behind a large number of unexploded bomblets, which often kill long after they are fired.
“Our research in Iraq and Kosovo shows that cluster munitions cannot be used in populated areas without huge loss of civilian life,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The group believes that the use of cluster munitions in populated areas may violate the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks contained in international humanitarian law.
“They’re not illegal per se, but certain attacks may be illegal,” Washington representative Bonnie Docherty says.
“The law of war requires you to distinguish between soldiers and civilians, so when you are using an outdated, unreliable weapon in a populated area, it is likely that the attack violates international humanitarian law,” she told the BBC.
“We have researchers on the ground who are investigating them and will investigate other claims related to cluster munitions, as well as other incidents in the ongoing conflict.”
Continue reading Cluster bombs used against civilian populated areas, HRW says
More on anti-torture website
I posted before something on one of my favorite human rights websites that monitors torturers in Egypt.
I received a message from the website editor, with more background information:
This website was founded last January, aiming at covering news about torture crimes committed by Egyptian Ministry of Interior. The working team of torture in Egypt believes that raising people’s awareness of their rights is the first step to create a solid anti-torture movement.
I was the first member who joined the website staff, now we are a growing team editing, searching, publishing news and reports about torture crimes committed in Egypt by the interior ministry, and support those whose rights were violated.Now, here is our story…
March 2005
Me sitting staring at my PC, a scream came from one of Al-Nadeem reports: “They should die otherwise we will do!” It was a woman telling here experience in a police station, meaning by” they” the police officers.” Nothing could compensate what I suffered,” she explained.26 June 2005
Alaa is standing in a demonstration lifting a banner says “religion is for God and torture is for all!”
Amr came to the demo, carrying a huge list contained names of men, women, young, old, Muslims, Copts, political activists, criminals, innocents… etc. All were tortured by the interior ministry heroes. Some of them were tortured to death.August 2005:
Me again in front of my PC trying to build a blog, where I can publish some simple researches about torture I prepared.
I sent an email to Alaa seeking his help. He encouraged and sent me some extra material.January 2006
Amr, Alaa and me sitting in a café with their laptops preparing new and bigger website named “torture in Egypt.” Each one of us was talking about the role one would play in this website.Today, al hamdu lelah, we have more sources, many people are helping, we send a periodical newsletter to a huge number of people ,we guide some fans to NGOs where they can volunteer, and the most important, people are now more aware of their right of protection against torture.
Police ban solidarity protest
A blogger with Al-Ghad Party reports that a group of young party activists tried to organize a demo on Sunday in solidarity with the Lebanese resistance, and to mark the 23rd of July “Revolution,” but were banned by the police.
As they were coming out of the party building, the activists were met by General Sami Seidhom, and a phalanx of CSF and State Security agents, according to blogger Mohamed el-Sa3eed. General Seidhom hurled slurrs and threatened the activists with detention if they stepped into the street, el-Sa3eed said. The activists retreated upstairs to the party office, and chanted from the balcony overfacing Tal3at Harb Square. Security forces, according to el-Sa3eed, banned Al-3arabiya crew who arrived at the scene from filming.
ME Politics 101
Here’s an AP story building on the recent news reports about a new initiative whereby Egypt and Saudi Arabia would intervene to try to sway Syria away from its alliance with Iran and Hizbollah–in an very classic exchange for a promise from Washington not to give them any headaches about this annoying democracy thing.
Though the AP story was good quality reporting, the title was rather funny: “Moderate Arabs look to curb militants.� “Moderate Arabs�? AP’s standards for political “moderation� seem to lie in how close the regime is to DC. One regime may sodomize dissidents, the other beheads them, but still according to AP they are “moderates.�
Though the AP story was good quality reporting, the title was rather funny: “Moderate Arabs look to curb militants.� “Moderate Arabs�? AP’s standards for political “moderation� seem to lie in how close the regime is to DC. One regime may sodomize dissidents, the other beheads them, but still according to AP they are “moderates.�
Moderate Arabs look to curb militants
By Steven R. Hurst and Salah Nasrawi
CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt and Saudi Arabia – both with strained U.S. ties – are working to entice Syria to end support for Hezbollah, a move that is central to resolving the conflict in Lebanon and unhitching Damascus from its alliance-of-convenience with Iran, the Shiite Muslim guerrillas’ other main backer, Arab diplomats and analysts said Sunday.
The two Arab heavyweights were prepared to spend heavily from Egypt’s political capital in the region and Saudi Arabia’s vast financial reserves to rein in Hezbollah as well as the Hamas militants now running the Palestinian government. In return, Washington would ease pressure on its moderate Arab allies for broad democratic reform, the diplomats and analysts said.
Bombed on the road to safety
A shattering story of a Lebanese family fleeing for safety, only to meet the Grim Reaper on the road…
Blasted by a missile on the road to safety
Family ordered to flee were targeted because they were driving minivan
Detainees abuse continue in Iraq, says HRW
Human Rights Watch has issued a new report today, based on US soliders’ testimonies, on the torute and abuse of detainees in Iraq. The rights watchdog accused the US army of continuing its illegal practices even after the Abu Ghraib scandal. Continue reading Detainees abuse continue in Iraq, says HRW
Grievances dot net
Rights activist Gamal 3eid, director of HRinfo, and his colleague Sally Sami have launched a new cyber-initiative, humum.net. Humum is Arabic for Grievances.
Gamal said in a press release that this new site
… aims to facilitate for human rights groups, state institutions, and volunteers to contribute to the alleviation of human rights violations.
The Humum.net initiative came as a result of months of efforts exerted by the HRinfo team and a wide range of volunteers. The aim is to interact with a large number of complaints sent to HRinfo from Egypt and many other Arab countries.
The privacy of the plaintiff is put into consideration as all personal information is barred from publishing. Any response made to a complaint will be forwarded directly to the plaintiff.
Reporting torturers
I’ve been following for sometime an excellent Arabic website that is keeping an eye on torture in Egypt. The site was an initiative taken by a group of independent activists, who saw that “abusing one citizen = abusing the whole nation.”
The site content is a disturbing crashcourse into the world of “lawenforcement” in our country, with breaking news about torture cases in police stations, horrible stories of minors receiving electric shocks in interrogation rooms, women suspects abused and whipped… As disturbing as it is, I strongly recommend the website for anyone who can read Arabic.
One thing you’ll notice when going thru the cases of abuse on the website is that most of the torture victims are not political activists, but ordinary citizens and “criminals.” Rights lawyers like Ahmad Seif al-Islam have long pointed out to another phenomenon, the “privatization of torture,” where police intervene in personal disputes between neighbors, for example, carrying out torture as a “favor” for their friends and contacts.
Check this story I covered for the Cairo Times back in 2002: Continue reading Reporting torturers