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Weekly update for the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information # 220
Year 5
18 July 2008 - 24 July 2008
Tunisia
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Hunger Strike is the Solution for the Restoration of Rights
Tunisian authorities maintain a policy of repression and oppression against former political prisoners; prohibiting their employment, depriving them of free medical care, prohibiting them from obtaining ID cards and passports, and other violations of civil rights. Facing this situation, the released political prisoners have begun a hunger strike, putting their lives at risk, in an attempt at regaining their most basic civil rights. The fact that they have had to resort to a Hunger Strike is an indication of the gravity of suffering and oppression under which the political prisoners and their families live under.
Sources
The Arab Committee for Human Rights
More information on Tunisia page: http://www.anhri.net/tunisia
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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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The Government should Cancel the Kafala “Sponsorship” System Immediately
The Kafala (“Sponsorship)” System which the Saudi government is enforcing resembles a system of slavery because it binds the visa of migrants workers with their employers. This means that the employers can deprive the workers from being able to transfer employment or leave the country. Under this system, employers have held house maids unwillingly for months and years.
The government for years has been considering changing the policy to make employment office responsible for the sponsorship of foreign workers instead of the employers. There is also another alternative proposal by the National Association for Human Rights, which would made the Saudi government to be the sponsor. Any of these two alternate policies would improve the current system.
Sources
Human Rights Watch
More information and topics on Saudi Arabia page: http://www.anhri.net/saudi/
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Sudan
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On the Indictment of President Al Bashir by the Prosecutor General of the ICC
Sudan has witnessed different reactions to the accusations against the Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur region. President Al Bashir, the Sudanese Parliament, and the northern parties have rejected the decision, while the People’s Congress Party did not comment. The rebel movements in the west of Sudan welcomed the decision, and the south was comfortable with this decision.
Yes, Al Bashir should be Prosecuted Internationally even with his Usurped Immunity
Consultant Hesham Al Bastawisi wrote an article in which he stated that: “The application of the Prosecutor General to the Security Council on Darfur, is a judicial decision, and the Prosecutor General is not doubted in the international community, where all of the judges of and the Prosecutor General are elected by the Court General Assembly, and the 18 judges of the court represent 18 different nationalities, in addition to the prosecutor general who is an Argentinean national. All of them are known for their competency, integrity, and neutrality. The only means for any state that wants to avoid being prosecuted before the ICC, or the regional (continental) Human Rights Courts, is to have an independent national judicial process on the ground as well and in accordance with international standards for judiciary independence.
Sudanese Officials Assault a UN Officer in Darfur
The UNAMID stated that a security official working for the Mission was assaulted on July 21st by by Sudanese government officials.The Mission said that the security official was forced to board a car, where he was taken to a military, for intelligence office while he was in Al Fashir market in northern Darfur investigating a traffic incident. After he was released, he went to the hospital for necessary care.
More information and topics on Ifham Darfur website: http://ifhamdarfur.net
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Syria
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Al Hayat Newspaper Banned in Syria
The Syrian Authorities have banned distribution of the London based newspaper “ Al-Hayat.” The July 15th issue the issue contained an article entitled: “ Combatants Lie even if they told the truth” which criticizes the Presidnt Al Assad in his last visit to France, for the launch of the Mediterranean Union. In the article, Saudi journalist Daoud Al-Sharayan accused the Syrian president of “uttering empty slogans.” the journalst indicated that Damascus is seeking to have a relationship with Israel, at the expenses of its Arab relationships and that Bashar Al Assad seemed happy sitting in the same table with the Israeli Prime Minsiter Ehud Olmert.
Sources
Reporters without Borders
More information and topics on Syria page: http://anhri.net/syria
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Iraq
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Another Journalist Added to the Caravan of the “Word’s Martyrs”
The Journalist Soran Mama Hama joined the caravan of the “word's martyrs” in Iraq. He was assassinated the evening of July 21st by an armed group outside his home in Al Shorja area Center of Kirkuk. Soran worked for the fortnightly Kurdish Speaking magazine “Leven”, for some 5 years. He also worked in various other media positions. For example, he was a director to (Kurdistan Rapport) in Kirkuk as a specialist in political social press investigation, when he was in his mid-twenties. His last journalist investigation was about illegal affairs with women involving security officials in Kirkuk. Soran had received death threats before for his journalist activities.
Soran Mama Hama raised the number of assassinated journalists in Iraq since 2003 to 239 Iraqi and foreign journalists who work in media according to the statistics of the Press Freedoms Observatory.
Sources
Press Freedoms Observatory
More information and topics on Iraq page: http://anhri.net/iraq
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Palestine
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Ashraf Abu Rahma, a Legend of resistance against the Apartheid Wall
The video clip taken of the attack and injury of Ashraf Abu Rahma, a young Palestinian,
by Israeli Occupying Forces brings to mind dozens of similar stories that ended even more violently with the death of the victim. The video clip shoed Ashraf handcuffed and blindfolded while being shot with a rubber coated steel bullet by an Israeli soldier after his arrest for his participation in an Anti-Apartheid Wall demonstration in Nil’lin village near Ramallah. Killing in cold blood, and field executions have become – due to silence and lack of accountability of the perpetrators- an official policy for the Israeli occupation forces, in a blatant breach of international laws, covenants, and Geneva agreements, which assures against such treatment of captives.
Sources
Palestinian Initiative for Global Dialog and Democracy
More information and topics on Palestine page: http://www.anhri.net/palestine
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Lebanon
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Israeli National Insurance and Reunification
The regional office of the Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Rasid), Jerusalem Branch, in cooperation with the Jerusalem Center for Human Rights Aid, has held a symposium on “ The National Insurance” in the hall for Medical and Social Care for orphans and women rehabilitation in Jerusalem. It was attended by a group of specialists and lawyers, and some Jerusalem citizens. The lecture addressed the no. 1813 decision of the Israeli government relating to the issue of “illegal” residents in the state, and the policies of social insurance and family reunification for the spouses of citizens who have Palestinian roots. Barjas pointed out that the text , which discusses the procedure for gradual citizenship for spouses of Israeli citizens is not applicable for the spouses of the Israeli citizens from Palestinian origin or the Palestinian authorities population.
Sources
Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Rasid)
More information and topics on Lebanon page: http://anhri.net/lebanon
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Egypt
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Rise in Sectarian Tension
The rising sectarian tension which has led to some incidents of violence against Coptic citizens in response to acts and rumors was the subject of the quarterly report of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights on the Religion and Faith Freedoms in Egypt.
The report addresses a number of the key changes that have occurred in the arena of the religious freedom throughout the months of April, May, and June, 2008.The report includes readings of a number of important judiciary verdicts issued during the past few months, and the amendments of the personal affairs regulations for Orthodox Copts, and the decree of the Islamic Research Assembly related to deprivation of the Christian Family of the Converted to Islam from his heritage.
Incomplete Justice
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information had submitted a report this week to the Attorney General, asking for the reason behind their failure to launch an investigation of the assault and illegal detention of Al Mohamed Al Taher a Journalist from Al Tareeq Newspaper Madinati project security personnel (project belongs to the Alexandria for Construction Co.) during a journalistic investigation into the working conditions of the project. ANHRI said in a communique that the it fears that the delay in the investigations into reports submitted by journalists will become commonplace, where the report of Al Mohamed Al Taher is not the only case in which the investigation has been delayed. The complaint of Kamal Murad the journalist of Al Fajr newspaper has also not been investigated.
Sources
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
More information and topics on Egypt page: http://anhri.net/egypt
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Morocco
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Lives of Marrakesh Detained Students in Bolmharz Prison are in Danger
Marrakesh students who are detained in Bolmharz prison have been on a hunger strike since June 11th demanding more humane conditions during their detention. This 43 day hunger strike is taking place in very difficult conditions, and alarm bells are ringing that it may become a disaster, that may result in constant defects or death of some of the hunger strike participants, as it happened with Saida Al Menabhi, Boukr Al Dreedi, Mustafa Blhwari, and Abdel Haq Ashbada, Khalid Boukri who died following to lengthy hunger strikes.
Sources
Moroccan Association for Human Rights
More information and topics on Morocco page: http://www.anhri.net/morocco
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Yemen
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Weak Judiciary, Caught in Corruption and Dependency
The Bait Al-Fiqh Primary Court justice preceded the social heritage and adverse traditions to constitutional provisions, where Bait Al-Fiqh Court issued a decision to discontinue a case filed by the prosecution on behalf of victim Hamdan Darsi, who accused defendant Shuaib Al Fashig of forceful sexual assault and setting up a private jail to withhold the people’s freedom and torture them. The defendant - a sheik of Tohama- considers the crimes he is accused of, imprisonment and detention as part of a social legal heritage that has a subjective manipulation of the concerned bodies, and gives the defendant the right to compensation, and ability to trial the victim.
Sources
Front Line International Foundation for Protection of Human Rights Defenders
More information and topics on Yemen page: http://anhri.net/yemen
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Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
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Humum Website: Fifteen Thousands Complaints, and 2.5 Million Visitors
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information accounted on July 22 that two years after launching their Humum “Grievances” website the Humum Initiative of Humum has received over 15,000 complaints in two years, and some 2.5 million visitors, placing this initiative among the most successful voluntary rights initiatives not only in Egypt but in the whole Arab world. The Arabic Network decided to implement this initiative to contribute to solving problems posed by Arab citizens to the Arabic Network involving legal aid or assistance in alleviating an unjust situation, or shedding light on a violation they face.
A Journalist from Al Tareeq Newspaper is Awaiting Justice
Despite his submitting a report to the office of the Attorney General three weeks ago, demanding an investigation into his physical assault by the Director of the Madinati project, Hisham Tala'at, who also detained for three hours, and had him camera images erased, no investigation has been launched. This raised the concerns of ANHRI that the delay in investigating the reports submitted by journalists, especially young journalists, to the Attorney General might be a habitual act. In particular a similar report by Kamal Murad, a journalist from Al Fajr newspaper filed by the Arabic Network was submitted a month ago and had not been investigated at all.
To review the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information press releases:
http://www.anhri.net/en/reports
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anhri is a legal organization that defends the freedom of opinion and expression of the press and the right to exchange information. Moreover, it works on collecting the publications of nearly 140 Arabic human rights organizations from 18 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, which are published in Arabic and presented in one website. It also provides human rights Sources in the Arab world for media workers, journalists, activists and the public in an attempt to increase the number of internet users and those interested in human rights issues in the Arab speaking world. Though one of many human rights groups serving the Middle East and North Africa, it is the only one in the Arab world devoted exclusively to protecting the freedom of expression across the region.
For more information, suggestions or membership in the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, please contact anhri at:
Address: 19-26 July st-Downtown - Cairo- 4th floor - suit 55
Phone Number: (00202) 27736177
Email address:
info@anhri.net
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