Human rights in the Arab region : From exporting terrorism to exporting repression. Annual report 2008

224 Pages·2009·4.73 MB·English

Human Rights in the Arab Region
Annual Report 2008
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Human Rights in the Arab Region Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
CIHRS
Annual Report 2008
Reform Issues (20)
Publisher:
Cairo Institute for Human
President
Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Kamal Jendoubi
9 Rustom st. Garden City, Cairo, Egypt
Mailing address: P.O. Box 117
(Maglis el- Shaab), Cairo, Egypt General Director
Bahey eldin Hassan
E-mail address: [email protected]
Website: www.cihrs.org
Executive Director
Tel: [phone]
Moataz El fegiery
Fax: [phone]

Layout cover designer: Academic Advisor
Mohammed EL-Sayed Said
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Index card
Human Rights in the Arab Region
Annual Report 2008
Publisher: Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Reform Issues (20), 24cm , 224 Pages, (Cairo)
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (Authour)
This Report is published with the generous financial support of the
Dutch's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the Open Society (OSI).

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Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
(CIHRS)
Human Right s in t he Arab Region
Annual Report 2008
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Index
Dedication 8
Acknowledgment 12
This Report 16
Preface: The Dilemma of Human Rights in the Arab Region Between a 18
Lack of Political Will and the Emerging Forms of Resistance /
Bahey eldin Hassan
Report Summary: 32
Deterioration of Human Rights: Reform Faces a Dead End
Part I: Human Rights Situation in the Arab World 44
Chapter I Occupied States or States in Armed Conflicts 44
1- Iraq: An Uncertain Future 46
2- The Occupied Palestinian Territories: Between the Sickle of 58
Occupation and Hammer of Internal Conflict
3- Sudan: When Civil War Becomes a Tool for State Control 68
4- Yemen: A Tale of Two Wars: One Against Sadah, the Other Against
80
Human Rights
5- Lebanon: Human Rights Amidst Regional and International Challenges
88
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Chapter II Status of Human Rights and Democracy 96
1- Egypt: The Counter-Attack on Reformists 98
2-Tunisia: Continued Human Rights Violations under an Authoritarian 110
Police State
3- Algeria: Back to Terrorism: The Failure of the Reconciliation Process
118
4- Morocco: Ambivalence after Progress 124
5- Syria: Human Rights under the Heel of Military Intelligence
134
6- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: When Medieval Standards Rule 21st
142
Century Societies
7- Bahrain: Illusions of Reform Shattered
152
Part II: Arab States Performance at the Regional 158
And International Mechanisms
1- The States of the Arab League: A Shield for Human Rights 160
Violations, War Criminals and Military Coups
2- Marginalizing Human Rights and Civil Society: Arab Governments 166
and the Mechanisms of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership
3- The Exportation of Repression:
174
Arab States Performance at the Human Rights Council
Part III: Arab Culture Transformation.. A Human Rights Perspective / 196
Dr. Mohamed Al Sayed Saeed
Annex: The Second Independence, Towards an Initiative for Political 202
Reform in the Arab World
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Contributors to the Report
Main researcher
Essam El-Din Mohamed Hassan
Researchers and authors of background papers
Abdel Karim Al-Abdellaoui Mohamed Al-Nagar
Ghassan Abdullah Nabil Subie
Houcine Bardi Nizar Ayoub
Jeremie Smith Ragab Saad
Khelil Abdelmoumene Seif Nasrawy
Magdy El Naim Wameed shaker
Moataz El Fegiery Ziad Abdel Tawab
Participated in collecting and documenting information
Afaf Hanna
Safaa Essam
Sahar Sabry
In addition some of the human rights activists from partner organizations offered special
contributions in revising, reviewing and providing additional information:
Abdul hadi Al- Khawaja ex.President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (Bahrain)
Amal Al-Basha President of Arab Sisters Forum for Human Rights (Yemen)
Bougome'a Radwan (Algeria)
Ibrahim Al-Mugaiteeb President of Human Rights First Society (Saudi Arabia)
Kamal Jendoubi President of the Tunisian Committee for the Respect of Human Rights
Radwan Ziadeh Director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies
Editor
Bahey eldin Hassan
The English Version
Revised and edited by Contributed in translation
Ziad Abdel Tawab Ashraf Radi
and Hazem Salem
Jeremie Smith Sahar Soliman
Maria Elander Sulaf Taha
Sulaf Taha Yara Sallam
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Dedicated
To the prisoners of conscience
And victims of unfair trials
Syria:
1. Fedaa Akram Al- Hourani: Chairperson of the General Council of
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
2. Dr. Ahmed Toumah khidr: Secretary of the National Council of
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
3. Akram Al- Bunny: (Journalist and Writer) Secretary of the National
Council of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
4. Riad Saif: Former parliamentary and Head of General Secretariat of the
National Council of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
5. Walid Al- Bunni
5-12 are all members of the
6. Muhammed Haji Darwish National Council of Damascus
7. Fayez Sarah Declaration for National
8. Yasser Al- Eiti Democratic Change, and were all
sentenced for eighteen months in
9. Marwan Alosh
prison after being found guilty of
10. Ali Al- Abdallah
weakening national feeling and
11. Jibr Al- shufi
undermining the prestige of the
12. Talal Abu- Dan State.
13. Michel Kilo:Syrian writer and member of Civil Society Revival
Committees in Syria. Due to his signature on the Beirut- Damascus
Declaration; he has been sentenced to prison for weakening national
sentiment, spreading false news, and inciting sectarian strife.
14. Anwar Bunni: Prominent Human Rights defender, one of the
signatories of the Beirut- Damascus Declaration. Sentenced to five years for
weakening the moral of the nation.
15. Kamal al-Labwani: head of the Democratic Liberal Gathering, was
sentenced to jail for inciting foreign states to attack Syria and spreading
news that would result in weakening the moral of the nation.
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16. Ali Faeq Al- Mir: member of Syrian Democratic Peoples Party,
sentenced in jail for spreading false news, offending the ruling regime, and
for expressing public hostility towards the states policy.
Palestine:
17. Marwan al-Barghouthi: Member of the Legislative Council, one of
Fatah Movement s leaders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
18. Abd el- Aziz al- Dweik: Chairman of the Legislative Council, as well as
other Palestinian parliamentarians who were all kidnapped by Israeli
Occupation forces in 2006, and is still imprisoned.
Egypt:
19. Kareem A'mer: Blogger. Sentenced to four years of imprisonment for
Defaming the president of Egypt and incitement to hate "Islam" .
20. Musa'ad Abu Al- fajr: Blogger, one of the claimants for equality in
rights and treatment for the Bedouins of Sinai. Arrested under Emergency
Laws.
21. Khairat Al- Shatter: The Deputy Chairman of Muslim Brotherhood.
Tried and sentenced to jail before a military court, along with o25 leaders
from the same group.
22. Ayman Nour: Founding members of El- Gad Party, charged with
forging signatures for the authentification of the party.
Al Bahrain :
All Human Rights activists,
sentenced from five to seven
23. Hassan Abdulnabi years of imprisonment for
24. Maytham Al- Sheikh participating in violent
25. Naji Fateel protests after one Human
26. Mohammed Abdullah Al Sengais Rights defender was killed.
Saudi Arabia:
27. Dr.Matrouk al- Faleh: University professor and a known reformist
political figure. Arrested since May 2008 for public criticism of detention
conditions in Buraidah general prison.
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Tunisia:
28. Adnan Al- Hajji: Human Rights and a trade union activist. Arrested in
connection with the events of "hud Al- Mangamy".
29. Bashir Al- A'bidi: Trade- union activist. Arrested in connection with
the events of "hud Al- Mangamy".
30. Mas'ud Al- Ramadan: a trade-union activist and Head of the national
committee to support the families of "hud Al- Mangamy ", chief of the
branch of Tunisian association for Human Rights in Al- Qirwan. Under
house arrest in connection with the events "hud Al- Mangamy ".
Morocco:
31. Ibrahim sabaa' al-Lail: member of the national board of the Moroccan
Institute for Human Rights. Sentenced for 6 months of imprisonment after
participating in a press conference where he provided evidence of Human
Rights violations committed by security officers in "sidi ifini" city.
Algeria:
All three are Journalists of Al-Arabia
32- Kadir bu qila
newspaper. Sentenced to 6 months of
33- Shahrzad lamo imprisonment on the grounds of
34- Nasser Al-dain qasem criticizing a military officer.
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