Tag: Greater Middle East

Greater Middle East

UAE-Saudi plan to divide Yemen seen

A crisis over the Yemeni island of Socotra was resolved as the United Arab Emirates agreed to withdraw and turn control over to Saudi forces, which will in turn restore full Yemeni rule. The island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique flora and fauna, hailed as the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean." Emirati forces seized Socotra at the start of the month, and raised their flag over the airport and other strategic points—sparking angry protests from residents. Socotra's governor condemned the move as an "occupation" and "a flagrant violation of Yemeni sovereignty." Even after the de-escalation, suspicions remain. Yemen's ambassador to UNESCO, Ahmad al-Sayyad, accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of "a hidden inclination to divide Yemen." (Map via University of Texas)

Greater Middle East

US special forces deployed to Yemen’s border

US special forces have reportedly been deployed to Saudi Arabia to help locate and destroy ballistic missiles and launch sites used by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The team of Green Berets is said to be based  in the kingdom’s southern city of Najran, where it is working with US intelligence analysts, training Saudi forces in border security, and using surveillance aircraft to track the movement of Houthi missiles and launchers. (Map via University of Texas)

Greater Middle East

Egypt refers 555 terror suspects to military court

Egypt's chief prosecutor referred 555 individuals suspected of joining a local ISIS affiliate to military court. The charges against them arise out of a series of attacks carried out by dozens of small militant groups situated in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. The suspects will faces charges for the planned and executed killings of security personnel, attacks on military checkpoints, and the destruction of a gas pipeline between Egypt and Jordan. The charges come amid growing concerns over torture, lengthy solitary confinement and other rights abuses in Egypt's prisons. (Photo: Egypt Daily News)

Greater Middle East

UN concerned over claims of torture in Turkey

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture expressed concerns over allegations of torture and human rights violations committed by Turkish police. According to Nils Melzer, those suspected of being involved with the Gülenist Movement or the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party are alleged to be subject to brutal interrogation techniques, such as beatings, electrical shock, exposure to icy water, sleep deprivation, sexual assault and threats, to elicit confessions or incriminating statements against others. Perpetrators have not been held accountable as the state of emergency decree, which exempts public officials from criminal responsibility for actions taken to enforce the state of emergency, has been used to justify the dismissal of any complaints. (Map: CIA)

Greater Middle East

Egypt escalating arbitrary arrests of opposition

Human Rights Watch accused Egyptian authorities of escalating arbitrary arrests of political opponents as part of a government strategy to quell political protests ahead of presidential elections to be held in late March. A statement earlier this month by regional human rights organizations charges that "the Egyptian government has trampled over even the minimum requirements for free and fair elections."

Greater Middle East

Bahrain: activist gets five years for tweeting

Amnesty International criticized a Bahrain court for sentencing the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Nabeel Rajab, to five years in prison for posts he made on Twitter in 2015. Rajab is currently serving a separate sentence for his comments in interviews in 2015 and 2016. Rajab's tweets and retweets resulting in his current sentence alleged acts of torture in Bahrain's Jaw Prison and also related to the killing of civilians in the conflict in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition that also includes Bahrain. Stated Amnesty: "The conviction of Nabeel Rajab today is a slap in the face to justice… This shameful verdict must be quashed and the authorities must drop all pending charges and immediately release Nabeel Rajab. It is absolutely outrageous that he be forced to spend a further five years in jail simply for daring to voice his opinions online." (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Greater Middle East

Yemen: rights group accuses UAE of war crimes

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR-UK) called for the International Criminal Court to investigate allegations of war crimes in Yemen by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), especially concerning the recruiting of foreign nationals to serve in an army of mercenaries. AOHR-UK alleges that the mercenaries began work under contract to the UAE in March 2015 and have conducted military operations in Yemen, in addition to supervising secret prisons in which Yemeni citizens have been subjected to torture.

Greater Middle East

Egypt: Sufis targeted in Sinai mosque massacre

At least 235 were killed and over 100 wounded in a suicide attack as people gathered for Friday prayers at a mosque in Egypt's North Sinai. Women and children are among the dead. The mosque is said to be run by adherents of a local Sufi order, and includes a zawiya—a lodge used by order members for prayer and chanting. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the massacre, followers of Sufi Islam have faced numerous attacks by ISIS cells operating in the Sinai Peninsula.

Greater Middle East

Turkish officials ban LGTBI group events

Turkish officials banned all events by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) groups in Ankara, the country's capital, asserting that the measure was necessary to ensure public security. Events such as cinema, theater, panels, interviews, exhibitions are banned until further notice, in deference to "social sensitivities."

Greater Middle East

Turkish court orders release of opposition leader

A Turkish court ordered the release of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) parliamentarian Ayhan Bilgen, who had been jailed over allegations of terrorism. The release followed a "Conscience and Justice Watch" at the Constitutional Court building to demand action for those they believed were unjustly and unlawfully imprisoned.

Greater Middle East

Malnutrition and cholera in war-torn Yemen

In Yemen, the world’s worst cholera outbreak is unfolding amid the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, according to the heads of three United Nations agencies. “The country is on the brink of famine, with over 60% of the population not knowing where their next meal will come from,” said UNICEF, the World Food ProgramĀ and World Health Organization in a joint statement. The agencies stressedĀ that 2 million Yemeni children are acutely malnourished, and in need of urgent aid.

Greater Middle East

Egypt sentences anti-Mubarak protesters to life

An Egyptian criminal court sentenced 43 men to life in prison for charges of vandalism, rioting and attacking authorities during the uprising that led to the downfall of long-ruling dictator Hosni Mubarak in 2011. Ten other protesters were handed down lesser sentences of five or 10 years, Mubarak, acquitted on retrial of ordering the killing of protesters during the 2011 demonstrations, was meanwhile released from prison earlier this year.