Watching the Shadows

US transfers two Gitmo detainees to Saudi Arabia

Two Guantánamo Bay detainees were transferred to Saudi Arabia—with “humane treatment assurances.” The total number of detainees at the facility now stands at 160.
Greater Middle East

HRW: Syria continuing use of cluster bombs

The Syrian government is currently using cluster munitions in its ongoing conflict, according to a report by the Landmine and Cluster Munition Moniter.

Greater Middle East

Saudi Arabia sentences activist to 8 years

A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced Abdulkarim al-Khader, co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association, to eight years in prison for sedition. 

Watching the Shadows

Press was prone on drones, but cover blown

The media are abuzz with reports that the CIA has a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia—but the New York Times and Washington Post admit they sat on the information for two years. 

Greater Middle East

Saudi court convicts Egyptian rights lawyer

A Saudi Arabian court convicted Egyptian human rights lawyer Ahmed el-Gezawi of smuggling drugs, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and 300 lashes.

Greater Middle East

Saudi Arabia: blogger faces death penalty

Human Rights Watch has urged Saudi Arabia to dismiss a criminal case against a website editor who may face the death penalty on apostasy charges for abandoning Islam. 

Iran

Unprecedented maneuvers in Strait of Hormuz

With two US warships headed for Libya, 25 nations led by the US are converging on the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz for naval maneuvers on an unprecedented scale.

Greater Middle East
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Dig in.

The US House of Representatives passed Joint Resolution 37, calling for the withdrawal of US armed forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen. The resolution states that only Congress has the authority to declare war, and notes that Congress has not made any declaration of war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are the target of Saudi-led forces. US armed forces have supported Saudi Arabia through aerial targeting assistance, intelligence sharing, and mid-flight aerial refueling. The resolution gives President Trump 30 days to withdraw forces from hostilities in or affecting Yemen. Forces which are involved in operations directed at al-Qaeda in the region are exempt from the resolution. The resolution also does not restrict the sharing of intelligence. It also specifies that the resolution does not impact military operations undertaken in cooperation with Israel. (Photo via Jurist)