Bahraini Court Postpones Trial of Nabeel Rajab until 2 November

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On 29 October 2014, a Bahraini court ruled that Nabeel Rajab will face criminal charges stemming from a single tweet in which both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense allege that he “denigrated government institutions.” The court postponed the trial until Sunday, 2 November. If convicted, Mr. Rajab could face up to six years in prison.

Americans for Democracy Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), and Index on Censorship condemn the criminal prosecution brought against Mr. Rajab, denounce his continued detention on charges related to his right to free speech and call for his immediate and unconditional release.

Mr. Rajab, President of BCHR and Co-Director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR), was summoned to the Cyber Crimes Unit of the Central Investigations Directorate’s (CID) for interrogation and promptly arrested on 1 October after spending months advocating for human rights in Bahrain throughout Europe. After 19 days in pre-trial detention, Mr. Rajab appeared in front of a judge on 19 October, where the court postponed his trial until 29 October and denied him release on bail.

The international community has been outspoken in condemning the arrest of Mr. Rajab and calling for his immediate and unconditional release. The United Nations called his detention “chilling” and argued that it sends a “disturbing message.” The governments of the United States, Norway, France, and Ireland, as well as the President of the European Parliament, United States Ambassador Samantha Power, United States Congressman James McGovern, 13 members of the UK Parliament, and 40 members of the European Parliament also called for Mr. Rajab’s release. While the UK government claims to be following the situation closely, it has yet to call for Mr. Rajab’s release.

This is not the first time Mr. Rajab has faced arbitrary detention. From July 2012 to May 2014, he was detained after calling for and participating in peaceful protests in Bahrain’s capital of Manama. Mr. Rajab was also previously sentenced to 3 months’ imprisonment for allegedly defaming citizens of Muharraq via Twitter. Despite his eventual acquittal by the Court of Appeal, Mr. Rajab served most of his sentence.

We, the undersigned human rights organizations, call on the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and other national and international bodies to actively engage the Government of Bahrain to:

•        Immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Nabeel Rajab;

•        Drop all charges against him in relation to or retaliation for his work and his exercise of the right to freedom of expression; and

•        Ensure that all civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Bahrain are able to conduct their work without fear of retaliation or reprisal.

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani: “There is no issue more critical and more important than the hijab issue”

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Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Nouri-Hamadani has met with a group of women members of the Council of Basiji Professors. During the meeting they discussed the issue of poor veiling (hijab) which has unfortunately become common throughout Iran. “We did not think that this one Islamic mandate would be stretched out for so long. We need to remind everyone [about the importance of hijab],” His Eminence stated.

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani explained that the root of this problem is due to the negligence of some officials and stated that if the issue of hijab was given its due importance in society from the beginning, we would not be in the situation that are in now.

He stated that there were conflicting opinions among government officials on how to deal with the hijab issue. He stated that due to these conflicts, the culture of veiling and chastity is becoming weakened among the people. “The method to solve this issue is for every ministry to enact reforms among their own subdivisions,” the renowned source of emulation advised.

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani emphasized on the importance of building Islamic culture to solve the issue of poor hijab, stating that we cannot force women to veil themselves but we need to explain the philosophy of hijab with proofs so that they can understand why it so necessary. However, His Eminence also criticized those who did not pay attention to the religious teachings and repeating emphasis of the sources of emulation and scholars in regard to various issues. “Our people are Muslims and they will accept [hijab if it is properly explained],” he added.
 
The renowned scholar stated that there is no issue more critical and more important than the hijab issue in Iranian society. Iran also faces demographic problems. Iranians are marrying much later than they used to. Finding a proper spouse and getting married are not easy tasks. Youths need to find a proper job and a place to live before getting married, but these conditions are often not available.

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani also emphasised the need to overcome barriers to marriage, adding: “We need to build a culture in regard to the issue of marriage. Issuing fatwa’s [religious verdicts] on how important marriage is will not solve any problems – We need to remove the barriers to marriage. It requires collective determination and incentive policies for childbearing must be considered.”

He also criticized the incorrect culture and tradition of requesting heavy dowries from the groom. He emphasized that this is not an Islamic teaching and it must be removed from Iranian culture. The bride should not ask for more than fourteen gold coins.

Also, certain erroneous Western traditions regarding marriage has become prevalent in Iran. “We are Muslims and we have significant cultural differences from Europeans. For example, in Western culture, women look for husbands themselves,” Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani stated, according to Rasa News Agency.

Regarding the recent incident where acid was thrown at women in Esfahan, Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani stated that destroying others is not proper Islamic behaviour and it only serves the enemies. They take advantage of our differences and make them greater, such as the incident in Esfahan. “We need to be more vigilant,” he explained.

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Lebanese troops, militants clash near Syria

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Lebanese security forces have exchanged fire with al-Qaeda-linked militants in the Bekaa Valley near the border with Syria.

Local sources said the clashes erupted outside the towns of Deir al-Ghazal and Qusaya on Wednesday when al-Nusra Front militants tried to infiltrate into Lebanon from Syria.

The Lebanese army, supported by Syrian soldiers on the other side of the border, halted the terrorists’ advance, with Hezbollah fighters also giving a hand to prevent their infiltration.

Earlier, clashes between the country’s army and the militants in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood of the northern city of Tripoli claimed the lives of dozens of people. The clashes also displaced thousands of people from the violence-ravaged district.

Bab al-Tabbaneh had for long been a stronghold of Takfiri terrorists. Following the raids, the Lebanese army discovered several arms depots and an ammunition factory in the neighborhood.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and the Takfiri ISIL militants overran the city of Arsal, situated 124 kilometers (77 miles) northeast of the capital Beirut in August, abducting more than three dozen soldiers and security forces. They have executed at least three of the hostages.

Over the past months, Lebanon has been suffering from terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda-affiliated militants as well as random rocket attacks, which are viewed as a spillover of the conflict in Syria.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011 with the ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it mostly in the east and north.

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Child abuse ‘social norm’ in Manchester

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Sexual exploitation of children has become a “social norm” in the Greater Manchester County in northwest England, a damning report has found.

The independent inquiry, led by Ann Coffey, the Labour MP for Stockport, revealed that sexual abuse of children has become “normal” on some streets and estates in Greater Manchester.

“This is a real and ongoing problem. I have been concerned about the number of people who have told me that in some neighborhoods child sexual exploitation had become the new social norm,” Coffey said.

The 148-page report also revealed that more than 600 children, reported missing in the county in 2014, were at risk of sexual exploitation or serious harm.

Coffey said tackling the sexual exploitation of children is an absolute priority for the British government. The Labour politician also recommended spot checks on children’s homes and care provision for 16- and 17-year-olds to be registered and inspected by Britain’s school watchdog, Ofsted.

Britain’s Home Secretary Theresa May described the findings of the report about the scale of child abuse as “alarming.”

“This is yet another disturbing report which highlights unacceptable failings by authorities at a local level to ensure the protection of children,” she added.

The UK has witnessed a surge in child molestation and sexual abuse cases.

In August, a report by Professor Alexis Jay revealed that at least 1,400 children had been sexually exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

In some cases, children as young as 11 were “raped by multiple perpetrators, trafficked to other towns and cities in the north of England, abducted, beaten and intimidated,” the report added.

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Boko Haram captures Nigerian town

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Takfiri Boko Haram militants have reportedly captured the second largest city in Nigeria’s northeast Adamawa State, amid fierce clashes between Nigerian troops and the militants.

Mubi, which is one of the commercial hubs of the state, fell into the hands of the Boko Haram group on Wednesday, when several people were killed and many others forced to flee their homes.

Residents, who fled to neighboring areas, said that militants first overran the northeastern town of Uba in Borno state before moving to try to seize Mubi, using firepower including rocket-propelled grenades.

“They (the militants) killed several people, especially around the market, where traders had gone for commercial activities,” said the Kukawa local government chairman Modu Musa.

“There is virtually not a single resident left in Mubi. Everybody has left to save their lives,” said local resident Habu Saidu.

Boko Haram Takfiri militants also burnt down Mubi police station as well as other command centers and freed prisoners after attacking a prison yard in the town.

The attack comes two days after suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed several people in the town of Kukawa, located some 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Borno’s capital, Maiduguri.
 
Analysts say the latest clashes are another blow to the fragile truce between the government and the Boko Haram militants.

Earlier this month, Abuja announced it had secured a ceasefire deal with Boko Haram that would facilitate the release of 219 schoolgirls abducted by the militants in mid-April.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of its operations in 2009, which have left more than 10,000 people dead so far.

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Мi-28 Russian helicopters join service in Iraq

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Baghdad – The Iraqi Ministry of Defense assured the entrance of the Russian helicopter (Night Hunter) to the service to support terrorism fighting and Iraqi infantry forces.

A statement by the MoD cited “Minister of Defense Khalid al-Obaidi accompanied by several military commanders observed on Wednesday the final stage of preparing and arming the first group of the Russian modern fighting helicopters (MI-28) in a step towards sending them to specified air bases.”

“These helicopters which are known as the Night Hunter will increase the efficiency of the Iraqi Army Air Force in its war against terrorism,” the statement added.

“This is the first group of helicopters included by the contract concluded with the Republic of Russia to provide Iraqi Army with modern fighting helicopters,” the statement concluded.

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Iraq: Muthanna chemical weapons facility liberated from ISIS control

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BAGHDAD, IRAQ – Baghdad Operations Command confirmed that the armored force of the 9th Division and a regiment of the Federal Police managed to free the Muthanna chemical weapons facility from ISIS control. The facility is located on the Samarra/Al-Therthar road which lies about 60 km away from Baghdad.

On Tuesday, the commander of the Baghdad Operations Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Al-Shammari said in a press statement, that his forces will begin clearing the road of explosives, noting that “opening the Samarra/Jabber road will only lead to breaking the cordon around the unites located in the Japanese bridge and Al-Therthar road.”

The United States has already expressed concern about ISIS’ seizure of Muthanna chemical weapons facility after the 10th June events, but the International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations underestimated the chemicals contained therein stressing that “it does not represent danger or security threat.”

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Syria: Peshmerga forces arrive in Turkey on their way to Kobanî

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 A group of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces arrived in Turkey on their way to reinforce fighters defending the town of Ain Arab “Kobanî”, which is blockaded by the so-called Islamic state in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the Syrian side of the Turkish border.

On Wednesday, Anatolia Agency reported that “the Peshmerga forces arrived to Şanlıurfa Airport in the south of Turkey in the early dawn, coming from Erbil airport in northern Iraq.”

According to the agency, the elements of the Peshmerga move by buses to the Turkish border town of Suruj, while the Turkish security forces have secured the progress of the convoy route and prevented journalists from following it.

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Special Iraqi forces deploy in Baghdad before Ashura holiday

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BAGHDAD – While Iraqi Security Forces battle ISIS across a number of Iraqi territories, additional special units are being deployed in tactical formations to secure the capital Baghdad.

The special units from the Army and the police will hide among civilians, and others will be dressed in military uniforms, observing and securing the areas of Baghdad just before Ashura’a holiday next week.

One of the leaders of the units said, “We have fought in many battles in Tikrit, Anbar and Jurf Al-Shakr, and now we’re here to protect the Iraqi people in the capital Baghdad.”

 

ISIS terrorists execute over 55 Sunni tribesmen in Iraq’s Anbar / GRAPHIC

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Jihadists from the Islamic State terrorist group executed Wednesday more than 55 members of the Albu Nimir tribe that fought against them in Iraq’s Anbar province, sources said.

The men from the Albu Nimr tribe were killed in the Heet area, northwest of Baghdad, which was overrun by the militants earlier this month, a local leader and a doctor said.

A police colonel and a leader from the anti-jihadist Sahwa forces confirmed the killings.

Sources differed on the exact number of dead, with some saying as many as 55 were killed.

IS has overrun large areas of Anbar, and the killings are likely aimed at discouraging resistance from powerful local tribes, who will be key to any successful bid to retake the province.

Pro-government forces have suffered a string of setbacks in Anbar in recent weeks. That has prompted warnings that the province, which stretches from the borders with Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the western approach to Baghdad, could fall entirely.

Images said to show the aftermath of the public execution circulated on Twitter, but their authenticity could not be independently confirmed.

One picture shows a line of more than 30 men in civilian clothes lying in the middle of a street with streams of blood running over the dusty ground, as young men and children look on.

The victims are barefoot and many are blindfolded, their hands bound behind their backs.

IS did not immediately claim responsibility for the killings, but has executed hundreds of people in areas of Iraq and Syria that it controls.

Human Rights Watch says there is evidence the group executed between 560 and 770 men — mostly captured soldiers — earlier in the year.

And IS executed hundreds of members of a Syrian tribe that fought against them, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

IS spearheaded an offensive that has overrun much of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland since June, sweeping security forces aside.

Iraqi security forces, Shiite militias and some Sunni tribesmen are fighting to push IS back.



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