| Gaza flotilla attack: calls for international criminal court to step in Turkish victims ask international criminal court to pursue Israeli gunmen over raid on shipThe international criminal court is being urged to prosecute members of the Israeli defence force for the raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship. Turkish victims have formally requested an investigation, the Guardian has learned.Lawyers acting for Turkish citizens injured or killed when Israel intercepted the flotilla in May have written to Luis Moreno Ocampo, the court's prosecutor, claiming there is an "overwhelming" case for prosecution.The request is a significant step towards a criminal investigation by the court, which experts say has jurisdiction to prosecute those involved in the raid despite Israel not recognising its jurisdiction."The attack on the flotilla occurred in international waters, which directly violated many parts of international law as well as international public and criminal law," said Ramazan Ariturk, a partner at Elmadag Law Office, the Turkish legal body that is representing the Turkish victims and the human rights group IHH. "The crimes committed by Israeli Defence Forces should be prosecuted and the International Criminal Court is the sole authority which is able to do that."There is mounting pressure on Israel after a UN report into the incident, in which nine Turkish activists were killed, accused Israel of violating international law.The report, published last month, said Israel "betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality" during the raid on the flotilla and it "constituted grave violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law".Israel condemned the report as "biased and distorted". It has created its own state-appointed inquiry, headed by retired supreme court justice Jacob Turkel.An Israeli government spokesperson said: "The event is being investigated by Israel including international observers, as well as a UN investigation initiated by the UN secretary general. Further investigations are redundant and unnecessary, and will contribute to further alienation between otherwise friendly countries."The likelihood of Israel being prosecuted for its actions in Gaza has long attracted controversy. Last year a group of leading lawyers publicly accused Israel of war crimes following Operation Cast Lead, citing the blockade and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Gaza as evidence.Neither Isreal nor the Palestinian territories are parties to the Rome statute, which established the international criminal court. An investigation of incidents involving the two countries is possible only after a reference from the UN security council.But the Turkish victims' lawyers say the involvement of Turkey with the Mavi Marmara and the fact it was sailing under the flag of the Comoros Islands give the court with jurisdiction. Both countries are members of the ICC."Based on the overwhelming volume of materials and evidence in our possession, amassed since the date of the incident itself, including expert opinions obtained from prominent specialists in international criminal law, we are of the view that the Israeli attack on the Gaza flotilla involves crimes which fall unambiguously within the jurisdiction of the court," the letter says.The victims' calls were backed up last week by Desmond da Silva, a QC and former UN war crimes prosecutor who said there were technical grounds for asking the ICC to intervene.IsraelTurkeyInternational criminal courtGazaMiddle EastPalestinian territoriesGaza flotillaProtestAfua Hirschguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Protests, Work Stoppages Over France's Union Pension Reform Unions threaten daily protests over pension reform feedproxy.google.com |
Minister: No Fuel Shortage at Paris Airport France's transport minister said Sunday there was plenty of fuel for planes at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, despite strikes that forced aviation authorities to order some jets to arrive with enough fuel to get back home. online.wsj.com |
Bahrain's elections overshadowed by crackdown on Shia protesters Gulf state goes to the polls amid rising tensions and fears of return to authoritarianismIt's hard to miss the signs on the streets of Manama: King Hamad peering benignly from giant billboards, and everywhere pictures of smiling candidates in spotless white dishdashas and headdresses pledging to build more houses, fight corruption and devote themselves to the welfare of ordinary voters."Our appointment is with you," declares one official poster. "Your vote is for all of us," promises another.But tomorrow's election comes at an awkward moment for Bahrain, the Arab world's smallest country and – until now – one of the freest in the Gulf.Final rallies this week brought out thousands – male and female supporters strictly separated – to cheer Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the al-Wifaq movement, whose slogans blend Shia religion and secular politics. Nearby, in Madinat Issa, teenage girls in jeans and T-shirts handed out sweet pastries as the liberal Wa'ad party made its last eve-of-poll pitch.Yet, this impressive display of democratic campaigning is being overshadowed by a crackdown that some people worry risks the future stability of an island state just a few miles from Iran which manages to be a bustling international financial centre and home to the US fifth fleet.Forty seats in the lower house are up for grabs in a contest dominated by al-Wifaq, which is popular with the two-thirds or so of Bahrainis who are Shia Muslims. The country's Shias are generally poorer than their Sunni compatriots, and follow religious leaders in both Iraq and Iran. Last time the party captured 17 seats, the rest taken by Sunnis loyal to King Hamad's al-Khalifa dynasty, which came to the island from Saudi Arabia via Kuwait two centuries ago.The government and the western PR advisers it employs are working hard to burnish Bahrain's image at this "historic moment" – the third election since much-vaunted reforms began in 2002. Arab and western media – including the Guardian – have been invited to cover the vote.Still, unease is not hard to find. "It is not a comfortable situation," admitted Abdulnabi Alekry of the Bahrain Transparency Society. "The country is passing through a period of tension. You have to be on your guard about what you say so you are not accused of tarnishing the state's reputation."The latest trouble began in August after seven people were convicted of killing a policeman. Protesters burning tyres and throwing petrol bombs in Shia villages faced a sudden massive crackdown, with 250 or more arrested in raids that were a grim throwback to the bad old days of the 1990s.But it went beyond rounding up the usual suspects. Muhammad Sahlawi, a dentist and Wifaq supporter, was taken away by unidentified men and is still in detention. "We don't know why they took him and where he is now," said his sister Fatima. "Maybe it is to do with the elections."Human Rights Watch is concerned about allegations of torture and violations of due process, warning of "a return to full-blown authoritarianism".The tensions are palpable in Sanabis village near Manama, where slogans proclaim solidarity with "martyrs" and the 23 people who were arrested on terrorist and conspiracy charges this month."Tyrants beware," warns one crudely printed flyer."We do not forget our prisoners," says another.Scorch marks on the roads signpost previous clashes. Riot police vehicles stand guard at junctions, blue lights flashing in the hot night air.The government is unapologetic. "It is not a matter of a security crackdown," insisted Sheikh Khalid bin Ali al-Khalifa, the minister of justice. "There were crimes committed that coincided with the elections."Sunnis and some Shias support tough measures. But both Bahraini and foreign observers believe something larger is afoot – a carefully co-ordinated response decided on by the king and his advisers.In this view, the reform process was in serious trouble long before the rioting during Ramadan. Anger was mounting over $65bn (£41bn) worth of prime real estate that used to be public land but somehow became royal property. And alarmingly for the government, Shia and Sunni MPs had joined forces to investigate this previously taboo issue, showing that parliament was far from toothless even with an appointed upper chamber to keep things under control."The government is happy when Sunnis and Shias quarrel," said Mansoor al-Jamri, editor of al-Wasat newspaper, a rare independent voice. "This was a red line." The aim of the crackdown, he and others believe, was to provoke a reaction and perhaps an election boycott by Wifaq. "It was saying to everyone: 'Behave yourselves. The Sunnis are our servants. And you Shia – we can break your heads any time.'"Another hot button sectarian issue is tajnis: the naturalisation of non-Bahraini Sunnis – Syrians, Jordanians, Yemenis and Baluchis. The government says it is importing skills. Critics say the goal is to change the demographics to boost Sunni dominance, especially in the security forces. "It's humiliating," said Yusuf, a Shia student.Precise figures are not available but the population has grown from 750,000 to more than 1 million in a few years while the number of Shias in senior jobs has decreased.Newer concerns include the dissolution of the Bahrain Human Rights Society, an independent NGO. The Wifaq and Wa'ad websites have both been shut down. Both parties failed to persuade the government to tighten up monitoring of the 10 central non-constituency polling centres that were widely suspected of being used for fraud last time.Quiet lobbying by the US is credited with helping to restore a measure of calm in the past few days. British diplomats have also been talking privately to the government about the dangers of its current hard line.Part of the problem is countering Bahraini arguments about regional threats – with Iran glowering across the Gulf and Arab governments still nervously digesting the implications of the war in Iraq and the popularity of Hezbollah in Lebanon."The Bahraini government has been quite successful in convincing the world that the problems here are linked to Iran and the wider Sunni-Shia divide," said human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, a fierce critic.Tehran is certainly sympathetic to the Khalifas' opponents. But there is no evidence of Iranian state support for subversion or violence. The trial of the 23, due to start next week, will be watched carefully for that.Munira Fakhro, a highly regarded Wa'ad candidate, has no doubts about what has happened so far. It is Bahrain's future that is uncertain: "The government wanted to worsen tensions between Sunnis and Shias by blaming the Shias and saying there is a conspiracy," she said. "But it is also possible that everything will go back to normal after the elections when the government has the parliament it wants."BahrainMiddle EastIslamIan Blackguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Gitmo Transfers to Europe Are Probed Republicans who have blocked the Obama administration from closing the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects are now questioning its moves to transfer some detainees to Europe. online.wsj.com |