Greater Middle East

Egypt: Ahmadis detained under emergency law

The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights on May 14 called for the release of nine adherents of the Ahmadiyya sect detained under a controversial emergency law extended by parliament that week. The nine were arrested in March and charged with insulting Islam. "The arrest and interrogation of the Ahmadis is only the latest instance of the security apparatus' abuse of the shameful, vague and unconstitutional provision on 'contempt of religions,'" the statement said.

Saudi woman fights back against religious police

An officer of the Saudi religious police, patrolling an amusement park in the eastern city of al-Mubarraz for unmarried couples illegally socializing, met physical resistance after he stopped a young couple walking together. The officer of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice—known locally as the Hai'a—asked the couple to confirm their identities and relationship to one another. For unknown reasons, the young man collapsed upon being questioned by the cop. According to the Saudi daily Okaz, the woman then laid into the officer, punching him repeatedly, and leaving him to be hospitalized with bruises across his body and face.

Concerns raised on Yemen war crimes

From Human Rights Watch, April 7:

Yemen: Investigate Laws-of-War Violations
Government and Huthi Rebels Should Hold Perpetrators Accountable

The Yemeni government and Huthi rebels should investigate alleged violations of the laws of war during the recent conflict and hold all those responsible to account, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. On February 11, 2010, both sides agreed to a truce - the sixth since the war began in 2004, but the agreement contains no accountability provisions.

Turkish court sentences Kurdish activist to prison

Turkish politician and Kurdish rights activist Leyla Zana was sentenced April 8 to three years in prison for spreading terrorist propaganda. Zana was convicted by a court in the city of Diyarbakir for two speeches delivered at a Kurdish political congress in 2008. Zana has previously been convicted for spreading propaganda under Turkey's anti-terrorism laws, most recently facing a 10-year sentence in 2008 for supporting the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK). She remains free pending appeal.

Yemen link seen in Saudi Qaeda sweep

Saudi Arabia announced the arrest March 25 of more than 100 in a supposed al-Qaeda plot to target the kingdom's oil infrastructure. One cell consisted of 101, and two smaller cells were made up of six men each, the Interior Ministry said. The large cell comprised 47 Saudis and 51 Yemenis, as well as a Somali, a Bangladeshi and an Eritrean, according to the statement read on state television. The two smaller groups were made up of 11 Saudis and a Yemeni, who security officials described as being a prominent member of al-Qaeda.

Axis of Evil summit convenes in Damascus

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syria's President Bashar Assad and Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah met in Damascus Feb. 25, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV reported. This was the first time a Nasrallah visit to Damascus has been reported. Al-Manar did not say whether Hamas political chief Khaled Meshal, who is based in Damascus, took part in the meeting.

Yemen to build rehabilitation center for Guantánamo Bay detainees

A Sana'a government official said Jan. 27 that Yemen will build a rehabilitation center for transfered Guantánamo Bay detainees. According to the anonymous official, Yemen will begin building once it receives funding for the $11 million project promised by the US. The project will presumably be discussed this week at a London meeting intended to garner international support for counter-terrorist efforts in Yemen. (Jurist, Jan. 27)

US convenes London summit on Yemen terror threat

The US is set to hold talks with European and Arab partners in London on Jan. 27 to build support for a drive to defeat the perceived growing al-Qaeda threat in Yemen. The impetus for the meeting comes from the failed Christmas Day jetliner bombing by a Nigerian passenger allegedly trained by the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Hillary Clinton will likely attend the London meeting, which comes days after the United Kingdom raised its terrorism threat assessment from substantial to severe.

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