DOCSLIB.ORG

The Civil War & Refugee Crisis in Syria

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Civil War & Refugee Crisis in Syria Syrian Refugee Comics Name:______________________________________________ Teaching with the News Online Resource 1 Overview: The Civil War & Refugee Crisis in Syria Instructions: Read the text and key terms that follow. Underline at least three facts that are new to you. Write a question mark by a fact, idea, or term that you have a question about. yria is a country in the Eastern Mediterra- that are different from those of the Sunni Mus- Snean. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, lim majority. During the 1980s, various Muslim Iraq to the east, Jordan and Israel to the south, groups within Syria led uprisings against the and Lebanon to the southwest. After World Assad regime, but they were violently sup- War I, this entire region was divided between pressed by the army. The regime became more Britain and France, who were victors in the repressive in the aftermath of these uprisings. war. France took over Syria and managed it as Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria until his death though it was a colony, setting up local gov- in 2000, when he was succeeded by his son, ernments that the French could control. The Bashar. While Bashar al-Assad was initially French used a “divide and rule” strategy to more open to political groups that his father make it less likely that Syrians would be able had suppressed, his government continued to to unite and resist French rule. France created brutally repress any kind of dissent. borders within Syria that emphasized existing religious, ethnic, and regional differences. This Why did civil war break out in Syria? fragmentation laid the groundwork for conflict When Syrians organized protests during that continues in Syria today. the Arab Spring in 2011, Assad’s government responded with a violent crackdown. After a How did the Assad family bloody confrontation between protesters and come to power in Syria? security forces in March 2011, demonstrations For the two decades following World War spread nationwide over the following months. II, the newly independent Syria was politically Protesters denounced government corruption unstable. Civilian government was interrupted by a series of military coups in which military leaders took control of the country. In 1970, in the fi- nal coup, defense minister Hafez al-Assad overthrew the existing government and established an authori- tarian military regime that maintained tight control over Syrian society. The Assad family is from the Alawite sect of Shi’i Islam. Alawites have historically been a minor- ity of Syria’s population and somewhat alienated from the rest of Syrian society. They live mostly in rural areas of Syria and fol- syriana2011 (CC BY 2.0) low beliefs and traditions Syrians protest in the city of Douma, April 24, 2011. THE CHOICES PROGRAM ■ WATSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BROWN UNIVERSITY ■ WWW.CHOICES.EDU Syrian Refugee Comics Name:______________________________________________ Teaching with the News Online Resource 2 and demanded an end to the dictatorship of their control beyond territories in northern President Bashar al-Assad. Government forces and western Syria, taking the capital city of entered provinces where protests were taking Aleppo. place, in some cases replacing local governors Over the next two years, civil war engulfed with national troops in order to crush the dem- Syria as various rebel groups fought each other onstrations. while also battling government forces. West- In 2012, a coalition of opposition activists ern countries, along with U.S. allies in the formed, called the National Coalition for Syr- Middle East, intervened militarily to counter ian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. This ISIS, while Russia and Iran lent support to the coalition was formally recognized by the United Syrian government. With international back- States, Britain, France, Turkey, and Persian Gulf ing, Syrian government troops recaptured the countries as the “legitimate representative” capital of Aleppo in December 2016. Despite of the Syrian people. Opposition to the Assad several rounds of attempted peace talks regime was fragmented. The coalition of moder- brokered by foreign countries and the United ate rebel groups confronted Islamic extremist Nations, fighting continues. groups vying for power, as well as Kurdish forces trying to create an independent state How has the conflict affected along the Turkish border. the lives of Syrians? The six-year civil war has killed hundreds How has the international community of thousands of people. The ongoing violence been involved in the conflict? and destruction have led to a massive refugee In 2012, after the Assad regime threatened crisis, as millions of Syrians have fled their to use chemical weapons against rebel forces, country to seek safety and access to basic the United States and Britain began to provide services. The United Nations Refugee Agency aid to the moderate rebel groups. This support estimated that there were 5,233,712 registered was suspended after a year, when it became ap- Syrian refugees living outside of Syria at the parent that Islamist rebels had seized the bases end of September 2017. An additional seven of the moderate rebel army. (The most extreme million Syrians have been internally dis- of the Islamist rebels are from the Islamic State placed (forced to flee their homes and relocate of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, a terrorist organiza- within the country). The Syrian Civil War has tion that formed after the U.S. invasion of Iraq displaced more than half of the entire Syrian in 2003.) By 2014, ISIS militants had extended population. Mark Garten, UN Photo # 537293 Syrian refugees in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, December 7, 2012. The camp, near Syria’s southern border, opened in 2012 and by August 2017 was home to over eighty thousand Syrians displaced by the civil war. The camp includes twenty-nine schools that together enroll over twenty thousand Syrian children. THE CHOICES PROGRAM ■ WATSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BROWN UNIVERSITY ■ WWW.CHOICES.EDU Syrian Refugee Comics Name:______________________________________________ Teaching with the News Online Resource 3 Key Terms Refugee: A person who leaves his or her Internally displaced person (IDP): A per- country due to a well-founded fear of perse- son who is forcibly uprooted within his or her cution because of his or her race, religion, country but who has not crossed an interna- nationality, political views, or membership in a tional border. IDPs may be forced from their particular social group. People fleeing conflicts home as a result of armed conflict, human are also generally considered to be refugees since rights violations, or natural or human-made they are seeking refuge (safety). Refugees have disasters, yet remain in their country. specific rights and protections under interna- Consulate: The office where a consul tional law. For example, refugees have the right works. A consul is an official appointed by a to not be forced to return to the unsafe situa- government to live in a foreign city and protect tion that they fled. Refugees have the rights of the government’s citizens and interests there. security and freedom of movement. They have the right to keep their family together. Similarly, Smuggle: To move goods or people some- countries that have refugees seeking asylum in where secretly, usually violating a rule or law. their territory have specific responsibilities un- Deport: To force someone to leave a coun- der international law for the treatment of those try, usually because they are from another refugees. country and have not been granted permission Migrant: A person who moves to a for- by the host country’s government to live there. eign country for various reasons—such as Repression: The act of restraining someone employment, education, or to reunite with fam- or something by force. Undemocratic govern- ily—usually for a year or more. Unlike refugees, ments often repress political dissent (people migrants do not face a direct threat of perse- speaking out against the government through cution or death in their home country. Before protest or other kinds of expression) in order leaving their home country, migrants may be to maintain their authority. able to seek information about their destination, Arab Spring: A series of popular upris- explore employment opportunities, and plan ings against authoritarian governments that their travel. occurred in Arab countries across the Middle Host country: The country to which a refu- East and North Africa in the early months of gee relocates. 2011. In mass demonstrations ranging from Asylum: Shelter or protection from danger thousands to millions of people, protesters granted by a country to someone forced to leave called for democratic reforms, greater eco- their home country. nomic opportunity, and an end to human rights abuses. In some countries, the uprisings Asylum seeker: A person who has moved led to a change in government after a period of across international borders in search of protec- fighting between rebel and government forces. tion and filed a claim for asylum with the host For example, in Libya rebel forces overthrew country’s government. While the government a dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, who had ruled reviews the claim, the person remains an asylum the country for decades. In other countries, the seeker. If the claim is accepted, the person be- existing government remained in power. For comes a “refugee” in the eyes of the government. example, in Bahrain, the government violently For example, someone from Syria who is living crushed the protests. In Syria, the conflict in Germany and waiting to hear the outcome of turned into a civil war that continues today. his or her asylum application would be consid- ered an asylum seeker. THE CHOICES PROGRAM ■ WATSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, BROWN UNIVERSITY ■ WWW.CHOICES.EDU.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Offensive Against the Syrian City of Manbij May Be the Beginning of a Campaign to Liberate the Area Near the Syrian-Turkish Border from ISIS
    June 23, 2016 Offensive against the Syrian City of Manbij May Be the Beginning of a Campaign to Liberate the Area near the Syrian-Turkish Border from ISIS Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters at the western entrance to the city of Manbij (Fars, June 18, 2016). Overview 1. On May 31, 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated military alliance supported by the United States, initiated a campaign to liberate the northern Syrian city of Manbij from ISIS. Manbij lies west of the Euphrates, about 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) south of the Syrian-Turkish border. In the three weeks since the offensive began, the SDF forces, which number several thousand, captured the rural regions around Manbij, encircled the city and invaded it. According to reports, on June 19, 2016, an SDF force entered Manbij and occupied one of the key squares at the western entrance to the city. 2. The declared objective of the ground offensive is to occupy Manbij. However, the objective of the entire campaign may be to liberate the cities of Manbij, Jarabulus, Al-Bab and Al-Rai, which lie to the west of the Euphrates and are ISIS strongholds near the Turkish border. For ISIS, the loss of the area is liable to be a severe blow to its logistic links between the outside world and the centers of its control in eastern Syria (Al-Raqqah), Iraq (Mosul). Moreover, the loss of the region will further 112-16 112-16 2 2 weaken ISIS's standing in northern Syria and strengthen the military-political position and image of the Kurdish forces leading the anti-ISIS ground offensive.
    [Show full text]
  • The Crisis in Libya
    APRIL 2011 ISSUE BRIEF # 28 THE CRISIS IN LIBYA Ajish P Joy Introduction Libya, in the throes of a civil war, now represents the ugly facet of the much-hyped Arab Spring. The country, located in North Africa, shares its borders with the two leading Arab-Spring states, Egypt and Tunisia, along with Sudan, Tunisia, Chad, Niger and Algeria. It is also not too far from Europe. Italy lies to its north just across the Mediterranean. With an area of 1.8 million sq km, Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa, yet its population is only about 6.4 million, one of the lowest in the continent. Libya has nearly 42 billion barrels of oil in proven reserves, the ninth largest in the world. With a reasonably good per capita income of $14000, Libya also has the highest HDI (Human Development Index) in the African continent. However, Libya’s unemployment rate is high at 30 percent, taking some sheen off its economic credentials. Libya, a Roman colony for several centuries, was conquered by the Arab forces in AD 647 during the Caliphate of Utman bin Affan. Following this, Libya was ruled by the Abbasids and the Shite Fatimids till the Ottoman Empire asserted its control in 1551. Ottoman rule lasted for nearly four centuries ending with the Ottoman defeat in the Italian-Ottoman war. Consequently, Italy assumed control of Libya under the Treaty of 1 Lausanne (1912). The Italians ruled till their defeat in the Second World War. The Libyan constitution was enacted in 1949 and two years later under Mohammed Idris (who declared himself as Libya’s first King), Libya became an independent state.
    [Show full text]
  • Access Resource
    The State of Justice Syria 2020 The State of Justice Syria 2020 Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) March 2020 About the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) strives to prevent impunity, promote redress, and facilitate principled reform. SJAC works to ensure that human rights violations in Syria are comprehensively documented and preserved for use in transitional justice and peace-building. SJAC collects documentation of violations from all available sources, stores it in a secure database, catalogues it according to human rights standards, and analyzes it using legal expertise and big data methodologies. SJAC also supports documenters inside Syria, providing them with resources and technical guidance, and coordinates with other actors working toward similar aims: a Syria defined by justice, respect for human rights, and rule of law. Learn more at SyriaAccountability.org The State of Justice in Syria, 2020 March 2020, Washington, D.C. Material from this publication may be reproduced for teach- ing or other non-commercial purposes, with appropriate attribution. No part of it may be reproduced in any form for commercial purposes without the prior express permission of the copyright holders. Cover Photo — A family flees from ongoing violence in Idlib, Northwest Syria. (C) Lens Young Dimashqi TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Major Violations 7 Targeting of Hospitals and Schools 8 Detainees and Missing Persons 8 Violations in Reconciled Areas 9 Property Rights
    [Show full text]
  • General License No. 8A
    DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20220 Office of Foreign Assets Control Libyan Sanctions Regulations 31 C.F.R. Part 570 Executive Order 13566 of February 25, 2011 Blocking Property and Prohibiting Certain Transactions Related to Libya GENERAL LICENSE NO. SA General License with Respect to the Government of Libya, its Agencies, Instrumentalities, and Controlled Entities, and the Central Bank of Libya (a) General License No.8, dated Septernber 19,2011, is replaced and superseded in its entirety by this General License No. 8A. (b) Effective September 19,2011, all transactions involving the Government ofLibya, its agencies, instrumentalities, and controlled entities, and the Central Bank of Libya are authorized, subject to the following limitations: (1) All funds, including cash, securities, bank accounts, and investment accounts, and precious metals blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13566 of February 25, 2011, or the Libyan Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F .R. part 570, as of September 19, 2011, remain blocked, except as provided in General License No.7A; and (2) The transactions do not involve any persons listed on the Annex to this general license. (c) Effective September 19,2011, the authorization in paragraph (b) ofthis general license supersedes General License No. 1B. Note to General License No. SA: Subject to the limitations set forth in subparagraphs (1) and (2), paragraph (b) ofthis general license authorizes any transaction involving contracts that have been blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13566 because ofan interest by the Government of Libya. Director Office of Foreign Assets Control Annex to General License No. 8A 1. AL BAGHDADI, Ali AI-Mahmoudi (a.k.a.
    [Show full text]
  • European Reactions to the Migrant Crisis
    European reactions to the migrant crisis Jérôme Fourquet Director of Ifop’s Opinion and Corporate Strategies Department How is European public opinion reacting to the arrival of migrants on the shores of Italy and Greece? What are their perceptions of the profile and number of migrants? How do the citizens of the different European Union (EU) countries regard the solutions put in place by their government? To answer these questions, the Jean-Jaurès Foundation and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) appointed Ifop to carry out a major opinion poll in seven European countries – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the UK, based on a sample of 1000 to 1100 people in each country. A. Responding to the crisis by assisting with the development of the countries of departure In view of the magnitude of the migration crisis, European public opinion is united in favour of assisting with the development and stabilisation of southern Mediterranean countries to keep people where they are. This option comes well ahead of developing aid and welcome programmes for immigrants to European countries, tightening border controls or military intervention in Syria. As can be seen in the following chart, the level of public support for assisting with development varies from country to country, but it came out on top everywhere, except in France, where the option “strengthening border controls and combatting illegal immigration” came nominally first, with 30% of votes (by far the highest score noted in the seven countries covered by the survey) compared to 29% for assisting with development. The most effective action for EU countries to resolve the refugee crisis Question: For months, migrants have been crossing the Mediterranean by boat and arriving in their tens of thousands on the shores of Italy and Greece.
    [Show full text]
  • Migration of Jews to Palestine in the 20Th Century
    Name Date Migration of Jews to Palestine in the 20th Century Read the text below. The Jewish people historically defined themselves as the Jewish Diaspora, a group of people living in exile. Their traditional homeland was Palestine, a geographic region on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Jewish leaders trace the source of the Jewish Diaspora to the Roman occupation of Palestine (then called Judea) in the 1st century CE. Fleeing the occupation, most Jews immigrated to Europe. Over the centuries, Jews began to slowly immigrate back to Palestine. Beginning in the 1200s, Jewish people were expelled from England, France, and central Europe. Most resettled in Russia and Eastern Europe, mainly Poland. A small population, however, immigrated to Palestine. In 1492, when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled all Jewish people living in Spain, some refugees settled in Palestine. At the turn of the 20th century, European Jews were migrating to Palestine in large numbers, fleeing religious persecution. In Russia, Jewish people were segregated into an area along the country’s western border, called the Pale of Settlement. In 1881, Russians began mass killings of Jews. The mass killings, called pogroms, caused many Jews to flee Russia and settle in Palestine. Prejudice against Jews, called anti-Semitism, was very strong in Germany, Austria-Hungary, and France. In 1894, a French army officer named Alfred Dreyfus was falsely accused of treason against the French government. Dreyfus, who was Jewish, was imprisoned for five years and tried again even after new information proved his innocence. The incident, called The Dreyfus Affair, exposed widespread anti-Semitism in Western Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Primary Sources for In-Depth Engagement with Americans and the Holocaust Experiencing History: Holocaust Sources in Context
    EXPLORING PRIMARY SOURCES FOR IN-DEPTH ENGAGEMENT WITH AMERICANS AND THE HOLOCAUST EXPERIENCING HISTORY: HOLOCAUST SOURCES IN CONTEXT - WWW.EXPERIENCINGHISTORY.COM What is Experiencing History? Experiencing History is a digital learning tool that explores the Holocaust through unique, original, contexualized sources. With this tool, you can read, watch, and examine the experiences of everyday people to analyze how genocide unfolded. Learn about the Holocaust by engaging with a variety of sources from the period. Discover a diary, a letter, a newspaper article, or a policy paper; see a photograph, or watch film footage. Discuss the complex context from which the Holocaust emerged, and consider the importance of primary sources for understanding our world. Topic: Immigration and Refugees The following sources in Experiencing History illuminate the topic of immigration and the refugee crisis from a variety of perspectives. These sources ask us to consider: What did the vast bureaucratic web of immigration paperwork look like on a personal level? How did refugees understand their own plight as they were experiencing it? How did those advocating on their behalf frame their case for the American public? From Jewish refugees attempting to locate family members, to those trying to find safe haven, to those advocating on their behalf, these sources illuminate the complex questions that this topic raises through personal stories and reflections. Report on the work of the refugee committee, American Friends Service Committee, 1940 Report outlining the activities of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in refugee aid. These activities included both evacuating refugees from Europe and assisting in their adjustment to life in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Race and Transnationalism in the First Syrian-American Community, 1890-1930
    Abstract Title of Thesis: RACE ACROSS BORDERS: RACE AND TRANSNATIONALISM IN THE FIRST SYRIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, 1890-1930 Zeinab Emad Abrahim, Master of Arts, 2013 Thesis Directed By: Professor, Madeline Zilfi Department of History This research explores the transnational nature of the citizenship campaign amongst the first Syrian Americans, by analyzing the communication between Syrians in the United States with Syrians in the Middle East, primarily Jurji Zaydan, a Middle-Eastern anthropologist and literary figure. The goal is to demonstrate that while Syrian Americans negotiated their racial identity in the United States in order to attain the right to naturalize, they did so within a transnational framework. Placing the Syrian citizenship struggle in a larger context brings to light many issues regarding national and racial identity in both the United States and the Middle East during the turn of the twentieth century. RACE ACROSS BORDERS: RACE AND TRANSNATIONALISM IN THE FIRST SYRIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, 1890-1930 by Zeinab Emad Abrahim Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts 2013 Advisory Committee: Professor, Madeline Zilfi, Chair Professor, David Freund Professor, Peter Wien © Copyright by Zeinab Emad Abrahim 2013 For Mahmud, Emad, and Iman ii Table of Contents List of Images…………………………………………………………………....iv Introduction………………………………………………………………………1-12 Chapter 1: Historical Contextualization………………………………………13-25
    [Show full text]
  • Considering a Future in Syria and the Protection of the Right to Culture
    THE JOHN MARSHALL REVIEW OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW BEYOND THE DESTRUCTION OF SYRIA: CONSIDERING A FUTURE IN SYRIA AND THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT TO CULTURE SARAH DÁVILA-RUHAAK ABSTRACT Although the right to culture has been widely recognized under international human rights, its reach and practical application has been limited in cultural preservation efforts. Individuals and communities that attempt to be part of the decision-making process in preservation efforts often face barriers to access in that process. The need to re-conceptualize the right to culture is vital for its protection and preservation. This article proposes that the right to self-determination must be utilized as a core fundamental principle that enables a disenfranchised individual or community to have ownership in preservation efforts and decide how to shape their identity. It further illustrates how incorporating the “ownership” element of the right to self- determination will strengthen the application of the right to culture in preservation efforts. The article utilizes the destruction of Syrian cultural heritage to discuss the need for further protections under international human rights law. Because Syrian cultural heritage is in peril, it is imperative that the right to culture of Syrians is strengthened for the survival of their culture and identity. Syrian cultural heritage must be preserved by the Syrians and for the Syrians, thus allowing them to directly shape who they are as a people. Copyright © 2016 The John Marshall Law School Cite as Sarah Dávila-Ruhaak, Beyond the Destruction of Syria: Considering a Future in Syria and the Protection of the Right to Culture, 15 J.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel's Policies in Relation to African Asylum Seekers
    Israel’s Policies in Relation to African Asylum Seekers Abstract Since mid 2005, Israel has become a destination for thousands of Africans who are willing to take a long and risky journey to the country in order to escape the harsh realities of their own surroundings. However, Israel’s policies towards asylum seekers have been mostly exclusionary and at times contradictory in nature which has mainly aimed at controlling and limiting entrance to its territory. Israel also does not have a proper system in place to monitor this influx. Nonetheless, once as per the authorities, a critical threshold has been crossed, asylum seekers are seen as a threat which can no longer be allowed to enter the territory. Accommodating measures have also often been rejected by citing self-preservation considerations. But despite this, the Asylum crisis in Israel is only known to few and very little is written about the meaning and significance of these developments. Keywords: Israel, Asylum Seekers, African, Policy, Non-refoulement. ***** 1 “International refugee law is in crisis…while governments proclaim a willingness to assist refugees as a matter of political discretion or humanitarian goodwill, they appear committed to a pattern of defensive strategies designed to avoid international legal responsibility toward involuntary migrants.”1 The above observation made by Professors James Hathaway and R. Alexander Neve, undoubtedly, sums up the current disregard of international refugee law by States. The above statement reflects upon the unwillingness on part of States to provide refugee status to asylum seekers who flee their home countries because of fear of persecution.2 Moreover, the people who flee to other States to seek refuge are dealt with in a harsh manner and are even forced to leave and never return.
    [Show full text]
  • Syrian Refugee Crisis
    1 THE ILO RESPONSE to the SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS UPDATE APRIL 2018 3 THE ILO RESPONSE TO THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS To date, the ILO has implemented an array of interventions in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to promote decent work amongst Syrian refugees and host communities, contributing to building resilience and long term economic and social development in host countries. The ILO strategy focuses on the following areas of response: • Support evidence-based policy development and strengthen institutional ILO STRATEGY FOR SUPPORT capacities for a well-coordinated, employment-rich national response • Facilitate access to livelihood opportunities through labour-intensive The Syrian refugee crisis is one of the most protracted and complex humanitarian emergencies of work, skills development, and entrepreneurship development modern time. It has led to the displacement of more than 12 million Syrians since 2011, more than • Strengthen labour market governance for improved compliance with five million of whom are registered refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. fundamental principles and rights at work – including for the elimination of child labour Within the framework of the Regional Refugee Response and Resilience Plan (3RP), the ILO has adopted a development-focused and employment-driven strategy to support host communities and “It is not just jobs but decent jobs that make all the difference in the lives refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. It aims to preserve social and economic stability and build of Syrian refugees and the communities hosting them.” resilience at the national level, in line with national plans and local chapters of the 3RP. Embedded in Ruba Jaradat the principles of decent work, the ILO strategy builds on its core mandate to promote employment, , Assistant Director General and Regional Director social dialogue, social protection and international labour standards.
    [Show full text]
  • Libya: the ICC and Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi Questions and Answers
    Libya: The ICC and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Questions and Answers January 2012 The International Criminal Court (ICC) judges granted arrest warrants on June 27, 2011, for Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and former intelligence chief Abdullah Sanussi in an investigation authorized by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970. The three were wanted on charges of crimes against humanity for their roles in attacks on civilians, including peaceful demonstrators, in Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, and other locations in Libya. Consistent with Resolution 1970, the ICC warrants apply only to events in Libya beginning on February 15, 2011. While the ICC's proceeding against Muammar Gaddafi was terminated following his death on October 20, anti-Gaddafi forces apprehended Saif al-Islam Gaddafi on November 19 in southern Libya and are holding him in the town of Zintan. While initial reports suggested that a militia also had captured Sanussi, his whereabouts remain unknown. Libya’s general prosecutor told Human Rights Watch on December 10: “Officially we don’t have him.” Following Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's apprehension in November, some representatives of Libya's transitional government and National Transitional Council (NTC) declared that he would be tried in Libya. The chairman of the NTC, the justice minister, and the general prosecutor subsequently reiterated this stance to Human Rights Watch. In December the ICC judges requested further information from the Libyan authorities regarding Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s status, including whether and when Libya intends to surrender him to the court. Libya was supposed to provide that information by January 10, 2012, but it requested a three-week extension due to the security situation in Libya.
    [Show full text]