Impunity Watch: Middle East

Poet Appeals Three Year Jail Term for His Poetry

2009-07-16T03:28:00-04:00

by Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt- Mounir Hanna Said Marzouk was a civil servant in Egypt, and wrote satyrical verses for his friends and colleagues. He had only been writing for two years. None of his writing had ever been published, and it was only after a colleague found his work offensive to the President that Marzouk was reported to the authorities.

Marzouk insists that his poems are not meant to be offensive to the president, they are meant only to reflect daily life in Egypt. In spite of his intentions Marzouk was sentenced to three years imprisonment, and fined 100,000 Egyptian pounds for his poems on June 27. This is the maximum penalty that exists for the crime of publicly insulting the president, which carries a penalty from 24 hours imprisonment to three years imprisonment.

The Arab Network for Human Rights is appealing his verdict, based on Marzouk’s lack of access to representation at his first trial. Marzouk and his family did not hire a lawyer, because none of his poems mention Mubarek by name. There are also many satirical poems available in Egypt and on the Internet by much more well-established poets than Marzouk.

Much of the attention came to Marzouk’s case after his brother wrote a clemency plea to the local newspapers for his brother. Although none of his brother’s verses were published in the paper, it brought his brother’s case international attention, and representation. The final verdict is expected to come down this Saturday, July 18.

For more information please see:

Afrik - Egypt's Dangerous Poetry: Civil Servant Imprisoned for Writing a Poem - 15 July 2009

AFP - Ode to Egypt President Lands Clerk in Jail - 14 July 2009

BBC - Egyptian Jailed for Insult Poem - 14 July 2009

LA Times - Egypt: Poet Accused of Mubarek Awaits Final Verdict - 14 July 2009

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Vows to Target China

2009-07-15T03:11:29-04:00

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East Desk

ALGERIA- Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb or “AQIM” has vowed to avenge the deaths of many Islamic Uighur people during the recent riots in the northwestern province of Xin Jiang in China. Although the threat does not come directly from Al Qaeda, the Algeria based group’s threat is likely to be supported by other branches of the terrorist organization.

This is the first threat by any branch of the greater Al Qaeda organization on China. Following the recent violence in the province of Xin Jiang many jihadists have been calling for vengeance.

There are an estimated fifty thousand Chinese living in Algeria, and they are part of hundreds of thousands of Chinese that work in North Africa and the Middle East. There are many potential targets for AQIM very close to their cell in Algeria. Earlier in June AQIM attacked a convoy that carried many Chinese engineers. In this attack 24 Algerian security officers were killed, as the target was the greater project, and not the Chinese engineers.

Most of the people who have died in the recent attacks in Xin Jiang are ethnically Han, with only a small portion of Islamic Uighur casualties. China has asked for understanding from the terrorist group, and believes that if AQIM was aware of the whole story, that they would support China’s actions.

One Uighur living in exile in the United sates, Rebiya Kadeer, hopes that other Muslim countries, besides Algeria, will support the Uighurs in China. Kadeer was once a very successful businesswoman in China, but was forced to leave because of her peaceful protesting of Chinese rule. Kadeer hopes that increased Muslim support of Uighurs will help their rights in China.

For more information please see:

The Australian - Algerian Al-Qa'ida Vow to Target Chinese Workers - 15 July 2009

AFP - Al Qaeda Vows to Hit China Over Uighur Unrest - 14 July 2009

Penn Energy - Al Qaeda Threatens China's Overseas Oil, Gas Interests - 14 July 2009

Telegraph UK - China Pleads for Understanding as Al Qaeda Vows for Revenge over Uighur Deaths - 14 July 2009

Recent Increase in Violence Spurs Increase in Security

2009-07-14T03:21:27-04:00

by Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Vehicle bans were imposed in two predominantly Christian towns and security was increased around churches in Baghdad following a recent string of attacks that targeted the Christian minority.

The most fatal bombing occurred around dusk on June 12 as worshipers left the Church of Mariam Al-Adra, or the Church of the Virgin Mary, which is part of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, in central Baghdad. A car bomb exploded outside the church killing three Christians and one Muslim who was also outside the church at that time. More than twenty others were injured by the blast.

On the evening of July 11, and early morning on July 12 four other homemade bombs were placed at two churches in the neighborhood of Wahda and two other churches in the Dora and Al Gadir neighborhood. At least eleven people were wounded in these attacks and some minor damage to the churches occurred.

Also on Saturday, Aziz Rizko Nissan, a senior Christian Government official, was shot and killed in the northern city of Kirkuk. It is unclear whether or not his religion played a role in the killing, or whether the killing was related to Mr. Nissan’s position in government.

In addition a bomb exploded next to a U.S. convoy of personnel that included U.S. Ambassador Christopher R. Hill. No one was injured in this explosion, and it is unclear if this attack is at all related to the other attacks.

On the morning of July 13, another bomb detonated near a church in the city of Mosul, injuring at least three children. This was the seventh church to be attacked in Iraq in this recent string of violence, bringing the total injuries to at least 35 with four fatalities over the past three days.

All of these attacks follow an announcement by Iraq’s senior military commander, Lt. Gen. Babakir Zebari, warning that attacks by extremists and insurgents would continue for years, even though these groups were losing ground. Zebari explained that although losing ground, the extremists and insurgents have a few strongholds and will continue to attack for the next several years. This announcement comes only weeks after American troops have moved out of Iraqi cities. Many Iraqis are complaining about their own military’s lack of action now that the US military has withdrawn from the cities. Referring to Iraq’s security services in the heavily secured government zone, Hossain Ali, a college student said, “They are just hanging out in the Green Zone and staring at us being killed.”

In October of 2008 in Mosul, many Christians fled the country following a string of attacks deliberately targeting Iraq’s Christian population. At the time, more than a thousand Christian families fled the city and at least fourteen Christians were killed in the city. There has been speculation that the attacks were designed to stir religious tensions, even though Sunni and Shi'ite groups are the ones targeted.

There are around 750,000 Christians in Iraq. Christians have been targets of attacks in the past, but are spared much of Iraq's deadly violence. Authorities imposed vehicle bans in the predominately Christian towns of Tilkaif and Hamdaniyah, which are near the northern city of Mosul. Christian- dominated areas are now a security priority, although deputy head of Ninevah provincial council which includes Mosul said that "we will make our best efforts to keep security for the province and all its citizens of all ethnic and religious backgrounds without exception."

For more information please see:

AP - Iraq Beefs Up Security After Attacks on Christians - 13 July 2009

CNN - Wave of Church Bombings Stretches into a Third Day - 13 July 2009

The Washington Post - Car Bomb Kills at Least Four Near Church in Baghdad - 13 July 2009

BBC - Baghdad Church Bombing Kills Four - 12 July 2009

NY Times - Church and Envoy Attacked in Iraq - 12 July 2009

Moroccan Court Decision Appears to Support the Restriction of Free Speech

2009-07-02T12:48:33-04:00

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CASABLANCA, Morocco- On June 29 three Arabic language newspapers were ordered to pay three million Dirhams, about $372,300 US, for defaming a head of state. The papers, the Al-Massae, Morocco’s most popular daily paper, Al-Jarida Al-Oula and Al-Ahdath Al-Magrebia, were sued in an action brought by a public prosecutor on behalf of the Libyan Embassy. The action was based on content published by all three papers since the beginning of 2008 that allegedly defamed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

In addition to the three million Dirham fine, several individual reporters from each paper have also been convicted of “attacks on the dignity of a head of state” and fined 100,000 Dirhams (about $12,410 US) per reporter. The reporters had called Gaddafi’s viewpoint “childish,” criticized the political theories that Gaddafi presented in his Green book, and for reporting the arrest of Gaddafi’s son and daughter-in-law in Geneva for assaulting their servants.

The papers and their journalists are shocked and upset by this verdict. The Moroccan Press Union demonstrations staged immediately following the decision. If the convicted papers and journalists have to pay the fines, it could bankrupt all three papers.

The verdict has been taken as a direct attack on free speech and on Morocco’s developing press. Laws that restrict the press have been in effect throughout Morocco’s sovereign existence, but many of the laws were amended in 2001 granting the press more freedom.

The fines were not based upon a measure of damages that Gaddafi suffered, nor were the damages based upon the papers’ resources. The lack of basis for the fines makes it appear as though the fines were imposed as a means to scare journalists away from writing the stories that they want to and from expressing their opinions and analysis openly.

Mohamed Abdel Dayem, Committee to Protect Journalists program coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, said “The exorbitant amount in damages indicates that the courts are being used again to settle political scores with critical journalists and to put critical publications out of business." In its annual report released this month the Moroccan Association of Human rights concluded that the right to a fair trial was violated in all proceedings involving journalists in 2008. The group said “the judiciary has been used by the state to settle scores with journalists, to seek revenge and terrorize citizens.”

The papers plan to appeal the verdict. Defense attorney for the papers Hassan Semlali has stated that this decision was a “clear violation of the law.” Furthermore, Editor of Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Ali Anouzla, said the ruling would not prevent him or his colleagues from "doing their job" and thinks that the decision was politically motivated.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera- Papers Fined for Gaddafi Libel - 30 June 2009

Magharebia- Moroccan Newspapers Ordered to Pay in Kadhafi Defamation Suit- 30 June 2009

Al Arabiya- Moroccan Newspapers Fined for Insulting Gaddafi- 29 June 2009

Committee to Protect Journalists- In Qaddafi Case Court Hands Down Harsh Judgment- 29 June 2009

Reuters- Moroccan Papers Fined for Defaming Libya's Gaddafi - 29 June 2009

Moroccan Activist Sentenced to Three Years for Contempt

2009-06-29T16:28:27-04:00

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RABAT, Morocco- On June 24, Moroccan human rights activist Chekib El-Khiari, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for “gravely insulting state institutions” and for minor violations of Moroccan foreign account regulations. In addition, El-Khiari has been fined about 753,000 dirhams (US $90,360) for his actions. El-Khiari has been actively speaking out against Morocco’s drug policies for several years.

Human Rights Activist Chekib El-Khiari, Image Courtesy of Global Voices Online

El-Khiari was convicted of “gravely insulting state institutions” for his criticism that Morocco is failing to regulate and reign in the drug trade. This crime carries a maximum sentence of one month to one year imprisonment and a fine between 1,200 and 5,000 dirhams (US $144 to US $600), according to the Moroccan Penal code articles 263 and 265.

El-Khiari was also convicted of violating Moroccan foreign finance regulations for opening a bank account abroad in Melilla, in which he deposited € 225 (US $288) after he received authorization from the Moroccan exchange office. This money was payment for an article that El-Khiari wrote for the Spanish daily El País in 2006.

Human Rights Watch has speculated that the financial charges were only added in order to increase the maximum sentence El-Khiari could receive, and to further discredit El-Khiari and his statements. “Morocco is opening up in some respects, but its treatment of Chekib El-Khiari shows that when someone speaks out in ways that truly bother officials, they come down on him like a ton of bricks," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. Whitson further charged that the verdict against El-Khiari violates the basic right of freedom of expression, and that the verdict was meant to silence other activists in Morocco’s Rif region and to intimidate others.

Moroccan news agency MAP reported that Khayari also has been accused of taking money from foreign leaders in order to lead a campaign to discredit Moroccan efforts to stop drug trafficking.
El-Khiari is being held at Oukacha Prison in Casablanca, and his lawyers are planning to appeal the June 24 verdict.

For more information, please see:

E-Taiwan News- Moroccan Activist Gets 3 Years in Jail on Contempt- 26 June 2009

Global Voices Online - Morocco: Human Rights Activist Jailed for Whistleblowing- 26 June 2009

Reuters- Morocco Court Jails Critic of Govt Drugs Policy- 24 June 2009

Human Rights Watch- Morocco: Narco-Traffic Whistleblower Unfairly Sentenced-24 June 2009

Palestinian Journalists Caught in Political Power Struggle

2009-06-27T09:37:36-04:00

By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RAMALLAH, West Bank – On June 22, Palestinian government forces shut down the offices of As-Subeh (The Morning) and detained the newspaper’s chief editor, Sari Al-Qudweh.

The closure and arrest are the latest in a troubling trend in the Palestinian Territories, as journalists are entangled in the power struggle between the competing Hamas and Fatah parties. In May 2009, Oussid Amarena of the Al-Aqsa television network was arrested, as was Mustapha Sabri, bureau chief for the pro-Hamas newspaper Filasteen.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) issued a report in May 2009 that since Hamas gained power in Gaza in 2007, media organizations in the Palestinian Territories have increasingly split along party lines, and have suffered threats on both sides. While journalists in pro-Hamas organizations are detained in the West Bank, those working for pro-Fatah outlets are threatened by Gaza police. Many journalists have been repeatedly arrested, while others have had passports revoked. Those arrested are rarely charged with any crimes. Reporters Without Borders has condemned the targeting of reporters by the opposing parties.

“Journalists are again paying the price of the political tension between the different Palestinian factions,” the press freedom advocacy group said in a recent statement. “The Palestinian Authority does not allow any view but its own to be voiced in the West Bank and does not hesitate to harass pro-Hamas journalists. The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip is no better.”

The Palestinian journalists’ union has also openly criticized the recent arrests and has called for the release of the detained journalists, saying in a statement that journalists should not be the target of political conflicts. Both Hamas and Fatah have bans on publications they perceive as partisan. The UNHCR reports that coercive measures by both parties have forced Palestinian journalists into self-censorship and have stifled freedom of information in the Palestinian Territories.

For more information, please see:

Ma’an News Agency – De Facto Government Shuts Down Gaza Newspaper, Detains Chief Editor - 24 June 2009

Reporters Without Borders – More Journalists Arrested as a Resule of Tensions Between Palestinian Factions – 29 May 2009

UNHCR – World Report 2009—Palestinian Territories – 1 May 2009

Committee to Protect Journalists – Two Journalists Released in West Bank, One Still in Prison – 3 March 2009

CNW Telbec – Palestinian Territories: Arbitrary Detention of Journalists Continues as a Result of Tension Between Hamas and Fatah – 29 August 2008

Journalists Arrested Daily in Iran

2009-06-25T22:04:00-04:00

By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – The BBC, Newsweek, and the Washington Times are among several western news organizations that have recently announced that their correspondents in Iran have disappeared or been detained, allegedly as a result of the Iranian government’s crackdown on media freedom.

Reporters Without Borders, an international organization that advocates for freedom of the media, condemned the disappearances, along with the arrests of several Iranian journalists. The organization also reported that the entire editorial staff of Kalemeh Sabz, a newspaper owned by opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, was arrested by plain clothes agents from the office of Tehran’s prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi. Mortazavi has previously come under international scrutiny due to implications of torture, illegal detentions, and the coercion of false confessions.

"Iran is in the midst of a violent and arbitrary crackdown on reformist protesters that has already claimed lives and has led to over a thousand arrests," said Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch. "The role of Mortazavi in the crackdown suggests that the authorities are preparing to bring trumped-up charges against its opponents."

Some Iranian reporters have begun to publicly advocate for media freedom. On June 23, 180 Iranian journalists wrote an open letter to Iran’s government and the public, protesting the “deplorable and critical” state of Iran’s media and calling upon the government to abide by the Iranian constitution and to allow reporters to do their duty. As of June 25, the Committee to Protect Journalists estimated that approximately forty journalists and media workers had been arrested by the Iranian government since the election on June 12. One media outlet has declared that Iran is now the world leader in imprisoning journalists.

President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering, said that he planned to visit Iran, on an invitation of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. Ebadi told Reporters Without Borders that she has urged Pottering and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, to condemn Iran’s media repression and to investigate human rights abuses against journalists.

For more information, please see:

Committee to Protect Journalists – More Journalists Arrested in Iran; CPJ Seeks Their Release – 25 June 2009

Reporters Without Borders – Confessions, Arrests and a Campaign Against the Media – 25 June 2009

Washington Times – Washington Times Reporter Arrested in Iran – 24 June 2009

Human Rights Watch – Iran: Violent Crackdown on Protestors Widens – 23 June 2009

IFEX – Three More Journalists Detained, BBC Correspondent to be Deported – 22 June 2009

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Responsible for Increasing Violence in Algeria

2009-06-24T21:20:02-04:00

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ALGIERS, Algeria- On June 23, five parliamentary police were killed by insurgents, and two more were kidnapped in the Khenchela province of Algeria. This attack follows the June 19 ambush, which killed eighteen officers and one civilian. Additionally, the attack this month follows the murder of British hostage Edwin Dyer, and the killing of five paramilitary gendarmes and the shooting of nine Algerian soldiers.

“AQIM,” or al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has claimed responsibility for the attacks in early June, and the large ambush on June 19. This group is an independent group of Islamic militants that waged a civil war against the Algerian government in the 1990s, which killed well over 100,000 civilians. In 2006 the group joined Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist organization under the name al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

AQIM regularly targets government forces, though the number of attacks in the past month have significantly increased from the past few years. Before the June 19 attack, the Algerian ruling elite had been discussing a plan to reduce violence by granting amnesty to some al Qaeda militants. The plan would have extended the offer of amnesty to higher officials. Algeria was basing the plan off of a similar plan that was used in Saudi Arabia to end a three year insurgency there by al Qaeda.

Farouk Ksentini, the President of the National Advisory Commission for the Promotion of Human Rights in Algeria, stated that general amnesty would be a good way to reduce the recent violence, in an interview before the June 19 attack. However, this theory was not welcomed among some Algerians, who would prefer the militants to go to trial and be judged for their actions. Even in Saudi Arabia, the rate of recidivism for those granted amnesty is high.

Presently, it appears as though Algeria is not focused on a plan for granting amnesty. On June 23, following the most recent ambush, Algeria deployed 10,000 soldiers to hunt for the perpetrators of the June 19 attack. The troops have reportedly recovered many weapons, and have arrested several people.

For more information, please see:

Media Line- Algeria Deploys 10,000 Soldiers to Hunt Al-Qa’ida Bombers - 23 June 2009

Reuters- Algerian Insurgents Kill Five Police: Reports- 23 June 2009

AFP - Al-Qaeda Claims Algerian Ambush: SITE - 21 June 2009

Dallas Morning News- 19 Die as Militants Ambush Algerian Police Convoy - 19 June 2009

AP - Militants Kill at Least 19 in Algeria - 18 June 2009

Reuters- ANALYSIS-Algeria Mulls New Amnesty to Weaken al Qaeda- 17 June 2009

International Community Calls for a Halt on the Violence in Iran

2009-06-23T19:49:31-04:00

By Nykoel Dinardo
Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – The United Nations, several state leaders, and human rights organizations throughout the world put out calls for the violence in Iran to cease. Following reports that Iran has been utilizing the Basij militia group, a grassroots military organization that has a reputation for brutality, demands that Iran take action to stop the violence continue to mount.

On June 22, Amnesty International (AI) released a press-release stating that it had received information that the Iranian government was allowing the Basij to take action against protesters, who continued to come together in the streets to object to election results. AI described the group as “a volunteer paramilitary force of men and women under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).” Many of its members are civilians, and they often wear no uniforms. However, reports that members of the Basij fired into a crowd of protesters on June 15 has sparked international outcry. The protest shootings killed at least eight people.

Videos of the demonstrations and the shootings have been appearing on news stations after someone anonymously posted a video to YouTube.com that showed a 26-year-old girl who was shot and died in the street. The girl, who was later learned to be Neda Salehi Agha Soltan, a music student, has become a martyr in Iran. The Iranian Government has banned memorial services and other gatherings in her honor. Despite the ban, her last words “I am burning,” have become an iconic phrase to the protesters.

Film Footage of the Protests in Iran, Courtesy of YouTube.Com

On June 22, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon made a statement about the violence. In the statement, he expressed his growing concern about reports of the violence, stating that he has been “dismayed by the post-election violence, particularly the use of force against civilians.” The Secretary-General urged Iran to put an immediate stop to the arrests, threats, and use of force, hoping that Iran would remember its dedication to fundamental civil and political rights.

Iran, however, has not taken kindly to the words of the UN Secretary General. Soon after Ban Ki-Moon’s statement was released, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hassan Qashqavi held a press conference where he criticized the UN. Calling the statement an example of “open interference” by the UN, Qashqavi went on to tell the press that “the United Nations Secretary General, under the influence of the negative atmosphere created by some powers… has ignored the realities of the recent presidential election in Iran.” Qashqavi also stated that he believed that Ban Ki-Moon will lose international support because he made such a statement.

For more information, please see:

Times Online - Neda Salehi Agha Soltan’s Story Touches Everyone Except Iran’s Rulers – 24 June 2009

Tehran Times – Iran Says UN Chief’s Remarks Are Examples of ‘Open Interference’ – 24 June 2009

Amnesty International – Iran: Amnesty International Urges Iran to Stop Using Basij Militia to Police Demonstrators – 22 June 2009

Reuters – UN’s Ban Urges Halt To Use of Force in Iran – 22 June 2009

United Nations – Secretary-General Dismayed By Post-Election Violence in Iran – 22 June 2009

YouTube.com – Murdered Iranian Teenage Girl Gives Protestors Global Voice – 21 June 2009

Egypt Deports Son of Chechen Rebel in Spite of Concerns

2009-06-23T09:43:40-04:00

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt - On June 19 Egypt deported the son of a Chechen rebel leader back to Moscow, in spite of concerns of mistreatment and torture in Russian custody. Maskhud Abdullaev, the 22 year-old son of Supyan Abdullaev, was flown to Moscow despite warnings that he may face mistreatment and torture if deported. Supyan Abdullaev, with Movladi Udugoy, founded the Islamic Resistance Party, which has fought against Russia in two disputes.

Maskhud Abdullaev was detained as a result of a bomb attack in February in a popular Cairo tourist area that killed a French teenager. Egypt blamed the attack on militants with links to the terrorist organization al Qaeda. An investigation led to security sweeps that resulted in the detention of dozens of foreign students in May. Abdullaev was detained along with five other students that were studying at Cairo’s Al-Azhar Islamic University. Abdullaev has been studying there since 2006.

The human rights organization Amnesty International reports that Abdullaev was initially held incommunicado at Egypt’s Tora prison. Amnesty also reported that Abdullaev and the other students from Al-Azhar University claimed to have refugee status in Azerbaijan. However, Egyptian authorities insisted upon the students’ return to Moscow, in spite of risks of torture and mistreatment if they are sent to Russia.

Abdullaev and Ahmed Azimov, another Chechen student from Al-Azhar, arrived in Moscow on Friday via Egypt air. These two were supposed to be deported along with four other students on Thursday, but a traffic jam separated them from the group.

Satsita, Maskhud’s mother, waited in the Moscow airport to catch a glimpse of her son when he returned. She did not see him, and could not get any further information from the customs officers or other officers. When Azimov, Abdullaev’s travel mate, came out, he said that he and Abdullaev had been separated and questioned. That was the last that Azimov had seen of Abdullaev.

Amnesty International warned against the deportation, because it put all six students at risk of torture and mistreatment. Amnesty criticized Egypt for deporting these students. Egypt is a state party to the United Nations Convention on Torture, which expressly prohibits the return of anyone to a place which they would likely be tortured. All five students would be at risk of mistreatment, but Abdullaev would especially be at risk because of his father.

For more information, please see:

Al Arabiya- Fate of Deported Chechen Warlord's Son Unknown- 21 June 2009

AFP- Egypt Deports Chechen Warlord's Son- 19 June 2009

Reuters- Egypt Deports Son of Chechen Rebel Leader to Moscow - 19 June 2009

AFP-Egypt Deports Chechen Students- 18 June 2009

Amnesty International- Egypt: Forcible Return/ Fear of Torture or Other Ill-Treatment- 17 June 2009