Libya's Death Toll Rises: Rights Organization
Feb 21st 2011 – 7:25AM
CBC News
Libyan security forces have killed 84 people in a harsh crackdown on three days of protests, said the New York-based Human Rights Watch, even as the government shut off Internet in the North African country early on Saturday.The protests calling for the removal of Moammar Gadhafi, Libya's leader for the past 42 years, have erupted largely in the cities of the country's impoverished east and have been brutally suppressed with a combination of armed militias and elite forces.
"The Libyan authorities should immediately end attacks on peaceful protesters and protect them from assault by pro-government armed groups," the organization said in its statement.
Most of the deaths appeared to have taken place in the country's second largest city of Benghazi, where doctors told the Associated Press Friday that 35 bodies had been admitted, on top of more than a dozen killed the day before.
Internet was also cut off in Libya in the early hours of the morning Saturday, reported the U.S.-based Arbor Networks security company, which detected a total cessation of online traffic in the North African country just after 2 a.m. local time.
In effort to combat anti-government protests of its own in January, the Egyptian government also cut off the Internet for several days, though it did not quell the uprising that eventually brought down the president.
On Friday hundreds of Libyans loyal to Gadhafi also took to the streets in Tripoli, the country's capital, waving green flags and carrying signs supporting the leader.
1 in 3 Libyans live in poverty: CIA
Libya is oil-rich, but the gap between its haves and have-nots is wide, and the protests have flared hardest in the eastern parts of the country, the site of anti-government agitation in the past.
The Central Intelligence Agency estimates about one-third of Libyans live in poverty, and U.S. diplomats have said in newly leaked memos that Gadhafi's regime seems to neglect the east intentionally, letting unemployment and poverty rise to weaken opponents there.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces have cracked down on protestors. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces have cracked down on protestors. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)
Information is tightly controlled in Libya, where journalists cannot work freely and many citizens fear the powerful security and intelligence services.
Witnesses and residents of several cities gave accounts of events Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
In many cases, separate people gave similar reports, but their accounts could not be independently confirmed. Tolls given to the Associated Press Friday largely tally with those announced by Human Rights Watch.
At least five cities of eastern Libya have seen protests and clashes in recent days. In one of them, Beyida, a hospital official said Friday that the bodies of at least 23 protesters slain over the past 48 hours were at his facility, which was treating about 500 wounded - some in the parking lot for lack of beds.
Various military forces on Libya streets
Forces from the military's elite Khamis Brigade moved into Benghazi, Beyida and several other cities, residents said. They were accompanied by militias that seemed to include foreign mercenaries, they added. Several witnesses reported French-speaking fighters, believed to be Tunisians or sub-Saharan Africans, among militiamen wearing blue uniforms and yellow helmets.
The Khamis Brigade is led by Gadhafi's youngest son Khamis Gadhafi, and U.S. diplomats in leaked memos have called it "the most well-trained and well-equipped force in the Libyan military."
The witnesses' reports that it had been deployed could not be independently confirmed.
The government has made an apparent gesture aimed at easing protests. The news website Quryna, which has ties to Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, another of the leader's sons, said Friday that the country's national congress has halted its session indefinitely and said many state executives will be replaced when it returns.
In addition to replacing top officials, it will endorse reforms to decentralize and restructure the government, it said.
Bahrain protesters seek to overthrow royal family
AP – A chair representing a throne with a sign beneath it that says in Arabic 'And does the throne of the … 
MANAMA, Bahrain – A group of young protesters camped out in Bahrain's capital Monday called for the ouster of the entire ruling monarchy as part of sweeping demands to call off a weeklong uprising in the tiny, but strategically important Gulf nation.
The call stakes out the most uncompromising demands of protesters to date, most of whom have only called for weakening the powers of the monarchy and it was impossible to determine how much weight they have in the country as a whole.
Tensions are still high in Bahrain after seesaw battles that saw riot police open fire on protesters trying to reclaim landmark Pearl Square last week. At least eight people have been killed and hundreds injured in the clashes since the unrest spilling across the Arab world reached the Gulf last week.
Abdul Redha Mohammed Hassan, 32, who was shot in the head by security forces while trying to march to the square Friday, died in a hospital Monday, his relatives said.
Bahrain holds particular importance to Washington as the host of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is the main U.S. military counterweight to Iranian efforts to expand its military influence into the Gulf.
A manifesto Monday from a group calling itself "Youth of Feb. 14" — after the day of the first marches — apparently seeks to raise the stakes of demands ahead of possible talks between the opposition and the monarchy.
"We demand the overthrow of the oppressive Al Khalifa regime," the manifesto said, referring to the ruling royal family. "The people will choose the system they will be subjected to."
To underline their contempt for the monarchy, the protesters set up a chair resembling one belonging to a royal with a sign beneath it that says in Arabic "And does the throne of the oppressor stay?"
It was not clear what their relationship is with the official Shiite opposition that includes 18 members of the 40-member parliament who resigned in protest Thursday.
But their manifesto shows the range of demands among the opposition, from the all-or-nothing youth group to others who would let the monarchy survive but with many of its powers and privileges turned over to parliament.
The week-long unrest has already affected Bahrain's economy. An international rating agency has cut the government's credit ratings because of concerns about political turmoil as the crown prince was deciding on the fate of the March 13 season-opening Formula One race, the kingdom's biggest international event it has hosted annually since 2004.
Standard & Poor's cut the ratings Monday for Bahrain's long and short-term sovereign credit ratings, as well as those for the island nation's central bank and the country's sovereign wealth fund.
Hundreds of protesters spent the night at the square, and thousands of government opponents have gathered at the site by the afternoon. The mood was upbeat and many appear to be camped there for the long haul, with makeshift kitchens serving meals to those who live in the small tent village.
At several stalls, demonstrators queued for hot tea and joked about the weather, which turned windy and whipped up sand and trash.
In the statement, the youth group called for authorities to be put on trial for attacks on protesters last week and demanded an elected government. They said the first priority should be the cancellation of citizenship for thousands of foreigners who receive it as part of an effort to change the sectarian balance in the island nation. Few policies anger Bahrain's Shiite majority more than bestowing citizenship to outside Sunnis, mostly Arabs but also from Pakistan and other South Asian countries.
Shiites in Bahrain have often complained of discrimination by the Sunni rulers. The Al Khalifa royal dynasty has been in power for 200 years and has strong backing from other Gulf Arab leaders, who fear that Shiite powerhouse Iran could gain further footholds through the uprising led by Bahrain's Shiites.
Bahrain's rulers have offered talks with opposition groups to try to defuse the showdown, but the opposition appears to be in no hurry to talk with Crown Prince Sheik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who has been delegated by the king to lead the dialogue.
The leaders of the official Shiite opposition said they are not refusing to talk to the crown prince, but want guarantees the rulers' words will be backed by action.
The main opposition demand is the resignation of the government that is responsible for this week's bloodshed and has been led by the same prime minister — the king's uncle — for 40 years.
Other demands include abolishing the monarchy's privileges to set policies and appoint all key political posts, along with addressing longstanding claims of discrimination and abuses against Shiites, who represent about 70 percent of Bahrain's 525,000 citizens.
The call stakes out the most uncompromising demands of protesters to date, most of whom have only called for weakening the powers of the monarchy and it was impossible to determine how much weight they have in the country as a whole.
Tensions are still high in Bahrain after seesaw battles that saw riot police open fire on protesters trying to reclaim landmark Pearl Square last week. At least eight people have been killed and hundreds injured in the clashes since the unrest spilling across the Arab world reached the Gulf last week.
Abdul Redha Mohammed Hassan, 32, who was shot in the head by security forces while trying to march to the square Friday, died in a hospital Monday, his relatives said.
Bahrain holds particular importance to Washington as the host of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is the main U.S. military counterweight to Iranian efforts to expand its military influence into the Gulf.
A manifesto Monday from a group calling itself "Youth of Feb. 14" — after the day of the first marches — apparently seeks to raise the stakes of demands ahead of possible talks between the opposition and the monarchy.
"We demand the overthrow of the oppressive Al Khalifa regime," the manifesto said, referring to the ruling royal family. "The people will choose the system they will be subjected to."
To underline their contempt for the monarchy, the protesters set up a chair resembling one belonging to a royal with a sign beneath it that says in Arabic "And does the throne of the oppressor stay?"
It was not clear what their relationship is with the official Shiite opposition that includes 18 members of the 40-member parliament who resigned in protest Thursday.
But their manifesto shows the range of demands among the opposition, from the all-or-nothing youth group to others who would let the monarchy survive but with many of its powers and privileges turned over to parliament.
The week-long unrest has already affected Bahrain's economy. An international rating agency has cut the government's credit ratings because of concerns about political turmoil as the crown prince was deciding on the fate of the March 13 season-opening Formula One race, the kingdom's biggest international event it has hosted annually since 2004.
Standard & Poor's cut the ratings Monday for Bahrain's long and short-term sovereign credit ratings, as well as those for the island nation's central bank and the country's sovereign wealth fund.
Hundreds of protesters spent the night at the square, and thousands of government opponents have gathered at the site by the afternoon. The mood was upbeat and many appear to be camped there for the long haul, with makeshift kitchens serving meals to those who live in the small tent village.
At several stalls, demonstrators queued for hot tea and joked about the weather, which turned windy and whipped up sand and trash.
In the statement, the youth group called for authorities to be put on trial for attacks on protesters last week and demanded an elected government. They said the first priority should be the cancellation of citizenship for thousands of foreigners who receive it as part of an effort to change the sectarian balance in the island nation. Few policies anger Bahrain's Shiite majority more than bestowing citizenship to outside Sunnis, mostly Arabs but also from Pakistan and other South Asian countries.
Shiites in Bahrain have often complained of discrimination by the Sunni rulers. The Al Khalifa royal dynasty has been in power for 200 years and has strong backing from other Gulf Arab leaders, who fear that Shiite powerhouse Iran could gain further footholds through the uprising led by Bahrain's Shiites.
Bahrain's rulers have offered talks with opposition groups to try to defuse the showdown, but the opposition appears to be in no hurry to talk with Crown Prince Sheik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who has been delegated by the king to lead the dialogue.
The leaders of the official Shiite opposition said they are not refusing to talk to the crown prince, but want guarantees the rulers' words will be backed by action.
The main opposition demand is the resignation of the government that is responsible for this week's bloodshed and has been led by the same prime minister — the king's uncle — for 40 years.
Other demands include abolishing the monarchy's privileges to set policies and appoint all key political posts, along with addressing longstanding claims of discrimination and abuses against Shiites, who represent about 70 percent of Bahrain's 525,000 citizens.
Congo colonel gets 20 years after rape trial
BARAKA, Congo – A Congolese court sentenced an army colonel to 20 years in prison Monday, convicting him of crimes against humanity in the highest-profile sexual violence case ever tried in this nation where thousands are brutally raped each year.
The trial held in a torridly hot makeshift courtroom in the lakeside village of Baraka marks the first time a commanding officer has been tried for such a crime.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Lt. Col. Mutuare Daniel Kibibi, 46, who was accused of ordering his troops to attack the village of Fizi on New Year's Day where doctors later treated 62 women for rape. One woman testified that Kibibi himself raped her for 40 minutes.
As the defendants were being led away in handcuffs, hundreds of people jeered at them, booed and shook their fists. Some shouted, "Kibibi! You thought you could get away with this! Now you are going to jail!" and "You must pay for your crimes!"
Kibibi, who is married with eight children, was convicted of four counts of crimes against humanity but will serve no more than 20 years in prison. He denies all the charges and says the court testimony by his bodyguards was all part of a plot to denigrate him.
Kibibi's lawyer Alfred Maisha described his client as a "valiant hero" who had served in the army since 1984 and had put his life at risk many times in the defense of the country. Maisha said many of the troops under Kibibi's command were poorly trained and included former members of rebel and militia groups.
Witnesses said the soldiers descended in a fury upon the village of Fizi after residents there stoned a soldier to death who had been involved in an altercation with a local shop owner. On New Year's Day, the soldiers smashed down doors and went house-to-house, pillaging, beating and raping, from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following day.
The 49 women who testified about those attacks are to receive up to $10,000 each in compensation from the government as part of the verdict handed down Monday. Unspecified other damages must be paid for victims' "humiliation, degradation of their health, social stigmatization, risk of divorce, and possibility of HIV," presiding judge Col. Fredy Mukendi ordered Monday.
Rape long has been used as a brutal weapon of war in eastern Congo, where soldiers and various militia groups use sexual violence to intimidate, punish and control the population.
At least 8,300 rapes were reported in 2009 alone, and aid workers say the true toll is much higher. The victims have even included a month-old baby boy and elderly women, and even the biggest U.N. peacekeeping force in the world of 18,000 troops has been unable to end the violence.
The mobile court of military judges and pro bono lawyers that tried Kibibi and the others was paid for by George Soros' Open Society Initiative and aided by several agencies including the American Bar Association, Lawyers Without Borders and the U.N. Mission to Congo.
Activists said they hoped it would serve as a warning to others who are brutally attacking civilians with impunity.
"Unquestionably, Lt. Col. Kibibi and his soldiers are more than a little stunned to find themselves on trial before this groundbreaking domestic mobile court. If word about the court is spread around the country, it could have an enormous impact on deterring future crimes, now that the rule of law is finally being enforced domestically, to at least some extent," said Kelly D. Askin of Open Society Justice Initiative.
Still, arrests and prosecutions for brutal attacks on villages in eastern Congo are rare. Following the rapes of more than 300 people last year, the only man to be arrested in the case was handed over by his fellow fighters.
Military prosecutor Col. Laurent Mutata Luaba had demanded death sentences for Kibibi and the officers accused in the Fizi case and 20-year sentences for the rank-and-file. He said the men had "behaved like wild beasts," terrorizing and attacking the defenseless civilians they had orders to protect.
Three of Kibibi's officers received the same sentences, and five others got lesser sentences. One man was acquitted and another, a minor, will be tried in juvenile court.
Many complained that the sentences handed down Monday were not harsh enough.
"We are happy that this trial has been held, but we are not happy with the result," said Oscar Muzaliwa, 26. "The sentences are too low. (They) should be put to death for what they did."
The total number of victims from the New Year's Day rapes will never be known. The women who testified in court were identified as Female 1 to Female 49, amid fears for their security and efforts to lessen the strong social stigma associated with rape in Congo.
The other victims would not testify, fearful of being shunned by their husbands and community, or of reprisals by the military. Others are still coming forward, including one elderly victim who only emerged Sunday, her face still swollen out of shape seven weeks after the attacks.
The horrors recounted mounted up over four days of testimony by the women, their physical and emotional pain almost tangible, hanging in the heavy, humid air. The women cast wary glances at the uniformed soldiers on trial. Some women spoke so softly it was hard to hear them over the sniffling and simpers of babies being nursed by half the victims.
One mother of six threw herself to her knees and raised her arms to heaven crying to God, and the military judges, for peace. A lawyer then recounted their statements in an open court where hundreds of people, mainly men and boys, gathered under a burning sun.
The 11 men brought to trial were the only ones identified by victims, but there were more than 100 soldiers at the Fizi camp on New Year's Day and many remain in the area.
"We are very fearful," one woman said as she nursed her baby. "Most of the rapists are still right here in our village. If we go to the river for water, we get raped; if we go to the fields for food, we get raped; if we go to the market to sell our goods, we get raped. Our lives are filled with danger. There is no peace."
The trial held in a torridly hot makeshift courtroom in the lakeside village of Baraka marks the first time a commanding officer has been tried for such a crime.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Lt. Col. Mutuare Daniel Kibibi, 46, who was accused of ordering his troops to attack the village of Fizi on New Year's Day where doctors later treated 62 women for rape. One woman testified that Kibibi himself raped her for 40 minutes.
As the defendants were being led away in handcuffs, hundreds of people jeered at them, booed and shook their fists. Some shouted, "Kibibi! You thought you could get away with this! Now you are going to jail!" and "You must pay for your crimes!"
Kibibi, who is married with eight children, was convicted of four counts of crimes against humanity but will serve no more than 20 years in prison. He denies all the charges and says the court testimony by his bodyguards was all part of a plot to denigrate him.
Kibibi's lawyer Alfred Maisha described his client as a "valiant hero" who had served in the army since 1984 and had put his life at risk many times in the defense of the country. Maisha said many of the troops under Kibibi's command were poorly trained and included former members of rebel and militia groups.
Witnesses said the soldiers descended in a fury upon the village of Fizi after residents there stoned a soldier to death who had been involved in an altercation with a local shop owner. On New Year's Day, the soldiers smashed down doors and went house-to-house, pillaging, beating and raping, from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following day.
The 49 women who testified about those attacks are to receive up to $10,000 each in compensation from the government as part of the verdict handed down Monday. Unspecified other damages must be paid for victims' "humiliation, degradation of their health, social stigmatization, risk of divorce, and possibility of HIV," presiding judge Col. Fredy Mukendi ordered Monday.
Rape long has been used as a brutal weapon of war in eastern Congo, where soldiers and various militia groups use sexual violence to intimidate, punish and control the population.
At least 8,300 rapes were reported in 2009 alone, and aid workers say the true toll is much higher. The victims have even included a month-old baby boy and elderly women, and even the biggest U.N. peacekeeping force in the world of 18,000 troops has been unable to end the violence.
The mobile court of military judges and pro bono lawyers that tried Kibibi and the others was paid for by George Soros' Open Society Initiative and aided by several agencies including the American Bar Association, Lawyers Without Borders and the U.N. Mission to Congo.
Activists said they hoped it would serve as a warning to others who are brutally attacking civilians with impunity.
"Unquestionably, Lt. Col. Kibibi and his soldiers are more than a little stunned to find themselves on trial before this groundbreaking domestic mobile court. If word about the court is spread around the country, it could have an enormous impact on deterring future crimes, now that the rule of law is finally being enforced domestically, to at least some extent," said Kelly D. Askin of Open Society Justice Initiative.
Still, arrests and prosecutions for brutal attacks on villages in eastern Congo are rare. Following the rapes of more than 300 people last year, the only man to be arrested in the case was handed over by his fellow fighters.
Military prosecutor Col. Laurent Mutata Luaba had demanded death sentences for Kibibi and the officers accused in the Fizi case and 20-year sentences for the rank-and-file. He said the men had "behaved like wild beasts," terrorizing and attacking the defenseless civilians they had orders to protect.
Three of Kibibi's officers received the same sentences, and five others got lesser sentences. One man was acquitted and another, a minor, will be tried in juvenile court.
Many complained that the sentences handed down Monday were not harsh enough.
"We are happy that this trial has been held, but we are not happy with the result," said Oscar Muzaliwa, 26. "The sentences are too low. (They) should be put to death for what they did."
The total number of victims from the New Year's Day rapes will never be known. The women who testified in court were identified as Female 1 to Female 49, amid fears for their security and efforts to lessen the strong social stigma associated with rape in Congo.
The other victims would not testify, fearful of being shunned by their husbands and community, or of reprisals by the military. Others are still coming forward, including one elderly victim who only emerged Sunday, her face still swollen out of shape seven weeks after the attacks.
The horrors recounted mounted up over four days of testimony by the women, their physical and emotional pain almost tangible, hanging in the heavy, humid air. The women cast wary glances at the uniformed soldiers on trial. Some women spoke so softly it was hard to hear them over the sniffling and simpers of babies being nursed by half the victims.
One mother of six threw herself to her knees and raised her arms to heaven crying to God, and the military judges, for peace. A lawyer then recounted their statements in an open court where hundreds of people, mainly men and boys, gathered under a burning sun.
The 11 men brought to trial were the only ones identified by victims, but there were more than 100 soldiers at the Fizi camp on New Year's Day and many remain in the area.
"We are very fearful," one woman said as she nursed her baby. "Most of the rapists are still right here in our village. If we go to the river for water, we get raped; if we go to the fields for food, we get raped; if we go to the market to sell our goods, we get raped. Our lives are filled with danger. There is no peace."
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