Archive for month: November, 2014

Iraq’s police say at least 15 people have been killed in a series of bomb attacks near the capital, Baghdad, amid ongoing battle between the Iraqi army and the ISIL Takfiri militants.

A bomb explosion ripped through a sheep market in Baghdad’s western suburb of Suweib at around noon on Friday. Five people died and 13 others were injured in the attack.

Police said another bomb went off at a commercial street in Radhawniyah suburb, leaving two people dead and nine others wounded.

Earlier in the day, a bomb blast near a market in the town of Madain, situated just south of Baghdad, killed four people and wounded nearly a dozen.

Four people were also killed and 10 others wounded when an explosion struck an outdoor market in the town of Youssifiyah, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad, on Friday.

Iraqi officials usually blame similar terrorist attacks on Takfiri militants and former Ba’athists who Baghdad says have formed an alliance to destabilize the country.

Baghdad has also pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia, saying Riyadh is funding terrorists operating in Iraq.

Iraqi security forces, backed by Shia volunteer fighters, managed to push into the strategic northern town of Beiji, located some 210 kilometers (130 miles) north of Baghdad, on Friday, taking control of some of the town’s southern districts.

Iraqi soldiers have been fighting the ISIL terrorists for nearly six months now. The troops have pledged to make more gains in their battle against ISIL, which has large swathes of land under control in Iraq and Syria.

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The bodies of 150 members of an anti-ISIL Iraqi Sunni tribe have been found in a mass grave near Iraq’s western city of Ramadi.

Security officials said on Thursday that the Takfiri terrorists seized the men from Albu Nimr tribe on Wednesday night and then killed and buried them in an area near the city of Ramadi.

The strategic city, which is the capital of the flashpoint al-Anbar Province, has been the scene of a hard-fought battle between Iraqi forces backed by tribesmen, and the ISIL terrorists.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, sources said they found 70 bodies from the same tribe near the town of Hit in the province. Security officials were not immediately available for comment but locals said the tribesmen were slain last week in an area controlled by the ISIL cult north of the town.

The victims are all said to have been summarily executed.

A tribal leader said the ISIL had ordered them to leave their villages and go to Hit, promising them safe passage. But, they were then seized and massacred. The victims were members of the police or militia groups fighting alongside Iraq’s army against the ISIL terrorists’ advance toward Baghdad.

Tribal sheikhs said the two sets of victims were among more than 300 men who were abducted by the Takfiri group this week. The victims were reportedly aged between 18 and 55 years.

The development comes days after the Iraqi armed forces launched fresh anti-ISIL operations to liberate the town of Amriyat al-Fallujah in Anbar, after they managed to recapture the town of Jurf al-Sakhar near the capital, Baghdad.

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On 28 October 2014, 10 Bahrainis, who had their citizenship revoked on 7 November 2012, were sentenced to deportation and a 100 Bahraini dinar (USD 265) fine. Americans for Democracy Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) condemn the court’s decision and the ongoing targeting of the aforementioned individuals.

The ten Bahrainis are part of a group of 31 who had their citizenship revoked in 2012. 18 of the individuals targeted already resided outside of Bahrain. Of the 13 remaining, Jalal and Jawad Fairooz were out of the country when the revocation was announced, which forced them into exile. The remaining 11, who resided in Bahrain, were rendered stateless. The Government of Bahrain said the 31 could file an appeal against the revocation, but they were not allowed to do so as they had no legal status as a result of the revocation of their citizenship. Only after mounting international pressure did the government permit the aforementioned individuals to appeal the revocation. In June 2013, the remaining 10 individuals who resided in Bahrain were forced to surrender their passports and identification cards to the government.

One of the 11 Bahrainis has already been forced into exile by the Bahraini government. On 23 April 2014, Shaikh Hussain al-Najati left Bahrain after the government threatening his family with physical harm if he refused self-deportation. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom condemned the harassment and described it as an act of religiously motivated discrimination.” The BCHR recently published a detailed report on the use of revocation of citizenship by the Bahraini government to target human rights defenders.

In July of this year, the remaining individuals were forced to sign documents by the Immigration Office legally acknowledging that they were no longer Bahraini citizens, but foreign nationals who must seek a sponsor to remain in the country or face deportation. Then, on 10 August 2014, the Public Prosecution charged them under articles 111 and 64 of the Penal Code and articles 15, 28-1 and 29-2 of the Asylum and Immigration Law, with “being a foreigner in the country and breaking the Immigration and Residency Law (Foreigners Law)”.

The aforementioned organizations call on the Government of Bahrain to:

•     Immediately halt the deportation of the nine Bahrainis, which is in violation of Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
•     Immediately reinstate the nationality of the 31 whose citizenship was revoked in 2012, and;
•     Accede to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

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A group of 40 Sunni scholars from Pakistan visited the holy shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.).

The group coming from the province Sindh of Pakistan in the shape of a caravan were benefited by the special programs specific to Urdu speaking pilgrims arranged by the Office of Non-Iranian Pilgrims’ Affairs of Astan Quds Razavi.

The ceremony started by performing the evening prayers followed by eulogizing on the prophet (S.A.W.) and the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) by the Sunni panegyrists.

Mulana Imran Kehusu, member of population of Pakistani Sunni scholars and the lecturer of this ceremony, gave a lecture around the necessity of unity and solidarity among Muslims and the necessity of following the conduct of the prophet (S.A.W.), his descendants, and his companions.

He then mentioned to some virtues of the prophet (S.A.W.) and expressed happiness and thanked God for having the success of going on the pilgrimage of Imam Reza (A.S.).

After taking part in the class of knowing the holy shrine and receiving gifts, the group paid a visitation from museums of Astan Quds Razavi and finally were invited to the banquet hall of Imam Reza (A.S.).

The scholars appreciated the authorities and servants of the holy shrine for being highly respected.

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