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27 Jul 2015 - NPWJ News Digest on Middle East and North Africa Democracy
Articles
Palestinian man dies during attempted arrest by Israeli security forces
by the Guardian, 27 Jul 2015
A Palestinian man has died during an attempted arrest by Israeli security forces, in the third such fatal incident in less than a week. Mohammad Abu Latifa, aged 20, was killed after being shot and falling from a roof as he reportedly attempted to flee an arrest raid in Qalandia refugee camp, near Ramallah. Israeli police entered the camp early on Monday to arrest two Palestinians it claims were suspected of plotting an attack in Israel. According to the police account, the dead man attempted to flee across roofs and was shot and fell to his death after failing to surrender. “Despite that, the suspect continued to run and when he attempted to get to the roof of another building, he fell off it and was mortally wounded,” a police statement said. On Thursday, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian in the southern West Bank while arresting his son. According to Palestinian witnesses, 53-year-old Faleh Hamed Zamel Abu Maria was shot in the chest after throwing a plastic plant pot at soldiers.
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Turkish PM: No plans to send ground troops into Syria
by BBC, 27 Jul 2015
Turkey has no plans to send ground troops into Syria to fight the Islamic State group, the prime minister says. Ahmet Davutoglu said air strikes on IS positions close to the Syria/Turkey border and on Kurdish PKK separatists in Iraq could "change the game". Turkey's actions are in response to violent attacks last week in Turkey itself, including the death of 32 activists in a bombing in Suruc. Nato is to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation. Turkish tanks shelled the Kurdish-held village of Zur Maghar in northern Syria overnight, injuring at least four fighters, according to a statement from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on Monday morning. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group also reported the Turkish fire on Zur Maghar. Mr Davutoglu told a meeting of Turkish newspaper editors that, following Turkey's military action, there were now "new conditions" in the regional conflict.
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Yemen conflict: Shelling reported despite 'truce'
by BBC, 27 Jul 2015
Shelling has been reported in southern Yemen just as a humanitarian truce between rebels and Saudi-backed pro-government forces came into force. Houthi rebel artillery pounded residential areas near the city of Taiz, witnesses said. However, the capital Sanaa and central Yemen are understood to be quiet. Before the truce was due to begin, clashes were reported at a major air base north of Aden after government allies took the nearby town of Sabr. The Saudi-led coalition said it would halt air raids at midnight (20:59 GMT) to let much-needed humanitarian aid in.
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Iraqi forces attack Islamic State base in Ramadi
by BBC, 26 Jul 2015
Iraqi forces have launched an attack against the Islamic State-controlled University of Anbar complex in the city of Ramadi, US officials said. IS militants have been using the sprawling site as a command base since taking control of the city in May. Some reports suggested Iraqi forces had retaken control of the complex. The Iraqi military launched an operation this month to push IS out of Anbar province, large swathes of which are controlled by the militants. The operation to retake the university complex was supported by US air strikes against IS positions around Ramadi. A number of buildings in and around the complex were badly damaged or destroyed, Athal al-Fahdawi, a provincial councilman, told Associated Press. The university is 5km (3 miles) south of Ramadi, which is the capital of Anbar province.
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Tunisia Overwhelmingly Passes New Anti-Terror Law
by the Huffington Post, 25 Jul 2015
Tunisia's parliament voted overwhelmingly to pass the country's new anti-terror law after a pair of devastating attacks against tourists, but critics fear the new legislation may endanger this North African nation's hard won freedoms. Alone among the countries that underwent the 2011 uprisings of the Arab Spring, Tunisia emerged with a democracy, but amid a rise in attacks by Islamic radicals, the new government is increasingly considering stability and security over personal freedoms. "There are many holes in the law that could open the way to human rights violations," said a statement by coalition of Tunisian 10 civil society groups, including the bar association, the journalists' union and several rights groups. The new law raises the amount of time police can hold a suspect without charge and without contact with a lawyer from six days to 15. Death is the maximum penalty for terrorism, including disseminating information that results in the loss of life in terror attacks. Terrorism can also be defined as damaging public and private property during a demonstration.
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