Latest news with #AdamCoogle
Al Jazeera
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Jordan ‘forcibly evicted' Palestinians from informal refugee camp: HRW
Jordanian authorities have 'forcibly evicted' about 100 people from an informal refugee camp hosting displaced Palestinians, according to an NGO. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Tuesday that the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) demolished 25 homes housing at least 101 people, as well as shops, in the capital's al-Mahatta camp in November and December last year. The humanitarian organisation said the evicted people were not given adequate consultation, notice, compensation, or relocation assistance as the authorities cleared the way for a town planning project. 'Displacing families and disrupting their livelihoods without adequate safeguards and fair compensation leaves dozens of people with few places to seek help,' said Adam Coogle, HRW's deputy Middle East director. The al-Mahatta camp, which is said to house approximately 8,000 people from Palestinian families displaced by the 1948 Nakba, is not recognised as a refugee camp by the Jordanian government. The city's authorities said in December that GAM's four-year 'Strategic Plan' for the city running to 2026 includes traffic improvements, increasing green space, and reducing population density in informal settlements. The demolition operations also aim to reclaim lands owned by the Amman Municipality that have been 'encroached upon' and on which buildings have been erected, the city said, according to the Alghad outlet. Dozens of residents now displaced claim to have been left in the lurch, saying they were given only 'two weeks to a month's notice' to leave their homes and 'vague verbal promises of compensation of 80 Jordanian dinars [$113] per square metre, with limited transparency regarding the process or timeline', HRW reports. The NGO quoted Amman Mayor Yousef al-Shawarbeh as saying that the displaced Palestinians were not entitled to compensation as they were 'encroaching on state property', explaining that they had been instead offered a 'donation'. The demolition of homes and shops at al-Mahatta was conducted despite an official pledge from former Prime Minister Omar Razzaz in 2019 to safeguard residents' homes after a previous attempt to evict them in 2017.
CBC
14-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'Step up': Windsorites want protections for loved ones in Syria who are 'living in fear'
Windsorites call for action, fearing for the safety of loved ones in Syria 2 hours ago Duration 4:04 Syrians in Windsor are sounding alarm bells, saying their loved ones back home are in need of protection, in the midst of targeted violence. Since the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad government in December, there has been a serious escalation of violence, especially in Syria's coastal region. For a Syrian-Canadian living in Windsor, it's been devastating to watch it unfolding from afar. We are keeping her real identity confidential to limit the risk to her family. Her husband, the father of her children, is in hiding in Syria, and she's fearful she may never see him again. "It's very heartbreaking," she said. "It's breaking my family apart." She and her husband are Alawite Muslims, a minority group in Syria. She has not seen her husband in years. While she has been living in Canada with their children, her husband, who is not a Canadian citizen, had been forced to serve in the Syrian military for many years until the collapse of the former government. Alawites 'feel totally helpless' As a former member of the military and as an Alawite, she says her husband is afraid for his life. The former government was largely made up of members of the Alawite sect in Syria, which means that much of the violence has been directed at the Alawite community which is clustered along the coast, explained Adam Coogle, the Deputy Middle East Director for Human Rights Watch. "Right now, unfortunately for the Alawite community, they very much feel totally helpless right now. They don't feel like they have any protection," he said. "It's very easy to understand why Alawites, particularly in Syria right now, are living in fear." The Windsor woman is heartbroken and at a loss, trying to stay strong for her and her husband's two kids. "He doesn't know if he's going to live again to see his children... My last conversation with him was, 'Hey, you know, if something happens to me, take care of the kids,'" she said, holding back tears. In recent months, hundreds of civilians have been killed in violent attacks. In March, in a sharp escalation, there were violent clashes between Syria's government and Assad loyalists, followed by a series of revenge killings. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, there were more than 1,500 deaths that month, including more than 100 children. Investigations are still ongoing, so the exact number is unknown. The United Nations has reported instances of entire families being killed, with Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular. The Syrian-Canadian woman's husband is in hiding, in the coastal area of Syria. She said he was forced to give up his identification documents when he was discharged from the military, and now has no avenue to leave the country. "My kids ask about him every day. Every day we pray that we can bring him here," she said. "I can't be there with him because it's not safe for me or my children and there is no way for him to come here. So it's a very difficult situation." 'They feel dark, very hopeless' CBC also spoke with another Syrian-Canadian living in Windsor with extended family and friends in the coastal region of Tartus. We are protecting her identity to minimize risk to her family overseas. "My relatives are living in fear. Like they're literally hiding," she said. "People are living in fear of being killed." Much of her family is Alawite, but others are Christians. She says that they are also living in fear of discrimination. While Coogle with the Human Rights Watch says there's no evidence that new authorities are actively targeting the Christian community, he understands why Christians are worried, pointing to examples of fighters burning down Christmas Trees. At the time, the leading rebel group in the country's new administration said those responsible would be punished, but the incident did prompt questions about the new Islamist regime's tolerance of minorities. "Christians understandably are concerned about what the new authorities will do in the long term with the Christian community, both in terms of their religious practice and their presence in the country." The Windsor woman said her loved ones are afraid to even leave their homes. "Everybody's just kind of... they feel very dark, very hopeless," she said. She regularly receives voice note updates from loved ones sharing their fears. One voice note from a relative that she translated for CBC said, "We are living in fear every single day and every single night. There are killings, executions and kidnappings." It went on to say "We are unarmed. We are not doing anything. We just want to live in peace." She hopes for a better future in Syria soon, when she can return to the country that she loves so deeply. But for now, she says she's afraid, but hopes that by speaking out she can make a difference. "People need to know what's happening," she said. 'Step up and help these people' Coogle explained, after a brutal 14-year civil war, Syria is also dealing with extreme poverty and high criminality across the country. He confirmed that killings of unarmed civilians, kidnappings and checkpoints set up by militants stopping people at random, are a reality. He said there are many armed groups, including foreign fighters, operating within the country in support of the new government. Usually these groups would be under the control of the state, but right now, they are actually acting independently. "It remains a very, very dangerous country where the security forces have not managed to yet turn their forces into a cohesive force that can actually impose law and order throughout the country," he said. "That's not an excuse. The authorities have an obligation to provide security and ensure security of all citizens in Syria." Both Windsor women are calling for international intervention, for awareness and protections for minorities in Syria, as well as more efforts to help individuals trying to leave the country. "Step up and help these people," the woman whose husband is in hiding expressed. She said she feels like she has no where to turn to for help to get her husband out of Syria. A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told CBC in an e-mailed statement that they are actively monitoring the situation and cannot speculate on future policy decisions. "Since 2016, Canada has continued to provide protection to thousands of Syrians through our existing refugee programs, including government-supported and privately-sponsored pathways," Communications Advisor Mary Rose Sabater said. In March, Global Affairs Canada issued a statement condemning the atrocities taking place, and calling on the interim authorities to end the violence. The statement went on to say, "Civilians must be protected, the dignity and human rights of all religious and ethnic groups must be upheld, and perpetrators must be held accountable."
Rudaw Net
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Syria's interim constitution risks ‘authoritarian' rule: HRW
Also in Syria Germany decries Syrian civilian deaths in suspected Israeli shelling Rojava Asayish captures over 2.7 million Captagon in Qamishli Qatar, Saudi Arabia condemn Israeli shelling in southern Syria Syria calls for international probe into deadly Israeli attacks: FM A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned that Syria's newly-approved constitutional declaration consolidates power in the hands of the president and risks entrenching 'authoritarian control.' The global human rights monitor urged the new leadership in Damascus to revise the declaration to better safeguard human rights. HRW's Deputy Middle East director, Adam Coogle, stated that 'the design of Syria's new declaration risks entrenching authoritarian control, rather than facilitating a genuine transition to a rights-respecting democracy.' He added that transitional frameworks can warrant extraordinary measures but 'must not come at the expense of fundamental rights.' In mid-March, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a 53-article constitutional declaration that centers on Islamic jurisprudence, mandates that the president must be Muslim, and sets a five-year transitional period. It also maintains Syria's official name as the Syrian "Arab" Republic. The interim constitution grants Sharaa exclusive executive power, including the sole authority to appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers. HRW censured the allocation of such 'significant authority' to the president, warning that 'without stronger safeguards and independent oversight, this declaration risks consolidating executive control at the expense of fundamental freedoms.' The interim constitution also gives Sharaa the power to appoint one-third of the legislature, while the other two-thirds would be selected by a committee, whose members are appointed by Sharaa. Parliament would also have no authority to impeach the president, or approve or remove ministers. HRW criticized the interim president's 'near-total control over legislative appointments.' It highlighted that the interim constitution further grants him 'authority to appoint all seven members of the Higher Constitutional Court without parliamentary or other oversight.' This court is the only body that can hold him accountable. HRW warned that this could jeopardize judicial independence and 'likely strengthen the president's influence over constitutional interpretation, excluding parliamentary input.' Of note, the constitutional declaration has in recent weeks come under fire from Syria's Kurdish, Christian and Druze communities over its exclusion of ethnic and religious communities in Syria. HRW's deputy Middle East director, Coogle, on Tuesday urged the Syrian authorities to revise the interim constitution 'to incorporate strong protections for judicial independence and legislative oversight,' to 'ensure that Syria's transition respects human rights, holds those responsible for past abuses accountable, and fosters a future of greater accountability.'
Arab News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
HRW says Syria must protect civilians after ‘killing spree'
BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on the Syrian Arab Republic's new authorities to ensure accountability for the mass killings of hundreds of civilians in recent days in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority. Violence broke out Thursday as security forces clashed with gunmen loyal to former president Bashar Assad, who is Alawite, in areas along the Mediterranean coast. Since then, war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces and allied groups had killed at least 1,093 civilians, the vast majority Alawites. 'Syria's new leaders promised to break with the horrors of the past, but grave abuses on a staggering scale are being reported against predominantly Alawite Syrians in the coastal region and elsewhere in Syria,' said HRW's deputy regional director Adam Coogle. 'Government action to protect civilians and prosecute perpetrators of indiscriminate shootings, summary executions, and other grave crimes must be swift and unequivocal,' he said in a statement decrying the 'coastal killing spree.' The New York-based rights group said it was 'not able to verify the number of civilians killed or displaced, but obituaries circulating on Facebook indicate hundreds were killed, including entire families.' The wave of violence is the worst since forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) launched a lightning offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, capping a 13-year civil war. Syria's interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who led HTS, has vowed to 'hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians.' The defense ministry announced on Monday the end of the 'military operation' seeking to root out 'regime remnants' in the coastal areas. But according to the Britain-based Observatory, another 120 civilians have been killed since then, the majority of them in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the coast — where much of the earlier violence since last week had occurred. Authorities have announced the arrest of at least two fighters seen in videos killing civilians, the official news agency SANA reported. HRW said that 'accountability for atrocities must include all parties,' including groups like HTS and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army that 'now constitute Syria's new security forces.' 'These groups have a well-documented history of human rights abuses and violations of international law,' it added. HTS, which has its roots in the Syrian branch of jihadist network Al-Qaeda, is still proscribed as a terrorist organization by several governments including the United States. Since toppling Assad and taking power, Sharaa has vowed to protect Syria's religious and ethnic minorities. In its statement, HRW called on the authorities to 'fully cooperate with and ensure unhindered access to independent monitors.' Syria's presidency had announced that an 'independent committee' was formed to investigate the killings. The panel is due to hold its first press conference later Tuesday.
Khaleej Times
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
HRW says Syria must protect civilians after 'killing spree'
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on Syria's new authorities to ensure accountability for the mass killings of hundreds of civilians in recent days in the coastal heartland of the Alawite minority. Violence broke out Thursday as security forces clashed with gunmen loyal to former president Bashar Al Assad, who is Alawite, in areas along the Mediterranean coast. Since then, war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces and allied groups had killed at least 1,093 civilians, the vast majority Alawites. "Syria's new leaders promised to break with the horrors of the past, but grave abuses on a staggering scale are being reported against predominantly Alawite Syrians in the coastal region and elsewhere in Syria," said HRW's deputy regional director Adam Coogle. "Government action to protect civilians and prosecute perpetrators of indiscriminate shootings, summary executions, and other grave crimes must be swift and unequivocal," he said in a statement decrying the "coastal killing spree". The New York-based rights group said it was "not able to verify the number of civilians killed or displaced, but obituaries circulating on Facebook indicate hundreds were killed, including entire families". The wave of violence is the worst since forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) launched a lightning offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, capping a 13-year civil war. Syria's interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa, who led HTS, has vowed to "hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians". The defence ministry announced on Monday the end of the "military operation" seeking to root out "regime remnants" in the coastal areas. But according to the Britain-based Observatory, another 120 civilians have been killed since then, the majority of them in Latakia and Tartus provinces on the coast — where much of the earlier violence since last week had occurred. Authorities have announced the arrest of at least two fighters seen in videos killing civilians, the official news agency SANA reported. HRW said that "accountability for atrocities must include all parties", including groups like HTS and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army that "now constitute Syria's new security forces". "These groups have a well-documented history of human rights abuses and violations of international law," it added. HTS, which has its roots in the Syrian branch of jihadist network Al Qaeda, is still proscribed as a terrorist organisation by several governments including the United States. Since toppling Assad and taking power, Sharaa has vowed to protect Syria's religious and ethnic minorities. In its statement, HRW called on the authorities to "fully cooperate with and ensure unhindered access to independent monitors". Syria's presidency had announced that an "independent committee" was formed to investigate the killings. The panel is due to hold its first press conference later on Tuesday.
