Friday, December 20, 2013

Human Rights Watch on the pogroms against `Alawites in Tripoli: it is a whitewash

Human Rights Watch FINALLY spoke about the persecution of `Alawites in Tripoli, and as is expected from an organization that has become (in its Beirut office) a mere arm of the Hariri March 14 movement and also of the Fee Syrian Army it is a disgraceful whitewash.  There is an effort at every step of the way to keep the culprits unnamed and to not point finger at the political movement, in Lebanon and in Syria which is responsible for the attacks on `Alawites.  Look at this sentence:  "Sectarian tensions between the Alawite Jabal Mohsen neighborhood and surrounding Sunni neighborhoods have led to increasing targeted attacks against Alawites in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. "  Look at the grotesque language used: this is like writing about the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany: racial tensions between the Nazi and the Jews have led to the holocaust.  There is a clear horrific attempt to say not one word about the political movement in Syria and Lebanon (which has the same Saudi sponsor) which have sponsored and spawned a bigoted anti-`Alawite campaign of violence. There is not one word about the anti-`Alawite rhetoric that have emanated from the Syrian armed and exile opposition and which prepared the ground for such crimes.  And then the statement proceeds to yet again leave thins ambiguous to avoid pointing fingers at the anti-`Alawite bigots in the Syrian "revolution" and their Saudi-paid allies in Lebanon:  "The conflict in neighboring Syria has severely aggravated existing sectarian tensions".  No, it is not the conflict in Syria per se but the the armed gangs and their supporters in Lebanon, and who have received a clear support and sympathy from the Human Rights Watch office in Beirut, whose director (on Twitter) disseminates the utterances of his friends in the Hariri media operation in Lebanon.  And then the lousy statement says this:  "Sunni gunmen and arsonists have attacked and burned numerous shops belonging to Jabal Mohsen residents in other Tripoli districts. Sunni militants have also beaten Alawites on the streets of Tripoli outside of Jabal Mohsen. Some gunmen from the Sunni neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh have forced Alawite shop owners to pay protection money."  This is a blatant lie and a propaganda hatchet job.  Not only the attackers did this but they also have started a pattern of attacks, whereby they look for `Alawites traveling on public buses and force them down to the street and shoot at their legs.  But what is worst is this: the report says not one word about the political movement of Saudi-armed and paid March 14 and their Salafite gangs who have blessed, sponsored, endorsed, and protected the attackers.  The report makes it sound as if the attackers are mere criminal gangs with no political affiliation.  The report does not speak about threats made against the whole Jabal Muhsin by key March 14 politicians in Tripoli.  Threats and practices of sectarian cleansing have received no mention in this lousy report.  They say better late than never? I say, better be silent than come out with this grotesque statement that basically shielded the killers.  Another record of shame to the Human Rights Watch office in Beirut.   You know how much I hate the Lebanese government but reading this report made me feel sympathetic as it was the only party named in this report in order to shield the killers.