Dubai now seeking 26 suspects in Hamas killing

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61N2WX20100224?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsevening

Raissa Kasolowsky and Cynthia Johnston

DUBAI

Wed Feb 24, 2010 5:44pm EST

//

Related News

• Timeline: Dubai Hamas killing and its aftermath
  Wed, Feb 24 2010

< 1 / 18 >

View Full Size

// <![CDATA[

var USTRE61N2WX20100224 = new YAHOO.reuters.slideshow(«displayFrame», 1, {«idNum»: «USTRE61N2WX20100224», «slideshow»:{«title»:»Dubai now seeking 26 suspects in Hamas killing»,
«slides»: [

{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66293550&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7R00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66293550&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7R00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Chester Halvey of Ireland is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. Dubai has identified 15 new suspects in the assassination of a Hamas official at a Dubai luxury hotel, bringing the total number of people believed involved in the death to 26, the government said on Wednesday. Israeli media reported on Wednesday the new list could involve further cases of identity theft. Dubai authorities last week released the identities of 11 people whom they said travelled on fraudulent British, Irish, French and German passports to kill Hamas militant, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294851&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7S00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294851&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7S00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Adam Korman of Australia is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. Dubai has identified 15 new suspects in the assassination of a Hamas official at a Dubai luxury hotel, bringing the total number of people believed involved in the death to 26, the government said on Wednesday. Israeli media reported on Wednesday the new list could involve further cases of identity theft. Dubai authorities last week released the identities of 11 people whom they said travelled on fraudulent British, Irish, French and German passports to kill Hamas militant, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294849&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7T00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294849&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7T00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A woman identified by Dubai authorities as Anna Shuana Clasby of Ireland is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294850&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7U00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294850&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7U00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as David Bernard LaPierre of France is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294855&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7V00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294855&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7V00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Daniel Marc Schnur of Britain is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294852&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7W00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294852&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7W00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Eric Rassineux of France is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294854&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7X00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294854&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7X00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Bruce Joshua Daniel of Australia is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294853&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7Y00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294853&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7Y00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A woman identified by Dubai authorities as Ivy Brinton of Ireland is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294858&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7Z00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294858&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C7Z00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A woman identified by Dubai authorities as Nicole Sandra Mccabe of Australia is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294857&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8000_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294857&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8000_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Mark Sklar of Britain is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294856&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8100_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294856&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8100_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A woman identified by Dubai authorities as Melanie Heard of France is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294859&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8200_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294859&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8200_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Philip Carr of Britain is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294862&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8300_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294862&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8300_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Roy Allan Cannon of Britain is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294861&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8400_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294861&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8400_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A man identified by Dubai authorities as Stephen Keith Drake of Britain is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294860&w=390&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8500_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294860&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1C8500_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
A woman identified by Dubai authorities as Gabriella Barney of Britain is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294869&w=460&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N112R00_RTROPTP_0_UAE-HAMAS-ISRAEL’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294869&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N112R00_RTROPTP_0_UAE-HAMAS-ISRAEL’,
«caption» : »
Hamas militant Mahmoud al-Mabhouh being followed by his alleged killers in a Dubai hotel. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294863&w=460&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1OVM00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294863&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1OVM00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
The travel ports of entry and exit of suspects is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

,{«image» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294868&w=460&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1OVN00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«thumbnail» : ‘/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100224&t=2&i=66294868&w=50&r=2010-02-24T224423Z_01_BTRE61N1OVN00_RTROPTP_0_EMIRATES-ASSASSINATION-POLICE’,
«caption» : »
The travel ports of entry and exit of suspects is seen in this handout picture released by Dubai police February 24, 2010. REUTERS\/Dubai Police\/Handout»}

] }});
// ]]>DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai is hunting for at least 26 people over the killing of a Hamas commander in a Dubai hotel in a suspected Israeli operation that has caused a diplomatic furor.

World

Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was killed last month in his hotel room in what Dubai police say they are near certain was a hit by Israel’s Mossad spy agency.

Dubai police added 15 new names on Wednesday to a list of suspects wanted over the killing. Six carried British passports, three held Irish documents, three were Australian, and three French, the Dubai government said in a statement.

Israeli media reported on Wednesday the new list could involve further cases of identity theft.

Dubai authorities had earlier named 11 suspects, who they said travelled on fraudulent British, Irish, French and German passports to kill Mabhouh. Six were Britons living in Israel who deny involvement and say their identities were stolen.

«Dubai investigators are not ruling out the possibility of involvement of other people in the murder,» the statement said.

The suspected killers’ use of passports from countries including Britain and France has drawn criticism from the European Union. Some of the governments involved have summoned their Israeli ambassadors.

«We will not be silent on this matter. It is a matter of deep concern. It really goes to the integrity and fabric of the use of state documents, which passports are, for other purposes,» Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, as his government summoned Israel’s ambassador.

The Dubai statement said: «Friendly governments (which) have been assisting in this investigation have indicated to the police in Dubai that the passports were issued in an illegal and fraudulent manner.»

It said pictures on the passports did not correspond to their original owners.

In a statement on Monday that European diplomats said was intended as a rebuke to Israel, EU foreign ministers said that the assassination was «profoundly disturbing.»

Israel has not denied or confirmed it played any role but its foreign minister said there was nothing to link it to the killing. The United States, Israel’s main ally, has kept silent about the affair.

VIDEO FOOTAGE

Mabhouh, born in the Gaza Strip, had lived in Syria since 1989 and Israeli and Palestinian sources have said he played a key role in smuggling Iranian-funded arms to militants in Gaza.

A Hamas official and Israel have also said he masterminded the capture and killing of two Israeli soldiers during a Palestinian uprising in the 1980s.

Like last week, Dubai police released passport photos and closed-circuit television footage of the new suspects, who police said arrived from cities including Zurich, Paris, Rome, Milan and Hong Kong.

«This was to take the camouflage and deception to its utmost level and to guarantee the avoidance of any security supervision or observation of their movements,» the statement said.

Once their part in the operation was completed, the suspects again dispersed to different parts of the world, with two suspects leaving Dubai by boat for Iran, it said.

Dubai police also released credit card details of some of the suspects. At least 13 credit cards used to book hotel rooms and pay for air travel were issued by the same small U.S. lender, MetaBank. The bank declined comment.

«MetaBank is declining comment pending a factual review of this matter,» it said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

Israel’s Ynet news website said it had tracked down a person with the same name as one of the suspects living in Tel Aviv.

«I am in shock from what I just heard. This is an identity theft. I cannot believe it,» Adam Marcus Korman, an Australian-born Israeli, told the website.

Several other names listed as suspects by Dubai police were similar to those of people listed in the Israeli telephone directory, including two named as British passport holders. Reuters was not immediately able to contact any of those people.

Two Palestinians suspected of providing logistical support were in detention and Dubai’s police chief has said he believes the operation could not have been carried out without information from inside Hamas on Mabhouh’s travel details.

An official from the movement was quoted as saying last week that Hamas had launched an investigation to try to discover «how the Mossad was able to carry out the operation.

Mossad is believed to have stepped up covert missions against Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia as well as Iran’s nuclear project.

Mabhouh’s killing was the third high profile murder in less than two years in trade and tourism hub Dubai, one of seven emirates in the UAE federation, where violent crime is rare.

(Additional reporting by Rania Oteify in Dubai, Allyn Fisher-Ilan and Alastair Macdonald in Jerusalem, Daniel Wilchins in New York and Rob Taylor in Canberra, Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky; Editing by Matthew Jones)

Dubai’s Shameful Record on Rape

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/01/29/dubais-shameful-record-rape?tr=y&auid=5905168
Nadya Khalife

 

Published in: 

The Guardian

JANUARY 29, 2010

Dubai sees and markets itself as a tolerant cosmopolitan city where east meets west: where occidental comforts and luxury sit cosily and apparently easily with the Arab-Islamic culture. As many visitors to the UAE notice (and have mentioned to me), alcohol is readily available in hotels and restaurants. Unmarried couples often openly share hotel rooms, and visitors to the UAE say they are rarely, if ever, troubled by the authorities over either issue.

But, recent events in Dubai suggest that this meeting place may not be quite as comfortable or cosy as one may think. On New Year’s Eve, a young British woman of Pakistani descent was allegedly raped by a hotel worker at an upmarket hotel in Dubai Marina. She had been celebrating her engagement with her 44-year-old British boyfriend during a three-day romantic getaway to the city. But, based on news reports, their pleasant weekend apparently turned into a nightmare. She reported to the police that a hotel employee followed her into a restroom and raped her.

A woman should be able to report a rape to the police anywhere in the world and to expect them to investigate the charge. In some parts of the world that will actually happen, even though police officials are not always as sensitive or responsive as they should be. But for those of us who live in the Middle East, it is really not that clear what we should do if we’re sexually assaulted, abused, or raped. That is because in so many instances, officials either don’t take us seriously, or – as this case frighteningly illustrates – we may even be charged with a crime ourselves.

It became clear in this case that the Dubai authorities were not really interested in whether the young woman had been harmed. The authorities at the Jebel Ali police station in Dubai seemed to be much more intrigued about this young woman’s alcohol consumption and her sex life, news reports indicate. Instead of seriously investigating the rape, which carries a harsh sentence under local law, the police charged the woman and her fiancé with drinking alcohol and having illegal sex.

They spent a night in jail and were then released on bail. Their passports have been confiscated as they await trial, and if convicted, they may face up to six years in prison. Police officials contend that the woman «fabricated» her story though they have provided no information to back up their conclusion, and despite the fact that the criminal investigation is apparently not yet complete. The hotel employee, who admitted he had sex with the woman but denies it was rape, has been charged with illegal sex, rather than rape.

This woman’s experience is unfortunately not limited to tourists in Dubai. It is an example of how authorities, especially in this region, ignore violence against women every day and turn investigations of crimes against women into «moral» judgment calls. The real problem is the much broader and more basic one of how societies in the Middle East view women and attempt to control them, placing restrictions on how they should dress, speak, and act in public. Women are seen as custodians of family «honour» and are coerced into marriage. Even the most open societies in the region continue to fail women by not fully respecting their human rights.

Women in the Middle East face discriminatory legal provisions in personal status laws, which govern almost every aspect of their lives, including marriage, divorce, custody and guardianship, and inheritance. Discriminatory provisions in penal codes either exempt or hand down mitigated sentences to male family members who murder their female relatives. Women are also reluctant to report domestic abuse, rape, or other forms of gender-based violence to authorities because of the difficulties they face in seeking redress.

A few weeks ago, a young woman was allegedly raped in a restroom. The fact that she was treated like a criminal when she went to the police and that women in the Middle East are scared to report such crimes is the real moral outrage.

Emiratos Árabes Unidos reducirán substancialmente las exportaciones de petróleo en febrero de 2010

//
// http://www.argenpress.info/2009/12/emiratos-arabes-unidos-reduciran.html

RIA NOVOSTI

Los Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU) reducirán en un 10%-15% las exportaciones de petróleo desde cuatro yacimientos en febrero próximo, informó la Petrolera Nacional de Abu Dhabi (ADNOC), citada hoy por el diario The National.

Según los datos del tabloide, EAU reducirán las exportaciones de petróleo en unos 435.000 barriles diarios aproximadamente, mientras que a finales de 2009 el país extraía 2,85 millones de barriles al día.

The National atribuye la reducción de exportaciones en febrero próximo a la disminución temporal de la demanda mundial de petróleo en el segundo trimestre de 2010.

No obstante, como la ADNOC no publica regularmente informes sobre extracción de petróleo, los cálculos citados no son exactos.

HRW: «The Island of Happiness» – Exploitation of Migrant Workers on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi

 

MAY 19, 2009

PREVIOUS 

«The Island of Happiness»SummaryRecommendationsMethodologyThe Exploitation of Foreign Workers on Saadiyat …Obligations of UAE Authorities under …Acknowledgments

NEXT

Summary

Saadiyat Island, in the Arabian Gulf, lies 500 meters off the coast of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates. Today, the triangular, 27 square kilometer island consists primarily of sand and mangrove swamp. Within a decade, if a $22 to 27 billion development plan goes according to schedule, the island will host six cultural institutions, including outposts of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums; a museum dedicated to Abu Dhabi’s heritage and the UAE’s first president, Sheikh Zayed; a Maritime Museum; a performing arts center; and a campus of New York University. It will also include two golf courses, expensive private residences, a marina, and 29 hotels. The first of these institutions scheduled to begin construction is the Louvre, which will break ground in May 2009, with the Guggenheim and the Sheikh Zayed museum to follow.

The government of Abu Dhabi established the Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) to develop Jazeera al-Saadiyat – «the Island of Happiness» – into an exclusive international tourist attraction. But many of the migrant workers currently building Saadiyat Island have little happiness in their lives or work: they continue to face the same types of exploitation and abuse Human Rights Watch documented in the UAE in our 2006 report, Building Towers, Cheating Workers.

The UAE government has addressed a number of issues affecting the lives of migrant workers, including attempts to improve housing conditions and access to health care. And TDIC also has sought to ensure that its contractors address some of these issues as well, by contractually requiring employers to affirm that they do not engage in or support the use of forced labor, require employees to surrender passports, or withhold wages from employees. Despite these affirmations, abuses continue, as the reforms have failed to address the fundamental sources of worker exploitation – employee-paid recruiting fees; visas controlled by employers; very low wages often far below what was promised workers in their home countries; and restrictions on organizing and no real access to legal remedies. As a result, the abuse of workers remains commonplace.

The Guggenheim Museum, the French Museum Agency (which is overseeing the development of the Abu Dhabi Louvre), New York University, and other institutions have failed to take adequate steps to avoid the same abuses on their own workplaces. These institutions should obtain enforceable guarantees from their UAE development partners that the construction of their facilities in Abu Dhabi – whether bearing their name or actually run by them – will not involve abuse of migrant workers.

 

http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2009/05/18/island-happiness-0

UAE: Exploited Workers Building ‘Island of Happiness’

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Guggenheim, Louvre, New York University, Other Projects Should Protect Workers from Abuses by Labor Agencies, Construction Firms

May 19, 2009

(Abu Dhabi) – Thousands of South Asian migrant workers building a US$27 billion island development in the United Arab Emirates face severe exploitation and abuse, in some cases amounting to forced labor, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Labor-supply agencies, construction companies, and repressive laws are responsible for the abuse.

The 80-page report, «‘The Island of Happiness’: Exploitation of Migrant Workers on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi,» found that while the UAE government has moved to improve housing conditions and ensure the timely payment of wages in recent years, many labor abuses remain commonplace. International institutions planning to open branches on the island – including the Guggenheim, New York University (NYU), and the French Museum Agency (responsible for the Louvre Abu Dhabi) – should urgently obtain enforceable contractual guarantees that construction companies will protect workers’ fundamental rights on their projects, Human Rights Watch said.

«These international institutions need to show that they will not tolerate or benefit from the gross exploitation of these migrant workers,» said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. «The vague assurances they’ve received from their development partners are hollow substitutes for firm contractual agreements that their projects will be different from business as usual in Abu Dhabi.»

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, hopes to turn Saadiyat Island (the «island of happiness») into an international tourist destination. The low-lying island will have four museums and a performing arts center designed by world-renowned architectural firms – including Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Foster and Partners, and Gehry Partners – as well as a campus of New York University, golf courses, hotels, and expensive residences.

Workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other South Asian countries have been building the island’s infrastructure since Abu Dhabi formed the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) to oversee the project in 2005. On May 27, 2009, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The museum is expected to open in 2013.

Based on interviews with migrant workers, and meetings with UAE and French government officials, as well as officers of international institutions and corporations with projects on the island, the Human Rights Watch report documents a cycle of abuse that leaves migrant workers deeply indebted, badly paid, and unable to stand up for their rights or even quit their jobs.

The UAE government and the authorities responsible for developing Saadiyat Island have failed to tackle the root causes of worker abuse: unlawful recruiting fees, broken promises of wages, and a sponsorship system that gives an employer virtually complete power over his workers.

To obtain the visas needed to work in the UAE, nearly all workers Human Rights Watch interviewed on Saadiyat Island paid hefty fees to «labor-supply agencies» in their home countries that are contracted to supply workers to construction companies in the UAE. Because the agencies promised good terms of employment in the UAE, many workers sold their homes or land or borrowed money at high rates of interest to pay the agencies’ fees. Upon arrival in the UAE, the indebted workers – many of whom are illiterate – are required to sign contracts with the construction companies on much worse terms than they had been promised back home. Workers have virtually no recourse against the agencies that cheated them with false promises of good wages and exploitative recruiting fees.

UAE laws prohibit agencies from charging workers such fees. The agencies are supposed to charge the companies, but the law is not enforced. Further, there are no penalties if companies, pursuing their own financial interests, knowingly work with agencies that make workers pay the fees.

Workers face the choice of quitting their jobs while still owing thousands of dollars for the unlawful recruiting fees, or continuing to work in exploitative conditions. Virtually all complained of low pay and poor-quality healthcare. Nor can workers effectively demand better pay or living conditions, because UAE laws do not protect the basic rights to form unions, bargain collectively, or strike. Instead, the UAE’s «sponsorship» system gives employers nearly absolute control over the workers’ lawful employment and presence in the country, with visas tied to individual employers. All workers said that when they arrived in the UAE, their employers had confiscated their passports. Employers can move to revoke the visa of a worker who quits, leading to deportation.

Some workers reported conditions that amount to forced labor: their employer threatened to fine them heavily if they tried to quit before they had worked for two years, which effectively confined them to the «island of happiness.» Workers are generally not aware of their rights and are afraid of expressing grievances, and independent and effective monitoring is lacking.

«The museums and NYU should insist that their local development partners guarantee workers’ basic rights, which at minimum should include reimbursement for unlawful recruiting fees, official contracts in their native language signed prior to their arrival, and the right to strike and bargain collectively,» said Whitson. «And they should insist on independent third-party monitoring of their projects, and impose meaningful penalties for violations.»

Research on Saadiyat Island did show that authorities have taken some positive steps. Although workers’ accommodations were still under construction when Human Rights Watch visited the island, they appeared to be relatively hygienic and not overcrowded. TDIC, the government-owned company overseeing the island’s development, has sought contractual guarantees from construction companies that they will not confiscate workers’ passports, use forced labor, or commit other abuses.

Human Rights Watch contacted the construction companies, architectural firms, and international institutions working on the island to alert them to the need to take steps to ensure workers on their projects are not abused. Many did not reply to our letters. Among the Guggenheim, New York University, and the French Museum Agency (responsible for the Louvre Abu Dhabi project), only the Agency has taken any steps to seek meaningful contractual guarantees from TDIC to allow independent monitoring of workers’ rights, but even the Agency’s contract lacks guarantees or provisions allowing it to enforce workers’ rights.

Capacidad y amenazas nucleares de Israel – por los Estados miembros de la Liga de los Estados Arabes

http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC50/GC50Documents/Spanish/gc50-17_sp.pdf

Capacidades y amenaza nucleares de Israel,  presentado por los Estados miembros de
la Liga de los Estados Árabes
1. Desde hace varios años, en el orden del día de la Conferencia General del Organismo
Internacional de Energía Atómica figura un punto relativo a las capacidades y amenaza nucleares de
Israel, y la Conferencia ha aprobado en repetidas ocasiones resoluciones que exhortan a Israel a que
someta sus instalaciones nucleares a las salvaguardias del Organismo.

En 1992, la Conferencia hizo suya la declaración del Presidente, en la que, entre otras cosas, se decía
lo siguiente: “… habida cuenta del proceso de paz ya en marcha en el Oriente Medio, encaminado a
alcanzar una paz justa y amplia en la región, lo que incluye, en particular, debates sobre el
establecimiento de una zona libre de armas nucleares en el Oriente Medio, no sería conveniente
examinar ese punto del orden del día durante la trigésima sexta reunión ordinaria”.

2. Las políticas del actual Gobierno de Israel han obstruido el proceso de paz en el Oriente Medio
y todas las iniciativas encaminadas a liberar a la región del Oriente Medio de las armas de destrucción

en masa y, en particular de las armas nucleares, han fracasado.

3. En mayo de 1995, la Conferencia de las Partes encargada del examen y la prórroga del Tratado
sobre la no proliferación de las armas nucleares aprobó una resolución sobre el Oriente Medio en la
que se expresa la preocupación de los Estados Partes en el Tratado ante la peligrosa situación del
Oriente Medio derivada de la presencia en la región de actividades nucleares no sometidas a las
salvaguardias del OIEA, lo que pone en peligro la paz y la seguridad regionales e internacionales.

4. En mayo de 2000, la sexta Conferencia de Examen de las Partes en el Tratado sobre la no
proliferación de las armas nucleares, que examinó las novedades habidas en la aplicación de la
resolución relativa al Oriente Medio aprobada en la Conferencia de Examen anterior, adoptó un
Documento Final en el que, entre otras cosas, se pedía a Israel que se adhiriera al TNP lo antes posible
y se acogía con agrado la adhesión al Tratado de algunos países árabes durante el período de 1995
a 2000, destacándose que Israel seguía siendo el único país de la región que no se había adherido al
Tratado. La Conferencia reafirmó la importancia de que Israel se adhiriera al TNP y sometiera todas
sus instalaciones nucleares a las salvaguardias amplias del OIEA, para alcanzar la meta de la adhesión
universal al Tratado en el Oriente Medio.

5. En 1997, los Estados Miembros del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica reforzaron su
control de las actividades nucleares mediante la aprobación por la Junta de Gobernadores del Modelo
de protocolo adicional para el fortalecimiento de la eficacia y el aumento de la eficiencia del sistema
de salvaguardias, con respecto a los Estados que han concertado acuerdos de salvaguardias amplias,
con el fin de garantizar la ausencia de actividades o instalaciones nucleares no declaradas.

6. Los Estados árabes han demostrado siempre su disposición a adoptar medidas prácticas para la
creación en el Oriente Medio de una zona libre de armas nucleares, químicas y biológicas de destrucción
en masa, y a abstenerse de adoptar cualquier medida que pueda entorpecer el logro de ese fin.

7. Aunque todos los Estados árabes se han adherido al Tratado sobre la no proliferación de las
armas nucleares, Israel sigue desafiando a la comunidad internacional al negarse a ser parte en el
Tratado o a someter sus instalaciones nucleares al sistema de salvaguardias amplias del Organismo,
exponiendo así a la región al peligro nuclear y amenazando la paz. Es probable que la posesión de
armas nucleares por parte de Israel conduzca a una carrera de armas nucleares destructivas en la
región, especialmente si las instalaciones nucleares israelíes permanecen al margen de todo control
internacional.

8. En la opinión consultiva emitida por la Corte Internacional de Justicia en julio de 1996 sobre la
legalidad de la amenaza o de la utilización de armas nucleares se destacó que todos los Estados tenían
la obligación de proseguir de buena fe y llevar a su conclusión las negociaciones encaminadas al
desarme nuclear en todos sus aspectos, bajo un control internacional estricto y eficaz.

9. En el orden del día de la cuadragésima segunda, cuadragésima tercera, cuadragésima cuarta,
cuadragésima quinta, cuadragésima sexta, cuadragésima séptima, cuadragésima octava
y cuadragésima novena reuniones de la Conferencia General del Organismo (septiembre de 1998,
de 1999, de 2000, de 2001, de 2002, de 2003, de 2004 y de 2005) volvió a inscribirse, a petición de
varios Estados Miembros, un punto titulado “Capacidades y amenaza nucleares de Israel”. En una
sesión plenaria de su cuadragésima novena reunión celebrada en septiembre de 2005, la Conferencia
General del Organismo refrendó la siguiente declaración del Presidente:

“La Conferencia General recuerda la declaración formulada por el Presidente de la 36a reunión
ordinaria de 1992 sobre el punto del orden del día titulado “Capacidades y amenaza nucleares de
Israel”. Dicha declaración consideraba conveniente no examinar ese punto del orden del día en la 37a
reunión.

La Conferencia General recuerda igualmente la declaración formulada por el Presidente de la
43a reunión de 1999 sobre el mismo punto del orden del día. En las 44a, 45a, 46ª, 47a, 48ª y 49ª
reuniones, este punto se inscribió nuevamente en el orden del día a petición de ciertos Estados
Miembros. El tema fue examinado.

Varios Estados Miembros pidieron que este punto fuera incluido en el orden del día provisional
de la 50ª reunión ordinaria de la Conferencia General.”

Se invita a todos los Estados Miembros del Organismo a que cooperen con el fin de poner
remedio a esta situación derivada del hecho de que únicamente Israel posee capacidades nucleares que
no han sido declaradas y no se hallan sometidas a control internacional y que constituyen una amenaza
permanente para la paz y seguridad de la región.

La Conferencia General del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica debe adoptar las
medidas apropiadas para lograr que Israel someta todas sus instalaciones nucleares a las salvaguardias
del Organismo y se adhiera al Tratado sobre la no proliferación de las armas nucleares.
Se adjunta una lista de algunas resoluciones internacionales sobre este tema.

Diversas resoluciones aprobadas por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas y la
Conferencia General del Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica exhortan a Israel a someter
todas sus instalaciones nucleares a las salvaguardias del Organismo y a adherirse al Tratado sobre la
no proliferación de las armas nucleares. Entre ellas figuran las siguientes:

(…)

http://www.iaea.org/About/Policy/GC/GC50/GC50Documents/Spanish/gc50-17_sp.pdf