Rape is one of the primary reasons that Syrian refugees say they fled their country, “a significant and disturbing feature” of the war raging between rebels and Syrian government forces, the International Rescue Committee said Monday. In a new report based on hundreds of interviews in Jordan and Lebanon, the assistance group said refugees recounted […]
Syrian Army Accused of Vicious, Systematic Rape
She speaks haltingly. Telling the story isn’t easy for the 38-year-old Syrian Sunni Muslim, and she won’t be explicit about the physical details that suggest her friend had been raped before dying. Coaxed by her husband, and with her 4-year-old daughter fidgeting by her side, Saima talks quietly of the slaughter of her husband’s first […]
Kafa fighting to protect women from rape and abuse in Lebanon
For 25 years Sahar has been living in fear. From the beginning of her relationship with her husband, she knew something was very wrong. He was intensely jealous, self-centred and would lash out at her for no apparent reason. He and her family refused to let her end the relationship, however. She felt trapped and […]
Honor crimes and marital rape targets of new legislation in Lebanon
Proposed amendments to a draft law on gender violence in Lebanon have sparked demands from civil society organizations that parliament uphold an original draft criminalizing “honor crimes”, marital rape and other abuses.
Female bodyguards say Gaddafi and sons raped them
Five women who were part of Muammar Gaddafi’s elite team of female bodyguards have reportedly claimed they were raped by the deposed Libyan leader.
Gaddafi troops raping, issued Viagra , report
The U.S. envoy to the United Nations told the Security Council on Thursday that troops loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were increasingly engaging in sexual violence and some had been issued the impotency drug Viagra, diplomats said.
Libyan FM defects
Britain’s foreign ministry has said that Moussa Koussa, Libya’s foreign minister, has arrived in the UK and is resigning from his post.
Libya: Gaddafi forces fight back
THE multinational coalition executing air strikes against forces loyal to the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, appears to have paved the way for a new rebel front by bombing positions near a rural stretch along the country’s western border.
Libyan rebels: ‘We’re civilized and educated not al-Qaeda’
Until three weeks ago, Gabail Hamad was an engineer for Libya Air. “Look at me, I’m dressed like an imam,” said Hamad, 45, who was wearing a long robe and a white lace prayer hat called a taqiyah. Hamad stood amid dozens of 5-inch artillery shells in Brega, where he was fighting for the rebels […]
Tanks, rockets drive back Libyan rebels from Gadhafi’s hometown
Libyan government tanks and rockets have driven back rebels who attempted an assault on Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte. Opposition fighters fleeing in a panicked scramble pleaded for international airstrikes that never came.