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Contemporary Issues in Human Rights This weekly electronic newsletter is researched and written by students in Professor Rachel Taylor's Contemporary Issues in Human Rights class. The contributors read widely in their areas of focus and choose the week's most important human rights stories to highlight. Information in the write-ups comes from the sources provided and has not been independently verified.
April 11 , 2007
Minority Rights | Counterterrorism and Human Rights | Freedom of Expression Migration and Human Rights | Human Rights Defenders | Corporations and Human Rights Human Trafficking |International Criminal Law | UN Human Rights Mechanisms Women's Rights | Human Rights in Europe | Human Rights in the Middle East Human Rights in Africa | Human Rights in the Americas | Human Rights in Asia
Thematic Roundup
by Tiphanie Miller
Four Serbian Paramilitaries Jailed for Involvement in Srebrenica Massacre A special Serbian war crimes court, established in 2003 to deal with crimes referred by the ICTY to the Serbian government, found four former Serb paramilitary police officers guilty of war crimes committed during the massacre in Srebrenica, Bosnia, in 1995. Approximately 8,000 Muslim men and boys were executed in this massacre. The four former paramilitaries had been filmed shooting six young Muslim Bosnians, and the airing of this tape, also played during the trial of Slobodan Milosevic at ICTY in 2005, altered the beliefs of many Serbians that any casualties inflicted by their side during the conflict were due to battle. This was the first major trial in Serbia dealing with the aftermath of the massacre. (See news stories from the BBC and the Times Online, and a related article from the BBC about the International Court of Justice decision concerning Serbia's responsibility for not preventing the Srebrenica massacre.) UN Secretary-General Calls for “Global Partnership Against Genocide” Thirteen years after the Rwandan genocide, which left 800,000 people dead, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a “global partnership against genocide” and pledged to strengthen UN mechanisms that can aid in the future prevention of genocide. Ban said that protecting populations from genocide was both a collective and individual responsibility, especially when governments are unwilling to protect their own people. According to Ban, the post of UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide will be upgraded to a permanent position, and the UN Advisory Committee on Genocide Prevention will be given more support. (See this story from the United Nations, and the Secretary-General's statement.) Ethnic Arab Refugees Face Persecution if Forced to Leave Syria Six Iranian refugees of Arabian ethnicity are being held in Syria, and Human Rights First has called upon the government of Syria to release the refugees, or state some basis for continuing to hold them. Human Rights Watch fears that these refugees will be sent back to Iran, where they will face persecution, like four refugees Syria sent back last year, who are now in prison and at risk for execution. Syrian human rights organizations monitoring the situation have been unable to determine the reasons for the arrests, the conditions of the detainees, or what the authorities plan to do with the six men. (See this press release from Human Rights Watch.)
Counterterrorism and Human Rights by Joseph Sant Hunger Strike at Guantanamo Over New Camp Conditions UK Resident Freed from Guantanamo Retired U.S. Generals and Admirals will Meet with Presidential Candidates to Discuss U.S. Detention and Interrogation Policies A gathering of retired U.S. military officers and present presidential candidates is scheduled for April 13-15 at Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, NH. All candidates who have announced their candidacy were invited to attend this nonpartisan event. The event is chaired by retired four-star military officers including Gen. Paul J. Kern, who conducted official investigations into events surrounding Abu Ghraib. The gathering will feature private sessions between candidates and military experts on issues of interrogation, detention, and detainee treatment. (See this alert from Human Rights First.)
by Kartik Sharma Thailand Embarks on Censorship Spree Bangkok: The Thai government has banned the popular political chat site Pantip.com for unspecified offenses of “compromising national security.” Other sites such as Prachatai and Mthai have been ordered to closely monitor and censor their pages for postings that might violate national security or lèse majesté laws. This move follows other repressive fiats such as banning the entire Youtube site over a single video clip that mocked the Thai King, as well as censorship of a new satellite TV station set up by supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin. The military-appointed National Parliament is also considering a new computer-crimes bill, which, if passed, will have a significant negative impact on free expression on the internet. (See Thaisnews.com for the government's position, and news coverage from the Associated Press and the Bangkok Post.) Turkey to Prosecute 56 Mayors for Supporting Kurdish Satellite Channel Ankara: Unsuccessful in its efforts to shut down Roj TV, a pro-Kurdish satellite channel that is broadcast from Denmark, Turkey has now turned its wrath on the 56 mayors who sent a joint letter to the Danish PM, asking him to reject Turkish demands to close down the channel. The mayors, most of whom belong to the pro-Kurdish DTP party, are charged with “voluntarily assisting a terrorist organization” and face up to 15 years in jail if convicted. Turkey asserts that Roj TV has links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has previously successfully petitioned Britain and France to revoke the licenses of similar TV channels. (See this news article from Today's Zaman and this alert from IFEX.) Egyptian Bloggers Detained on “Insult” and “Defamation” Charges Alexandria: The Chief Judge of the Alexandria Court of Appeals has initiated a court action accusing the executive director of the human rights NGO HRinfo, and two bloggers, of insulting and defaming Egypt and the Office of the President. The men were detained for over ten hours by the police for questioning and “procedures” following Judge Mourad’s allegations. The Judge has previously attempted to block 26 websites and blogs including that of HRinfo, a decision that is still pending before the State Council Court. Judge Mourad had been criticized by HRinfo for distorting and republishing large portions of a HRinfo report on internet freedom without permission. (See this report from IFEX and this news story from AllAfrica.com.)
by Sunil Varghese Zimbabwe Refugees Having Trouble Finding Asylum The dictatorial rule of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe has led to a mass exodus of educated refugees who face economic persecution and violence if they remain. However, those that flee to neighboring South Africa often fall victim to xenophobia and exploitation. The South African government itself has deported tens of thousands of refugees back to Zimbabwe. According to a recently-released statistical report, of the 19,000 asylum petitions from Zimbabweans in 2006, only 103 were granted refugee status. South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Refugees, which mandates that the asylum petitioners have a right to remain in South Africa while their applications for refugee status are being processed. It also dictates that the asylum seekers have a right to return to a "safe" country if denied their claim for refugee status. (See these articles from the Sunday Times and the IOL.) Authorities Arrest Rwandan Genocide Suspect Who Sought Asylum in Finland According to a report by the International Federation for Human Rights and the Redress Trust anti-torture group, there are 93 Rwandan genocide suspects living abroad with 37 having migrated to European countries. These NGOs advocate stricter immigration policies to ensure that migrants have not been involved in international crimes. The Rwandan suspect, whose name has not been released, applied for asylum in Finland in 2003. The police have been investigating the situation for months. (See this press release from Redress, and these news articles from Reuters, the BBC, Rwanda Information Exchange, the Sunday Times, and the International Herald Tribune.) U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals Rules that North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 Does Not Apply to North Koreans Who Have Sought Asylum in South Korea The North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 was intended to help North Koreans obtain official refugee status as political asylees in the United States. Last week the Board of Immigration Appeals held that the Act did not include North Koreans who had already settled in South Korea. A lower Los Angeles immigration court had earlier granted asylum to North Korean refugees who had previously been living in South Korea. (See this wikipedia entry on the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 and this article from the Korea Times.)
by Venir Cuyco Iranian Women’s Human Rights Defenders Arrested On April 2, Iran arrested and detained women human rights defenders who were collecting signatures in support of a petition to reform laws that discriminate against women, accusing them of “actions against national security.” Mahboubeh Hossein Zadeh and Nahid Keshavarz, members of the One Million Signatures Campaign, an organization that seeks to educate women in Iran about their rights and reform discriminatory laws, were charged with the offense after refusing to sign an agreement to end their advocacy for women’s rights. Nahid, a sociologist, is a member of the Women’s Cultural Center and a frequent contributor to its publication and other publications. Mahboubeh is a journalist and member of the Iran CSOs Training and Research Center, which was recently shut down by Iranian Security Forces. Three other members of the campaign were similarly arrested but released after a day’s detention. Last month, 33 women who were demonstrating peacefully in front of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran were also arrested and jailed. They were made to pay high bail as a condition for their release. In the past year, Iranian authorities have prevented or broken up peaceful public gatherings organized by women’s rights advocates. (See these media alerts from Human Rights First, Women's Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace, and Front Line; for more details see Weforchange.net.) Tribal Rights Defender Killed in Bangladesh Chalesh Ritchil, a Bangladesh-based Garo tribal rights defender, was reportedly killed after being tortured by Bangladeshi law enforcement forces. Ritchil was leading a campaign against the construction of an eco-park, which will lead to the displacement of 25,000 Garos and Khasis who have been living in the area for more than three centuries. He was arrested by law enforcement personnel on March 18 and his dead body was handed over to his family the next day. The Asian Center for Human Rights (ACHR) reported that the following torture marks were found on Ritchil’s dead body: eyes plucked, testicles removed, anus mutilated, palms smashed, and several fingernails missing. On April 4, thousands of tribal people in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya staged demonstrations to protest the killing. For its part, ACHR called upon delegates to the 14th Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) held on April 2 to ask Bangladesh to investigate the killing and prosecute its perpetrators. (See the Asian Center for Human Rights’ urgent call to action and the Asian Center for Human Rights' report on the tribes people’s protest; see also this news article from The Telegraph.) Impending Verdict in Prominent Syrian Human Rights Defender’s Trial The verdict in the trial of Anwar al-Bunni, a prominent Syrian human rights lawyer, is expected on April 24, 2007. Al-Bunni is a member of the Human Rights Association in Syria and a vocal advocate for detainees’ and Kurdish rights. He was arrested last May along with nine others for signing the “Damascus-Beirut Declaration,” a petition for Syria to improve its relations with Lebanon. He is charged with “spreading false or exaggerated news that could weaken the nation’s morale, affiliating with an unlicensed political association that has an international nature, discrediting the state’s institutions and public administration, and contacting a foreign country.” One of the charges pertains to his brief tenure as Director of an EU-funded NGO established to carry out human rights training in Syria. The NGO was closed down by Syrian authorities in March 2006 even before it could start operations. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison. He has been arrested several times for his advocacy of democratic reforms and human rights in Syria. (See this article from the International Herald Tribune and this report by Human Rights First on the situation of human rights defenders in Syria; see also the Syrian Human Rights Committee’s call for urgent action last year.)
by Eric Rahn The Threat of Enforcement: Canada Moves Closer to Adopting Binding Human Rights Standards for Firms Involved in Mining Operations Abroad A report recently released by a coalition of business and government representatives, as well as representatives from academia, organized labor, and investors groups, called upon the Canadian government to adopt binding standards to govern the operations of Canadian mining companies involved in foreign projects. The Advisory Group was formed in response to a public outcry which has, in recent years, focused international concern upon the human rights violations and environmental problems that frequently accompany mining operations undertaken by multinational corporations. Canadian firms have financial interests in over 8,000 properties being mined in over 100 countries; 60% of the world’s public mining companies are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Speaking of the economic power of those firms, Tony Andrews, Executive Director of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, stated, “Their activities can help to create new economic opportunities in the developing world. However, it is equally important that they continually improve their performance in line with corporate social responsibility expectations.” The Canadian government must still act upon the recommendations – which include enforcement mechanisms such as the withdrawal of all financial support from offending firms – to make them binding. (See the MiningWatch Canada release and the Montreal Gazette story.) International and Non-Governmental Organizations: Amnesty International Grows Increasingly Concerned about Child Labor on West African Cocoa Farms Amnesty International is calling for a renewed effort to check the use of forced child labor in the cocoa industry, on the heels of a BBC special investigation that found evidence of its continued existence. The findings are particularly alarming in light of the fact that the global chocolate industry has been operating under the voluntary Cocoa Protocol, an agreement that set forth several discreet steps to remedy the child labor problems, since 2001. Notwithstanding that agreement – and the fact that, under the agreement, monitoring is supposed to be carried out – the BBC investigation found children as young as 10 being forced to forgo school in favor of working in the cocoa farms as forced laborers. “Voluntary initiatives like the Cocoa Protocol are only as good as their implementation,” said Benedetta Lacey, Business and Human Rights Programme Manager at Amnesty UK. “If the chocolate industry continues to fail to live up to its promises, this will only serve to strengthen the call for tougher measures on all companies to ensure respect for human rights.” The global market in cocoa is worth $5.1 billion per year. (See this press release from Amnesty UK and this news story from the BBC.) Furthering a Human Rights Culture: Report Finds an Ongoing Change in the “Paradigm” of Business Success The consulting firm Lifeworth recently released its review of 2006, finding that the predominant view of business and the social responsibilities thereof are continuing to change – and for the better. The report found that, for the first time, developed nations have reached a “tipping point” on climate change, with a majority of people recognizing the gravity of the problem. The developing world is also increasingly recognizing the importance of promoting sustainable economic development and, importantly, investors and financiers are recognizing that their fiduciary responsibilities are being reshaped by environmental and sustainability concerns. Professor Michael Powell, in the foreword, concludes that these recent developments “illustrate[] well how many assumptions and values in society are shifting as the scale and urgency of the challenges we face finally sinks in.” (See the CSRWire story and the Lifeworth review.)
by Sarah Yeomans Cambodia Launches National Task Force Against Human Trafficking Human Trafficking on the Rise in Vietnam United Arab Emirates Sets up Anti-Human Trafficking Committee by Xander A. Meise Two of this week’s updates question the effectiveness of the international criminal system and one elucidates alleged war crimes in Somalia.
EU As War Criminal? EU Official Warns That It Could Be Found Complicit in Somalia War Crimes In a leaked email between a European Union (EU) security official and the head of the EU delegation to Kenya and Somalia, the official warned that because donor countries and coalitions such as the EU have done “nothing” to stop certain alleged war crimes in Somalia, they could be found “complicit” in a future legal proceeding. The EU official explained that there were “strong grounds to believe that the Ethiopian government and the transitional federal government of Somalia and the African Union [peacekeeping] Force Commander, possibly also including the African Union Head of Mission and other African Union officials, have through commission or omission, violated the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court”; he went on to describe the alleged violations in detail. The EU head of mission said he forwarded the official’s email to headquarters for legal review. Following the email’s public release, Ethiopian officials denied the allegations. Some have since speculated that an April 3rd official statement denouncing “the humanitarian impact of the conflict” in Somalia and “indiscriminate shelling” might “absolve the EU from failing to act to stop the alleged war crimes.” The matter is far from clear. (See this story from the AP, and this story from AlJazeera, which has additional details about the email and addresses the Ethiopian mission expansion.) Questions Arise About Genocide Case Against Serbia at ICJ – Was Crucial Evidence Hidden? Lawyers and others involved in preparing evidentiary documents for the ICTY as part of Slobodan Milosevic’s trial now admit that the public record of those documents was missing incriminating information relevant to Bosnia’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) suit against Serbia alleging genocide. Those involved in preparing the documents for the Milosevic trial admit that Belgrade made its “objections clear” that it wanted to “keep the full military archives from the [ICJ]” and the Bosnian suit. As a result, incriminating information was redacted from the versions of the documents to which the ICJ had access. Lawyers, scholars, and human rights advocates are frustrated that ICJ did not use its subpoena power to obtain un-redacted versions of the relevant documents. Lawyers speculate that the outcome of the Bosnian genocide suit at the ICJ “might well have been different” had the ICJ had access to full records. In the final ICJ opinion on the case, two of the dissenting judges criticized the Court for that very failure. (Scholars and specialized media sources, such as IWPR, raised the subpoena issue shortly after the ICJ announced its verdict, but this NY Times article marks its introduction into the mainstream western press. See also this article from The Hague Justice Portal, in which a Dutch professor of military law and public international law comments on the significance of the ICJ’s decision in the Bosnian genocide case.) Ramush Haradinaj – Balkan Peace Savior or War Criminal? A New York Times (NYT) article this week drew an international spotlight to the trial of Ramush Haradinaj, former Prime Minister of Kosovo and former guerilla military commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). His trial began last month at the ICTY, but the accompanying investigation, indictment, and trial process have been allegedly tainted by suspicious activity and mysterious deaths. The NYT article outlines Haradinaj’s alleged crimes and traces some of the suspicious events surrounding the case, such as the shooting deaths of the lead witness and his nephew during the investigation, and the hit-and-run death of another witness just two weeks before trial. The alleged taint of this case has pitted ICTY prosecutors against career diplomats and UN officials. The latter saw Haradinaj as an essential facilitator to the Balkan peace process after Serbia’s increased activities in Kosovo, and even negotiated for his provisional release after he was indicted, so that he could continue his activities as Kosovo’s prime minister (he is the only ICTY indictee who has been permitted provisional release in order to return to active politics). Some have suggested that Haradinaj’s perceived preferential treatment brings the fairness of the ICTY process into question and at a minimum his perceived special status intimidates witnesses testifying against him. A political adviser to the ICTY prosecutor was quoted as saying, “There was a general atmosphere of intimidation; [the UN] did nothing to change this atmosphere.” The article also quotes ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte describing the trial as “a prosecution that some did not want to see brought, and that few supported by their cooperation at both the international and local level.” (See the New York Times article.) by Andrene Smith Corporate Citizenship Disarmament in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Attacks in Afghanistan by Amy Steiner Eritrea Bans Female Genital Mutilation The Eritrean government has banned female genital mutilation, which aid groups say is currently inflicted upon about 90 percent of the women in Eritrea. Under the new law, people who perform female genital mutilation, provide tools for the procedure, ask for it to be done, or fail to inform the authorities, are subject to jail time or fines. The government is also conducting a campaign to inform people about the painful and dangerous procedure and about the human rights issues involved. The National Union of Eritrean Women is assisting with the educational efforts. According to the president of the organization, “Female genital mutilation is a deep-rooted culture and it needs a persistent continuous effort (to halt it)." (See this article from CNN, and this Voice of America audio report.) Muslim Religious Leaders in Kenya Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation Kenya’s campaign against female genital mutilation is spearheaded by the Muslim Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya. Religious leaders talk about the dangers of the procedure during Friday prayers and educate parents that it is not a requirement in Islam. Activists estimate that 98 percent of women in northeastern Kenya and 32 percent of all women between the ages of 15 and 49 in more than half of Kenya’s districts have undergone female genital mutilation. Kenya has signed the 2005 Maputo Protocol, an African regional document prohibiting female genital mutilation, and banned the practice through legislation. However, the law is difficult to enforce, and the Kenyan government and non-governmental organizations are trying to fight the practice through education campaigns and encouraging alternative rites of passage. (See this article from IRIN and this information on FGM from the World Health Organization.) Female Survivors of the 2004 Asian Tsunami At Heightened Risk of Violence and Impoverishment The 2004 tsunami left over a million people homeless and many people lost their livelihoods. According to a report by 174 organizations that interviewed more than 7,000 women in five countries affected by the tsunami (Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand, India and Somalia), women in the relief camps became more vulnerable to abuse by men after the tsunami destroyed their traditional way of life. These women also face impoverishment and lack of privacy in the camps. The report said that women were seldom consulted in the distribution of relief and men often misused the funds for drinking. In India, the government is allowing hotels to be built on costal land, and poor women from the devastated fishing communities are vulnerable to the rise of sex tourism. The report was released prior to a summit of South Asian leaders in New Delhi in hopes that the governments will provide better protection to female survivors of the tsunami. (See these articles from Reuters AlertNet and Women's E-News.)
Regional Round-up
by Pierre Bernheim Serbia War Crimes Court Condemn Four Serb Paramilitaries Serbia’s first trial stemming from the murders “of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys around Srebrenica” in 1995 has resulted in the condemnation of four former paramilitaries for the killing four young Bosnian Muslims. The leader of the unit and his main accomplice were sentenced to 20 years while two others were condemned to 13 and 5 years in prison in a Serbian court on April 10, 2007. (See this article from the BBC.) Chechnya: New President Accused of Murdering and Kidnapping Civilians Ramzan Kadyrov has been officially inaugurated president of Chechnya. He took power after his father, the former president of Chechnya, was killed in a bombing in May 2004. Mr. Kayrov has just turned 30 and has emerged the most powerful political figure in the country. Mr. Kayrov is officially backed by Russia to govern Chechnya. Human rights groups accuse Mr Kayrov of “stamping his authority on the republic by using a feared private militia, known as the Kadyrovtsy (the Kadyrovites)” reports the BBC. This militia is said to have committed extortion, kidnapping, torture, and summary executions. (See this article from the BBC.) ICTY: Former Soldier Sentenced to 15 Years’ Imprisonment “The International Criminal Court for the Former Yougoslavia has sentenced Dragan Zelenovic, a former Bosnian Serb soldier and mititary policeman to 15 years’ imprisonment for rape and torture Bosnian Muslim women from the Foca municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina” reports the tribunal. (See this ICTY press release.)
Human Rights in the Middle East by Babak Mohassel
On April 5, 2007, Human Rights Watch demanded that the Syrian government release six Iranian ethnic Arab refugees who have been detained without any legal cause. The organization is concerned that these refugees are likely to face forcible return to Iran. Five of the six refugees were recognized by UNHCR as bona fide refugees and all of them were residing legally in Syria. There is a strong likelihood that these men will face persecution if they are returned to Iran. Human Rights Watch reports that Iran has already “sentenced one of them to death in absentia.” To this date, Iran has conducted 12 “known” executions of Arab minorities in its province of Khuzistan. The detainment of these six men is of particularly high concern for human rights organizations since the Syrian government practiced refoulement in the case of four UNHCR-recognized Iranian refugees last year. Although Syria is not a state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and is not legally bound under Article 33 to prohibit expulsion of refugees, the legal principle of non-refoulement is customary international law and obligates Syria not to return these refugees to Iran where their lives and freedom are under threat. (See these releases from Human Rights Watch, World Prout Assembly, and Amnesty International.) Human Rights Education in the Middle East and North Africa Human Rights Education Associates has established a program in the Middle East and North Africa that will provide human rights training for young human rights defenders in these regions. The program focuses on recruiting young individuals who work in the member states of the Arab League. The purpose of this program is to “increase advocacy and monitoring capacity” while “fostering a regional network of human rights advocates.” The program accepted 75 trainees and 30 auditors in December 2006 and will end its first cycle in January 2008. (For more details regarding the program and its education of human rights defenders see the Human Rights Education Associates' website and information about the Human Rights Education Associates' training program.) The Iraq Foundation In the face of the current ongoing crisis in Iraq, the Iraq Foundation, a non-governmental organization promoting human rights and democracy in Iraq, has been engaging in projects that center on human rights awareness and education. Under its Human Rights Education project (HRE) that was launched in 2004, the organization has been conducting various human rights training workshops and targeting Iraq’s civil society. In 2005, the Foundation also established a Human Rights Resource Center (HRRC) at the Ministry of Human Rights in Baghdad containing “hundreds of human rights resources.” In 2006, the HRE “published and distributed 5,000 calendars that included the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to Iraqi ministries, media organizations, non-governmental organizations, and universities across Iraq.” Recently, a new “Human Rights Defenders Network” also came out of the Human Rights Education project. (See the Iraq Foundation's website and information on the Iraq Foundation's Education Project.)
by Meghan C Fennelly This week’s update focuses on human rights developments in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. SOMALIA: The Guardian newspaper (U.K.) reports that the European Commission’s senior security advisor is cautioning that the European Union could be complicit in war crimes for violating the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. A letter seen by the newspaper warned that actions by Ethiopian, Somali, and African Union peacekeeping (Amisom) forces, including attacks on civilians and forcing displacement, could be construed as war crimes. These actions could then expose the E.U. to charges of complicity for its financial assistance of war crimes. The email from the EC official was sent on April 2, after violence in Mogadishu that led to more than 1,000 casualties (according to the BBC) and the displacement of over 124,000 people (according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees). (See this article from the Guardian, this Human Rights Watch press release, and this BBC story.) ETHOPIA: Genocide and treason charges against 111 people arrested in Ethiopia’s election protests have been dropped. Twenty-five individuals—a group consisting largely of journalists—have also been acquitted of all charges after fifteen months in prison. Amnesty International had termed the charges “absurd.” The individuals who remain in prison face charges of attempted overthrow of the government and crimes against the Constitution, and could face up to life in prison or the death penalty. The individuals were arrested in December 2005 after outbreaks of violence following contested general election results. (See these articles from the Associated Press and the BBC.) RWANDA: Rwanda’s former President Pasteur Bizimungu was pardoned on April 6, the thirteenth anniversary of the start of the 1994 genocide. Current President Kagame granted the pardon three years into Bizimungu’s fifteen-year jail sentence; he had been imprisoned for forming a militia, inciting ethnic violence, and embezzlement. President Kagame also made news this week during the genocide commemorations when he criticized the international community for continuing to interfere in Rwanda despite its role in the genocide. Also during the genocide commemorations, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a strengthening of U.N. mechanisms to prevent genocide. (See this Rwanda New Times editorial about the pardon as a “good gesture,” this UN news story on Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's remarks, and this New Times report on President Kagame's remarks.)
by Ingrid Fuentes Human Rights Council Examines Report on Arbitrary Detention On March 27, the Human Rights Council examined the report on arbitrary detention by Chairperson-Rapporteur Leila Zerrougui. Below are some of the Working Group’s major findings.
(See this UN press release describing the report and the Working Group's Country report on Ecuador.)
Former CIA Operative Wanted by Cuba and Venezuela May Be Released Cuba and Venezuela are seeking the extradition of Luis Posada, a former CIA operative who has been accused of bombing a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people in 1976. The United States has refused to release the Venezuelan national to either nation. Currently held in Texas as an illegal immigrant, Mr. Posada is applying for citizenship based on a law granting citizenship to aliens who served honorably in the U.S. military. In a recent development, a federal immigration judge in El Paso ordered his release on bail. Mr. Posada already served a four-year jail sentence in Panama for attempting to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro. (See this article from the BBC, as well as this article from the BBC; see also declassified documents and articles on Mr. Posada from the National Security Archives.) On March 26, Chile’s Supreme Court ruled that journalists must respect the free movement of judicial officials and desist from approaching them without their consent. The ruling was widely condemned as an inappropriate restraint on judicial transparency and accountability. In a letter to the Chief Justice, the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) declared that access to information and transparency are “pillars of participatory, pluralist and democratic systems” and called on the judiciary to resolve disputes with the media through “conversation and training” rather than “regulations or prohibitions.” The Chilean College of Journalists joined in the complaint, describing the ruling as an “attack on the right to inform the public.” The ensuing public outcry bore fruit and on March 30, the Supreme Court declared that the ruling would “not take effect.” (See the IAPA's excerpts of the letter, an IFEX alert about the Supreme Court decision, and an IFEX alert about the decision being rescinded.)
by Woo-Suk Jun
Bangladesh’s government talks about its constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and equal rights for minorities (in Articles 27, 28(1), 29(1), and 29(2)). However, the actual circumstances are very different in Bangladesh. Some people whose religion is not Islam have only two choices: conversion or leaving the country. In addition, Bangladeshi people whose religion is Hindu also may be subject to torture, as well as to severe discrimination in social areas such as jobs, promotions, etc. (See this article from the Asian Tribune.) Sri Lanka: The Plan of the Sri Lankan Government to Strengthen Human Rights Education The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Sri Lanka plans to strengthen the country’s human rights education program. According to the NHRC, it will establish more human rights education units and give children the opportunity to learn about the importance of fundamental rights and human rights. In addition, this plan will also affect the curriculum in Sri Lankan schools. (See these articles from ColomboPage and the Daily News.) Nepal: Is the Situation Beginning to Improve? According to the U.S. State Department annual report, “Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006,” the human rights situation in Nepal has improved considerably. In particular, after the People’s Movement in April and the cease-fire between the Nepali government and Maoists, the human rights circumstances have gotten better. The United States played a very important role in this through political pressure and supporting awareness and advocacy programs. However, there are many human rights problems in Nepal that remain to be solved, such as those involving trafficking in persons, the rights of minorities, extortion, violence, etc. (See this article from the Rising Nepal.)
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