Asylum Seeker Dies During Deportation

Asylum Seeker Dies During Deportation

By Ricardo Zamora

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LONDON, England – Three men have been arrested in connection with the death of an Angolan national during a deportation.  Jimmy Mubenga, 46, died last week shortly after boarding a flight to his home country.  He was flying back subject to deportation orders after his application for asylum in the United Kingdom was denied.

Last Tuesday, Jimmy Mubenga, escorted by three G4S security guards, was put on British Airways flight 77 from Heathrow to Luanda, Angola.  G4S is an international organization specializing in sensitive security operations.  The U.K. contracts G4S to escort deportees to the Home Office.

Shortly after boarding his British Airways flight, a verbal outbreak prompted the guards to forcefully detain Mubenga in his seat. Several witnesses to the detention said that the three security guards who detained Mubenga complained about Mubenga’s breathing throughout the ordeal.

The Guardian reports that witnesses recalled Mubenga being handcuffed and sat between two guards at the rear of the aircraft.  At some point Mubenga began shouting and resisting his deportation and the guards restrained him in his seek despite his shouting “I can’t breathe” until losing consciousness.

Mubenga’s family has called witnesses to come forward with any other information which may assist in the investigation.

“If, as eye-witness report suggest, Mr. Mubenga was complaining of breathing difficulties, questions must be asked as to why help was not called for sooner,” Keith Vaz, chair of the Commons home affairs select committee, said.  “When removing people from the UK, human rights must be fully respected at all times,” he added.

Protests Erupt After Activist’s Murder

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Thousands protested in the streets.  (Photo courtesy of Buenos Aires Herald)
Thousands protested in the streets. (Photo courtesy of Buenos Aires Herald)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Protests erupted nationwide in Argentina after the killing of a young activist.  Mariano Ferreyra, 23, was shot Wednesday while demonstrating with railway workers who demanded better pay and benefits.  At least two others were injured by gunfire, including a 57-year-old woman who is now suffering from a serious head wound.  The gunman is still unidentified.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has denied any government involvement in Ferreyra’s murder.  “Violence must be condemned by everybody,” she said at a rally at the Government House.  “We are all responsible.  I don’t want to live in an Argentina where people leave their houses armed with sticks and weapons.  I’m going to defend every demonstration, but not with sticks or guns.”

The President went on to criticize people who “believe that by repressing they show authority,” saying at another rally:  “Some were looking for a new death in Argentina; as they couldn’t achieve it in democracy, these kinds of violent groups appear.”

Opposition groups have denounced the government, accusing it of covering up the “union bureaucracy” they see as being responsible for Ferreyra’s death.

“Murder cannot be the response to a demand from workers,” Hugo Yasky, a union leader, said Thursday.

Although some members of the police force were present at the railway demonstration where Ferreyra died, no officers are currently under investigation.

On Thursday, widespread protests swept across the country as a backlash to Ferreyra’s death.  Protesters blocked roads and interrupted public transportation after a labor federation called a general strike.

Two airline companies in Argentina—LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas– are also protesting Ferreyra’s death.  Unionists from both airlines said they will stop operations from 12:00-2:00pm (for LAN) and 2:00-3:00pm (for Aerolineas Argentinas).  The protests are expected to increase flight delays.

For more information, please see:

Buenos Aires Herald-‘I don’t want to live in an Argentina where people leave their houses with sticks and guns,’ CFK-21October 2010

Latin American Herald Tribune-Union Member’s Killing Spurs General Strike in Argentina-21 October 2010

Momento24-Airline companies protesting because of the death of Mariano Ferreyra-21 October 2010

Monsters and Critics-Protests in Argentina after activist was killed-21 October 2010

1.3 Million Votes Corrupted in Afghan Elections

David L. Chaplin II
Impunity Watch, Asia

In what was a pivotal test for Afghanistan’s inexperienced democracy spell business as usual. Recent evidence of fraud has presented the questionably elected President Karzai with a stained reputation.

Turnout was 40% amid widespread fraud and voter intimidation
Turnout was 40% amid widespread fraud and voter intimidation

After the devastating announcement on Monday that the Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission released of ballot-box stuffing and bribery have tainted the vote.

Meanwhile, the UN-backed Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission is investigating more than 4,000 formal complaints.

Since then 1.3 million votes of the total of 5.6 million ballots have been cancelled out because of fraud.  That means about 23 percent of the total votes were tossed out, the election commission said Wednesday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged to cut corruption and increase transparency after he was re-elected in August 2009 election that was later deemed fraudulent by the United Nations and other vote-monitoring organizations.

More than 220 candidates are being investigated for fraud in the election, turnout for which was around 40%.

More than 2,500 candidates stood for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament, the Wolesi Jirga. Sixty-eight seats have been set aside for women.

The current parliament is stacked with former warlords and power brokers, and many of the candidates in September’s election have ties to Afghanistan’s old elite.

Final results are not expected before the end of the month once poll investigators finish their work.

“Turnout is around 5,600,000, the valid vote is 4,265,347, and the invalid vote is around 1, 300, 000,” Fazil Ahmad Manawi, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), said on Wednesday.

Deputy chief of election commission, Zekria Barikzai, cautioned that the number of votes thrown out was similar to the votes thrown out in the presidential election which cast Karzai the victor.  “In parliamentary election some of the powerful local people tried to influence the process,” Barikzai said.

Paul Wood, BBC News, said despite the throwing out of 1.3 million votes, there will probably be no rush by the international community to condemn the election.

Ultimately, the poll’s measure of success will be how it affects the stability of the country. There was widespread intimidation during the vote, with Taliban insurgents threatening people not to take part.

Many observers had hoped that the parliamentary elections would show the Afghan government’s commitment to reforming its corrupt bureaucracy.

“These elections will do little to alter Afghanistan’s system of patronage politics, and will certainly not alter the balance of power,” a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

The official said the parliamentary poll represented “politics as usual, just as corrupt and just as violent as last year”.

It is an outcome that NATO and the international community can live with and so these elections will no doubt be judged a success, said Wood.

Afghanistan lacks political parties and parliamentary blocs form according to ethnic or geographical alliances.

Despite weak parties, powerful patronage networks, and entrenched corruption, the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of parliament) acts as a check on the power of President Hamid Karzai.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera English –Afghan officials cancel 1.3m votes – 20 October 2010

BBC – Afghanistan rules 1.3m paralimentary votes are invalid – 20 October 2010

CNN World – More than 20 percent of vote thrown out in Afghan election – 20 October 2010

Media Freedom Suffers in Tajikistan

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan – The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Europe’s primary human rights body criticized the government of Tajikistan on Monday for its mistreatment of independent media in the country.  OSCE representatives announced that the government has failed to comply with its media freedom commitments by “blocking websites, preventing newspapers from printing and launching tax or prosecutorial inspections” against media providers. 

In a statement to the Tajik government, the OSCE urged the government to re-open foreign and internet media sources.  At least three major regional news websites have been shut down since September 29th.  Internet providers were ordered to block certain websites after the Tajik government issued a directive demanding that restrictions be imposed on those media providers which the government deemed to contribute to unrest in the country.  The Tajik government is currently conducting an intense counter-terrorism offensive against Islamic militants in the country.  One internet provided commented “[w]e are trying to objectively report on the unrest in the east but clearly some officials do not like this. “

The OSCE further noted that government pressure has also resulted in the censor of printing houses, several of which have been forced to stop printing independent newspapers.  Although these organizations report that technical failures are to blame for their decision to stop printing certain papers, the OSCE remains unconvinced and believes that the government used threats of tax inspections to coerce printing houses into submission. 

Representatives from the OSCE stressed the importance of free and open media and encouraged the government to “reverse the ongoing deterioration of the media freedom situation in Tajikistan.”  Tajik authorities however, have denied any wrongdoing and argued that national legislation does not prevent the regulation of internet media.  “As for newspaper” stated a government representative “no newspapers were shut down, while the suspension of some of them is due to purely technical problems.”  Despite international pressure, the government remains unpersuaded by the OSCE’s concerns and may take additional steps to censure and regulate media as it continues its fight against militant forces in Tajikistan.    

For more information, please see:

Moscow Times – Tajiks Urged to Stop Attacks on Free Media – 20 Oct. 2010

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty – OSCE Warns Media Pluralism in Tajikistan in Danger – 18 Oct. 2010

Reuters Africa – OSCE Urges Tajikistan to Stop Attacks on Free Media – 18 Oct. 2010

Agence France Presse – Tajikistan Blocks Internet sites Amid Unrest – 11 Oct. 2010

Tibetan students protest Language policy by government


Tibetan students marched against government policy to use Chinese language in class (Photo courtesy of Free Tibet)

By Joseph Juhn
Impunity Watch Report, Asia

BEIJING, China – More than 1,000 Tibetan students marched to protest against unconfirmed government policies to mandate the exclusive use of Chinese language in classes.

The peaceful rally took place in and around Tongren, known as Rebkong in Tibetan, where it has recently witnessed widespread anti-government rioting in the spring of 2008. At the time, scores were arrested and a crackdown waged against Buddhist monasteries, capturing the world’s attention before the Summer Olympics in Beijing that year.

Some monks were to be seen amongst protestors on Tuesday, who, alongside students, shouted “equality of ethnic groups” and “freedom of language,” according to the International Campaign for Tibet. Free Tibet, the London based campaign group, and U.S.-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia estimated the total number of participants at anywhere from 1,000 to 7,000.

Students from half a dozen schools gathered and marched together, chanting slogans against unconfirmed plans to supplant the use of Tibetans.

One of the teachers who also participated in the march said police did not intervene and students were not penalized by school administrators for partaking in the march.

“The students marched peacefully. Their only demand was for continued use of their mother tongue,” he said.

Although ethnic “Han” Chinese consists of more than 95 percent of Chinese population, there are currently 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the government. Tibetans are one of them. Language, among other things, has been an emotional and complicated issue in Tibetan and other ethnic minority areas under Chinese rule.

While the government defends these policies by saying they aim to spur economic growth in the largely poor areas and better integration, many Tibetans fear the development of their areas and the migration of majority Han Chinese to them could destroy their traditional culture and ethnic identity.

The town’s schools use Mandarin and Tibetan alongside each other, and many teachers said there has not been official orders to switch entirely to Chinese. However, they said there are rumors and unconfirmed reports of a planned change in policy, which authorities never clarified.

“The Chinese are enforcing reforms which remind me of the Cultural Revolution,” another teacher said.

“This reform is not only a threat to our mother tongue, but is in direct violation of the Chinese constitution, which is meant to protect our rights.”

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – China: Tibetan Students March To Protest Education Policies – 21 October 2010

BBC News – Tibetan students in China protest over language policy – 20 October 2010

Kansas City – Tibetan students protest use of Chinese in classes – 20 October 2010