14 Sentenced to Death by Egyptian Courts for Sinai Attacks

14 Sentenced to Death by Egyptian Courts for Sinai Attacks

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — Fourteen reportedly militant Islamists’ death sentences were upheld by the Supreme State of Emergency Court on Monday for their part in a deadly attack on a bank and police station. The strike killed an army officer, five policemen, and a civilian in the North Sinai town of Arish last year.  The jihadists were originally sentenced to death on August 14 by a court in Ismailiya, northeast of Cairo. Four men received life sentences for their parts in the attack, while six were acquitted.

A Bedouin man in Sinai investigates the scene of an explosion. (Photo Courtesy of Egypt Independent)

Those who were sentenced belonged to the “Tawhid wal Jihad” (Monotheism and Holy War) organization.  The group was accused of killing 34 people in a series of bombings that were carried out  against tourist resorts in South Sinai in 2004 and 2005.  Ever since the Mubarak era, North Sinai villages have dealt with many issues involving Islamic jihadists who seek an Emirate in Sinai.  After its founders were killed by police following the attack, the group kept a low profile, but experienced a resurgence after President Mubarak was overthrown.

Mohamed Zare’ a human rights lawyer who is also the head of the Arab Organization for Penal Reform, described the ruling as “deterrent, especially because of what is being carried out in Sinai.  It also is proof of fears the country has of Jihadists.”  Zare’ believes that the ruling is proof of the executive and judicial bodies’ awareness of the issues that Sinai currently faces.

Nageh Ibrahim, former fighter who is now an Islamist researcher, agreed with Zare’.  In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said that “[t]his court decision is a milestone.  It gives a strong message to the militant groups that the state, President Mohamed Morsi’s government, will not tolerate attacks on the Egyptian armed forces and police.”

Tarek Abdel-A’al, head of field work for the Egyptian Initiative for Human Rights, disagrees, finding the sentence to be “very harsh,” especially considering the modern trend many countries are following in abandoning the death penalty.

Those convicted blame President Mohamed Morsi for the court’s decision.  After the verdict, one defendant was heard shouting that “Morsi is an infidel and those who follow him are infidels.”

Al Jazeera reported that the Egyptian government and Israel are currently coordinating on a security operation which involves hundreds of Egyptian troops with tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters in a joint operation with police to raid militant hideouts, arrest suspects, and seize weapons.  Yet there is still little information over whether this will be enough to bring Sinai back under government control.

For further information please see:

Al Bawaba — Egypt: Six Islamists to be Executed — 24 September 2012

Al Jazeera — Egypt Upholds Death Penalty in Sinai Attacks — 24 September 2012

Daily News Egypt — Over a Dozen Sentenced to Death for Deadly Attack in North Sinai — 24 September 2012

Egypt Independent — Egypt Condemns 14 to Death for 2011 Sinai Attack — 24 September 2012

Russia Demands Ban on YouTube Over Anti-Islamic Film

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – On the heels of multiple nations banning the Anti-Islamic film, The Innocence of Muslims, the Russian government recently threatened to ban the video-sharing online resource, YouTube, unless the company takes down the extremely controversial film that flared multiple violent protests.

Russia threatens to ban YouTube over controversial Anti-Islamic film. (Photo Courtesy of FoxNews)

On Monday, Russian communications chief, Nikolai Nikiforov, used Twitter to announce that Russia may take the necessary steps to completely block YouTube if they do not agree to the removal of the Anti-Islamic film.

The Russian prosecutor general has already categorized the film to be extremist and desires a court decision to ban it in Russia. However, if a court rules that YouTube is not required to take down the heated film, access to the website will simply be limited.

Russia plans to utilize a controversial new law that allows authorities to block entire websites over offensive content on a single page. Nikolai Nikiforov also wrote on twitter, “It sounds like a joke, but because of this video… all of YouTube could be blocked throughout Russia.”

In fact, various Internet providers through the Russia’s Chechen Republic were already instructed to block YouTube to prevent access to the Anti-Islamic movie mocking the Prophet Muhammad.

One Internet provider in Chechnya, Orange Company, already blocked YouTube. Furthermore, the republic’s prosecutor general officially ordered the three remaining providers, MTS, Megafon and Vympelkom, to block access to YouTube.

Ultimately, Google refused to take down the Anti-Islamic movie all together. However, the Internet company agreed to remove content that violates local laws to “maintain a balance between free speech and censorship.”

A YouTube spokes person states, “We work hard to create a community everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions. This can be a challenge because what’s OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere.”

Rachel Whetstone, Google’s director of global communications and public affairs for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, wrote that Google is not “the arbiter of what does and does not appear on the web”.

Whetstone also states, “We try to take into account local cultures and needs – which vary dramatically around the world – when developing and implementing our global product policies. Dealing with controversial content is one of the biggest challenges we face as a company.”

For further information, please see:

RFE/RL — Internet Providers In Chechnya Instructed To Block YouTube Over Anti-Islam Film – 24 September 2012

BBC – YouTube under new pressure over anti-Muslim film – 19 September 2012

FoxNews — Russia may block YouTube over anti-Islam film – 18 September 2012

Los Angeles Times — More countries push to block YouTube over anti-Islam video – 18 September 2012

$135 Million of Russian Government Money Stolen by the Criminal Group Exposed by Sergei Magnitsky Has Been Found in Eight Different Countries

Press Release
Hermitage Capital

24 September 2012 – After two years of a forensic investigation involving the authorities and courts in four different countries, journalists from Novaya Gazeta and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project have identified where $135 million of the money stolen from the Russian treasury by a criminal group exposed by the murdered lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, ended up.  The money was traced through U.S., Swiss, Moldovan and Russian bank records to accounts in 8 different jurisdictions, 62 offshore accounts and 20 different banks. The money was found in Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Cyprus, Hong Kong and three Baltic republics.

This is the largest single discovery outside of Russia of bank accounts and individuals who were involved in the corrupt conspiracy to steal Russian treasury funds uncovered by late Sergei Magnitsky.

One of the most significant discoveries from this new investigation is documentary evidence showing a link between the funds from the Russian treasury through 10 different banks in 4 different jurisdictions and the accounts at Credit Suisse Private Bank in Zurich of a company belonging to Vladlen Stepanov, ex-husband of former head of Moscow tax office number 28.  The money from this account was shown to have been used to pay for multi-million dollar properties in Dubai for Vladlen Stepanov (http://russian-untouchables.com/rus/docs/D252.pdf) and two officials of the Moscow Tax Office 28 – Olga Tsareva and Elena Anisimova – and their relatives (http://russian-untouchables.com/rus/docs/D247.pdf, http://russian-untouchables.com/rus/docs/D246.pdf).

Another important trail from the stolen treasury funds was a $1,468,023 payment to accounts at UBS in Zurich.  Previous investigations have revealed that $800 million was stolen by the Russian officials and criminals exposed by Sergei Magnitsky using the same scheme during a four-year period of 2006-2010, including $230 million paid in taxes to the Russian government by Hermitage Fund’s Russian companies in 2006.  This money was illegally refunded in one day, on 24 December 2007, under the guise of a “tax refund” by criminals working with Russian tax and Interior Ministry officials. Families of those officials have since been shown to have become rich well in excess of their government salaries.

Hermitage Capital has filed 8 criminal complaints with the prosecutors and police in the eight foreign jurisdictions, alerting them to the stolen funds and asking for the accounts to be frozen and criminal investigations to be opened.  The applications say:

“Our clients have discovered that the funds held at and which moved through these accounts represent a portion of some $800 million in illicit proceeds generated in a criminal scheme involving the theft of funds from the Russian Treasury, as well as proceeds of similar crimes earlier, payments to corrupt Russian officials and members of their families involved in the scheme, and fraud, of which $230 million relates to taxes paid to the Russian Treasury by Hermitage and the Hermitage Fund, as well as to other ongoing criminal activity.”

“Because the Russian authorities have blocked all applications to investigate the money trail and to bring implicated Russian officials to justice, our efforts have been focused on criminal justice opportunities outside Russia,” said a Hermitage Capital representative.

Sergei Magnitsky who uncovered the unprecedented fraud against the Russian people and the Russian state, was arrested by officers he had implicated, tortured and killed in custody. In November 2010, he was posthumously honored by Transparency International with the Integrity Award (http://www.transparency.org/getinvolved/awardwinner/sergei_magnitsky) for his fight against official corruption.

As of now, not a single member of the Russian government has been prosecuted for the theft of the funds or the murder of Sergei Magnitsky.  Earlier, Magnitsky’s former boss, U.S. lawyer Jamison Firestone, filed three applications with the Russian Investigative Committee seeking to open a criminal inquiry into the Russian tax officials who authorized the tax refunds, and into the high-ranking government officials who have been blocking any investigation.   Firestone also filed seven requests to investigate the illicit wealth of the families of tax and police officials implicated in the thefts, and the criminal activities of the Klyuev organized crime group since 2002. The Russian authorities have not opened any probes into anyone named in Firestone’s applications.

 

For further information please contact:

Hermitage Capital
Phone:             +44 207 440 1777
Email:             info@lawandorderinrussia.org
Website:          http://lawandorderinrussia.org
Facebook:       http://on.fb.me/hvIuVI
Twitter:           @KatieFisher__
Livejournal:    //hermitagecap.livejournal.com/

Investigation by Novaya Gazeta here:
http://www.novayagazeta.ru/inquests/53950.html

Investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project:
http://www.reportingproject.net/proxy/en/following-the-magnitsky-money

Child Abuse In Buenos Aires Runs Rampant

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – In a worrying turn of events, a report has surfaced that indicates that about “four out of ten minors” living in public institutions in the province of Beunos Aires, Argentina have suffered from some sort of abuse.

Child Workers in Argentina. (Photo Courtesy of Press TV)

According to documents released by UNICEF Province, “43.7 percent” of  male youths who were housed in homes and similar institutions like foster care were subject to abuse. The report indicates that about 1680 children were subjected to various forms of violence and abuse from their parents, relatives or care takers.

The data, collected by the Unified Statistical Register (REUNA) of the Ministry of Children and Adolescents indicates that the levels of abuse are wide ranging. About 1680 kids out of 3846 investigated and surveyed suffered some sort of violence including “physical psychological, or emotional, sexual abuse or neglect” or a simple lack of basic care.

The report continued that of the remaining 56.3% of children who were placed in homes, 7.9% of these children were abandoned by their parents and another 18.7% were under supervised before being taken from their parents.

9.3% of children and adolescents who had placed into public institutions admitted to having problems with addiction. Another 2% admitted to vulnerable disabilities with their psychopathology.

According to the Ministry of Children and Adolescents, psychological abuse includes “psychological or emotional abuse” and can include “Verbal hostility… insults, ridicule, contempt, criticism or threats of abandonment.

Sebastian Gastelu, the Undersecretary for Promotion and Protection of rights reiterates that “child abuse is a problem of society, regardless of class or any other,” and that this is not just “physical violence and sexual abuse, but also verbal abuse, humiliation and psychological abuse.”

The report was released during the latest meeting of the Interministerial Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Rights held in the city of Junín, in the province of Beunos Aires in Argentina. Pablo Navarro, the Secretary for Children and Adolescents pledges a “strong commitment to direct public policy towards strengthening mechanism for preventing and addressing violence against children.”

Whatever the ultimate solution is, the world is looking towards Argentina with a watchful eye.

This is just the latest in Argentina’s fight with human rights abuses of children. Earlier this year Argentina’s parliament introduced a new bill to fight child labor. Official statistics show that over “450,000 children are forced to work in agriculture, mining and fishing activities and domestic service in Argentina.”

 

For further information, please see:

Aninoticias – Over 40% Of Children Were Abused Housed In Homes – 23 September 2012

Diario Hoy – More Than 43 Percent of Children Living In Homes And Other Institutions Were Abused – 23 September 2012

Impulso baires – Province of Beunos Aires: Four In Ten Children Housed In Foster Abuse Entrants – 23 September 2012

La Nacion – Nearly Half Of Children Were Abused Housed In Homes – 23 September 2012

Press TV – Argentina’s Parliament Passes New Anti-Child Labor Bill – 9 August 2012