Supreme Court of Cambodia Dissolves Opposition Party

By: Brian Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Supreme Court of Cambodia, on Thursday, November 16th, dissolved the main opposition party. The ruling banned the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), a 118-member party, from politics for five years. With elections coming up next year, Cambodia’s highest court eliminated the most viable challenger to the current administration.

Heavy security was present outside the Supreme Court when the ruling was made. Photo courtesy of Tang Chhin Sothy.

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government has alleged that the CNRP has colluded with foreign countries to overthrow the current administration. Mr. Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for 32 years.

The chief judge of the Supreme Court, who is a high-ranking member of the governing party, stated that the opposition party has committed a serious crime and that “the party will be dissolved according to Article 38 of the Law on Political Parties.” The chief judge is also known to be close to Prime Minister Hun Sen. The opposition party is unable to appeal the decision.

In early September, Kem Sokha, leader of the CNRP, was jailed on charges that he conspired with the United States government to overthrow Mr. Hun Sen’s government. He could spend 15-30 years in prison. Moreover, Sam Rainsy, former CNRP leader, fled to France in 2016 after being charged with defamation. Since then, forty-four of the opposition party members have fled Cambodia.

Furthermore, in August, organizations such as, the National Democratic Institute and Radio Free Asia were shut down.  Both were run by organizations in the United States.

This recent action by the Supreme Court of Cambodia is seen by many as an end to Cambodia’s democracy.

For more information, please see:

Aljazeera – Cambodia Supreme Court dissolves opposition CNRP party – 16 November, 2017

NYT – Cambodia’s Top Court Dissolves Main Opposition Party – 16 November, 2017

BBC – Cambodia top court dissolves main opposition CNRP party – 16 November, 2017

The Guardian – ‘Death of democracy’ in Cambodia as court dissolves opposition – 16 November, 2017

Plague Outbreak in Madagascar Continues to Spread

By: Adam King
Impunity Rights News Reporter, Africa

WHO health worker tends to patient. Photo courtesy of Rijasolo/Agence France-Presse.

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar  — The Pneumonic Plague, a disease considered by many to be nonexistent, continues to ravage large parts of Madagascar. As CNN reports, 124 people have died from the Plague so far with estimates of upwards of 1,200 people infected. The World Health Organization provides a thorough summary of the current outbreak.

“Since August 2017, Madagascar is experiencing a large outbreak of plague affecting major cities and other non-endemic areas. From 1 August through 30 October 2017, a total of 1801 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of plague, including 127 deaths, have been reported by the Ministry of Health of Madagascar to WHO. Of these, 1111 (62%) were clinically classified as pneumonic plague, including 257 (23%) confirmed, 374 (34%) probable and 480 (43%) suspected cases. In addition to the pneumonic cases, 261 (15%) cases of bubonic plague, one case of septicaemic plague and 428 cases (24%) where the type has not yet been specified, have been reported (Figure 1). As of 30 October, 51 of 114 districts of Madagascar have been affected (Figure 2 and 3). Since the beginning of the outbreak, 71 healthcare workers have had illness compatible with plague, none of whom have died.”

While 127 deaths seems to be low, a continued trend in the current direction could reach epidemic levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not ascribe a  certain numerical figure to an epidemic, but rather where “an agent and susceptible hosts are present in adequate numbers, and the agent can be effectively conveyed from a source to the susceptible hosts.” That appears to be how this strain of plague is being characterized.

“Pneumonic plague is more virulent or damaging and is an advanced form characterized by a severe lung infection that can be transmitted from person to person via airborne droplets such as through coughing or sneezing, for example. The incubation period is short, and an infected person may die within 12 to 24 hours.”

WHO does not believe that the infection will spread beyond Madagascar’s borders.

“WHO and the Malagasy government have stepped up screening at airports but say the infection is more likely to spread within Madagascar than it is to spread to other countries. But international spread is not a big threat, because pneumonic plague shows up quickly after someone is exposed to the bacteria. Exit screening at airports — like checking for fever — can help stop people from carrying the infection abroad.”

The difference between the widely known bubonic plague and the pneumonic version that is currently in Madagascar is the method of transference. Pneumonic is much more dangerous because it can be spread through contact between infected and uninfected people. Bubonic is transmitted from the bite an infected animal, which in the case of the plague in centuries ago in Europe, such as a rats or mosquitoes.

Despite these numbers, some opine that the outbreak is waning and new cases are on the decline.

“The large plague outbreak that began in Madagascar in August appears to be waning, according to government case counts and local news reports… A World Health Organization spokesman, Tarik Jasarevic, confirmed reports in Malagasy media that both deaths and new cases were declining and most hospitalized patients had recovered.”

For more information, please see:

NBC News — ‘Unusually Severe’ Plague Strikes 1,800 in Madagascar’ — 3 November 2017

The New York Times — ‘Deadly Plague Outbreak in Madagascar Appears to Wane’ — 2 November 2017

World Health Organization — Plague – Madagascar — 2 November 2017

BBC News — ‘124 dead, nearly 1,200 infected with plague in Madagascar’ — 25 October 2017

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — ‘Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice’ — 18 May 2012

UN Peacekeeping Mission Led by Brazil Leaves Haiti in October 2017

By: Fernando Oliveira
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

NEW YORK, United States – On October 15, 2017, relying on the United Nation Resolution 2,350/2017, the MINUSTAH (French acronym for United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) left the Caribbean island, being replaced by the Mission for Justice Support (MINUJUSTH), now integrated by 295 police officers, meant to assist and strengthen local police forces.

Brazilian troops leaving Haiti. Photo courtesy of Tereza Sobreira.

The mission, led by the Brazilian army with the assistance of other 16 nations, commenced  in April 2004, two months after the then Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted for the second time by local revolutionaries.  Indeed, soon after Aristides’ deposition, various armed gangs took the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, mainly the neighborhood named Cité Soleil, and started to firefight among themselves in a dispute to take the country’s power. The situation, thus, became completely out of control.

As such, the most relevant goal of the U.N. peacekeepers was to quell those armed gangs, in order to stabilize the country again. After many years combating them, the MINUSTAH accomplished the mission and restored the peace in Haiti.

However, during that long period, the MINUSTAH faced some serious troubles such as militaries being charged of sexual abuse against Haitian teenagers, and unnecessary force used against civilians. Furthermore, diseases and natural catastrophes turned things more complicated. In fact, in 2010, a deadly earthquake destroyed almost the entire country; later on, in that same year, U.N. militaries from Nepal were blamed on a cholera outbreak, which killed over 9,000 Haitians. Beyond that, in 2016, Haiti was taken by the hurricane Matthew. All those disasters contributed to postpone the end of the operation.

Nonetheless, the mission is considered a success by the U.N. According to Sandra Honoré, U.N. special representative and head of MINUSTAH:

“These are all indications that the people of Haiti are ready to move forward.”

Now, MINUSTAH troops have been replaced by MINUJUSTH, which will operate in Haiti for about two years. As the local police gets ready to operate by itself, the U.N. police force will gradually withdraw, eventually putting an end to its intervention.

For more information, please see:

New York Times – U.N. Votes Unanimously to End Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti – 13 April 2017

Telesur – UN Military Force Led by Brazil Will Leave Haiti in October – 22 April 2017

Newsweek – After 13 Years and Several Scandals, U.N. Votes To End Mission In Haiti – 13 April 2017

BBC News – Brazil plans Haiti peacekeeping withdrawal, says Amorim– 6 September 2011

EBC Agencia Brasil – Brazil prepares for final withdrawal of Haiti mission – 22 July 2017

Los Angeles Times – U.N. peacekeepers are leaving after more than two decades, but where does that leave Haiti? – 17 April 2017

Religious Leaders Convicted in Myanmar Court

By: Katherine Hewitt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – Two religious figures in Myanmar who were arrested in late 2016, received their sentences in court on 27 October 2017.

Dumdaw Nawng Lat, 67, is an assistant pastor with the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC).  He is a member of the Kachin minority in Myanmar. He received a sentence of 4 years and 3 months in jail.

Langjaw Gam Seng is a KBC youth leader.  He is 35 years old and is also a member of the Kachin ethnic minority.  He will be serving 2 years and 3 months in jail.

Image of Dumdaw Nawng Lat (L) and Langjaw Gam Seng (R). Photo Courtesy of Radio Free Asia, Myanmar Military Photo.

Both were convicted under the 1908 Unlawful Associations Act. The court convicted them for aiding a rebel army, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).   However, sentences under the Act can include convictions for operating an unlicensed motorcycle under the Export/Import Act.  Nawng Lat received an additional charge under the Penal Code, section 500 as a result of sharing information with Voice of America about the military’s airstrikes. It is reported that the defense attorney is preparing for an appeals court case.

In 2016, Nawng Lat and Gam Seng accompanied journalist documenting airstrike damages around a Catholic Church and civilian structures in Muse. The photos were published in December 2016. Kyaw Myo Min Latt of Myanmar Army Battalion 99 summed both to the compound on 24 December 2016, where they were promptly arrested. They stayed at the Kalaya 123 military base for close to 30 days incommunicado.

The military handed over Nawng Lat and Gam Seng to the police on 20 January 2017 after international outcry over the whereabouts and treatment of the two men. According to reports, the two had been interrogated by the military. Signed statements that the two were involved with the KIA were also released to the police.

Fortify Rights and Human Rights Watch produced joint statements on the arrest and court verdict of Nawng Lat and Gam Seng. The two religious figures from the Kachin minority were arrested for simply exposing crimes of the Myanmar military.

The Myanmar military has been involved in several incidents of violence across the country including the recent attacks against the Rohingya Muslims in the North.   This is one more event in which the Myanmar government and military are avoiding accountability for state related crimes and instead defer blame to a small minority.

Human Rights Watch Deputy Director of Asia, Phil Robertson, says, “Myanmar’s government should be prosecuting military personnel who are responsible for serious abuses – not activists who are bringing those abuses to light. Myanmar’s military has for decades violated the rights of the country’s ethnic minorities without ever having to fear being brought before a court.”

For more information, please see:

Radio Free Asia – Kachin Baptist Leaders Sent to Prison on Association, Defamation Charges – 27 October 2017

Fortify Rights – Myanmar: Drop Case Against Kachin Religious Leaders – 27 October 2017

Voice of America – Myanmar Court Convicts Ethnic Kachin Religious Leaders – 27 October 2017

Human Rights Watch – Myanmar: Drop Case Against Kachin Religious Leaders – 27 October 2017

Cambodian Government Files Case to Dissolve Opposition Party

By: Katherine Hewitt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Next year, Cambodia is set for a presidential election. For the most part the country has a two party system- the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) and the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).  There are a handful of other smaller political parties, but they do not hold any seats in Parliament nor do they have popular backings.

The current political party in control is the CPP under the direction of Prime Minister Hun Sen. He is a former member of the Khmer Rouge, the violent Communist group that was in power from the late 1960s to 1979. Hun Sen has served as Prime Minister since 1989.

Prime Minister Hun Sen. Photo Courtesy of Samrang Pring.

In 2013, the CPP only narrowly won the election over the CNRP. During the local elections this past June the CPP lost ground. Polls suggest that the CNRP is gaining more support and will likely win the Presidential elections next July.

As a response, Prime Minister Hun Sen is cracking down on the opposition party in Cambodia. A new law was passed that allows the government to abolish any political parties while leaders face criminal charges. This poses a threat to the CNRP as the current government accuses the leaders of plotting a coup. Accordingly, on October 6, 2017 the current government filed a case to dissolve the CNRP.

In September the leader of the CNRP, Ken Sokha, was arrested on the charge of treason. In early October Sen threatened further arrests on the same charge. A government official leaked to the deputy President of the CNRP that she was also targeted for arrest. She has since fled the country. Many other CNRP parliament members have done so as well.

Prime Minister Hun Sen states that he is trying to protect Cambodia from outside influences and preserve peace and stability in the country.   In particular he believes that the U.S. is interfering in the internal affairs of Cambodia via backing the CNRP coup.

The group denied the allegations calling them politically motivated and an attempt to end democracy in Cambodia.  Deputy President of the CNRP, Mu Sochua, is calling for international sanctions on Sen and his ‘cronies.’  She believes that other nations should take a stand on democracy and human rights to demonstrate to Sen that his behavior is not acceptable and must change.

She says, “The time for statements has passed. It’s time for sanctions, targeted sanctions. Also suspension of technical aid to the government of Cambodia.  Time is up for democracy.”

There are 8 months until the elections in Cambodia.  Socha hopes the sanctions will push Sen to ensure free and fair elections or risk not being a recognized government.

For more information, please see:

AlJazeera – Cambodia moves to dissolve opposition party CNRP – 6 October 2017

BBC – Cambodia opposition politician Mu Sochua ‘feared arrest’ – 6 October 2017

Reuters – Exclusive: Cambodian opposition leader calls for sanctions on leadership – 4 October 2017