Crack Down in Somalia

Crack Down in Somalia

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Eastern and Southern Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Following the gruesome event last week in which the bodies of two Ethiopian soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, the Ethiopian army underwent an intensive search for insurgents believed to be involved with the incident. For several days Ethiopian troops carried out operations against the al-Shabaab, the military group of the former Islamic government, which left nearly 80 people dead in the streets. The troops continue to patrol and conduct door-to-door searches for insurgents.

According to the Human Right Watch’s Africa director, Peter Takirambudde, the Ethiopian soldiers are not distinguishing civilians from insurgents. This is partly the explanation why more civilians are killed. In accord, Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf warned residents of the capital that if they do not assist the government in fighting the insurgents, they risk being caught in the crossfire.

Within a week about 24,000 people have fled the capital for fear of being injured or killed in the crossfire of insurgent or Ethiopian attacks. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), estimates that 114,000 residents of Mogadishu has fled the city, and some 850,000 Somali people have left the country.

Together with Ethiopian troops, the Somali transitional government has also taken actions to crack down on insurgents and their supporters. Three prominent radio stations have been taken off the air since Monday in Mogadishu. Along side Radio Shabelle, which was forcibly closed, Mayor Mohamed “Dheere” Omar Habeeb accused 2 more private radio stations, Radio Banadir and Radio Simba, of supporting insurgents and undermining the government. Four stations, HornAfrik Radio, Holy Quran Radio, Radio Somali Weyn, and Voice of Democracy, remain on the air but their content and reports have been censored.

In the meantime, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces is unrealistic given the dire conditions. Instead the UN is encouraging dialogue between the transitional government and insurgents with the aim of ending the incessant violence and strengthening the public institutions to the point which would allow Ethiopian troops to withdraw.

However, negotiations appear unrealistic. In an audio clip posted on a website yesterday, Somali insurgent leader Sheikh Aden Hashi Ayrow asked insurgent fighters to attack African Union soldiers in Somalia. The peacekeeper’s spokesman, Major Felix Kulaigye replied by saying that the soldiers would defend themselves if necessary.

For more information please see:

BBC- Somali Insurgent Target AU Force – 14 November 2007

Yahoo News- Somali government Cracking Down on Media – 13 November 2007

AllAfrica.com – Somalia: Two More Radio Stations Shut Down for “Coverage Undermining the Government” – 14 November 2007

United Nations – UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia not realistic or viable, says Ban Ki-moon – 12 November 2007

Reuters: Africa – Residents Flee Mogadishu as Government Battles Rebels – 12 November 2007

Reuters: Africa – Death Toll in Somali Capital Nears 60 – 10 November 2007

BBC- Hunt for Insurgents in Mogadishu – 12 November 2007

Threats Against PNG PM Shut Down Protest

By Sarah C. LaBelle
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Oceania

PORT MORESBY, Paupa New Guinea – Assassination threats against Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare are being investigated by police and security has been elevated around his residences.  These threats came at a time when various NGO members had planned a protest at parliament to petitioning for Somare to step down over the Moti affair.

[For more on the Moti affair and Somare’s involvement, see the Impunity Watchreports on Somare’s involvement in Moti’s escape to the Solomon Islands, themissing inquiry documents, court refusal to repress the inquiry report, and the defense minister’s recent finding that the inquiry was illegal.]

There have also been threats against senior elected leaders of parliament.  Police Commissioner Gari Baki confirmed the threats and that police are taking action, but he did not comment on where the threats were coming from.  Police have increased street patrols, particularly around bus stops and markets, and police and Defense intelligence are conducting surveillance.  Baki said of the threats, “It’s uncalled for, it’s unheard of in Papua New Guinea anyway, that we adopt those kinds of principles of terror operations.”

The protest planning was stopped after police said that they had linked the assassination threats to the march.  Protest leaders say that heavy rain and their inability to collect the requisite fifty thousand signatures were secondary reasons the march was cancelled.  They reiterated that they only wanted their grievances heard, and that they cancelled out of respect for the parliamentary budget session.

Some who were planning to protest claim that their freedom of expression is being infringed upon.  Opposition leader Sir Mekere Morauta released a statement saying that while the police do have the ability to stop the march under their constitutional responsibility to protect people and property, they should not prevent citizens from expressing themselves.  He also stated that he does not believe in mob rule or street protests.

For more information, please see:

The National – Threats to PM – 15 November 2007

The Australian – ‘Plot to kill’ PNG leader – 15 November 2007

Radio New Zealand International – Police stop planned protest against PNG PM – 15 November 2007

Islands Business – Police investigate threats of kill plot against PM Somare – 15 November 2007

BRIEF: Saudi court punishes rape victim

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi courts doubled the punishment of a rape victim in a verdict delivered on November 14.  The Saudi court in Qatif sentenced the young woman to 200 lashes and six months in prison for violating a segregation law, which forbids unrelated men and women from associating with each other.  She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes, but the punishment was increased on appeal for what the court termed, “her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.”

The court also banned the woman’s lawyer, Abdul Rahman al-Lahem  a famous human rights lawyer in Saudi Arabia, from defending her.  Lahem had his license to practice law confiscated and is required to report to a disciplinary hearing later this month.  Lahem had publicly criticized the previous verdict – claiming that the woman’s sentence was too harsh and that her attackers’ sentences were too lenient.

Following an appeal, the Saudi court increased the sentences against her attackers to two to nine years in prison – for an offense that carries the possible punishment of death.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Saudi gang rape sentence “unjust” – 16 November 2007

New York Times – Ruling jolts even Saudis: 200 Lashes for Rape Victim – 16 November 2007

Reuters – Saudi court orders lashes, prison for rape victim – 16 November 2007

AFP – Saudi punishes gang rape victim with 200 lashes – 15 November 2007

AHN – 19-year old rape victim in Saudi Arabia sentenced to 200 lashes – 15 November 2007

Arab News – Qatif Court convicts rape victim – 15 November 2007

International Herald Tribune – Report: court hands jail term, doubles lashes for woman victim of gang rape – 15 November 2007

BRIEF: Kidnapped Crew Killed by Pirates

MOMBASA, Kenya – Yesterday, the surviving crew of the Taiwanese vessel, Ching Fong Hwa No. 168, shared their experience after being kidnapped by Somali rebels for roughly seven months. The vessel and its fourteen crew members were first seized by 15 armed Somali pirates in April. One crew member was shot in the back and another, 32-year old Chen Tao from China, was killed when negotiations with the ship owner halted. The body of the murdered crew member was placed in the ship’s freezer.

In the end, the ship was released by the pirates on Nov. 5th after an unspecified ransom was paid to the kidnappers in October. According to the captain of the ship, Xinshen Ling, the pirates demanded $1.5 million. When the pirates demanded more money, the US Navy intervened and pressured the release of the ship and its crew. Upon release, the vessel was escorted out of Somali waters and safely to Kenya. There, the crew received food and medical assistance for the injuries they suffered due to the occasional beatings by the pirates.

Somalia is one of the world’s most dangerous shipping lanes. Twenty-six ships have been seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia this year, although deaths are rare, according to the East Africa Seafarers’ Assistance Program. Only two ships, a cargo ship registered in Comoros and a Japanese-owned chemical tanker, remain under pirate control.

For more information please see:

Reuters: Africa- Taiwanese Ship Freed by Pirates Arrives in Kenya – 14 November 2007

Reuters: Africa- Somali Pirates Killed Chinese Sailor- Official  – 15 November 2007

Yahoo News (AP) – Survivors of Somali pirate attack speak – 15 November 2007

Kuwait Urged to Ratify International Criminal Court Statute

By Nykoel Dinardo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

NEW YORK, New York – The Coalition for the International Criminal Court, CICC, has named Kuwait as its target country for October 2008.  CICC is urging Kuwait to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the treaty which created the first international court capable of trying individuals for crimes such as genocide and crimes against humanity.  In a letter to Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait on October 1, CICC asked that ratification is made a priority.

According to the CICC, Kuwait has a growing number of human rights organizations; ratifying the Rome Statute would solidify Kuwait’s dedication to international justice.  There are currently over 300 active Coalition member organizations throughout the Gulf region.

There is also a movement within Kuwait.  The Kuwaiti Coalition for the International Criminal Court has made a draft ratification proposal to submit to the Kuwaiti legislature.  Last year, the Kuwait Bar Association (KBA) hosted a meeting about the ICC and the Gulf States.   At the meeting, members of the International Criminal Bar came to give lectures and encourage members of the KBA to become more involved.

Currently, 108 countries have ratified the Rome Statute.  However, in the CICC’s Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA), there are only 3 member states, Jordan, Djibouti, and the Comoros Islands.  Eleven MENA countries have signed the treaty and the CICC hopes to encourage each of these countries to become full ratifying members.

In a statement to the KBA, Hussain Al-Hereti, the Secretary of the National Assembly, encouraged Kuwait to become a member of the ICC.  However, he explained that at least one Kuwaiti parliament member is worried that ratifying will open Kuwaiti Amir to trial in the ICC.  Al-Hereti said that this should not be a concern as the Amir will never commit a war crime so would not be tried.

For more information, please see:

Kuwait Times – Kuwait Urged to Ratify ICC Treaty – 9 October 2008

Coalition for the International Criminal Court – Global Coalition Urges Kuwait to Ratify ICC Treaty – 12 November 2007

Kuwait Times – Lawyers Urge Kuwait to Become ICC Member – 26 March 2007

Coalition for the International Criminal Court –  Issues and Campaigns: Kuwait

Coalition for the International Criminal Court – List of Ratifying Parties