Polls on King Mohammed Get Two Magazines Banned

August 3, 2009

By Ann Flower Seyse
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RABAT, Morocco – A poll published in two Moroccan magazines on King Mohammed VI’s ten years in power has resulted in a ban on the two magazines for this month’s issue.

The poll was conducted by the French daily Le Monde, and asked what 1,108 people thought of their 46-year-old leader during his time in office, and what kind of a job King Mohammed was doing.

The Independent weeklies Tel Quel in French, and Nichane in Arabic, had their most recent issues banned for failing to follow the 1958 press code. The 1958 Press code gives the Minister of the Ministry of Information permission to administratively seize a newspaper or periodical that “is of a nature to disturb public order” and can suspend periodicals that “attacks the political and religions institutional foundations of the kingdom.”

Moroccan minister of communications Khalid Nariri told the associated press that “any publication, be it foreign or Moroccan, that publishes the poll in Morocco will be banned.” Additionally, Nariri announced that “Monarchy cannot be the subject of opinion polls, and those who practice this sport are aware of the consequences.”

Both the Tel Quel and the Nichane have a history with censorship and the Moroccan Government. Both were seized in 2007 for publishing editorials that were deemed “bellow stoking.” Additionally, Nichane’s former editor also received a three-year jail sentence for an article that was found to be defamatory to Islam.

Although the poll showed that most Moroccans were please with their ruler, the government maintains its decision to ban the magazines. According to the poll, ninety-one percent of those surveyed said that they had a positive opinion of their King. The issue that Moroccans were most unhappy about was a lack of improvement of Morocco’s poverty.

Some people polled also expressed a dislike for the Moudawana bill, which granted many marital rights to women.

A blogger that blogs for the Media Line under the psudonym Labri, says that freedom of the press is protected in Morocco, so long as the as the article does not touch on Islam, the Sahara, or the Monarchy.

The magazines that have published the poll are only banned for the issues that contain the poll.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Moroccans Like Their King: Banned Opinion Poll – 3 August 2009

Al Arabiya – Banned Survey Shows Moroccans Like Their King – 3 August 2009

The Media Line – Two Moroccan Magazines Banned over Commemorative Poll – 2 August 2009

News Day – 2 Moroccan Magazines Banned for Poll on King – 2 August 2009

Uzbek Journalist Jailed for Over 12 Years

August 3, 2009

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan – Independent journalist, Dilmurod Saidov, was sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison following what many call a “flawed” trial.

The trial was brought on by politically motivated charges according to Human Rights Watch, and was riddled with “procedural violations.” Several witnesses withdrew their testimony claiming to have given false evidence earlier. Saidov was arrested on February 11 at his home in Tashkent and accused of extortion by Asliddin Urinboev, head of the Agricultural Equipment and Tractor Park. Urinboev alleged that Saidov had sought to extort $15,000.00 from him with the help of another individual, Marguba Juraeva. After both their arrests, Juraeva gave written testimony implicating Saidov, but rescinding her testimony the following day saying she was under the influence when she had given it.

Saidov was convicted of extortion and forgery in a closed session at the Tailak District Court. Neither Saidov’s lawyer nor his public defender were informed of the trial date in advance. The court secretary said the sentencing was closed “in the interest of security” and did not comment further.

Local human rights agencies on ground in Uzbekistan believe that Saidov was prosecuted and convicted because of his efforts to expose local officials’ abuse of power and corruption. Uzbekistan has a history of jailing reporters and human rights activists according to Human Rights Watch. “Dilmurod Saidov is well known for his courageous work to expose rampant corruption in Uzbekistan and this conviction is clearly an attempt to stop him,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The trial was a travesty of justice, and Saidov should be freed immediately.”

The investigation and trial were plagued with inconsistencies and violations according to Human Rights Watch. Court hearings were repeatedly conducted without prior notice to Saidov’s attorneys. Other witnesses who spoke out against Saidov claimed they had been detained for two days in pretrial detention and pressured into making allegations against Saidov.

Saidov is amongst 13 other human rights defenders and journalists currently being detained in Uzbekistan pending trial. Several other civic activists and independent journalists are serving sentences on what many groups call “politically motivated charges.”

For more information, please see:

Ferghana – Free-Lance Journalist Saidov Jailed to 12.5 Years – August 3, 2009

Human Rights Watch – Free Journalist Sentenced to Over 12 Years – Augu st 3, 2009

Nasdaq – Uzbek Journalist Jailed for 12 Years – August 3, 2009

Woman Dares Court Over Flogging for Wearing Trousers

August 2, 2009

By Kylie M Tsudama
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – On July 3, police arrested Lubna Al Hussein and eighteen other women. Their charge: dressing indecently in public.

According to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information there is only one punishment under Sudanese law for an indecent clothing charge – 40 lashes in public.

Hussein is a journalist who worked for the media department of the UN mission in Sudan until recently. At the time of arrest, she was wearing trousers, a blouse, and a hijab (headscarf). The police say her trousers were too tight and that her blouse (Source: Sudan Tribune) was too transparent.

Her trial is set to begin on Tuesday.

“They ought to stop it,” said Nabil Adib, lawyer for Hussein. “It is quite unnecessary and degrading. It is harassment.”

Adib believes the charges will be dropped saying, “These things have their ups and downs. These laws have generally relaxed as a matter of policy. But they are still sometimes enforced.”

Although some believe that the Sudanese government’s threat of flogging is a form of retaliation for Hussein’s criticism of the Sudanese regime, Adib does not believe that his client was targeted.

“There are round-ups that they do and it is indiscriminate,” he said. “I don’t think she was targeted specifically. They attack public and private parties and groups. They are called ‘morality police’ and she was just a victim of a round-up.”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called flogging “against the international human rights standards.” He said he would protect his staff member with every effort but her lawyer says she resigned from her position with the UN to avoid the immunity she would have received.

Hussein will maintain her position of no wrongdoing.

For more information, please see:

The Age – Sudanese Woman to Dare Court Over Flogging – 03 August 2009

ABC News – Pants-wearing Woman Not Afraid of Flogging – 01 August 2009

Sudan Tribune – UN Ban Ki-Moon Says Deeply Concerned by Sudan Trousers Trial – 01 August 2009

Telegraph – ‘Whip Me if You Dare’ Says Lubna Hussein, Sudan’s Defiant Trouser Woman – 01 August 2009

CNN – Sudanese Lawyer Calls Woman’s Flogging Punishment ‘Degrading’ – 30 July 2009

French Polynesian President Seeks France’s Help to Attend Leader’s Retreat

August 2, 2009

By Hayley J. Campbell
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Oceania

PAPEETE, French Polynesia – French Polynesian president, Oscar Temaru, is appealing to French leaders to support his bid to join the leader’s retreat for the Pacific Islands Forum this week in Cairns.
Mr. Temaru says that it is important he attend the leader’s retreat and not be excluded from participation.

Radio New Zealand International reported, “The leaders’ retreat offers an opportunity for private discussions once the formal summit is concluded. Mr Temaru says although French Polynesia has only become an associate Forum member, it’s not normal that he is excluded from the retreat. He says the French President’s Office has now written to the Forum secretariat in Suva. This comes after his earlier letter, soliciting Forum support for Tahiti’s decolonisation, went unanswered.”

Mr. Temaru said he was interesting in gaining French support after he spent a month in Paris for medical care.

The Pacific Forum is a union of Pacific Leaders from 16 countries. Members meet to discuss regional economic and political issues affecting the region.

For more information, please see:Radio New Zealand International – F rench Polynesian President Wants Help from Paris to be Allowed into Forum Leader’s Retreat – 02 August 2009

Protest in Malaysia Against Detention Without Trial

August 2, 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia– Thousands of Malaysians protested in the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, against a controversial and archaic law enacted during the British colonial era called the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.

Police using water cannon against protesters (Source: Reuters)

5,000 police, using tear gas and water cannons, clashed with 15,000 protesters. This protest, which was unauthorized by the government, led to more than 200 arrests, and many protesters ran to local shops and alleys in order to avoid being arrested. In Malaysia, meetings of more than four people require permits, and the police have previously used tear gas and chemical-laced water against demonstrators. The Malaysian government and the police had warned that they would not allow this protest as allowing such a rally would undermine public peace.

The protest was backed by Malaysia’s biggest opposition party, and the protesters had originally planned to march peacefully to the national palace and submit a petition to the king denouncing the Internal Security Law. Opposition activists have long claimed that this law is sometimes used to imprison government critics or to dampen dissent. Malaysia’s prime minster had promised to consider amending the Internal Security Act, but other government officials have repeatedly stated that the Act is necessary for national security. Nazri Aziz, Cabinet Minister responsible for legal affairs, said, “The [Internal Security Act] will not be abolished.”

Police and protesters in Kuala Lumpur (Source: AP)

Regarding the police blockade and the government’s refusal to allow the protest, the opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, said, “The police are really brutal. This clearly shows [the government’s] intolerance to any dissent…We gather here today to fight a cruel law.”

Human rights groups have estimated that at least 17 people are being held under the Internal Security Act, mainly for links to militants or document forgery.

For more information, please see:

AP – Malaysian police tear gas, scuffle with protesters – 1 August 2009

BBC – Protest at Malaysia security law – 1 August 2009

Philstar – Malaysia activists protest detention without trial – 31 July 2009