State Government in Mexico Criminalizing Women who Seek Abortions

State Government in Mexico Criminalizing Women who Seek Abortions

By Brenda Lopez Romero
Impunity Watch Reporter – North America desk

TLAXCALA, Mexico – The governor, Héctor Israel Ortiz Ortiz, was urged by over 40 organizations to project a women’s right to choose in the state Congress by vetoing legislation that promotes the right to life primarily because it also seeks to penalize abortions.

The groups said in a letter to state governments that the government should be for the people and not the Vatican.  They emphasized a need for a secular government because a religious moral code should not be forced onto people nor turned into civil law.  Elsa Conde, a former legislator, said that a belief in sin could not become a crime.

Beatriz Paredes Rangel, president of the national party, Institutional Revolutionary Party, was asked to urge her party to vote against all bills that leaves women with no other recourse than to seek unsafe clandestine abortions.

My body is mine mine mine and no one elses
Courtesy of La Jornada - "My body is mine mine mine and no one elses"

There was also a protest organized by the group Women for the Right to Choose in the Federal District.  They denounce that 18 state legislators are changing state constitution without considering the indignation of women.

Conde said in regards to similar legislation “all these are beginning to criminalize women restricting their right to choose over their life, body, and parenthood.  This reform signifies a grave setback for the rights of women and makes vulnerable the secular government by casting doubt on scientific research and advancement.”

For more information, please see:

La Jornada – Exigen ONG al gobierno de Tlaxcala vetar la iniciativa contra el aborto –
16 February 2010

Radio Formula – Congreso Tlaxcala termina sesión sin votos para aprobar ley antiaborto – 16 February 2010

Iran Considers Family Visit and Release of US Hikers

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On February16 Iran’s top human rights official confirmed that Iranian officials were considering allowing the families of three detained Americans to visit them in prison. The three hikers were detained after allegedly crossing into the country illegally in July of last. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said that he was hopeful that the case of the hikers would be resolved and they they would be freed.

The mothers of the three hikers recently wrote to President Ahmedinejad, requesting a visit. Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of Iran’s High Council of Human Rights said that the mothers’ request had a good chance of being approved. Larijani spoke in Geneva at a UN review of Iran’s human rights record and said, “we recommend that the families should be able to see them and I hope that this be done.”

The three hikers were arrested on July 31, 2009. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shroud and Josh Fattal say that they were hiking in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region when they accidentally crossed in the border into Iran. The three were accused of spying on the Islamic Republic and illegal entry. Their families insist that they had no intention of entering Iran. They have had been allowed to make any phone calls to the hikers in jail. Their mothers also said they want to meet the Iranian President to explain why they should be released.

Iran’s foreign minister announced in December 2009 that the three Americans would be tried in court, but failed to say the specific crime they would be charged with. President Ahmadinejad repeated on February 16 that the final decision regarding the US hikers rested with the judiciary. He said that, “we are eager to see them released but it depends on the crime they have committed and the judge’s verdict.”

Ahmadinejad also indicated that the fate of the US hikers should be tied to that of Iranians jailed in the United States. Iran claims that eleven Iranians are being held in the US, including a missing nuclear scientist and a former deputy defense minister who hasn’t been seen since 2007. However, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that no prisoner exchange discussions had taken place between the two countries.

For more information, please see:

AP – Iran Mulling Family Visit For Detained Americans – 16 February 2010

BBC – US Hikers’ Mothers May Be Allowed to Visit Iran – 16 February 2010

Reuters – Ahmadinejad Says Hopeful on Detainees in Iran/US – 16 February 2010

Restaurant Bomb Blasts Kills Nine in Pune

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PUNE, India- Nine people died and about 60 were injured in a bomb attack at a restaurant popular with tourists in the city of Pune.

The powerful bomb left in a backpack under a table at the German Bakery, and which killed two foreigners, is the first major terrorist strike in India after the three-day siege of nearby Mumbai in November 2008 in which 166 people died.  “It appears that an unattended package was noticed in the bakery by one of the waiters who apparently attempted to open it, denoting the bomb inside,” federal home secretary Gk Pillai said after Saturday’s blast. Vinod Dhale, a restaurant worker, said “We heard a big noise and we all rushed out.  The impact was so great that there were body parts everywhere”.

Six people died instantly while the other three fell to injuries at local hospitals.  Home minister P Chidambaram described the bomb as ” a significant terrorist incident”, stating that the evidence pointed to a well planned plot.  Chidambaram said one or two people acting as customers had left the backpack carrying the bomb inside the bakery.

Preliminary investigations indicate the bomb was denoted remotely, possibly by a mobile phone.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.  A security red alert has been issued in the capital New Delhi, Indore, and Kanpur in the east following intelligence alerts of possible terror strikes in all three places.

Senior security officials suspect the culprits are the Pakistan-based Lashkahr-i-Taiba (LiT, or the Army of the Pure) terrorist group which India holds responsible for executing the Mumbai attack and on “sleeper” cadres of a local militant group called Indian Mujahideen (IM) which it often used.  Security officials said both groups are known to have worked together in the past with the LiT providing the funding and planning to carry out deadly bombing in crowded places.

The blast in Pune comes a day after India and Pakistan agreed to meet for talks in Delhi on February 25th, giving rise to speculation that terror groups were once again trying to derail bilateral peace talks which could eventually lead to action against them.

India has so far refrained from blaming Pakistan directly.

For more information, please see:

ABC News- Restaurant Bomb Blasts Kills 9 In India -15 February 2010

IRISHTIMES.COM- Bomb Blast Kills Nine In Restaurant In Western India– 15 February 2010

BBC NEWS- India Restaurant Bomb Blast Kills Nine in Pune – 15 February 2010

Civilians Killed in Afghan Offensive

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MARJA, Afghanistan- NATO has confirmed that two rockets fired at militants during its offensive in Helman south Afghanistan, missed their target and killed 12 civilians.

The missiles struck a house in Marjah as thousands of NATO troops continued their operations to remove the Taliban.  General Stanley McChrystal, NATO’s commander said that “we deeply regret this tragic loss of life”.  Coalition forces are aiming to build on gains in Operation Moshtarak.  Operation Moshtarak, meaning “together” in Dari, is the largest coalition attack since the Taliban fell in 2001.

Civilian casualties have been a key concern for the NATO-led offensive.  The areas targeted were leafleted in advance to minimize casualties.  Afghan President Hamid Karzi has called for an investigation into the civilian deaths, his office said.  In a statement the office said that it believed at least 10 of those killed were from the same family.  NATO said in a statement “Two rockets from a High Mobility Rocket System launched at insurgents firing upon Afghan and [Nato] forces impacted approximately 300 meters (980ft) off their intended target killing 12 civilians.”

General McChrystal added “The current operation in Central Helmland is aimed at restoring security and stability to his vital area of Afghanistan…It’s regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost.”

It was unclear whether one or more rockets hit the building.  Officers said the barrage had been fired from Camp Bastion, a large British and American base to the northeast.  The weapon system is known as HIMARS, or High Altitude Multiple Launch Artillery Rockets.  The system is G.P.S- guided and advertised as being accurate enough to strike within a yard of their intended targets.  General McChrystal said that he was suspending use of the weapon system “until a thorough review of this incident has been confirmed.”

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Afghan Civilians Killed Strike by NATO Rockets – 14 February 2010

New York Times- Afghan Civilians Killed In Offensive on Taliban– 14 February 2010

VOANEWS.COM- NATO Acknowledges Responsibility for Killing 12 Civilians During Afghan Offensive– 14 February 2010

Russian Officials Cover Up Civilian Deaths

By Kenneth F. Hunt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – A human rights watchdog and Kremlin-friendly ombudsman blamed Russian federal officials with the deaths of four civilians killed in Ingushetia on February 11 and 12. Moreover, evidence is mounting that officials covered up the identities of the casualties and the cause of their death.

On Tuesday February 16, Nurdi Nukhadjiyev, the human rights ombudsman in Chechnya, said that federal forces were to blame for the deaths of four innocent civilians who were killed during an effort by the Kremlin to root out Islamic militants in the Ingushetia region.

This comes just one day after Memorial, a Moscow-based human rights watchdog group, similarly accused the Kremlin of a direct role in the death of the civilians.

The four civilians were killed along with 18 suspected Islamic insurgents during the two-day operation. Memorial, and now Mr. Nukhazhiyev, claims the civilians were caught in cross-fire while gathering wild garlic in the forest during the aerial and artillery bombardment in the Sunza district of Ingushetia over the weekend.

Initially, local and federal officials claimed that 22 Islamic militants were killed. But these new revelations indicate that four of the deaths were civilians. These reports directly contradict the information provided by Russian counter-terrorism officials after the weekend operations.

In addition to the death count revelation, Memorial claims that the cause of death is different than reported by Russian officials. Memorial claims that three civilians were killed by gunfire while one was knifed in the back. Russian officials still maintain that all deaths can be attributed to air bombardment.

But despite denial of these allegations, Ingushetian leader Yunus-Bek Yevkurov apologized for the “unfortunate deaths” of the civilians and compensated their families. But in doing so, Mr. Yevkurov emphasized that the civilians were only victims of cross-fire, and denied allegations of intentional killings of the civilians.

Despite these gestures, Mr. Nukhadjiyev claims that the ongoing investigations of the killings will not be objective because of the interests of the Kremlin to cover up the truth. Mr. Nukhadjiyev wants a formal investigation into the civilian deaths by independent prosecutors.

For more information, please see:

E TAIWAN NEWS – Russian rights advocate blames police for deaths – 16 February 2010

RADIO FREE EUROPE – Rights Activists Dispute Russian Account Of Chechen Killings – 16 February 2010

NEW YORK TIMES – Russia’s Version of Four Deaths Disputed – 15 February 2010