Iranian Police Arrest Dozens During Festival

Iranian Police Arrest Dozens During Festival

By Bobby Rajabi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On March 17, Iranian police arrested fifty individuals. The arrests came during clashes between opposition supporters and police in Tehran during a new year festival called The Feast of Fire. This festival comes on the even of the Persian new year, but religious leaders told Iranians that celebrating this year was “un-Islamic.” Despite the warnings, people took the streets leading to conflict throughout the Iranian capital.

Tehran’s police chief confirmed that there a number of clashes between young Iranians and police officers across the capital. Opposition leaders, however, told their supporters that they did not want a protest during the festival.

The BBC’s correspondent in Tehran, Jon Leyne said that there was no indication that these clashes would lead to a larger political purpose. Leyne explained that the clashes were more a show of defiance against the demands made by the religious authorities.

March  17 marked Chaharshanbeh Soori. Held on the final Wednesday before Norouz (New Year), the day celebrates the coming of spring and dates back to a time when Iran was Persia and Zoroastrianism ruled. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told reporters that the event created “a lot of harm and corruption which is why it is appropriate to avoid it.” Khamenei told reporters that the festival had no basis in Sharia law and amounted to heretical fire worship.

Opposition leaders told supporters not to protest during the festivities and to not to provoke security forces. Despite the requests, clashes took place in several parts of Tehran, according to opposition website Jaras. Additionally, videos posted on the internet showed clashes between protesters and security forces. There were also reports that security forces marked the vehicles of individuals who were actively celebrating the Chaharshanbe Soori festivities.

Iran’s deputy police chief, Ahamad Reza Radan, told the press that fifty people had been arrested for causing “an unacceptable level of nuisance to the public.”

Large protests have been held in Iran since June 2009’s Presidential Election. Opposition protesters insist that the election was rigged to ensure the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian government has vehemently denied this charge.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Party or Protest? Fiery Night in Iran – 17 March 2010

BBC – Iranian Police Arrest 50 People at Traditional Festival – 17 March 2010

CNN – Iranians Celebrate Holiday Under Police Crackdown – 17 March 2010

North Korea Ignores Advice to Improve Human Rights

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

GENEVA, Switzerland – North Korea has rejected a series of recommendations from the United Nations (UN) to improve its “appalling” human rights record.

In its response, North Korea’s Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ri Chol, rebuffed 50 of the 169 recommendations by the UN. 

At a meeting held on Thursday, Ri said that the recommendations arose out of animosity towards North Korea are aimed at undermining the North Korean regime.  Ri specifically stated that North Korea does not recognize UN’s human rights envoys.

UN urged North Korea to end capital punishment and public executions, forced labor, and military training for children.  The recommendation also included allowing UN human rights envoys to visit Pyongyang as well as improving human rights for the socially weak and allowing reunions of families separated by the Korean War.

The UN recommendation came on the heels of a reported high-profile execution by a firing squad of a former top North Korean government official.  The government official was executed for causing the current inflation and economic crisis in North Korea resulting from last year’s currency reform.

The last high-profile execution took place in 1997 when Pyongyang executed the director of Agriculture Ministry who was blamed for the famine that killed estimated two million North Koreans back in 1990’s.

In addition, Pyongyang has continuously refused to allow UN’s special human rights rapporteurs to investigate first-hand the human rights situation in the country. 

However, “Those who wanted to find some silver lining in the gray clouds of North Korea’s human rights record had pointed to North Korean participation in Geneva at least as evidence that North Korea wanted to put its side of the story,” said Mark Fitzpatrick from International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

Nonetheless, members of the UN, including South Korea, the United States, Japan and France, have expressed their disappointment with North Korea’s response.

For more information, please see:

The Christian Science Monitor – North Korea spurns UN push to stop executions and torture – 19 March 2010

RTT – North Korea Shuns UN Recommendations On Improving Human Rights Record – 19 March 2010

Yonhap News – N. Korea rejects U.N. recommendations on human rights – 19 March 2010

Protesters In Thailand Stage Rally in Bangkok

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand- Anti-government demonstrators took to the streets of Bangkok to press their case for the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and call fresh elections. Many of the residents are in support of the protest to add pressure on the six party coalition government.

On Saturday thousands joined the protest on Saturday that consisted of motorcycles, vans and trucks that stretched up to eight kilometers along Bankok’s thoroughfares.  Government officials had warned residents to remain at home to avoid being caught in the traffic congestion.

The convoy came after a week of protests by the red wearing demonstrators who have targeted the 15-month-old government of Prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, calling on him to dissolve the parliament and call elections.  In addition to the convoy, other protests which occurred during the week included the pouring of blood on key government administrative buildings in ritual ceremonies.

The demonstrators, also known as the Red Shirts, are led by the United Democratic Front against Dictatorship, or UDD, have the support of the main parliamentary opposition group, the Puea Thai Party.

Both of these groups are supporting the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted from power in a coup in 2006.  The groups claim that Mr. Abhisit’s coalition government is illegitimate as it came after courts removed two pro-Thaksin Government since 2007 elections.

Mr. Abhisit said in recent media comments that he will not b pressed to take the country to elections at the moment but is willing to hold talks with protest leaders.  Representatives from both sides are due to meet on Sunday.

Mr Thaksin is still in exile because of a two year jail sentence for corruption.  Because of the populist economic policies he held while in office, he maintains support from the northern rural areas, along with the poor and low income groups.  The middle class accused Mr. Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power while in office, in particular his government’s attacks on the media, and his perceived attempts to control all branches of power, including parliament and independent government agencies.

The protests have been peaceful so far.  The government was forced to enact security laws and bring in the military when anti-government demonstrations held in April of last year turned violent.

For more information, please see:
English.xinhuanet.com- Thai Anti-Gov’t Protesters End March In Bangkok Peacefully– 20 March 2010

House to Vote on Health Care Tomorrow

By Stephen Kopko

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON D.C., United States-Since the Senate passed their version of legislation reforming the health care system of the United States, President Obama has received a great deal of criticism.  Both leaders in Congress and the general public have been critical of health care reform for being too costly.  Despite setbacks, the House of Representatives is set to vote again on a health care reform bill this Sunday. The House will vote on the legislation through the reconciliation process.

Reform of the United States health care system has been a controversial issue for a number of years.  Previously, President Bill Clinton tried to reform the system in the early 1990’s but was unsuccessful.  President Obama promised to reform the health care system while running for President last year.  With the vote on the legislation expected to happen tomorrow, President Obama is on the verge of fulfilling his promise. 

Approximately forty-five million people in the United States do not have health insurance.  According to the proposed legislation, the reconciliation bill will help to provide coverage to an estimated thirty-two million Americans.  The cost of expanding coverage is approximately nine-hundred and forty billion dollars spread over a ten year period.  The proposed reform bill will provide subsidies to low and middle class families that cannot afford health insurance currently. It prohibits health insurance companies from denying coverage to people who have pre-existing conditions.  In order to encourage people to purchase health insurance, those people who do not have health insurance would pay a penalty each year.  The bill would also expand Medicaid, the government run health insurance program designed for those in poverty. 

As the vote on the reconciliation bill nears, President Obama has been rallying support for the legislation all over the country.  President Obama stated; “In just a few days, a century-long struggle will culminate in a historic vote.”  He further stated that “the time for reform is now.” 

The vote on the reform legislation is expected to be on party lines.  Congressional Republicans have greatly criticized the reconciliation bill.  Their main concern with the proposed legislation is that it amounts to a government takeover of an entire industry.  They also believe that the bill would cost more to middle class families by raising premiums.

For more information, please see:

CNN-House Rules Committee setting guidelines for health care vote-20 March 2010

MSNBC-9 major changes in the new health care bill-19 March 2010

NY Times-Proposed Changes in the Final Health Care Bill-19 March 2010

Chinese Authorities Support the Detention of Lead Poison Victims for Months

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

JIAHE, China – Police stopped a bus carrying 53 villagers suffering from lead poisoning. The citizens were traveling to get medical care when the officials blocked the bus.

In September 2009, police in Jiahe, Hunan province, prevented a vehicle occupied by parents and children who were contaminated by illegal emissions of heavy metals from a rural smelting factory. The factory in Jiahe was operated by Tenda Corporation, a company that had been ejected from other, wealthier areas because of its dismal pollution record. The regional government in Jiahe allowed the factory to operate despite warnings from the local environmental department that the plant was breaking toxic emission regulations. Jiahe is one of China’s poorest counties and needed the funding that Tenda Corporation offered. The cost, however, was the health of local citizens.

The officials not only stopped and questioned the vehicle filled with sick passengers, the police detained two of them for six months, mistakenly believing the villagers were planning to protest. The local government responsible for stopped the sick passengers was unapologetic for causing the tremendous delay.

According to Ou Shudong, the chairman of the local People’s Congress, “The villagers’ intentions were unclear. Even if they were going for a medical examination, they should have informed the government.” Beijing News cited a Jiahe county report as saying the punishment of a few people “served the purpose of public education for the majority.”

Other government officials tried to justify the event and the prolonged detention by responding to an investigation of the incident, “We may have blocked the wrong visit, but they should not have been on that road,” stated Li Ying, deputy secretary of Jiahe county political and legislative committee.

This type of occurrence is not unheard of, as it reveals the feudal control that local officials exercise over citizens in much of rural China. It also exemplifies the widespread strategy of stifling dissent by making an example of suspected insurgents, a tactic known as “killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.”

Recent testing results since the September detention confirmed that the passengers were in fact in dire need of health care, and were not attempting to protest. The latest results, received on 24 February 2010, revealed that 250 of the 397 children in the village had excess levels of lead in their blood. The victims included four of the five children of Liao Mingxiu, one of those still in police detention. Further investigative reports state that local people complained of health problems and unusually outrageous behavior and poor performance in school among children, but local petitions to the authorities were ignored for more than three years.

Nevertheless, Chinese authorities still defend the six-month detention of lead poisoning victims, claiming it was a punishment necessary for “public education.”

For more information, please see:

Tibetan Review –Mistaken punishment justified as education for majority – 19 March 2010

The Sydney Morning Herald – Poisoning victims used as an example – 19 March 2010

The Guardian –China defends detention of lead poisoning victims who sought medical help – 16 March 2010