A Year Later: Suppression Continues in Iran by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Rome Statute Review Conference Concludes, Making Important Progress
By Celeste Little
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
KAMPALA, Uganda-Though fifteen hundred to two thousand delegates were expected, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Rome Statute Review Conference in Kampala, Uganda concluded on Friday, welcoming 4600 representatives of states, intergovernmental and nongovernmental agencies.
The conference spanned two weeks and though it covered many issues that were central to the functioning of the ICC, its primary focus was to define the crime of aggression and take stock of the the effect of the statute on international criminal justice.
The conference ended having accomplished the changes it aimed for–amending the Rome Statute, to include the crime of aggression and designating the ICC’s jurisdiction regarding the newly defined crime. The actual exercise of this jurisdiction must be decided on January 1, 2017 by a majority of State Parties.
The court also amended the statute to bring the use of certain poisonous weapons and expanding bullets, asphyxiating or poisonous gases under the jurisdiction of the court as war crimes even when used in a domestic nature, according to the ICC’s closing press release.
In taking stock of the statute, the conference considered the rights of victims to justice, determining that more outreach should be made to those victims and more donations should be made to the Trust Fund for Victims. The ICC put an important focus on states’ relationship with it, noting that in order to achieve justice, complementarity and cooperation from states would be important.
For more information, please see:
ICC–Review Conference of the Rome Statute concludes in Kampala— 12 June 2010
Coalition for the International Criminal Court– Delivering on the promise of a fair, effective and independent Court, Review Conference of the Rome Statute— 10 June 2010
Palestinian Man Shot Dead by Israeli Police After Hit-and-Run
By Dallas Steele
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
EAST JERUSALEM, Israel — As tensions remain at an unprecedented high, Israeli border police officers have shot and killed a Palestinian driver who may have intentionally hit two border police officers with his motor vehicle on Friday. The incident began when the driver, forty-0ne-year-old Ziad al-Jolani, rammed his Mitsubishi van into two border police officers. It remains unclear whether al-Jolani intended to injure the two officers or whether the entire incident was an accident.
Micky Rosenfeld, an Israeli police spokesman, said that after al-Jolani struck the two officers with his van, one of the officers fired warning shots in the air and called for the driver to stop his vehicle. As the driver ignored the border police officers’ request by driving away, the officers began to give chase to al-Jolani. Al-Jolani got out of his van in an attempt to flee by foot while the border police officers continued to call for the driver to cease and desist. After continuing to ignore the demand to halt, a border guard shot al-Jolani dead.
Palestinian witnesses have given a similar account as Rosenfeld, but have made the claim that the Israeli police officers began to fire indiscriminately in al-Jolani’s direction, causing not only his death, but the serious injury of a young woman as well.
Conflicting reports have been made on the injury of the passenger in al-Jolani’s van, Mahmoud al-Jolani, as some reports have stated he was injured during the incident and others saying he was injured earlier that day in a stone-throwing incident.
The killing has come at an extreme low point in Palestinian-Israeli relations. The checkpoint where the shooting occurred was located in the neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz, an area predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, but became part of Israeli territory after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Additionally, Israeli police had just recently announced a limited-access policy for Palestinian men under the age of forty travelling from East Jerusalem to the al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers. This move was made in response to the heightened tensions in the region following last month’s clash between Israel’s commando raid on a Turkish ship bound for Gaza that left nine activists dead.
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera — Israeli police kill Palestinian man — 11 June 2010
CNN — Palestinian driver shot dead after striking Israeli border guards — 11 June 2010
NY Times — Police kill Palestinian driver in East Jerusalem — 11 June 2010
Anti-Chavez TV Channel Owner Ordered Arrested
By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
CARACAS, Venezuela—Venezuelan prosecutors issued an arrest warrant Friday for the owner of the country’s only remaining pro-opposition television channel. Guillermo Zuloaga, the well-known president of the Globovision channel, has been critical of President Hugo Chavez and is a frequent target of authorities.
Zuloaga’s son was also named in the warrant. The charges against the father and son are linked to a 2009 case in which they were accused of improperly storing 24 new Toyotas. Security officers could not find either man at Zuloaga’s home.
The senior Zuloaga, in addition to owning Globovision, owns and operates some car dealerships. Authorities claim that he and his son were keeping the Toyotas off the market, waiting for prices to rise. The charges had been dropped months ago, after prosecutors reviewed the case. Zuloaga has denied any wrongdoing, speculating that the charges were an attempt to intimidate him. He said the vehicles had been stored for safekeeping after one of his dealerships had been robbed. The arrest warrant appeared just one week after President Chavez publicly lamented that Zuloaga remained free.
A statement from the prosecutors’ office on Friday read: “The police are now working on capturing both citizens, who must be presented before a tribunal which will decide what legal measures to adopt.” The statement went on to say that both Zuloagas could also be charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, which alone could carry a 2 to 5 year jail sentence.
Zuloaga is no stranger to conflicts with Venezuelan authorities. In March, he was arrested and detained for hours after making “offensive and disrespectful” remarks about President Chavez on a television show. Zuloaga had commented on his worries about restricted freedom of expression in Venezuela.
Earlier this year, the Organization of American States voiced concerns about Venezuela’s use of punitive power to silence opponents. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights issued a report stating that Chavez constrains freedom of expression and has restricted human rights. The Commission urged Venezuela to avoid using any means to silence criticism or allegations against the government. In response, President Chavez called the report “garbage.”
Alejandro Aguirre, the president of the Inter-American Press Association in Aruba, condemned the arrest warrant against Zuloaga. “Once again it’s been shown that in Venezuela there’s no independence of powers, an essential value of democracy, since the judicial branch seems to act every time the president speaks or orders it,” Aguirre stated.
Globovision has been the only anti-Chavez television channel on air since a similar channel, RCTV, was forced off cable and satellite TV in January.
For more information, please see:
Voice of America-Venezuela Orders Arrest of Anti-Chavez TV Boss-12 June 2010
AP-TV channel owner ordered arrested in Venezuela-12 June 2010
Wall Street Journal-Venezuela Issues Arrest Warrant For Anti-Chavez Businessman-11 June 2010
Taliban Justice? 7 Year old Child Spy Executed
David L. Chaplin II
Impunity Watch Reporter; Asia
KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban plague and reign of terror continues amidst the government’s limited ability to regulate and control their activities. The execution of a 7 year old boy, which has the Taliban thugs being branded internally as “inhuman” allegedly executed the boy after a hurried kangaroo court where the boy, allegedly the grandson of a village elder, was found guilty of being a spy.
The latest episode demonstrates an expression of unbridled authority which has led to a 7 year-old boy’s murder, in what has been regarded to be an apparent act of retribution. The boy had allegedly been providing allied forces with information on Taliban movements.
Daoud Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial governor of Helmand, said that the killing happened days after the boy’s grandfather, Abdul Woodod Alokozai, spoke out against militants in their home village. In the past, militants have carried out similar killings of those accused of spying, Ahmadi said. Three years ago, a 70-year-old woman and a child in the Musa Qala district of the province were executed following the same allegations, he said.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai after looking into reports of the execution, condemned the act if confirmed to be true. “I don’t think there’s a crime bigger than that that even the most inhuman forces on earth can commit,” Karzai said. “A 7-year-old boy cannot be a spy. A 7-year-old boy cannot be anything but a 7-year-old boy, and therefore hanging or shooting to kill a 7-year-old boy… is a crime against humanity.”
Dawoud Ahmadi, said “The innocent boy was not a spy, but he may have informed the police or soldiers about planted explosives,” Ahmadi told Central Asia Today. “If this is true, it is an absolutely horrific crime,” added British Prime Minister David Cameron, while on a stop in Kabul. “I think it says more about the Taliban than any book, than any article, than any speech could ever say.” Ahmadi said: “His grandfather is a tribal elder in the village and the village is under the control of the Taliban. His grandfather said some good things about the government and he formed a small group of people to stand against the Taliban. That’s why the Taliban killed his grandson in revenge.”
Qari Yousef Ahmaid, the Taliban spokesman, denies that any of his militants were involved. “The Taliban’s enemies are the Afghan Government and the foreign forces,” he said. “We never kill children. Everyone knows a seven-year-old can’t be a spy.”
For more information, please see:
CNN World News – Officials: Taliban executed boy, 7, for spying – 10 June 2010
London Times – Taleban hang 7-year-old boy to punish family – 11 June 2010
Pattaya Daily News – Taliban Hang 7-Year-Old Allegedly Spying for Allied Forces – 11 June 2010
New York Daily News – Taliban hang 7-year-old boy accused of being a spy – 10 June 2010