MILLIONS STARVING IN SOMALIA IN “WORST HUMANITARIAN DISASTER”

July 13, 2011

By Tamara Alfred
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

On Friday, July 8, the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR, put out an urgent plea for $136 million in international donations to help deal with the approximately 10 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya who are at risk of starvation as the region faces the worst drought in 60 years.

In the drought-ravaged Gedo region of Somalia, obtaining water can involve treks of 12.5 miles or more. (Photo Courtesy of Mohamed Gaarane/IRIN)

Two consecutive poor rainy seasons over the past year have dried up pastoral areas in the Horn of Africa, where the drought is exacerbated by already sky-high food prices, restricted humanitarian access and conflict. Food is so scarce in Somalia that many will endure several weeks-long journeys through the desert just for the hope of nourishment at overcrowded Kenyan camps. During the journey, many have to brave often fatal attacks by packs of hyenas and armed bandits, said Alun McDonald, an Oxfam representative in Kenya.

“2011 has been the year of all crises, but I think that in Somalia we can find the worst humanitarian disaster of the year,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement. “I have never seen…people coming in such desperate conditions.”

Somalis are pouring into the already full Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. According to Bettina Schulte, Dadaab spokeswoman of the UNHCR, approximately 400,000 people are living in the camp, originally constructed to hold 90,000 people. In June alone, 55,000 Somalis entered Kenya and Ethiopia, with about 1,700 arriving each day. The flood of refugees still coming means that more than 60,000 Somalis are camped outside the actual refugee camp. According to Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the UNHCR, about 80% of the people are women and children.

A new refugee camp in Kobe, Ethiopia, opened just weeks ago to help address the growing number of refugees. Already it is nearing its 20,000 person capacity.

The UN refugee agency said the flood of Somalis could overwhelm the ability of humanitarian agencies to help them: “Humanitarian efforts to help newly arriving Somali refugees in southeast Ethiopia are at risk of being overwhelmed without a more rapid and robust international response to the drought and displacement crisis in the Horn of Africa,” said Fleming.

“Refugee children are dying and their mothers, reduced to walking skeletons, face the unbearable choice of which child to save first,” Guterres said.

The World Food Programme estimates that more than 10 million people are already in need of humanitarian aid, with the UN Children’s Fund estimating at least two million children are suffering from malnourishment.

For more information, please see:

Time – World’s Greatest Ongoing Humanitarian Disaster Reaches a Crisis Point – 13 July 2011

AllAfrica.com – Somalia: UN – Situation is ‘Worse Humanitarian Disaster’ – 11 July 2011

CNN – Refugee chief: ‘Heart is broken’ by hungry refugees fleeing Somalia – 8 July 2011

Court ruling marks “historic day” for human rights in Europe

July 12, 2011

By Polly Johnson
Senior Desk Officer, Europe

STRASBOURG, France – The European Court for Human Rights ruled last week that Britain failed in its responsibility to investigate civilian deaths in Iraq after the 2003 invasion of the country.

British officers patrol Basra in 2009 (Photo Courtesy of CNN/Getty Images).

Rejecting the United Kingdom’s argument that the British troops were not subject to the European Convention for Human Rights because they were beyond its jurisdiction, the court in Strasbourg, Europe’s highest court, found that British soldiers in Iraq remained bound by the convention in “exceptional circumstances,” which extended to the acts of British soldiers in Iraq.

The case was brought by the Birmingham-based firm Public Interest Lawyers on behalf of Iraqis who said British troops inflicted torture, rape, and death upon their relatives between 2003 and 2006. The Strasbourg ruling overturned a 2007 ruling by the House of Lords, which ruled that there was no UK jurisdiction for the deaths of Iraqi civilians.

The landmark ruling may open the door for Iraqis seeking justice for abuses that occurred under British patrol.

The case involved six deaths that occurred in the Basra area of Iraq between May 2003 and June 2004. Basra at the time was under British patrol. Four victims were shot, while a fifth victim died after being beaten and forced into a river in which he drowned.

The sixth death involved Baha Mousa, who died at a British military base. His father, who identified his son’s body, said Mousa was covered in blood and bruises and had a broken nose.

In its decision, the Court wrote: “[T]he United Kingdom assumed authority and responsibility for the maintenance of security in (southeastern) Iraq. In those exceptional circumstances, a jurisdictional link existed between the United Kingdom and individuals killed in the course of security operations carried out by British soldiers during the period May 2003 to June 2004.”

The relatives of those who died, apart from Mousa, were awarded £15,200 each in damages, and £44, 700 in costs and expenses. Mousa’s family has already been awarded £575,000 in compensation.

Phil Shiner, part of the team at Public Interest Lawyers said of the ruling: “This is a monumental judgment . . . and an important day for our clients, many of whom can now force what the MoD has long-denied them – a public inquiry uncovering the truth about what the British army did to them and their loved ones.”

The Ministry of Defense said: “We are disappointed by these Strasbourg judgments and we will consider them in detail before deciding on our next steps.”

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Court ruling ‘paves way for UK Iraqi abuse hearings’ – 7 July 2011

Belfast Telegraph – Human rights ruling on Iraq troops – 7 July 2011

CNN – Court: Britain obligated to probe civilian deaths in Iraq – 7 July 2011

Guardian – Iraq abuse ruling by European court says UK failed human rights role – 7 July 2011

Telegraph – British troops in Iraq had a duty under human rights laws, European court rules – 7 July 2011

Iran Escalates Executions at Alarming Rate

July 12, 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran — Since the beginning of 2011, Iran has been executing an average of almost two people a day. This rise in the use of capital punishment comes as the present governing Islamic regime fights to prevent a pro-democracy movement, similar to those occurring in neighboring countries, from gaining a significant foothold in Iran.

Political uprisings have become a part of Iran’s history so it is surprising that the country has been so silent as Arab Spring revolts break out all over the Middle East. It now appears that the Iranian government’s harsh and violent crackdown may be one, if not the, root cause for the lack of a similar uprising in Iran.

While Iran is itself reporting a large number of executions, many human rights organizations worry that even more executions are happening in secret. Amnesty International says that Iran has acknowledged executing 190 people since the beginning of 2011, but there have been reports of at least 130 more. These numbers are backed by reports from both Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI).

Hadi Ghaemi, an executive director of ICHRI feels that the executions are “a clear message that the state has no hesitation in using violence and applying it, no matter how arbitrarily, in holding power.”

The use of executions as a means to intimidate and prevent popular uprisings is nothing new in Iran, but the growing number of executions taking place in public is leaving human rights organizations deeply disturbed. So far this year there have been 13 known public executions. This is compared with 14 that took place all of last year. In most instances those who are publicly hanged are left up on construction cranes for all to see.

Iran claims that the executions are related to drug trafficking, but many outside observers have questioned this notion. Of those executed at least two have been identified as known political activists, and it seems too coincidental that the number of executions has risen when the likelihood of public uprising is also on the rise.

In response to Iran’s rise in executions, United Against Nuclear Iran has launched the Cranes Campaign. This campaign has the goal of educating crane manufacturers on how Iran is misusing their products, and getting those manufacturers to renounce their business ties with Iran, until it becomes a civilized member of the international community. The U.S. companies Terex and Caterpillar and Japan’s Komatsu have all ended their business ties with Iran.

For more information, please see:

Philadelphia Inquirer — What’s Keeping Iran Quiet — 11 July 2011

Care2 – Human Rights Groups Denounce Iran’s Rising Execution Rate — 10 July 2011

The Guardian — Iran escalates use of capital punishment — 7 July 2011

Los Angeles Times — Iran’s execution binge — 6 July 2011

Sex Trafficking in Nepal Faces Strong Resistance

July 12, 2011

By Greg Donaldson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KATHMANDU, Nepal – For many Nepalese women, who were forced to become sex slaves in their youth, help is on the way. Last Saturday in a documentary entitled “Nepal’s Stolen Children” the CNN Freedom Project uncovered the lucrative sex trafficking industry that has plagued Nepalese women for years. Hosted by actress Demi Moore, the program featured the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year, Anuradha Koirala, and her organization Maiti Nepal, which has rescued over 12,000 stolen Nepalese children from sex trafficking since its founding in 1993.

Demi Moore and Anuradha Koirala (Photo Courtesy of CNN)

Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director of CNN International said, “This is a multi-faceted story, but each side does not carry equal moral value. Modern day slavery is wrong. It needs to be stopped…CNN has committed our reporters around the world for the year to investigate an end to this global epidemic.”

Each year thousands of girls are lured into following prospective employers to a large city only to be forced into prostitution.

In the documentary, Moore speaks with several girls that were trafficked when they were as young as eleven years old. The girls told horror stories of being tortured if they refused to participate in sexual activities. Traffickers would do anything from force-feeding these young girls growth hormones to make their bodies become more women-like to electrocution.

Radika, one of the rescued girls, recounted her stay at a brothel. She explained that if she refused to have sex with a man she would be burned with cigarettes on her body or hot water would be poured on her. She went to the brothel with her baby son, but was separated from him. If her child cried, his tongue would be burned with a cigarette.

In 2004, the cost to buy a sex-trafficked Nepalese girl was approximately 2,400 (USD) reports the WNN. Arresting traffickers can be difficult as adequate police enforcement generally does not exist in rural Nepal.

In the CNN documentary, Nepal’s Prime Minister, Jhalanath Khanal, cites the extensive poverty of the country as being one of the reasons why women of Nepal are suffering so much. The country’s poor economic situation leads many young girls to look for a better life. The WNN reports that Nepalese girls are cheaper to buy, much more cooperative, and are easier to control. However, Prime Minister Khanal vowed to tackle the issue as part of the new federal constitution that will “provide every kind of right to women.”

Anuradha Koirala believes that the problem begins with the offenders’ attitudes towards women. However, she feels that male attitudes can be changed by allowing men to play major roles in preventing sex trafficking reports the Jakarta Post. Anuradha also hopes to globalize the issue.

“You and me and everybody, we expect this issue to be globalized. One day we hope this will end and that we have a traffic-free society.”

Through Maiti Nepal, Anuradha has provided more than a shelter for these girls and young women, she has created a home. It is a place for them to heal, go to school, learn a skill, and for some who are infected with HIV/AIDS, it is the place where they can spend their days surrounded by love, reports CNN.

Moore has also co-founded the “Demi and Ashton Foundation” with the goal of eliminating child sex slavery and human trafficking.

For more information please see:

CNN — ‘Nepal’s Stolen Children’ airs Sunday @ 8pm (ET) — 6 July 2011

The Jakarta Post — Anuradha Koirala: Stopping sex trafficking – 4 July 2011

The Kathmandu Post — Tracing trafficking trails — 13 January 2011

CNN — Woman fighting sex slavery named CNN Hero of the Year – 22 November 2010

Women News Network — Lost Daughters — An ongoing tragedy in Nepal — 5 December 2008

MEXICAN NATIONAL EXECUTED IN U.S. DESPITE REQUESTS FOR REPRIEVE

July 10, 2011

By Erica Laster Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States – The state of Texas executed Humberto Leal Garcia, Jr. on Thursday evening amid outcries from human rights organizations. Despite the Mexican national’s conviction for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a 16 year old Texas girl in 1994, government officials argued that the United States failure to place Garcia in contact with the Mexican consulate upon his arrest violated international treaty obligations under the Vienna Convention.

Humberto Leal Garcia, Jr. denied rights under Vienna Convention. (Photo courtesy of the Washington Post) — Humberto Leal Garcia, Jr. allegedly denied rights under Vienna Convention. (Photo courtesy of the Washington Post)

Garcia’s victim was 16 year old Adria Sauceda. Garcia was convicted of raping and strangling the young girl before using a 35 pound chunk of asphalt to bludgeon her.

Both the Bush and Obama administrations requested reprieves and clemency for the Garcia before his execution by lethal injection. The case prompted a flurry of disputes over the United States’ commitments to international agreements and the rights of foreigners currently on American death rows.

CNN reports Garcia’s last statement before his execution as, “I am sorry for everything I have done. I have hurt a lot of people. Let this be final and be done. I take the full blame for this.” Garcia then shouted “Viva Mexico” before turning to the warden and stating “I’m ready warden, let’s get this show on the road.”

Garcia’s appellate attorneys argued that their client’s sentence was unusual and that violations of the Vienna convention should at least have given Garcia a reprieve from death row. They cited the 2004 ruling of the International Court of Justice ordered the United States to review convictions of Mexican nationals who received the death penalty.

However, CNN reports that in a 5-4 ruling by the Supreme Court requesting a stay of execution, the majority opinion indicated that “We decline to follow the United States’ suggestion of granting a stay to allow Leal to bring a claim based on hypothetical legislation when it cannot even bring itself to say that his attempt to overturn his conviction has any prospect of success.”

Diplomats and rights organizations in both the U.S. and Mexico expressed disappointment in the result of the case. However, critics argue that the Vienna Convention is not binding upon individual states without the passage of enabling legislation by Congress.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stated that this “execution will undermine the role of the International Court of Justice, and its ramifications are likely to spread far beyond Texas.” Many believe that this will cause retaliation and reprisals against Americans abroad.

“Frankly, if we don’t protect the rights of non-Americans in the United States we seriously risk reciprocal lack of access to our own citizens overseas,” says State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland. Nuland made clear that the Obama administration strongly opposed the outcome and is currently working to speed legislation specifically defining the rights of non U.S. citizens to consular access.

For more information, please see:

Washington Post – Mexican National’s Execution in Texas Prompts Diplomatic Disappointment – 8 July 2011

Reuters – U.S. Seeks to Limit Damage of Texas Execution Case – 8 July 2011

CNN – Mexican National Executed in Texas – 7 July 2011

Washington Post – Execution of Mexican National Prompts Concern About Impact – 7 July 2011