Montreal Students Face Possible Human Rights Complaint Over Blackface Incident

Montreal Students Face Possible Human Rights Complaint Over Blackface Incident

By Brittney Hodnik
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OTTAWA, Canada – Students at the University of Montreal may be facing a human rights complaint after dressing up in blackface.  A group of business students was taking part in a track and field event and wanted to dress up like Olympic runner, Usain Bolt, from Jamaica.  The students say that Bolt “is a role model for them” and it was “harmless fun” according to The Calgary Sun.  Many others believe that the situation was racist, offensive and wrong.

Students at the University of Montreals business school dressed up in black face at a track and field event. (Image Courtesy of NewsOne.com)
Students at the University of Montreal's business school dressed up in black face at a track and field event. (Image Courtesy of NewsOne.com)

The students were dressed in Jamaican-flag-colors, completely covered in black body paint, and were shouting “smoke more weed,” according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (“CBC News”).  In addition, other Rastafarian stereotypes were implied and the students were holding up a stuffed monkey.

A McGill University law student, Anthony Morgan walked by the campus and saw the event.  He said that from what he could tell, he “was the only black person there” and he “felt extremely uncomfortable in [his] own skin,” reported CTV Montreal.  Morgan says he is considering filing a human rights complaint for the offensive use of blackface.

Blackface has significant negative connotations.  Historically, whites used blackface to make a mockery of African-Americans and demean them.  Even if the students did not mean to be offensive, it came across as such.  CBC News quoted Justice Canada as saying, “This event presumably was planned for weeks.  Didn’t ANYONE think this might have been offensive and racist?”

Others, such as David Jorgensen said that the act was clearly “in poor taste” but “these immature young adults are entitled to their freedom of expression, no matter how distasteful [other] people may find it,” reported CBC News.  In fact, Morgan himself says that he does not want the students to be punished but rather he “hopes the university will try and educate these students on the historical context of blackface and to make them do research on Jamaican culture,” according to The Calgary Sun.

“They had reduced all of who I am and the history of Jamaica and culture of Jamaica to these negative connotations of weed smoking, black skin, rastas,” Morgan told CBC News.

The University will organize an intercultural-relations session for those involved and will use the event” as an occasion for learning,” reported The Calgary Sun.  As of now, no further disciplinary action is planned by the business school.  Morgan said that he hopes that Quebec’s human rights commission will do an independent investigation into the event.

For more information, please visit:

CBC News — Does Blackface Worn by Montreal Students Warrant a Human Rights Complaint? — 16 Sept. 2011

NewsOne.com — Montreal Students Mock Usain Bolt in Blackface — 16 Sept. 2011

The Calgary Sun — Blackface Stunt Could Prompt Human Rights Complaint — 16 Sept. 2011

CTV Montreal — Blackface Stunt Fackfires at Universite de Montreal — 15 Sept. 2011

Amnesty International Demands Release of “Prisoners of Conscience”

Postcard distributed by Amnesty International (Photo Courtesy of Amnesty International).
Postcard distributed by Amnesty International (Photo Courtesy of Amnesty International).

By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – On Friday, September 16, human rights group Amnesty International and the European  Parliament called on the Eritrean government to release 11 former government officials who have been held incommunicado since 2001. The 12 detainees have not had any contact with the outside world since their arrest and none of the detainees have been formally charged with a crime since their detention began. Amnesty International is using the 10 year anniversary of the detainees’ arrest to remind international observers of President Isaias Afewerki’s repressive regime including the butal tactics that have been used to stifle freedom of expression and silence opposition figures.

The 11 detainees are described by Amnesty International as “prisoners of conscience.” The former government officials include Vice President Mahmoud Sherifo, Foreign Minister Haile Woldetensae, military Chief-of-staff Ogbe Abraha and several other officials who criticized President Isaias Afewerki and asked for democratic reforms.

Amnesty International is demanding: “The Eritrean authorities must immediately and unconditionally release 11 prominent politicians, including three former cabinet ministers, who have been held incommunicado without charge for 10 years.”  Along with calling for the release of these prisoners, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Africa, Michelle Kagari is calling on the Eritrean government to provide the detainees with appropriate medical care, access to attorneys, and family members of the detainees with the location or prison where they loved ones are being held.

Along with calling for the release of these prisoners, Amnesty International is also highlighting the prison conditions under which these detainees are being housed.  Amnesty International describes the prison system in Eritrea as “notoriously dire.” In particular, inmates are housed in underground cells or in shipping containers, subject to extreme desert temperatures.

According to an Eritrean government official, Presidential adviser, Yemane Gebreab, the 11 people held in connection with the 2001 incident were not calling for government reforms but were arrested for threatening Eritrea’s national security. Mr. Gebreab told BBC’s Focus on Africa programme, “If they had succeeded in their plans Eritrea today would no longer exist as an independent sovereign state, or it would have been another Somalia.”

Consistently considered one of the world’s worst human rights offenders, Eritrea has repeatedly denied allegations of human rights abuses and has frequently denounced human rights workers as spies working for foreign intelligence agencies.

For more information, please see:

BBC News — Eritrea urged to free dissident Aster Fissehatsion – 16 September 2011

Reuters Africa — Amnesty calls for release of Eritrea officials – 16 September 2011

StarAFrica.com — Eritrea / Prisoners of conscience held for a decade must be released – 16 September 2011

Voice of America — Amnesty Intl; Demands Freedom for 11 Eritrean Politicians, Jailed Since 2001 – 15 September 2011

ANC Youth Leader Fights Court’s Decision to Ban Song

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter – Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Julius Malema, South Africa’s African National Congress (“ANC”) youth leader, accused South Africa’s courts of being racist on Wednesday, 14 September, after they convicted him of hate speech on Monday, 12 September.  The court held Malema’s signature song ‘Dubul ibhunu’ roused hatred.  Loosely translated, the song means, “Shoot the Boer”.

ANC Youth Leader Julius Malema fights court decision. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)
ANC Youth Leader Julius Malema fights court decision. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Judge Collin Lamont categorized the song as hate speech.  He banned people from using the song’s word in private or public.  However, ANC supporters began singing the song minutes after the ruling, and police did not arrest the singers outside the courtroom.

Afrikaner rights groups led by AfriForum filed a legal complaint to ban Malema from singing the song.  AfriForum believes the song incites violence towards the Afrikaners, a white minority ethnic group in South Africa who ruled the country under Apartheid.  Although the ANC and Malema stated they plan to appeal the verdict, the BBC reports analysts fear ANC will face difficulties disciplining him as this verdict increases his popularity.

The song discusses Afrikaners and farmers, and it became popular during the anti-apartheid movement.  Malema responded to the verdict with “Once again we find ourselves subjected to white minority approval.  Apartheid is being brought through the back door.”

Malema argues the song symbolizes the ongoing fight against oppression and injustice.  He asserts the word “Boer” refers to the Apartheid system, not Afrikaners.  Moreover, Malema emphasizes these songs should be protected by the law.  He intends to ask Parliament to protect these liberation songs as a part of the country’s anti-apartheid heritage.  Malema said “The judge alone takes the decision to ban the people’s song.  It’s an unfair practice which we must not just accept.  We must fight it.”

South Africa’s laws and liberal constitution written after Apartheid are interpreted by white judges appointed under Apartheid along with judges of all races appointed after Apartheid.  Malema, a black man, feels the government has not changed the judicial system enough after Apartheid.

The ANC is currently conducting disciplinary hearings against Malema for violating the ANC constitution, calling to overthrow the leader of Botswana, and undermining South Africa President Jacob Zuma.  The police are also investigating Malema for corrupting government contracts.

Malema believes he is a victim of a witch-hunt due to his opposition against Zuma.  However, Malema supported Zuma’s rise to power in 1999.

The court held Malema responsible for singing the song in public.  Malema responded that “Even if I wanted, I would not have the capacity (to compose it). I have got limitations. I sing badly, I have got no copyright (on it).”

For further information, please see:
BBC – South Africa’s Julius Malema denounces ‘racist’ courts – 14 Sept 11
IOL News – ANCYL to ‘demand legislation’ to protect song – 14 Sept 11
The Washington Post – South Africa: ANC youth leader calls courts racist after losing hate speech case – 14 Sept 11
Aljazeera – ‘Shoot the Boer’ freedom song banned – 12 Sept 11

Anti-Israel Protest in Jordan Raises Questions about Palestine’s Future

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

AMMAN, Jordan – About of Jordanians gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Amman to call for the embassy’s closing and the dissolution of Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel.  Prior to the event, thousands were expected to attend, and the possibility of violence led the Israeli ambassador to return home the day before.  Instead, the protesters were cordoned off by a large contingent of police officers who contained them to an area outside the Kaloti Mosque, located about a kilometer away from the embassy.

Protesters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Amman to call for its closure.
Protesters gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Amman Thursday to call for its closure, shouting anti-Israeli slogans that opposed their presence and the possibility of Jordan's use as a Palestinian state. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

The rally comes on the heels of a similar protest outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo, Egypt last Friday.  There, an estimated 3,000 protesters destroyed a wall surrounding the building and then broke into the embassy.  They ransacked several offices and threw papers with Hebrew writing out of windows into the streets below. 

Nothing of the sort happened in Amman, in spite of calls to do so.  One protest group, called “Million Man March to Close the Israeli Embassy in Jordan,” has more than 3,000 members on its Facebook page. The group’s motto is: “No Zionist embassy on Jordanian land.”  Another group called for activists to mass at the Kaloti Mosque and head towards the Israeli embassy to break inside the compound and replace the Israeli flag with a Jordanian flag.

Participants were disappointed by the low turnout.  “It’s a shame for Jordan,” said Samer Abu Gosh, a dentist who, like many Jordanians, is of Palestinian descent. “I expected at least 10,000.” 

Jordan is one of two countries, the other being Egypt, that has signed a peace treaty with Israel.  According to the New York Times, the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a long-time Israeli ally, has led to a release of anti-Israeli feelings in the aftermath of the revolution.  Political activist Khaled Abdul Fattah opined that the leaders of the Amman protest were inspired by the actions of their Egyptian peers after the attacked the Israel embassy in Cairo

One of the potential reasons for this lack of results may be the present status of Palestinians.  Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has announced that he plans to seek a vote for recognition of a Palestinian state.  Despite this intention, which has left Israel in a delicate situation, its possibility is uncertain.  The protest in Amman called for a larger Palestine than what Abbas was seeking.

“We will not accept what Abbas is claiming,” said Rani Ayyash, a 23-year-old Jordanian of Palestinian descent.  He opined that the Palestinian leader had settled for “a fifth of the Palestinian land, a third of the people and a quarter of the authority.”

To make matters worse, WikiLeaks recently released diplomatic cables that implied a U.S. plan to turn Jordan into a Palestinian state.  About half of Jordan’s population is of Palestinian descent, which is part of the assumed rationale for the idea.  A minority of Israelis favor the plan, but it was part of the outcry at the rally.  “No to the alternative homeland and we are going to burn Israel,” participants, including the Islamic Movement, trade unions, and Pan-Arab groups, shouted.

The timing of protests on the issue may not be ideal, as evidenced by the lack of attendance.  To Hassan Deiraniyeh, who lives in the area near the site of the rally, the problem is the Islamist movement, which encourages the youth to join in protests, but does not take part itself.

“What I can see is a group of enthusiastic young people but where are the leaders of the Islamic movement? None of them is here,” he said.

Abdul Fattah also felt timing was off, feeling that there were more important areas to worry about.  “Maybe it is not the right time to raise demands related to the Palestinian issue. People want change in the domestic arena so far. That is a more attractive call,” he said.

But protests and rallies for domestic change have become less common.  King Abdullah II has made good on his recent promise for reform, reducing the need to bring attention to it.

For more information, please see:

CNN — Israeli ambassador returns to embassy in Jordan — 16 September 2011

Jordan Times — Hundreds rally near Israeli embassy — 16 September 2011

Al Jazeera — Israel evacuates embassy in Jordan — 15 September 2011

Al Jazzera — Jordanians protest against ties with Israel — 15 September 2011

Ammon — Update: Jordanian protest demand closing of Israeli Embassy — 15 September 2011

New York Times — Anti-Israel Rally in Jordan Also Exposes Arab Rifts — 15 September 2011

Petra — Protest organized in Amman against Israeli policies — 15 September 2011

Washington Post — In Jordan, low turnout for anti-Israel march — 15 September 2011

Former Director of Colombia’s Administrative Security Department sentenced to 25 years in prison for ties to paramilitary group and murder

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America


BOGOTA, Colombia — Former Director of the Administrative Security Department, Jorge Aurelio Norguera, was ordered to pay a fine of $1.9 million and sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday by Colombia’s Supreme Court of Justice for his ties with far right-wing military groups and his involvement in the murder of a human rights worker in 2004.

Jorge Noguera receives stiff prison sentence for paramilitary ties. (Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post).
Jorge Noguera receives stiff prison sentence for paramilitary ties. (Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post).

Noguera, 47, was found guilty of destroying public documents and giving illegal right-wing death squads names of leftist activists, students and labor union leaders so they could be killed. The Supreme Court specifically held Noguera in connection to the murder of Alfredo Correa de Andreis, a prominent sociologist and human rights worker who was shot by assassins belonging to a paramilitary group in 2004.


According to a former senior deputy at Colombia’s Administrative Department of Security (DAS), Noguera helped coordinate Andreis assassination after Andreis had reportedly investigated suspicious activity by the right-wing military.


In addition to his sentencing and fine, Noguera has also been ordered to pay $89,000 in restitution to Andreis’ family. A lawyer for Andreis’ family said public money from DAS had been used for his murder.


Noguera’s sentencing is one of many scandals to come out of Colombia’s Administrative Department of Security (DAS). Several former officials and staffers of DAS have been investigated and accused of illegally wiretapping opposition leaders and judges.


Former President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, has also been accused of ordering DAS to wiretap his opponents while he was president. Uribe has denied any involvement with the wiretapping, stating last month “I never gave orders to do anything illegal.”


On Wednesday, Uribe referenced Noguera in a tweeter message stating: “I nominated him because of his résumé and his family. I trusted him; if he transgressed the law, it pains me and I offer apologies to the citizenry.” In a speech regarding Noguera in 2006, Uribe famously stated “I put my hands into fire for him.”


Noguera’s sentencing is the stiffest punishment to have been handed out so far to a member of Uribe’s government.


Director of the Americas for Amnesty International, Susan Lee, says Noguera’s sentencing is a critical move in the right direction for justice in Colombia. She calls for all those responsible for crimes under DAS to be promptly brought to justice.


In 2003, Colombia began a program which offered financial and legal assistance to members of paramilitary groups that voluntarily quit.


For more information, please see:


Ahram – Colombian Ex-Spy Chief Gets Stiff Prison Sentence – 15 September 2011


CNN – Colombian Court Sentences Former Spy Chief for Paramilitary Ties – 15 September 2011

NY Times – Ex-Spy Chief of Colombia Is Sentenced to Prison – 14 September 2011

The Huffington Post – Jorge Noguera, Colombia’s Domestic Intelligence Chief, Convicted Of Criminal Conspiracy – 14 September 2011