Secret Votes, Bribes, Skimming Public Funds; Corruption Rampant in Brazilian Government Sparking National Protests

September 22, 2011

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – This past Tuesday morning Brazilian citizens woke up and found the famous Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janiero, full of brooms. 594 brooms, painted yellow and green, were placed along the beach in the shape of the federal congress building. Each broom symbolized one of the 81 Senators and 513 Lower House Representatives in Brazil’s government. The brooms signified the need for Brazil’s government to “clean house” and “sweep out” the existing corruption they are plagued with.

Brooms along the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero. (Photo Courtesy of MercoPress)

The protest was put together by a non-governmental organization, Rio for Peace. “The purpose of our initiative is to make people aware of the extent of rampant corruption and to demand greater transparency in the management of public funds,” said Antonio Carlos Costa, who leads the group.

The group’s expressive protest follows a September 7 March Against Corruption, fittingly organized on Brazilian Independence Day. In Brasília alone, roughly 25,000 supporters marched down the streets wearing black clothing; face paint, red clown noses and toting posters denouncing corrupt government officials. The protesters dressed as clowns to contrast with their slogan that corrupt officials are the real clowns.

Protestors dressed as clowns in the September 7 March Against Corruption. (Photo Courtesy of BBC News)

President Dilma Rousseff took office just 9 months ago in January. Since then her Chief of Staff as well as the Ministers of Tourism, Agriculture and Transport have been forced to resign. Ex-Chief of Staff, Antonio Palocci resigned when news broke that over the past four years his net worth increased to be 20 times greater than when he took office. The three Ministers all stepped down amid claims of corruption; accepting bribes and skimming from public funds. All four deny any wrongdoing.

The acquittal of Federal Deputy Jaqueline Roriz has also garnered intense public scrutiny and outcry. In a secret vote by Congress, at the end of last month, Roriz was cleared of all charges. She faced claims of accepting a bribe of $33,000 US in public funds back in 2006. Roriz was caught on tape accepting the money. Congress justified their decision with inadequate excuses that at the time she accepted the bribe, Roriz was not yet a federal deputy, she was only a state deputy.

Citizens are doubly upset. Not only was a clearly corrupt official cleared of responsibility for her wrong-doing but it was done in an unrepresentative secret vote procedure. This has undoubtedly furthered the culture of political impunity that currently exists.

Brazil’s Bar Association, combining with the Brazilian Press Association and Catholic Bishops’ Conference made calls for more transparency in government spending. They are also demanding a new “Ficha Limpa” (Clean Criminal Record Law) to keep those with criminal records from running for elective office. A final objective is to end the secret vote procedures used to protect officials.

For more information, please see;

The Christian Science Monitor – Brazil Fights Corruption at Home as it Signs Open Government Partnership With the US – 20 September 2011

MercoPress – Hundreds of Brooms in Rio’s Beaches to Protest Brazilian Rampant Corruption – 20 September 2011

The Rio Times – Brazilians Protest and March Against Corruption – 13 September 2011

BBC News – Brazilians Rally Against Corruption – 7 September 2011

The Christian Science Monitor – Brazilians March Against Corruption to Mark Independence Day – 7 September 2011

BBC News – Brazil Corruption: President Loses Fourth Minister – 17 August 2011

BBC News – Brazil’s Chief Minister Antonio Palocci Resigns – 7 June 2011

Israel Prepares for Uprisings as Palestinians Move Forward on Statehood Bid

September 22, 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEL AVIV, Israel — Reports indicate Israel is preparing for massive demonstrations, riots, and shootings by the Palestinians in late September, when the United Nations (UN) is expected to vote on Palestinian statehood.

A Palestinian boy at a rally in support of an independent Palestine (Photo courtesy of The Guardian).

There is no concrete evidence of any such plans by Israel’s Palestinian population to start any such violent uprisings, but this has not stopped speculation from Israel that such actions are coming.

Israel has maintained the position that it only wants peace, but in the last few weeks, since it became clear of the Palestinian’s intentions to seek statehood from the UN, there have been signs that it is preparing for an uprising. Importing horses from Belgium, amassing tear gas, and organizing militias with trained dogs in the West Bank settlements have been the Israeli response to the Palestinian’s decision to take matters up with the UN.

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s far right foreign minister has said that the Palestinians were preparing for “bloodshed the likes of which we’ve never seen before.”

Leaked Israeli Defense Force documents reveal expectations that what will start as peaceful protests will become “mass disorder.” They say protests may include “marches towards mass junctions, Israeli communities, and education centres; efforts at damaging symbols of [Israeli] government. Also there may be more extreme cases like shooting from within the demonstrations or even terrorist incidents. In all scenarios, there is readiness to deal with incidents near the fences and the borders of the state of Israel.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the Palestinians are not preparing for war with Israel, but are instead trying to move forward towards their freedom with the multilateral assistance of the UN. “We don’t want to delegitimize Israel. We want to legitimize ourselves,” he said.

Abbas has called for peaceful demonstrations in September to coincide with the Palestinian’s petition for statehood. “I insist on popular resistance and I insist that it be unarmed popular resistance so that nobody misunderstands us,” he told the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s central committee.

Hagit Ofran, of Peace Now, an Israeli organization that monitors settlement activity, has expressed concerns about the IDF’s handling of peaceful protests. “We hope the army is making clear that non-violent protest is legitimate and no settlers should use any violence against unarmed demonstrators.”

The Palestinian leadership is expected to present their petition for admission to the UN during the general assembly meeting that is currently ongoing. Membership to the UN requires Security Council approval, which the U.S. is expected to veto.

It is thus expected that the Palestinians will request an enhanced “non-member state” status, which needs a two-thirds majority in the general assembly. They expect to have a majority by the time of the vote.

For more information, please see:

AFP — UN braces for Palestinian member state bid — 22 Sept. 2011

ABC News — Palestinian Statehood Bid Draws Thousands to West Bank Rally — 21 Sept. 2011

Salon — Defending Jim Crow in Palestine — 21 Sept. 2011

The Guardian — Israeli military arms settlers in preparation for Palestinian protests — 30 Aug. 2011

Ma’an News Agency — Israel police ‘import horses’ to confront protesters — 10 Aug. 2011

Haaretz — Israel Police prep for riots when UN mulls Palestinian independence — 14 June 2011

Ugandan Writer Detained for Writing Book Opposing President

September 22, 2011

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KAMPALA, Uganda – On Saturday, 17 September, Ugandan security operatives arrested Vincent Nzaramba., author of People Power — Battle the Night General. Since his arrest, police have held Nzaramba incommunicado. The Ugandan police suspect this book criticizes the longstanding President Yoweri Museveni and his party along with predicting the removal of Museveni by a popular uprising. Police officer Ronald Ogen stated they arrested Nzaramba because they fear the book will incite the public.

Grace Nzaramba with a copy of her husbands book. (Photo Courtesy of Daily Monitor) — Grace Nzaramba with a copy of her husband's book. (Photo Courtesy of Daily Monitor)

Uganda’s constitution limits the police to hold a person for no more than 48 hours, but Ogen said there are exceptions to the rule. Nzaramba currently remains in detention. Gloria, Nzaramba’s wife, stated the police confiscated his laptop and about 200 copies of the book when they arrested Nzaramba. Although Nazaramba has not released his book to the public when the police confiscated all the copies, Twitter posted sections of the book.

On Tuesday after she initiated a public campaign for his release, Gloria visited Nzaramba at his detention cell at the Rapid Response Unit (“RRU”) in Kampala. She stated “I spoke to him today but he’s badly beaten and he said he no longer feels safe at RRU and will not eat until they release him or take him to court.”

Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said, “We have him and we are investigating him for inciting violence. Our investigators are analysing the content of the publication and we will be advised on other charges.” Although she did not provide a reason for Nzaramba’s detention, she submitted a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions. She also did not respond to the torture allegations someone via text message asked about. Rights groups such as the government-funded Uganda Human Rights Commission have accused the RRU of torturing detainees in order to extract confessions.

Uganda elected Museveni into power in 1986. However, several of the anti-government protests in sub-Saharan Africa targeted Museveni. Since February, Nzaramba has been a candidate for the general elections under the ruling party.

Last October, the government seized 500 copies critical of Museveni written by the sister of Museveni’s political opponent. In April, Ugandans protested the rise of cost of living prices. During these protests, at least ten people died, and the police arrested hundreds of others in their efforts to crackdown on the protests. The protests took place just two months after Museveni’s reelection with 68% of the vote.

Nzaramba’s book outlines three options for Ugandans to remove Museveni: “With the blocked constitutional means of transfer of power, Uganda is likely to experience a coup d’etat, a civil war or a non-violent revolution.” The book specifies that the social change could come “any time from today.”

For further information, please see:
Daily Monitor – Writer Arrested Over Anti-Museveni Book – 21 September 2011
IOL News – Author Arrested by Ugandan Police – 21 September 2011
Reuters Africa – Uganda Detains Author of Book Critical of Museveni – 20 September 2011
Washington Post – Uganda Police Arrest Writer; Wife Says He Criticized Longtime President in New Book – 20 September 2011

UN Human Rights Officials Call for Access to Belarus

September 21, 2011

By Terance Walsh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

GENEVA, Switzerland — Navi Pillay, the United Nations’s human rights chief, called for Belarus to release its detained non-violent political opponents and allow the UN to visit Belarus on a human rights mission. The UN’s demands to Belarus come as concerns grow over the possible torture and violations of free speech perpetrated against political opponents.

UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay (Photo courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Belarus’s treatment of political opponents has been an issue since the nation held its presidential elections in late 2010. Pillay stated that “the human rights situation significantly deteriorated after the December 19, 2010 presidential election.” Belarusian president, the incumbent candidate during the election, Alexander Lukashenko won the election by a landslide. The election was widely disputed as unfair both within the country and throughout Europe. The result sparked protests during which police beat peaceful protestors. Defendants in cases following the elections have reported physical and psychological torture and intimidation of defense lawyers. The UNHRC previously condemned Belarus’s crackdown on opposition in June.

“The authorities have reportedly tightened their already highly restrictive control of the media since December,” the report states. “The authorities have allegedly been conducting a policy of harassment against independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights defenders.”

Pillay’s report, most of which comes from secondary sources because UN human rights personnel are not allowed in the country, enumerates violations of “freedoms of association, assembly, conscience, speech, and right to a fair trial.” Furthermore, “Serious allegations of torture and ill-treatment in custody, impunity of perpetrators, violations of due judicial process, lack of independence of judges and pressure on defense lawyers require on-site investigation.”

Mikhail Kvostov, Belarus’s delegate, defended Belarus’s position on the crackdown. Specifically he denies Europe’s classification of post-election protests as “peaceful.” He stated that the European community considered the raiding of buildings to be peaceful while Belarus maintains that such behavior is criminal. Kvostov dismissed the UN’s report as politically motivated and stated that such criticism was not the right approach for dealing with Belarus.

Lukashenko has been in office for seventeen years following his election in 1994. Last month the Belarusian Parliament introduced a bill that would outlaw “silent protests,” including protests consisting of large groups of people who do nothing. Earlier this year a Minsk city court sentenced two former presidential candidates for organizing protests after the reelection. Lukashenko has made efforts to strengthen ties from the west but his regime has traditionally been criticized by the United States Department of State and the UN.

For more information please see:

JURIST — UN Rights Chief Urges Belarus to Release Political Prisoners — 21 September 2011

The Echo — UN Human Rights Officials Call On Belarus to Immediately Release Political Prisoners — 21 September 2011

Expatica — UN Rights Chief Wants Access to Belarus — 20 September 2011

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — UN Human Rights Chief Wants Access to Belarus — 20 September 2011

UN News Centre — Citing Reported Abuses, UN Rights Officials Call On Belarus to Free Political Detainees — 20 September 2011

Pakistan national executed for drug trafficking

September 21, 2011

By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch, Asia

BEIJING, China – A Pakistani man, Syed Zahid Hussain Shah, has been executed by the Chinese government after being sentenced to death for a 2008 drug trafficking charge.

A Pakistan national was executed in China for drug trafficking (Photo Courtesy of BBC).

Shah, a 36 year old former businessman, was arrested in 2008 amid accusations of drug trafficking and in 2010 he was sentenced to die by lethal injection.

Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director, Sam Zarifi, stated that “executing someone for drug related offences violates internationally accepted standards for imposing the death penalty…”

Zarifi also called on the Pakistani government to “…provide Shah with urgent additional consular assistance.” This request went unheeded as the Pakistani government refused pleas from not only the human rights community but also from the family members of Mr. Shah.

Frustration at the Pakistani governments failure to act was expressed by the Asian Human Rights Commission which stated “it is the primary duty of the Pakistani government to come forward and save the life of any Pakistani citizen who is made a victim because of the wrong advice from him lawyer and the sheer negligence of staff of the Pakistan embassy in Beijing.”

Although the consular assisted Shah during the three years he spent in detention his family believes that the assistance he received was inadequate.

Shah was allowed a half hour visit with his family on the day preceding his execution and one last meeting on Wednesday morning before he was executed at four o’ clock that afternoon.

According to Shah’s family, he had been falsely implicated by business associates whom he was attempting to help at the time of his arrest and was not aware that he was breaking any law.

Although statistics on the death penalty are considered a state secret in China, Amnesty International estimates that thousands of people are executed in China each year and are not provided with clemency procedures after they have exhausted their appeals.

This year the Communist party has cut the number of crimes punishable by death, such as forging tax invoices, from 68 to 55. Of the 55 remaining crimes; however, 31 are non-violent crimes which are still death penalty eligible. An example of China’s willingness to utilize the death penalty is exemplified by the assurance Beijing has given the Chinese public that those who violate food safety laws which result in a fatality will face the possibility of execution.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – China Executes Pakistani Man on Drug Charges – 21 September 2011

The International News – Family Meets Pakistani in China Before Execution – 21 September 2011

Truth Dive – Human Rights Groups Urge China to Stop Pak Convict’s Execution – 21 September 2011

BBC News – China Lobbied Over Pakistan Man’s Imminent Execution – 20 September 2011

Asian Human Rights Commission – PAKISTAN: The Government Should Engage with the President of China for the Commutation of the Death Sentence of Zahid Hussain Shah – 19 September 2011

Hindustan Time – Justice by Death in China – 17 September 2011

Amnesty International – China Must Halt Execution of Pakistan National – 16 September 2011