China Threatens Punishment of Internet Users Who Post Rumors

October 5, 2011

By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Chinese authorities have renewed the threat that internet users who use the internet to make statements that the government deems to be false will be punished.

Chinese authorities have renewed threats to punish internet users who spread false information (Photo Courtesy of Reuters).

Internet use in China has exploded in recent months, causing the total number of internet users in China to become larger than the population of every country on earth with the exception of India and China itself.

A report by the China Internet Network Information Center has indicated that, as of June, 195 million of China’s 500 million internet users were utilizing the internet to operate microblogs. This number represents a 209 percent increase from the number of microblogs found at the end of 2010.

The sudden boom in microblogging has led authorities to express concern about the ability of users to quickly send information and comments that run contrary to the Communist Party’s censors.

The spokesperson from the State Internet Information Office under China’s Cabinet has called on internet users to “abide by the law, show self-discipline and refrain from spreading rumors.” The spokesperson has also ordered local authorities and websites to hold those that spread rumors accountable and penalize them to the full extent allowed by law.

As a result of warnings from government authorities and a visit from a Politburo member, China’s largest microblog operator, Sina Corp. is increasing its censorship over bloggers. The corporation has asked its users to help stop the spread of rumors and has warned that bloggers will have their accounts suspended for one month if they are found to have posted false information.

The apparent catalyst for Sina Corp’s decision to increase its censorship is a controversial blog that has caused Chinese authorities to express frustration at Sina Weibo, a microblog controlled by Sina Corp. In this blog a 31-year-old man posted fictitious stories about working as a prostitute. After his identity was discovered, his account was permanently deleted and he was forced to pay a fine for disturbing public order.

Chinese regulations permit those who spread rumors to be punished by serving five to ten days in jail and a fine of 500 Yuan, the equivalent of eighty American dollars.

China’s regulation of the internet is not a new phenomenon and the country currently blocks Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, and monitors other internet sites to block unfavorable information. Analysts suggest that the anxiety being exhibited by officials in response to the increasing use of microblogs could lead to even stricter regulations being placed on internet users in China.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – China Vows to Punish Posters of Internet Rumors – 1 October 2011

People’s Daily Online – China Calls for Boycott on Online Falsehoods – 1 October 2011

Bloomberg – China Calls for Internet Crackdown After ‘Prostitute Diary’ Shut – 30 September 2011

Reuters – China’s Sina to Step-Up Censorship of Weibo – 19 September 2011

Are Children In Mexico Better Off In School or Out?

October 4, 2011

By Brittney Hodnik
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – School-age children in Mexico are facing a terrible situation. Due to the constant violence and threats from gangs and drug traffickers, thousands of schools are closed throughout Mexico; and the schools that are open do not provide a helpful, safe learning environment.

"No classes until further notice" sign outside of a Mexican school. (Image courtesy of AFP)

Mexico is riddled with drug violence, and the situation only seems to be getting worse. Drug cartels have now resorted to threatening teachers and children, causing thousands of teachers to refuse to report to work. CNN reports that approximately 140 schools have been closed since the beginning of the school year due to safety issues, and teacher refusal to work.

According to The Associated Foreign Press (“AFP”), teachers in Acapulco have been on strike for a month, trying to persuade authorities to improve security before they return to work. The threats were left outside of the building, and in some situations, armed men entered and delivered the threats themselves, according to CNN.

Threats are often left by simple messages, but recently, gruesome displays have prevailed. According to BBC News, Mexican police found five decomposing heads in a sack outside of a primary school along with threatening messages. In Veracruz, 49 bodies were dumped on the roads within a three-day span, causing parents to be even more fearful of sending their children to class, reported AFP.

Parents are hesitant to let their children go to school for fear of violent clashes both in school and on their way to school. Elizabeth Garcia, a mother of two told the Associated Foreign Press that she felt better keeping her kids at home. “I don’t know if it’s better that they don’t go to school, but at least I know where they are,” she told AFP.

Although the threats were anonymous, Mexican authorities believe that they are linked to organized crime. Gustavo Duncan, the representative for Santiago Mayor’s Office said that the threats were “against society in general” and “there was nothing specific,” reported CNN.

Questions about the legitimacy, safety, and overall learning environment of schools that are currently open have emerged. According to the Washington Post, on September 23, teachers made sixth-grade students strip down after $13 went missing in a classroom. Mexico’s Human Rights Commission is investigating the incident, and the school has refused comment.

Mexico’s violence is escalating, and Mexican authorities do not seem to have any of the drug cartels or other gangs under control. The children are suffering from lack of education, potentially creating a dangerous cycle of violence and disobedience in Mexico.

For more information, please visit:

Associated Foreign Press — Fears of Violence Shake Mexico Schools — 2 Oct. 2011

The Washington Post — Mexican Rights Commission: Parents Say Sixth-Graders Forced to Strip Down After $13 Disappears — 2 Oct. 2011

CNN — More Schools Threatened in Mexico — 30 Sept. 2011

BBC News — 5 Severed Heads Left Outside Mexican School — 28 Sept. 2011

Mosque in Israel Set on Fire; Arson by “Price Tag” Group Suspected

October 4, 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUBA-ZANGARIA, Israel – Years of general peace in the northern Israeli region of Galilee were shattered Monday after a mosque in Tuba-Zangaria was set on fire. The attack is the latest in a series of arsons, but it is believed to be the first of its kind to be perpetrated within Israel’s pre-1967 borders.

Tuba-Zangariya residents survey the damage a suspected arson did to their mosque. Graffiti on the outside called the attack a price tag. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

These actions, referred to as “price tag” attacks, are part of what is believed to be a radical campaign to make local Palestinians or Israeli security forces pay a proverbial “price” for violence against settlers or removing settlements form the West Bank. Police found severe damage to the building’s interior.

“The whole mosque was burnt – the carpet, the books, the Korans, all burnt,” the village imam, Sheik Fuad Zangariya, said in describing the scene to Israel’s Army Radio.

In addition to the scorched interior, graffiti had been spray-painted on the exterior walls. The Hebrew words for “price tag,” “revenge,” and “Palmer” were the primary comments seen. “Palmer” is believed to be a reference to a September 23 incident in which Palestinians threw stones at a car driven by Asher Palmer, a recent settler. One of the stones may have hit him in the head, causing the car to crash and overturn. The 25-year-old Palmer and his year-old son both died in the accident.

Israeli authorities were quick to condemn the attack.

“This is an act which is against the values of the state of Israel, which places supreme importance on freedom of religion and freedom of worship,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Monday, Israeli President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Tuba-Zangaria mosque in an effort to calm tensions after Bedouin protesters set fire to several buildings and scuffled with police. He brought with him a delegation of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze spiritual leaders as part of a show of religious solidarity. Zangariya said that the Bedouin village had always enjoyed friendly relations with neighboring Jewish towns. By Monday night, the New York Times described the atmosphere there as “tense but calm.”

Peres denounced the arsonists as he reviewed the damage.

“I am shocked to the depths of my soul. I am full of shame and disgrace to see what they caused to this mosque, to the holy books in such a manner. We will not accept this, this is not acceptable. There is not one Israeli who is not ashamed,” he said.

Peres was particularly upset by the arson’s timing. It took place during the Ten Days of Atonement between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). He said this time period is meant to be one for reflection.

Netanyahu has instructed the Shin Bet security service to locate the perpetrators of these acts and bring them to justice. The organization believes that attacks like these by right-wing extremists could lead to violence in the future. This radicalization, which Shin Bet first noticed in 2004, appears to have been rising and no longer requires an incident to trigger action. The variety of targets has also increased to include defacing military vehicles and the homes of left-wing activists.

But for now, the goal is to minimize the attacks’ effect and control tensions while the investigation into these incidents proceeds. Israel appears to be taking the “price tag” group’s efforts very seriously.

“These acts are so dangerous, and harmful on a national level. They can result in an escalation, and this is the last thing the country needs,” Police Inspector General Yohanan Danino said in September.

Shin Bet believes that most settlers oppose these actions, which it suspects are being carried out by a few dozen individuals.

For more information, please see:

Ha’aretz — Israel Police on High Alert as Clashes Ensue Following Mosque Arson — 04 October 2011

Ma’an News Agency — Israel’s Peres Condemns Mosque Burning — 04 October 2011

Arutz Sheva — Arson in Galilee Mosque — 03 October 2011

BBC — Mosque in Northern Israel in “Price Tag” Arson Attack — 03 October 2011

Ha’aretz — Peres: Galilee Mosque Arson Shameful for the State of Israel — 03 October 2011

Jerusalem Post — Mosque Set Alight in Suspected “Price Tag” Attack — 03 October 2011

New York Times — Mosque Set on Fire in Northern Israel — 03 October 2011

Protests Against Impunity in Bulgaria

October 4, 2011

By Greg Hall
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

SOFIA, Bulgaria – About two thousand protesters marched into Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia in anti-Roma protests. Prejudices against Roma in Bulgaria and intolerance to daily crime and impunity after several serious incidents have triggered a series of national demonstrations that have increased ethnic tensions. The nationalistic party, Ataka, held demonstrations protesting against the impunity of Roma.

Bulgarian nationalists shout slogans during an anti-Roma demonstration in Plovdivon Sunday as political leaders and security chiefs sought to calm tensions. (Photo courtesy of Hurriyet Daily News)

There has been an increase in protests recently due to a death of a youth hit by a car driven by relatives of a Roma clan boss. Following the accident, an angry crowd of roughly 2,000 people attacked three houses owned by the Roma leader in the village. Smaller protests occurred in other towns the following week.

National Security Council President, Georgi Parvanov, called on political parties and the media to cease using hate speech. He also announced that a Roma inclusion program would begin in November and was being funded by the European Union and the Bulgarian government. The time could not have come any later, as opinion polls state that 69% of Bulgarians rule out the possibility of having Roma friends and 63% find it unacceptable to live in the same neighborhood as them.

Volen Siderov, Ataka’s far right candidate, is calling for the death penalty to be reinstated and for Roma “ghettos to be dismantled.” The recent violence in Bulgaria has been called the worst since the violence that took place in 1997.

This violence demonstrates the struggles of the Bulgarian country. Bulgaria is the poorest country in the European Union. Roma makes up only 5% of the population in Bulgaria. The attacks triggered worries that Bulgarian Turks, the county’s largest minority at almost 10%, will also become subject to attacks. As of now, a great majority of the attacks have been directed only at the Roma.

All of these protests and attacks come just three weeks before the Bulgarian presidential elections. Some fear that a few civil servants that are Bulgarian Turks will be forced to work for the governing party’s electoral campaign. Roma Rangel Palamoudov stated that the nationalist parties are inciting young people to turn against them so they can win the election.

The Roma community lives mostly in depressed areas with higher rates of poverty and unemployment and lower levels of education than the national average. Public frustration against corruption, a growing gap between rich and poor and the weakness of the justice system has helped turn people against the Roma, as well as against Bulgaria’s Turkish minority.

The unemployment rate among Roma is 65% and as high as 80% in some other regions. The prejudice and distorted perception of Roma coupled together with low levels of education make it extremely difficult for Roma to get jobs. It is also believed that quality of education to Roma children is inferior to that afforded to other students.

For more information, please see:

Hurriyet Daily News – Turks Worry as Bulgarian Nationalists Rally Ahead of Polls – 3 October 2011

iFocus – European Press Review – 3 October 2011

BBC News – Bulgarian Rally links Roma to Organised Crime – 1 October 2011

Argentina Enacts New Measures to Protect Domestic Industries: Customs Holding Books, Cars, Toys, Cell Phones

October 4, 2011

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Over 1 million books are currently being held by the Argentinian government at customs. The books are the newest good to be affected by the stringent economic protectionist plan that President Cristina Fernández has enacted and which she is determined to see succeed.

Cartoon depicting Argentinas new policy to protect domestic industry. (Photo Courtesy of The Economist) — Cartoon depicting Argentina's new policy to protect domestic industry. (Photo Courtesy of The Economist)

Earlier restrictions have affected many things including; textiles, tires, cars, chemicals, pharmaceutical goods and cell phones. President Fernández’s goal is to see the Argentinian economy grow more self-sufficient by promoting local goods over imports. Also included in the policy is the goal of increasing exports; $1 export for every $1 import.

“The editorial sector is surprised by the prolonged intervention that affects the basic right of the citizens to have access to the book as a vehicle of education and culture,” the Publishing Chamber said in objecting to the customs slowdowns.

Last year the people of Argentina purchased roughly 76 million books, government officials claims 60 million of those were printed outside of the country. Publishers disagreed with that and instead maintain that two-thirds of all books sold are printed domestically.

The ability of the publishing industry to keep up with the volume is being called into question. Publishing executives further note that local printers are either not of as high a quality or drastically more expensive than printers overseas.

At the opening and inauguration of the new Museum of Book and Language President Fernández championed the plan once again.

“The world is going in one direction and at times it seems like we’re going to the opposite, but this is the necessary path to recover a country that already knew how to do things,” she said.

The other sectors affected by this plan report that they have been forced into talks with government representatives from the Commerce and Industry department.in order to try and recover their stopped goods. These talks result in the company agreeing to a plan which will increase their export capacity or increase their use of domestic products and labor.

Nordenwagen, an Argentinian car importer, had its business stopped back in January when customs would no longer allow them to bring in imported Porsches. It took three months for the cars to be released and it was only once Nordenwagen agreed to a deal. The owners of the business also own a vineyard and have agreed to launch a mass-market line of wines for export around the world.

Cell phones, in particular Blackberry’s, are in high demand across Argentina with all cell phone carriers having sold out of them months ago and the government refusing to allow imports of the good in. Brightstar, a multinational manufacturer of phones, has just agreed to begin manufacturing the phones in factories located in Tierra del Fuego, south of the Magellan strait.

The phones will be made with imported parts but put together by local workers and packaged in locally sourced wrapping. The cost of this is roughly 15 times more than the phones being made in Asia.

Global Trade Alert, a database that monitors international commerce restrictions, reported that Argentina is now second in the world in trade limitations. The only country ahead of them is Russia.

President Fernández is unable to raise import tariffs on its own because of membership in the Mercosur customs union. This has led her to utilize the World Trade Organization’s recognized “non-automatic licensing” method which allows a country to hold imported goods for 90 days.

Argentina has certainly not maintained this 90 day period and the list they use of goods restricted to requiring special licensing before release by customs has grown from 400 to 600. Tax incentives are also being offered to local companies. For example, domestically produced finished books have been made tax-free and Brightstar was offered tax incentives for starting the Blackberry manufacturing plant in Tierra del Fuego.

Concerns in the Falkland Islands have also been expressed due to the new severe protectionist policy. Just recently President Fernández announced a plan to support local island producers of fruit, vegetables, salad and eggs. Grants will also be made to local new businesses that help provide locally sourced foodstuffs to the islands.

“The aim is for the Falklands to become self-sufficient and less susceptible to external pressure” said David Waugh, general manager of the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC). Easily 60% of produce consumed in the Falklands could be supported by a strong local market according to the FIDC.

The new plan for the Falklands self-sufficiency follows a period of disruption of British shipping interests by Argentinian claims that all ships between the Argentina coast and the Falklands must hold a special permit.

All of this likely stems from the 2001 crash and resulting inflation experienced in the country. Fears of a too strong import industry have sparked this new policy as Argentina brought in roughly $5 billion in imports per year since 2009.

For more information, please see;

MercoPress – Publishing Houses Told to Print in Argentina While Imported Books are Blocked in Customs – 1 October 2011

Seattle PI – Argentina Holds Up Book Imports to Help Industry – 29 September 2011

The Economist – South America’s Two Biggest Economies are Imposing Heavy Handed Trade Restrictions – 24 September 2011

The Telegraph – Falkland Islands’ Bid to Grow its own Food Amid Fears of Argentina Blockade – 6 September 2011

The Heritage Network – Argentina: Cristina Ramps Up Protectionism – 18 July 2011

Market News International – LatamWatch: Brazil Trade Barriers Hint at Rising Protectionism? – 16 May 2011

MercoPress – ‘Argentina’s Protectionism’ the Great Obstacle for EU/Mercosur Trade Talks – 15 April 2011