CPN Bans Hindu Music and Indian Automobiles in Nepal

CPN Bans Hindu Music and Indian Automobiles in Nepal

By Karen Diep
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KATHMANDU, Nepal – Today, the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) Maoists implemented a ban on the screening of Hindu films and automobiles bearing Indian license plates in ten (10) districts of the country.

One of ten districts affected by the ban. (Photo Courtesy of India TV News)

In June of this year, the CPN split from the ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal and thus, districts in the Tamsaling state committee are now within the CPN’s jurisdiction.

According to Hindu Times, Nepal’s state-owned news agency, Rastirya Samachar Samiti, confirmed the ban’s enactment.

This ban will be enforced for two months until November 25th with the following districts affected: Chitwan, Dhading, Kavre, Rasuwa, Nauwakot, Sindhuli Makwanpur, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechap, and Dolakha.

According to Nepal News, CPN spokeswoman Pampha Bhusal said that the ban’s aim is to “promote economic development based on national independence, protection to local employment opportunities, utilisation of Nepali investment and in view of obstruction on the operation of Nepali’s transportation means in India.”

“Our party has also decided to ban Indian films that defame and disrespect Nepal and Nepalis, promote obscenity and spread cultural pollution,” read CPN’s statement.

Furthermore, senior CPN-Maoist leader Dev Gurung believed that the prohibition of Hindu movies and songs will promote Nepali films and songs. 

Because the CPN uncovered that many automobiles with Indian plates transported agricultural goods from India, it implemented its ban against such vehicles to increase the domestic produce market.  However, said automobiles are still permitted to use Nepal’s roads with the caveat of paying daily nominal charges at border check points, where temporary license plates are issued.

Moreover, the reason behind the automobile is twofold.  According to Nepal News, India first banned automobiles bearing the Nepalese plates.

“This is unfair. We should not allow Indian-plate [sic] vehicle in Nepal until India allows Nepali vehicles, shared a spokeswoman from Nepal News.

Though some broadcast media stations have requested the ban to be lifted, two districts, Chitwan and Makawanpur, have ceased playing Hindi songs.

Kathmandu’s Indian embassy has chosen to not react to the ban at the moment.

For further information, please see:

Economic Times – CPN-Maoist bans Hindu films, Indian vehicles in 10 districts – 26 September 2012

Hindu Times – Breakaway Maoist faction in Nepal bans Indian vehicles, films, music – 26 September 2012

Indian Express – CPN-Maoist bans Hindu films, Indian vehicles in 10 districts – 26 September 2012

Nepal News – CPN Maoist declares nationwide ban on Hindu movies, Indian plate vehicles – 26 September 2012

 

Bloggers imprisoned in Vietnam for Writing “Anti-State Propaganda”

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

HANOI, Vietnam – Bloggers in Vietnam were given lengthy prison sentences for speaking out against corruption and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Communist government.

Bloggers protesting in Hanoi. (Photo Courtesy of International Business Times)

Three prominent bloggers from the “Free Journalists Club” were given multi-year sentences ranging from four to twelve years.  Nguyen Van Hai, aged 60, from the northern port city of Hai Phong received a sentence of twelve years with an additional five years of probation after his release.  Ta Phong Tan, aged 44, from the southern province of Bac Lieu received ten years in prison.  Phan Thanh Hai, aged 43, from the city of Hanoi received a four year sentence with an additional five years of probation.

State officials first arrested the bloggers in April for distorting the truth and posting anti-state propaganda which violated criminal codes.  The jury, when handing down the sentences, alleged that such anti-state propaganda negatively impacted national security and Vietnam’s international image.

Ta Phong Tan, a formal police officer, posted about the alleged abuse of police powers in the country.  After she was arrested, her mother set herself on fire in protest over the mistreatment of her daughter.  Ta Phong Tan’s mother died from her injuries en route to the hospital.

Phan Thanh Hai, in charge of the law and science arm of the blog, challenged the state’s current course of action and called for political and social change in Vietnam.  After Phan Thanh Hai was charged with violating national security and posting anti-state propaganda, all allegations were denied.

The bloggers from 2007 to 2010 posted over 400 stories criticizing the deep corruption in the Communist government following debt scandals and economic slowdowns in what was once a bustling economy.  Local news sources characterized the bloggers’ internet posts as opportunistic and taking advantage of the new internet freedoms afforded to the Vietnamese people.  The bloggers were accused of eroding the general population’s trust in the central government by distorting the state’s image.

The U.S. has criticized the verdicts and lengthy prison sentences given to the bloggers.  The U.S. embassy released a statement saying they were deeply concerned with what has transpired and believes that imprisoning these people contradicts Vietnam’s commitment to international human rights.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also voiced her concerns over the potential human rights violations of the bloggers.  President Barak Obama also recently mentioned the persecution of the Vietnamese bloggers and called for greater international freedoms in the expression of the media.  The U.S., however, has chosen not to sanction Vietnam’s less than sterling historical record involving human rights violations.

 

For further information, please see:

People’s Army Newspaper – Three jailed for anti-State propaganda – 25 September 2012

Saigon Giai Phong – Three bloggers receive prison term for anti-gov’t propaganda – 25 September 2012

Viet Nam News – City court jails anti-state propagandists – 25 September 2012

The Guardian –Vietnam jails three bloggers for ‘anti-state propaganda’ – 24 September 2012

International Business Times –  Vietnam Jails Three Anti-Government Bloggers Including Renowned Dissident Dieu Cay – 24 September 2012

Reuters – Vietnam jails three bloggers in crackdown on dissent – 24 September 2012

‘Oops…’ Error When Accessing Account: Iran Blocks Google and Gmail

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – Mobile phone users and television viewers in Iran were notified on Sunday that their access to Google and Gmail would be censored for the foreseeable future.

Western websites are regularly blocked in Iran. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

Iranian officials have claimed that the block on the search engine, Google, and its e-mail service, Gmail, is in response to the anti-Muhammad film that has recently enraged Muslims across the Middle East. Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, a representative of Iran’s state run agency in charge of online censorship and computer crimes, states that many Iranians urged the agency to block the sites because they contain links to the film.

Many do not believe that the film had anything to do with the governments filtering measures. A popular sentiment expressed is that many in Iran are not as upset about the anti-Muhammad film as other neighboring countries, and that the government is using the film as propaganda. To those people, the true motive behind the recent actions instead has to do with Iran’s government’s urge to create a national intranet, separate from the worldwide internet.

“This is a pre-determined scenario to block Google in Iran, they wanted to do this since long time ago,” tweeted Hadi Khezriyan.

These restrictions are not the first that this Iranian regime has implemented. Google and Gmail were both blocked last February, just prior to parliamentary elections. YouTube has been blocked since mid-2009, after people used the tool to contest the validity of President Ahmadinejad’s re-election. Other sites routinely blocked and censored are the Guardian, BBC, CNN, Facebook, and Twitter. There are few countries that are censored more often than Iran.

Last year, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei set up the Supreme Council of Virtual Space to watch over the country’s internet. Since then, the group has been planning to create a national intranet. Experts believe that Iran is doing this to protect sensitive information like military and banking records from an outside cyber-attack. Others feel that Iran just wants to control the outside information that is coming into the country and pull out of the worldwide web all together.

Ali Hakim-Javadi, the country’s deputy communications and technology minister, said that, “[i]n recent days, all governmental agencies and offices have been connected to the national information network.” The fear is that the next step will be getting all the regular citizens onto the national intranet.

Many Iranians have taken to social networking sites to complain about the recent ban. Golnaz Esfandiari, who writes a blog for Persian Letters, a website run by Radio Free Europe, wrote, “By blocking Gmail/Google, #Iran government punishes its own people over anti-Islam movie.  Most Iranians have not seen it/don’t care.”

For some, anger about the prohibition is more a matter of principle than practicality. Iranians can still access Gmail by using virtual private networks (VPNs). Many already use these VPNs to gain access to blocked Western sites, despite government restrictions.

“[E]very schoolchild knows how to bypass restrictions by using VPNs, it’s very common in Iran,” said Mahmood Tajali Mehr, an Iranian telecommunications consultant.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Iran Blocks Access to Google and Gmail – 24 September 2012

BBC – Google Search and Gmail Censored in Iran – 24 September 2012

Guardian – Iran set to Block Access to Google – 23 September 2012

BBC – Iran’s Supreme Leader Sets up Body to Oversee Internet – 7 March 2012

 

Uruguay May Become First in South America to Legalize Abortion

By Margaret Janelle R. Hutchinson
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Earlier today it appeared that Uruguay’s Congress had the necessary votes to pass legislation that would allow women to seek an elective abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy – a crime in every other country in South America.

People demonstrate against abortion legalization in downtown Montevideo, Uruguay, Monday, Sept. 24, 2012.  Demonstrators protested the day before a congressional bill legalizing abortion is voted on.  The headbands read in Spanish “yes to life.” (Photo Courtesy Fox News)

Colombia and Argentina both have laws on the books that allow abortions in cases of rape or when the mother’s life is endangered.  Colombia also allows the procedure when there is proof of fetal malformation.  Every other country in South America criminalizes abortion for any reason.

The law that is currently being voted on by Uruguay’s Congress is the result of much compromise.  Consequently, parties on both sides of the issue are disappointed with provisions of the law and gathered Monday to protest.  Once it gets through Uruguay’s lower house, the measure would go back to the Senate for approval of changes, but President José Mujica has said he will allow it to become law.

The measure would give women the right to a legal abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, and decriminalize later-term abortions when the mother’s life is at risk or when the fetus is so deformed that it wouldn’t survive after birth.  In cases of rape, abortions would be legal during the first 14 weeks.

The goal is to reduce the number of illegal abortions in Uruguay, Congressman Iván Posada of the center-left Independent Party told his fellow lawmakers Tuesday.  Posada wrote the measure and is expected to provide a key 50th vote against the opposition of 49 other lawmakers.

“They talk of 30,000 a year, a hypothetical number, but whatever the number is, it’s quite dramatic for a country where 47,000 children are born each year,” Posada explained earlier in an Associated Press interview.

A key compromise in the legislation is the mandatory meeting a woman must have with a panel of three professionals.  A gynecologist, psychologist and social worker would explain to the woman her other options including adoption.  The woman would then have to “think it over” for another five days before she would be allowed to have an abortion.

“It’s important that the woman who decides to have an abortion attend this meeting where she will be informed, where they’ll explain all the options including alternatives that she is free to choose from,” stated Posada.

Women’s rights advocates are furious with this requirement.  They believe it will be used to manipulate and stall access to abortions, potentially delaying to the point where the 12 week window had passed.

According to the World Health Organization, “Death due to complications of abortion is not uncommon, and is one of the principal causes of maternal mortality” and of an estimated 300,000 hospitalizations annually.

Globally, unsafe abortion – defined by the World Health Organization as termination of a pregnancy by providers lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not meet minimal medical standards – claims the lives of more than 47,000 women annually.  In Latin America, unsafe abortions account for 12%, or the fourth most common reason, of what would otherwise be preventable maternal deaths.

Uruguay has been clear that women from other parts of South America would not be allowed into the country for abortion procedures.  Women must prove citizenship or at least one year of residency to be eligible.

For further information, please see:

CBS News – Uruguay Poised to Legalize Abortion – 25 September 2012

Fox News Latino – Uruguay Set to Legalize Abortion; Only 2nd Country in Latin America to Legalize Measure – 25 September 2012

Huffington Post – Uruguay Poised to Legalize Abortion – 25 September 2012

Montevideo Portal – Nobleza obliga – 25 September 2012

Amnesty International – Total Abortion Bans in Latin America Risk Women’s Lives – 28 September 2011

 

 

Syrian Revolution Digest – Monday 24 September 2012

The Bloodshed Continues!

 

Monday September 24, 2012

 

Today’s Death toll: 123. The Breakdown: 42 in Aleppo, 37 in Damascus and Suburbs, 18 in Daraa, 14 in Homs, 7 in Hama, 3 in Latakia, 1 in Deir Ezzor and 1 in Idlib (LCC).

 

News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An independent journalist who asked to remain anonymous, said rebel fighters were attacking a military base near town of Atarib when the jet flew over.

 

Special Reports

 

 

Lebanese living along the Syrian border are reporting rashes and other ailments. They suspect Syrian biological weapons are to blame, although weapons experts say that is unlikely.

 

 

With Syrian rebels sheltering in Lebanese border towns and Syrian Army troops planting land mines on both sides of the border, Lebanese fears of getting dragged into the conflict are rising.

 

 

“While opponents of the regime and activists are chased down by regime forces and subjected to arbitrary arrest and liquidation in areas under regime control, by contrast, regime supporters in areas controlled by the FSA can express their opinions freely. We can even find them sitting in the village guest house sharing jokes and drinking tea in one of the most beautiful scenes of the revolution that I have seen.”

 

 

When the uprising against the Assad regime began, Syria’s half-million-strong Palestinian population was reluctant to join in. Now, some have fled, while others have joined in the fight.

 

 

(Reuters) – Thirty years ago Hafez al-Assad cut phone lines from Hama to stop word spreading of his bloody crackdown on an uprising in the city, ensuring that the 1982 Syrian revolt was crushed and many thousands killed before the world even knew of it.

 

Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla Yusuf: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today

 

Video Highlights

 

Rebels groups in the western parts of Aleppo Province get united under the nameAl-Mostasim Brigades http://youtu.be/uAuXtMT-5YY But while the video is meant to show unity, it unintentionally reveals the degree of fragmentation involved in the rebellion movement when the leaders of over 20 different units introduce themselves and take the pledge. Regional and ideological differences are pretty apparent and the prospects of a lasting union seem dim. But for now, attempts at consolidation continue.

 

Restive neighborhoods in Damascus City are shelled againhttp://youtu.be/rW7csL0zNpk , http://youtu.be/ky1eRAzqjpc

 

The town of Na’eemeh, Daraa Province, comes under heavy shellinghttp://youtu.be/lFRRUeCZyjU  , http://youtu.be/X4tD8VY4q84

 

The town of Al-Atareb, Aleppo Province, get pounded with fighter jets dropping TNT barrels http://youtu.be/wFRA_1qhtZE , http://youtu.be/lzAwYyg6_YM

 

In Aleppo City’s Sheikh Khodr Neighborhood, the bodies of victims of snipers line the streets http://youtu.be/II3DnPrjNPo

 

The pounding of Old Homs continues http://youtu.be/b4UIBiIhzb8 The pounding of Rastan continues http://youtu.be/mcdjcJriFgs