Syrian Network for Human Rights documented 111 victims, Monday, 6/5/2013 all across Syria, most of them in Damascus and countryside and Tartous in the coastal region. Among the victims: 7 children, 6 women, 2 tortured to death, and 32 armed rebels
By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
MUNICH, Germany – On Monday, the surviving member of a neo-Nazi unit went on trial for numerous racist murders. Beate Zschäpe, 38, is accused of her association with National Socialist Underground (NSU) who killed 10 people, most of them of Turkish origin.
Four male defendants, who face lesser charges of aiding the NSU, are also on trial with Zschäpe. Zschäpe could face life in prison if convicted. However, she denies the charges.
Sebastian Scharmer, one of the lawyers, said, “The idea that the N.S.U. only consisted of three very dangerous far-right extremists is very difficult to imagine.”
Prosecutors claim the three members assembled “to realize their racist ideals, influenced by the Nazis for a preservation of the German nation through carrying out murders and explosive attacks to bring about change in the government and society.”
Prosecutors also state that the NSU was behind two bombings in Cologne, Germany. Both bombing were intended to kill “as many people as possible only because of their non-German origin.” Although no one was killed, twenty-three people were wounded in the attacks.
Although Zschäpe is not accused of her direct involvement in the murders, the group’s decisions were made jointly.
Zschäpe’s lawyer said she will not testify at her trial.
Outside the courthouse, German-Turkish community groups and anti-racism demonstrators gathered to display banners. One read, “Hitler child Zschaepe, you will pay for your crimes”.
Osman Can, a leader of Turkey’s governing party, believes the trial is a “question of humanity.” He continued, “The violent methods that are seen in this case are not only aimed at Turks. They are against Jews or Roma, or any viewed as ‘others’ in German society.”
In addition to the demonstrators, around 500 police officers provided security and members of the public and media lined up for a chance to attend.
After the trial began, the judge subsequently adjourned the trial until May 14 after the defense team accused the judge of bias. Zschaepe’s lawyers filed a motion, which complained about a search for possible weapons or other objects while the prosecutors and police were not present.
This NSU case originally caused controversy when the police wrongfully accused the Turkish mafia for the murders. As a result, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service was forced to resign.
Lawyers for the family of the first victim, Enver Simsek, stated, “With its historical, social and political dimensions, the NSU trial is one of the most significant of post-war German history.”
Mehmet Daimagüler, another lawyer who represents several of the victims’ survivors, compared this trial to the Allies’ prosecution of Nazis in 1945 and 1946 in Nuremberg.
For further information, please see:
BBC – Neo-Nazi Murders: Beate Zschaepe Goes On Trial In Germany – 6 May 2013
National Post – High-Profile Neo-Nazi Murder Trial Begins in Germany Amid Tight Security – 6 May 2013
NBC News – “Hitler Child” Goes on Trial in Germany for 10 Racist Murders – 6 May 2013
The New York Times – Neo-Nazi Trial Begins in Germany – 6 May 2013
By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
DAMASCUS, Syria – Carla Del Ponte of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria stated in an interview on Swiss TV that Syrian rebels may have used sarin, a chemical nerve gas, in skirmishes with the Syrian army.
Sarin gas is capable of causing respiratory arrest and death. It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction and banned under international law.
Del Ponte reported the Commission received “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof” that rebels used the chemical agent. She explained that the information came from testimony by doctors and victims from neighboring countries. The testimony revealed that the victims’ treatments were compatible with methods used to treat injuries from the use of sarin.
The Commission was appointed in 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate war crimes in Syria. It has little access within Syria, but conducted extensive investigations and gathered testimony from individuals in many neighboring countries.
Since Del Ponte’s statement Sunday night, the Commission has downplayed the comment. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro clarified on Monday that the Commission has not yet reached any conclusive results. He declined to comment any further on the allegations, but stated that the Commission would report its findings on the subject to the Human Rights Council on June 3rd.
The statement followed reports issued last week by the US and UK that claimed an investigation found evidence the Syrian government forces used sarin against rebels. The reports said investigations revealed “compelling” evidence that Bashar al-Assad’s loyal army used the gas, but required incontrovertible proof in order to request UN intervention.
The US responded to Del Ponte’s statement on Monday. White House spokesman Jay Carney stated that the US is “highly skeptical” of her remarks. The US contends that any use of sarin gas likely came from al-Assad’s army.
Both the Syrian government and the rebels accused each other of using sarin. The government denied allegations from the US and UK reports. The government claimed that the opposition is attempting to frame the Syrian army. Both sides assert that the other used chemical weapons on three separate occasions near Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs.
For further information, please see:
BBC – UN commission downplays claim Syria rebels used sarin – 6 May 2013
CBS – W.H. on Syrian sarin gas claim: Look to regime, not rebels – 6 May 2013
Guardian – US casts doubts on claim Syrian rebels may have used sarin gas – 6 May 2013
VOA – UN Panel: No Proof of Syria Nerve Gas Claim – 6 May 2013
Yahoo – U.N. has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator – 6 May 2013
By Reta Raymond
Special Features Editor
I am a third-year student at Syracuse University College of Law, and spent this past summer as an intern at Access to Justice Law Centre, a NGO in Makeni, Sierra Leone. The opinions expressed in this series are purely my own, and not those of Access to Justice Law Centre.
I met an American lecturer at the University of Makeni who came here to teach after graduating law school in the U.S. He mentioned, in an off-hand manner, that he was recently in the hospital with malaria, and advised us to go to a hospital at the first sign of fever, because malaria is easily treated in the early stages. “You’ll be back on the couch the next day,” the lecturer promised. However, this approach seemed overly cautious to me, especially since I am generally a very healthy person and rarely fall ill. Nonetheless, malaria is nothing to mess with, as some strains of the disease can kill a person within days. British colonialists dubbed Sierra Leone “the white man’s grave.”
One afternoon, I was blessed with a small fever. I am a “tough it out” kind of person, so I waited it out to see if it would go down. Hours passed and no break, so I feverishly consulted my guidebook… “fever, chills, joint pain, nausea, stomach pain.” It could be malaria, but it could also be the cassava leaves I ate the day prior… I tried to remember from the last time I had a fever, was 103.8 a high fever? The guidebook did not say when to go to the hospital. Does one go when the fever reaches 104 degrees? 102? 110?
When my fever hit 104 degrees, I decided to go to the hospital. I was ushered into a “special room,” i.e. for foreigners. If you do not get one of these rooms, dear God, insist. I ordinarily hate being treated as a foreigner who is somehow entitled to special treatment, but in this case, I was very happy to be in my room separate from the other patients who are ushered in at all hours of the night and are moaning in pain. Not to mention in the “special rooms” there were mosquito nets and even CNN once the doctor entered his password into the satellite television! It was a better setup than I had at the guesthouse where I was staying.
After I was led to my room, a nurse took my blood pressure and pulse, followed by an injection in my hip. My colleagues and I are not certain what is in this shot, but it is probably not FDA-approved and definitely contains magic. After I got this shot from my nurse, Fatmata, I felt like I had risen from the dead. My colleague, who also got a shot in the rear after coming to the doctor with malaria, had a similar experience. Pure magic.
I got into the hospital around 9 p.m., but they decided to keep me for observation until the morning. This was a ridiculous, I did not need to be kept in observation overnight, and their idea of observing me was checking in at around 3 a.m.,“Reta, are you fine?” “Uh, leading question, but yes, I’m fine.” I was fine from the magic injection, but a few hours later my fever returned and then the stomach issues arose, right as the hospital ran out of toilet paper.
The next morning I exchanged my CNN access for toilet paper with my colleague/roommate. By noon there was no sign of a doctor, even though I was assured that he was making his rounds. Another tip, just as you insisted on the “special room,” insist even more to see a doctor and tell him to order a blood test. Save yourself from the hours and hours of waiting for the doctor doing his rounds. ALL YOU NEED IS THE BLOOD TEST. This sucker will tell you if you have malaria, or typhoid, or just food poisoning. Typhoid? But I got the vaccination! HA, that dinky vaccination is no match for the real deal in this country. Regardless, if you contract this super typhoid strain, like I did, you are also sent home with a bag of pills, just minutes after the blood test. I wasted a great deal of time by waiting for people to bring me doctors and tests, but on the bright side, the entire ordeal was about thirty dollars (night in the hospital, doctor visit, lab and drugs). Just imagine what the bill would be in the United States without health insurance.
To summarize: If you have a fever go to hospital and insist on the special room, insist on seeing a doctor as soon as possible, and then insist on the doctor ordering a blood test for malaria or typhoid immediately. In Africa your patience is tested on a daily basis; save yourself some time.
By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
ATHENS, Greece – Police were called in on Thursday morning to break-up a food distribution event catering exclusively to Greeks and run by ultra-nationalist party, Golden Dawn, in Syntagma Square, across from Parliament.
About 200 members of the fascist political party, Golden Dawn, dressed in black tee-shirts, arrived earlier than announced and began distributing bags of food for the Greek Orthodox Easter Holiday to only people who had identity cards proving their status as Greek nationals. This policy ensured that no non-Greek immigrants or migrants could receive the handouts.
The Greek-only food distribution in the social and cultural heart of Athens violated a municipal ban, and riot police were called in to close down the food pantry. The police prevented Golden Dawn’s truck from unloading and in the resulting scuffle between police and party members, the police used riot shields and pepper spray to repel party members who fought back with thick wooden poles still attached to rolled up Greek flags.
Eventually, the Golden Dawn members moved their distribution site to party headquarters in a different Athens neighborhood. Traditional Easter foods including potatoes, lamb, eggs, and sweets were distributed.
Last year, Golden Dawn also operated the Easter soup kitchen in Syntagma Square. However, this year, after the party announced Wednesday that there would again be a food distribution this year, Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis publicly vowed to stop the “hate-filled” event. Kaminis further explained that the event, in addition to being “arbitrary, racist and illegal” was not permitted because Golden Dawn had failed to seek permission from the City of Athens.
Concerning shutting down the food pantry, Kaminis later stated, “What happened today is a victory for the democratic state.” He continued, “Thuggery will not prevail in this city as long as I am mayor.”
Kaminis also said that the municipality of Athens feeds about 9,000 people a day at its own soup kitchens. He further asserted the authority of the city: “Syntagma Square will never be used again by anyone to hand out goods. This square belongs to the city’s residents. Only the municipality can decide how it is used.”
Later in the day, Kaminis was at a municipal charity distribution center when a Golden Dawn deputy and MP, Giorgos Germenis, attempted to punch Kaminis and to draw a handgun, according to Kaminis. Germenis’ punch landed on a 12-year-old girl, who suffered some bruising, and Germenis was apprehended by security before he could harm anyone else.
Of the incident, Kaminis commented, “The only thing these people know is the language of violence.”
Golden Dawn has seen a surge in popularity in the past year as Greece has faced increased unemployment and harsh austerity measures. Blaming immigrants for Greece’s financial woes, the party has pledged to rid the country of foreigners—a promise some Greeks find increasingly appealing as jobs become harder to find.
One pensioner explained why he accepted the Golden Dawn handouts: “I couldn’t afford to have Easter this year, so I came here to get some food so I could sort of celebrate it. I don’t know if people can be satisfied with this, but I know I’m not happy about it. We used to be able to enjoy the Easter holiday, but now we don’t.”
Golden Dawn has avowed that its food distribution was completely legal on Wednesday, and cited how agricultural producers often hold similar events in the capital. The party went on to claim that Kaminis was elected “with the votes of migrants.”
Head of the Golden Dawn parliamentary group, MP Christos Pappas, asserted the legitimacy of the food handout: “We organized a completely legal food handout here in the center of Athens to hand out food and help struggling people during the holidays. The Mayor of Athens disagreed. He thinks Syntagma Square is for immigrants, junkies, and anarchists, but we tell him no, the center of Athens, Syntagma Square, belongs to Greeks.”
Meanwhile, controversy over Golden Dawn continues. While some Greeks praise the party for cleaning up neighborhoods, others condemn them as thugs. Nevertheless, this once-marginal group, which bears a swastika-like emblem, but rejects the neo-Nazi label, is now Greece’s third-most popular party, having won 18 out of 300 seats in Parliament last year.
For further information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Police Shut Down Greek-Only Soup Kitchen – 2 May 2013
Guardian – Athens: Golden Dawn’s ‘Greek-Only’ Food Handout Shut Down – Video – 2 May 2013
Kathimerini – Athens Mayor Attacked After Police Stops Golden Dawn Handout – 2 May 2013
Kathimerini – Athens Mayor Hails Efforts to Stop Golden Dawn Handing out Food as Victory for ‘Democratic State’ – 2 May 2013
Kathimerini – Police uses Tear Gas to Prevent Golden Dawn Handing out Food in Central Athens – 2 May 2013
Telegraph – Golden Dawn’s ‘Greeks Only’ Soup Kitchen Ends in Chaos – 2 May 2013