US-Cuban Relations Warm During Obama’s Second Term

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

HAVANA, Cuba – US and Cuban government officials met in Cuba’s capital on Wednesday to begin talks intended to tackle the issue of Cuban citizens migrating to the United States. Edward Alex Lee, a US State Department official, praised the tone of the talks explaining that the “very constructive” nature of the talks could lead to strengthened US-Cuban relations.

President George W. Bush suspended migration talks, which occur biennially, in 2003. President Obama reopened talks in 2009 before suspending them again after the arrest of US contractor Alan Gross. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

The strained relationship between the United States and Cuba has eased considerably since President Obama began his second term. State Department and Cuban officials point to President Obama’s handshake with Cuban President Raul Castro at Nelson Mendela’s funeral as evidence is the change in tone.

“Despite our historically difficult relationship, over the course of the past year and a half we have been able to speak to each other in a respectful and thoughtful manner,’ Mr. Lee said in a Havana press conference.

Mr. Lee confirmed on Friday that he had visited Alan Gross, a US citizen sentenced to 15 years in Cuba for smuggling illegal satellite equipment into the country. He noted that US government was “deeply concerned” for Mr. Gross’s well being.

During the talks, Cuban officials reiterated their stance against the Cuban Adjustment Act, which allows Cuban citizens to gain permanent residency after one year. Further, Cuban officials point to the “wet foot, dry foot” rule as a major source of unsafe migration attempts. The “wet foot, dry foot” rule allows Cuban citizens who reach US soil to remain in the country while repatriating Cubans detained at sea.

“These are the main encouragement to illegal departures and irregular arrivals of Cuban citizens in the U.S. territory,” said a statement released by the Cuban government.

The talks that began Wednesday are part of a series on migration that began in July of last year. Neither government had released information on when more discussions might occur.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Cuba: US ‘very open’ to new relationship – 10 January 2014

Reuters – U.S. official praises new tone with Cuba, visits jailed contractor – 10 January 2014

Miami Herald – US-Cuba migration talks to be held Wednesday in Havana – 6 January 2014

The Washington Post – Cuba, US hold migration talks in Havana – 9 January 2014

The Guardian – US and Cuba to hold fresh round of diplomatic talks in Havana – 8 January 2014

Libyan Cabinet Minister Killed by Unknown Gunmen

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

TRIPOLI, Libya – Libya’s deputy industry minister has been shot dead during a visit to his hometown of Sirte, east of the capital of Tripoli.

Since the collapse of Gaddafi’s regime, Libya has been plagued with sporadic violence (photo courtesy of the Telegraph).

Local media quoted officials as saying unknown gunmen “sprayed bullets” at Hassan al-Droui near a central market.

The minister was shot several times.

“They opened fire from another car while he was driving, he was shot multiple times,” an official said, asking to remain anonymous. “Later, they found explosives attached to his car. The theory is, the bomb failed, so they shot him instead.”

The anonymous official blamed Islamist militants who have been trying to extend their influence in Sirte, which has been more stable recently than the coastal capital of Tripoli.

The minister, al-Droui, was a former member of the National Transitional Council, the political arm of the 2011 uprising. He was appointed to his role by the transitional government’s first prime minister and kept his position when Ali Zeidan took over.

Since the collapse of Gaddafi’s autocratic regime, Libya has been plagued by sporadic violence, including a string of assassinations targeting top army and security officials.

The motive behind the killing, however, is unclear.

There is speculation that the assassins were from the self-styled Abu Bakr Unis Jabr brigade, who are supporters of the former regime.

Although Libya has seen continued violence and lawlessness since the 2011 uprising, the killing is the first assassination of a member of Libya’s transitional government. Most assassinations have been of members of the military or police.

Separately, a health official in Libya said 15 people were killed in clashes between two tribes in the country’s south. The fighting is pitting the al-Tabw tribe against the Awlad Soliman tribe in the city of Sabha. A local leader said on Saturday that the fighting was sparked by the killing of a guard of the city’s military leader, a member of the Awlad Soliman group.

The violence is the worst between the tribes since they struck a ceasefire agreement in March 2012.

Southern Libya thrives on the business of smuggling contraband goods as well as human trafficking, a BBC correspondent says.

Many of the clashes between the tribes there are rooted in competition over smuggling routes.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News – Libyan cabinet minister Hassan al-Droui killed in Sirte – 12 January 2014
Yahoo! News – Gunmen assassinate Libyan deputy industry minister – 12 January 2014
menafn.com – Libyan Deputy Industry Minister Killed in Sirte – 12 January 2014
Telegraph – Libya’s deputy industry minister shot dead – 12 January 2014
International Business Times – Libyan Cabinet Minister Assassinated During Hometown Visit – 12 January 2014
The Guardian – Libyan government minister shot dead – 11 January 2014

 

Unrest in Ukraine Erupts into Violent Protests

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KYIV, Ukraine – Ukraine opposition leader Yuriy Lutsenko was among several injured in protests against a recent ruling that convicted three men of plotting to blow up a statue. The protests came amidst lasting tensions from the government’s refusal to strengthen ties with the European Union.

Yuriy Lutsenko was injured during the recent protest, requiring bandages to his head, as well as a patch to his right eye. (Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times)

On 10 January 2014, protests erupted after a court sentenced three nationalists to six years in prison.  The convicted persons allegedly conspired to blow up a statue of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin in 2011. Protesters claimed that the trial was fixed against the men.

During the night of 10 January, protesters attempted to prevent police from taking the convicted men away from the court building. In the clash with police that followed, over ten activists, three Members of Parliament, and several journalists were injured. Some received fractures, brain trauma, and unconsciousness.

“As we see, the authorities do not stop in their acts of repression, it is not enough for them to deprive us of our rights, they want to put people in jail, give them six-year prison terms, just because they were talking about their rights,” said protester Dmytro Bulatov. “And they want to break our bones.”

By early 11 January, the Ukrainian parliament’s human rights ombudsman reported that eleven protesters had been injured, with two of them hospitalized, including former Ukrainian Interior Minister and current opposition leader Yuriy Lutsenko.

Yanukovych pardoned Lutsenko in April 2013, after four years of imprisonment on charges of embezzlement and ordering illegal surveillance. Lutsenko had been a key figure in the 2004 Orange Revolution, which brought Yanukovych’s rival Yulia Tymoshenko to power.

Lutsenko was struck in the head and hospitalized in intensive care during a clash with riot police. He suffered a concussion, requiring bandages and a patch over his right eye.

“The doctors diagnosed a closed head injury, a concussion, three subcutaneous hematoma, and an open wound on the face. There was no breach of the skull, thank God,” said Lutsenko’s wife, Iryna. “He was conscious, but not the whole time. He asked for people not to take revenge, because the Berkut [riot police] just obey orders. So he is asking people not to take revenge.”

Ukrainian tensions have been elevated since President Viktor Yanukovych’s abrupt refusal to sign an association deal with the European Union in November 2013, which would have established closer ties between Ukraine and the Western bloc. Yanukovych’s decision sparked protests into December 2013, which constituted the largest Ukrainian anti-government movement since the Orange Revolution in 2004.

Lutsenko led the organization of the most recent protests, during which pro-EU demonstrators remained in central Kyiv, demanding the resignation of the government and new elections.

The Kyiv prosecutor’s office said it would investigate the actions of both protesters and police.

Leader of Svoboda Union Andriy Ilyenko said that abusive police fighters were photographed after removing their masks, and would be held accountable for their actions.

To ease tensions, Ukrainian officials must acknowledge that citizens have shifted toward an affinity for Western ties.

For further information, please see:

Independent – Ukraine Opposition Leader Yuri Lutsenko Injured in Police Clash – January 11, 2014

Interfax-Ukraine – Three MPs, Over Dozen Activists Seriously Injured in Clash with Berkut, Says Svoboda – January 11, 2014

Los Angeles Times – Ukraine Opposition Leader Injured in Clash with Police – January 11, 2014

RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty – Former Ukrainian Minister Hospitalized in Clash with Police – January 11, 2014

Telegraph – Ukraine Opposition Leader Injured in Fresh Kiev Clashes – January 11, 2014

Former Mubarak PM Says he May Run for Egyptian Presidency

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Ahmed Shafik, Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister before his 2011 ouster announced Thursday that he plans to run for the Egyptian presidency if the military does not contest elections.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/09/us-egypt-presidency-idUSBREA081I120140109
Former Mubarak PM announced he may run for Egyptian Presidency (Photo courtesy of Reuters)

“I believe now I will run for the presidency,” Shafik told the press adding that he will add his name to the ring if army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stayed out of election, which is expected to be held later this way after a referendum vote is held for the state’s new constitution in January.

Sisi has not yet announced whether he will enter the race. He is widely supported by supporters of the military coup that took Morsi’s out of power but is reviled by the former president’s supporters.

Sisi’s candidacy would deepen divisions between supporters of the military role in the Egyptian government who believe force is to secure the state and those who believe such a government would further encourage the military to crack down on the basic rights of the Egyptian people

A security official told the press that Sisi “most likely going to announce that he will run for the presidency”, adding: “The army in a recent meeting expressed its support for him to run.”

Shafik left the country last year after being defeated by Mohamed Morsi, who was removed from power last July, in the country’s first democratic presidential elections. Shafik has a strong history with the Egyptian military, he served as a former air force commander. He called former President Mubarak a “role model” and was charged with corruption after leaving Egypt.

Last month Shafik was acquitted by an Egyptian court for a corruption case. However, another corruption charge has been shelved by the courts.

Shafik’s return to Egypt would signify the dramatic shift in power in Egyptian that has occurred since the ouster of Morsi, to many it would symbolize a return to the Egypt that existed under Mubarak.

Shafik called for maximum force to be used against former President Morsi’s political party, the Muslim Brotherhood. Shafik called the organization a “terrorist” group last December. Egypt’s interim military government has cracked down on the organization and other Islamist groups in the country, drawing criticism from human rights activist around the world.

Islamist militant groups have responded by increasing bombing and shooting attacks on Egyptian security forces since Morsi’s overthrow, raising fears of prolonged instability in the country.

While speaking in the United Arab Emirates Shafik stated that he may return to Egypt to vote in the Constitutional referendum. The Constitutional referendum is set for January 14 and 15.

Dates for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections have yet to be set.

For more information please see:

Daily News and Analysis – Hosni Mubarak’s last PM interested in running for Egyptian presidency – 10 January 2014

Al Jazeera – Mubarak PM considers bid for Egypt presidency – 9 January 2014

Reuters – Mubarak’s last PM interested in running for Egyptian presidency – 9 January 2014

Reuters – Egypt’s army chief Sisi seen edging closer to presidential bid – 6 January 2014

Iran Resumes Nuclear Talks in Geneva

By Darrin Simmons
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran-As the world powers are set to resume meeting in Geneva, nuclear talks with Iran are resuming.  Discussions center on activating a landmark deal to reign in Tehran’s nuclear program.

Nuclear talks in Geneva (Photo courtesy of International Business Times)

“The talks will focus on remaining issues pending a political decision before the deal can go into effect on January 20, a date mooted by both sides,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham.

The two-day meeting began yesterday between Abbas Araqchi, Irans negotiator, and Helga Schmid, the representative of the P5+1 group of world powers.  The U.S. State Department confirmed that Wendy Sherman, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, would also be in attendance.

The last attempt at discussion occurred in mid-December involving technical experts from Iran as well as the U.S., China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany.

Under the deal discussed, Iran will receive modest relief from international sanctions and a promise of no new measures against Iranian economy if Iran reduces parts of its nuclear drive for six months.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, has voiced optimism regarding the regarding the talks, but observes have warned of potential delays.  The European Union, which is chairing the P5+1 group, has kept a tight lid on details surrounding the talks.

The U.S. has been the driving force in implementing the interim deal with Iran.  Western nations have long suspected the development of atomic weapons under Iran’s nuclear program; a claim that has been strongly denied by officials in Tehran.

“We have to make sure our right to research and development is respected,” stated an Iranian government official.  His claim follows alongside officials in Tehran saying that the actions related to Iran’s nuclear program are part of crucial research.

Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has expressed his disdain for the actions of the U.S., referring to the nation as “Satan”.  “We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we feel it is expedient, we would negotiate with the Satan (the U.S.) to deter its evil,” said Khamenei.

However, Javad Zarif, who is also the chief nuclear negotiator, said he was confident of a positive outcome from the Geneva talks.  “The nuclear talks are continuing with serious and strong political will,” stated Zarif.

For more information, please see the following: 

Al Arabiya-Iran’s Khamenei: deterring evil worth talking to Satan-09 January 2014

Al Jazeera-Iran set to resume nuclear talks in Geneva-09 January 2014

International Business Times-West Wary of Iran’s Centrifuge Research as Talks on Nuclear Deal Set to Resume-09 January 2014

Israel National News-Iran, World Powers Resume Talks on Geneva Deal-09 January 2014