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Venezuela’s new National Assembly to Pursue Amnesty
By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s National Assembly has proposed an Amnesty Law which would provide reprieve and release political prisoners. The move is the Assembly’s first following the swearing-in of Venezuela’s first non-Socialist majority Assembly in fifteen years. The prioritization of pursuing amnesty for Venezuela’s political prisoners was one of the democratic coalition’s main campaigning points.
The proposed legislation has been met with both praise and skepticism. While the National Assembly is eager to free a number of Opposition prisoners, there is concern that the drafted Amnesty Law will not be effective.
The Venezuelan Penal Forum (FPV) has introduced two alternatives for the Assembly to choose from. First, the Assembly can enact and Amnesty Law, which would require approval from Socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The second option is the issuance of a Legislative Decree, which does not need the go-ahead from Maduro.
A further issue is the role of the judiciary – under Venezuelan law, only a court may ultimately order the releases. Some fear that a judge may refuse to comply, as there has long been concerns regarding governmental influence in the judiciary in Venezuela.
Maduro’s government has staunchly opposed the proposed legislation, calling it “absurd.” Former National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello (who lost his position in the last election cycle) expressed concern that the law could provide amnesty for gang leaders and other criminals. The executive director of the FPV, Alfredo Romero, says that such fears are unfounded, as the proposed legislation includes safeguards against such events.
For more information, please see:
BBC – Venezuela: Opposition-controlled National Assembly sworn in – 5 January 2016
TeleSur – Venezuelan Right Discusses Amnesty for Coup, Violence Plotters – 11 January 2016
Presna Latina – Opposition Project on Amnesty Condemned in Venezuela – 12 January 2016
Indonesian Capital Rocked By Deadly Terrorist Attack
By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America and Oceania
JAKARTA, Indonesia — At least six people are reported dead in a suspected series of bombings and gunfire outside the Sarinah department store on Jalan M.H. Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Thursday. Islamic State (“IS”) said it was behind the attack, the first time the radical group has targeted the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Security forces battled militants for hours in a major business and shopping district.
The mayhem began with a suicide blast at a Starbucks while gunmen outside opened fire, killing a Canadian man, said Jakarta’s police chief, Maj. Gen. Tito Karnavian. Moments later, two suicide bombers struck a traffic police post, killing themselves and an Indonesian man.
Security forces later put the streets on lock-down, including areas near the U.S. and French embassies and other diplomatic sites. At the Starbucks, six hand-crafted explosive devices were found stashed.
“So we think … their plan was to attack people and follow it up with a larger explosion when more people gathered,” said Charilyan. “But thank God it didn’t happen.”
IS released a statement online claiming the attacks, which it said were carried out by soldiers of the Caliphate, targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition against the group. “A group of soldiers of the caliphate in Indonesia targeted a gathering from the crusader alliance that fights the Islamic State in Jakarta,” the group said in a statement.
Several explosive devices were planted, while four militants attacked with guns and explosive belts, the jihadist group said in a statement. According to IS, 15 people were killed in the attack, a claim that contradicts the Indonesian government’s official death toll of seven people.
Mr. Karnavian also blamed the terrorist group and singled out a militant named Bahrun Naim, who he said plotted the attack to assert himself among various figures competing to lead ISIS in Southeast Asia.
The Jakarta carnage, in an area frequented by foreigners, came 6,000 miles from and two days after ISIS boasted about a suicide bombing in the heart of Istanbul. CNN security analyst Bob Baer likened the Jakarta attack to the November 13 Paris massacre, in which terrorists linked to ISIS struck several locations at the same time.
A spokesman for Indonesia’s national police, Maj. Gen. Anton Charilyan, issued a statement concerning the assailant’s plans. “So we think … their plan was to attack people and follow it up with a larger explosion when more people gathered,” said Charilyan.
“But thank God it didn’t happen.”
For more information, please see:
BBC News – Jakarta attacks: Islamic State says it was responsible – 14 January 2016
CNN – Jakarta attacks: Deadly blasts, shootout hit Indonesian capital – 14 January 2016
Reuters – Islamic State claims Jakarta attack, targets Indonesia for first time – 14 January 2016
Russia Today – Suspected ISIS attacks in Jakarta – 14 January 2016
NY Times – Jakarta Attack Kills at Least 2, Indonesian Officials Say – 14 January 2016
Iran Detains And Releases 10 U.S. Navy Sailors
By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America and Oceania
TEHRAN, Iran — Less than a day after 10 U.S. Navy sailors were detained in Iran when their boats drifted into Iranian waters, the sailors and their vessels were back safely Wednesday with the American fleet. The release appears to have ended a potential flash point, as Iran and world powers move toward the next steps in a landmark nuclear deal that limits Tehran’s atomic program in exchange for the easing of international economic sanctions.
The sailors were detained on Tuesday when one of their two vessels broke down while training in the Gulf.
CBS News correspondent Charlie D’Agata reported the American sailors were said to have been interrogated Wednesday morning by Revolutionary Guard forces on Farsi Island.
A senior defense official said the sailors were not harmed but would undergo medical evaluations and a debriefing in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. Meanwhile, their vessels were taken by another American crew to Bahrain, their original destination and home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The Revolutionary Guard’s official website published images of the U.S. sailors before their release, showing them sitting on the floor of a room. They look mostly bored or annoyed, though at least one of the sailors appears to be smiling.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked Kerry after the sailors’ release and couched the incident in humanitarian terms, noting that “the U.S. Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress.”
Secretary of State John Kerry credited diplomatic strength and newly developed ties with Iran in helping secure the quick and safe release of the sailors.
“These are always situations as everybody here knows which have an ability, if not properly guided, to get out of control,” said Kerry in a speech at the National Defense University. “I’m appreciative for the quick and appropriate response of the Iranian authorities. All indications suggest or tell us that our sailors were well taken care of, provided with blankets and food and assisted with their return to the fleet earlier today.”
The rapid resolution also was a victory for moderate President Hassan Rouhani, who has promoted greater openness with the outside world despite strident opposition from deeply entrenched hard-liners at home.
Kerry said things might not have gone as smoothly before the U.S. opened dialogue with the country over its nuclear program, culminating in a deal to curb its operations reached between Iran and the U.S. along with five other world powers in July.
“I think we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago,” said Kerry.
For more information, please see:
BBC News — US thanks Iran for swift release of 10 Navy sailors – 13 January 2016
CBS News – Iran frees U.S. sailors captured in Persian Gulf – 13 January 2016
CNN — 10 U.S. sailors detained by Iran freed – 13 January 2016
TIME — Iran Releases 10 U.S. Sailors as the Sun Rises Over the Persian Gulf – 13 January 2016
USA Today — No apologies as Iran releases U.S. Navy sailors – 13 January 2016
Washington Post — Iran releases captured U.S. Navy crew members — 13 January 2016