By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

HONG KONG, China– Thousands of people gathered outside Hong Kong’s Legislative Council to show support for pro-democracy lawmakers who resigned recently over “the slow pace of democrati[z]ation” in Hong Kong.

The five pro-democracy politicians who resigned were told by the head of Hong Kong’s Executive Council last week that their plan to push for a referendum on universal suffrage was unconstitutional.

Pro-Beijing media and Chinese authorities have also claimed that the referendum would be unconstitutional because it is not stipulated in the Hong Kong Basic Law agreed to between Chin and the United Kingdom before Hong Kong was returned to China.

This referendum was in response to the government’s proposal on electoral reforms, which pro-democracy parties opined did not sufficiently address the issue of direct representation.

Tanya Chan, one of the resignees, said she hopes the resignation will result in universal suffrage so that Hong Kong’s chief executive and legislators are elected and functional constituencies eliminated.

Pro-democracy proponents have criticized functional constituencies because they allow some voters to vote twice, first in a direct election and then again in functional constituencies.

A former British colony, Hong Kong currently directly elects only half of its 60 legislators and popular vote is not allowed for the chief executive position.  Thus, some feel that despite Hong Kong’s efforts in fighting for democracy for the last two decades, one-person-one-vote is still far away.

Another lawmaker, Alan Leong Kah-kit, said in his resignation speech that the current voting system in unfair and should be changed to “protect human rights and the rule-of-law as well as provide for better governance and quality of life.”

Religious groups have also organized a forum on constitutional reform.  Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, Card Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, said, “I’m angry at the local government’s political reform proposal which offers neither progress nor any direction.  It gives people no choice….”

A recent survey showed that 60% of Hong Kong residents support universal suffrage.

For more information, please see:

AsiaNews – Card Zen calls for referendum to decide Hong Kong’s democracy – 18 January 2010

Monsters & Critics – Top Hong Kong adviser warns against democracy referendum – 22 January 2010

Spero News – Five democratic lawmakers resign to allow ‘referendum’ on universal suffrage – 28 January 2010

By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Human Rights Watch recently released a statement pleading for holding accountable many of the perpetrators of human rights violations in Sri Lanka.  The prominent and influential organization pressed that the thousands of Sri Lankan nationals who have been denied human rights and legal recourse should finally attain their just deserts.  The group further asserts that President Rajapaksa’s first term saw myriad violations of international humanitarian laws, and is pushing for more transparent policies and the proper imposition of accountability during Rajapaksa’s new term.The Sri Lankan government has been ravaged by guerilla warfare against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam for over a quarter-century.  The United Nations itself has described Sri Lanka’s war, in which the government ultimately prevailed in the spring of 2009, as a “bloodbath”.  The war caused over 7,000 civilian casualties and has been the cause of many more human rights violations.

Discrimination against some Tamil nationals has forced many to flee to Australia to seek asylum.  However, many of those who tried to flee to Australia and Christmas Island were intercepted by Indonesian Border Control.  The Australian government employed the assistance of Indonesia to mitigate the influx of Tamil refugees into Christmas Island, which has become a haven for refugees of war-torn nations, particularly those in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

The Sri Lankan government’s establishment of refugee camps for Internally Displaced Persons subsequent to its victory over the Tamil Tigers faced its own plethora of human rights violations claims.  The derisory condition of the camps, along with the lack of adequate food, clothing, and shelter supplies drew the attention of many human rights groups and provoked pressure from the international community.  The Sri Lankan government only recently allowed Sri Lankan nationals housed in refugee camps to return to their own homes.  The Sri Lankan government claimed that prolonged holding was necessary to identify and remove Tamil Tigers among the civilian population.

The Sri Lankan government’s persistent refusal to cooperate with the UN and human rights groups further perpetuated suspicions and criticisms concerning Sri Lanka’s treatment of enemy combatants as well as its own citizens.  Human Rights Watch hopes that accountability will be able to prevent new violations and offer justice to victims of Sri Lanka’s past impunity.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Sri Lanka Refugees on Hunger Strike – 06 October 2009

BBC News – Sri Lanka Tamil refugee camps ‘to be opened next month’ – 21 November 2009

Human Rights Watch – Sri Lanka: President’s New Term Time for Accountability – 26 January 2010

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – A court in China sentenced four more people to death in connection to their part in last year’s ethnic riots in the western Xinjiang region. A fifth person was also given the death penalty, but  was granted a two-year reprieve. and he is expected to see his sentence reduced to life in prison. In addition to sentencing five individuals to death, eight others were given various jail sentences.

The group appeared before the Urumqi Intermediate Court. The sentences for the defendants are said to be carried out immediately. They were charged with “extremely serious crimes,” reported state-run Xinjiang Daily newspaper. The thirteen defendants were charged with the “violent crimes of attacking, smashing, looting and burning”, a Chinese term that refers to violent rioting.

The verdicts bring the number of people who have been sentenced to death for involvement in the riots to about two dozen, including nine who have already been executed.

The verdicts were handed down on Monday, January 25, by a court in the regional capital Urumqi – the site of the violence in July 2009 where Muslim Uighurs and China’s Han ethnic majority fought in turmoil. The occurence left nearly 200 dead and over 1,600 injured.

On July 5 violence began as Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking minority ethnic group, protested the deaths of Uighur factory workers in an earlier brawl in southern China. The protest became a riot as gatherers clashed with police in the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi. The crowd scattered and fled throughout the city, attacking majority Han Chinese and burning cars. Nearly 200 people, mostly Hans, were killed, according to the government. Two days later, Uighurs were targeted in revenge attacks, promulgating the incident.

All of the thirteen sentenced this week are believed to be Uighurs, according to local sources.

For More Information, please see:

CNN – Four sentenced to death over Urumqi riots – January 26, 2010

New York Times – China: Four Sentenced to Die for Xinjiang Rioting – January 28, 2010

Al Jazeera – Four sentenced to die in Xinjiang – January 27, 2010

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANDUNG, Indonesia – Less than one year ago, Indonesia enacted an “anti-pornography” law, which bans public displays of flesh. Over the New Year’s holiday, four woman as well as a manager and an event organizer at a bar in a trendy Indonesian city could be the first to be charged under this new statute.

The arrest on New Year’s Eve at a party held at Belair Coyote Bar and Restaurant in Bandung, Indonesia for “sexy dancing” raises concerns and worries that the law may be the prelude to the imposition of wider restrictions. The law was introduced with the strong backing of the country’s small but influential Islamist political parties. Opponents of the statute said the parties’ real intention was to use the law to spread orthodox Islam in Indonesia by controlling artistic and cultural expression. The law, critics warned, also threatens the country’s rich pre-Islamic cultures, which have long coexisted with Indonesia’s traditionally moderate brand of Islam.

Despite the existence of the 441-page anti-pornography law, there is debate about whether to charge the women with a criminal law or the more severe anti-pornography law. Punishment under the anti-pornography law can be as severe as having to serve up to 10 years in prison for the dancers. Further, under the anti-pornography law, the manager and organizer could face as much as 15 years in prison.

Commenting on the incident, a police spokesperson said the dancers had been wearing skimpy clothing. Under the new law, all bodily movements deemed obscene or a threat to public morality give rise to an action to be prosecuted under the anti pornography statute.

The law has prompted protests across Indonesia amid fears it could threaten local traditions such as Bali temple dances or penis sheaths traditionally worn by the aboriginal Papua tribes.

It is unclear whether the women and bar personnel will be convicted, but authorities are pushing to prosecute.

For More Information, please see:

The Star – Indonesia group condemns case against “sexy” dancers – January 6, 2010

Jakarta Globe – Bandung Sexy Dancers Busted for ‘Stirring Desires’ – January 5, 2010 

The New York Times – Arrests for a Revealing Dance Pit Flesh Against Faith – January 24, 2010