By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – For the first time after numerous requests, the Pentagon has released the names of approximately 645 Bagram air-base detainees.  The American Civil Liberties Union was able to secure the release of a names list, completed on September 22, 2009, after filing a successful lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act.  The ACLU was also granted partial fulfillment of their request for information regarding the detainment and treatment of Bagram inmates.

Bagram air-base, a US-run military and detention facility in Afghanistan, has been housing inmates for over five years.  It has often been referred to as ‘Afghanistan’s Guantanamo’ because of myriad issues regarding inhumane treatment, such as torture, sodomy, and other heinous acts against inmates.  The prison is also infamous for affording inmates even less civil rights than the scant liberties given Guantanamo inmates.  Nationals of Afghanistan and other surrounding nations are currently held within the confines of the Bagram complex.  Many of these individuals have no little to no knowledge as to why the US military is keeping them and have no access to the world outside air-base.

The recent refurbishment of the Bagram air-base, which included a structural expansion to accommodate a substantially greater number of US troops, brought with it the promise of greater transparency regarding the treatment of inmates.  The recent release of inmates’ names signifies an integral step towards that end, and may also give hopes of redress to those unjustly detained.  Furthermore, the victory for the ACLU could suggest that courts may inquire into whom the perpetrators of human rights violations are and impose accountability where necessary.

The list of detainees and related documents reveal some disturbing facts about Bagram detainees.  Some of the inmates are actually quite young, and though only a few, it has been confirmed that among them are juveniles under the age of sixteen.

Although the information recently released represents a significant, perhaps unparalleled movement towards transparency regarding the US and its secretive holding structures, it is still only the first stride.  The extent various human rights violations perpetrated against Bagram inmates has still not been revealed, and the Obama administration intends to appeal against the current, minimal rights given to inmates in Afghanistan.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – US releases Bagram prisoner names – 16 January 2010

Associated Free Press – Pentagon releases names of Bagram prisoners – 16 January 2010

BBC News – US releases names of prisoners at Bagram, Afghanistan – 16 January 2010

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – It has been almost a year since the Nobel Peace Prize nominee and leading human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was taken by the Chinese authorities.

After reports surfaced saying that Gao has been “missing” since September, there is speculation that Gao may have been tortured and killed in a detention center.

Gao’s brother came to Beijing to inquire the whereabouts of his brother and was told by a police official that Gao lost his way while out on a walk and then went missing.

Gao has been under the radar of the Chinese authorities for his work in defending members of the outlawed Falun Gong and for working with underground Christian organizations.  He was also accused of being too pro-American.  Gao’s license to practice law was revoked back in 2005.

Human rights activists are particularly worried about Gao’s disappearance because of the gross mistreatment Gao suffered during his previous incarceration.

Gao published a letter after his release few years ago saying that he was subjected to more than a month of torture where he was jabbed with an electric baton and his genitals were pierced with toothpicks.  He said the guards also urinated on him and beat until he could not stop shaking.

Gao said he was told that he would be killed if he ever spoke publically about his detention.

His wife and two children have been granted asylum in the United States.  His wife, surprised to find out that the police could not account for her husband’s disappearance, said, “If he’s alive, let us see him.  If he’s dead, tell us where his body is.”

Another lawyer and a friend of Gao, Teng Biao, also said, “This is the first time the police have come up with ‘went missing’ as an excuse.  That’s impossible.  Gao was in their custody and could go nowhere.”

Advocates say that Gao is the victim of the “legal system whose corruption he worked to expose.”  In addition to human rights, Gao had been fighting for judicial independence, rule of law and impartiality in Chinese legal system.

Rights group like Human Rights in China are demanding that the Chinese authorities stop acting with impunity and provide full and immediate account of Gao’s whereabouts.

For more information, please see:

The Independent – Did the Chinese security forces kill Gao Zhisheng? – 16 January 2010

NYT – Chinese Lawyer Declared ‘Missing’ After Arrest – 15 January 2010

WSJ – Where is Gao Zhisheng? – 17 January 2010

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan- On Thursday a suicide bomber blew himself up at a crowded market in a restive district of southern Afghanistan, killing up to 20 people in the deadliest attack in four months.

The bombing which occurred in the Dihrawud district of Uruzgan province comes as attacks by the Taliban militia increase in frequency. Afghan army General Abdul Hameed, commander of national forces in Uruzgan said, “This was a suicide bomber on foot who detonated himself at the gate of a money exchange market.” He added, “Up to now, 20 civilians have been killed and 13 wounded,”

The bomb could have gone off prematurely as the bomber waited for a military or police convoy to attack, said a deputy police commissioner.

In early September, 22 people were killed by a suicide bomber outside a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, and at least 43 died in an attack in Kandahar in August just days after President Hamid Karzai returned to power, following a fraud-tainted presidential election.

In another attack in the neighboring province of Helmand, a police officer was killed and five others were injured, NATO and Afghan authorities said.

Although there has been no immediate claim of responsibility, both attacks bore the hallmarks of the Taliban.  In the Helmand attack, an explosive-packed car was responsible for killing the police officer and injuring four others.  “According to initial reports one Afghan police officer has been killed and four wounded in a suicide-vehicle IED strike in Musa Qala,” NATO’s International Security Assiatance Force said.  Abdul Salem, the district chief of Musa Qala, confirmed the attack.

Innocent civilians caught in the cross-fire between insurgents and Afghan and Western troops have borne the brunt of the violence.

A UN report released on Wednesday said the number civilians killed in violence in 2009 was higher than in any year since the Taliban were removed in 2001.  The UN Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) reported that civilian casualties rose by 14% in 2009 compared with 2008. In total more than 2,400 civilians were killed in 2009. The report also said that 67 percent of civilian deaths were caused by Taliban attacks, while international troops and Afghan security forces were responsible for 25 percent.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Suicide Bombing Kills 20 in Afghanistan Market– 14 January 2010

Associated Foreign Press- Afghan Market Suicide Bombing Kills 20 : General– 14 January 2010

Los Angeles Times- Afghanistan Suicide Attack Kills 20 – 15 January 2010