By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – It seems that corruption is a way of life in Indonesia, and for many Indonesians, it is trite to pass a small bribe to an official to get a task or favor done. The practice is embedded in so many facets of life in Indonesia that it is virtually impossible for civilians to escape having to engage in bribery or evade its effects.

Corruption costs the country’s economy billions of dollars every year. According to a recent report by the US-based Human Rights Watch, it is estimated that corruption in Indonesia’s forestry industry alone costs the economy $2 billion a year, which is dramatic since Indonesia is home to the world’s third largest area of tropical rain forest impacted by the huge degree of illegal logging that occurs.

Dealing with corruption in forestry is not only area Indonesia is seeking to clamp down on efforts of fraud. The European Union has come out with a report saying that one of the main reasons its investors are reluctant to come to Indonesia is the perception of high levels of graft in the country. The government acknowledges there is a problem, but says that like all developing countries, Indonesia is not perfect. According to Gita Wirjawan, the individual responsible for trying to attract more foreign funds to Indonesia’s economy, “One has to take a long term view of Indonesia.” Wirjawan went on to say that, “There may be some questions or concerns about Indonesia – but that applies to just about every country in the world… we’re on the right trajectory and we’re heading in the right direction.” 

In early December, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reasserted his pledge to lead an endeavor against corruption in Indonesia. In a televised speech on the eve of International Anti-Corruption Day, Yudhoyono asked the public to work together to fight graft, saying he wished to create a clean government as his legacy by the end of his term in 2014. Yudhoyono claims to have done a lot to eradicate corruption since he assumed power in 2004, and stated that reforms within the Attorney General’s Office and the National Police would continue to be the top priority of his administration in the coming five years.

Photograph of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono discussing anti-corruption efforts. Image courtesy of Asia Sentinal. 

Apart from statements by government officials, editorials in Indonesian newspapers have called him weak and indecisive in his handling of the case of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or the KPK as it is known in Indonesia, one of the few institutions people in this country actually have faith in.

Photograph of an anti-corruption demonstration. Image courtesy of BBC World News.

One civilian, James Sundah, a 50-year-old musician lost his driving license and tried to get the local police to help him replace it. Instead, he was forced to get a new license. He was told by police that “it would be a quick and painless procedure” and he knew that this was a hint to most Indonesians to pay some money and get your license, but Sundah refused. He tried to go through the official procedure to re-obtain his license, but his application and test were denied several times. Sundah said, “I was a couple of points short each time – but when I asked to see the test papers, the officials refused. The others in my exam room told me that if I just paid an extra $20, I would get my license.” Sundah stated that the police must have grown tired of his persistence, because finally he was given his license. When Sunday asked to see his exam paper after passing, he said, “I looked at it and I spotted the question: ‘What would you do if you hit someone in an accident?’ I got the question wrong because the correct answer, according to the official exam paper was to run away!” 

Photograph of James Sundah and family driving. Image courtesy of BBC World News.

Despite stories like Sundah’s and so many other Indonesians forced to endure and submit to nefarious practices, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has publically announced its effort to target corrupt officials and agency backroom wheeling and dealing

 

For more information, please see:

BBC World News – Indonesia battles with widespread corruption – December 24, 2009 

Asia Sentinal – Anti-graft Day in Jakarta – December 9, 2009

The Jakarta Post – SBY renews pledge to lead corruption jihad – December 8, 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China– Liu Xiaobo, China’s most famous dissident, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for criticizing the Chinese government. 

The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People Court handed down a ruling on Christmas Day saying that Liu was “guilty of inciting subversion of state power.”  In China, those found guilty of inciting others by “spreading rumors…to subvert the State power” are subject to imprisonment of no less than five years.

Some have suggested that this verdict foreshadows that other detained activists will also face harsh punishments as China began tightening its already strict stance against dissidents. 

Many believe that Liu’s sentence is a warning against other activists, including human rights lawyers whose licenses to practice law have not been renewed by the government this year.

Phelim Kine, a researcher at the rights group Human Rights Watch, said, “The fact is that Liu Xiaobo is neither a subversive nor a criminal and the severity of the verdict against him suggests that the Chinese government is ready and willing to take an unyieldingly harsh line against human rights activist in the year ahead.”

One of Liu’s attorneys, Ding Xikui, said they will be appealing the decision as there were some flaws during the trial procedure.  In fact, Human Rights Watch has criticized the Chinese government for violating Liu’s rights and for showing contempt for China’s commitment to universal human rights.

Human Rights Watch’s Asia director, Sophie Richardson, added, “The only purpose of this trial [was] to dress up naked political repression in the trappings of legal proceedings.  Liu’s crimes are non-existent, yet his fate has been pre-determined.  This is a travesty of justice.”

However, appeals on political charges almost never succeed because political agenda supercede the written law in China.

Chinese officials were not available for comment, but China’s Xinhua news agency released a statement from the court which said that legal procedures were strictly followed and that the court fully protected Liu’s litigation rights.

Nonetheless, U.S. Embassy official Greg May said, “We are deeply concerned by the sentence…Persecution of individuals for peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognized norms of human rights.”

In addition, German Chancellor Angela Merkel responded to Liu’s sentence by saying that the Chinese government “still massively restricts freedom of opinion.”  However, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has remained silent.
For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – China: Liu Xiaobo’s Trial a Travesty of Justice – 21 December 2009

Inner City Press – UN’s Ban Silent as China Sentences Liu Xiaobo and Five Uighurs to Death – 25 December 2009

WSJ – China Sentences Dissident to 11 Years for Subversion – 25 December 2009

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- A Pakistani court has ordered the noses and ears of two men cut off, as punishment for doing the same to a woman who refused to marry one of them.  In September, the two brothers were found guilty of kidnapping 19-year-old Fazeelat Bibi, one of their cousins.  

The Sentence was passed on Monday under a rarely invoked Islamic law dating back to the 1980s.  The anti-terrorism court in the court in the eastern city of Lahore said it was applying Islamic law by ordering the punishment.  Similar sentences in the past have been revoked on appeal.  The court also ordered that the brothers spend life in prison and pay 700,000 rupees($8,300) in compensation to the victim, Punjab province chief prosecutor Chaudary Mohammad Jahangir said on Tuesday.

Ehtisham Qadir, prosecutor for the government said the punishment had been awarded in accordance with the Islamic principle of “an eye for an eye”  

Lahore prosecutor Chaudrhy Ali Ahmed said Sher Mohammad, one of the accused, was a cousin of the 19-year-old woman and wanted to marry her.  Sher Mohammad and Ammanat Ali, along with their cousin Mohammad Ali and two other men abducted Fazeelat Bibi on her way home from work at a brick kiln in the Raiwing area of Lahore, and strangled her with a wire.  Mr. Qadir told the BBC, “They put a noose around her neck, and then cut off her ears and nose.”  The crime was committed after her parents refused to give their daughter’s hand in marriage to Sher Mohammad.

They mutilated her body “to set an example”, prosecutor Jahangir said.

Mohammad Ali has also been arrested, while the other two men allegedly involved in the attack have not been charged.  The brothers were tried under anti-terror laws because the incident “created tyranny” in the district.  The high court must confirm the sentence before it is carried out, and a doctor must determine that they can survive the punishment.

Pakistani human rights groups have long campaigned for more to be done to stop attacks against women, which often includes facial disfigurement.  However, they also disagree with the type of punishment handed out in Lahore, correspondents say.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Pakistan Court Orders Ears and Noses To Be Cut Off – 22 December 2009

The Associated Press- Pakistani Court Orders 2 Men’s Noses, Ears Cut Off – 22 December 2009

CNNWorld- Pakistan Court Orders Men’s Ears, Noses Hacked Off – 22 December 2009

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Xi Xinzhu, set himself ablaze when a demolition crew arrived at his home to move him out to begin tearing down his home. He is being hospitalized for the burns he suffered.

As striking as Xi Xinzhu’s actions may have been, he is not alone in those who set themselves on fire to protest the Chinese government mandating that civilians abandon their homes. Last month a woman died after setting herself alight in a similar protest. Analysts say the incident will add to already intense pressure to reform China’s rules on forced eviction.

The protest is just one of a series in a country where land is effectively controlled by the state. The law currently allows local governments to claim land and confiscate homes for urban development projects: a system which critics say is open to abuse. It is reported that residents often complain that the amount of compensation offered is far below the real value of their homes.

According to Beijing Times, Xi had already suffered from a leg fracture when he was beaten by “unidentified men.” It is said that violence is a form of intimidation commonly used in China. Despite his condition, Xi poured gasoline on himself, and proceeded to show a lighter, and threatened to ignite himself. “Neglecting his warning, the relocation people even said ‘go ahead, light up,’ his wife told Beijing Times.

When asked about his brother’s protest and the situation generally, Xi Xinqiang said, “We tried everything to raise legal questions about this demolition through normal channels, but nobody would do anything, although there are plainly problems.”

For more information, please see:

BBC World News – Chinese man sets himself on fire in Beijing – December 17, 20009 

Huffington Post – Chinese Man Sets Himself On Fire To Protest Demolition Of Home – December 20, 2009  

China News – Chinese Man Sets Himself on Fire to Protest Eviction – December 2009

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- Officials say that at least ten people were killed in an explosion near a mosque used by police officers in north-western Pakistan on Friday.  Nearly 30 people were also wounded in the latest attack by suspected Taliban militants waging war against the government.

Pakistan has fought back with several major military operation against Taliban strongholds in the country. The United States, while applauding the effort has urged Pakistan to expand its fight to target militants who are staging cross-border attacks against coalition troops in Afghanistan. 

The Taliban inside of Pakistan have increased their campaign of violence since the military began a major offensive in Mid- October in the militant stronghold of South Waziristan. Friday’s suicide bombing was the second attack in two weeks against mosques used by Pakistan’s security forces.  Feroze Khan, the area’s police chief said that most of the people killed in the attack in the Lower Dir region were police leaving the mosque after Friday prayers.  Mumtaz Zarin, another local police chief told the AFP news agency “The bomb blast took place inside a mosque near police headquarters…We are investigating the nature of the blast-that is, whether it was a suicide attack or planted bomb,” he said.

Other attacks have been staged against mosques in the region.  On December 4, a team of militants armed with guns, grenades and bombs raided a mosque near army headquarters outside of Islamabad.

In the past two months, over 500 people have been killed. Despite this recent wave of violence, the Pakistani military has vowed to continue its offensive in South Waziristan and crack down on other militants who threaten the state.

At the moment no group has taken advantage for the bombing, but the Taliban has carried out similar attacks throughout the country in the past.  Lower Dir is located next to the Swat Valley, a region which Pakistani soldiers wrested from the Taliban earlier this year.  Attacks have continued in the area.

Witnesses said the victims included a woman and two children.  The death toll could rise as the condition of some of the 28 people wounded in the attack was critical.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Suicide Bomber Near NW Pakistan Mosque Kills 10 – 18 December 2009

BBC News- Blast Near Pakistan Mosque Kills Four People  -18 December 2009

Aljazeera.net- Deadly Blast Hits Pakistan Mosque – 18 December 2009