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  Similar sentences in the past have been revoked on appeal.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

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ULAN BATOR, Mongolia – An international human rights agency has accused Mongolia of impunity and injustice for ignoring reports of abuses after a post-election violence in July 2008.

Riots broke out in the streets of Ulan Bator when thousands of Mongolians demonstrated by burning cars and buildings against an alleged fraud in last year’s general election.

After the violence erupted, the spokesman for the General Election Committee, Purevdorjin Naranbat,  rejected allegations of fraud saying, “The election was organized well and by the law.  It was really fair.”

However, five people were killed and more than 200 were hurt during the riots.  This was the worst violence Mongolia saw in two decades. 

Amnesty International reported that the police shot at least nine people during the riots and hundreds more were forced into crowded detention centers where they went without food or water for up to three days.  Some detainees were also reported to have been beaten by the police.

Roseann Rife, director for Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific program, said, “Investigations into allegations of human rights violations have been delayed, ignored or inadequately investigated.”

She added, “A year on from the riot and there is no accountability on the part of authorities and no justice for the victims.”

The rights group is accusing Mongolia of failing to comply with international obligations by not taking legislative, judicial and administrative measures to prevent human rights abuses, and the secrecy surrounding the police operation is leading to further mistrust and fear.

These sentiments will continue unless Mongolian government takes steps to implement reforms to protect human rights.

However, Munkh-Orgil Tsend, who was the Minister of Justice and Internal Affairs at the time of the riots, said, “Lack of food and facilities to hold rioters just shows that we all were not prepared for such a riot.  It cannot be misinterpreted as human rights violation.”

Nevertheless, Amnesty International is urging the Mongolian government to investigate human rights violations promptly in a thorough and impartial manner. 

Furthermore, the organization is asking that Mongolia review its regulations and policy to ensure that the police, when using force and policing demonstrators, comply with international human rights standards, including the UN Code of Conduct for LW Enforcement Officials.

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – IMPUNITY AND INJUSTICE ARE LEGACY OF DEADLY JULY RIOTS IN MONGOLIA – 18 December 2009

AP – Rights group accuses Mongolia over 2008 rioting – 18 December 2009

BBC – Streets calm in riot-hit Mongolia – 3 July 2008

By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – A recently issued statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry suggests that it is already in the process, or will soon begin, an effort to return 22 Uighurs, after fleeing to Cambodia when deadly ethnic riots broke out in July in western China. Those in flight are said to have left due to extreme subsequent government crackdown on rioters.

Uighurs, are a Turkic-speaking ethnic minority and are namely concentrated in western China. Those who deem themselves Uighurs often say the Chinese government, dominated by ethnic Han, discriminates against them. The Uighurs in Cambodia fled their homeland after the deadliest ethnic rioting in decades in China. Uighurs clashed on July 5 with riot police officers sent to put down a protest in Urumqi, the capital of the western region of Xinjiang, and then went on a rampage through neighborhoods, killing scores of people.

The 22 Uighurs who fled after the incident in July entered Cambodia about a month ago. Three of the Uighurs who made it to Cambodia are children. Two Uighurs were detained in Vietnam en route to Cambodia, and five others who fled China have disappeared, according to Uighur advocacy groups in the West. It is believed they were able to escape with the aid of an underground network of Christian missionaries in China that usually helps North Koreans who seek to get out of the country and into nations they can seek refugee status. It has been confirmed that the 22 Uighurs are still in Cambodia, because they appeared at the United Nations’ Refugee Office to apply for refugee status.

This week, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said at a news conference that the Uighurs were suspected of criminal activities and that the “relevant departments” were investigating them. She said at the news conference and in a written statement that criminals “should not be allowed to take advantage of the United Nations’ refugee system.” She went on to say that, “China’s stance is very clear: the international refugee protection system shouldn’t become a shelter where criminals stay to escape legal punishment.”

Human Rights organizations have been very active in the matter. Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director of Amnesty International, wrote in a  letter, “Since September 2001, Amnesty International has documented cases in which Uighur asylum seekers who were forcibly returned to China were detained, reportedly tortured and in some cases sentenced to death and executed.” 

For more information, please see:

New York Times – China Is Disputing Status of Uighurs in Cambodia – December 18, 2009

Yahoo! World News – Cambodia to send 20 Uighurs back to China: US rights group – December 18,2009

Inside Asia – China Is Disputing Uighurs in Cambodia