Asia

Formal Arrest Made in China of Prominent Activist

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China– Liu Xiaobo, one of China’s most prominent political activists, was formally arrested after being held for six months in a secret Beijing location.  Liu was taken from his home and held by the police without formal notification to his family until yesterday.

Liu XiaoboLiu Xiaobo (Source: BBC)

The police took Liu away one day before the publication of “Charter 08,” a document he co-authored with 300 other intellectuals calling for a new constitution, human rights, elections, freedom of speech and religion in China, and to end the Communist Party’s control over the military, courts and the government.

Beijing’s public security bureau claimed Liu is being arrested for “spreading of rumours and defaming of the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialism system in recent years.”

Despite Chinese government’s allegations, there has been global support for Liu’s release.  Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi wrote to China’s president asking for the release of Liu and other “prisoners of conscience.”

In addition, Amnesty International said, “This use of state security charges to punish activists for merely expressing their views must stop.  This is another act of desperation by a regime that is terrified of public opinion.”

Charter 08, published on the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, also called for the abolition of a Chinese criminal code that allows imprisonment for “incitement to subvert state power,” which is the crime Liu is accused of committing.

Fighting back tears, Liu’s wife said, “I am so worried about him.  I don’t know how many more years he will be imprisoned now.”  She was allowed to see Liu during a supervised visit back in March where she noticed that he looked thin and pale.

The charge against Liu carries maximum of 15 years in jail, and Liu’s arrest is the highest-profile arrest of Chinese activists since last year.

For more information, please see:

AP – China arrests dissident who championed reforms – 24 June 2009

BBC – China activist formally arrested – 24 June 2009

CBS News – Chinese Media Says Dissident Liu Xiaobo Arrested – 24 June 2009

China Digital Times – Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo Formally Arrested – 23 June 2009

China Digital Times – Dissident Writer Liu Xiaobo Held in Secret after Sentence Ends – 9 June 2009

Cambodian Officials Stripped of Immunity

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodia’s National Assembly has voted to remove parliamentary immunity for two opposition party officials, a move some are claiming is a sign that democracy in Cambodia is in jeopardy and going backwards.

This vote by Cambodia’s lower house would allow the court to prosecute Mu Sochua, former Minister of Women’s Affairs, and Ho Vann, Phnom Penh municipality representative, on defamation charges filed by the prime minister and other senior members of the ruling party.

Mu Sochua (Sourace: AFP)

Cambodian officialMu Sochua had initially filed a defamation suit against the prime minister for his remarks on a speech she made, but Phnom Penh Municipal Court dismissed the case earlier this month while continuing the countersuit filed by the prime minister.  Ho Vann was sued by a senior member of the ruling party after he made remarks on the validity of meaningless certificates given to Cambodian officials by Vietnamese schools.

The UN has criticized Cambodian government’s use of courts against its critics, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said, “The lawsuits undermine the constitutional freedom and expression.”

Cambodia’s ruling party is arguing that the suspensions of immunity were in accordance with internal parliamentary rules, the law and the Constitution of Cambodia.  However, since April, eight criminal defamation and disinformation complaints have been filed in the courts by Cambodia’s highest authorities against government critics.

Human Rights Watch said the prime minister has “a long history of trying to muzzle Cambodia’s political opposition and undermine the independence of the legal profession.”

With many local and international human rights group raising concerns over this violation of free speech, especially for lawmakers whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution, Mu Sochua said she is prepared to go to jail rather than pay a fine to the prime minister if found guilty.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Cambodia strips MPs of immunity – 22 June 2009

Breitbart.com – Cambodia suspends immunity of two opposition lawmakers – 22 June 2009

Radio Australia News – Cambodian opposition MPs stripped of parliamentary immunity – 22 June 2009

Taiwan News – Cambodia lawmakers, stripped of immunity, protest – 22 June 2009

UN’s Nepal Mission Extended

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations Security Council voted to extend its mission in Nepal for another six months.  Although the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) is being extended, the Security Council is urging the government to resume its peace talks so that the UN’s 250-person mission can leave in January 2010.

UNMIN UN workers in Nepal (Source: UN)

UNMIN was established to support the peace process and to monitor weapons storage sites at camps for former Maoist fighters.  However, the peace process has been stalled since May when the Maoists walked out of the government when their attempts to fire the country’s army chief failed.  This has caused a hold up in the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist army personnel and the drafting of a new constitution.

The Security Council had hoped to complete the mission in Nepal this month, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week that Nepal’s political crisis has prevented UNMIN from completing their work.

Nepal has been fighting anarchy, insecurity and impunity since the end of the country’s civil war when the Maoists overthrew Nepal’s monarchy, killing and displacing thousands of Nepalese. 

A peace deal was crafted in 2006, but the process has been slow.  Furthermore, the UN had recently expressed concerns regarding a rise in kidnappings for ransoms, which in turn encourages culture of impunity because there currently is no security enforcement in Nepal.

Karin Landgren, UN’s Nepal envoy, said, “It is our hope….that…the government and parties will take peace process forward, creating the conditions for the mission to complete its mandated tasks.” 

UN’s report on Nepal also warned that law and order continues to remain a “serious concern” because many armed groups are operating with impunity, especially in southern Nepal.

For more information, please see:

AFP – UN chief recommends extension of mission in Nepal – 18 July 2009

China View – UN extends mission in Nepal – 24 July 2009

Reuters – U.N council extends its Nepal mission but wants out – 24 July 2009

Tibetan Monks Finally Escape China

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

DHARAMSALA, India – Lobsang, and his fellow Tibetan monks courageously broke their silence in front of a group of 20 foreign and Chinese journalists over a year ago. After a long year of hardship, three out of 15 protesting monks have finally managed to find refuge in India, and tell their story.

Lobsang and others bravely unfurled hidden banners reading messages like “We have no human rights” a year ago when journalists arrived at their monastery, despite the obvious dangers that awaited them.

The journalists had been invited by Chinese officials to show that Tibetans were content under Chinese rule; however, the 15 monks outside the monastery seized the opportunity to express their true feelings. “If we monks hadn’t seized the opportunity to express our feelings, which are feelings in all Tibetan monks, then we would have missed a chance to tell the world,” said Lobsang.

Several Chinese officials insisted that the protests were planned by the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan monks themselves were not unhappy under Chinese rule. The monks from Labrang said harsh Chinese policies sparked the protest. “I and my friends decided on our own to protest. The protests were caused by human rights violations and Chinese policies toward Tibet. We couldn’t tolerate it anymore.”

Alongside Lobsang, a half-dozen other monks scrawled slogans such as “We have no freedom of speech” on Tibetan flags with their wills written on the back, convinced of their death.

Now that Lobsang and two other monks from the protest, Gyatso, and Jamyang have found refuge in India after a year of hiding from Chinese authorities, they speak more freely about the situation in Tibet. Over the years the Chinese government has been limiting the number of monks allowed to live in monasteries and have been cracking down on festivities honoring the Dalai Lama. The protests that began over a year ago have resulted in the detention of numerous monks and have led to the emptying out of monasteries. Chinese authorities have further clamped down on Tibet, making it more difficult for monks to the leave the country.

The tightly controlled conditions have also led to an increase in the number of suicides amongst Tibetan monks.

For more information, please see:

New York Times – Monks Tell Tale of Escape – June 21, 2009

Tibet Custom – Monk Suicide on the Rise in Tibet – June 22, 2009

AFP – Dalai Lama Urges Pressure over Tibet Oppression – June 5, 2009

Pakistani President Bans Jokes Ridiculing Him

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan –The Pakistani government has initiated a crackdown against citizens that joke at the President’s expense. Pakistanis who send jokes by text message, email, or blog, risk being arrested and facing up to 14 years in prison.

According to the country’s Interior Minister Rehman malik, the Federal Investigation Agency will now electronically trace jokes that ‘slander the political leadership of the country’, in particular, jokes regarding Pakistani President Asif Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto.  This initiative will be carried out under the auspice of the new Cyber Crimes Act.

Mr. Malik said the move would punish the authors of “ill motivated and concocted stories through emails and text messages against the civilian leadership.” The government also listed counter-terrorism concerns as a reason for the ban.

President Zardari has long courted controversy. During the late Prime Minister’s Benazir Bhutto’s tenure, he was dubbed “Mr. 10 percent” when alleged evidence revealed he had been receiving “kickbacks on government contracts.” Other alleged nicknames include, loosely translated, “chief thief” and “bandit.”

Human rights agencies in Pakistan have described President Zardari’s ban as “draconian and authoritarian,” and compared it former President Musharraf’s media ban during a time of political opposition – drawing a distinction only in name between a civilian and military government.

 For more information, please see:

Digital Journal – Pakistani President Bans Jokes Ridiculing Him – July 22, 2009  

World Sentinel – Indecent SMS Sender Could Fail Jail Time in Pakistan – July 22, 2009  

Telegraph – Pakistan President Bans Jokes Ridiculing Him – July 21, 20  09