By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NORTH KOREA – North Korea’s highest court recently sentenced two journalists to 12 years of hard labor for reporting on the plight of North Korean refugees in China.

The current North Korean regime has allowed more than one million people to die of starvation and has killed almost 400,000 people in its prison camps. The ones that escape live uncertain lives in China, under the threat of forced repatriation. Bang Mi Sun, a North Korean refugee, recently said. “Women are being sold like livestock in China and… North Korean labor camps are hell on earth.”

China is the most significant asylum country for North Korean refugees. Although a small number of refugees do escape to other countries, most escape to China but the leading country for resettlement remains South Korea. The international community has been slow to take on an active role in the resettlement of North Korean refugees, and have not been providing adequate effort to address this humanitarian need. The governments of China and South Korea have been reluctant to rescue North Korean refugees. So far, the U.S. has not adequately addressed the status of the refugees either.

Today U.S. President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak intend to meet to discuss a host of security and economic issues, including North Korea’s recent nuclear weapon test. Let’s hope they also find the time to address the plight of the North Korean refugees.

They should not be forced to choose between starvation or slavery.

For more information, please see:

The Wall Street Journal – How to Help North Korea’s Refugees – June 15, 2009

The Wall Street Journal – Inside North Korea’s Gulag – June 15, 2009

Radio Australia – China Ambiguous on North Korea – June 15, 2009

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANKGKOK, Thailand – A movement started by several Hollywood celebrities and human rights activists around the world aims to finally free Myanmar’s democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is approaching her 64th birthday. She has spent 14 of them in detention.

Sui Kyi will likely spend her birthday in Yangon’s notorious lnsein prison, facing charges of violating the terms of her house arrest. Suu Kyi harbored an American who swam uninvited to her lakeside home.

Although the ruling junta is expected to deliver a guilty verdict, several activists and celebrities are standing in unison to stop the Nobel laureate from spending up to five years in prison. “We must not stand by as she is silenced again. Now is the time for the international community to speak with one voice,” Julia Roberts wrote as part of the campaign.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been largely controlled by the military since 1962, and prior similar campaigns have failed to illicit any real change. “Burma’s generals think they can act with impunity. We’ll have to wait until after the trial verdict to see if this time will be any different,” said Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign UK.

In a parallel campaign, the organizers have gathered the signatures of over a 100 former and current political prisoners from over 20 countries calling for the release of political prisoners in Myanmar. They have also called upon the U.N. Security Council to impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar.

A collective message sent out by the organizers, celebrities, and activists read, “The continued denial of your freedom unacceptably attacks the human rights of all 2, 156 political prisoners in Myanmar. As those also incarcerated for our political beliefs, we share the world’s outrage.”

Although the united front put up by the campaigners is commendable, it makes one wonder if the collective international voice has the power to illicit change, or whether the power lies with a handful of government leaders talking over whiskey in a smoke-filled room.

For more information, please see:

AP – Celebrities Tweet for Suu Kyi’s Release – June 14, 2009

The New Nation – The Future of Democracy in Myanmar – June 14, 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW YORK, U.S.– Nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils, who are not among the rebels fighting for secession, are being illegally detained by the Sri Lankan government according to Human Rights Watch.  Tamils are being held against their will in overcrowded, barbed-wire camps with sanitation problems.  Most detainees are being kept at Menik Farm, which the United Nations described as the world’s largest displacement camp.

The Tamil rebels were defeated by Sri Lanka’s government last month after decades of civil war.  Despite the victory, the government is still wary of Tamils rebels and fear that some civilian Tamils may still have links to the rebel group.

Thus, for over a year, Sri Lankan government, in violation of international law, has detained almost all civilian Tamils, including entire families, who have been displaced by fighting in northern Sri Lanka.  Although the government is claiming that the detainees will be released by end of this year, concerns over indefinite confinement have been expressed since there are no concrete plans for the release.

Civilian Tamils at Menik Camp (Source: Reuters)

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Treating all these men, women, and children as if they were Tamil Tiger fighters is a national disgrace.  Displaced Tamil civilians have the same rights to liberty and freedom of movement as other Sri Lankans.”

In addition to being held against their will, Tamils in the camps are facing misery and hardship according to the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader.  TULF leader, Mr. V. Anandasangaree described the situation in camps saying, “Health, water and sanitation situation is horrible.  Many people are having skin diseases as they didn’t get a chance to have a shower because of water shortage.”  He added, “Pregnant mothers and newborn babies go through a harrowing time…due to scorching heat.”

The United Nations and other aid organizations have demanded for better access to the camps so that they can carry out humanitarian work, but the Sri Lankan government, suspicious of aid agencies, has accused the agencies of helping the rebels in the past.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Sri Lanka Tamils ‘facing misery’ – 1 June 2009

Gulfnews.com – Rights group calls on Sri Lanka to release civilians held in displacement camps – 12 June 2009

Human Rights Watch – Sri Lanka: End Illegal Detention of Displaced Population – 11 June 2009

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

URUMQI, China– Human Rights Watch has expressed concern that the latest development in the Xinjinag region indicates that the Chinese government appears to have launched a widespread, politicized crackdown of Uighurs instead of conducting an impartial investigation.

Since the violence erupted on July 5, the Chinese authorities have deployed at least 20,000 troops around Xinjiang, and the national and regional officials have stated that death penalty will be imposed on protesters who committed the violence.

However, Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch said, “The government has promised a thorough investigation into the violence but has so far presented a skewed and incomplete picture of the unrest.  This raises serious doubts about its commitment to investigating all aspects of the violence.”

 Uighurs protest in Urumqi (Source: AP)

For example, the official death toll showed that out of 184 people who died, 137 were Han Chinese and only 4 were Uighurs.  However, one Uighur man in Urumqi said, “I’ve heard that more than 100 Uighurs have died but nobody wants to talk about it in public.”  Further, Rebiya Kadeer, Uighur leader who is in exile in the U.S. and being blamed by the Chinese leaders for masterminding the riots, also stated that she believes about 500 Uighurs have died.

There are also reports that the government and media’s reports of the violence focused on instances that were attacks on the Han Chinese.  The government has not released any accounts of violence against Uighurs, and it is unclear as to what extent the security forces actually tried to break up the riots.  Furthermore, there is concern over the whereabouts of the detainees since the Chinese government has not notified the family members.  Many Uighurs who are free are living in fear that they may be arrested for any acts of dissent.

Richardson added, “If [Chinese government is] serious about their stated commitment to justice, the coming days should see the first steps toward credible investigation.  But much of the rest of the rhetoric undermines that goal, and instead suggests a witch hunt.”

For more information, please see:

BBC – Most of Xinjiang dead ‘Chinese’ – 11 July 2009

Human Rights Watch – China: Security Build-Up Foreshadows Large-Scale Crackdown – 10 July 2009

MSNBC – Muslim women lead protests in China – 10 July 2009