By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MANILA, Philippines– Five members of Abu Sayyaf who have been sought after for alleged high-profile kidnappings and bomb attacks are currently under the custody of Philippine National Police.  The five men were deported from Malaysia where they have been jailed in the recent years for violating Malaysian immigration law.

Abu Sayyaf is an al-Qaida-linked militant group known for beheadings and bomb attacks.  It is the smallest but the most violent Muslim militant group in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf is said to have received funds from al-Qaida and is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.  U.S.-backed Filipino troops have been trying to wipe out this militant group comprised of about 400 fighters.

In 2009, Abu Sayyaf began a kidnapping spree in efforts to raise money for activities.  On Monday, Philippine police recovered the severed head of Abu Sayyaf’s latest victim, a Filipino farmer who was kidnapped and then beheaded when his family failed to pay the requested ransom of 25 million pesos ($535,000).

An advocacy group, International Christian Concern’s Regional Manager for East Asia, Natalia Rain said, “Imagine living in a state where you know you may be seized from your home at any moment and have your fate thrust into the hands of radical terrorists.”  Rain added, “The brazenness of men who would behead an elderly man for his impoverished family’s failure to pay an outrageous ransom should wake us up to the horrifying reality of this thirty-year conflict.”

The arrested suspects are alleged to have been involved with kidnappings of 10 European tourist and 11 Asian workers from a resort in Malaysia, and are linked to a 2002 bomb attack in a department store in southern Philippines. One of the suspects is also believed to have been involved in an unspecified past terrorist attack that targeted American tourists in the Philippines.

Currently, Abu Sayyaf  is holding captive an Italian Red Cross worker, Sri Lankan peace advocate, and school teachers.

For more information, please see:

BosNewsLife – Al-Qaeda-linked Group Beheads Kidnapped Christian Farmer – 19 May 2009

Global Nation – 5 Abu Sayyaf suspects deported from Malaysia – 20 May 2009

GMANews.TV – 4 Sayyaf members nabbed in Malaysia now under PNP custody – 20 May 2009

Monsters and Critic – Five suspected Philippine militants deported from Malaysia – 20 May 2009

MSNBC – Filipino militants behead kidnapped farmer: police – 18 May 2009

Taiwan News – Malaysia turns over 5 Filipino terror suspects – 20 May 2009

By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PAKISTAN – Journalists are fleeing the northwest region known as the Swat Valley due to fighting between the Taliban and the Pakistan military.  A military-imposed curfew has caused most newspapers to stop publishing.  Human rights groups urge the Pakistani government to provide journalists with security to remain in the area and with permits so that they can report past curfew.

“Journalists love the thrill of working in ‘conflict zones’ where they can cover events which change the course of history,” says Mazhar Abbas, the former Secretary General of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). “Sadly, this no longer holds true for Pakistani journalists required to cover the war in the Swat Valley where they face dire security threats,” Abbas continues. “Every other day, there is news of journalists being killed or kidnapped, or threats to their families in the war-torn areas.”

The latest military offensive has killed more than 1,000 alleged militants.  The recent fighting began in early May but has continued in Lower Dir and Buner districts since last month.  At least one million civilians have been displaced, 1,000 of which are currently in relief camps.  The military plans to attack Mingora, one of the main towns in the Swat Valley.  Mingora is believed to house at least 4,000 Taliban.

Yet there is no way to verify claims since these places have become too dangerous for journalists.

Reporters Without Borders stated that due to the lack of media presence “the Swat Valley has become a lawless area. . .  This situation is unacceptable and must be remedied by the government at once.”

Despite the devastation, the presence of military forces in the Swat Valley has restored hope to those who reside there. Afzal Khan Lala, who is known for his resistance to the Taliban in Swat, said, “The ongoing military operation has given people hope because [this military operation] is different from the past — it is restoring people’s confidence [in their government and the army].”  He continues, “In my opinion, if the operation moves forward the same way, it will not take months to [restore peace to Swat].”

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – Pakistan: Offensive Kills 1,000+ Alleged Militants – 17 May 2009

Committee to Protect Journalists – Briefing: Pakistani Journalists Face Taliban, Military Threats – 30 April 2009

Index on Censorship – Pakistan: Journalism is First Casualty – 15 May 2009

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty – Swat Braces for Key Battle as Displacement Crisis Peaks – 15 May 2009

Reporters Without Borders – Journalists Flee Swat Valley En Masse – 12 May 2009

By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch, Reporter

KYRGYZSTAN – A hearing took place at Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court to investigate allegations of torture on Thursday.  Thirty-two defendants were arrested in October for protesting the government’s decision to prohibit the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr.  The police arrested them, claiming they were Islamic “extremists.”  The defendants stood trial in the Osh Province a month later.  Many claimed they were tortured while in police custody.

“The prosecutor’s office should have started an investigation into the torture allegations a long time ago,” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Torture is a common problem in Kyrgyzstan, and the Supreme Court hearing is a chance for the authorities to make clear that the abusers can no longer get away with it.”

The Osh Province Court found the defendants guilty of charges including incitement to cause or participate in mass unrest, separatism, attempted overthrow of the constitutional order, and spreading ethnic or religious strife.  They were sentenced between nine and twenty years in prison.

The Kyrgyz Human Rights Council requested ombudsman Tursunbek Akun to conduct an independent investigation. “The gross violation of the basic right to a free trial, the mass repression of ordinary citizens, torture, and blackmail by the law-enforcement agencies could undermine confidence in the state and trigger anger against its representatives and increase radicalism in the region,” the council said.

On February 20, 2009, the ombudsman declared his intention to have the rulings reviewed.  “Torture was widely used to get testimony. There were just four actual supporters of the Khizb ut-Takhrir party (among the accused) and the rest were placed in the same category. I plan to draw public attention to this,” he said.

According to Human Rights Watch, “law enforcement officials poured hot and cold water on them, beat them on the soles of their feet, and semi-suffocated them using plastic bags or gas masks. Detainees also had to stand in their underwear in a cold room with their feet in water for up to three days, were not allowed to use sanitary facilities, and did not receive needed medical treatment.”

Human rights organizations view the Supreme Court hearing as an opportunity to further investigate the torture allegations to ensure justice.

For more information, please see:

Central Asian Online – Kyrgyzstan Ombudsman Seeks Further Investigation of Nookat Events – 02 February 2009

Human Rights Watch – Kyrgyzstan: Investigate Torture Allegations – 13 May 2009

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty – Kyrgyz High Court Hearing Appeal by Religious Extremists – 15 May 2009