1. Do not attempt to escape. The punishment is death.

2. Never gather in groups of over three people or move around without the guard’s authorization. The punishment for unauthorized movement is death.

3. Do not steal. If one steals or possesses weapons, the punishment is death. The punishment for failure to report the theft or possession of weapons is death.

4. Obey your guards. If one rebels or hits a guard, the punishment is death.

5. If you see outsiders, or suspicious-looking people, report them immediately. The punishment for abetting in the hiding of outsiders is death.

6. Keep an eye on your fellow prisoners and report inappropriate behavior without delay. One should criticize others for inappropriate behavior, and also conduct thorough self-criticism in revolutionary ideology class.

7. Fulfill your assigned duties. The punishment for rebelling against one’s duties is death.

8. Men and women may not be together outside the workplace. The punishment for unauthorized physical contact between a man and a woman is death.

9. Admit and confess your wrongdoings. The punishment for disobedience and refusal to repent is death.

10. The punishment for violating camp laws and rules is death.

By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KABUL, Afghanistan – As a result of UNICEF’s report on violence against Afghan Children, the United Nations (UN) said that violations of children’s rights are rising on account of war in Afghanistan, especially with respect to deaths of children in civilian casualties, recruitment of children to armed groups, and sexual abuse.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that “the report focuses on grave violations perpetrated against children in Afghanistan and identifies parties to the conflict, both state and non-state actors, who commit grave abuses against children.”  He continued, “In particular, the report highlights the fact that children have been recruited and utilized (as fighters) by state and non-state armed groups.”

Ban also said that although the Afghan government demobilized 7,444 child soldiers in 2003, there has not been any monitoring of children who are vulnerable to democracy.

One case that the report documents is that of children utilized by the Taliban as suicide bombers.  Children as young as 12 years old are forced or tricked into performing these acts.  The government have also been having children serve on their police forces, such as the Afghan Auxiliary Police and the Afghan National Police.  Ban insists that the age of young soldiers be verified in order to protect children in accordance with human rights laws.

Children are also victims as a result of militant attacks on civilian targets.  Children are being inadvertently killed during battle between U.S. and NATO and Afghan forces.  The U.N. insists that all rules of war are followed, especially with respect to children.

Violence against children also occurs in the form of sexual abuse.  Ban states that “Boys [are] kept cloistered and used for sexual and harmful social entertainment by warlords and other armed group leaders.”  The U.N. urges the Afghan government to take action by legislating against sexual violence.

For more information, please see:

AP – UN: Afghan Children Being Recruited as Fighters – 25 November 2008

Reuters – Violence Against Afghan Children Rising: U.N. – 23 November 2008

UN News Centre – Afghan Conflict Claiming More Child Casualties as Insurgency Spreads – UN report – 21 November 2008

By  Pei Hu
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DEHLI, India –Chunchun Kumar is an ordinary citizen from Bihar’s Nawada district and while he was drinking tea with his friends, a group of drunken policemen vandalized the tea house and brutally beat Kumar and his friends. The six police officers were beating up a temple priest at a village temple before going to the teashop. According to Kumar, he and his friends were beaten “black and blue” before the police started shooting at them. Kumar was shot in the abdomen.

Kumar and the villagers complained to the police authorities. India police acknowledged the incident. Bihar Anil Sinha, the director general of police said, “Two of the policemen who were inebriated vandalized the tea shop and began firing despite protests from their other colleagues. They were arrested and, although they have been released on bail, they are facing criminal charges.”

Activist say that torture is rampant in India, especially among the poorer societies. Henri Tiphagne of People’s Watch, a nongovernmental organization, said, “The problem of torture is very serious. Today we have around 1.8 million cases of police torture in India.” Tiphagne added, the victims of torture “are generally the (low-caste) Dalits, the tribals and the Muslims. And torture is used by those who are in power, those who possess, the landlords and the companies who put pressure on the police to carry out torture.”

However, Anil Sinha denied that police torture was widespread in India, “It’s a kind of stereotype being dished out by the NGOs and activists. And because police have a bad reputation, so people take such allegations to be correct. We do not condone any human rights violations by police in any manner, and such cases are rare. We have a mechanism in place to deal with such cases and penalize the guilty.”

According to Meenkshi Ganuly of Human Rights Watch, almost all the police stations in India are guilty of torture.

Kashmir Singh was a Pakistani prisoner held captive in Indian prisons for 14 years. In 2005, Singh and five other Pakistani prisoners were released as a sign of good-will from the Indian government. However, Singh has lost his kidney and mental stability due to torture during his years in captivity. Sigh’s sister said, “It had shocked us, as Pakistanis were never treated like this. This does not mean, we want the Indians being subjected to the inhuman treatment, but our government must prevail on India to review its torturous policy.”

For more information, please see:

BBC – The Wrong Side of Law – 18 November 2008

The News – Pakistanis Subject to Brutality in Indian Jails – 27 November 2008

Wikio – India: On the Wrong Side of Law – 19 November 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Irene Fernandez, the director of the human rights group Tenaganita, a prominent labor activist, was acquitted by a Malaysian court on Monday. “I’m so happy that finally truth and justice prevailed,” Fernandez told The Associated Press. “I should never have been charged in the first place.”

Irene Fernandez was arrested in 1996 for claiming that police tortured illegal immigrants in detention, but remained free on bail while fighting her case.  She was convicted and sentenced to one year in 2003 but appealed.  Fernandez’s 1995 report was compiled from interviews with more than 300 former detainees.  The report alleged that illegal immigrants died in Malaysian camps from malnutrition and torture. The government confirmed 98 detainees had died, but said they succumbed to diseases contracted in their homelands.

Irene Fernandez was convicted, and sentenced one year in prison in 2003, but she appealed.
Prosecutor Shamsul Sulaiman said the prosecution decided not to oppose the appeal because typed records from earlier court proceedings contained “systemic errors.”  The errors occurred when a court official typed up the judge’s handwritten notes, Shamsul said.

The appeal process, which did not start until April 1, 2008, has seen a series of postponements. The hearing was postponed until May 12 when it was discovered that 1,700 pages of the record, including witness statements, were missing.  The case was again postponed on August 5 when it was discovered a computer virus had wiped out some newly typed notes. In October, Fernandez’s defense lawyer said that he had received almost 9,000 pages of handwritten and typed notes, but that portions were “incomprehensible.”

“Irene Fernandez and her organization documented the government’s sadistic and humiliating treatment of migrants,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Human Rights Watch has also documented such treatment.”

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – Malaysian activist acquitted after 12 years of legal battles – 24 November 2008

AP – Malaysia labor activist acquitted after long fight – 24 November 2008

HRW – Malaysia: Drop Case Against Labor Activist – 21 November 2008

Recuters – Malaysia court acquits activist after marathon case – 24 November 2008

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PYONGYANG, North Korea – The U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee has passed a resolution urging North Korea to improve its human rights conditions on Friday. 51 countries cosponsored the resolution, including South Korea, which is the first cosponsor.  The resolution expressed “very serious concern” at rights violations in North Korea, including the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, the “all-pervasive and severe restrictions” on freedom of thought and religion, and violations of workers’ rights.

However, North Korea strongly rejected the U.N. resolution.  The North Korean delegation to the UN criticized the nonbinding resolution, characterizing it as politicization and double standards in dealing with human rights.  According to the North Korea’s official news agency, a foreign ministry spokesman, Pak Dok Hun said, the DPRK (North Korea) resolutely rejects the resolution.  He said it is based on “false and fabricated” data, adding that the hardline communist country would “firmly” stick to its system and ideology.  Pak also says the resolution was “a provocation to the North’s dignity,” and South Korea “will face the dearest price” for its “treacherous act.”

South Korea’s co-sponsored triggered anger from Pyongyang and worsened cross-border relations. Secretive North Korea said on Monday it would all but seal its border with the South a week before heading into talks with its neighbor and other regional powers which are pressing it to give up nuclear weapons. North Korea’s KCNA news agency said the border closure was the first step “to be taken in connection with the evermore undisguised anti-DPRK (North Korea) confrontational racket of the south Korean puppet authorities.”  The tension between South and North Korean has been escalating since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February. President Lee promises to invest heavily in the impoverished North on condition it moves to end development of an atomic arsenal.

For more information, please see:

AP – Report: North Korea rejects UN rights resolution – 22 November 2008

Jurist – North Korea protests proposed UN General Assembly rights resolution – 22 November 2008

KBS – UN Committee Passes Resolution on NK Human Rights – 22 November 2008

International Herald Tribune – North Korea rejects UN human rights resolution – 24 November 2008

Washington Post – North Korea prepares to shut border with South – 24 November 2008