TASHKENT, Uzbekistan- The Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, an Uzbek human rights group, has written a letter to President Islam Karimov demanding the release of human rights activists, journalists, and religious prisoners.

The letter mentions that Karimov released five rights activists in early February in response to European Union pressure, and argues that the President only released them for political reasons.  According to the Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, “the tyrant still oppresses the government, and the innocent people who waste away inside prison walls become mere pawns on a chessboard. What will become of their fate, when they are released, and whether they will ever see the light of day remains unknown.”  The letter requests that Western societies acknowledge that Karimov is only doing the bare minimum to maintain good international relations and asks that they demand more.

The letter was copied to United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well the Uzbek Prosecutor’s office and the Uzbek Ombudsman’s office.

For more information, please see:

Inter Press Service – RIGHTS-UZBEKISTAN: ‘EU Must Take Away the Cover’ – 5 March 2008

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan- The Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, an Uzbek human rights group, has written a letter to President Islam Karimov demanding the release of human rights activists, journalists, and religious prisoners.

The letter mentions that Karimov released five rights activists in early February in response to European Union pressure, and argues that the President only released them for political reasons.  According to the Birdamlik Solidarity Movement, “the tyrant still oppresses the government, and the innocent people who waste away inside prison walls become mere pawns on a chessboard. What will become of their fate, when they are released, and whether they will ever see the light of day remains unknown.”  The letter requests that Western societies acknowledge that Karimov is only doing the bare minimum to maintain good international relations and asks that they demand more.

The letter was copied to United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well the Uzbek Prosecutor’s office and the Uzbek Ombudsman’s office.

For more information, please see:

Inter Press Service – RIGHTS-UZBEKISTAN: ‘EU Must Take Away the Cover’ – 5 March 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – In its monthly update, the Open Society Justice Initiative reported on the recent events occurring within the Khmer Rouge Tribunal while criticizing the tribunal’s lack of transparency, budget problems, and the tension between the Cambodian government and the United Nations.

Recently, the Pre-Trial Chamber rejected Nuon Chea’s attempts to disqualify Judge Ney Thol, annual the record of his initial appearance, and provisional detention hearings. The Khmer Rouge Tribunal has also hired staff for a Victims Unit that will aid victims to become civil parties to the litigation and file complaints with the office of prosecutors.

Despite the progress of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, the court still lacks transparency, which impedes the public’s ability to understand and criticize the tribunal’s work. In addition, the tribunal soon will request $113.7 million in additional funds because the Cambodian side of the budget will be exhausted in April 2008. And the Cambodian government has opposed attempts by the United Nations to place a special advisor for administrative needs.

For more information, please see:

Open Society Justice Initiative – New Khmer Rouge Tribunal Report Gives Latest Updates on Five Cases, Budget Needs, More – 3 March 2009

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- On Monday, police fired tear gas on a group of about 200 lawyers and other demonstrators who were protesting outside of the home of ousted Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.  The incident was broadcast across the country by news stations, and demonstrators were seen coughing and bending over when hit with the gas.  Some threw the tear gas cannisters back at the police officers.

The demonstrators were demanding that the Chief Justice be reinstated by President Pervez Musharraf, and were shouting various slogans, such as: “Free the children!” and “Go Musharraf Go!”

Chaudry and his family have been under house arrest since November 3, when Musharraf declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution (see Impunity Watch articles here and here).  The group started to gather in front of Chaudry’s home when they heard reports that his house arrest was coming to an end.  The protests began when they found out that the reports were untrue.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo! News – Police tear gas at Pakistani lawyers – 3 March 2008

By Ariel Lin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PYONGYANG, North Korea – North Korea is a source for men, women, and children trafficking.  The men, women, and children are used for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. North Korea was rated as a Tier 3 country in US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Person Report in 2005. Since then, the government has failed to comply with minimal international standards to prevent the human trafficking from its borders.

Between 80 percent and 90 percent of the refugees from North Korean, especially women and young children, end up as trafficking victims in China. Reports estimate tens of thousands of North Koreans are believed to be hiding in China. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to traffickers in China because the Chinese government’s policy of detaining the refugees and sending them back to North Korea.

In the most common form of trafficking, North Korean women and children who voluntarily cross the border into China are picked up by trafficking rings and sold as brides to Chinese or placed in forced labor. However, sometimes North Korean women and girls are lured out of North Korean by the promise of food, jobs and freedom, only to be forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor arrangements once in China.

A young woman was sold to a 34-year-old Chinese man for marriage and deported to North Korea. There, she was thrown into a North Korean State Safety and Security Agency Camp, where she was forced to undress and physically abused. According to her statement, pregnant inmates were forced to miscarry on the grounds they were bearing Chinese children. She also expressed that she is willing to go back to the Chinese man who bought her first because she had a better life with him, as well for the benefits to her blind mother and young brother.

A senior U.S. official urged China to change its law to protect victims of trafficking instead of returning them home, and also to allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to operate along the border region with North Korea.

For more information, please see:

The Chosun Ilbo – Human Trafficking Thrives Across N.Korea-China Border – 2 March 2008

U.S. Department of State – North Korean Refugees Frequent Victims of Human Trafficking – 20 July 2005

U.S.State Department Trafficking in Persons Report – Human Trafficking & Modern-Day Slavery – June 2007

YonHap News – US Blames China on NK Human Trafficking – 3 March 2008