PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Sam Bith, former Khmer Rouge guerilla, died on Saturday at the age of 74 while serving a life sentence for abducting and murdering three Western backpackers 14 years ago. According to his wife, Sam Bith was suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes.

Sam Bith was a Khmer Rouge commander in southwestern Cambodia when a train carrying the backpackers was ambushed. Nearly a dozen Cambodians died during the incident. The three backpackers, Australian David Wilson, Briton Mark Slater, and Frenchmen Jean-Michael Braquet, were then abducted and held for three months.

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal did not charge Sam Bith because the court’s jurisdiction was limited to crimes between 1974-1979 when Cambodia was controlled by the regime.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – Former Khmer Rouge Commander Dies While Serving Life Sentence for Foreigners’ Murders – 16 February 2008

The Jurist – Former Khmer Rouge Commander Dies While Serving Cambodia Life Sentence – 16 February 2008

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

KATHMUNDU, Nepal – UN Commissioner for Human Rights Loise Arbour criticized the culture of impunity in Nepal after the country failed to prosecute killers of a 15-year Nepalese national, Maina Sunuwar. In 2004, Maina Sunuwar was killed after being tortured and raped under army custody.

Government officials said that the army took disciplinary action against the responsible officers through a court marital and brief imprisonment. However, human rights officers have criticized the punishment as insufficient and demanded a civilian trial.

Arbour commented, “[The Maina case] presents a significant opportunity for the government of Nepal to send a signal that the culture of impunity is ending. The successful prosecution of those responsible for her murder will strengthen the rule of law and uphold victims’ rights to a remedy.”

The culture of impunity in Nepal can detrimentally affect the stability of the country. The country has undergone a decade long conflict between the government and Maoists in the region. Arbour added, “Lack of accountability in this and numerous other cases is helping to perpetuate a culture of impunity in Nepal. And there is a danger this could become a barrier to achieving lasting peace.”

The government and Maoists rebels have set April 20^th for the national assembly. The assembly is expected to prepare a new constitution and formally end the 240 year old monarchy. The April vote is central to the peace agreement with Maoists because it would admit the former rebels as part of the political mainstream.

However, three ethnic groups from the southern plains of Nepal have threatened to boycott the April vote unless the region is given autonomy. Nearly 26 million Madheshis, almost half of the nation, live in the region. The Madheshis want to become a largely autonomous state and want more power in the central government.

For more information, please see:

Reuters India –Ethnic Groups Threaten to Boycott Nepal Polls – 18 February 2008

The Times of India – End Culture of Impunity in Nepal: UN – 17 February 2008

United Press International – Nepalese Impunity Could Affect Security – 18 February 2008

BEIJING, China –Dr. Gunther von Hagens, who invented the process to preserve human bodies with a liquid plastic, has revealed that he no longer accepts bodies from China because he suspected they had been executed prisoners. After examining the bodies, he detected suspicious injuries and instead cremated the bodies. According to Dr. Gunther von Hagens, there is a black market providing bodies to Chinese companies that later export them oversees. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was investigating the allegations.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Exclusive: Secret Trade in Chinese Bodies – 14 February 2008

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Tasneem Khalil, a journalist with Human Rights Watch (HRW), CNN, and The Daily Star, has accused theBangladesh military of torturing him in retaliation for his media activity. In May 2007, the Directorate General Forces of Intelligence arrested Tasneem Khalil in his home and transferred him to a torture cell.

Tasneem Khalil recently shared his experience in the Bangladesh torture cell. In his report to HRW, Tasneem Khalil wrote, “…all of them started hitting the table with hands and sticks and started shouting at me. ‘How dare you write against our brothers in RAB? You are a burden on society. You are an immoral, unethical insect, an anti-state criminal.’ Someone came around the table and started punching me on my head again.”

After hours of beatings, Tasneem Khalil agreed to write a confession. When his blindfold was taken off, he saw for the first time the room he was being held in. He reported: “The room I was in was a torture cell. It was a small room with no windows, one doorway with a wooden door, and a second grill, like in a prison. The room was soundproofed with a wooden wall covered with small holes, like in an old recording studio. There were two CCTV cameras in the corners attached to the ceiling. There was a fan. I was sitting in front of a table and three batons were on the table, along with some stationery. One was a wooden baton, about a meter long. The other two were covered with black plastic. Poking out of the end of these two were metal wires which appeared to fill the plastic covers. … Then I glanced behind me and I saw what looked like a metal bed frame. It was the same size as a normal single bed, but it was placed on a platform with steps up to it. The bed had straps fitted at the top and bottom, presumably for tying people on to it. There was a wheel to change the angle of the bed to lift it up or down. There were spikes at the top of the bed. Right beside that there were ropes fitted to the ceilings with rubber loops for wrists to go through.”

Tasneem Khalil was released after 22 hours in captivity. International and national authorities pressed the Bangladesh interim government to free him. Tasneem Khalil then went into hiding for a month before international authorities again pressed Bangladesh leaders to allow him to leave for asylum in Sweden.

Bangladesh is currently under an interim government authorized by a reform agenda. Since January 2007, the interim government has campaigned to eliminate corruption and abuse of political power. However, in the name of reform, the government has used torture and executions to extract information and punish critics of the army’s role as de facto rulers.

HRW urged the country to make human rights a priority. Brad Adams, Asia Director of HRW, said, “While few would dispute that corruption, organized crime, politicization of the bureaucracy and political violence had to be addressed in Bangladesh, the interim government must realize that reform cannot be built on midnight knocks on the door and torture. A peaceful democratic society requires respect for basic rights.”

HRW also has questioned the motivation and purposes of the Bangladesh interim government. Brad Adams furthered stated, “The security forces have been arbitrarily detaining and torturing people, but there have been no serious attempts at holding those responsible for these criminal acts to account. Why hasn’t the government made the protection of Bangladeshis from this scourge a priority? Are they reformers, or do they just say they are reformers?”

For more information, please see:

HRW – The Torture of Tasneem Khalil: How the Bangladesh Government Abuses its Powers under a State of Emergency

HRW – Bangladesh: Tortured Journalist Describes Surviving Military Beatings –14 February 2008

News Report India – Military Torture of Bangladesh Journalist Alleged – 14 February 2008

Reuters India– Bangladeshi Tells of 22 Hours of Torture – 14 February 2008

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dissolved the country’s Parliament to instigate early elections.  According to Malaysian law, elections must be held within 60 days of parliament being dissolved.  However, it is typical that the election commission calls for an election long before the 60 day deadline.

The move for early elections has sparked criticism from Anwar Ibrahim.  Anwar Ibraham, former deputy primer and member of the Democratic Action Party, notes that the timing of the early election precludes him from taking part.  He is unable to stand for office until March under an ban imposed when he was jailed in 1998.

Experts foresee that the elections will be quite controversial because of the recent ethnic tensions between Indians and the Malay majority, rising food prices, and allegations of corruption in judiciary.

For more information, please see:

International Herald Tribune – Malaysia to Hold Early General Elections Amid Anger over Prices, Ethnic Tensions – 13 February 2008