By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

HANOI, Vietnam – 

A blogger and his assistant, Nguyen Huu Vinh and Minh Thuy, were charged with publishing anti-state articles in a Vietnamese court last week. Mr. Vinh, who was previously connected to Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party as a police officer, received a five year prison sentence. His assistant, Ms. Thuy, received a three year sentence.

Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy had been detained and imprisoned since 2014. Mr. Vinh’s wife states that his health has declined during his detention.

The trial for Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy lasted only one day. A number of protesters gathered outside of the court to call for the bloggers’ release, chanting “innocent”, according to Associated Press.

Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy were charged for posting articles on a blog called “Ba Sam”, which drew millions of viewers. Mr. Vinh started the blog in 2007, with the aim of educating readers by exposing them to news coming from a variety of perspectives.

The blog published news and commentary from a number of contributors on political, social, and economic issues. The indictment against Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy listed 24 articles that contain “untruthful and baseless content” and that distort the state’s policy.

Judge Nguyen Van Pho of the People’s Court of Hanoi, where Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy underwent trial, claims that the posted articles “distort the lines and policies of the party and law of the state”, according to BBC News. Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy’s lawyers state that there is no evidence against them, and both Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy maintain that they are innocent. Ms. Thuy says that she does not know who wrote or posted the articles on Ba Sam.

While Vietnam is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a prominent human rights treaty that protects expression critical of government and leaders, it continues to weather criticism for its crackdown on dissent.

Vietnam’s only political party is the Communist Party, and its government disapproves of dissent that questions the Communist Party. Media is especially heavily monitored by authorities, because the internet has increasingly become a forum for criticism of the government.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the U.S. State Department’s embassy in Hanoi have all called for Vietnam’s authorities to drop the charges against Mr. Vinh and Ms. Thuy.

 

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – Vietnam Sentences Prominent Blogger for Anti-State Posts – 23 March 2016

BBC News – Vietnam bloggers: Nguyen Huu Vinh and Minh Thuy Jailed – 23 March 2016

Humanrights.gov – Vietnamese Government’s Decision to Convict Bloggers Nguyen Huu Vingh and Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy – 23 March 2016

Human Rights Watch – Vietnam: Drop Charges Against Prominent Bloggers – 22 March 2016

 

 

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan –

At least 72 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday. Over 300 people were wounded in the blast. The bombing occurred in Gulshan Iqbal Park, a public park, where Christian families had gathered to celebrate Easter.

Jamaat-e-Ahrar, a splinter cell of the Pakistani Taliban, has taken responsibility for the bombing. Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan released a statement confirming that Christians had been the target of the blast. Pakistani officials deny that Christians were the target of the attack, however, and many of those killed were Muslims. Jamat-e-Ahrar has declared that there are more attacks to come, with a warning that Pakistani media may be the next target.

Mr. Ehsan also said in his statement that the bombing was a message to the government that it cannot deter Jamaat-e-Ahrar even in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Lahore is the hometown of Pakistan’s prime minster, Nawaz Sharif. According to BBC, Mr. Ehsan referred to Mr. Sharif in his statement, saying that the war had “reached his doorstep.”

Law enforcement officials and army and intelligence forces in Punjab have begun a formal investigation into the bombing. Over 5,000 people have already been detained and questioned as part of the investigation, and any suspected terrorists have been arrested. 216 suspects remain in custody at this time.

Security forces have also begun raids to seize weapons and ammunition in Lahore and two other cities. Reports say that Pakistan’s military is working to begin a new crackdown in Punjab as well.

There have been two other bombings in Pakistan this month. One attack, a suicide bombing at a court building earlier in the month was also carried out by Jamaat-e-Ahrar. Dozens of other attacks have also occurred during recent years, including a bombing that killed around 80 people in 2013 and a school massacre that killed 134 students in 2014.

 

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Pakistan Conducts Sweeping Raids After Lahore Bombing – 29 March 2016

BBC – Lahore Attack: Pakistan ‘Detains 200’ After Easter Blast – 29 March 2016

CNN – Pakistan Bombing: Suspects, Arms Seized After Attack on Christians Kills 72 – 28 March 2016

The New York Times – Blast at a Crowded Park in Lahore, Pakistan, Kills Dozens – 27 March 2016

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

NEW DELHI, India –

A journalist in eastern India has been arrested for posting a social media post that criticized police and called for legal protections for reporters.

The journalist, Prabhat Singh, has been accused of circulating obscene material. Mr. Singh appeared in court this past week, where he claimed that he had been beaten while in police detainment. His lawyer has also stated that he was denied food while in custody. Mr. Singh requested bail, but the court denied his request.

Violence stemming from a Maoist insurgency has been ongoing for several years in impoverished tribal settlement regions. Insurgency rebels are fighting for equality when it comes to wealth from natural resources and the right to jobs.

Security officials have cracked down on insurgency rebels, often committing human rights abuses. Mr. Singh worked in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh state, a rebel center. The area is known for the rebels’ hit-and-run attacks on government soldiers, whose efforts have not lessened violence in the area much.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, based in the United States, has called for Chhattisgarh state authorities to release Mr. Singh, citing concerns about the arrests of journalists and their defenders. Amnesty International has also called for Mr. Singh’s release.

India’s National Human Rights Comission, a quasi-judicial body, has requested that authorities in the region submit a report on the details of Mr. Singh’s arrest and alleged rights violations.

Journalists face challenges in Chhattisgarh state because authorities often consider criticism of security forces as support for the rebel insurgency. Authorities have gone so far as to accuse some journalists of siding with the rebels. Last year, two journalists were arrested in the tribal region for allegedly supporting the insurgency. Their lawyer states that both are innocent and is still fighting the charges against them, which were filed under anti-terror laws.

Another journalist, Malini Subramaniam, was threatened and forced to leave the area after criticizing police. During her time as a journalist in the Bastar region, Ms. Subramaniam covered human rights violations and allegations of sexual violence by security forces.

 

For more information, please see:

The Express Tribune – Indian Journalist Arrested Over Social Media Post – 24 March 2016

ABC News – Indian Reporter Arrested After Posting Criticism of Police – 23 March 2016

Associated Press – Indian Reporter Arrested After Posting Criticism of Police – 23 March 2016

The New York Times – Journalist Jailed in Eastern India Over Social Media Post – 23 March 2016

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

The United States State Department announced on Monday that it had determined that Myanmar is persecuting its religious minority, the Rohingya Muslims, but that the country’s persecution of the Rohingya has not risen to the level of genocide.

The State Department issued a report to Congress regarding the issue, saying that while it was “gravely concerned” about the persecution of Rohingya, that treatment of the Rohingya did not amount to mass atrocities.

The United States Congress passed legislation in 2015 that called for Secretary of State John Kerry to determine whether Buddhist extremists in Myanmar had committed atrocities against the Rohingya. Part of his directive included the task of consulting with governments and human rights organizations in Myanmar to make his determination of whether atrocities against the Rohingya had in fact occurred.

Mr. Kerry’s report stated that the State Department remains concerned about the persecution and discrimination against the Rohingya and that displacement and violence were ongoing through 2015. The report called for Myanmar’s government to pursue solutions to address the human rights violations and to grant or restore citizenship to the Rohingya and other stateless individuals.

In 1948, the United Nations defined genocide to include acts committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. Such acts include killings and violence against members of a group and deliberate infliction of poor conditions of life meant to bring about a group’s physical destruction.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have left Myanmar since 2012, fleeing from persecution and poverty amidst anti-Muslim violence. Many Rohingya who have remained in Myanmar live in camps, and are denied official legal status and some basic human rights. International critics have called for the investigation into what they view as evidence of genocide against the Rohingya.

As Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government prepares to take power on April 1, her government will be under pressure to address the contentious issue of persecution against the Rohingya. Ms. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party (NLD) has been criticized so far for how little it has addressed the issue.

The United Nations and European Union stated on Monday that the hope that conditions for the Rohingya will improve under Ms. Suu Kyi’s new government has, in turn, contributed to a decline in the number of migrants fleeing the country.

 

For more information, please see:

Time – Burma’s Treatment of the Rohingya Is Not Genocide, Says U.S. – 22 March 2016

The New York Times – Myanmar: State Dept. Says Persecution of Muslims Does Not Rise to Genocide – 21 March 2016

Reuters – U.S. Says Myanmar Persecutes Rohingya, But Not Genocide – 21 March 2016

Voice of America – What is Genocide? – 15 March 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia  

Chinese journalist Jia Jia is believed to be held by authorities for his connection with a published letter calling for President Xi Jinping’s resignation. Mr. Jia was likely detained on Tuesday as he boarded a flight to Hong Kong.

Mr. Jia is a freelance writer based in Beijing. He is known for his writing on topics designated as sensitive by China’s government and has critiqued corrupt officials and the Communist Party in the past. Despite his critique of the Communist Party, Mr. Jia had not previously written anything calling for a regime change.

Regardless, Mr. Jia has been accused of writing the letter, posted on a state-linked news website this month, which condemns Mr. Xi’s leadership and includes threats to Mr. Xi if he does not resign from office. It is unclear who wrote the article, which was signed only with a byline of “loyal Communist supporters.”

Mr. Jia stated before his disappearance that he did not write the letter. He did, however, warn a friend and editor at Wujie News about reposting the article on Wujie’s own website.

According to friends of Mr. Jia, he had feared detainment in connection to the letter before his disappearance. He and some of his family members were previously questioned about the letter.

There is currently no other information about Mr. Jia’s whereabouts or his detainment. His phone has been shut down, and he failed to appear to deliver a scheduled lecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong last Thursday. Beijing law enforcement officials have not responded to requests for comment on Mr. Jia’s disappearance.

Mr. Jia is one among many others who have been accused of dissent and have been detained or imprisoned by authorities. The Chinese government has detained and imprisoned a growing number of individuals since Mr. Xi came into power, including lawyers, activists, and journalists.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – China columnist Jia Jia ‘goes missing’ en route to HK – 18 March 2016

The New York Times – China Is Said to Be Holding Jia Jia, a Journalist, Over Xi Jinping Letter – 18 March 2016

CNN International – Lawyer says missing Chinese journalist Jia Jia didn’t write anti-Xi letter – 19 March 2016

Voice of America – Well-known Chinese Columnist Disappears – 17 March 2016