By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

  

PYONGYANG, North Korea –

North Korea has sentenced Otto Warmbier, an American college student, to 15 years of hard labor for his alleged removal of a political sign in a hotel. Mr. Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginina, had traveled to Pyongyang on trip with Young Pioneer tours, a company conducting trips from China to North Korea and was arrested in early January.

State-run media sources have reported that North Korea’s highest court has convicted Mr. Warmbier of subversion. Mr. Warmbier was charged with committing a hostile act against North Korea, and authorities claim that he was encouraged to commit such an act by a member in his Ohio-based church. During court proceedings earlier this week, officials submitted fingerprints and surveillance photos connecting Mr. Warmbier to the alleged hostile acts.

During a press conference last month, Mr. Warmbier admitted that he had attempted to take a banner containing a political slogan from his hotel in Pyongyang. According to official reports, Mr. Warmbier took a sign bearing the name of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un or Kim Jong-un’s father or grandfather.

Mr. Warmbier also issued a public apology in addition to his confession. It is not known at this time whether Mr. Warmbier was under duress at the time of his statement.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner says that the sentence given Mr. Warmbier is “unduly harsh” and calls for his release. Mr. Warmbier’s sentence comes amidst increasing tensions between North Korea and the United States due to North Korea’s recent nuclear weapons and missile testing.

Some U.S. officials and analysts believe that North Korea seeks to use Mr. Warmbier, among other detained American citizens, as political pawns. Mr. Warmbier is currently one of three North American detainees in North Korea. Because the United States has no embassy in Pyongyang, Sweden carries out consular relations on behalf of American citizens in North Korea.

 

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – U.S. Student Runs Afoul of North Korea’s Devotion to Slogans – 17 March 2016

CNN – North Korea Sentences U.S. Student to 15 Years Hard Labor – 16 March 2016

The New York Times – North Korea Sentences Otto Warmbier, U.S. Student, to 15 Years’ Labor – 16 March 2016

NPR – N. Korea Sentences American Student To 15 Years Of Prison, Hard Labor – 16 March 2016

 

 

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar –

The National League for Democracy (NLD) party in Myanmar has announced its presidential candidates. Ms. Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD, is not being considered for the presidency. However, it is clear that Ms. Suu Kyi still expects to run Myanmar’s government through a proxy president. Ms. Suu Kyi’s aide and close friend, Htin Kyaw, has been named as a presidential candidate and appears to be the most likely to become president.

Ms. Suu Kyi is unable to become the president due to a constitutional provision prohibiting those with foreign family members from becoming the president. Both of Ms. Suu Kyi’s sons have British citizenship, as did her husband before his death in 1999.

Ms. Suu Kyi attempted to persuade the military to allow the constitutional provision to be overruled, but was unsuccessful. The military holds a guaranteed 25 percent of parliamentary seats and has the power to veto any proposed changes to the constitution.

The NLD, which won the parliamentary election in November 2015, has named Mr. Kyaw as the lower house vice presidential nominee and Henry Van Thio, a member of the parliament, as the upper house vice presidential nominee.

Both houses of the parliament will choose from among the NLD’s candidates and those from other parties. It is likely that the NLD’s candidates will win because the NLD currently holds a majority in both houses of the parliament. A second vote will then take place to decide who will be the president, with a third, military nominated candidate, Khin Aung Myint, entering the race as well. The two unsuccessful candidates will each become vice-presidents.

Myanmar’s new government will take control on April 1. It will be the first freely elected government in over 50 years. The new government will face issues such as civil war with ethnic groups, poor economic growth, and discrimination against Myanmar’s Muslim Minority, the Rohingya.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Myanmar Begins Presidential Selection as Aung San Suu Kyi Ruled Out – 10 March 2016

CNN – Aung San Suu Kyi Confidante Htin Kyaw Likely to Become Myanmar’s Next Leader – 10 March 2016

The Guardian – Aung San Suu Kyi Will Not be President of Myanmar, Parliament Confirms – 10 March 2016

The New York Times – Aung San Suu Kyi Finds Roadblocks on Path to Presidency – 7 March 2016

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – 

Over a dozen people were killed on Monday morning in a suicide attack, while an estimated twenty were wounded. Four women and two children are among the dead.

A suicide bomber detonated a vest containing explosives after shooting his way into a district court compound in the town of Shabqadar, about 20 miles north of Peshawar. The bomber shot a police officer once he had forced his way into the compound, then detonated his vest. Another officer was killed when he tried to subdue the bomber and prevent him from entering the courtroom, in which family disputes were being decided at the time.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a removed branch of militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is part of the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar’s spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said in an email statement that the bombing was in retaliation for the execution of Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri. Mr. Ehsan claims that Mr. Qadri was innocent and executed against Allah’s laws. He has also stated that his faction will continue to conduct attacks on Pakistani courts.

Mr. Qadri was recently sentenced to death for killing Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province. Punjab’s governor had previously called for reform of blasphemy laws which require death for insulting Islam.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has issued a statement denouncing the attack. He states that Pakistan is united in its commitment to eliminate this type of “menace” and commemorates those who died trying to prevent the bomber’s attack.

The bombing was the second suicide attack of its kind so far this year. In January, Taliban suicide bombers attacked Bacha Khan University in the Charsadda district, killing 21 students and teachers.

Taliban militants have engaged in uprisings against Pakistan’s government since 2007 as part of their effort to enforce more strict interpretations of Islamic laws.

 

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Suicide Attack Hits Pakistan – 7 March 2016

CNN – At Least 13 Killed, Including 2 Children, in Pakistan Suicide Attack – 7 March 2016

The New York Times – Suicide Attack at Pakistani Court Compound Kills Over a Dozen – 7 March 2016

Reuters – Pakistani Militants Say Blast at Court That Kills 10 Was Revenge – 7 March 2016

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

A Tibetan monk named Kalsang Wangdu set himself on fire in China’s Sichuan Province this week as an act of protest against Chinese rule. Mr. Kalsang was only 18 years old. This was the first act of self-immolation to take place in China since August.

Mr. Kalsang set himself on fire outside of his monastery on Monday, which is located in Kardze Prefecture, a common site for protests against China’s rule. Free Tibet, an organization that campaigns for Tibet’s freedom from China, reports that Mr. Kalsang called for Tibet’s independence while burning himself. Onlookers poured water on Mr. Kalsang, but he later died while on the way to a hospital.

Tibetans living in the Kardze region are known for their sense of Tibetan identity and for their frequent protests against China’s rule. News from the region is hard to obtain, and local law enforcement in the area are instructed to stay quiet about acts of self-immolation.

The Chinese government has consistently cracked down on the Tibetans since its invasion of Tibet in 1950. During uprisings beginning in March 1959, the Dalai Lama fled from China to India. Every year since then, Chinese authorities fears protests among Tibetans to commemorate the March anniversary of the uprising.

For decades, Tibetans have resisted China’s rule. Over 140 Tibetans have protested by self-immolation since 2009. During 2009, Tibetan uprisings gained intensity, with protestors calling for freedom and the return of the exiled Dalai Lama. Most of them have been monks like Mr. Kalsang, but other individuals have also committed acts of self-immolation.

A Tibetan woman was detained on Tuesday for walking around with a portrait of the Dalai Lama. China has banned images of the Dalai Lama, who it blames for Tibetan’s protests and self-immolations, throughout the country. The Dalai Lama has stated that he is against all forms of violence.

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – Protesting Chinese Rule, Tibetan Monk Dies After Setting Himself Ablaze – 3 March 2016

Radio Free Asia – Tibetan Monk Burns to Death in Kardze Protest – 3 March 2016

Time – Tibetan Monk in China Said to Self-Immolate in Independence Protest – 3 March 2016

South China Morning Post – Tibetan Monk Calls Out for Independence, Sets Himself on Fire in Western China to Protest Beijing’s Rule: Report – 2 March 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China –

A Chinese court has convicted Protestant pastor Bao Guohua and his wife Xing Wenxiang of corruption, financial crimes, and gathering people to disturb the social order.

Chinese media report that Mr. Bao and Ms. Xing have been found guilty of embezzling money from his church congregation in Zhejiang Province. They’ve been accused of “living greedy lives” by local law enforcement and state-run media, who claim that valuables and cash from church members’ donations were found in the couple’s home. Mr. Bao and Ms. Xing will serve 14 year and 12 year sentences, respectively. The court also ordered the confiscation of $92,000 from each spouse and fines totaling around $30,000.

Mr. Bao and his wife have been detained since August. A court has also sentenced 10 other people, including members of Mr. Bao’s church and potentially members of Jinhua, a Christian group. The details of those charges are not yet clear.

The couple’s arrest could be part of a government crackdown on Christianity in the region. Zhejiang Province has worked in recent years to limit the influence of Christian churches and organizations. Over 1,200 crosses have been removed from churches throughout the past two years, and some churches have been completely demolished. Authorities in the area claim that the crosses violate planning rules. Human Rights Watch reports that at least 100 Christians have been detained for resisting the cross removals.

Mr. Bao’s church had previously been officially approved by the government, but he then defied an order to take down the church’s cross. He was one of only a few government-approved pastors who defied the orders to remove crosses.

Around 60 million Protestant Christians live in China, with 23 million belonging to state-backed Three-Self Patriotic Movements. Only five religions are officially approved and may only be practiced in specific religious premises.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC News – China Pastor Who Resisted Cross Removals Jailed for Corruption – 26 February 2015

The New York Times – Pastor in China Who Resisted Cross Removal Gets 14 Years in Prison – 26 February 2016

FTC Publications – Chinese Pastor Jailed for Corruption – 26 February 2016

Radio Free Asia – China Jails Protestant Pastor Couple For 12, 14 Years – 25 February 2016