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

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

PYONGYANG, North Korea –

The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council which imposes more strict sanctions on North Korea due to its recent nuclear weapon test and missile launch. The United States is backed by China on the resolution and a vote is expected to take place within the next several days.

The draft resolution calls for U.N. member states to inspect all cargo shipping to or from North Korea. Previously, states only had an obligation to inspect cargo passing through their territories if they had reasonable grounds to suspect that there was any illegal cargo. Any ships under suspicion of transporting illegal goods will be blocked from using ports worldwide.

Additionally, the draft resolution proposes a ban on the transfer of any item to North Korea that could strengthen the capabilities of its armed forces. The supply of fuel for aviation programs will also be banned under the resolution, among other sanctions.

The United States and China held negotiations on the draft resolution for several weeks, followed by talks in Washington this week between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

North Korea has been under sanctions by the United Nations since 2006 due to its continued nuclear tests and rocket launches. It currently is banned from importing and exporting nuclear and missile equipment.

North Korea’s recent missile launch and nuclear test are viewed among the international community as a violation of U.N. resolutions. If the resolution is approved, it will include the strongest sanctions instituted by the Security Council in over two decades.

China previously seemed reluctant to take measures against North Korea as its neighbor and it has differed from the United States in its opinions on what measures to take against North Korea. The United States has argued for punitive measures, while China has caked for more tempered measures. North Korea’s missile launch and nuclear test may have been a factor in China’s newly hardened resolve against North Korea.

North Korea currently does 90% of its trade with China. The draft resolution’s proposed sanctions would not prohibit trade between North Korea and China.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC News – North Korea: US Submits Tougher Sanctions to UN – 26 February 2016

Reuters – U.S., Backed by China, Proposes Tough N.Korea Sanctions at U.N. – 26 February 2016

The New York Times – U.S. and China Agree on Proposal for Tougher North Korea Sanctions – 25 February 2016

Voice of America – U.S., China Agree on Sanctions Against North Korea – 25 February 2016

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

BEIJING, China –

The Chinese government has decided to relocate over 9,000 villagers from their homes in Guizhou province as it continues to build the world’s biggest radio telescope. The telescope is designed in part to observe signs of extraterrestrial life but will also gather significant amounts of data on space phenomena.

The relocation of the villagers, who live in one of the poorest provinces in China, was announced on Tuesday. 2,029 families are being moved in order to ensure an optimal electromagnetic environment for the telescope. The people being moved are those who were within a three mile radius of the telescope location in Pingtang and Luodian counties in Guizhou. Villagers do not appear to be resisting the move at this point.

Chinese authorities plan to compensate each person being moved with $1,800 from its eco-migration bureau. This is not the first forced mass relocation ordered by authorities to make room for a project, and there have been many complaints among citizens about the move and the compensation offered by the government. Millions have been displaced to make room for infrastructure or “poverty alleviation” projects. Work on the Three Gorges Dam displaced more than a million people living on the Yangtze River, for instance.

Work on the telescope is set to conclude in September of this year. Chinese authorities say that the location of the telescope in an isolated area of Guizhou make it an ideal place to receive extraterrestrial messages. The telescope is just one piece of China’s plans in regard to space exploration. China has also aspired to put an astronaut on the moon and a space station in orbit as part of its space program.

Wu Xiangping, director-general of China’s Astronomical Society told state-run news source Xinhua that the telescope will help scientists to “search for intelligent life outside of the galaxy”.

 

For more information, please see: 

HNGN – China Telescope To Be World’s Largest, Will Displace 9,000 – 19 February 2016

Business Insider – 9,000 Chinese villagers are being displaced to build this massive radio telescope in search of alien life – 17 February 2016

The New York Times – China Telescope to Displace 9,000 Villagers in Hunt for Extraterrestrials – 17 February 2016

The Guardian – China Uproots 9,000 People for Huge Telescope in Search for Aliens – 16 February 2016