By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

MADRID, Spain — In a televised New Year’s speech, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont promised that the region of Catalan will hold a “legal and binding” independence referendum vote by September 2017.  Puigdemont emphasized that “Catalans will freely decide” their own future.”  Catalonian government officials maintain that they will hold the referendum with or without consent from the Spanish central government, however they would prefer the vote to be consensual.

 

Puigdemont’s announcement was ratified via a resolution voted on by the majority-separatist regional parliament of Catalan.  The Spanish Constitutional Court, however, has since suspended the resolution pending a five-month time period in which it will decide whether to ban the vote for good.  Puigdemont assured listeners that the referendum would be made “in accordance with the mandate of [Spanish] laws,” however it remains unclear how this will be accomplished if court bans the referendum.

In his own press conference, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy ruled out the possibility of a Catalonian referendum.  Rajoy recently commented that “[i]t is not possible to hold a referendum that will do away with national sovereignty and the equality of Spaniards.”  Instead, Rajoy maintains his platform of keeping an open line of communication between Catalan and the rest of Spain – a measure which he believes is much more “reasonable” than the alternative referendum.

After both Puigdemont’s and Rajoy’s speeches, Catalan separatists participated in a peaceful rally on Friday in Palma to show their support for the independence referendum.  Protestors carried different versions of the Catalan flag, with mottos such as “The Catalan Countries” and “One village, one fight, one future” written on them.

The Spanish government has offered to compromise and negotiate a list of economic and social demands with Puigdemont, however it refuses to discuss the proposed referendum.  Catalan held a symbolic independence vote in 2014 after the Spanish government legally prevented a formal vote from occurring.  The symbolic vote went unrecognized by Spain.  Many senior ranking political officials participated in the symbolic vote, and have since faced sanctions for participating in separatist measures which were deemed illegal by Spain’s central government.

Despite this announcement by Puigdemont, a recent poll showed that support for Catalan’s secession from Spain has decreased over the past six months amongst Catalonians.  The number of Catalans who oppose secession stood at 46.8% in December, which is an increase from the 45.1% in November, and the 42.4% in June.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC — Catalonia Leader Vows 2017 Referendum on Spain Independence — 31 December 2016

DW — Catalan Chief Pledges ‘Binding’ Independence Referendum in 2017 — 31 December 2016

The Local ES — Catalan President Pledges Referendum in New Year Address — 31 December 2016

PressTV — 100s Rally in Support of Catalonia’s Secession from Spain — 31 December 2016

Reuters — Catalan Independence Referendum ‘Not Possible’ – Spanish PM — 30 December 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

KIEV, Ukraine — Nadia Savchenko, former military aviator and current Ukrainian lawmaker, has launched a new opposition movement following a split with her former political party.  The new movement is called RUNA, which is an acronym for Ukrainian People’s Revolution.   Savchenko claims that RUNA will be a “mechanism” she describes as a “naturalist association of people” who stray from “populist slogans.”  She does not consider the new platform to be a “political project” just yet, however expects it to be formed into such when the time is right.

RUNA’s Facebook page display’s the movement’s logo, which is four red and black leaves.  It also sets forth the movement’s goals of active thinking and the revolution of Ukrainians to fulfill the aims of the EuroMaidan Revolution.  The announcement of the press conference officially launching RUNA was made online, and was entitled “Conception of systemic change in Ukraine as a unitary and decentralized republic.”

After being sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of alleged complicity in the murder of two Russian journalists, Savchenko was pardoned by Vladimir Putin in May and was released in a swap for two Russians held in Kiev.  The release of the prisoners came after Savchenko had a private meeting with the heads of separatist regions in Ukraine.

Savchenko denied the charges against her, and took part in two hunger strikes as a result.  Upon her release from prison, Savchenko was hailed as a hero upon her return to Ukraine, however has since faced criticism from nationalists.

In October, Savchenko quit the Batkivschyna political party headed by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and was formally expelled from it earlier this month.  Batkivschyna was critical of Savchenko’s meeting with Russian-backed separatist leaders from eastern Ukraine to discuss a prisoner swap.  This month she was also formally expelled from Ukraine’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as well as the Parliamentary Committee for National Defense and Security.

Mikheil Saakashvili, former president of ex-Soviet Georgia, has also recently created an opposition movement with intentions of overturning Poroshenko.

 

For more information, please see:

The Daily Star — Hero Pilot Savchenko Launches Ukraine Opposition Movement — 28 December 2016

The Guardian — Ukraine Insurgents Release Two Women Thanks to Savchenko — 27 December 2016

Kyiv Post — Savchenko to Launch New Political Project in Lviv — 27 December 2016

RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty — Ukraine’s Savchenko Unveils New Public Movement — 27 December 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

BERLIN, Germany —  Germany’s most recent attempt to combat anti-Semitism comes in the form of a program titled “Rent a Jew.”  Through the outreach program, those interested in learning more about the everyday lives of Jewish people are able to book a Jewish person for an informational session.  The program sends Jewish volunteers into German schools to speak about their experiences and to dispel commonly-held myths about the group.  The goal of the program is to draw light to the “ordinariness” of the Jewish community, and away from the view of the Jewish community as victims through the “Holocaust lens.”

Mascha Schmerling, one of the program’s leaders, tells reporters that the group’s aim is to “give people the chance to talk to the Jewish community.”  The group wants others to see that they are “completely normal people.”  Program organizer Alexander Rasumny explains that “[a] lot of people want to be more than just the regular Jewish stereotypes in Germany, reduced to victims. A lot of people want to be seen in their own right.”

As for the odd name of the program, Shmerling recognizes that they made the title “deliberately provocative” so that it would promote conversation.  According to Schmerling, the Jewish community is tired of hearing the anti-Semitic view that Jewish people are less valuable than other people.  The title of the program mixes humor and “chutzpah” as a step towards refuting such stereotypes.

On one recent trip to a German college, Shmerling and fellow speaker Monty Aviel Zeev Ott asked the students about rumors they have heard about Jewish people, and encouraged them to speak to any rumor even if it was unflattering.  On the trip, the Rent a Jew speakers also spoke to their holiday traditions, worship practices, and family recipes.

The Jewish speakers volunteer the time and do not get paid for their services, although the organization’s website suggests that hosts are welcome to pitch in for travel expenses of the volunteers if they are willing.  Students who have participated in the program thus far have described their experiences as “enlightening.”

 

For more information, please see:

NY Daily News — Germany’s Rent a Jew Program Hopes to Combat Anti-Semitism — 17 December 2016

Arutz Sheva — Germany Offers ‘Rent A Jew’ Services — 16 December 2016

Vox — “Rent a Jew” is an Actual Thing in Germany.  And, Amazingly, its a Good Idea. — 15 December 2016

Telegraph — Rent a Jew Service Now Available in Germany — 12 December 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

OSLO, Norway — After receiving an anonymous tip, authorities in a suburb of southwestern Norway found part of a wrought iron gate that was stolen more than two years ago from a former Nazi death camp.  The gate was a part of the Dachau concentration camp, and bears the slogan “Arbeit macht frei” which translates to “Work sets you free.”

 

 

The 220 pound gate was stolen from under guarded watch in November 2014, and is believed by German authorities to have been stolen as part of an organized crime.  The gate was made by prisoners in a workshop at the Dachau camp.  Prisoners entering the camp passed through the gate, as it served as a barrier between their imprisonment and the outside world.

The Dachau concentration camp, located near Munich, was established under Nazi rule in 1933.  Over 200,000 people from across Europe were held at the camp, and over 40,000 died there.

After the camp closed it was turned into a memorial, and the theft of the gate sparked significant international outcry.  The memorial’s director explains this rage, describing the gate as “the central symbol for the prisoners’ ordeal.”  Israel’s Yad Vashem memorial called the theft “an offensive attack on the memory of the Holocaust.”  German chancellor Angela Merkel called the theft of the gate “appalling.”

Recovery of the stolen gate has brought much comfort to those who were upset about its theft.  Jean-Michel Thomas, president of the International Dachau Committee which represents former prisoners from the camp, was “very happy” with the discovery of the gate.  Margrethe Myrmehl Gudbrandsen, a police spokeswoman in Norway, explained that Norway decided to leave the announcement of the recovery to the Germans out of respect for its symbolism.  Gudbrandsen said that the Norwegian authorities “understand this gate is an important monument for Germany.”

While the gate was missing, a replica was installed in its place during events marking the 70^th anniversary of the liberation of the camp.  Another gate with the same inscription on it was stolen in 2009 from Auschwitz, however has since been recovered.

The investigation of how the sign was stolen might be implicated by the lack of “usable evidence” surrounding the discovery.  The sign is now under police care, and they do not yet have any suspects.

 

For more information, please see:

The Huffington Post –Nazi Death Camp Gate Found in Norway 2 Years After Being Stolen From Dachau — 3 December 2016

NBC — Stolen Dachau Concentration Camp Gate Found in Norway — 3 December 2016

CBS — Dachau Gate Appears to be Found in Norway — 2 December 2016

The Guardian — Dachau Concentration Camp Gate Found Two Years After it was Stolen — 2 December 2016

The New York Times — ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ Gate Thought to be Stolen from Dachau is Found — 2 December 2016

 

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

MOSCOW, Russia — Russia’s economy minister, Alexei Ulyukayev, was charged and detained on charges of soliciting a $2 million bribe on Tuesday.  Ulyukayev accepted the bribe money from Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil company, in exchange for his ministry’s approval of a sale between Rosneft and another government-owned oil company.

Authorities told reporters that Ulyukayev’s phones were tapped, and his electronic communications were being monitored.  Investigators set up an operation in which the bribe was handed to Ulyukayev on Monday.  According to authorities, Ulyukayev threatened to use his position as economy minister to create problems for Rosneft unless it handed him the $2 million.  Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for the Investigative Committee, told reporters that “Ulyukayev was caught red-handed as he received the bribe.”

Vyacheslav Voloshin, former head of Putin’s administration and current speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament, praised Ulyukayev’s detainment because it “means there are no ‘untouchable people’ in Russia.”

Others view the arrest as a sign of political tension in the Russian government.  Gleb Pavlovsky, former Putin strategist, called the move a “terrible sign of weakness at the top of the executive power” because Putin apparently knew of the investigation for months, yet allowed Ulyukayev to remain in office instead of firing him.

Some find the situation odd for a few reasons.  First, the man Ulyukayev apparently threatened, Sechin, is believed to be one of the most powerful men in Russia and one who has Putin’s ear.  Considering their close relationship, many believe that Sechin could have told Putin about the threat and no investigation would have occurred.  Second, Alexander Shokhin, a man who worked with Ulyukayev on the Russian cabinet, pointed out that it was odd Ulyukayev would have asked for a bribe considering the oil company sold at market price.

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, assured that Putin was aware of the investigation throughout the process.  Peskov stated that “[t]hese are very serious accusations, and only a court can pass a verdict.”

Ulyukayev has been under investigation by Russia’s Federal Security Service for over a year.  He is the highest-ranking Russian official to be detained while holding office since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.  If guilty, he could face up to 15 years in jail, a maximum financial penalty of 70-100 times the sum of the bribe, and/or he would be stripped of the ability to serve in certain state office positions for 8-15 years.

 

For more information, please see:

The New York Times — Russia’s Economy Minister is Detained on Bribery Charges — 15 November 2016

Reuters — Russian Economy Minister Ulyukayev  Denies Extorting $2 Million Bribe — 15 November 2016

RT —  Russia’s Economy Minister Detained, Investigated Over Alleged $2 million Bribe Linked to Big Oil Deal — 15 November 2016

The Washington Post — Top Putin Aide Caught with $2 Million in Russian Bribery Sting — 15 November 2016