by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

STRASBOURG, France – Two terror suspects currently held at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba brought a case to the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday, alleging that Poland was contributing to human rights abuses against them by the United States.

Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri claim that they were tortured at a secret prison in Poland affiliated with the CIA from 2002 to 2003. The two suspects allege that they were subjected to torture and isolated detention while in Poland. They claim that they were interrogated with waterboarding, and had mock executions performed on them while being told their family was going to be sexually abused.

Zubaydah, a 42-year-old Palestinian, was accused of coordinating travel arrangements for jihadis loyal to Osama Bin Laden, including those who carried out the September 2001 attacks in the U.S. al-Nashiri, 48, a Saudi, was accused of organizing the 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship in Yemen, in which 17 sailors died.

The U.S.’s war on terror allegedly included CIA operated detention centers in several European countries, according to reports by a Council of Europe investigator. The detention center at issue in Poland is known as Stare Kiejkuty, an intelligence training base near Szczytno in northern Poland.

The suspects were allegedly flown to Poland on the same rendition plane in December 2002. Former U.S. President George W. Bush authorized the rendition policy shortly after the 9/11 attacks to allow the CIA to interrogate terror suspects secretly outside the US.

Zubaydah and al-Nashiri’s lawyers are representing them in Strasbourg and a court statement said their submissions are based mainly on publicly available sources, because of the restrictions imposed on them at Guantanamo Bay.

An investigator at the human rights group Reprieve, stated, “European support for the CIA’s torture program is one of the darkest chapters of our recent history – it is encouraging that the court now looks set to bring it to light, where the [Polish] government has sought to sweep it under the carpet. We have now heard overwhelming and uncontested evidence that the CIA was running a secret torture prison on Polish soil, with the Polish government’s knowledge.”

“The Polish government has failed to contest that it knew prisoners were being held beyond the rule of law and tortured by the CIA inside their own country. It has also become clear that the Polish government’s investigation into the issue was in reality nothing more than a smoke-screen, which was neither designed nor intended to get to the truth,” the investigator stated.

No judgment was issued on Tuesday, however one will be issued at an undisclosed future date.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Two Terror Suspects Sue Poland Over “CIA Torture” – 3 December 2013

The Guardian – Guantanamo Bay Detainees Claim Poland Allowed CIA Torture – 3 December 2013

Polskie Radio – Human Rights Court Examines CIA Prison in Poland Allegations – 3 December 2013

The Voice of Russia – Terror Suspects Sue Poland For Conniving in CIA Torture – 3 December 2013

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

GLASGOW, Scotland – Scotland’s “white paper”, a legal argument for the country’s independence, was unveiled earlier this week in Glasgow.

The 670-page document, released by Scotland’s first minister Alex Salmond, set forth the democratic, social, and economic reasons for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom. The white paper arrives a year before a referendum on the issue to be held next year.

“Scotland’s future is now in Scotland’s hands,” Salmond said on Tuesday, during the launch in Glasgow. “It won’t be decided by me, it won’t be decided by our opponents, it won’t be decided by the media. It will be decided by the people.”

Salmond stated that the much-anticipated white paper will enable the dismantling of the United Kingdom. Under the plan, Scotland would continue using the pound as its currency, would retain the queen as its head of state, and the country would retain its membership in the European Union. However, Scotland would have its own defense force and collect its own taxes.

The white paper also sets out detailed plans for currency, taxation, childcare, welfare and other issues that may face an independent Scotland. Salmond stated that there would be no need to increase taxes once Scotland seceded from the U.K. Salmond also said that Scottish taxes would not be spent on nuclear programs and the United Kingdom’s nuclear missiles, currently stored in Scotland, would be relocated elsewhere.

“We know we have the people, the skills and resources to make Scotland a more successful country. Independence will put the people of Scotland in charge of our own destiny,” Salmond stated. He added that he wanted to tackle a “legacy of debt” stemming from Scotland’s union with England.

The plan calls for Scotland’s oil and gas reserves to presumably boost Scotland’s economy for the next 50 years, but the country will look to renewable energy thereafter.

Meanwhile, the UK government is campaigning to retain the more than 300-year-old union between England and Scotland. The referendum is to be held on September 18 of next year, 2014.

For more information, please see:

The Scotsman – As it Happened: Scottish Government’s White Paper Launch – 27 November 2013

Al Jazeera – Scottish Nationalists Launch Independence Bid – 26 November 2013

BBC News – Scottish Independence: Voter’s Views on White Paper – 26 November 2013

The Guardian – Scotland: Assertions of Independence – 26 November 2013

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine –Ukrainians gathered to remember the 1933 famine that killed millions. President Yanukovych urged citizens not to politicize the tragedy in the light of recent events.

In 1933, famine killed millions of Ukrainians in what many called genocidal death by hunger, or “the Holodomor.” Some citizens were able to survive by gathering cheap cornmeal, wheat chaff, dried nettle leaves, and weeds. While some historians believe the number of those who died was approximately 3.3 million, others estimate much higher numbers.

Many survivors believed that Joseph Stalin wanted the Ukrainian peasants starved into submission, so that he could force them onto collective farms. When the Kremlin demanded more grain than the farms had, Bolshevik forces pillaged villages for anything edible.

“The brigades took all the wheat, barley – everything – so we had nothing left,” said survivor Nina Karpenko. “Even beans that people had set aside just in case. The brigades crawled everywhere and took everything. People had nothing left to do but die.”

Many villagers migrated to the cities in search of food, but often died before finding sustenance. As corpses began littering the roadsides, reports of cannibalism piled up. As entire villages died off, some of the most fertile land in the world became silent wastelands.

Soviet authorities eventually closed Ukraine’s borders, which prevented Ukrainians from traveling abroad to retrieve food.

“The government did everything it could to prevent peasants from entering other regions and looking for bread,” said Oleksandra Monetova, from Kiev’s Holodomor Memorial Museum. “The officials’ intentions were clear. To me it’s a genocide. I have no doubt.”

“There was a deathly silence,” said Karpenko. “Because people weren’t even conscious. They didn’t want to speak or to look at anything. They thought today that person died, and tomorrow it will be me. Everyone just thought of death.”

By the time children returned to the schools in 1934, over half the seats in each room were empty.

Russian authorities deny that the Holodomor was intentional, stating that other Soviet regions suffered around that time. Further, Russia has declared that “genocide” is a nationalistic interpretation of what happened.

Since 2006, Ukrainians have marked the fourth Saturday of each November as Holodomor Remembrance Day.

On 23 November 2013, thousands marched through central Kiev to protest Ukraine’s decision to snub the EU in favor of Russia.

In response, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych denounced “the politicization of tragic historical events.”

Yanukovych said, “Today we must discard the political debate and unite. On this sad day, we are all united by the memory about our dead compatriots. This day [the Holodomor Remembrance Day] should be out of politics.”

For further information, please see:

Bloomberg Businessweek – Ukraine Marks Tragic Date amid Setback on EU Hopes – November 23, 2013

International Business Times – Ukraine Commemorates Millions Who Died in Stalin’s Holodomor Reign of Terror – November 23, 2013

Interfax Ukraine – Yanukovych Says Politicization of Tragic Events Is Unacceptable – November 23, 2013

BBC – Holodomor: Memories of Ukraine’s Silent Massacre – November 22, 2013

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – Eastern European Ukraine postponed hopes of stronger ties with Western Europe, hoping to become closer to Russia. In doing so, Ukraine President Yanukovych’s party dropped legislation that would have been required under its trade deal with the EU.

On 21 November 2013, Ukrainian authorities declared that it would put EU integration on hold while it builds closer ties with Russia. At the same time, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych’s party refused to vote on opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko’s release so she could seek surgical treatment in Germany. The EU considers Tymoshenko a political prisoner, and the Ukraine decision destroyed hope of her receiving freedom in exile.

To sign a trade and cooperation deal with the EU, the bloc required Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych to release his political rival. The deal would have transformed the political map of Eastern Europe.

Tymoshenko supporters at the party headquarters in north Kiev feared this outcome for several weeks. “I’m not going to be at peace until I see her in a hospital in Germany,” said Tymoshenko’s daughter, Evgenia. “I know that anything can go in the opposite direction.”

Demonstrations for Tymoshenko’s release lasted longer than US “Occupy” protests. Years of dirt and car exhaust turned the activists’ tents brown. More than uniting with Europe, activists wanted to leave the camp for winter.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt tweeted, “Ukraine government suddenly bows deeply to the Kremlin. Politics of brutal pressure evidently works.”

Yanukovych allies claimed that Kiev risked sanctions beyond the trade Russia cut off in August. In just four months, the blockade devastated Ukraine’s economy by $5 billion. Also, Russian natural gas provider, Gazprom demanded repayment of Ukrainian debts—nearly $800 million.

Implementing EU laws would cost another $104 million.

Russian official Viktor Suslov promised that Moscow “will not impose any more sanctions or limit trade” as long as Ukraine holds off on partnering with Europe.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Boiko said, “The country cannot afford this. That is why this decision was made.”

In 2004, the Orange Revolution, led by Tymoshenko, brought her to power while it ousted Yanukovych. In 2009, Yanukovych narrowly defeated Tymoshenko in the presidential election that brought his pro-Russian allies back to power. Ukrainian authorities prosecuted Tymoshenko for several crimes, such as abuse of office. Chronic back pain has forced Tymoshenko into guarded hospital wards for the majority of her sentence.

Russia dominates a free-trade bloc that includes Kazakhstan and Belarus. Ukraine hopes Russia will allow the country back into that bloc by lifting current sanctions.

By 23 November 2013, Tymoshenko’s party plans to begin a major rally in Kiev’s Maidan Square, which has strong ties to the Orange Revolution.

While Russia hinted that Ukraine should postpone their deal with the EU, it appears that any deal for EU integration requires a long wait.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Ukraine Suspends Preparations for EU Trade Agreement – November 21, 2013

Bloomberg – Putin’s Low Blows Drive Ukraine away from Europe – November 21, 2013

Reuters – Ukraine Drops Plan to Go West, Turns East – November 21, 2013

TIME World – Putin Wins Again as Ukraine Snubs EU, Keeps Opposition Leader in Prison – November 21, 2013

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MUNICH, Germany – Cornelius Gurlitt, the German owner of over 1,400 artworks believed to have originally been stolen by the Nazis during World War II, has stated that he is the legal owner and will not voluntarily hand over the paintings.

 

Gurlitt stated that the paintings had been acquired legally in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine. The collection is estimated to be worth over 1 billion dollars. It was found in Gurlitt’s Munich apartment back in March 2012.

The collection includes paintings by Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Otto Dix and Max Liebermann. Experts opined that many of the paintings and sketches are in excellent condition.

The works were discovered in Gurlitt’s home in March 2012 during a routine tax inspection. Most are believed to have been seized by the Nazis from their owners during World War II, and were long thought to have been lost or destroyed.

Gurlitt inherited the collection from his father, Hildebrand. Hildebrand was an art dealer who sold works which had been confiscated or bought by the Nazis, and Gurlitt contends that this latest collection was rightfully acquired. Authorities are conducting investigations to establish who the possible original owners of the paintings may be.

Gurlitt, 80, had been silent regarding the collection since the authorities discovered it, until now.

“I’m giving nothing up voluntarily,” he stated in the interview when asked whether he would return any works to their original owners. Gurlitt contended that his father obtained the works legally. He also accused authorities and the public of misrepresenting him, stating that he had already provided the authorities with enough evidence to remove any suspicion from him.

German prosecutors have said they do not have “any strong suspicion of a crime that would justify an arrest.”

Jewish groups have complained at the length of time it took the German authorities to unveil the artworks. Their existence became public at the beginning of November. Jewish families and museums believe the paintings were taken from them by the Nazis and are calling for their return. The collection is being held at an undisclosed location for the time being.

For more information:

ABC News – Hoarder of Nazi-Looted Art Treasures Calls Paintings the Love of His Life – 17 November 2013

BBC News – Nazi-Looted Art: German Collector Says He Owns Pictures – 17 November 2013

Haaretz – Munich Art Collector Spent His Life Among His Paintings and No One Else – 17 November 2013

CNN – Who Were the Mystery Men Behind Germany’s “Nazi-Looted” Art Haul? – 11 November 2013