By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine — As part of an anti-corruption reform, thousands of senior Ukrainian political officials were required to declare expensive possessions and assets held in their own and their families’ names in a public online database, revealing much higher levels of wealth than expected.  The system for declaring these assets was developed based on the guidelines of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Officials claimed everything from Fabergé eggs, to a fleet of luxury cars, to a collection of expensive watches, to large pieces of land.  One official claimed to own his own personal church, and another claimed ownership over 1,780 bottles of wine.  The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Volodymyr Groysman, declared $1.2 million.  24 members of the Ukrainian cabinet have a combined $7 million in cash alone.  The average salary in Ukraine is just over $200 per month.

Current Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, is a billionaire himself however has promised to set forth a more transparent type of politics.  Poroshenko called the public declarations of wealth “a truly historic event of openness and transparency.” Anders Fogh Rasmussen, adviser to Poroshenko, believes that the declaration “is of paramount importance and all of Europe should take notice and applaud this important step.”  Kristina Berdynskyh, a journalist who specializes on corruption among the elite, said that it is amazing how much information has been released.

Critics of the declaration and Poroshenko’s goal say that the reform of the Ukrainian political system has stalled, and the government has made little effort to actually transform Ukrainian politics.  One Ukrainian reporter referred to the Ukrainian officials as “moral degenerates.”  Roman Donik, a volunteer soldier to the Ukrainian troops, expressed in a Facebook post that he “had no illusions about our political and official elite. But all the same, what’s come out is beyond the pale.”

Now that the declarations have been disclosed, the anti-corruption agency will begin to verify and investigate.  Many will look to see how the authorities will handle the results, however, as over 100,000 forms were submitted.  The Ukrainian UNDP director Janthomas Hiemstra assured that “[t]he international community, including the U.N., will be behind Ukraine in these next steps because the e-declaration is only the first step. What comes after is maybe even more difficult.”

 

For more information, please see:

The Guardian — Ukraine Stunned as Vast Cash Reserves of Public Elite are made Public — 31 October 2016

Reuters — Ukrainians Shocked as Politicians Declare Vast Wealth — 31 October 2016

RT — Politicians in Debt-Stricken Ukraine Reveal Lavish Fortunes, Spark Public Outcry — 31 October 2016

The Washington Post — Ukrainian Officials Disclose their Wealth in e-Declarations — 31 October 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

LONDON, England — A bill put forth in Parliament which would have currently and posthumously excused gay men convicted of same-sex offenses when homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom was prevented from progressing to a vote after a member filibustered the proposed bill.  The bill, named the ‘Turing Bill’ after Alan Turing, was proposed by John Nicolson MP.  The Turing Bill would have granted a blanket pardon for approximately 65,000 men – 15,000 of which are alive today.

 

 

Sam Gyimah, Justice Undersecretary of the Conservative party in the UK, spoke for 25 minutes, which took up the allotted time allowed for voting on the bill.  Gyimah argued that the bill did not protect against men who engaged in sexual relations with a minor, or those who engaged in non-consensual sex.

The government countered Nicolson’s bill by proposing an amendment to the Policing and Crimes Bill, which would posthumously pardon those men who were wrongfully convicted, and allow those who are still alive go through a “disregard process” in order to clear their names.  The government stated that it does not support the Turing Bill because they believe it might lead to people being cleared of offenses that are still considered crimes.

LGBTQ-rights organization Stonewall UK voiced their disappointment in the filibuster, however vowed to work with the government and Nicolson to build on the government’s proposed bill and “reach the best possible outcome for those wrongly accused and convicted men.” Iain Stewart, a conservative MP, stated that while he would support the government’s amendment, he believed it would not do enough for those affected.

One of the signatories to the bill was Turing’s great niece, Rachel Barnes.  Barnes told reporters that her family has “always considered that it is totally unjust that only Alan was given a pardon.  There were 50,000 other homosexuals who were convicted and not given a pardon. We would really like this to be put right now.”

Debate on the Turing Bill will start again in December, however many are skeptical as to how far the bill can progress without support from the government.

 

For more information, please see:

NBC — Comprehensive Gay Pardon Law Filibustered in UK — 22 October 2016

BBC — ‘Turing Bill’ for Gay Pardons Fails in Parliament — 21 October 2016

The Guardian — Conservative Minister Obstructs Progression of Gay Pardon Law — 21 October 2016

Newsy — Filibuster Kills the UK’s Gay Pardon Bill — 21 October 2016

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

PARIS, France — On Tuesday, a group of workers in orange jumpsuits and hardhats began demolishing the migrant camp in Calais, France known as “the jungle” by tearing down shelters used by the migrants with sledgehammers.  The workers also disposed of migrants’ possessions by throwing them into dumpsters.

Tuesday was the final day that residents were officially allowed to reside in the camp.  On Monday, over 3,100 migrants were bussed out of the camp and sent to other regions around France to begin the process for resettlement.

Some migrants appear determined to stay in the camp for as long as possible.  On Monday evening, a group of migrants threw stones at police officers, who responded by firing tear gas back at them.  Two migrants from Afghanistan told reporters that they refuse to leave the camp because doing so would mean giving up on their dreams to make it to Britain.

Other migrants are ready to leave the camp in hopes of finding better living conditions elsewhere.  One Sudanese migrant, Hassan Jibril, explained how “it is a very bad situation here” and that he and his companions are “ready to leave.”  Another Sudanese migrant, Abdullah Umar, explained that “[t]he Jungle is no good” and “[t]here are problems. Sometimes there’s fighting. And it’s cold.”

It is unclear how French authorities will enforce removal from the camp.  Prior to the destruction process, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said that migrants would not be forced to leave the town of Calais.  Brandet maintained that the evacuation process was to be “done on a voluntary basis and no coercive measures will be taken towards the migrants.”

Children are the only group allowed to remain in Calais throughout the demolition process.  They will be housed in converted shipping containers while the deconstruction process continues throughout the rest of the camp.  Save the Children, a non-governmental organization working with the children in the camp, fears “many children may disappear” or end up in the hands of traffickers if the camp is cleared completely before the children are secured safe places to stay.

The French government’s goal is to remove all migrants from the camp by the end of the week, and clear the camp site completely by the end of December.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC — Calais ‘Jungle’: Demolition Crews Pull Down Migrant Camp — 24 October 2016

CNN — Calais ‘Jungle’: Demolition of Massive Migrant Camp Begins — 24 October 2016

The Guardian — Calais Camp: Demolition Crews Move In — 24 October 2016

NY Times — ‘We Are Ready to Leave’: France Clears Out Calais ‘Jungle’ — 24 October 2016