News

Campaigns Shut Down After Violence in Zambia

By: Samantha Netzband

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

LUSAKA, Zambia—A campaign ban has been put into effect in the Zambian cities of Lusaka and Nawala by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).  The ban comes after a political rally for the United Party for National Development (UPND) turned violent on July 8th.  A police order was issued against the rally being held, but it proceeded as planned anyways.  Police opened fire on UPND protesters when the situation became violent. One person has died as a result of the protest and a number of others are injured.  The suspension of campaigning includes “public rallies, meetings, procession, or door to door campaigns.”

 

Zambia electoral body suspends campaigns

Campaign rally in Zambia. (Photo Courtesy of Today)

 

The United Party for National Development along with the Patriotic Front are cited as being the center of the violence by creating tension as the August elections draw nearer.  Hakainde Hichilema, the leader of the UPND, says that the cancellation of campaign events is meant to save face for the current President of Zambia Edgar Lungu, a member of the Patriotic Front.  Hichilema believes that Lungu was experiencing low turnout at his campaign events.

Human rights activists are calling on members of law enforcement to take the campaign break as a time to reflect on the alleged poor treatment of the United Party for National Development.  Activists claim that the UPND has had trouble getting permits for rallies.  Police have already promised to make an inquiry into the death of the one protester.

Forum for Democracy & Development (FDD) party member Antonio Mwanza, who is running for MP, says that the parties inciting the violence should be punished: “What ECZ should do is punish the violent candidates and parties as opposed to inconveniencing some of us who have been peaceful; us who have nothing to do with the madness of violence.”

Despite the ban on in-person campaigning, campaign activities via electronic and print media will still be allowed.  However, these communications will be monitored for hate speech.  Normal campaign activities will start back up on July 18th after a review of the the political situation. In the interim, all campaign vehicles will remain parked.parked and campaign activities will not happen in hopes of stopping the political violence.

For more information, please see: 

All Africa – ECZ Impose 10 Day Ban On Campaigns in Lusaka and Namwala – 10 July 2016

Daily Mail – Zambia Elections Body Halts Campaigning in Capital Over Violence – 10 July 2016

Sun Daily – Zambia Suspends Election Campaigning Over Violence – 10 July 2016

Today – Zambia Electoral Body Suspends Campaigns – 10 July 2016

Zambia Daily – FDD Decries Campaign Ban – 10 July 2016

Berlin Anti-Gentrification Riot Leaves 123 Police Officers Injured

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany — In what authorities are calling the most violent protest in Berlin in over five years, 3,500 leftist protestors marched Saturday through Friedrichshain to oppose the gentrification of a district in the eastern part of the city.  Over the past decade, investment money has flowed into the German capital, making its way to previously run-down neighborhoods of Berlin.  This surge has increased rents in neighborhoods formerly home to artists and squatters.

Leftist protestors light flares on top of R94 in opposition to gentrification efforts (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

The protest began peacefully, and police used a helicopter to monitor the crowd.  The scene quickly turned violent as missiles, cobblestones, firecrackers, flares, and glass bottles were eventually thrown at the police officers.  123 of the 1,800 officers on scene were injured, and 86 protestors were arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, causing injury, and illegal use of explosives.  Police used tear gas, pepper spray, and billy clubs to break up the riot.  Residents who live in housing collectives in the neighborhood banged spoons on pots and pans in support of the leftist squatters.

Since June, there have been movements to evict squatters on the land in furtherance of efforts to gentrify neighborhoods that have been home to the squatters for decades.  The eviction of a house called “Rige Street 94” (R94) occupied by squatters in Friedrichshain on June 22 sparked the onset of aggressive demonstrations, the smashing of shop windows, and the burning of dozens of cars in opposition to the gentrification movement.

These leftist activists protest the invasion of what they call “yuppies” and “big shots” into the area of Berlin which they currently occupy.  Various leftist websites have supported the anti-gentrification movement, encouraging their followers to cause as much disruption as possible to voice their opposition to the gentrification.

Frank Henkel, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, categorized the riots as “arbitrary terror” and stated that his political party will not allow “lawless areas” to exist in any part of Berlin, including R94.

For more information, please see:

BBC — Berlin Riot : 123 Police Injured in Anti-Gentrification Protest — 10 July 2016

NY Times — Berlin Protests in Support of Squatters Turn Violent — 10 July 2016

Wall Street Journal — Berlin Leftist Rioting Leaves 120 Police Officers Injured — 10 July 2016

Breitbart — Berlin Rocked by Nightly Riots from Left-Wing Extremists — 5 July 2016

Police and Protesters Clash in Zimbabwe as Protests Turn Violent

HARARE, Zimbabwe— Police and protesters clashed in Harare and other towns in Zimbabwe on July 4th.  Minibus and taxi drivers were protesting excessive road blocks where police often collect bribes.  Drivers said that the payment of these bribes is costing them nearly $50 a day.  This is in a country where most of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

 

zimbabwe

Protests turn violent as police clash with protesters. (Photo Courtesy of VOA)

The protests started out peacefully, but negotiations soon broke down between police and protesters.  Protesters began to set up barriers to mock the road blocks that they deal with from the police.  Local businessmen tried to negotiate between the police and protesters, though violence broke out despite their efforts. Police launched tear gas and water cannons to clear the crowds. A warning against public violence was also published by the government and said that “all those who are inciting and engaging in violence that such misconduct will be severely dealt with.”  Media reports show that 30 protesters have been arrested.

Zimbabwe has been facing economic difficulties since gaining independence from Britain in 1980.  The country’s leader President Robert Mugabe has faced criticism over his inability to stimulate the economy since he came to power.  Most recently, banks have run out of notes and government employees have not received their paychecks.  These unpaid government workers are were expected to strike by Tuesday if not paid.

For more information see:

Africa News – Zimbabwe police cracks down on protesting drivers – 4 July 2016

Al Jazeera – Taxi drivers’ protest turns violent in Zimbabwe – 4 July 2016

BBC – Zimbabwe police clash with rioting minibus drivers – 4 July 2016

VOA – Riots Rock Zimbabwe – 4 July 2016

Italian Police Weaken Large Migrant-Smuggling Network

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

ROME, Italy —  The Italian Police have issued detention orders for 38 people suspected of smuggling migrants into Italy.  On Monday morning, 23 of the 38 people were taken into custody. Those arrested were were a mix of Eritreans, Ethiopians, and Italians.  The remaining suspects who have not yet been caught are all South African nationals.  These arrests occurred in ten different cities across Italy including Rome, Palermo, and Milan.

Police officers in Palermo escort a woman amidst a crackdown on a network smuggling migrants into Italy (Photo Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal)

Investigations last May led to the discovery of the large migrant-smuggling network between Italy and Africa.  According to the investigation, migrants paid smugglers through a system called ‘hawala’ which is a cash transfer system based entirely on trust, and leaves no paper trail.

Investigators were able to gain more insight into the network through the testimony of Nuredin Wehabrebi Atta, an Eritrean man who was arrested in 2014 for his connection to the smuggling network.  Atta’s testimony led to the police raid of a perfume store in central Rome.  Migrants would bring cash to the store and give the cash to two intermediaries who were then caught on film transferring the money to smugglers in several African nations via the hawala system.  At the perfume store, Italian police seized nearly €526,000 ($600,000) and $25,000 in cash, as well as an address book with the names and phone numbers of members involved in the migrant-smuggling network.  According to Atta, migrants who were unable to pay in cash for their voyages were involved in the removal and selling of their organs.

Smugglers utilize different schemes to illegally transport the migrants into Italy.  Palermo Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi singled out the two main hubs of the network – Sicily and Rome.  The smugglers often organize fake events in Italy, such as weddings or family reunions, to allow the migrants to stay in the country legally.  Lo Voi also revealed another network scheme which involved legal migrants within Italy falsely stating that they had relatives who wanted to reach them in Italy.  This scheme operates under the Italian law which gives immediate family members who live outside of Italy permission to enter the country.  Smugglers will also scoop up migrants who were brought to Sicily after being rescued from a ship, so they can bring them to alleged family members in northern European countries.

For more information, please see:

ABC – Italy Detains 38 in Crackdown on Migrant Trafficking Ring — 4 July 2016

Daily Mail — Italian Police Smash Suspected People-Smuggling Ring, Arrest Dozens — 4 July 2016

Express — Italian Police Arrest 33 People Suspected of Smuggling Thousands of Migrants into Europe — 4 July 2016

The Telegraph — Migrants who Cannot Pay are being Sold for Organs, Smuggler Tells Italian Authorities — 4 July 2016

The Wall Street Journal — Italian Police Arrest 23 in Fresh Crackdown on Migrant Smuggling — 4 July 2016

Brexit’s Impact on Immigration into Britain

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

LONDON, England — Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU) is likely to signal a massive influx of immigration into the country from other European Nations as well as from countries around the world.  Negotiations regarding Brexit are expected to take at least two years.

Leave campaign supporters cheer on the Brexit decision on Friday (Photo Courtesy of NBC News)

Until those negotiations are final and Britain formally withdraws from the EU, Britain is obligated to continue to grant access to any EU citizen who wishes to enter the country.  An estimated 500,000 Eastern Europeans are predicted to migrate into Britain within the next two years, before Britain’s borders close.  Chris Grayling, a senior minister on the Leave side of the government, predicts Britain will take some action to restrict a huge influx of migrants prior to Britain’s official withdrawal if necessary, however states that doing so would break EU rules of free movement between the countries.

Trade between Britain and EU countries will play a major role in the maintenance, decrease, or increase of immigration into Britain post-Brexit.  If Britain chooses to maintain free trade with the EU, they can remain in the European Economic Area (EEA).  By remaining in the EEA, Britain would have to keep free movement of labor, which would have little effect on the country’s economic and immigration levels.  If Britain chooses to leave the EEA, other EU nations might feel “scorned” by Britain’s departure, and could demand the imposition of certain immigration policies in return for free trade with Britain.  Britain may choose not to remain in the EEA, however, since one of the platforms of the Leave campaign includes the goal of regaining control over immigration into the country.  The Leave campaign maintains their stance on immigration control despite research which has shown that immigration into Britain has helped bolster the country’s economy.

Some predict that Britain will pursue a more selective immigration process once their exit from the EU is complete.  Such a system might mirror that which is currently used in Canada and Australia – a point-based system which invites skilled migration into the country.  This system puts a cap on how many people are admitted into the country per profession.  Britain currently uses a point system to grant visas to non-EU immigrants, however it is unclear whether or not that system will change in light of Brexit.

EU citizens who are currently residing in Britain will be allowed to remain in Britain indefinitely.

For more information, please see:

NY Times — A Lesson From ‘Brexit’: On Immigration, Feelings Trump Facts — 26 June 2016

Mirror — Brexit to Cause Immigration Surge as 500,000 Eastern Europeans ‘Will Rush in Before Borders Close’ — 25 June 2016

Financial Times — What Will Brexit Mean for Immigration? — 24 June 2016

The Daily Signal — How Immigration Fueled the Brexit Result — 23 June 2016

CNN — Brexit: What Will Immigration Look Like if Britain Leaves the EU? — 20 June 2016