News

NATO Military Drills in Poland Prepare for Possible Conflict with Russia

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

WARSAW, Poland — On Friday, the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) wrapped up a 10-day training exercise simulating a Russian attack on Poland.  NATO sent over 30,000 troops, military vehicles, aircraft, and ships from over 20 countries to the military base in Wederzyn, Poland to take part in military drills and exercises.  This joint-military effort is the largest since the end of the Cold War, and is a part of Anakonda 2016 – a Polish national exercise which seeks to train national forces into an allied, multinational environment.

Polish Soldiers perform a mock-medical evacuation in an Anakonda 2016 training exercise (Photo Courtesy of NPR)

American units, as well as non-NATO forces such as Sweden and Finland, participated in the training drills in Poland.  Drills included collaborative helicopter attacks which included communications between Polish pilots and American air traffic controllers, hiking through dense forests, clearing houses room-by-room, and live fire drills.  The goal of these training exercises was to train Poland, along with other Eastern-European forces which used to be allied with the Soviet, to work together with the United States and Western European troops.

Many view the joint-military effort as one of prudent preparation.  Polish Defense Minister Antoni Maciarewicz states that they now feel prepared for “the worst” and for “any bad eventualities.”  Evelyn Farkas of the Atlantic Counsel characterized this joint-military effort as one which will send a message to Russia that NATO is prepared to respond if Russia attempts to “step…into one of our allied countries.”  NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said the alliance has maintained communication with Russia throughout Anakonda 2016, however “practical cooperation” has been suspended since the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Some leaders view the preparation and training as dangerous.  John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political scientist who specializes in European security issues, calls the training a dangerous “poke at the Russian bear,” and thinks it will be perceived by Russia as a threat which will give them more motivation to invade the Baltic States.   German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeir categorized the NATO training as “counterproductive to regional security,” and instead urged NATO to replace the training drills with more cooperation with Russia.

Russia has also spoken out against Anakonda 2016.  Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the “war games” of Anakonda 2016 “do not contribute to the atmosphere of trust and safety on the continent.”

For more information, please see:

NBC — Huge NATO Drills in Poland Prepare West for Possible Conflict with Russia — 19 June 2016

BBC — German Minister Warns NATO Against ‘Warmongering’ — 18 June 2016

NPR — NATO War Games in Poland Get Russia’s Attention — 17 June 2016

U.S. Army Europe — What is Anakonda?

In Paraguay, Only the Farmworkers Stand Trial

By Cintia Garcia
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay

The Paraguayan lower house speaker Hugo Velazquez has asked for an investigation into the death of eleven peasants during the Curuguaty massacre. Hugo Velazquez announced his commitment to opening an investigation after meeting with the slain peasant’s family members and Amnesty International.

Protestors Stand Outside the Courthouse. (Photo Courtesy of Telesur)

In an interview with EFE, Velazquez stated that “the only way to achieve true justice is by sentencing those responsible for the massacre on both sides.” Currently only farmworkers stand on trial for the death of six policemen that died during the Curuguaty massacre. The trial is in the final stages of closing arguments which were given this week. A verdict is to be rendered by the twenty-third of June. Paraguay’s attorney general requested a sentence of eight to forty years in prison for the peasants on trial. Of these peasants three are women who face eight years in prison for criminal association, invasion of private property, and complicity. The remaining peasants face charges of premeditated homicide, invasion of property, and criminal association.

Lawmakers, as well as, both local and international human rights organizations have made allegations of irregularities during the trial. For example, the police force was forbidden from attending the trial but during the closing arguments and under the direction of the attorney general 20 policemen dressed as civilians entered courtroom illegally and were escorted out of the room. The policemen attended the trial illegally to prevent family and friends of the peasants from attending. Lawmakers claim that actions that have been taken by the attorney general demonstrates a bias towards the policemen.

The Curuguaty massacre occurred on June 15, 2012 when seventy farmworkers occupied the state owned Morumbi property that spans 4938 acres. Businessman and Politician Blas N. Riquelme obtained ownership of the Morumbi property when dictator Alfredo Stroessner gave it to Mr. Riquelme. The peasants believe the transaction was illegal. Mr. Riquelme requested the eviction of the farmworkers and the police responded by sending three hundred armed policemen to evict the farmworkers. The clash quickly turned into a violent conflict. Immediately following the massacre President Fernando Lugo, a leftist progressive, was taken out of office and blamed for the incident. He was the first progressive to rule the country in over sixty years. It is believed the massacre was a pretext for a coup.

For more information, please see:

EFE—Lawmakers Want Probe Into death of 11 Peasants in Paraguay Massacre—13 June 2016

Fox News Latino—Lawmakers Want Probe Into Death of 11 Peasants in Paraguay Massacre—13 June 2016

Telesur—Paraguay: 12 Landless Capesinos Face up to 40 Years in Prison—16 June 2016

Telesur—Paraguay’s Curuguaty Massacre: A Pretext for a Coup—14 June 2016

Brazil’s Chief Prosecutor Targets key Political Figures

By Cintia Garcia
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil—As suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff presently stands in impeachment trial for failing to comply with fiscal rules, the chief prosecutor has called for new arrests. The chief prosecutor Rodrigo Janot has ordered the arrest of Brazil’s ex-president Jose Sarney, senate speaker Renan Calheiros, ex-lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha, and PMDB leader Romero Juca. All four are members of the PMDB party, the largest political party in Brazil.

At center interim president Michael Temer with Mr. Juca and Mr. Calheiros. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

The four politicians are accused of obstructing a two year investigations in the corruption scandal known as Operation Car Wash. The corruption scandal surrounds the state-owned oil company, Petrobras. The order to arrest the four political powerhouses stems from a taped telephone conversation. The alleged voices in the recordings are of Mr. Calheiros, Mr. Sarney, and Mr. Juca in which they discuss derailing the investigation. The conversation was leaked by a Brazilian newspaper. The tapes were produced by senator Sergio Machado who ran a Petrobras-owned logistic company. He made the recordings in return of a plea deal.

Prior to the leaked conversation, Mr. Cunha was removed by the Supreme Court as the lower house speaker for obstructing Justice. He is under investigation for receiving “kickbacks” from Petrobras contracts and for hiding 16 million in Switzerland. Mr. Cunha never declared the bank accounts.

The accused have denied the allegations. Mr. Calheiros stated that the request is “unreasonable, disproportionate and abusive.” If the allegations are true, this would be a severe blow to current interim president, vice president Michel Temer a member of the PMDB party. Since becoming president both members of his party and cabinet members have been removed from office. These events would further support ousted President Dilma Rousseff claim that her impeachment trial is masking a coup led by the opposition party PMDB.

In order for the arrest to proceed, the Supreme Court must approve the arrest. The Supreme Court’s approval is necessary because three of the four men are current members of the senate. The Supreme Court has refused to deny or affirm the truth of the allegations.

For more information, please see:

Aljazeera—Brazil Prosecutor Seeks Arrest of top Politicians—7 June 2016

BBC—Brazil Crisis: A Timeline—12 May 2016

BBC—Brazil Prosecutor Seeks Arrest of top Politicians, Media Report—7 June 2016

Reuters—Brazilian Prosecutors Targets Senior Ruling Party Leaders: Report—7 June 2016

Violent Riots Ensue in the Midst of the Euro 2016 Football Tournament

By Sarah Lafen
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

PARIS, France — This past week at the Euro 2016 championship football tournament in Marseille, France, English and Russian fans engaged in violent fights at a match between the two countries.  After the match ended in a tied 1-1 score, Russian fans jumped over the barriers separating the two nations’ fans and swarmed the section where the British fans sat.  Some Russians were equipped with fireworks and flares which were subsequently set off within the stadium.  Witnesses stated that some attackers wore mouth guards and fighting gloves during the brawls.

Russian fans smuggled fireworks and flares in to the match (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

According to Marseille’s emergency services, over 30 people were injured in the riots, including three police officers.  As a result of the riots, multiple head wounds were sustained, a significant amount of blood was shed, one man was knocked unconscious, and another suffered a heart attack.  Police used tear gas to break up the riots.

In anticipation of potential violent outbursts, France took extra security measures to prevent riots of this exact nature.  The Minister of Interior denied 3,000 people entry to the country, based on lists of people banned from stadiums in different countries, on suspicions they would bring disruption to the national order of France.  Bars in the Vieux-Port area of Marseille closed hours earlier than they normally do.

The Union of European Football Association (UEFA) has threatened to disqualify both England and Russia if these violent riots continue.  UEFA has already begun taking disciplinary actions against the Russian Football Union, charging them with crowd disturbances, racist behavior, and for the use of fireworks within a stadium.  A decision in regards to the sanctions will be made within a few days, once all evidence has been considered.

Both England and Russia have condemned the fighting.  Russia displayed its support for the launch of an investigation into their participation in the riots, and the United Kingdom Government has offered to send British police to the England’s next match against Wales in Lens, France.  Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), the governing body of the sport, has also condemned the violence.  FIFA released a statement calling the riots “wholly unacceptable.”

So far, 17 people have been arrested in connection with the riots.

For more information, please see:

BBC — Euro 2016: England and Russia Given Disqualification Warning — 12 June 2016

CNN — Euro 2016: Dozens Injured as Crowds of Rival Fans Brawl — 12 June 2016

CNN — Euro 2016: Russia, England Threatened with Disqualification Over Violence — 12 June 2016

The Guardian — Euro 2016: England and Russia Fans Clash Before and After Match — 12 June 2016

The Guardian — England and Russia Could be Thrown out of Euro 2016 if There is More Violence — 12 June 2016

NY Times — Russia and England Fans Clash Repeatedly at European Championships — 11 June 2016

 

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on Canada’s Highway of Tears Add to National Inquiry into Unsolved Cases

By Portia K. Skenandore-Wheelock
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

SMITHERS, British Columbia – Highway 16 is a remote stretch of road that cuts west across four provinces in Canada to the Pacific Ocean. A section of the road in British Columbia runs near remote logging towns and Indian reserves and has become known as the “Highway of Tears” due to the dozens of women and girls that have gone missing or been murdered near the highway. Most of these women and girls are indigenous and almost all of the cases continue to go unsolved.

The impoverished area and nonexistent public transportation has made hitchhiking a common means of transit. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) formed a special unit that has officially linked eighteen of these unsolved cases that occurred from 1969 to 2006 to the highway but families, activists, and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Carolyn Bennett, believe the number is much higher. Complaints of racism and sexism committed by the police as well as disparities in police action for non-Indigenous women that have gone missing are behind this claim. Minister Bennett said the police often fail to do investigations and deem the deaths of indigenous women and girls to be suicides, accidents, or drug overdoses. She said, “What’s clear is the uneven application of justice.”

A United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women report completed last year found the previous government’s efforts under Prime Minister Stephen Harper to protect indigenous women from harm to be “inadequate” and found “grave violations” of the women’s human rights with the lack of an inquiry into the disappearances and murders. The report said failures by law enforcement have “resulted in impunity.”

A billboard along Highway 16 warns of the murdered and missing in the area. (Photo courtesy of The New York Times)

Canada’s new government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised a “total renewal” of the country’s relationship with indigenous people and in December Trudeau announced a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls which completed the public participation stage of the inquiry design process this past spring. Nationally, the RCMP has officially counted a total of 1,181 missing and murdered indigenous women and girls but research done by the Native Women’s Association of Canada finds the number could be as high as 4,000 women and girls. The national inquiry is expected to cost $40 million ($31 million U.S.).

British Columbia has committed $3 million to improve public transit along the “Highway of Tears.” This includes extending transit services, sharing costs with First Nations reserves for community vans, and highway infrastructure safety improvements, including webcams and transit shelters.

Families and supporters continue their efforts to search for the missing. Ten years ago families walked a 700km stretch of Highway 16 from Prince Rupert to Prince George to raise awareness and improve safety along the highway and the walk is being done again over the next three weeks, ending on June 21, National Aboriginal Day. The first walk ended with a two-day Highway of Tears Symposium that focused on prevention, support, and emergency planning. Since then the Highway of Tears Initiative has been making efforts to implement recommendations from the symposium to build community supports and do workshops with first responders, but with limited funding. Brenda Wilson, the only official staff member of the initiative, said, “Some of the things with the government have changed. They’re starting to recognize the work that needs to be done in a lot of our communities between Prince George and Prince Rupert. This is Northern British Columbia. We need to be in the forefront. We can no longer be silenced. We need to be a part of British Columbia.”

For further information, please see:

New York Times – Dozens of Women Vanish on Canada’s Highway of Tears, and Most Cases Are Unsolved – 24 May 2016

CBC – Highway of Tears ‘cleansing walk’ begins in Prince Rupert – 3 June 2016

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Report of the Inquiry Concerning Canada – 30 March 2015

The Government of Canada – National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls – 8 March 2016