News

The Atrocities of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces

By Tyler Campbell

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – This Friday Human Rights Watch reported that the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) significantly violated international human rights and humanitarian law. This report was based on two counterinsurgency campaigns that took place in 2014 and 2015. The first campaign was called Operation Decisive Summer and took place in February to May of 2014. The second campaign was called Operation Decisive Summer II and took place from January till June 2015.

A picture of RSF Forces (Photo Curtsey of the Human Rights Watch)

The report form Human Right Watch contained quotes from 212 victims and RSF defectors who could no longer continue what they were being ordered to do. Here is the alarming quote that opened the report:

     [The government soldiers] confiscated our belongings. They took our livestock.  They beat the men. And then they raped us. They raped us in a group. Some women were raped by 8 or 10 men.  Seventeen women were raped together. All of us were raped. Even the underage girls were raped.

– “Men With No Mercy” Human Rights Watch

Even more worrying is that these men actually had orders to go about their occupations this way. Four of the defected soldiers said that their commanding officers had ordered them to carry out their operations this way.

The list of human rights violations is as long as it is startling. There have been instances of forced displacement of communities from their homes. There are also reports of the destruction of certain necessities needed to live, including wells, food supplies, and the plunder of wealth. Finally, Human Rights Watch has reported “systematic attacks on civilian populations,” which including torture, killings and mass rapes.

The RSF was first created in 2013 by Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir. It is part of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services and is usually sent to rebel controlled areas, such as Darfur. These horrors are sadly not a new occurrence in Darfur. The fight between Sudan’s government and multiple rebel groups has been an ongoing story for 12 years. Even though the International Criminal Court indicted president Al Bashir in 2009. Little seems likely to change without heavy influence from the outside world.

Documentation of these atrocities is certainly a necessary step. However, it is slowly becoming a record of terrible events while the rest of the world is content to let it continue. Sadly, groups set up by the U.N. like UNAMID, the African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, has been relatively ineffective at providing any aid or curtailing the RSF’s practices. The U.N. has continued to blame the Sudanese government for these less than optimal results. Claiming that the group’s access has been all but denied since they tried to gain access to Thabit in 2014.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Men With No Mercy – 9 September 2015

NewWeek –Sudanese Government Special Forces Accused of Rape and Murder Sprees: HRW – 9 September 2015

allAfrica – Sudan: Background – Who Are the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan? – 9 September 2015 

The Guardian – Sudan’s security forces killed, raped and burned civilians alive, says rights group – 9 September 2015

Chinese Journalist Arrested and Forced to Give Televised Confession

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

BEIJING, China —                 

Chinese journalist Wang Xiaolu was arrested in late August for his article about the recent China stock market crisis, which affected the global economy. Mr. Wang was forced to confess on China Central Television, China’s state television network, that he had gathered information for his article using private sources and abnormal means. Mr. Wang also confessed that he had added his own subjective views to the information that he had found and that his article was “sensational” and “irresponsible”. Mr. Wang stated that he hoped for leniency from judicial authorities.

Mr. Wang during his televised confession. (Photo courtesy of the Independent)

Mr. Wang, a reporter for business magazine Caijing, was arrested at his home and taken into police custody last Tuesday. His televised confession occurred before any formal court proceedings.

Mr. Wang’s article in Caijing about the stock market crisis indicated that China’s Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) planned to withdraw money from the already struggling stock market. The CSRC denied the story, but Chinese authorities believe that Mr. Wang’s article contributed to the stock market plunge in July 2015. According to Xinhua, China’s official press agency, Mr. Wangs’s article caused “abnormal fluctuations” in the stock market.

Mr. Wang has been accused of “ colluding with others and fabricating and spreading false information concerning securities and futures trading”, according to Xinhua. He has been placed under “criminal compulsory measures”, which could lead to jail, house arrest, residential surveillance, or other punishments.

It has been a surprise to many that the Chinese government has targeted Caijing. While the financial magazine has a reputation for pushing the boundaries of what the Chinese government deems admissible, Caijing has avoided covering topics prohibited by the government.

Mr. Wang’s arrest occurred in the midst of a government crackdown on the spread of rumors online. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security has charged nearly 200 people for “spreading rumors online”.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, major news sources in China have been instructed to delete articles about Beijing’s response to the stock market crisis.

Human rights groups and the Committee to Protect Journalists have called for the release of Mr. Wang. The Committee has stated that Chinese authorities’ sensitivity to changes in the financial markets is no reason to intimidate and jail a journalist.

Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society, believes that the punishment of Mr. Wang signifies a tightening of government control in China. In recent years, Chinese authorities have increased their use of televised confessions to use detainees’ cases as warnings to others. Authorities have employed the tactic with journalists, human rights activists, and lawyers.

 

For more information, please see:

New York Times – Caijing Journalist’s Shaming Signals China’s Growing Control Over News Media – 6 September 2015

Committee to Protect Journalists– Chinese State TV Airs Footage of Journalist Saying He Regrets Writing Stock Market Story – 31 August 2015

The Guardian – Chinese Reporter Makes On-Air ‘Confession’ After Market Chaos – 31 August 2015

The Independent – A Chinese Journalist Has Appeared on State Television ‘Confessing’ to Causing the Stock Market Chaos – 31 August 2015

New York Times – China Punishes Nearly 200 Over ‘Rumors’ About Stocks, Blasts and Parade – 31 August 2015

Al Jazeera – Chinese Journalist Jailed After Stock Market Crash Coverage – 27 August 2015

 

 

 

 

Druze Cleric Killed and Riots Erupt in Southern Syria

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

 DAMASCUS, Syria – Violence erupted on Saturday in a Southern Syrian province, in response to a double-car bombing that occurred Friday. The car-bombing killed 28 people, including Druze cleric Sheikh Wahid al-Balous.

Lebanon Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt, stands with other cleric leaders in Beirut on June 12, 2015. (Photo courtesy The World Post)

Druze cleric Sheikh Wahid al-Balous led the group Sheikhs of Dignity. The Sheikhs of Dignity called the re-election of President Bashar al-Assad a “void election”. Two weak and relatively unknown candidates ran against the President during the elections held in July 2014. In addition, rebel-held territories were not allowed to vote.

The group also protested the lack of adequate water and electricity. Sheikh Wahid al-Balous was a critic of President Bashar al-Assad and urged the youth of Sweida to refuse military service. A movement in the Druze community urges the youth to serve in the local National Defense forces, a pro-government military to defend Sweida.

The two explosions occurred in and around the city of Sweida. One bomb hit Sheikh Wahid al-Balous’s convoy. The second bomb struck the hospital where the victims of the first explosion were taken. As a result, 28 people were killed.

Nine more individuals were killed during the riots outside government building of Swedia. Six security personnel were killed by Druze gunman.

The statute of former President Hafez al-Assad was destroyed by protestors. Walid Jumblatt, Druze political leader in Lebanon, told Syrian Orient TV, “It is time for the honorable citizens [of Sweida] to rise up in the face of the Syrian regime that wants repression and to spread sedition”.

The Syrian Government blamed “terrorists” for the explosions. Syria’s state new media neglected to report the cleric’s death as well as the deaths of the security forces.

The Druze sect is an off shoot of Shi’ite Islam and is related to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The Druze faith is practiced by 1.5 million people, mostly residing in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Druze Gunman Kill Six Syrian Security Personnel After Bomb Blasts Kill Dozens – 5 September 2015

The New York Times – Unrests Mounts in Southern Syria After Druse Cleric Dies in Blast – 5 September 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Violence Erupts in Syrian City After Druse Cleric Killed – 5 September 2015

The World Post – Syrian Druze City Turns on Assad After Top Cleric Killed by Car Bomb – 5 September 2015

Zuwara, Libya’s Deadly Refugee Port

By Tyler Campbell

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

TRIPOLI, Libya – Two Hundred people are feared dead off the coast of Libya this week after a refugee boat sank while taking the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea toward Italy. This was the second refugee boat to sink this last week. Another boat, also full of refugees had gone down the day before.  This is one of the most heavily traveled refugee routes out of Africa toward Europe and it has seen an increase in the number of refugees that never make it when compared to last year. According to the International Organization for Migration approximately 2,373 people have died trying to reach Europe this year. This is compared to the 3,281 people that died all of last year trying to make the same trip.

Location of Zuwara in relation to Sicily (Photo Curtsey BBC)

The first boat that capsized was a smaller fishing vessel believed to be carrying 100 people. The second larger boat was said to be carrying nearly 400 passengers when it sank the next day. Some sources reported that people were trapped in the cargo hold of the larger vessel when it went down on Thursday.

As of August 29th, 105 people had been declared dead with hundreds of others still missing. Rescue efforts have been working since the boats went down and have successfully recovered 200 people.  Heading the rescue efforts is Libya’s Red Crescent Society, a disaster relief group in Zuwara. The LRCS is an organization that relies primarily on volunteers for its mission. Many of these volunteers are not trained or prepared to handle human remains. However, with little to no involvement from the Liberian government they have had to head the continuing rescue mission of saving these refugees.

The city of Zuwara is a popular port for refugee boats to begin the trip toward Italy. It is one of Libya’s most northern cities and lies just over 300 miles away from the tip of Italy. Separating these two is the unpredictable Mediterranean Sea. The unseaworthy and overcrowded boats along with this dangerous section of the Sea make it an extremely perilous journey for refugees.

Even though it is a dangerous trip the number of people willing to take it has continued to climb. In the first nine months of this year 300,000 people had attempted to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. The total number of people who attempted to cross in 2014 was only 219,000.

The reason for the increasing number of refugees is long and growing. The main drivers are the escape from war, persecution and poverty. The three nations with ties to the greatest number of refugees fleeing to this section of the Mediterranean are Syria, Nigeria, and Eritrea.

 

For More Information, Please See:

Al Jazeera – About 200 feared dead in Libya refugee boat disaster – 29 August 2015

CNN – Dozens of Migrants die as boat capsize off Libya – 29 August 2015

BBC News – Migrant crisis: Libya boats sink off Zuwara carrying hundreds – 28 August 2015

CNN – Tide of Death: Migrants’ bodies wash ashore in Libya – 27 August 2015

Protestors Occupy Lebanon’s Ministry Demanding the Environment Minister Resign

By Brittani Howell 

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon – On Tuesday, activists for the “You Stink” Movement lined the halls of Lebanon’s environment minister’s office. The protestors engaged in a 9-hour sit-in to protest the garbage piling up in the streets and the incompetence of the government.

Supporters of activists inside the Ministry clash with Lebanon’s police force. (Photo Courtesy of The New York Times)

Garbage has been collecting in the streets since July. Residents of a town just south of Beirut blocked garbage trucks from continuing to dispose of waste in the already overfull landfill because of environmental concerns. Since the incident, the government has not reached a solution for the proper disposal of the trash.

The “You Stink” movement gave the Lebanon government three days to reach a solution for the garbage issue on Saturday. If the demands of the protestors were not met, the activists stated they would escalate.

Activists were able to sneak into the Ministry building in small groups until security personnel locked the main doors. As many as 40 activists participated the sit-in and refused to leave until Environment Minister Mohammed Machnouk resigned. While in the halls the protestors chanted “Out, out, out!”

When asked what the protestors intended to do if police were to enter the building, one activist responded, “They don’t understand that we are doing civil disobedience. We will not leave. And of course we will not confront them.”

During the protest the air conditioning was turned off and the bathroom doors were locked, while the army and riot police gathered outside. Nine hours from the beginning of the sit-in, the activists were forced out of the building when they refused to leave. Activists claim to have been struck by batons on their way out and two reported injuries, including a broken shoulder. Interior Minister Mouhad Machnouk, a relative of the Environmental Minister Mohammed Machnouk, stated that force had not been used on the protestors.

Protestor Wadih Asmar stated, “In other countries people have asked to take down their state. We are asking for a state and they are beating us.”

The “You Stink” movement has united people of different religious background, which is rare in a country constantly divided along religious and political lines. “The fact that we have this spontaneous nonsectarian movement is really the most important thing here,” stated a former interior minister and lawyer, Ziad Baroud.

Lebanon has been without a president for over a year. The country continues to have daily power cuts and water shortages is further strained by the influx of over one million Syrian refugees.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Lebanon Rubbish Crisis: Police Eject Ministry Occupiers – 1 September 2015

Reuters – Beirut Protestors Occupy Ministry, Demand Minister Resigns – 1 September 2015

The New York Times – Police Clear ‘You Stink’ Protestors from Minister’s Office in Beirut – 1 September 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Lebanese Activists Occupy Environment Minister’s Office – 1 September 2015