News

Remnants of War and Prospects for Renewed Fighting Continue to Slow Recovery in Eastern Ukraine

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – While pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine may have initially been happy when they gained control of some land, they are now facing the struggles that come with disassociating from the parent nation. Economic times are tough in rebel-held territory, and those living in Eastern Ukraine are struggling.

Fighting in parts of Eastern Ukraine, particularly near this hotel around the Donetsk airport, has caused massive destruction that pro-Russian rebels are finding difficult to recover from. (Photo courtesy of National Journal)

After losing sections of Eastern Ukraine to pro-Russian rebels, Kiev installed some cuts to the banking system and also imposed some travel restrictions. In effect, these moves have caused those already in East Ukraine to become trapped without much aid or assistance from outside, increasing the poverty issue for those in pro-Russian land. The Ukrainian military is claimed to be denying aid to the East, and the pro-Russian rebel’s People’s Republic of Donetsk has handled the need for aid by denying there is a need for it. Either way, both sides are denying aid to those in need.

Some kids living in Eastern Ukraine are also being denied school by their parents due to concerns that it is not safe. Those who remain speak about the damaged homes and loved ones who were killed in the fighting, as well as the many who have already left to move either further West or into Russia. Despite the ceasefire, fighting has yet to completely halt in Eastern Ukraine, as artillery fire reportedly hit rebel-held Donetsk on Sunday. It appears that the shelling originated near the Donetsk airport, and Ukrainian soldiers further report that small arms, 82mm mortar shells, and rocket-propelled grenades were used against government troops near the airport overnight; three people have been injured in the attacks.

Ukrainian soldiers also report small arms fire and 120mm mortar shells were fired upon them in Luhansk and near Mariupol, and further that there were nine incidents where pro-Russian rebel drones were seen in the air. NATO’s joint intelligence unit in the United Kingdom, according to U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, has also confirmed that Russia continues to send military and economic support into Eastern Ukraine for the pro-Russian rebels.

Perhaps pressured by all of this, neighboring NATO countries, particularly in the Baltics, have been very concerned over the past year that they may be next in sight for Russia. In an effort to increase pressure on Moscow and ease concerns of military takeover in other Eastern European nations, the United States is currently engages in “Operation Dragoon Ride,” which involves a parade of Strykers and the US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment riding throughout Eastern Europe.

For more information, please see:

Sky News (AU) – Artillery rocks Ukraine rebel base Donetsk – 23 March 2015

USA Today – For pro-separatist Ukrainians, hardship replaces hope – 22 March 2015

Bloomberg View – NATO Says Russia’s Still Pouring Arms Into Ukraine – 22 March 2015

RT – US military convoy parades through Eastern Europe – 22 March 2015

New Reports Seem to Confirm Russian Rocket Responsible for Downing MH17 over Ukraine

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – A fragment found at the crash site of MH17 has been tested and appears to have come from a Russian BUK missile.

A piece of flight MH17 being removed from the crash site. (Photo courtesy of Reuters)

A Dutch journalist recovered a fragment from the July 17 crash that killed 298 people. The fragment was later tested by international forensic experts, which included defense analyst HIS Jane’s in London. Tests on the fragment show that it appears to have come from the Russian BUK missile, an anti-aircraft missile that fires from a truck to engage aircraft up to 13 miles off the ground.

Testing on fragments has revealed a low-grade steel alloy consistent with BUK missiles, and a fragment believed to have come from a warhead includes numbers that seem consistent with a serial number and a Russian alphabet letter. IHS Jane reports the warhead came from a BUK-9M317, which is the newer version of a BUK 1-2. German rocket scientists Marksu Schiller and Robert Schmucker also believe the IHS Jane report, claiming “only a Buk missile can take out the aircraft at such a height, in such a short time, and cause so much damage.”

Until this new report came out, reports merely claimed “high velocity projectiles” hit the plane but could confirm no more. Both sides continue to blame the other; Kiev and Western nations believe it was fired either by Russia or more likely pro-Russian rebels armed with a Russian missile, while Russia and pro-Russian rebels tend to claim Kiev is responsible.

Ukraine has been more stable as of late given a cease-fire that has created more peace in the country’s East than has been seen in months. There is one problem, however, as the cease-fire is contingent on both sides pulling away heavy weapons 15 to 45 miles from the front, yet reports show that both sides have failed to do so, and are actively moving heavy weapons near the front. On Wednesday, reports claim Kiev transported a tank and large-caliber gun in Avdiivka, near the front, and reports from Friday claim that two tanks and two 120mm guns were taken to the front in rebel territory near Donetsk. Lack of willingness by both sides to honor the cease-fire terms, along with reports officially linking Russia to the MH17 crash, create concerns that the cease-fire may again fall apart to renewed fighting that has already killed 6,000.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo – Confidence in Ukraine’s cease-fire hurt by arms violations – 21 March 2015

Business Insider – More proof that a Russian BUK missile shot down passenger plane MH17 – 19 March 2015

NL Times – Russian BUK Missile Took Out MH17: Dutch Forensic Researcher – 19 March 2015

Reuters – Fragment from MH17 crash site supports missile theory: Dutch TV – 19 March 2015

Mosque attacks in Yemen kill over 100; many more wounded

By Ashley Repp

New Desk Reporter, Middle East

SANAA, Yemen-

As hundreds of Shi’ites gathered at two mosques in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, for Friday prayer services, attackers blended into the scenery using medical casts to conceal explosives. The bombers within the mosques then detonated the bombs, killing scores of worshipers. As people fled the mosques, bombers stationed outside then detonated a second round of bombs amidst the fleeing crowd. The death toll has not been officially set, but the number of those dead is estimated to be at least 130, and there are over 300 hundred wounded. Hospitals were overwhelmed by the number of individuals rushed in for emergency care, and staff made a call for immediate donations of blood to accommodate the pressing need in the wake of the attacks.

Yemen attack
Photo courtesy of CNN

 

While officials have not determined who is responsible for the attacks on the mosques, some point to ISIS, a Sunni extremist organization that considers the Shi’ite Houthi rebels to be heretics. Supporting this assertion, a twitter account that prominently features ISIS propaganda asserted that the mosque attacks were the first wave of attacks in Yemen. Some officials are skeptical that this was the work of ISIS, as the organization only recently set up in Yemen in November of 2014, and argued that, more realistically, this was the work of al-Queda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). AQAP has denied these allegations though, and asserts that it was given orders to refrain from attacking mosques and markets.

If this attack was indeed orchestrated by ISIS, it represents the ever growing concern that ISIS is expanding its reach quickly and effectively, and has the capacity to incite world wide security concerns. Compounding the concern, the attack in Yemen on Friday follows just on the heels of a terror attack in a Tunisian museum on Wednesday, for which ISIS also claimed responsibility. If ISIS continues to develop a stronghold in Yemen, the already precarious civil situation between Sunnis and Shi’ite Houthi rebels, could be further deteriorate and evolve into a civil war.

 

For more information, please visit:

BBC- Yemen Crisis: Islamic State claims Sanaa mosque attacks– Mar. 20, 2015

Al Jazeera- Scores killed in suicide attacks on Yemen mosques– Mar. 21, 2015

CNN- Yemen: Bombs kill 137 at mosques; ISIS purportedly lays claim– Mar. 20, 2015

Tunisia in shock following terror attack

By Ashley Repp

News Desk Reporter- Africa

TUNIS, Tunisia

               Many Tunisians are in a state of shock as they attempt to process the terror attack at the Bardo Museum on Wednesday afternoon that left a reported 25 people dead. Scores of people have taken to the streets to protest the terror attack, in an effort to defend the fragile democracy, which saw its first democratically elected president in December. The protesters carried signs condemning terrorism, asserting that terrorism is not representative of Tunisia or of Islam.

tunisia-attack
Mourner brings flowers to the site of the attack- photo courtesy of NY Daily News

 

Two of the attackers were killed during the siege by police, but little is known about the individuals, or who is ultimately responsible for the operation. ISIS has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack; just prior to the attacks, an ISIS supporter tweeted “Coming good news to Tunisia’s Muslims.” ISIS has supporters in Algeria and an active presence in Libya. Tunisia, one of the region’s only democracies, lies geographically between Algeria and Libya, which makes it susceptible to ISIS activity and influence, as well as a target for operations aimed at disrupting democracy. Also problematic, thousands of Tunisians have already gone to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS. One of the two attackers killed had reportedly gone to Libya to receive training.

The attack will likely have a resounding impact on the tourism economy. Once a tourist destination, Tunisia had seen a substantial decline in tourism to the country, and only recently did the industry begin to grow again. Following Wednesday’s attack, some cruise companies have already decided to remove Tunisia from the list of countries their ships will stop at. The economic implications of the attack are likely to reveal themselves in the coming months if tourists decide to avoid Tunisia for safety concerns.

Photos taken from the scene reveal the gruesome nature of the attack. Blood from those slain by the attackers remained on the ground, congealing in the sun and heat. Those killed were predominantly tourists from cruise ships, and were visiting the Bardo Museum and Tunis for the day. Inside the museum, one staff member heard the gunfire and immediately ushered tourists in that wing into a room and shut the door, venturing out after the gunfire subsided.

Many expressed their shock and disbelief that such an attack could happen at the Bardo Museum, which is just steps away from Parliament. President Beji Caid Essebsi called on Tunisians to unite in the face of terror, asserting that “we won’t win if we don’t stand together.” Tunisians seem to be uniting under this call and protesting against extremism and terror.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News- Tunis museum attack: President urges unity to fight terror– Mar. 20, 2015

The Washington Post- Tunisia rampage raises new fears about reach of Islamic State groups– Mar. 19, 2015

The Guardian- Troops patrol streets of Tunis in aftermath of terror attacks– Mar. 19, 2015

Time- Tunis reels from a terror attack possibly linked to ISIS– Mar. 20, 2015

U.N. Rights Chief Warns Nations Not to Lose Focus on Guarding Human Rights

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

PARIS, France – U.N. Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein recently spoke out against not only terrorism, but also against nations who lowered themselves to the level of the terrorists by employing tactics that violate human rights. “The fight against terror is a struggle to uphold the values of democracy and human rights, not undermine them,” Hussein said. He believes nations fighting terrorism are also restricting and violating the rights of people in the name of ‘national security.’

Hussein criticized terrorism, but also criticized the way that some nations have handled fighting it. (Photo courtesy of Mail & Guardian)

Hussein worries that employing questionable tactics in the fight against terrorism may actually be assisting terrorists. For example, ISIS has already successfully used human rights violations by the US at Guantanamo Bay as a propaganda tool to recruit more members. “Counter-terrorist operations that are non-specific, disproportionate, brutal and inadequately supervised violate the very norms that we seek to defend,” Hussein claimed. Hussein also criticized the US for its use of torture in the name of ‘national security,’ including torture sites throughout Europe.

Hussein was also quick to criticize the terrorists employing brutal tactics to begin with. While world powers may be acting in ways that fuel terrorism, “experiences of humiliation, inequality and discrimination … may drive, though they do not excuse, the urge to destroy.” Many of these violations have occurred over the past year at the hands of ISIS or affiliates of, including at least two terrorist attacks on European targets (Charlie Hebdo in Paris and a Jewish Museum in Brussels).

Also targeted by Hussein was the silencing of opposition to the Kremlin, Boris Nemtsov. First, Nemtsov was killed in Moscow, sparking international demand for an international investigation to ensure Putin is not involved and to bring the right people to jusitce. Since then, detained suspects claimed to be responsible for the killing have been showing signs of torture after being detained, with one, Rustam Yusupov, reportedly missing since detention.

It is precisely the injustices around the world in some leading nations that Hussein believes is fueling terrorism and allowing extreme human rights violations to occur. By eliminating torture, racial insensitivity and inequality, and wrongful silencing of the opposition, Hussein believes leading nations can better preserve human rights while also properly combatting terrorism.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Suspects in Nemtsov killing probably tortured – Russian rights activist – 11 March 2015

The New York Times – U.N. Rights Chief Criticizes World Powers – 5 March 2015

Mail & Guardian – UN calls on countries to ‘root out’ injustices that fuel extremism – 5 March 2015

UN News Centre – Member States must enforce human rights amid rising tide of extremism – UN rights chief – 5 March 2015