News

Riot Precedes Soccer Match in Lille, France

October 26, 2014

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

PARIS, France – An incident outside of a bar in Lille, France this week turned ugly fairly quickly and resulted in riot police firing tear gas into the crowd. The dispute between police and fans of Lille and Everton, in anticipation of a Europa league match resulted in at least two fans being hospitalized.

French riot police run through the streets amid the riot in Lille. (Photo courtesy of Fox)

While the cause of the altercations is still unclear, reports seem to suggest that a misunderstanding is to blame. Claims are that an officer in plain clothing was attempting to arrest an Everton supporter for “misbehaving” at a bar in Lille. Other Everton fans inside the bar did not realize it was an officer and mistook the arrest to be a Lille fan harassing the Everton fan. The Everton fans confronted the officer, things quickly escalated, and soon riot police showed up, aggressively pushed the crowd that gathered, used tear gas bombs, pepper spray, and shot rubber bullets.

There are also reports that a crowd of “hooligans” provoked Everton fans, and that this was the cause of the riot. These claims further that the Lille fans were to blame, and that riot police who responded attacked the Everton fans who were injured and in need of help. One witness claims to have seen riot police “spray one Everton fan for no reason.” Another witness claims “[t]he hooligans picked up chairs we had stacked up outside and attacked them, while others used them to smash windows and try to get inside.’

The Everton club released a statement that they will be working “closely with the French and Merseyside police … to better understand the two isolated but serious incidents that occurred in Lille”. While events died down relatively quickly, everybody was urged to avoid the square where the riots occurred due to the lingering gas used by the riot police

For more information, please see:

Daily Mail – Everton to work with French police after trouble in square and ‘unprovoked’ attacks on fans before Europa League tie at Lille – 24 October 2014

Fox – Police use tear gas against Everton fans ahead of match in Lille – 23 October 2014

Sky Sports – Europa League: Trouble flares in Lille ahead of Everton’s Group H game – 23 October 2014

SB Nation – Scary scene in Lille as police clash with Everton fans – 23 October 2014

Allegations in the Baltics Over Violations by Russia Continue to Amass

October 22, 2014

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – For the second time in two days, NATO jets were scrambled to intercept Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The Russian aircraft did not violate the airspace of any foreign nations, and after identifying the aircraft, NATO jets let it go.

This picture, released by the Swedish military, shows what appears to be a suspicious object partially submerged, and some believe it to be a Russian submarine. (Photo courtesy of BBC)

While the Russian Ilyushin-20 surveillance aircraft did not violate the airspace of any nation this time, Russian jets have already done so numerous times. These two incidents mimic incidents that occurred on October 7 and September 11 where Russian jets again went through the Baltic Sea but did not violate any country’s airspace. Finland, however, says that Russian military aircraft have violated Finnish airspace five times already this year, and twice Russian military ships intercepted Finnish research vessels in international water.

Also in the center of the spotlight near the Baltic Sea is an incident in Swedish waters involving what some allege to be a Russian submarine. Reports were that some people had seen what appeared to be a submarine near Stockholm, and Sweden is taking this very seriously. Multiple reports and photographs seem to suggest that there may indeed be something in the Swedish waters that does not belong there.

On Good Friday last year, several Russian military planes conducted a simulated missile attack on Stockholm and southern Sweden. This drill caught Sweden so off-guard that their response jets never even left the ground. However, real or not, Sweden is taking this new incident very seriously and responding with haste.

In 1981, a Soviet submarine with nuclear weapons found itself stranded off Sweden’s southeast coast, an incident now known as the “whiskey on the rocks” incident. After 11 days, the sub was let go, free to return to the Soviet Union. Colonel Jan Mörtberg of the Swedish Defence College says this incident is different, however: “[I]n those days [Russia] didn’t have to restore its superpower-status. That status was clear.” A high-ranking Latvian official made similar claims: “Russia is trying to position itself a dominant centre of power on the global stage.”

Today, Sweden is still searching the waters for any possible submarines, and is not afraid to use weapons to make it surface if needed. Whether there is currently a submarine in Ingaro Bay remains unknown, but Sweden wants to be sure before calling off the search.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Sweden could use force against suspected foreign sub – 22 October 2014

Newsweek – NATO, Swedish Fighters Scrambled to intercept Russian Plane – 22 October 2014

ABC – Estonia: Russian Military Plane Violated Air Space – 22 October 2014

Yahoo – NATO intercepts Russian jets over Baltic Sea – 21 October 2014

Newsweek – The ‘Russian Submarine’ in Swedish Waters Isn’t the Only Unwelcome Visitor in the Baltic Sea – 21 October 2014

Mercury News – Sweden’s hunt for mystery submarine revives Cold War tensions – 20 October 2014

North Korean Leader Reappears after Long Public Absence

October 22, 2014

By Hojin Choi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PYONGYANG, North Korea – The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, appeared in public view having an “on-site guidance trip” according to a North Korea’s state-run media, the Korean Central News Agency. In photos, Mr. Kim was walking with a cane, which gives credence to the theory that he had been suffering from leg pains and had surgery recently.

Mr. Kim, known to be 30, had been absent from the public since September 3, and there had been much speculation about his status. First, he was thought to have health problems as a few foreign doctors had been witnessed entering North Korea. Moreover, Mr. Kim was seen limping in early July on North Korean television. A few months later, a state-run television mentioned his health status, noting that he “was not feeling well.” According to statements of the former personal doctor of Mr. Kim’s grandfather, he inherited a number of health problems from his ancestors, such as psychological problems and obesity.

The young dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, reappeared with a cane after long public absence. (Getty Images)

Another rumor indicated he lost power over the North Korean Communist Party and the military hierarchy. During 2014 Incheon Asian Game, which was recently held in South Korea, three core members of the North’s politics and military surprisingly visited the South together. They are ranked in the governmental hierarchy as numbers 2 to 4, and it was the first time after the Korean War that these high-ranking officials visited the South at the same time.

According to the news agency, Mr. Kim took a trip to the new residential complex and “inspected” it. He also visited the Natural Energy Institute of the State Academy of Sciences. Reportedly, Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so, the 2^nd ranking official in the North, accompanied Mr. Kim during the trip. Mr. Kim’s wife and sister were also walking closely with him.

The Washington Post analyzed Mr. Kim as comparatively “more open” than his grandfather and father, the preceding leaders of North Korea. John Delury, an expert on North Korea at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, said that “there is a pattern here of being more forthcoming, a little less cryptic.” There had been rumors whether Mr. Kim had successfully taken over the power from his father because he was too young and inexperienced, but “by appearing in public, Kim wanted to show the world he still rules the state,” said Koh Yoo-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.

Nothing has been clearly proven about the political stability of the new regime, but it remains the world’s most isolated and authoritative country under the young leader.

For more information please see:

The New York Times – North Korea’s Kim Jong-un Reappears in Public, North’s Media Reports – 13 October 2014

NBC News – North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Ends Long Public Absence – 14 October 2014

The Washington Post – As Kim Jong Un returns, North Korea becomes slightly more open – 14 October 2014

CNN – North Korea says leader has reappeared – 14 October 2014

Bloomberg – North Korea Shows Kim With Cane in 1st Sighting in Weeks – 13 October 2014

Christians have few options under ISIS- flee, convert, or die

October 19, 2014

By Ashley Repp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa Desk

AMMAN, Jordan- Iraqi Christians have been a key target of ISIS, and are the group to experience some of the most heartbreak since ISIS began advancing through Iraq. Mosul, the heart of the Iraqi Christian community for over a thousand years, was aggressively targeting by ISIS. Residents were given three option, convert to Islam, be killed, or flee. Some chose to flee, first north to Irbil, then ultimately to Jordan. Most had to leave their lifelong homes, all of their possessions, and flee for safety in order to remain Christian. The bishop, as well as priests in the area, were executed. ISIS places the letter “N” (in Arabic pronounced “noon” “ن” ), on the doorways of shops and homes, as a shorthand reference to the word “nasrani,” which means “Christian” in Arabic. The shops and homes were looted, damaged, and then made available for militants and their families to live in; a devastating experience for those forced to flee from life-long family homes.

Jordan, in partnership with a Catholic charity, Caritas, extended an invitation for these refugees to seek shelter in Jordan, in recognition of the severe persecution faced by Iraqi Christians at the hand of ISIS. Jordan has expressed concern that this latest round of persecution of Christians could mean that even more flee to the West, which is troubling as the Middles East once had a very large Christian population and majority in some countries. One refugee told Catholic and Muslim Jordanian leaders that “humanity is dead in Iraq,” that men are running around with swords claiming that territory is now under Islamic rule, and that it is almost unimaginable that this is all occurring in the 21^st century. Another refugee suggested that he firmly believes that soon, there will be no Christians left in Iraq, as just in the past months, tens of thousands have fled, including whole Christian cities.

St. Mary’s Church in Amman has become a refuge for many fleeing Christians, as well as some Muslims. The church has opened its doors to the refugees, providing over 100 people a place to sleep, but this is only a fraction of those Christians that have fled Iraq. Aid groups, including IsraAID, and Israeli organization, has provided aid to the Christian refugees, supplying mats for beds, and food for infrants, among other needs. Father Khalil Jaar, the priest at St. Mary’s Church said that the doors of the church will be open and he is willing to help anyone that comes to him in need during this time of crisis and upheaval.

Authorities warn that things are likely to get worse, and more complicated in the coming weeks and months, as more and more flee persecution, and the weather begins to become colder. It often snows in this region of Jordan during the upcoming months, and nearly all of the refugees have fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a handful of family keepsakes. Peace seems hardly a faint possibility as the situation becomes more dire in Iraq. One man, Basem Peter Rafael, an Iraqi Catholic who fled to Jordan during the Gulf War with his family, said that when his son was born 23 years ago during the war, they named him Salam, the Arabic word for peace, with the hope that peace would soon come to the region. Two decades later, peace seems even further away.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News- Iraqi Christian Refugees Lament Lives Destroyed by ISIS– Oct. 14, 2014

BBC News- Escaping ISIS- Iraq’s Christians find refuge at Jordan church– Oct. 5, 2014

Israel 21c- IsraAID Assists Christian and Yazidis refugees fleeing ISIS– Oct. 19, 2014

Aljazeera- Islamic State takes Iraqi Christian town– Aug. 7, 2014

BBC News- Refugee misery for Iraqi Christians who have fled IS– Oct. 19, 2014

Nigeria and Boko Haram Agree to Cease-fire Deal

October 19, 2014

ABUJA, Nigeria-

The Nigerian government and Boko Haram, may have reached an agreement that includes a ceasefire and the release of over 200 schoolgirls who were abducted last spring, as well as a cease fire arrangement. In the agreement, Boko Haram will cease its bombing campaign and Nigeria will not target Boko Haram militant camps. Boko Haram, an Islamic militant group who’s name translates to “western education is forbidden,” has caused the deaths of thousands in its quest to implement Islamic Sharia law in Nigeria, and has ostensibly captured northern towns, with the hope of establishing and Islamic Caliphate. The Nigerian president, Jonathan Goodluck, has been repeatedly criticized for his inability to quell the violence and subdue the militant group.

(Families of the kidnapped school girls demanding their release)

This agreement offers a possible turning point for the violence in Nigeria. Although past agreements and cease-fire plans have failed, a presidential aide, Hassan Tukur, said that this time, most are “cautiously optimistic” that the agreement will be upheld. This optimism is in part due to the fact that Boko Haram released Chinese and Cameroonian hostages. Tukur asserts that this demonstrates a willingness to abide by the terms of the agreement.

But again, optimism is cautious. Cross-border attacks carried out by Boko Haram have killed over a hundred people this week. The group also staged and incursion in Nigeria with heavy artillery and at least on tank. This violence does not seem to demonstrate a willingness to “play by the rules.” Furthermore, as part of the ceasefire and release of the school girls agreement, it appears that Boko Haram has demanded that at least some of its militants be released from Nigerian prisons as part of the deal, which is arguably a serious request to make of any government. This would mean the release of militants that are classified as terrorists, as Boko Haram has been labelled a terrorist group by several states, including the United States, Japan, Great Britain, and the European Union. The release of these prisoners could be dangerous at best, and strengthen the power of Boko Haram, making it easier for the group to begin establishing Sharia law enclaves within Nigeria, with the ultimate goal of nationally implemented Islamic law. Alternatively though, it could offer Nigeria a chance to engage Boko Haram in a way that reduces violence and establishes a relationship that recognizes inter-party agreements.

The girls are to be released in increments, but until the substantive portions of the agreement come to fruition, there is no certainty in either party upholding the deal.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News- Nigeria and Boko Haram agree ‘ceasefire’ and girls ‘release’– Oct. 17, 2014

Voice of America- Nigeria, Boko Haram reach cease-fire, agree to free school girls– Oct. 18, 2014

CNN- Nigeria, Boko Haram reach cease-fire deal, kidnapped girls to go free, official says– Oct. 17, 2014

The Telegraph- Nigeria’s missing girls ‘to be released by Boko Haram,’ government aide claims– Oct. 17, 2014