News

Election Held in Government Controlled Regions of Syria Amidst Nation’s Civil War

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrian Officials have reportedly begun counting votes cast in the country’s presidential elections. According to Syrian State media, polling stationed closed at Midnight on Tuesday. Thousands of Syrians turned out to vote at outside polling centers in government-controlled areas around the country on Tuesday. While many see the election as a re-coronation of the Assad regime, the government argues that the elections must be held to comply the nation’s constitution. While there were two other candidates on the ballot, marking the first time Syrians had the chance to vote for a Presidential candidate who was not a member of the Assad family in more than four decades. However, Assad is expected to win in a landslide.

Women walk past election posters of Syria’s President Bashar Assad on a Damascus street on Monday, one day before the election was held in Assad’s government controlled regions. Assad, who became president after his father’s death in 2000, is expected to be given another seven year term. (photo courtesy of National Public Radio)

“It’s a coronation of Assad, it’s a celebration of his ability to survive the violent storm and basically go on the offensive,” said Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. This “coronation” is taking place amid a violent civil war that has raged on for more than 3 years, killing at least 150,000 people and displacing about 6.5 million.

Bashar al-Assad won the past two presidential elections in Syria, each electing him to a Seven year term as the nation’s head of state. During his first election he carried more than 99% of the vote, despite facing opponents on paper he is expected to receive similar numbers in this year’s election, despite the fact that Syrian voters have experienced three years of civil war that has turn their nation apart.

The vote may reflect the regimes confidence, or at least the confidence it wants the world to perceive, in the amount of control it has won over the past year by crushing rebel held areas. The election “reflects trends of the last year of the regime being more successful,” says Chris Phillips, lecturer at the University of London and former Syria editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “At the very beginning of this, Assad quite cleverly changed the rules of the game by making out that just surviving this war is winning it.”

Syrian officials have claimed a large turnout for the elections. Assad is expected to claim another overwhelming victory despite facing two challengers. Syrian state media showed video of long lines of people waiting to cast their ballots outside of government controlled polling stations in regions of the state controlled by regime forces. While state media showed images of Syrians voting in relatively quite government held areas fighting was reported in Aleppo as well as Damascus Suburbs.

The election is largely seen as a farce by the international community and opponents of the Assad regime who see the election as an attempt by a brutal dictator and war criminal responsible for mass atrocities to legitimize his leadership. In some rebel held areas opposition groups held a mock election. Amateur video shows rebels voting for the removal of Assad, using their shoes as ballots.

In the rebel-held central town of Rastan, which has been under attack by government forces for more than two years, an anti-regime activist who goes by the name of Murhaf al-Zoubi said all the locals in the area “want Assad to go.” He said, “there are no elections here, this is a free, liberated area.”

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Syrian Election Vote Counting Begins – 4 June 2014

Euro News – Syria claims large turnout in presidential election set to bolster Assad regime – 4 June 2014

Syria Deeply – Election Shows Off Assad’s Confidence, Cements His Position in Power – 3 June 2014

National Public Radio – What Syria’s President Seeks From A Not-So-Democratic Election – 2 June 2014

Children Chained in Hostel by Father in South Africa

By: Danielle L. Cowan (Gwozdz)
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Operator, Africa

PRETORIA, South Africa – A South African man has been accused of keeping his children chained in a hostel room for eight years has been held in police custody.

Article 2 Picture
Children chained by father (photo courtesy of Daily Sun)

 

The South African man is 50-years-old. He appeared in court in Alexandra, a township north of Johannesburg and has been charged with child neglect. He was arrested on Friday. The man’s 46-year-old wife also was involved.

The children he chained are of the ages of 14, 18, and 24. Each child shows signs of abuse and injuries on their ankles and wrists.

The police found the children after the 24-year-old escaped, allegedly also mentally ill, police state. He escaped when his parents left the hostel.

The children were freed on Friday after the eldest child escaped. The children were brought to a hospital. The father claims he had to chain up the eldest son because of the mental illness.

The father stated that the eldest child “becomes very violent so I had to keep him chained in the house.”

Neighbors described the living conditions of the home as “appalling.”

A resident of the hostel of nine years stated she was “shocked” when the story was released. “I live right next door to them but I never saw or heard the kids. I see Emmanuel leaving for work. He makes sure his room is always locked.

The father further reported that the reason he locked up the other children is because the world was dangerous and he did not want them killed.

After the children were released from the hospital, they were taken to a place of safety.

When other residents heard of the locked-up children, cops had to stop them from attacking the 50-year-old father.

The police stated that the “room was full of dirty stuff lying everywhere. There was no room to walk in the passage and the children were kept in the back in a dark corner.”

For more information, please visit:
BBC News – South Africa man ‘chained children for years’ – 3 June 2014
Sowetan Live – Alex man held for locking his children up for 8 years – 2 June 2014
News 24 – Parents lock up children for 8 years – 2 June 2014
National Headlines – SA man ‘chained children for years’ – 3 June 2014
Daily Sun – KIDS LOCKED UP FOR 8 YEARS! – 2 June 2014

Marshall Islands Sues U.S and Other Nuclear- Armed Countries in U.N’s Highest Court

by Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania 

Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands 

The tiny island nation of the Republic of Marshall Islands has sued a number of nations in the United Nations highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. The nations involved in the suit include the Unites States, China, North Korea, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United Kingdom. The Marshall Islands accuses these nations of not fulfilling their obligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.

Mushroom Cloud of Bikini Atoll Explosion
(Photo Curtesy of The Guardian)

The lawsuit is particularly pointed at the United States, which used the different atolls of the Marshall Islands as a testing ground for their nuclear programs between 1946 and 1958. During that 12 year span the U.S detonated 67 nuclear weapons of varying potency.

The inhabitants of Bikini Atoll were evacuated in 1946 to make way for the testing. Then in 1954 the atoll was vaporized by a 15- Megaton hydrogen bomb. The inhabitants of the atoll were allowed to return to in the early 1970s but were again removed in 1978 after ingesting high levels of radiation from eating local foods grown on the atoll.

The people of Rongelap Atoll were exposed to severe nuclear fallout from U.S nuclear testing in 1954. It is estimated that the people of Rongelap were exposed to three times the external dose of the people most heavily exposed to the Chernobyl accident. The U.S government did not evacuate the people of Rongelap until two days after the explosion. The people of the Marshall Islands that have been exposed to the radiation of the testing sites have suffered many adverse effects such as tissue destructive effects and latent radiation diseases. In 2005 the National Cancer Institute reported that the risk of contracting cancer to those exposed to fallout is one in three.

Under an Agreement between the U.S and the Marshall Islands a Nuclear Claims Tribunal was formed to award damages to the victims of the nuclear tests. However, the tribunal has never had the funds to fully compensate the damage done. The Tribunal has awarded about $2.15 billion in damages but only about $150 million was paid because the U.S compensation fund was exhausted. The U.S claims that it is continuing to work with the Marshall Islands to provide health care and environmental monitoring.

The nuclear-armed countries named in the lawsuit will most likely argue that they have been making progress in certain areas or that they support the start of negations toward disarmament. The lawsuits state that Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) requires states to negotiate in “good faith” on nuclear disarmament. It will be up to the ICJ to decide if the nuclear- armed countries, including the U.S have sufficiently complied with International law.

For more information, please see:

News.com.au — Marshall Islands Sues U.S, Others Over Nuclear Arms — 25 April 2014

Aljazeera America — The Pacific Island Nation, Site of Many Nuclear Tests, is Taking its Case to the ICJ and U.S Courts — 24 April 2014 

The World Post — The Legacy of U.S Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands — 23 May 2010

Newsweek — Tiny Pacific Islands and Nuclear Testing Site Sues Nations for Failing on Nuclear Disarmament — 24 April 2014

The Guardian — Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test: 60 Years Later and Islands Still Unlivable — 2 March 2014

 

 

 

 

 

The Cost of World Cup Preparations in Brazil Leads to Labor Strikes

by Mridula Tirumalasetti

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil– With the World Cup just a few weeks away, bus drivers, teachers, police officers, and other public employees continue to protest in the streets of Brazil. Pre-tournament protests have been going on since mid-April in order to protest the amount of money the federal government has spent on preparations for the World Cup.

A member of the Homeless Workers’ Movement is pictured carrying the Brazilian flag during a protest in Sao Paulo (photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times)

Although labor protests are fairly common in Brazil, the World Cup has presented a host of problems. The government promised the World Cup would improve the lives of Brazilians, but corruption and excessive spending have triggered waves of unrest. President Dilma Rouseff’s popularity has since decreased due to these broken promises, which could threaten Rouseff’s chance for re-election in October.

“The government has paid all its attention to building soccer stadiums up to First world FIFA standards, while our schools continue at the lowest standards,” said President of the Sao Paulo municipal teachers union, Claudio Fonesca. Fonesca added, “We have nothing against the World Cup…If the government had money left over to pay for everything, there would be no problem.”

Bus drivers in cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have also gone on strike. Sao Paulo will host the opening match of the World Cup on June 12, but 15 of the 28 bus terminals in Sao Paulo have closed. Not only are soccer fans expected to rely on buses for public transportation, but Brazilians rely heavily on buses as a method of transportation, especially in cities like Sao Paulo where there is limited metro service. The bus drivers, who have been rebelling against their union, want more than the 10%  salary raise they were offered. Vehicles have been abandoned, passengers have been stranded, and over 300 buses have been vandalized as a result.

Also, new projects for public transportation, which were promised by the government for the World Cup, have either not started or remain unfinished. This has led to anger over the cost of the stadiums, because they have become symbols of waste.

Even police officers in Recife stopped working and left the town unprotected for a period of three days. In those three days, there were reports of looting, homicides, and other acts of violence. At least 17 people died as a result. The federal government sent in military officials in order to provide emergency security. Other police groups have since promised a day of national “paralysis”. Bosco Gandra, President of the Brazilian Confederation of Civil Police Workers, said “We want to send the message that the government has had no strategy to improve its security forces, which has left Brazil vulnerable to violence and corruption.”

For more information, please see the following:

Los Angeles Times– In Brazil, labor protests ramp up as World Cup nears—17 May 2014

Reuters—Bus strike paralyzes Brazil’s biggest city as World Cup looms—21 May 2014

Buenos Aires Herald—Waves of pre-Cup strikes sparks chaos in Brazil—22 May 2014

Al Jazeera—Brazil bus strike sparks Sao Paulo chaos—22 May 2014

Threats Build and Allegations Linger as Police Seek to Solve Decades-Old Murder

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

DUBLIN, Ireland – In 1972, Irish Republican Army (IRA) members abducted and killed widow Jean McConville, who the group believed to be a spy for the British.

Police held Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams for questioning related to the 1972 kidnapping and murder of Jean McConville. (Photo courtesy of the Guardian)

On 4 May 2014, Northern Ireland police released Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams without charge. Police suspected that Adams had some connection to McConville’s death, though Adams has long denied having any role. Adams further denied being a member of the IRA.

“When the war was on I did politically support the use of armed action by the IRA as a legitimate response to British repression and British military occupation of a part of my country, Adams said, “Of course I disagree with many of the issues and many of the things that the IRA did, including the killing of Mrs McConville and the way that her ten children were left.”

Police kept Adams in custody for four days. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny expressed concern for McConville’s children. Some believe they might be killed for passing along the names of the IRA unit which they said kidnapped and killed their mother.

“I reject absolutely any allegation made against me,” Adams said. “I am innocent of any involvement whatsoever in any conspiracy or of any of the events including the abduction, the killing, or the burial of Mrs. Jean McConville. When this became a matter of public speculation two months ago I contacted PSNI through my solicitor and said I was available to talk to them.”

Adams further stated that the allegations have been part of a “sustained, vicious, untruthful and sinister malicious campaign” against him for “some considerable time.” He claimed that two IRA members, since deceased, implicated him as part of the Belfast Project, which took place at Boston College. The project recorded former IRA member testimony, and laid the groundwork for questioning Adams, who referred to those behind the project as “disaffected, and very, very hostile, anti-peace process former IRA activists.”

Gerry Adams also questioned the timing of his interrogation by the police. “I contacted them two months ago,” he said. “They waited until we were in the middle of an election before they made this very dramatic intervention, so I reject absolutely any allegation no matter who it’s coming from or any assertion no matter who it’s coming from, it’s ridiculous.”

Adams stated that Michael McConville should give the names of those who abducted and killed his mother if he wants to because “that’s entirely his right.” However, McConville claimed that he was recently threatened by the IRA, and Adams himself, who denied any such threat.

For further information, please see:

CNN International – EXCLUSIVE: Gerry Adams Tells Amanpour He Is Innocent – May 5, 2014

Telegraph – Gerry Adams Receives Death Threat after Release from Police Custody – May 5, 2014

Washington Post – Gerry Adams Freed as Northern Ireland’s Unity Government Faces Challenge – May 4, 2014

Guardian – Ireland’s Taoiseach Urges Gerry Adams to Cooperate with Police – May 3, 2014