News

Ukraine Mourns Eightieth Anniversary of Famine That Killed Millions

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine –Ukrainians gathered to remember the 1933 famine that killed millions. President Yanukovych urged citizens not to politicize the tragedy in the light of recent events.

Nina Karpenko told BBC of her experience during the Ukrainian famine. (Photo courtesy of BBC)

In 1933, famine killed millions of Ukrainians in what many called genocidal death by hunger, or “the Holodomor.” Some citizens were able to survive by gathering cheap cornmeal, wheat chaff, dried nettle leaves, and weeds. While some historians believe the number of those who died was approximately 3.3 million, others estimate much higher numbers.

Many survivors believed that Joseph Stalin wanted the Ukrainian peasants starved into submission, so that he could force them onto collective farms. When the Kremlin demanded more grain than the farms had, Bolshevik forces pillaged villages for anything edible.

“The brigades took all the wheat, barley – everything – so we had nothing left,” said survivor Nina Karpenko. “Even beans that people had set aside just in case. The brigades crawled everywhere and took everything. People had nothing left to do but die.”

Many villagers migrated to the cities in search of food, but often died before finding sustenance. As corpses began littering the roadsides, reports of cannibalism piled up. As entire villages died off, some of the most fertile land in the world became silent wastelands.

Soviet authorities eventually closed Ukraine’s borders, which prevented Ukrainians from traveling abroad to retrieve food.

“The government did everything it could to prevent peasants from entering other regions and looking for bread,” said Oleksandra Monetova, from Kiev’s Holodomor Memorial Museum. “The officials’ intentions were clear. To me it’s a genocide. I have no doubt.”

“There was a deathly silence,” said Karpenko. “Because people weren’t even conscious. They didn’t want to speak or to look at anything. They thought today that person died, and tomorrow it will be me. Everyone just thought of death.”

By the time children returned to the schools in 1934, over half the seats in each room were empty.

Russian authorities deny that the Holodomor was intentional, stating that other Soviet regions suffered around that time. Further, Russia has declared that “genocide” is a nationalistic interpretation of what happened.

Since 2006, Ukrainians have marked the fourth Saturday of each November as Holodomor Remembrance Day.

On 23 November 2013, thousands marched through central Kiev to protest Ukraine’s decision to snub the EU in favor of Russia.

In response, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych denounced “the politicization of tragic historical events.”

Yanukovych said, “Today we must discard the political debate and unite. On this sad day, we are all united by the memory about our dead compatriots. This day [the Holodomor Remembrance Day] should be out of politics.”

For further information, please see:

Bloomberg Businessweek – Ukraine Marks Tragic Date amid Setback on EU Hopes – November 23, 2013

International Business Times – Ukraine Commemorates Millions Who Died in Stalin’s Holodomor Reign of Terror – November 23, 2013

Interfax Ukraine – Yanukovych Says Politicization of Tragic Events Is Unacceptable – November 23, 2013

BBC – Holodomor: Memories of Ukraine’s Silent Massacre – November 22, 2013

West Wonders When Ukraine Will Consider EU Integration Again

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – Eastern European Ukraine postponed hopes of stronger ties with Western Europe, hoping to become closer to Russia. In doing so, Ukraine President Yanukovych’s party dropped legislation that would have been required under its trade deal with the EU.

Ukraine decided to drop its consideration of releasing Tymoshenko after its Parliament turned away from the EU integration deal. (Photo courtesy of TIMES World)

On 21 November 2013, Ukrainian authorities declared that it would put EU integration on hold while it builds closer ties with Russia. At the same time, Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych’s party refused to vote on opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko’s release so she could seek surgical treatment in Germany. The EU considers Tymoshenko a political prisoner, and the Ukraine decision destroyed hope of her receiving freedom in exile.

To sign a trade and cooperation deal with the EU, the bloc required Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych to release his political rival. The deal would have transformed the political map of Eastern Europe.

Tymoshenko supporters at the party headquarters in north Kiev feared this outcome for several weeks. “I’m not going to be at peace until I see her in a hospital in Germany,” said Tymoshenko’s daughter, Evgenia. “I know that anything can go in the opposite direction.”

Demonstrations for Tymoshenko’s release lasted longer than US “Occupy” protests. Years of dirt and car exhaust turned the activists’ tents brown. More than uniting with Europe, activists wanted to leave the camp for winter.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt tweeted, “Ukraine government suddenly bows deeply to the Kremlin. Politics of brutal pressure evidently works.”

Yanukovych allies claimed that Kiev risked sanctions beyond the trade Russia cut off in August. In just four months, the blockade devastated Ukraine’s economy by $5 billion. Also, Russian natural gas provider, Gazprom demanded repayment of Ukrainian debts—nearly $800 million.

Implementing EU laws would cost another $104 million.

Russian official Viktor Suslov promised that Moscow “will not impose any more sanctions or limit trade” as long as Ukraine holds off on partnering with Europe.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Boiko said, “The country cannot afford this. That is why this decision was made.”

In 2004, the Orange Revolution, led by Tymoshenko, brought her to power while it ousted Yanukovych. In 2009, Yanukovych narrowly defeated Tymoshenko in the presidential election that brought his pro-Russian allies back to power. Ukrainian authorities prosecuted Tymoshenko for several crimes, such as abuse of office. Chronic back pain has forced Tymoshenko into guarded hospital wards for the majority of her sentence.

Russia dominates a free-trade bloc that includes Kazakhstan and Belarus. Ukraine hopes Russia will allow the country back into that bloc by lifting current sanctions.

By 23 November 2013, Tymoshenko’s party plans to begin a major rally in Kiev’s Maidan Square, which has strong ties to the Orange Revolution.

While Russia hinted that Ukraine should postpone their deal with the EU, it appears that any deal for EU integration requires a long wait.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Ukraine Suspends Preparations for EU Trade Agreement – November 21, 2013

Bloomberg – Putin’s Low Blows Drive Ukraine away from Europe – November 21, 2013

Reuters – Ukraine Drops Plan to Go West, Turns East – November 21, 2013

TIME World – Putin Wins Again as Ukraine Snubs EU, Keeps Opposition Leader in Prison – November 21, 2013

North Korea Detains American Korean War Veteran

By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PYONGYANG, North Korea– The United States’ top envoy to North Korea urged Pyongyang to free two detained American citizens. The call came after reports this week that in addition to holding a U.S.-Korean Christian missionary, Kenneth Bae, North Korea detained an 85-year-old U.S. citizen, and former Korean War veteran.

U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies speaks to reporters in Beijing, China, and urges North Korea to release all American detainess in custody. (Photo Courtesy of AP).

According to media reports, Merrill Newman was taken from a plane late last month as he was about to depart from North Korea.

The U.S. government has not specifically confirmed the detention, citing privacy concerns, and North Korea has issued no comment on the matter.

In an interview with reporters in Beijing Thursday morning, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Glyn Davies, urged Pyongyang to exercise deep consideration about the two cases, noting the fate of Americans abroad was a critical concern of U.S. foreign policy.

“We of course are calling on North Korea, as in the case of Mr. Kenneth Bae, who has now been there for over a year, to resolve the issue, and to allow our citizens to go free,” Davies said.

The envoy is touring Asia this week amid a renewed push to restart the stunted talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs.

He did not draw a clear line between the cases and the international community’s broader efforts. The cases are among several examples of issues frustrating the resumption of nuclear talks with the North.

Davies says his talks in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Dawei, were fulfilling. But there was no strong signal that a return to the six-party talks that include the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States would resume any time in the near future.

“This really is up to North Korea,” noted Davies. “It’s North Korea who seems not seriously interested in making meaningful progress on the nuclear issue. And until we see a manifestation of North Korean seriousness, it’s very difficult for me to know what the prospects are for getting back to Six Party.”

Recently North Korea has been talking about restarting some of its nuclear programs, while at the same time it has suggested new proposals for its return to the six-nation talks on ending atomic programs. The North has also been stressing a dual policy of nuclear and economic development.

North Korea pulled out of the six-nation talks in 2009 and says it is willing to return to the table as long as there are no pre-conditions.

In the past, Pyongyang was accused of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips in negotiations with Western countries over its controversial nuclear weapons program.

North Korea has detained at least six Americans since the talks ended in 2009. While some were given harsh prison sentences, all have subsequently released. Generally their release followed visits to the North by high-ranking former or current U.S. officials.

Merrill Newman’s son told CNN that it was his father’s “life-long dream” to see the North and its culture, after serving in the South as a U.S. infantry officer in the 1950s. He said his father arranged the trip through a North Korea-approved Chinese tour company and had “all the proper visas.”

Newman’s detention comes approximately one year after the arrest of Kenneth Bae, who was detained last November. He was subsequently convicted of “state subversion” and sentenced to 15 years hard labor. He was detained after entering North Korea as a tour operator.

For more information, please see:

Time– North Korea Detains 85-Year-Old American Korean War Vet–21 November 2013

Voice of America–US Envoy Urges N. Korea to Release Detained Americans–21 November 2013

CNN–California man pulled off plane in North Korea, detained, son says–21 November 2013

San Jose Mercury News–Palo Alto man, 85, removed from plane, detained in North Korea–20 November 2013

Washington Post–American vet, 85, detained in North Korea–21 November 2013

German Art Collector Says $1 Billion “Nazi-Looted” Art Collection is Rightfully His

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MUNICH, Germany – Cornelius Gurlitt, the German owner of over 1,400 artworks believed to have originally been stolen by the Nazis during World War II, has stated that he is the legal owner and will not voluntarily hand over the paintings.

 

The collection is thought to be worth over $1 billion. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Gurlitt stated that the paintings had been acquired legally in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine. The collection is estimated to be worth over 1 billion dollars. It was found in Gurlitt’s Munich apartment back in March 2012.

The collection includes paintings by Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Otto Dix and Max Liebermann. Experts opined that many of the paintings and sketches are in excellent condition.

The works were discovered in Gurlitt’s home in March 2012 during a routine tax inspection. Most are believed to have been seized by the Nazis from their owners during World War II, and were long thought to have been lost or destroyed.

Gurlitt inherited the collection from his father, Hildebrand. Hildebrand was an art dealer who sold works which had been confiscated or bought by the Nazis, and Gurlitt contends that this latest collection was rightfully acquired. Authorities are conducting investigations to establish who the possible original owners of the paintings may be.

Gurlitt, 80, had been silent regarding the collection since the authorities discovered it, until now.

“I’m giving nothing up voluntarily,” he stated in the interview when asked whether he would return any works to their original owners. Gurlitt contended that his father obtained the works legally. He also accused authorities and the public of misrepresenting him, stating that he had already provided the authorities with enough evidence to remove any suspicion from him.

German prosecutors have said they do not have “any strong suspicion of a crime that would justify an arrest.”

Jewish groups have complained at the length of time it took the German authorities to unveil the artworks. Their existence became public at the beginning of November. Jewish families and museums believe the paintings were taken from them by the Nazis and are calling for their return. The collection is being held at an undisclosed location for the time being.

For more information:

ABC News – Hoarder of Nazi-Looted Art Treasures Calls Paintings the Love of His Life – 17 November 2013

BBC News – Nazi-Looted Art: German Collector Says He Owns Pictures – 17 November 2013

Haaretz – Munich Art Collector Spent His Life Among His Paintings and No One Else – 17 November 2013

CNN – Who Were the Mystery Men Behind Germany’s “Nazi-Looted” Art Haul? – 11 November 2013

 

 

DR Congo Officers on Trial for Rape and War Crimes

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – About 39 to 41 military officers have been accused of war crimes. They are now on trial in eastern DR Congo.

Soldiers on trial for rape and war crimes (photo courtesy of BBC).

Most of the charges relate to the mass rape and other acts of sexual violence against more than 130 women and girls in November 2012 by a retreating army.

The charges also include murder and looting, governor of North Kivu province, Julien Paluku, told AFP. He also said that judges had arrived from Kinshasa, the capital, to reinforce those in Goma, the eastern regional hub where the trial is taking place.

Correspondents say the military trial comes after months of international pressure after 23 soldiers were initially suspended but not charged.

The UN then threatened to stop funding army units suspected of abuses.

A high-ranking police officer said the tribunal’s verdict will be final. “There’s no appeal. They are definitely convicted, or if they are to be freed, they are freed.”

The soldiers at trial are mostly low-ranking officers.

According to a UN report, at least 102 women and 33 girls were victims of rape or other acts of sexual violence by government troops in the market town to the south of Goma.

The UN, in an interview, has explained that many families were and are separated as a result of those experiences. That raped women find themselves isolated and the harmony within the families broken. Entire communities become weakened and divided. This leads to an atmosphere of fear where the rebels become more powerful.

In October of this year, the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO lamented that: “Almost a year after these incidents, none of the presumed perpetrators of these human rights violations has been brought to justice . . . in spite of the Congolese authorities’ commitment to persecute the perpetrators.”

Soldiers, who requested anonymity, admitted to the BBC in April that they had raped women in Minova, but said that they acted under orders from above.

The DR Congo government signed an accord with the UN in April to step up the fight against sexual abuse by armed soldiers and groups, which remains rampant.

The trial opens barely three weeks after the UN-backed Congolese army defeated the M23.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News – DR Congo officers in rape and war crimes trail – 20 November 2013
The Daily Star – Forty-one DR Congo soldiers go on trial for rape – 20 November 2013
allAfrica – Congo-Kinshasa: Q&A – Why ‘Rape Victims Must Talk About Their Trauma’ – 20 November 2013
Modern Ghana – Forty-one DR Congo soldiers go on trial for rape – 20 November 2013
Wopopular – Congo Soldiers Tried For Mass Rape – 20 November 2013