News

Rival Libya Militias Clash Near Tripoli

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

TRIPOLI, Libya – Renewed fighting between rival militias have erupted on the outskirts of the Libya capital of Tripoli. So far about 43 people have died because of these clashes.

Many died and hundreds were wounded due to fighting (photo courtesy of Reuters)

On Friday more than 450 were injured due to clashes. The militias, however, have continued fighting. Government repeats calls of restraint.

Libya’s Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has appealed for calm as government forces struggle to control militias, Islamist militants, and other former fighters who refuse to surrender their arms after helping to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson has stressed the need for strengthening national unity and solidarity, as well as disarming the armed and irresponsible groups there.

Friday’s clashes occurred after protesters marched on the headquarters of the Misrata militia to demand it leave Tripoli, and were fired upon.

Zeidan urged that “No forces from outside Tripoli should attempt to enter the city because the situation is very tense and could escalate further.”

“The coming hours and days will be decisive for the history of Libya and the success of the revolution.”

Late on Saturday, local authorities in Tripoli announced a “three-day general strike in all public and private sectors starting Sunday” in response to the violence.

Misrata militiamen remained in a base near Tripoli airport on Saturday in a standoff with government forces and local pro government offices. But fighters often battle for control of local areas and remain loyal to their own commanders.

A militia group calling itself the Shield of Libya said on Saturday it had secured Ghargour and that the Misrata fighters had withdrawn.

There have been increasing demands from civilians that the militias – which emerged during the 2011 revolution – disband or join the army, in line with an end-of-the-year deadline set by the interim government in Tripoli.

Some militiamen have been given salaries and taken into the government security forces but many still remain loyal.

For further information, please visit:

BBC News – Rival Libya militias in fresh clashes near Tripoli – 16 November 2013
Kenya National Broadcaster – Fresh militia clashes erupt in Libya – 17 November 2013
The Telegraph – Death toll rises as fighting continues in Tripoli – 17 November 2013
The Independent – Fresh gun battles erupt in Tripoli as rival Libyan militias clash – 17 November 2013
IRNA – Iran: Strengthening national unity, disarming armed groups needed in Libya – 17 November 2013

 

Missing Pussy Riot Member Found in Western Siberian Hospital

In 2012, Pussy Riot staged an anti-Putin protest imploring Virgin Mary to “throw Putin out”, as they sang in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. Following charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, three band members were sentenced to two years in jail. Western governments and activists objected, saying the sentences were disproportionate.

In October 2013, Russian courts released Yekaterina Samutsevich on appeal.

Convicted Pussy Riot band member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova staged a hunger strike when her own appeal failed. Tolokonnikova alleged that Mordovia prison staff forced inmates to work long hours, and denied her drinking water. She demanded a transfer, if not release.

About 26 days ago, Tolokonnikova went missing following a stay in the medical unit of the Mordovia penal colony. On 14 November 2013, her husband, Pyotr Verzilov announced that he finally spoke with her. The next day, Verzilov had a video conversation with his wife. Verzilov learned that Tolokonnikova arrived at a prison hospital in Krasnoyarsk, of western Siberia, where she is undergoing several tests. He hopes to visit her next week in Krasnoyarsk.

While Tolokonnikova’s hospital is known as the “Tuberculosis Hospital No 1”, Verzilov emphasized that she does not have tuberculosis.

“She feels more or less well, she told me yesterday on the phone,” Verzilov said. “It was the first phone call allowed in 26 days, ending this lengthy, almost month-long isolation that started in Mordovia and then continued throughout her lengthy transit, which spanned 4,000 kilometers across the whole of Russia.”

Verzilov added, “She thinks the conditions of this hospital are fairly good. She is surprised by how different it is here compared to Mordovia and other prison facilities she has encountered since her stay in the Moscow detention center. She is in a good mood now.”

While she was treated relatively well, prison authorities kept her in isolation during the trip between penal colonies.

Russian authorities corroborated that “convict Tolokonnikova has arrived to the institution of the Russian prison service in the Krasnoyarsk region.” However, her exact location was given to her lawyer with instructions not to tell anyone else. Russian law required authorities to inform Tolokonnikova’s family about the transfer within 10 days of her arrival at the new facility.

Aleksandr Nazarov, an official of the state agency supervising penitentiaries, stated that Tolokonnikova could potentially stay in the hospital until her sentence is served.

On this path, it seems that Russia is making good efforts to treat prisoner complaints with respect.

For further information, please see:

CNN International – ‘Missing’ Pussy Riot Inmate Tolokonnikova in Siberian Prison – November 15, 2013

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty – Husband of Jailed Pussy Rioter Hopes to See Her Next Week – November 15, 2013

Telegraph – Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova ‘May Serve Rest of Jail Term in Hospital’ – November 15, 2013

BBC News – Jailed Pussy Riot Singer ‘Found in Hospital’ – November 14, 2013

Impunity Watch – Report Says Russian Pussy Riot Prisoner Transferred to New Penal Colony – November 4, 2013

 

Secret Service Supervisor Reassigned After Hotel Sex Scandal

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – Two members of President Obama’s Secret Service protective detail are under investigation for sexual misconduct by federal law enforcement agencies. This news come just 18 months after a prostitution scandal came to light involving Secret Service agents in South America.

Scrutiny into the procedures of the Secret Service began after the scandal in Cartagena last spring, which prompted an investigation and inspectors general report. (Photo courtesy of the Washington Post)

The most recent incident began in the spring of this year when a call from the Hay-Adams hotel to authorities described Secret Service agents attempting to break in to a woman’s room.  Just a month prior to that event, the service named its first female director, Julia Pierson, in an attempt to dispel the the perception of a male-dominated culture within the agency.

According to the Washington Post, the hotel incident started when a Secret Service agent began removing bullets from his service weapon and left a round in the room of a woman whom he met at the hotel bar.  The agent later tried to reenter the room in order to recover the bullet, identifying himself to the hotel staff as a member of the Secret Service.

The agent was identified by the Post as Ignacio Zamora, Jr. a supervisor of at least two dozen agents on the President’s personal protective detail.  Since news of the incident went public Wednesday, Zamora has been reassigned off the President’s detail.

A government source reported that the internal investigation into this incident was started because of the inquiries made by the Post. Representatives of the Secret Service were quick in telling the press that they would investigate the matter fully, taking necessary steps to correct the actions of that agent.

“Any misconduct is regrettable, but when it is identified, appropriate action is always taken based on established rules and regulations,” said Edwin Donovan, deputy assistant director of the Secret Service.

The inspector general report on this incident is expected to be available within the next few weeks.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Report: 2 Secret Service Supervisors Under Probe – 14 November 2013

CNN – 2 Secret Service supervisors under investigation in misconduct probe – 14 November 2013

NBC News – Secret service agent removed after leaving bullet in woman’s hotel room – 14 November 2013

USA Today – 2 Secret Service supervisors axed from Obama detail – 14 November 2013

Washington Post – Two Secret Service agents cut from Obama’s detail after alleged misconduct – 13 November 2013

 

China Criticized for Meager Aid Efforts in Phillippines

By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China–China responded to criticism Thursday, and announced that it would increase its aid to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Some Chinese bloggers have called for no help at all. 

Survivors erected a sign begging for help and food after Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Phillippines earlier this month. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

The two countries remain knotted in a longstanding dispute over islands in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety. Manila has accused Beijing of aggressively asserting its claims and says Chinese vessels have occupied the Scarborough Shoal, which Manila has claimed as its own since last year. 

China, enjoying an almost decade long economic boom, announced a $100,000 cash donation on Monday. The donation was to be matched by the Chinese Red Cross. The sum of $200,000 is far less than other countries, and sparked intense criticism overseas. It also stands in sharp contrast to China’s other recent donations: over $10 million for Japan in the wake of its tsunami two years ago and almost $40 million for countries affected by the 2004 Asian tsunami. 

The amount would be low even if China, the world’s second largest and fastest growing economy, were a much smaller or poorer nation: Malaysia, population 29 million, has pledged $1 million in cash, as well as food aid; New Zealand, population 4.4 million, has pledged another $1 million.  

The US magazine Time reported Wednesday under the headline “The world’s second largest economy off-loads insultingly small change on a storm-battered Philippines”. 

“The Chinese government has been made to look mean-spirited in front of the world community,” said the article.

Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that the country decided “just days ago” to provide an additional 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) for relief efforts in the form of blankets, tents and other materials. 

“There will be thousands of tents and tens of thousands of blankets,” he told reporters. 

“We hope that these supplies will be delivered to the disaster-stricken areas as soon as possible to show our sympathies with the Philippines.” 

Typhoon Haiyan swept through the central islands of the Philippines Friday, leave mass destruction in its wake. 

Chinese media and Internet users — many of whom are intensely nationalistic — were divided on how the country should respond to the disaster. 

“If (the Chinese government) was generous to the Philippines, it would hurt the Chinese people completely,” wrote a user of Old Beijing on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. 

Another user said: “I think what China has done was rational — facts have long showed the wickedness of the Philippine regime. It will not be grateful even if we hand them much money. Instead, it could use the cash to buy weapons from the US to attack us.” 

Others argued that China was a victim of the storm itself, and had its own disaster relief needs at to be concerned with. 

The typhoon brushed three provinces and regions in south China this week, leaving at least 13 dead or missing and 252,000 people displaced, according to the latest data.

Nevertheless some experts warned that it was not in China’s best interests to minimize its humanitarian aid to the Philippines, particularly with the international community heavily scrutinizing every move the economic giant takes.  

“A country’s status on the world stage does not only rely on its economic and military strength. It is also determined by how much soft power it can master, which includes its approach to humanitarianism,” said a commentary in the state-run Global Times. 

Qin attempted to diminish the value of the online nationalist sentiment, saying that an “overwhelming majority” of Chinese people “understand and sympathize with the sufferings of the Philippines”.

For more information, please see:

BBC News– China’s Phillippine aid controversy — 14 November 2013

ABC News– In Phillippine Relief Effort, China Beat by Ikea — 14 November 2013

Reuters– China says people sympathetic about Phillippines, online criticsm unrepresentative — 14 November 2013

Quartz– China’s paltry response to Typhoon Haiyan illustrates the limits of its soft power — 13 November 2013

Global Post– China to step up aid to Phillippines amid controversy — 14 November 2013

European Court of Human Rights Orders Sweden to Pay Girl Filmed in Bathroom by Stepfather

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

STRASBOURG, France – The European Court of Human Rights      ruled Tuesday that Sweden must pay compensation to a woman for failing to protect her right to privacy after her stepfather was acquitted of sexual molestation charges.

The girl found the hidden camera back in 2002 in a laundry basket. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Eliza Soederman’s stepfather attempted to film her naked in the bathroom when she was 14 years old. Soederman found the hidden camera in the bathroom in 2002. Her mother burned the film and reported the incident to police two years later, according to a court statement.

Soederman had found a video camera that her stepfather had hidden in the laundry basket in the bathroom. The European Court of Human Rights published a summary of the case on its website:

“The camera was directed at the spot where the applicant had undressed before taking a shower. [She] explained that on the relevant day, just before she was about to take a shower, her stepfather had something to do in the bathroom. When she discovered the camera, it was in recording mode, making a buzzing sound and flashing.”

The Court stated that Swedish law failed to protect her privacy because covert filming was not a punishable offense at the time. A Swedish law covering privacy rights came into effect in July earlier this year.

The stepfather was charged and convicted of sexual molestation over the incident. However he was later acquitted of the charges because Swedish molestation law did not extend to cases of covert filming.

The Court of Human rights ordered Sweden to pay Soederman 39,700 euros in damages, including compensation for legal costs.

The European Court judges stated that the man could not possibly have been convicted of attempted child pornography. The gap in Sweden’s sexual molestation law resulted from the lack of a definition for “pornographic picture” in the Swedish penal code.

Soederman, now 25, took her case to the European Court of Human Rights after the Swedish court of appeal acquitted the stepfather in 2007. He contended that he never intended his stepdaughter to know about the covert filming.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Court: Sweden Failed Girl Filmed by Stepfather – 12 November 2013

BBC News – European Court Fines Sweden Over Girl Video Case – 12 November 2013

Fox News – Rights Court: Sweden Failed to Protect Girl Filmed Nude by Stepfather – 12 November 2013

The Local – European Court to Rule on Swedish Shower Case – 12 November 2013

The Washington Post – Rights Court: Sweden Failed to Protect Girl Filmed Nude by Stepfather – 12 November 2013