News

Orphanage Worker Charged With Poisoning Children

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

PRETORIA, South Africa – An orphanage worker in South Africa has been charged after 20 young children were rushed to hospital with symptoms of poisoning, police say.

Children playing soccer in South Africa (photo courtesy of AFP)

The children are mostly Aids orphans living in the Malerato Centre for Hope in Mamelodi township outside Pretoria.

Children at the Centre complained of stomach ache shortly after lunch on Thursday, according to police spokesman Tsekiso Mofokeng.

“Twenty kids were admitted,” he said.

“A woman 35 years of age was arrested on suspicion of poisoning and charged with assault with the intent of causing grievous bodily harm,” he told AFP.

The children are reported to have consumed the poison in powder form with their lunch. After they complained of stomach pain, they started crying and vomiting.

Two of the children were in a critical condition with one being airlifted to Johannesburg hospital and the other rushed to Steve Biko hospital in Pretoria.

Eighteen others were rushed to various hospitals. Eight of the children have since been discharged from the hospital.

The Centre houses 42 abandoned children, as well as orphans, whose parents died from AIDS, according to South Africa’s Sunday Times.

The orphanage’s principal, Johanna Mashapa, told local media the children had been given powder.

“We were so worried. They were vomiting and crying. They had runny stomachs and were so sick,” she told South Africa’s Sunday Times.

Government inspectors were sent to the orphanage to investigate.

Staff at Malerato Centre for Hope orphanage was taken for forensic testing.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News – South Africa orphanage worker charged in poisoning – 10 November 2013
The China Post – Suspected poisoning at an orphanage hospitalizes 20 – 10 November 2013
Yahoo! News – S. Africa Orphanage worker held after suspected poisoning – 10 November 2013
msn news – Twenty orphans poisoned in Sth Africa – 10 November 2013
sabc – Woman to appear in court for child poisoning – 10 November 2013
france 24 – Orphanage worker held after suspected poisoning in S. Africa – 10 November 2013

Nazi Rally on Anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass Not Successful in United States City

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

WASHINGTON, DC, United States – Neo-Nazis protested against immigration reform in the United States. In response, several organizations and city officials staged counter-demonstrations.

Nazis planned their rally for the 75th anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass, which devastated Jewish communities throughout Germany in 1938. (Photo courtesy of ABC News)

On 9 November 1938, non-Jewish persons throughout Germany plundered and destroyed Jewish homes, synagogues, schools, and businesses. An estimated 1500 people died as a result of the attacks, which began around Hesse, making it one of the deadliest and most violent programs during the Nazi reign.

On 9 November 2013, the 75th anniversary of what is now called “Kristallnacht” or the “Night of Broken Glass,” the National Socialist Movement (NSM) staged a rally at 3:00 p.m. at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri to protest against immigration reform. NSM is a white supremacist party that claims to be “the political party for every white American.”

A leaflet for the event stated: “If you are working for a slaves wage, making barely enough to feed your family, and are tired of seeing the corruption that is crippling our land, the time to get active in this fight is now.”

NSM claimed that politicians who advocate amnesty for “illegal aliens” are allowing the “nation to drown in a free fall of economic collapse.”

Kansas City police screened all persons entering the protest for firearms, padlocks, chains, backpacks, and baby strollers, which were strictly prohibited. Police stated that the security measures ensured “a peaceful expression of ideas” and helped avoid any violent incidents.

The ACLU objected to the restrictions, saying protesters on both sides needed pickets to hold up their signs.

About three dozen neo-Nazis attended, marched down the sidewalk, and preached their views in the shadow of an Andrew Jackson statute.

Across from the NSM rally, hundreds of opponents held signs and shouted from behind barricades and police tape. One sign, with a picture of Southern cook Paula Deen demanded, “White Flour! And more butter.” Pro-diversity protesters outnumbered the Nazis approximately nine-to-one.

Pro-diversity protester Ryan Jones said, “Humor dispels hate. Making a mockery of it makes the whole thing hard to take seriously.”

Before the protest, NSM claimed that other white supremacist groups would join them, including the White Christian Group of Aryan Nations, the Sadistic Souls Motorcycle Club, and the Traditionalist American Knights, a Klu Klux Klan affiliate.

In response to the protest, several civil, human rights, and anti-racism organizations planned counter-rallies for the same time.

The Latino Coalition of Kansas City (LCKC) called for members to peacefully “stand up against the Nazis.”

At the Liberty Memorial, Kansas City officials and organizations staged a rally to support immigration reform. Kansas City Mayor Sly James said that immigration reform will happen only if people push their representatives and use voting as a voice.

The Ida B Wells Coalition against Racism and Police Brutality of Kansas City called local hotels to confirm that they were “not harboring Nazis.”

While the city made clear that it did not agree with NSM’s message, the city demonstrated that freedom of speech means the diversity of people and ideas.

For further information, please see:

ABC News – Neo-Nazis Stage Rally on Kristallnacht Anniversary in Kansas City – November 9, 2013

Kansas City Star – Freedom of Speech Reigns in Rally Faceoff – November 9, 2013

KCTV 5 News – ACLU Has Concerns over Restrictions at Neo-Nazi Rally – November 9, 2013

Kansas City Business Journal – Kansas City Council Roundup: Nazis Not Welcome – November 1, 2013

M23 Rebels End Insurgency in Democratic Republic of the Congo

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo–  The rebel group, M23, announced on Tuesday that it is ending its insurgency in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  The announcement came just hours after the government claimed military victory over the group. It its statement, made on the group’s Facebook page, M23 claimed that it would seek to accomplish its aims through “purely political means”. The group also urged its fighters to disarm and demobilize.

An army officer stands outside an enclosure filled with M23 rebel fighters who have surrendered in Uganda. (photo courtesy of Reuters)

M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa announced that “the chief of general staff and the commanders of all major units are requested to prepare troops for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration on terms to be agreed with the government of Congo”.

The government claims that the last remaining rebels had either been capture or fled to neighboring countries overnight.  The announcement also comes after an agreement signed by African leaders for M23 to make a public declaration renouncing the rebellion.

M23 has been has been fighting with the DRC military since April 2012. The group is primarily made up of former military members who defected because they believed the government did not honor a peace agreement with the National Congress for the Defense of the People signed March 23 2009. The primarily  Tutsi groups is widely believed to be back by Rwanda and Uganda.

At least 800,000 people have fled their homes since the fighting began but many may not be able to return home because there are still other rebel groups active in Eastern Congo. “We now speak to other armed groups to surrender because if they don’t want to, then we will disarm them by force,” Army spokesman Colonel Olivier Hamuli told the BBC. The Information Minister Lambert Mende told AFP news agency that “There is no more place in our country for any irregular group”

The M23 has now been replaced at “top of the list” by the Rwandan Hutu FDLR militia. Rwanda has invaded DRC twice claiming it wanted to stop Hutu groups, such as the FDLR, from attacking it. Analysts believe that if the FDLR were defeated, Rwanda would lose its main justification for its involvement in Congolese affairs. Both Rwanda and Uganda deny aiding rebel groups in DRC.

M23 is set to sign a peace agreement with the DRC government on Monday.

For further information, please see:

Reuters — Congo says to sign peace deal with M23 rebels on Monday — 8 November 2013

Wall Street Journal — Congo M23 Rebels Set to Sign Peace Deal With Government — 9 November 2013

Christian Science Monitor — M23 surrender alone won’t end Congo war: 7 thoughts from US envoy — 7 November 2013

ABC News — Official: M23 Chief, Rebels Surrender to Uganda — 6 November 2013

Aljazeera — DR Congo army defeats M23 rebels — 6 November 2013

BBC News — DR Congo M23 rebels ‘end insurgency’ — 5 November 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highest European Court Approves Homosexuality as Grounds for Asylum

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BRUSSELS, European Union – Applicable to all EU states, the European Court of Justice ruled that fear of imprisonment on the basis of homosexual status is grounds for asylum; particularly, for nationals of Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Senegal.

ECJ ruling allows persecuted homosexuals from African countries to claim asylum in EU member states. (Photo courtesy of Deutsche Welle)

In October 2013, the Netherlands and Russia fought when masked assailants entered a Moscow apartment, beat a Dutch diplomat who lived there, and scrawled “LGBT” in lipstick on his mirror. The attack followed a similar attack in which Dutch police entered a Russian diplomat’s flat and “roughed him up.”

In early November 2013, Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans stated that Russia’s prohibition on “homosexual propaganda” may be grounds for asylum in the Netherlands, which is a leader in protecting LGBT rights. Russia’s law has angered many activists worldwide, who have called for a Winter Olympics boycott since the law’s June 2013 enactment.

The Dutch Council of State, a top advisory body, asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) whether homosexuals could be considered a particular social group, and whether criminalization and possible imprisonment amounted to persecution of them. Dutch policy had suggested that homosexuals could exercise “restraint” to avoid persecution.

Particular social groups with a well-founded fear of persecution can claim refugee status under international law, if the persecution constitutes a severe violation of human rights.

In response, the ECJ ruled that laws specifically targeting homosexuals do make them a separate group; however, national authorities must determine “whether, in the applicant’s country of origin, the term of imprisonment…is applied in practice.” For instance, merely banning homosexuality is not grounds for approving an asylum request.

While it is unclear how persons claiming refugee status can prove their homosexuality, the ECJ is not scheduled to rule on that issue within the coming year.

In its ruling, the ECJ discussed that expecting concealment of one’s sexual identity was not reasonable: “A person’s sexual orientation is a characteristic so fundamental to his identity that he should not be forced to renounce it.”

The Dutch Council’s request stemmed from a case of three Africans seeking asylum on grounds that they feared persecution for their sexual orientation if returned to their homelands. Currently, homosexual acts are illegal in most African countries, including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Botswana, and other Western allies.

In Uganda and other countries, suggested punishments for homosexuality have included the death penalty.

In June 2013, Amnesty International reported dangerous levels of homophobic attacks in sub-Saharan Africa, where 38 countries criminalize homosexual acts, and stated that such attacks must stop.

Until the ECJ visits the question of how EU states may reasonably inquire as to a refugee’s sexual orientation, a larger question looms: in the pursuit of happiness and a greater quality of life, does a person’s specific reason for wanting to leave an oppressive regime really matter?

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Top EU Court Ruling Backs Gay African Asylum Bids – November 7, 2013

Deutsche Welle – European Court Rules Homosexuals Can Seek Asylum in EU – November 7, 2013

RadioFreeEurope Radio Liberty – ECJ Rules Homosexuality Can Be Grounds for Asylum – November 7, 2013

Reuters – Anti-Gay Discrimination Could Be Grounds for Asylum: EU Court – November 7, 2013

TIME – European Court: Gay Refugees May Have Grounds for Asylum – November 7, 2013

North Korea Claims to Have Captured South Korean Spy

By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PYONGYANG, North Korea–North Korea announced Thursday that a South Korean spy had been arrested while attempting to use “dishonest elements” for a mission to destabilize its government. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) immediately rejected the claim as baseless.

Pyongyang regularly accuses Seoul and Washington of working to sabotage its secretive, authoritarian system, but specific claims that an individual spy has been captured, especially before an investigation is concluded, are unusual. (Photo Courtesy of AP)

Security authorities recently captured an agent of South Korea’s intelligence agency in Pyongyang, according to the North’s state-run media outlet, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

KCNA’s report quoted a spokesman for the Ministry of State Security as saying the spy confessed to coming into Pyongyang illegally through a third country.

“An initial investigation indicates that he was engaged in anti-DPRK (North Korea) espionage and plot-breeding activities in a third country bordering the DPRK for nearly six years, while disguising himself as a religionist,” KCNA reported.

The spy came to Pyongyang to “rally dishonest elements within the boundary of the DPRK and use them for undermining the stability of the social system in the DPRK”, it said.

“This fully proves to what extent the puppet group of conservatives has reached in its anti-DPRK moves,” the report continued.

NIS responded from Seoul almost immediately.

“Such allegations are absurd and totally groundless,” an NIS official said.

North and South Korea have remained technically at war since their 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice. Since then, thousands of North Korean spies have been arrested in the South. The North has also sporadically announced the arrests of South Korean citizens on charges of espionage.

The South’s Yonhap news agency speculated that a South Korean citizen might have been detained while doing missionary work in the North.

The North arrested Kenneth Bae, a 45-year-old US citizen, in November and sentenced him to 15 years’ detention in a labor camp on charges of seeking to topple the government.

The court described Bae, also known by his Korean name Pae Jun-Ho, as a militant Christian evangelist who smuggled inflammatory material into the country.

Since the announcement, Northern officials claim to be “intensifying investigations.”

For more information, please see:

Fox News– North Korea says it has arrested South Korean spy in Pyongyang; Seoul rejects claim — 7 November 2013

Bloomberg– North Korea Arrests South Korean Spy in Pyongyang, KCNA Reports — 7 November 2013

Arirang News– N. Korea admits catching S. Korean spy — 7 November 2013

AFP– N. Korea arrests S. Korean spy: state media — 7 November 2013

Sky News– North Korea says it arrested South spy — 7 November 2013