News

Argentine Police Arrest Teen Hacker for Stealing $50,000 a month

By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentine police say they have arrested an alleged 19-year-old hacker on suspicion of leading a gang of hackers who targeted international money transfers and gambling websites.

Magnifying glass being held before a computer screen
The man is said to have hacked thousands of computers, using them as proxies. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Named “the superhacker”, the teenager was making $50,000 a month, working from his bedroom police say. The teenager, whose identity has not been revealed, is the son of an information systems engineer. Police have been following the teenager for over a year.

Argentine police raided the home of the young man on September 13th in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of San Cristobal. The arrest operation shut down the power in the entire neighborhood to prevent the deletion of sensitive data.

Police raiding the teenager’s residence found that the young man had set up a “technological cave” with high-capacity computers which he used as a base to administer his online fraud network. Police seized electronic equipment, including cables, routers and over 14 hard drives. Officials identified six more people who were involved in the criminal network.

The arrest of the 19-year-old comes as part of Operation Zombie, an extensive police manhunt which began in 2012 when a businessman providing hosting services for personal web pages said that a hacker was remotely entering the servers to intercept monetary transfers.

Argentina’s chief prosecutor, Graciela Gils Carbo, ordered a federal investigation, which found that the same person was stealing from money transfers and online gaming sites. A Security Ministry statement said, “Internet users were victims of a ‘malware’ virus that the hacker hosted in a server for downloading online gaming applications.”

It was called Operation Zombie because the suspected hacker carried out a “denial of service” attack that used a network of thousands of “zombie” computers to overload the server, making it impossible for the users to access their accounts around the time of the attack. This would let him divert the money unnoticed and avoid alerting victims to an illegal money transfer.

The young man is being accused of three crimes, and if convicted of all, could be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.

For more information please see:

Al Jazeera – Argentina arrests 19-year-old ‘super-hacker’ – 14 September 2013

RT News – Argentina arrests teen ‘superhacker’ for stealing $50,000 a month – 14 September 2013

The Telegraph – Argentinian ‘super-hacker’ arrested over online scams – 14 September 2013

BBC – Argentina arrests teen hacker who netted $50,000 a month – 13 September 2013

Univision Noticias – Hacker que robaba 50 mil dólares al mes fue capturado en Argentina – 13 September 2013

 

 

Grenade Attack Kills Two in Rwanda

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

KIGALI, Rwanda – Two people were killed in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, by grenade blasts. These blasts also wounded about twenty-two people, police report.

Rwandan marketplace where blast occurred (photo courtesy of AFP)

The first attack occurred on Friday in a marketplace, which killed one and wounded fourteen.

“Two grenades were thrown” during the attack at a market on Friday that had already left one dead and 14 wounded, spokesman Damas Gatare said. “One was caught in the roof of the market but people didn’t identify it.”

Another grenade detonated on Saturday night, in the same area of Kigali. This grenade injured eight people and killed one. Police say that three people have been arrested since this day.

Although police have arrested three people, they gave no further details about who was likely responsible for the blasts.

Kigali, Rwanda is known for as one of Africa’s safest capital cities. However, these blasts are similar to blasts that occurred earlier this year in the capital and in 2010 before the presidential elections.

Since 2010 the country has been hit by grenade blasts that authorities sometimes blame on political dissidents.

This attack has occurred before a parliamentary vote on Monday.

Authorities believe these attacks may have been by political dissidents and Hutu rebels from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) based in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

“I don’t think it is going to impact on the election… everything is in control,” police spokesman Damas Gatare told AFP news agency.

In 2010, Kagame won the presidential election by a landslide. However, rights groups stated that members of the opposition faced threats and attacks.

A coalition, led by Kagame’s party the Rwandan Patriotic Force, is expected to comfortably win in Monday’s parliamentary elections for the chamber of deputies.

Rwanda has undergone a dramatic transformation in the past two decades, with strong economic growth and a drop in corruption, which is credited to Kagame.

Last year 22 people were found guilty of launching a series of grenade attacks around Rwanda, including some former soldiers who were accused of having links with the FDLR rebel movement.

Some FDLR leaders are accused of links to Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News – Blasts in Rwanda capital Kigali kill two ahead of vote – 14 September 2013
SABC – Grenade attacks kill two, injure 22 in Rwanda – 14 September 2013
Business Recorder – Grenade attack kills at least one in Rwanda – 14 September 2013
Aljazeera – Two die in grenade attacks in Rwanda – 14 September 2013
Fox News – Rwanda grenade blast kills one ahead of polls – 14 September 2013

Additional Peace Keepers Head to Central African Republic As President Disbands The Seleka Coalition

By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BANGUI, Central African Republic — As the humanitarian crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to escalate, President Michel Djotodia announced the dissolution of the Seleka Coalition. The rebel groups in the same group that brought Mr. Djotodia to power in March.

A truck full of Chadian soldiers that are part of the multinational African force of FOMAC (Photo Courtesy of AFP PHOTO)

“The Seleka coalition is dissolved over the length and breadth of the Central African Republic’s territory. Only the Central African security force is in charge of protecting our territorial integrity. Any individual or group of individuals who act in the name of Seleka … after the publication of the present decree … will expose themselves to the full sanctions under the law.””  the statement broadcast Friday afternoon said.

The rebel group has increasingly turned towards violence and looting and it is unclear if Mr. Djotodia’s announcement will do much to curb the violence. It is also unclear if Mr. Djotdia will face any consequences for disbanding the group.

The chief of the Mandaba neighborhood of Bangui told the AP that the move was political. “The measure taken by President Michel Djotodia will change nothing in terms of the behavior of the militia known as Seleka. President Djotodia is trying to create distance and confusion over the acts of abuse committed by their fighters. This is a measure that was taken for the sake of appearance.”

To help maintain security in CAR a regional peacekeeping force that was assembled will receive a boost from the Republic of Congo and the United Nations. The Republic of  Congo already has 150 soldiers in the area and sent 200 more on Sunday.  There are about 2,000 peacekeepers already in the region as part of the Multinational Force of Central Africa (FOMAC). With the addition on U.N peacekeeping troops the number is expected to grow to more than 3,500.

“We need a big force to come here because we are suffering a lot under Seleka,” George Fakida who owns knife workshop in Bangui told the Voice of America.

For further information, please see:

ABC News — More Peacekeepers Head to Central African Republic — 15 September 2013

Voice of America — African-Led Peacekeeping Force Due for Boost in CAR — 14 September 2013

New York Times — Central African Republic: Leader Turns Against Rebels Who Put Him in Power — 13 September 2013

Washington Post — President of Central African Republic dissolves rebel group that brought him to power — 13 September 2013

 

 

Thousands Gather to Protest in Poland over Parliament and Prime Minister’s Actions

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

WARSAW, Poland – Poland experienced one of its largest demonstrations in recent years, in response to a lagging economy. Prime Minister Donald Tusk characterized the demonstration as an attempt to overthrow the government.

Tens of thousands march in Warsaw against Prime Minister Tusk and his coalition. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Since 10 September 2013, in response to labor law reform proposals, tens of thousands have marched in Warsaw. Organized by trade unions, the march included a variety of banners, flags, and trumpets. The city council suggested that demonstrators remained peaceful during the march, although some report that smoke grenades were thrown in Castle Square.

While Poland was the only European Union to avoid recession from the economic crisis’s start—and has experienced two decades of uninterrupted economic growth—demonstrators complain that Poland remains behind Western Europe. As the Eurozone struggled through a recession in the first fiscal quarter of 2013, Poland’s economic growth slowed to 0.1%.

“One has to protest because it is getting worse,” said a young woman named Ola. “Compared to Western states we are a sinking ship, despite the fact that we are in the center of Europe and we have the prerequisites to become a European powerhouse.”

In February 2013, the unemployment rate hit a six-year high of 14.4%. Demonstrators demanded that the Polish government increase the minimum wage, provide greater job security, and return the retirement age to 65 for men and 60 for women. Recently, a new law lifted the retirement age to 67 for everyone.

Several also called for Tusk to resign for his failure to improve unemployment rates. Unions add that Tusk refuses to hear their demands or engage in dialogue. While Tusk is Poland’s longest-serving prime minister since communism fell in 1989, his coalition’s popularity is at its lowest level since he took office in 2007.

“We want the departure of Donald Tusk. This is the only way to change social policy in Poland,” Marek Lewandowski, spokesman for the Polish trade union federation Solidarity, told the AFP news agency.

Among the 100,000-120,000 demonstrators, reports suggest that the political right and left joined together in their demands.

“The government gets its last warning today. If it draws no conclusions, we will block the whole country, all roads and highways,” Jan Guz, leader of the OPZZ union told demonstrators.

Marek Duda, the leader of the conservative Solidarity Union said, “We’re becoming slaves in our own country.”

While Tusk’s Civic Platform party waits to compete in the 2015 parliamentary election, regional governments and the European Parliament will hold elections in 2014.

In recent weeks, three of Tusk’s Members of Parliament have resigned. Lawmaker Jacek Zalek, who resigned on 12 September 2013, told reporters the “protests were a sign that we were unable to rise to the challenges that were put before us by Poles.”

Tusk contends that his revised 2013 budget, which passed through parliament, “proves that the government’s majority is stable.”

Peaceful protests provide leaders an opportunity to address public problems, yet can only remain peaceful where the people are heard. Absent an ear, voices become acts, which create arrests and, possibly, impunity.

For further information, please see:

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – Poles Stage Huge Antigovernment Protest in Warsaw – September 15, 2013

Al Jazeera – Thousands Protest against Polish Government – September 14, 2013

BBC News – Mass Anti-Government March in Poland against Reform – September 14, 2013

Reuters – Tens of Thousands Join March for Jobs in Poland – September 14, 2013

Washington Post – 100,000 Polish Unionists Protest Government Labor Policies in Warsaw March, Threaten to Strike – September 14, 2013

The Guardian – Poland Must Rediscover the True Meaning of Solidarity – September 13, 2013

United States and Russia Reach Syria Chemical Weapons Agreement

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – The United States and Russia have announced an agreement designed to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons supplies by mid-2014. Syria has been given one week to provide a list of its full chemical weapons stockpiles and must allow for United Nations chemical weapons inspections immediately.

John Kerry, United States Secretary of State, and Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, shook hands and addressed the media after reaching an agreement on Syria’s chemical weapons. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

If Syria fails to uphold the agreement, it may be enforced by a UN resolution under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter which allows for sanctions and military intervention. There is currently no such resolution in place, but President Obama reiterated his position that “if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry provided a six point outline of the plan:

  1. The amount and type of chemical weapons must be agreed upon and “rapidly” placed under international control
  2. Syria must submit within one week a comprehensive listing of its stockpiles
  3. Extraordinary procedures under the Chemical Weapons Convention will allow “expeditious destruction”
  4. Syria must give inspectors “immediate, unfettered access” to all sites
  5. All chemical weapons must be destroyed, including the possibility of removing weapons from Syrian territory
  6. The U.N. will provide logistical support, and compliance may be enforced under Chapter VII

“Providing this framework is fully implemented it can end the threat these weapons pose not only to the Syrian people but also to their neighbours,” Kerry said. “Because of the threat of proliferation this framework can provide greater protection and security to the world.

“The world will now expect Assad’s regime to live up to its commitments… There can be no room for games. Or anything less than full compliance.”

Not unexpectedly, General Salim Idris of the Free Syrian Army heavily criticized the agreement.

“We cannot accept any part of this initiative,” he said. “The FSA will work towards toppling Assad and does not care about US-Russia deals. I and my brothers in arms will continue to fight until the regime falls.”

He added that the FSA was “frustrated, and feels betrayed by the international community. It has no faith the UN will ever support it”.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Syria given week to declare chemical weapons  – 14 September 2013

BBC – US and Russia agree Syria chemical weapons deal – 14 September 2013

Reuters – U.S., Russia agree on Syria weapons, Obama says force still option – 14 September 2013

Washington Post – U.S., Russia reach agreement on seizure of Syrian chemical weapons arsenal –  14 September 2013