News

Paraguayan Bus Drivers Who Were Laid Off Crucify Themselves in Protest

By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

ASUNCION, Paraguay – Eight Paraguayan bus drivers have nailed themselves to crosses in a protest against being laid off from their jobs two months ago. They have vowed to continue their protest until they are reinstated.

Eight bus drivers crucify themselves after getting fired in the city of Luque, Paraguay.
Eight bus drivers crucify themselves after getting fired in the city of Luque, Paraguay. (Photo Courtesy of Bernardo Agustti/Diario ABC Color)

They protested in mid-July outside the offices of the Vanguardia bus company, their former employer. After realizing they were not going to be reinstated they crucified themselves three weeks ago across the street from Vanguardia’s headquarter in the Paraguayan city of Luque, a town north of the capital, Asuncion.

The protesters are on their backs, nailed to wooden crosses laid out on the ground. Large nails pierce their hands at the base of the fingers.

The bus company says it has done everything in its power to try to find a solution to the labor conflict. The general manager of the Vanguardia bus company, Aufredi Paredes, said five of the drivers would be re-hired and the other three would receive legal separation payments and assistance in finding employment.

Paredes stated “we have done a little bit of everything to find a solution, including calling on the human rights commissions from the (Paraguayan) Senate and the Lower House. We have also met with the workers several times, but their leadership has been inflexible. We have followed labor regulations and will continue to abide by the law.”

However, Juan Villalba, one of the drivers crucified said they would not give up their protest until they all are reinstated. Villalba told Paraguayan media that his group is willing to take the protest “to the very end,” regardless of the consequences. Villaba, is also the secretary of the Paraguayan Federation of Transportation Workers.

Villalba alleged they were fired after asking for overtime pay, medical insurance and state pension contributions. “The drivers are tired of being exploited,” he said. Some of the drivers’ wives are taking turns being nailed to crosses alongside their husbands.

Damián Espinola, communications director with the Luque municipal government, has stated that the bus drivers are “also on hunger strike and some of them are in critical condition. They only drink water. They don’t consume any solid food. Their hands are perforated.”

There have been several meetings between representatives of the bus drivers, the company and mediators, but they have been unable to reach a resolution. The protest by the eight is part of a larger labor action by some drivers for Vanguardia. There are currently a total of 50 bus drivers on strike, but there has been no interruption of service.

For more information please see:

CNN – Fired Paraguayan bus drivers crucify themselves in protest – 31 August 2013

Reuters – Fired Paraguayan bus drivers have themselves nailed to crosses – 30 August 2013

The Telegraph – Sacked Paraguayan bus drivers crucify themselves in protest – 30 August 2013

ABC News – Laid-off Paraguay Bus Drivers Crucified in Protest – 28 August 2013

BBC – Sacked Paraguay bus drivers stage crucifixion protest – 28 August 2013

Indian Author Dragged out of her Home and Shot 15 Times by Taliban Militants

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India — Taliban militants in Afghanistan shot and killed an Indian author, Sushmita Banerjee, whose memoir about marrying an Afghan and living under the Islamist militia was made into a Bollywood movie. The killing  was the latest in a string of attacks on prominent women in Afghanistan, adding to growing fears that women’s rights in the country will recede even more after foreign military  forces  withdraw in 2014.

Sushmita Banerjee, who was brutally killed by Taliban militants, is pictured holding a copy of her novel. (Photo courtesy of AP)

The militants arrived before dawn at Banjerjee’s residence in eastern Paktika province, which lies in Afghanistan’s east region, where the Taliban are particularly influential. According to provincial police chief Gen. Dawlat Khan Zadran, her husband, Jaanbaz Khan, answered the door and was immediately bound and blindfolded.  The militants then dragged Banerjee outside, and took her to a nearby road where they shot her at least 15 times, Zadran said.

Banerjee, who was in her 40s, was buried Thursday morning. She lived in Daygan Sorqala village, and was well-known as a medical worker in the area, with special training in gynecology. Originally from Kolkata, India, Banerjee wrote “A Kabuliwala’s Bengali Wife,” which later became the basis for the 2003 film “Escape from Taliban.” The book described how she met Jaanbaz in India and agreed to marry him despite her parents’ disapproval of the fact that he was Muslim while she was Hindu. According to an online synopsis of the book, Banerjee moved to Afghanistan as Jaanbaz’s second wife, only to find that life under the Taliban’s increasing hold over the country would be unbearable. The Taliban militia, which rose to prominence in 1994 and officially ruled from 1996-2001, placed severe restrictions on women, forcing them to wear all-encompassing burqas and banning employment and education opportunities.

In an interview with India’s Rediff news, Banerjee described trying to flee Afghanistan multiple times to get away from the Taliban, and how she was ordered executed as a result of her attempts. She made it safely back to Kolkata in  1995.

“I still remember the day I stepped on Indian soil for the first time after I had left,” she said. “It was raining outside. People were scurrying for shelter. But I didn’t run. I just stood there and let the rain wash off my pain. I felt if I could bear so much in Afghanistan, I can surely bear my motherland’s rain. I don’t know how long I stood there, but I won’t forget that day.”

Her book was published in 1997, nine years after her marriage.

Zafar Khan, the father of Jaanbaz’s first wife, said Banerjee was beloved in the area, and was known locally by the name Sahib Kamal. He told Indian reporters that many residents were upset that an unarmed woman had been targeted.

“She was a very kind woman. She was very educated — she knew the Internet,” he told them. “Myself, I am very sad. Believe me, I haven’t been able to eat.”

Militants have targeted prominent women several times in recent months in Afghanistan. Last month, officials confirmed that Fariba Ahmadi Kakar, a lawmaker who represents Kandahar province in parliament, was kidnapped and was being held hostage, to be exchanged for four insurgents detained by the government.

In August, insurgents ambushed the convoy of a female Afghan senator, seriously wounding her in the attack and killing her 8-year-old daughter. Senator Rouh Gul Khirzad’s husband, son and another daughter were also wounded in the attack.

For more information, please see:

India Times– Indian author Sushmita Banerjee executed in Afghanistan by Taliban — 6 September 2013

ABC News– Afghan militants shoot dead Indian woman Shushmita Banerjee, who wrote about escape from Taliban — 5 September 2013

Indian Express– Indian author who wrote on her escape from Taliban killed in Afghanistan — 5 September 2013

CBS News– Police: Afghan militants drag female author out of her home, shoot her dead –5 September 2013

Tunisian Rappers Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUNIS, Tunisia –  Rappers Ala Yaacoubi, known as “Weld El 15”, and Ahmed Ben Ahmed, known as “Klay BBJ”, were sentenced to twenty-one months in prison on Monday. The two were convicted of insulting the police and undermining public decency after their performance at a concert in Hammamet on August 22.

Ala Yaacoubi is a Tunisian rapper well-known for his criticism of the police. (Photo Courtesy of AFP)

The court’s ruling was in absentia as neither rapper appeared for trial. According to the rappers’ defense lawyer, Ghazi Mrabet, the two artists were never summoned to appear.

“We are surprised by this verdict…Our clients have not been summoned for trial as it is stipulated by law,” Mrabet told the privately-owned radio station Mosaique FM.

Following the concert, the artists were detained by police and questioned before being released. Mrabet added that his clients were physically assaulted by police during the detainment and that a doctor had documented Yaacoubi’s injuries.

Yaacoubi made headlines in June after he was convicted of insulting police and sentenced to two years in prison for his song “Police Are Dogs” (Boulicia Kleb). The anti-police song has a music video that contains a montage of police beatings. After outrage from various human rights and censorship groups, such as Human Rights Watch, Yaacoubi had his sentenced reduced to six months and suspended.

The authorities have accused Yaacoubi and Ahmed of performing “Police Are Dogs” at the August 22 concert. Varying reports have Mrabet denying that his clients performed the anti-police song to admitting that an excerpt was played.

Both rappers remain in hiding while they await the appeal process, despite demands to turn themselves in. Mrabet was adamant that the court’s decision violated free speech and would be appealed.

“I will speak to my clients to challenge this ruling, but jail sentences demonstrate that the relentless campaign against artistic freedom, freedom of expression, continues,” said Ghazi Mrabet, quoted by the AFP news agency.

Prime Minister Ali Larayedh denied that freedom of expression is an issue in Tunisia, pointing to Yaacoubi’s June conviction “for inciting hatred and calling for the death of police and magistrates”.

For further information, please see:

Index On Censorship – Tunisian rappers convicted of “insulting public servants” after concert arrest –  4 September 2013

ABC – 21 Months Prison for 2 Tunisian Rappers  – 2 September 2013

BBC – Tunisian rapper Weld 15 sentenced again – 2 September 2013

allAfrica – Tunisia – a New Prison Sentence for the Rappers “Weld 15” and “Klay” – 2 September 2013

Human Rights Watch – Tunisia: 2 Years in Prison for a Song – 15 June 2013

Senate Drafts Resolution for Military Intervention in Syria

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – President Obama stated Wednesday that the “red line” drawn against Syria came not from him but from international treaties and Congressional action. The President added that in deciding whether to intervene in Syria, the credibility of Congress and the international community is on the line.

President Obama called on Congress to maintain credibility by authorizing military force against key Assad military targets. (Photo courtesy of USA Today)

The President’s statements came hours after news that the Senate Foreign Intelligence Committee completed a draft of a bill that would authorize limited military force against Syria for 90 days.

The proposed legislation would ban the deployment of US troops in Syria except in the event of rescue missions.  Additionally, the White House would be required to send Congress a plan for diplomatic solutions within 30 of the start of military operations.

President Obama’s call for authorization of force by Congress has split the GOP membership of whether to support such a resolution.

Two top House Republicans, Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, pledged Tuesday to endorse the President’s call for military intervention.

The Washington Post reported that a hearing to mark up the resolution was delayed by news that Sen. John McCain opposed the draft.  Sen. McCain is one of the leading GOP voices on issues of national security.

Amidst this news, President Obama was asked Wednesday what he would do if Congress refuses to authorize the use of military force. The President responded “I believe that Congress will approve it.”

Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin warned the US and its allies against unilateral action in Syria. Putin said that acting without authorization from the UN Security Council “can only be interpreted as an aggression.”

Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is expected by analysts to oppose any resolution for UN intervention in Syria. However, the Prime Minister said Wednesday that Russia has not ruled out supporting a UN Security Council resolution authorizing force.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Russia’s President Putin warns US over Syria action – 4 September 2013

CNN – Obama: Red line on Syria is the world’s, not his – 4 September 2013

NBC News – Russia’s Putin warns US against ‘aggression’ in Syria without UN approval – 4 September 2013

The Washington Post – Officials press lawmakers to approve Syria strike; Obama invokes Congress’s credibility – 4 September 2013

USA Today – Obama: Congress, world credibility on the line with Syria – 4 September 2013

DR Congo Man Receives 3-Year Sentence for Outspoken Comments

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

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – A member of parliament, Muhindo Nzangi, was sentenced to 3-years in prison over comments he made on a radio program.  Nzangi’s comments revolved around a political debate about the M23 rebel group.

Protestors call for the release of Nzangi (photo courtesy of HRW)

Two days after speaking on the radio program, Nzangi was tried, convicted, and sentenced for endangering internal state security, revealing defense secrets, and insulting the president.

Because Nzangi was allegedly “caught in the act,” Nzangi was not protected by parliamentary immunity. His trial began immediately when he was flown to the capital, Kinshasa, and was denied the right to have adequate time to prepare a defense.

“A member of parliament was arrested, summarily tried and sent off to prison solely for expressing his views,” said Ida Sawyer, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “This sadly is just the latest attempt by government officials to use the courts to silence dissent.”

Nzangi participated in a 2 ½ hour debate on Radio Kivu 1. They discussed the crisis concerning the M23, a Rwanda-backed rebel group active in North Kivu, and also discussed the role of civil society.

Nzangi stated that the Congolese people should call on the government to end talks with M23 rebels in Uganda and continue military operations against them. Further, he urged people to direct their pressure toward Congolese President Joseph Kabila as well as United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo, by holding “peaceful actions,” such as marches and sit-ins.

In addition, Nzangi acknowledged the risk of demonstrations turning violent, but called for advanced measures to be taken to prevent and control risk.

Once the radio program ended, Nzangi told Human Rights Watch that someone called him and warned him that “The president is very upset with you. Flee if you can.”

One week after Nzangi was tried, convicted, and sentenced, police violently disrupted a peaceful sit-in by dozens of Nzangi supporters asking for the release of Nzangi. This sit-in occurred outside the North Kivu governor’s office in Goma.

The police brutally beat several protestors, arrested 4 protestors, and threatened protestors with rebellion charges. However, the 5 arrested protestors were released the next day.

Many believe that Nzangi’s arrest was politically motivated since Nzangi is a member of the Movement for Social Renewal (MSR), one of the largest political parties in the ruling presidential majority.

Human Rights Watch states that Congolese authorities should drop this questionable case against Nzangi and end the crackdown against his supporters. Further, it states that this prosecution reflects a broader government crackdown on free expression in the country.

Since May 2012, Human Rights Watch has documented 84 cases which politicians, political party activists, journalists, and human rights activists were arrested or threatened by the authorities because of their political views or published opinions.

International law provides that everyone convicted of a crime has a right to appeal their conviction to a higher tribunal.

“If President Kabila is serious about creating open dialogue, a first step should be to let politicians, journalists, activists and others say what they think without risking jail,” Sawyer said. “Everyone who is locked up for their peaceful political views should immediately be released and charges dropped.”

For further information, please visit:

Human Rights Watch – DR Congo: Outspoken Lawmaker Gets 3-Year Sentence – 29 August 2013
Africa Press Review – Democratic Republic of Congo – Outspoken lawmaker gets 3-year sentence in DRC – 30 August 2013
Ifex – Outspoken lawmaker gets 3-year sentence in DRC -30 August 2013
World News Inc. – DR Congo: Outspoken Lawmaker Gets 3-Year Sentence (HRW) – 29 August 2013
All Africa – Congo-Kinshasa: Outspoken Lawmaker Gets 3-Year Sentence – Freedom of Expression, Peaceful Assembly Under Attack – 29 August 2013
refworld – Democratic Republic of Congo: Outspoken Lawmaker Gets 3-Year Sentence – 29 August 2013
topix – DR Congo: Outspoken Lawmaker Gets 3-Year Sentence – 29 August 2013