News

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

Former Commander of Communist-Era Romanian Prison Charged With Genocide

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

Bucharest, ROMANIA – Romanian prosecutors charged the  former commander of a Communist-era  prison with genocide on Tuesday.

Alexandru Visinescu faces genocide charges stemming from his time as the commander of two prison during Communist-era Romania. (Photo courtesy of Fox News)

Alexandru Visinescu was formally presented with the charges before prosecutors at a hearing on Tuesday. He declined to comment as he was led to a taxi after the hearing. He has said he was  only following orders delegated to him.

Visinescu ran the Ramnicu Sarat prison where the  pre-Communist elite and intellectuals were incarcerated between 1956 and 1963.

Prosecutors have stated that under Visinescu’s command, prisoners were  subjected to starvation, beatings,  a lack of medical treatment and exposure to cold.  Visinescu could face life in prison if convicted.

Visinescu, 87, is the first Romanian to be charged with genocide since 1989. Former leader Nicolae  Ceausescu was the last, and was tried and executed in 1989.

Approximately 500,000 Romanian priests, teachers, peasants, doctors and diplomats  were condemned as political prisoners in the 1950s as the Communist government  sought to crush any dissent and gain greater autonomy. Nearly one-fifth of those imprisoned died due to  the inhuman conditions, historians have stated.

Back in July, the institute investigating communist crimes wrote to the general  prosecutors calling for Visinescu to be prosecuted for six deaths. The institute plans to forward roughly 35 files about former commanders to prosecutors.

In August, Visinescu lunged several times at  journalists who were seeking reaction to the accusations against him. Since  then, there has been widespread public debate regarding the Communist era, with many people advocating moves to punish former prison commanders.

President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta have both stated that  former prison commanders should face justice for crimes they committed during the Communist era.

Visinescu also was reportedly a member of the execution squad that killed Ion Mihalache, the founder and leader of the Agrarian Party in Romania. After the execution, Visinescu became the commander of a women’s penitentiary, where he was a notorious torturer, before eventually becoming the commander of Ramnicu Sarat.

Former inmate Ion-Ovidiu Borcea recalls witnessing Visinescu commit chronic torture, “The officer and the commander in chief continuously beat him, got him sick and did not offer him medical care. They would enter his cell and throw a bucket of cold water on him in the middle of winter. [Mihalache] would yell ‘This is Ion Mihalache, They’re killing me!’. This crime cannot be forgotten.”

For more information, please see:

Fox News – Romanian Communist-Era Prison Guard Charged With Genocide – 3 September 2013

Romania-Insider – Romanian Commander of Communist-Era Prison Charged With Genocide – 3 September 2013

The Telegraph – Romanian Communist-Era Prison Chief Charged With Genocide – 3 September 2013

The Tribune – Ex Prison Guard of Communist Prison is Charged With Genocide – 3 September 2013

 

China Sacks Another Top State Official in Corruption Crackdown

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China — Chinese authorities have fired high-ranking economic official, Jiang Jiemin, in part of a growing crackdown on corruption. Analysts said the firing of Jiemin, who previously led an official body overseeing China’s state-owned enterprises, is also part of an effort by authorities to gain more control of state backed companies.

Jiang Jiemin, a top member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, was fired earlier today as China continues to crackdown on corruption. (Photo courtesy of AP)

China’s central news agency, Xinhua said Jiang Jiemin was removed from his post as head of the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission for suspected “serious disciplinary violations,” a common phrase used to describe corruption.

 The decision comes only two days after authorities announced Jiang was under investigation. It also comes amid a growing probe into four other top executives at the state owned oil company, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Jiemin previously served as the chairman of CNPC and its subsidiary PetroChina. Jiemin has gradually risen up within the ranks of China’s state-run oil industry over the past two decades.

City University of Hong Kong political scientist, Joseph Cheng, said the decision to target Jiemin and other top oil executives is a signal that the government is trying to reign in state-owned companies as the government continues to promote substantial economic reform.

“The top officials of these very powerful state owned enterprises are more or less independent kingdoms, they are the targets, so these cases will create a sort of threatening affect, a deterrent effect, which hopefully will help the leadership to push through reform. The reform probably is to reduce the privileges of the state sector,” said Cheng. He believes the investigation provides a rare opportunity to promote economic reform of China’s state-owned enterprises, which have “too much influence on China’s economy and are too big a source of corruption.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to crack down on high- and low-ranking corrupt officials. Some believe the investigation into Jiang is a sign that the anti-corruption drive is deepening and that other high-ranking officials could be next. Only a few short months ago top political leader, Bo Xilai, was tried on charges of corruption, stemming from his wife’s murder of a British businessman, Neil Heywood.

Jiang Jiemin sits on the Communist Party’s Central Committee, a top group of more than 200 officials. Jiemin is the first on the committee to be investigated and removed.

There has been speculation that former public security chief Zhou Yongkang could be the next official targeted. Yongkang previously served as a CNPC official and was an influential member of the petroleum clique. Nothing further has surfaced yet.

For more information, please see:

Xinhua — Jiang Jiemin removed from office — 3 September 2013

Reuters — China probes top official in latest anti-graft push — 3 September 2013

Chosun Ilbo — China Sacks State Enterprise Official — 4 September 2013

The Scotsman — China: Major scalp for corruption inquiry — 4 September 2013

As Security Forces Crack Down on Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood the Egyptian Government has Taken Steps to Outlaw the Political Party

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan

Impunity Watch, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – Egyptian State media reported that an improvised explosive device was detonated at a police station in Downtown Cairo wounding two workers Monday. Three people on a motorcycle reportedly threw a homemade grenade style explosive devise at the police station. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

As security forces crack down on the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian court has recommended the dissolution of the Brotherhood as a legal non-government organization (photo courtesy of Al Jazeera)

The attack came just a day after Egypt’s state run news agency reported Sunday that former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will stand trial for charges of inciting murder and violence. The military backed government is essentially holding Morsi responsible for the deaths of protesters and other civilians since security forces began violently cracking down on protesters. The ousted President is also being investigated for his escape from prison during the 2011 uprising against former president Mubarak. While no formal charges have been brought, he has been accused of murder and conspiring with Hamas during his escape.

Egyptian security forces have killed hundreds of supporters of President Morsi since opponents of the coup began protesting the government after Morsi’s removal from power on July 3. Like the former president many of the protesters have been accused by the government of inciting violence and even coming terrorist attacks.

As part of its crackdown on supports of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist political parties the military backed government has been excluding Islamists from the transitional process. The transitional government recently named a constituent assembly with almost no Islamists members. The government gave the assembly 60 days to review amendments that would repeal Islamic policies established over the last year by the Muslim Brotherhood led government and other more hard-line Islamic parties under President Morsi. The transitional government has also favoured policies that would officially raise the Egyptian military back to the elite status enjoyed under the presidency of the Military backed Dictator Hosni Mubarak.

The Nour Party has complained that the transitional government has had a deplorable policy of “exclusion of the Islamist current” in the commission of the review panel. The Nour Party was founded after the downfall of President Mubarak. The party also noted that the committee excluded members of the youth movements that ignited the revolution through social media driven demonstrations beginning on January 25, 2011.

The Egyptian government has also taken steps to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood, returning it to the illegal status placed on the party, which won a majority of votes in Egypt’s polar vote that was forced on it under Mubarak. A judicial panel has advised an Egyptian court to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood as a legal non-governmental organization, the mood would effectively outlaw former President Mohamed Morsi’s Political party.

 

For further information please see:

Reuters – Egypt Sends Mursi to Trial as New Constitution Advances – 1 September 2013

Al Jazeera – Bomb Blast Hits Cairo Police Station – 2 September 2013

Al Jazeera – Egypt Panel Urges Brotherhood Dissolution – 2 September 2013

CNN International – Egypt to Try Former President Mohamed Morsy in Protest Deaths – 2 September 2013

NBCNews – Improvised Bomb Wounds Two at Cairo Police Station – 2 September 2013