News

Rebel Attack Forces Over 30,000 Congolese to Flee

By Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo – 30,000 refugees flee the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to neighboring Uganda after a rebel attack.  Al-Qaeda linked  rebels, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), killed and also kidnapped some people, while others crossed into Uganda to save their lives.  This attack raises fears of a renewed campaign and a refugee influx.

A mother carries her baby to a refugee camp (courtesy of AFP)

“We heard rumours there were rebels coming but we did nothing,” Evaketi Tibalumanya, a Congolese Refugee, told Al Jazeera, holding one of her nine children in her lap.  “Then they came by surprise at night.  They caught a person and killed him.  We escaped death because we ran away.”

Ugandan army spokesman Paddy Ankunda stated that troops have been sent to reinforce positions along the border with Congo.

“We have deployed enough forces on our common border to ensure these terrorists (ADF) do not cross the line, because Uganda is their target,” Ankunda told AFP.

Uganda worries that an unchecked build-up of the ADF could pose a major threat to its Lake Albert region where crude reserves have been discovered (estimated at 3.5 billion barrels), and production of this is expected to commence soon.

The Ugandan military also fear that ADF may have gained attack skills from al Shabaab, the al-Qaeda linked insurgent group operating in Samalia, which could now be used in Uganda.

“They’ve been training on IEDs . . . they’re planning to use small bombs on the population. We’re taking that very seriously because that means that given the porousness of our borders, they can easily sneak in sleeper cells inside our towns and attack our people,” Ankunda said.

The ADF waged an insurgency against Kampala in the late 1990s from its bases in the Ruwenzori Mountains and across the frontier in the eastern Congo jungle. The ADF was blamed for a series of deadly blasts in the capital.

A government offensive that ended in 2001 killed many of ADF’s top commanders, quelled the uprising and pushed its remnants deeper into eastern Congo.

The group had since kept largely silent and carried out only minor attacks on villages and units of Congo’s army.

Aid groups and the Ugandan government are struggling to cope with an influx that took them by surprise.

“People have no food, they have no shelter, they are sleeping in the open. The classrooms that have been provided by the government are not adequate enough to accommodate the huge number of people,” Richard Nsubuga of the Uganda Red Cross told Al Jazeera.

Ugandan soldiers kept a close watch on the refugees as they crossed the border and Paddy Ankunda told a news conference that the military was worried the rebels might join the influx disguised as refugees.

For further information, please visit:

Aljazeera — Congo refugees pour into Uganda after attack — 13 July 2013

Yahoo! News — Over 30,000 Congolese flee rebel attacks to Uganda: UN — 13 July 2013

IOL — Congo attack stirs Ugandan fears — 12 July 2013

BBC News —  Congo flee after Uganda’s ADF attack Kamango — 12 July 2013

Reuters — Uganda army says fears rebels influx after eastern Congo attack — 12 July 2013

The Daily Star — Ugandan rebels attack eastern Congolese town — 12 July 2013

 

 

Russia Convicts Dead Man, Seeks His Alleged Accomplice

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – Against the views of the European Union and Amnesty International, Russia found Sergei Magnitsky guilty of tax evasion in the country’s first posthumous trial. In absentia, Russia also found guilty Magnitsky’s boss, William Browder.

Sergei Magnitsky was convicted of tax evasion four years after his alleged murder in prison. (Photo courtesy of Telegraph)

Before his arrest, Sergei Magnitsky campaigned against corruption, and believed that he uncovered a tax scam involving several interior ministry officials, who allegedly stole 150 million Euros. In turn, Russian officials accused Magnitsky and Browder of creating their own tax scheme to defraud the government. As a British Citizen and resident, Browder was neither physically detained nor likely to be extradited under the circumstances.

While in prison, Magnitsky claimed that he was mistreated and denied medical care in attempt to make him confess to tax evasion. In 2009, at age 37, Magnitsky died of untreated illnesses. The Kremlin’s human rights council added that evidence demonstrate Magnitsky had been beaten to death. However, President Vladimir Putin dismissed allegations of torture and mistreatment. According to Putin, Magnitsky died of heart failure.

Under a July 2011 ruling by the Russian Constitutional Court, posthumous trials became possible. Nevertheless, Amnesty International stated that in prosecuting Magnitsky, Russia “set a dangerous precedent that could open a whole new chapter in Russia’s worsening human rights record.”

In agreement, the European Union said the trial sent “a disturbing message to those who fight corruption in Russia.”

Browder remarked that the verdict which convicted Magnitsky and himself would “go down in history as one of the most shameful moments for Russia since the days of Josef Stalin.”

Browder’s Hermitage Capital said in a statement: “This show trial confirms that Vladimir Putin is ready to sacrifice his international credibility to protect corrupt officials who murdered an innocent lawyer and stole $230 million from the Russian state.”

In the US, Browder had lobbied for the Magnitsky Act, which became law in December 2012. Under the Magnitsky Act, the US blacklists Russian officials believed to have been involved in Magnitsky’s death or severe human rights abuses against other persons, and freezes that person’s assets. In response, Russia created its own blacklist of US officials involved in Guantanamo, and further prohibited Americans from adopting Russian children.

Following Magnitsky’s conviction, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Baer encouraged consideration of expanding the blacklist against Russia. “My bureau has been involved in producing the first list, and we do see it as an ongoing project and we plan to add names to the list,” Baer said.

“We have explained repeatedly that the “war of blacklists” started by Washington is unquestionably a dead end, dooming Russian-US relations to fruitless confrontation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a heated statement. The ministry went on to point out that the Prism surveillance documents released by Edward Snowden provide several names that Russia could use to expand its blacklist against the US.

Without even the aid of Interpol, Russia’s battle for its officials may stop short of Browder. However, in disregarding international reputation, Russia will win control over its people.

For further information, please see:

Guardian – Sergei Magnitsky Trial: This is Putin’s Kind of Justice – July 13, 2013

Voice of Russia – Russia Reacts Angrily to US Threat to Expand Magnitsky List – July 13, 2013

Euronews – Russian Lawyer Magnitsky Found Guilty of Tax Fraud Four Years after Death – July 11, 2013

Reuters – Russia Convicts Lawyer Magnitsky in Posthumous Trial – July 11, 2013

RT – Court Finds Magnitsky, Bowder Guilty of Tax Evasion — July 11, 2013

Telegraph – Russia Finds Sergei Magnitsky Guilty of Tax Evasion – July 11, 2013

Thousands of Workers in Brazil Protest for Better Conditions

By Ellis R. Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil –  On July 11th, tens of thousands of workers blocked key highways and staged mainly peaceful marches across Brazil in a day of industrial action called by trade unions to demand better working conditions and tougher government measures to contain rising inflation.

Members of various labor unions block a road in Sao Paulo, Brazil on July 11, 2013. (Photo Courtesy of AFP)

The “National Day of Struggle” was called by the country’s top five labor federations. The unions demanded better wages, a 40-hour working week, job security, improved public transportation, as well as more investment in public health and education.

Industry workers, shopkeepers, civil servants, teachers and even hospital staff took to the streets nationwide. Demonstrators blocked roads and around 40 highways in 18 of the country’s 26 states, as well as access to several ports. The crowds were smaller than in last month’s protests, which brought more than a million people onto the streets.

In Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo, an estimated 5,000 people hoisting flags and banners blocked traffic on several roads, including Via Dutra, which is Brazil’s most important highway because it connects Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. In Brasilia, thousands demonstrated in front of the the National Congress and in Campo Grande, deep in Brazil’s interior, 35,000 demonstrated.

Among companies affected were General Motors, where a 24-hour strike was in effect, and Embraer, Brazil’s top plane maker. In many cities, public transportation was brought to a near standstill. Banks and shops had been closed for fear of looting and ransacking. Several schools were closed and in some hospitals around the country, only emergency services were operating.

Demonstrators also disrupted Brazil’s busiest port, Santos. Workers at Santos, which is also Latin America’s largest port, were complaining that Embraport, the largest Brazilian private multi-modal port terminal, is not hiring through the state-run labor management agency OGMO, which places union members in jobs. The workers fear that bypassing OGMO will make it possible for private companies to recruit non-unionized workers who will accept lower wages.

The protests were largely peaceful during the day. However, in Rio de Janeiro a group of masked protesters threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at police. The police pushed them back with teargas. The masked group sparked the clashes in a side street and then took refuge in a peaceful march in which union leaders called for calm and sang the national anthem. Due to the violence, the march was dispersed before it reached its final destination, and at least 12 people, including two minors, were arrested.

For more information please see:

France 24 – Brazil protest draws smaller crowds than June rallies – 12 July 2013

BBC – Brazil protests: Tens of thousands in union-led strikes – 12 July 2013

France 24 – Brazil workers protest nationwide for better conditions – 11 July 2013

La Nacion – Paro en Brasil: sin trasporte público y con rutas bloqueadas – 11 July 2013

The Guardian – Thousands on streets in Brazil protests – 11 July 2013

 

U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan Kill at least Two Suspected Militants

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan– At least two militants were killed Saturday morning in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan, after U.S. drones targeted the largely tribal area near Mir Ali. Pakistani intelligence sources said that the missile attacks were launched directly at a pair of militants travelling on a motorbike through the village of Mosaki.

Pakastani tribesmen protest the use of drones by the U.S. military in Pakastani territory as a violation of the nation’s sovereignty. (Photo Courtesy of Global Post)

The two men killed have suspected connections to the Taliban in the region, though official reports have yet to confirm these suspicions. Security officials have stated that the two deceased were of Turkmen origin.

A Pakastani intelligence official stated that “two men, probably Arab nationals, were passing through Mosaki village when the drone fired two missiles and hit them. Both of the militants on the motorbike were killed on the spot.” The official further reported that “the drone fired two missiles that also damaged a nearby house, but no casualty has so far been reported inside it.”

In a separate military operation by the Pakistan Air Force, jets targeted several militant hideouts in the same area, killing seven known insurgents. The targeted area is a known hot spot for Afghani and Taliban militants seeking refuge across the border in Pakistan. According to an unnamed official who spoke with Reuters, “These areas are known as strongholds of the militants from where they stage deadly attacks in Kohat and Peshawar.” Pakistani military officials believe that these mountainous regions provide a base of operation for the Taliban in Pakistan.

Senior Pakistani officials have stated that there was no connection between the U.S. drone strikes and the Air Force operations that occurred the same day.

This most recent strike is the third drone attack by the U.S. since Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took office in June. Sharif has vocalized his distaste for the use of drone strikes by the United States in Pakistan and has publicly called for an end to U.S. action against Taliban and other insurgents that reside in the Pakastani tribal region. The Prime Minister has gone so far as to condemn the U.S. action as a direct violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Despite these public remarks by the Prime Minister, other Pakastani officials have characterized the drone strikes as a useful tool and effective means of inhibiting the activities of militants seeking a safe haven in Pakistan.

For more information, please see:

Reuters — Nine militants killed in U.S. drone, Pakistan air force strikes — 14 July 2013

Global Post — Drone strike in Pakistan kills 2 suspected militants — 14 July 2013

CNN — U.S. drone kills 2, Pakistan sources say — 13 July 2013

New York Times — 2 Killed by U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan — 13 July 2013

The Guardian — Two killed in U.S. drone strike on Pakistani militants — 14 July 2013

 

 

 

 

 

Dozens Killed and More Wounded in Series of Attacks Across Iraq

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Militants attacked in multiple locations across the country on Thursday, killing a number of people with reports as high as sixty-two dead.  The militants included bombers and gunmen appearing to target law enforcement personnel.  Most of the attacks occurred in the Anbar province, a stronghold of the anti-government Sunni population.

The remnants of a car bomb that injured a number of people in Kirkuk. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Gunmen shot and killed three soldiers at an army checkpoint near Barwana, a small Anbar town 140 miles northwest of Baghdad.  The gunmen then continued down the road and opened fire on a nearby trailer used by Iraqi security forces protecting oil facilities.  After killing the eleven officers inside, the gunmen proceeded to set the trailer ablaze.  The men inside the trailer were likely sitting down to break Ramadan fast at sunset when they were attacked.

A suicide car bomb in Fallujah, also in Anbar, killed two people and wounded five, according to local security officials. Additionally, the police headquarters there were reportedly attacked by gunmen killing seven officers.  Similarly, in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, provincial officials stated that two officers were killed during an assault on a police station.

In the Anbar towns of Kirkuk, Tikrit, and Khaldia there were additional reports of attacks that employed car and roadside bombs to injure and kill a number of people including some soldiers.

Iraqi security forces were not the only target of the day as at least two attacks occurred in civilian settings.

In the town of Muqdadiya, 80 km northeast of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded at a funeral and a suicide bomber detonated himself as people began evacuating the wounded.  The attacks killed at least eleven people, police said.

“I was sitting inside the tent…when I heard a huge explosion. I rushed out (and) saw a car burning. While we were busy evacuating the injured, a suicide bomber took us by surprise,” said 47-year-old teacher Kadhim Hassan, who was taken to hospital with injuries to his leg.

Also, 85 km north of Baghadad, in Yathrib at least ten people were killed and eighteen others wounded when two car bombs occurred near a coffee shop.

The killings are only the continuation of violent turmoil that has seen more than 2,600 people killed since the beginning of April.  As a result, fear is spreading across the country that a civil war between the Sunnis and Shiites is becoming more and more likely.  Thus far, there has been no sign of a political comprise between the two sides.

For further information, please see:

People’s Daily – At least 62 killed, 139 wounded in wave of attacks across Iraq – 12 July 2013

Al Jazeera – Series of deadly attacks strike Iraq – 11 July 2013

BBC –Iraq violence: Dozens killed and wounded in new attacks  – 11 July 2013

Reuters –Bomb, gun attacks across Iraq kill at least 44 – 11 July 2013

Washington Post –Iraq attacks leave 31 dead, mostly security forces  – 11 July 2013