News

Serbia & Kosovo find Middle Ground, But Can They End Violence?

By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium – After lengthy negotiations and the apparent breakdown of talks, Serbia and Kosovo approved a normalization agreement earlier this week, which many hope will help ease tensions along their shared boarder.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (center), Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic (left), and Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, hammered out an agreement under which Serbia has normalized its relations with Kosovo. (Photo Courtesy of RFE/RL)

Last Friday, April 19, Serbia and Kosovo signed the European Union- brokered, 15 point First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations, under which ethnic Serbs in the northern region of Kosovo will elect a regional police commander and ensure that a majority of court judges are Serbs, but, the police and courts will be integrated into the Kosovo police and justice system.  In exchange for managerial control of the Northern region of Kosovo, the ethnic Serbs living there will recognize the authority of the Kosovo government.  The agreement also prevents both Serbia and Kosovo from obstructing one another as they seek eventual membership in the E.U.

Kosovo’s parliament, in Pristina, approved the tentative deal with Serbia in a vote on Sunday.  Serbia followed with a unanimous decision from its parliament, in Belgrade, also approving the deal on Monday, along with orders for Serbian ministries to begin implementation.

Although almost 100 countries, including the United States and 22 of the 27 members of the E.U., have recognized Kosovo, Serbia has not.  Kosovo, whose citizens are primarily ethnically Albanian, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, following nine years of U.N. administration backed by a NATO-led peacekeeping force, after Serbian forces withdrew from Kosovo in June 1999.  However, sporadic violence persisted in Kosovo, particularly in regions of high ethnic tensions.  Serbia has vowed never to recognize Kosovo, and insists the E.U.-brokered deal approved this week is not a formal recognition of Kosovar statehood.

Following Serbia’s parliament’s approval of the agreement, protests against the deal erupted in Belgrade.  Several thousand flag-waving Serbs, chanting “Treason, Treason”, gathered in Belgrade shortly after the approval.  As many as ten-thousand more pro-Serbia protesters appeared on the streets of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo, unsatisfied with the deal.

Coming to terms with Kosovo (12% of Serbia’s former size) as a separate entity from Serbia is culturally difficult for many Serbians.  The province Kosovo, in the middle ages, was the center of the former Serbian Empire, and many Serbs consider it the birthplace of their nation.

However, normalization with Kosovo, in addition to easing tensions in the region, will have an additional benefit for Serbia with respect to its relationship with the E.U.  Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic earlier said that “if the government accepts the agreement, I expect Serbia to get a date to start membership talks with the European Union”.

Before the deal was even been finalized, the E.U. began recommending opening membership talks with Serbia  Furthermore, the E.U. also signaled the go-ahead for Kosovo to begin association agreement talks.

Of Serbia, a European Commission report [pdf] stated that Belgrade “has taken very significant steps and [made a] sustainable improvement in relations with Kosovo.”  Therefore, the Commission “recommends that negotiations for accession to the European Union should be opened with Serbia.”

Of Kosovo, the Commission also stated in a separate report [pdf] that Pristina had met all its “short-term priorities,” and recommended member states authorize “the open[ing] of negotiations on a stabilization and association agreement” with the E.U. The Commission also proposed allowing Kosovo to participate in 22 EU programs.

E.U. Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele described the agreement and move towards E.U. membership as a significant shift for the entire region. “[It is] a historic day,” he told reporters. “It is also a game changer, it is a game changer for Serbia and Kosovo. It is a game changer for the whole region of the Western Balkans.”

The E.U.’s foreign policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton, who mediated the talks, described her hoped for full implementation.  “I am very hopeful that with the determination we have seen, they will move to implement all of the elements of this agreement. I will support them in any way that I can and I have already offered to help and to participate in not only implementation, but if they continue their dialogue I am at their disposal. It has been a real privilege to help them.”

In an attempt to extend another olive branch, Serbia president Tomislav Nikolic also formally apologized earlier today, April 25, for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys.  However, he stopped short of recognizing the massacre as genocide, as it has been declared by two international courts.  “I kneel and ask for forgiveness for Serbia for the crime committed in Srebrenica,” Nikolic declared during an interview to be aired on Bosnian national television.  “I apologi[z]e for the crimes committed by any individual in the name of our state and our people.”

Normalization between Serbia and Kosovo represent a huge step in healing the wounds left by the conflicts in the 1990s, however both countries will have to make a continuing effort to advance human rights.  “The normalization agreement between Belgrade and Pristina is a positive step toward peace and reconciliation in the region,” said Lydia Gall, Eastern Europe and Balkans researcher at Human Rights Watch. “With commitment from both governments and support from their EU partners, it could help improve human rights for everyone in Kosovo and Serbia.”

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Serbia President ‘Apologises’ for Massacre – 25 April 2013

HRW – Serbia/Kosovo: Landmark Opportunity for Human Rights – 23 April 2013

Al Jazeera – Serbians Protest Kosovo Deal – 22 April 2013

BBC News – EU Commission: ‘Start Serbia Membership Talks’ – 22 April 2013

The Independent – Serbia Deal Ends Conflict with Kosovo – 22 April 2013

RFE/RL – European Commission Recommends Opening Accession Talks With Serbia – 22 April 2013

Darfur Rebel and ICC War Crime Suspect Killed

By Hannah Stewart
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAUGE, Netherlands — Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus, a Sudanese rebel charged with war crimes in Darfur by the International Criminal Court (“ICC”) has been killed, his defense team has said in a statement.

Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus voluntarily surrendered to the ICC in 2010. (Photograph Courtesy of the BBC via Associated Foreign Press)

An ICC document published on Tuesday read: “The Defense of Mr. Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus hereby notifies the trial chamber, with great sadness . . . that Mr. Jerbo died in North Darfur, Sudan on the afternoon of April 19, 2013, and was buried the same day.”

Jerbo, 36, faced charges regarding a deadly attack on African peacekeepers in Darfur in 2007.  Jerbo and fellow Darfur rebel leader Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain face three war crimes charges relating to the killing of 12 African Union peacekeepers in an attack on the AU’s Haskanita camp in September 2007.

The two men voluntarily surrendered to the ICC in 2010 and while facing charges, have been free to leave the Netherlands and appear before the Court when summoned.  In 2011, a pre-trial chamber found that there were “substantial grounds” to proceed with trial.

As such, the trial date was set for May 2014; however, before The Hague can drop the case, the Court must receive proof of his death.

Four others are wanted for war crimes in Darfur: Sudanese Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein; former Sudanese government minister Ahmad Harun; pro-government Janjaweed militia leader Ali Kushayb; and Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, whom prosecutors accuse of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

President al-Bashir continues remain at large, defying an ICC arrest warrant as he travels around the continent.

According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and two million people have been displaced since the conflict began 10 years ago when rebels began attacking government targets, accusing the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime of oppressing black Africans in favor of Arab communities.

For more information, please see:

AFP  – ICC War Crimes Suspect Killed in Darfur: Laywers – 24 April 2013

All Africa – Sudan: ICC Suspect, JEM-Bashar Deputy Presumable Killed in Darfur – 24 April 2013

BBC – Darfur War Crimes Suspect Rebel Jerbo “Killed in Sudan” – 24 April 2013

Radio Dabanga – Lawyers say ICC Suspect Jerbo Killed in Darfur – 24 April 2013

China Criticizes the United States on Its Human Rights Record

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — China blasted the human rights record of the United States this week, blaming the U.S. military for infringing on rights on other countries around the world.

In what many believe to be a retaliatory report released Sunday, China bashed the U.S. human rights record as a “double standard.”

The criticisms, released Sunday in a report in China’s state news agency Xinhua, accused the United States of ignoring human rights abuses and employing a “double standards.”

“The lives and personal security of the United States citizens, who were haunted by serious violent crimes were not duly protected,” the report said.  In particular, it emphasized the alleged degradation of women’s rights as reflected in rising numbers of domestic violence reports in 2012.

Analysts called the critical review of U.S. human rights a retaliation by Beijing to last week’s report by the U.S. State Department on human rights practices in countries around the world for 2012, decrying the Chinese government.  Human rights have long been a contentious topic between the two countries.

“The U.S. has been using the human rights issue as a tool to bash other countries, which will affect the development of the human rights around the world,” said Chang Jian in an interview with People’s Daily Online.  Jian is the executive deputy director of the Center for Human Rights Studies at Nankai University in Tianjin.

The Chinese accuse the U.S. reports as being negative toward other countries’ human rights situations, making them far from objective.

“Religious discrimination is also rapidly on the rise, with an increase in insults and attacks against Muslims,” the Chinese report added about the U.S. record.

The Chinese report also cited U.S. gun violence as an example of human rights violations, calling it a serious threat to the safety of American citizens.  The claims also attacked the U.S. political process.

“American citizens do not enjoy a genuinely equal right to vote,” the report said.  It cited a smaller turnout for last year’s presidential election and a voting rate of 57.5 percent.

China’s authoritarian government maintains tight controls over political activity, as well as religion and free speech, all of which are restrictions that the U.S. government considers to be human rights violations.

The annual U.S. global report on human rights said China recently imposed new requirements for potential government opposition groups to register with the government.  It also accused China of trying to strengthen efforts to silence and intimidate political activists and public interest lawyers.  The goal, the U.S. report said, was to prevent any public outcry of independent opinions.

For further information, please see:

China Daily USA — US ‘Turns a Blind Eye to Human Rights’ — 22 April 2013

Press TV — China Criticizes US Human Rights Record — 22 April 2013

RT — Beijing Slams US ‘Woeful Record of Human Rights’ — 22 April 2013

Yahoo! News — China Criticizes US for Its Human Rights Record — 21 April 2013

Syrian Government Reportedly Killed ‘at Least 85’ People in Damascus Neighborhood Massacre

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — Opposition activists reported last Sunday that at least 85 people were executed by Pro-Assad Syrian forces in the town of Jdeidet Al-Fadel.  Other groups estimated the death toll to be around 250.  The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that they can confirm that 109 people were killed, but that the actual death toll could actually be closer to 500, making it one of the deadliest incidents to occur since the start of the revolution.  Women and children residing in the Damascus neighborhood were reported to be amongst those killed in the massacre.

Syrian troops reportedly killed 85 – 500 people “at close range.” (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

 

“We documented 85 summarily executed, including 28 shot in a makeshift hospital after Assad’s forces entered Jdeidet Al-Fadel. We fear that the victims of the massacre are much higher,” said Abu Ahmad Al-Rabi, an opposition activist residing in the adjacent district of Jdeidet Artouz.

Inconsistent reports regarding the number of those killed is due to the Syrian military lockdown of the neighborhood.  Journalists and NGOs cannot provide a clear number because they cannot get close enough to the town to accurately report what is happening.  The lockdown also precludes information from getting out of towns, leaving the world to rely on observations made by observers and private citizens using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Syrian run SANA State News Agency reported that the military “inflicted big losses on terrorists in Jdeidet Al-Fadel and destroyed weapons and ammunition and killed and wounded members of the terrorist groups.”

Jamal Al-Golani, member of the Revolution Leadership Council, also believed  the death toll to be higher, and said that there could be more than 250 people who were killed, mostly shot at close range.  However, due to the presence of army patrols, it is difficult to determine.

Other Rebel groups called the offensive against JdeidtAl-Fadel, a “crime against humanity,” and “a massacre of epic proportions.”  Syrian National Coalition President George Sabra said that President Bashar Al-Assad explicitly ordered troops to “kill and massacre” civilians in the offensive.

Jdeidet Al-Fadel had long been held under rebel control, but was always surrounded by Syrian troops.  Some believe that the Syrian military took a step forward in reclaiming “lost ground.”  Tactically, opposition forces considered their control of the town to be a “lost cause” due to its close proximity to Damascus.  “Jdeidet Al-Fadel was militarily a lost cause from day one because it was surrounded by the army from every direction.  There are almost no wounded because they were shot on the spot,” said Al-Golani.

For further information, please see:

Arab News — Assad Forces Executive 85 — 23 April 2013

AntiWar — Syrian Rebels: 500 Dead in Damascus Suburb Offensive — 22 April 2013

Foreign Policy — Has the World Stopped Caring About Massacres in Syria? — 22 April 2013

The Guardian — ‘At Least 85 People Killed in Damascus’ as Pro-Assad Forces Storm Suburb — 21 April 2013

Nigeria: Violence Between Boko Haram and Army Leaves “Scores” Dead

By Hannah Stewart
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BAGA, Nigeria — Between Friday and Sunday, fighting between Nigeria’s military and Islamic extremists reportedly killed at least 185 people and injured more than 70 in a fishing community in northeastern Nigeria.  During the attack, insurgents used fire rocket-propelled grenades and soldiers sprayed machine-gun fire into neighborhoods filled with civilians.

A young girl amid the burned ruins of Baga, Nigeria, on Sunday. (Photograph Courtesy of the Associated Press)

The fighting began Friday when Nigerian army forces surrounded a mosque where they believed Boko Haram members were hiding out.  The fighting broke out after Boko Haram militants killed a military officer, news agencies reported.  Nigerian security forces then surrounded a mosque that they described as a base for militants and Boko Haram fighters exchanged automatic weapons fire in civilian neighborhoods.

Military officials said the militants deployed heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades and used the civilian population as “human shields.”  On Sunday, when government officials entered the city they found absolute destruction: homes, businesses and vehicles were burned throughout the area.

Many of the deaths occurred when a fire swept through the town, a small fishing town on the shores of Lake Chad in the Borno state near Nigeria’s three-way border with Cameroon and Chad.  It was not clear how many of the dead were soldiers, militants and civilians, in part because many were burned beyond recognition.

Borno state military spokesman Sagir Musa said initial reports were highly inflated.  “There could have been some casualties, but it is unthinkable to say that 185 people died,” Musa said, according to Agence France-Presse.  “On my honor as an officer, nothing like that happened.”

The assault marks a significant escalation in the long-running insurgency Nigeria faces in its predominantly Muslim north, with Boko Haram extremists mounting a coordinated assault on soldiers using military-grade weaponry. The killings also mark one of the deadliest incidents ever involving Boko Haram.

Boko Haram, which means “western education is a sin,” seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria, a country of 170 million split evenly between Christians and Muslims.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera  – Scores Killed in Nigeria Violence – 22 April 2013

BBC – Nigeria Fighting “Kills Scores” in Baga – 22 April 2013

Los Angeles Times – Dozens Killed in Gun Battles in Northern Nigeria – 22 April 2013

Reuters – Nigeria Says Heavy Fighting in Northeast, No Word on Casualties – 22 April 2013