News

Chileans Seek Justice on the 22nd Anniversary of the Death of Senator Jaime Guzmán

By Pearl Rimon
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 SANTIAGO, Chile – Chile’s Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez in Havana. Conservative groups hope the talks cover the extradition of fugitives suspected of killing Senator Jaime Guzmán in 1991.

People gathered at the 22nd anniversary of Guzmán’s death. (Photo Courtesy of Evan Lang/The Santiago Times)

However, it is reported that Moreno will meet privately with Rodríguez about the Guzmán case.

Guzmán founded the conservative Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party in 1983. He was also an advisor to General Augusto Pinochet and co-authored the country’s 1980 constitution.

 Moreno and Rodríguez will meet with Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, the three together form the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC) to discuss agreements reached in January during a conference in Santiago.

During the January CELAC conference, Cuban President Raúl Casto, promised President Sebastián Piñera his cooperation in locating the people who took part in the assassination plot. Piñera presented a UDI report that discussed that the alleged criminals are residing in Cuba.

The UDI received renewed impetus due to April 1st, being the 22nd anniversary of the senator’s assassination. He was assassinated by members of the Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (FPMR).

UDI president, Patricio Melero, spoke at a memorial event for the slain senator. He said he hoped the diplomatic efforts would “…[P]ut an end to two decades of impunity and restore the dignity of Jaime Guzmán as a person, a politician and a good man.”


“We owe it not only to the memory of Jaime Guzmán but to all Chileans who believe in justice to continue pressuring national and international institutions to complete their role in facilitating the just conviction of those who planned and perpetrated his assassination, all of whom are today at liberty; this is the greatest injustice of all,” Melero said.

Groups like the FPMR credit Guzmán for some of the human rights abuses during the Pinochet dictatorship. The FPMR describes him as “one of the principal intellectual authors and ideologues of the (1973) military coup and subsequent genocide,” who “despite attempts to portray him as a saint, was always behind criminal acts enacted against the people.”

The only people to have been convicted for Guzmán’s murder were rescued in a dramatic prison escape via helicopter, which was planned by the FPMR in 1996.

A memorial for Guzmán was held on April 1, the 22nd anniversary of his death. PResidiental candidate Laurence Golborne, Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick, and UDI President Melero were in attendance.

 

For more information, please see:

Radio Cadena Agramonte — FMs of Cuba and Chile Hold Talks in Havana – 06 April 13

Santiago Times — Chilean Right seeks extradition for Guzmán killers – 03 April 13

Latercera — Jaime Guzman, ideals and leadership – 01 April 13

Santiago Times — Chilean conservatives commemorate assassinated Senator Jaime Guzmán – 01 April 13

Zambian Gay Rights Activist Arrested for Incitement

By Hannah Stewart
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

LUSAKA, Zambia — Paul Kasonkomona, a prominent gay and lesbian rights activist was arrested in Zambia after appearing on a live television calling for same-sex relations to be decriminalized.  He has been charged with “inciting the public to take part in indecent activities.”

Kasonkomona remains detained as police await further instructions. (Photograph Courtesy of Muvi Television)

Reports state that the police tried to stop the interview and take Kasonkomona off-air, but the producers and station management refused.  Plainclothes policemen apprehended Kasonkomona as he attempted to leave the station with colleagues, including a lawyer.  Muvi TV reports that Kasonkomona was transported to Woodlands Police Station for interrogation.

Homosexual acts are still illegal in Zambia, a traditionally conservative nation where many people believe that homosexuality violates their religious beliefs.

Offenses such as sodomy, or sex between women, carry a minimum sentence of 15 years or a maximum of life.  Specifically the Zambian Penal Code states that, “any person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature . . .  commits a felony” and can be imprisoned “for a term not less than 15 years and may be liable to imprisonment for life.”

Moreover, “any male who, whether in public or private, commits any act of gross indecency with a male . . . commits a felony and is liable, upon conviction, to imprisonment for a term not less than seven years and not exceeding 14 years.”

Kasonkomona, who calls himself a human rights activist, has called upon the government factions to harmonize their obligations and to protect gay rights.  As such, he has said that LGBTQ rights are like any other form of human rights, which should be respected at all cost

A group of same-sex couples attempted to register their marriages in Lusaka last week, but they were stopped by authorities and threatened with arrest.  However, the European Union last month offered financial support for organizations that seek to promote the rights of gay people in Zambia

For more information, please see:

All Africa – Zambia: Gay Rights Activist Arrested at Muvi TV – 8 April 2013

BBC – Zambia Gay Rights Activist Paul Kasonkomona Arrested – 8 April 2013

Digital Journal – Zambia Gay Rights Activist Arrested – 8 April 2013

The Global Post – Zambia Gay Rights Activist Arrested – 8 April 2013

Spanish Youth Rally Against Unemployment Crisis

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MADRID, Spain – On Sunday, Spanish youths, frustrated by a lack of opportunities in Spain, protested in various cities against high unemployment and poor working conditions, which force them to move abroad to find work.

Thousands of Spanish youth demonstrated against unemployment rates. (Photo Courtesy of TengriNews)

Hundreds of youths marched in Madrid behind a large black and white banner that stated, “We are not leaving, they are throwing us out.” Furthermore, the youth chanted, “We don’t want to go!”.

In addition to the protests in Madrid, numerous other smaller protests took place in Barcelona, Zaragoza and over 30 other cities around the world.

Mikel Revuelta, a spokesman for a grass-roots group called, Youth without a Future, stated, “We want to denounce the forced exile which young Spaniards are experiencing due to a lack of job opportunities.”

Currently, Spain is experiencing a recession that was caused by the collapse of a decade-long building boom in 2008. The employment rate reached 55 percent among 16 to 26 year-olds.

Unfortunately, the unemployment growth shows no sign of slowing.

However, last month, Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government introduced a 3.5 billion-euro plan to boost hiring of young people and help them start businesses. This particular plan includes reductions in social security payments for the self-employed and for companies hiring workers under 30 and training for young people who did not finish high school.

Furthermore, on Friday, the Spanish government stated it would invest 2.4 billion euros over the next three years to help rental housing and renovate buildings.

Unemployment caused tens of thousand of young Spaniards to look for job opportunities in other countries. Last year, more than 280,000 youths left Spain last year to find jobs in countries, such as Germany, Britain, Argentina and Venezuela.

David Garcia Jurado, a young Spaniard, stated, “It’s frustrating. It’s boring when you wake up every morning and you don’t know what to do. You try to study a little bit, study languages or try to learn how to use new IT programs, but you know that the next day is going to be the same.”

Jurado also stated he started to doubt himself and feels “useless”. “If you have an opportunity, in my case, you are lucky. Just an opportunity, just to have a door open. I just want to have the opportunity to demonstrate my capacities, my skills, my hard work. But now there are no opportunities in Spain. This is the only thing that I want, an opportunity. And Canada, for me, means opportunities.”

For further information, please see:

PressTV – Youth Spaniards Hold Job-Related Rallies – 8 April 2013

TengriNews – Spanish Youth Protest Around the World Against Unemployment – 8 April 2013

Aljazeera – Spain’s Youth Rally Against Unemployment – 7 April 2013

Deutsche Welle – Unemployed Yoth Turn Their Backs on Spain – 1 April 2013

Sitting Guatemalan President Accused Of War Crimes

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

GUATEMALA CITY , Guatemala – Guatemalan president Otto faces accusations atrocities that would link his command to war crimes and crimes against humanity as the trial of former leader Efrain Rios Montt goes underway.

The trial of Former head of state Rios Montt has lead to testimony accusing sitting Guatemalan President of War Crimes. (Photo courtesy of  Reuters)

Rios Montt was indicted in January 2012 on charges related to 15 massacres of the indigenous Ixil people in 1982.  Prosecutors have begun the trial by attempting to link this Rrios Montts history of representational inhumanity, and establish how as a general he willfully ignored soldiers who used rape, torture and arson as weapons against rebels.  Montt  has yet to take the stand, and when he does will be the first Guatemalan former head of state to do so on the charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Related to these incidents however was testimony from former army engineer Hugo Reyes that linked current president Otto Perez to war crimes an atrocities during the Guatemalan6g6y civil war. The engineer testified that under Perez’s commanded, soldiers’ intentionally and willfully destroyed property and burned homes and killed unarmed civilians.

These accusations led to statements that President Perez has vehemently rejected, referring to witness’s testimony as “a lie” and refused to comment on the potential testimony.

During the civil war, Perez was known as Major Tito Arias commanded troops along with another officer in northwestern Guatemala. Reyes, testified that the two coordinated the burning of homes and “pulling people out so they could execute them.” He continued by explaining how soldiers would take kidnapped civilians back to the military barracks where they were tortured, killed and then unceremoniously dumped into mass graves.

This is not the first time that Perez’s past as a military officer has led to speculation. When Perez took office, many questioned his participation in the war that took 200,000 people, and lead to the forced disappearance of another 45,000.  After his ascension to the presidency, human rights activists questioned whether he would bar efforts to bring army officials accused of war crimes to justice, but beyond the rejection of Reyes testimony, Perez has not gone to lengths to stop the criminal courts from processing war criminals.

It is unknown if this testimony will lead to anything. As a sitting President he enjoys amnesty as a public officials and cannot be subpoenaed.

Reyes has stated that he fears for his life, explaining that he fears retribution from Perez and other military commanders stating “I’m totally sure that they feel nothing in their soul torturing and disappearing someone.”

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Guatemala Genocide Trial A Landmark – 19 March 2013

Reuters – Guatemalan President Rejects Testimony Linking Him To War Crimes – 5 April 2013

Stabroek News – Witness At Ex-Dictator’s Trial Links Guatemalan President To War Crimes – 5 April 2013

El Tiempo – ‘The Conviction Of Former Dictator Rios Montt Could initiate Reconciliation’ – 5 February 2013

 

Rwanda Commemorates 19th Anniversary of Rwandan Genocide with an Eye Towards Self-Reliance

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KIGALI, Rwanda – April 7th marks the 19th commemoration of the Rwandan Genocide. This year’s commemoration is marked under the theme: “Let’s remember the Genocide against the Tutsi while striving for self-reliance.”

A Rwandan Genocide Commemoration in Canada. (Photo courtesy of E. Kwibuka/ The Sunday Times)

Although 19 years have passed, the scars and horrific memories are still alive in the hearts and minds of many Rwandans, especially the survivors who witnessed the carnage that stretched to around 100 days.

From April 4, 1994, close to a million Tutsi ethnic minorities and some moderate Hutus were hacked to death by extremist Hutus in a violent ethnic bloodbath that lasted approximately 100 days.

This year’s observance begins with a weeklong commemoration that involves several activities including: visiting and laying wreaths at memorial sites, according decent burial to exhumed Genocide remains, giving testimonies, public lectures, and candle lighting vigils.

Although the activities officially last a week, the commemoration continues up to July 4, marking 100 days of the Genocide.

“As we commemorate the genocide against Tutsi, we celebrate many achievements attained as a result of good leadership but amongst all, we hail the reconciliation progress we have made in the last 19 years. This is seen in the way we work together and help each other regardless of one’s origin or colour,” says Landoward Mugema, a resident of the Karama sector.

Something new this year is the nation’s increased emphasis on the role of the youth. The youth have been urged to actively take part in the commemoration activities.

Students from universities and secondary schools participated in a conference in Kigali organized before the official commemoration. The conference was organized under the theme, “Sharing the past, shaping the future building on self-reliance” – a theme in line with the national commemoration’s focus on self-reliance.

In addition, a group of fifty youths from around Kigali have been trained to handle various trauma cases that are anticipated in the coming week.

“We, the youth, should be first to promote the culture of commemorating the Genocide,” Mahoro said, asserting that the youth can learn a lot from the country’s history.

The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the Fight against the Genocide, Jean de Dieu Mucyo, said the youth have not been involved enough in prior commemoration activities, but added that their mindset is changing as they begin to feel responsible and own the activities.

Mucyo said the yearly commemorations help build peace, tolerance and peaceful co-existence in a nation that, not too long ago, witnessed one of the worst cases of ethnic cleansing in history.

“At the beginning, only the survivors and the leaders attended the commemoration activities, but now this has changed; everyone now feels part of commemoration,” Mucyo said.

After 19 years, Rwanda is looking forward to building a bright, tolerant, and self-reliant future never forgetting their nation’s most horrible tragedy.

 

For further information, please see:

The Sunday Times – Rwanda Remembers – 7 April 2013

News of Rwanda – Kigali Youths Trained on Trauma Counseling – 6 April 2013

All Africa – Rwanda: Nyagatare Residents to Cement on Reconciliation During the Genocide Commemoration Week – 6 April 2013

UN Africa Renewal – Rwanda Genocide Survivors Struggle to Rebuild their Lives – 5 April 2013

All Africa – Rwanda: Youth Urged to Participate in Genocide Commemoration – 4 April 2013