News

Teenage Boy Killed in Bahrain Protest

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — A teenager was killed on Thursday morning while participating in a protest that took place in the village of Daih.  The protest itself took place during the second anniversary of the demonstrations for democratic reforms.

A riot in the village of Daih resulted in the death of a teenager when he was shot by police forces. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry confirmed via Twitter that a person had died, but offered no further details beyond this.  The Interior Ministry tweet stated that “Operations Room received call from SMC [Salmaniya Medical Complex, the country’s largest hospital] reportain an injured individual pronounced dead.”  Al Wefaq,Bahrain’s largest opposition group, said in a report that the deceased teenager was 16 year old Hussain al-Jaziri, and that he was killed by shotgun fire at close range.  Al Wefaq’s report stated that al-Jaziri sustained a serious injury to his stomach.”

Throughout the villages of Bahrain, clashes occurred after several hundred demonstrators, mostly comprised of Shi’ite youths, blocked the roads to Manama and hurled stones and firebombs towards police forces.  Protesters reported that teargas was used in several locations.  Three photojournalists were arrested while reporting in Daih.

The current clashes are the most violent in recent months and have the potential to mar talks that were initiated last Sunday between mostly Shi’ite Muslim opposition groups and the Sunni dominated government in an effort to end the political deadlock that has dominated Bahraini politics.

The Chief of Public Security, Major-General Tariq Hassan al-Hassan, issued a statement reporting that “[t]he worst clashes occurred in Daih where around 300 people at around 8 am attacked the security men stationed there to protect the area,” he said.  Al-Hassan also mentioned in his reports that Police forces in Daih had to take action since they “had come under attack from rioters with rocks, steel rods, and Molotov cocktails. Warning shots were fired but failed to disperse the advancing crowd who continued their attack. Officers discharged birdshot to defend themselves.”

Al-Hassan said that he initiated an investigation, and intends to quiz several members of the unit involved in the incident.  Al-Hassan also pleaded to demonstrators to not use al-Jaziri’s death as means to commit more violence.  “I urge all citizens not to heed the calls to exploit this death to undermine public order and cause further loss of life and property,” he said.

Al Wefaq says that the death of al-Jaziri “exacerbated emotions” for demonstrators throughout the country who participated in protests.  It has called for a massive demonstration to take part on Friday morning, requesting everyone to take part.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — ‘Teenager Killed’ in Bahrain Protest — 14 February 2013

BBC News — Teenager Killed in Bahrain Anniversary Protests — 14 February 2013

Gulf News — Teenager Killed as Clashes Erupt in Bahrain — 14 February 2013

Reuters — Teen Killed in Protests on Bahrain Revolt Anniversary — 14 February 2013

Peru Experiences Recent Upheaval in Latest Mining Protests

By Pearl Rimon
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LIMA, Peru – Peru has been experiencing clashes for the last 18 months in the Cajamarca region. Four people were shot and killed and more than 20 wounded in the protests surrounding Newmont’s $5 billion Conga mine due to taking water away from the villages and farms.

Peruvians hold a demonstration at the Conga mine. (Photo Courtesy of Financial Times)

“The only thing the people want is water for families, but the mining companies want to take it. And soldiers will kill if you get in the way”, said Adelaida Tabaco, the widow of a man killed in the most recent clash.

In order to build Conga, two lakes will be dug for the copper and ore while two other lakes will be filled with the debris from separating the metals from ore. Conga is projected to produce 680,000 ounces of gold and 106,000 tons of copper yearly.

The conflict spans the continent of South America, pitting South American governments paired with foreign companies against citizens who are at risk of losing their homes due to their water supply being used for industrial causes. South America is seeing a trend with leaders accelerating the approval of water-use projects like the Conga mine. Peru is on track to expand 6% in GDP this year due to gold, silver and copper mine investments.

The majority of Peru’s mines including Conga are located in the Andes where they experience nearly nonexistent rainfall from May to October. According to the UN, growing populations have decreased the amount of usable water per person by 1/5 since 1992 in Peru.

In the areas of the country where mines are expanding, the water supply is already in short supply according to the National Water Authority. The Peruvian government must spend $394 million on canals and reservoirs by 2016 for use during the annual water shortages that occur during the dry seasons.

The conflict over the limited water resources has become deadly. Since 2010, fifteen people have been killed in protests against the government for allowing mining companies to use the water resources. This water shortage has made it difficult for substantial farming to occur. The protests began in April 2010 against Southern Copper Corporation’s mine near the Chile-Peru border. This escalated the next year by two people dying in protests against water use by a Switzerland-based company’s mine.

The constant hostility due to the mining operations has been an issue for President Humala since his slight margin of victory in 2011.

People in the Andes area are already struggling with water shortage due to the rainfall being below average for two years.

 

For more information, please see:

Bloomberg News — South Americans Face Upheaval in Deadly Water Battles – 13 Feb 2013

Financial Times — Mining: Andean concessions – 05 Feb 2013

Vancouver Sun — Manthorpe: Peru battles widespread local hostility to mining projects – 03 Feb 2013

Human Rights Watch — Peru: Letter to Presidente Ollanta Humala – 20 September 2012

U.S. Senate Renews Violence Against Women Act with Added Protections

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — By a more than 3-to-1 margin, U.S. senators voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act on Tuesday, expanding the anti-domestic-violence protections to include lesbians, immigrants, and Native American women for the first time.

The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D–VT). The bill needs House approval before it can be signed into law. (Photo Courtesy of Women’s eNews)

The 78-to-22 vote authorizes $659 million during the next five years for various programs, including more attention to sexual assault prevention and efforts at reducing a backlog in processing rape kits.  The issue now moves to the House of Representatives before the law takes effect.

Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron, CEO of the YWCA, released a press statement saying that House members should followed the Senate’s lead “so that YWCAs across the country can continue to provide safe harbor for the many women who seek protection from violence.”

Sarah Schmidt, Chairwoman of the Lesbian Superpac, went a step further, calling on supporters to lobby their representative.

“This is a hugely important moment for women and LGBT people across the country,” Schmidt said in an email to Women’s eNews.  “We all deserve protections against violence.”

The act expired in 2011, which stalled efforts to strengthen its federal programs.  While both chambers of Congress passed renewal bills last year, the two sides were unable to reach a compromise bill that could become law.

This year, House Republicans appear more willing to ensure the issue succeeds.  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R­–VA) has led an effort to negotiate the House bill, according to the Associated Press.

Among those who have reached out Cantor is Vice President Joe Biden.  In 1994, Biden—then a senator from Delaware—successfully helped negotiate the original Violence Against Women Act.

An apparent sticking point with the renewal is whether tribal courts will be allowed to prosecute non-natives who are accused of assaulting Native American women on reservations.  Republican senators argued that would be unconstitutional, but their efforts were defeated.  But observers say this issue could be a hurdle still, as lawmakers try to reconcile the Senate version of the bill with a House version that is likely to pass.

All 20 women members of the Senate voted for the VAWA bill, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D–VT), which also drew support from 23 Republican votes.  The Senate also voted 93 to 5 to include a provision that targets human trafficking, and 100 to 0 to include a provision that ensures child sex trafficking victims are eligible for grant assistance.

For further information, please see:

All Voices — Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Clears Senate in Significant Gender-Split Vote — 12 February 2013

Huffington Post — Senate Approves Anti-Violence Against Women Act — 12 February 2013

Women eNews — VAWA Passes Senate, Turning Attention to House — 12 February 2013

The Paramus Post — Rape Survivor Demands Congress Extend the Violence Against Women Act Immediately — 11 February 2013

10 Women Arrested for Wearing Prayer Shawls at the Western Wall

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel — Last Monday Israeli police arrested 10 women for wearing tallits (prayer shawls), at the Western Wall, one of Israel’s holiest sites. In Orthodox Judaism, wearing a tallit at the Wall is a custom traditionally reserved for men.

Rabbi Susan Silverman (L) and her daughter Hallel Abramowitz were part of the 10 women arrested at the Western Wall for wearing prayer shawls at the site. (Photo Courtesy of Russia Today)

The women, all members of an activist group called the Women of the Wall (WOTW), whose mission is to promote gender equality in religious practice.  WOTW visited the Western Wall to pray for the Jewish new month of Adar at a monthly service which featured veterans who fought at the Western Wall during the Six Day War of 1967.  Among the arrested women were WOTW founder Anat Hoffman, Lion Nevo, an 8 month pregnant rabbinical student, and Rabbi Susan Silverman, sister of the comedian Sarah Silverman, and her 17 year old daughter Hallel Abramowitz. The ladies linked arms and sang songs as they were escorted to a police station.  Some women were released after they were questioned for three hours by police, however those who did not agree to a conditional release will have to attend a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate Court on Monday.

“They (police) said ‘take off your prayer shawls’, and we said ‘no,'” said Silverman.  Police Spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said that the women were violating a “regulation set by the High Court” a decade ago, which was enacted to uphold Orthodox rules at the site for the sake of avoiding tensions between worshippers.  Silverman said that the regulation amounted to “spitting on the Sinai,” the site in the Bible where God gave Moses the 10 Commandments.  “All Jews are in a covenant with God, regardless of gender,” she said.  Sarah Silverman commended her sister through her Facebook page, saying that she was “SO proud” of her sister and niece for their act of “civil disobedience.”

The police were criticized for the arrests.  “It’s unacceptable that the police are stopping women from wearing a tallitot, it’s like Iran. I can’t believe they are stopping people from praying in one certain way or another, said Llon Bartov, a veteran who fought in the Six Day War. “This is just attrition,” said WOTW Founder Hoffman.  ” They want the group to become frightened.”

The women who were detained claimed that they were amongst hundreds of supporters who came to pray at the Wall.  Dozens of men who supported their cause were also present.  Some of them had even smuggled prayer shawls which they passed over the gender barrier “like contraband goods.”  After their arrest, WOTW moved its Torah reading to the police station where their fellow members were being held.

For further information please see:

Al Jazeera — Israel Detains Women Over Prayer Shawls — 11 February 2013

The Jerusalem Post — 10 Women Arrested at Kotel for Wearing Tallitot — 11 February 2013

Russia Today — Shawl Male Rule: Israeli Police Detain Ten Women Over ‘Improper Attire’ at Holy Site — 11 February 2013

The Times of Israel — 10 Women with Prayer Shawls Arrested at Western Wall — 11 February 2013

Victim’s Suicide Causes Debate Over Court Proceedings

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LONDON, United Kingdom – Frances Andrade, a respected violinist and mother of four, is believed to have committed suicide days after an aggressive cross-examination in the trial of her former music teacher Michael Brewer.

Frances Andrade committed suicide just days after her cross-examination during the trial of Michael Brewer. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

On Friday, Brewer, an ex choir teacher, was convicted of carrying out sexual abuse in his office at Chetham’s School of Music between 1978 and 1982. However, simultaneously, the jury cleared Brewer of rape and one charge of indecently assaulting the victim as a child in his home.

During the trial, Brewer’s barrister Kate Blackwell QC, accused Andrade, who did not want to bring the case, of being a liar and a fantasist.

According to her husband, Andrade felt traumatized after being accused of lying in court. Her death, which occurred only days after her cross-examination, prompted a debate on how the court handled Brewer’s case and why the police advised Andrade not to receive therapy until after the trial.

Andrade’s husband explained, “She become really withdrawn. She went to the doctor as she was having trouble sleeping. He suggested she speak to someone and said he could refer her – but she said she’d been told not to by the police. I don’t know if it was Manchester or Surrey [police] but they said psychiatric help might affect her evidence – she might change her mind or it might confuse her. I hope this is something that will be looked at during the inquest.”

Home Secretary, Theresa May, said, “This was a terrible case when you look at the details of this and we all have sympathy with the family and what they have gone through. Obviously this whole question of how the police deal with rape cases is one that is being looked at and we have been trying to improve the police handling of this under both governments, over a number of years.”

She continued, “We all recognize that one of the issues here is the difficulty victims feel in coming forward and sadly when we see incidents such as has happened in this case, I fear others may be put off from coming forward rather than encouraged from coming forward.”

Maura McGowan QC, Chairman of the Bar, stated, “The Bar Council is ready and willing to cooperate fully with the Home Secretary in any closer inspection of how the justice system operates following an allegation of sexual assault. We should ensure that every reasonable measure is taken to protect vulnerable witnesses and to encourage the victims of abuse to come forward.”

For further information, please see:

BBC — Theresa May: Chethams abuse case death ‘may deter victims’ – 11 February 2013

DailyMail — Home secretary announces probe into police handling of the violinist who killed herself after being grilled in choirmaster abuse case – 11 February 2013

The Telegraph — Death of Frances Andrade Will Put Other Victims Off Coming Forward, says Home Secretary – 11 February 2013

The Guardian — Frances Andrade Killed Herself After Being Accused of Lying, says Husband – 10 February 2013