News

Thailand Facing New Controversy Over Death of Teen Activist, Despite Dropping Defamation Suits

By: Nicole Hoerold
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand – The controversy surrounding the death of teenage activist Chaiyaphum Pasae, who was shot and killed by Thai soldiers during a drug raid, continues to grow. Conflicting accounts of what happened leading up to Pasae’s death are adding to the uproar warning of intimidation and manipulation by Thailand’s military.

Chaiyaphum Pasae, ethnic rights activist, was shot and killed by the Thai military on March 17, 2017. Photo courtesy of FrontLineHRD.

Accoring to the military, Pasae was travelling in a car when he was stopped at a routine checkpoint. While the car was being searched for drugs, the military says, Pasae ran from the scene and into a nearby jungle. He was about to throw a hand grenade when one soldier intervened and shot Pasae in self defense. Eye witnesses, however, report a very different unfolding of events. Eye witnesses are claiming that the group of soldiers physically assaulted Pasae at the checkpoint, and as he attempted to escape, he was shot by one of the soldiers.

Human rights organizations have long warned of the lack of protections for activists in Thailand. The United Nations warned that groups like human rights defenders, women, and other vulnerable groups are most susceptible to such abuses. The UN report notes that hundreds of individuals have been jailed since the 2014 military coup for exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.

In early March, the Thai military took a small but significant step in ending government intimidation by dropping frivolous defamation suits against three prominent activists. In 2016, rights lawyers Somchai Homlaor, Pornpen Khongkachonkie, and Anchana Heemmina published a report citing 54 cases of alleged military abuse and torture of prisoners in military custody. The Thai Internal Security Operations Command responded by filing a criminal complaint against the lawyers, accusing them of defamation and breaches of the Computer Crimes Act.

Thailand has a long way to go when ensuring the equal protection of human rights, and human rights organizations will continue to keep an eye on the government and its actions.

For more information, please see:

Asian Correspondent – Thailand: Pressure grows for transparency in probe on teen activist’s death – 31 March, 2017

Asian Correspondent – Activists, women and ethnic minorities lack protection in Thailand – UN – 29 March, 2017

VOA News – Activists Welcome Thai Decision to Drop Charges Against Rights Report Author – 8 March, 2017

Human Rights Watch – Thailand: Defamation Cases Dropped Against Activists – 7 March, 2017

Thousands of Hungarians Protest in Support of Central European University

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Over 70,000 people rallied in Budapest on Sunday in support of a university founded by American George Soros.  Soros, who was born in Hungary, founded Central European University (CEU) in 1991.  CEU has been operating in Hungary as a partial American institution with little Hungarian oversight and control.  The bill was set forth by the ruling Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.  Hungarian President Janos Ader must sign the bill by Monday in order to make it law.

Protestors rally against the proposed higher-education law in front of the Hungarian Parliament on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 (Photo Courtesy of The Washington Post).

The bill arguably affects two dozen universities, however many believe its main target to be CEU.  The bill would require CEU to change its name, open a campus in the United States, and become part of binding university agreements between Hungary and the U.S.  The bill also includes a provision which would restrict the independence of universities that offer diplomas from countries where they do not have a campus or offer courses, which is a restriction that would only affect CEU.

Many see the university as a target for Orban and his “illiberal policies.”  The proposed law has been criticized by the U.S. government, European Union, and leading academics across the world.  Protestors shouted phrases such as “What do we want Ader to do? Veto,” and “Free country, free university” in hopes of convincing Ader to reject the bill and consider it under constitutional review.

Kornel Klopfstein, a protest organizer and PhD student at the University of Bielefeld, commented that “[t]he government wants to silence pretty much everyone who doesn’t think the same as them, who thinks freely, who can be liberal, can be leftist.”  Michael Ignatieff, CEU rector, assured that CEU will remain open and demanded the law be thrown away.  Ignatieff also suggested that additional international safeguards for academic freedom should be added to current legal policies.

On Friday, Orban commented that CEU’s status as a partial American institution gives it an unfair advantage over other Hungarian universities. Orban also commented that CEU conducted a “fraud” and that billionaires are not above the law.

CEU enrolls over 1,400 students from 108 countries, and is currently an accredited school in New York state.

Orban and his party have recently faced criticism for targeting nongovernmental organizations, most of which rely on financing from Soros and are critical of Orban’s administration.

 

For more information, please see:

ABC — Hungary: Thousands Rally in Support of Soros-Founded School — 9 April 2017

The Guardian — Thousands Protest in Hungary Over Threat to Soros University — 9 April 2017

The Washington Post — Why is Hungary Trying to Close George Soros’s Prestigious University — 7 April 2017

NY Times — Hungary’s Parliament Passes Law Targeting George Soros’s University — 4 April 2017

Anti Zuma Protests Take Place in South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa– 60,000 protesters marched in anti-Zuma protests on Friday April 7th after Zuma reshuffled his cabinet positions leading to yet another crisis during his presidency.  Protests took place across the country, but many were held in the country’s capitals Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town.

Protesters outside union building in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo Courtesy of ABC News)

The protests were triggered when President Zuma fired Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Thursday.  This has not only caused distress among the public but also in the African National Congress party (ANC).  The ANC is calling on Zuma to step down as his leadership is continuing to affect the nation.  The firing of Finance Minister Gordhan caused S&P Global Rankings to downgrade South Africa to “junk”.  Other reasons were cited for the downgrade as well.

Although President Zuma is not set to leave office until 2019 protesters are still persistent.  Ailing anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu even made an appearance at protests, his foundations twitter posted “We will pray for the downfall of a government that misrepresents us.”  Protests across the country carried on relatively peacefully on Friday, with a few clashes between police and protesters in Johannesburg.  Citizens continue to be frustrated with the Zuma administration and the civil disobedience will most likely throughout Zuma’s tenure as president.

For more information, please see: 

ABC News – South Africans protest Zuma as country downgraded to junk – 7 April 2017

BBC News – Anti-Zuma protests take place across South Africa – 7 April 2017

The Globe and the Mail – Thousands of anti-Zuma protesters march across South Africa – 7 April 2017

Reuters – Skirmishes in Johannesburg as South Africans protest against Zuma – 7 April 2017

Japan Increases Surveillance of North Korea Nuclear Weapons Program

By: Nicole Hoerold
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TOKYO, Japan – Ken Kato, director of Human Rights in Asia and a member of International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea, has made allegations that a scientist with ties to North Korea is working for a Japanese University. More specifically, the scientist is working with technology required to achieve miniaturization of nuclear warheads.

North Korean soldiers look toward Kim Jong Un in 2013 as they march with packs marked with the nuclear symbol. Photo courtesy of AP.

Paragraph 17 of UN Resolution 2270, legislation meant to ban specialized nuclear and missile-related teaching or training currently applies only to individuals who identify as DPRK nationals. Under the current regulation, Kato argues, North Koreans living in Japan who sympathize with the North Korean regime are exempt from the ban.

Kato has addressed the UN Security Council on the matter, warning of North Korean “nuclear spies” operating in Japan. Kato singled out an assistant professor at Kyoto University’s Research Reactor Institute. Dr. Pyeon Cheol-ho is “closely linked to the North Korean regime” and received “grants from the Kim Man Yu Science Foundation for research on nuclear testing in 1997 and 1999,” according to experts speaking to Japanese media.

North Korea’s nuclear agenda is not a new threat to international security. Japan recently launched a surveillance satellite meant to keep an eye on North Korea’s nuclear development program. Japan’s Radar 5 was brought into orbit atop the H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on March 17. The new satellite is meant to replace an existing surveillance satellite, nearing the end of its time in commission.

Increasingly, international cooperation is crucial to monitoring the development of North Korea’s nuclear missile program.

For more information, please see:

Deutsche Welle – Are ‘nuclear spies’ in Japan providing Pyongyang with weapons technology? – 4 April, 2017

The Japan Times – Japan launches new spy satellite to keep eye on North Korea – 17 March, 2017

NASA – Japanese H-IIA rocket launches latest IGS spy satellite – 16 March, 2017

International Business Times – Eye in the sky: Japan launches spy satellite to watch North Korea amid rising nuclear threat – 18 march, 2017

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Reaches New Labor Agreement with Better Pay

By Sarah Lafen
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON D.C., United States — On Tuesday, the United States’ women’s national soccer team and U.S. Soccer, the team’s governing body, agreed to a new five-year agreement.  The new agreement follows a year-long dispute over demands for equal pay.  The team’s previous agreement expired in 2012, but was extended while negotiations took place.  Some players brought the situation to court to explore the possibility of going on strike to protest a lack of progress in negotiations, however U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled against the players last year.

U.S. women’s national soccer team members Tobin Heath, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Samantha Mewis at a game in March (Photo Courtesy of the New York Times)

While the new agreement will not match the women’s national team pay with the men’s national soccer team pay, it does outline better working conditions, travel arrangements, increase per diem stipends, and match bonuses.  Because the agreement will last through 2021, the team will not have to renegotiate terms for upcoming major events, such as the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati called the agreement an “important step” for women’s soccer.  Gulati praised the agreement and said that “[it] helps to ensure the strength of the women’s national team, provide stability and growth potential for the National Women’s Soccer League, and over time strengthen the elite player development process at the grassroots level.”

U.S. women’s team veteran Megan Rapinoe said she was “very proud” of the team throughout the negotiation process.  Rapione thinks there is still progress to be made for the women’s team and women in general, the Women’s National Team Players Association should be proud of their accomplishment with the new agreement.  National team player Alex Morgan said the agreement “felt very empowering.”  Morgan commented that she “felt really happy with the agreement that [they] reached and the fact that [they] can now do what [they] came for and play soccer.”

The agreement was reached on National Equal Pay Day, which is the date that marks how far into the year women have to work in order to earn the same amount of pay that men made the previous year.  The women’s soccer agreement mirrors that of the women’s national hockey team.  Last week, USA Hockey and the U.S. women’s national hockey team reached an agreement to improve compensation.  Some of the women’s national hockey team players threatened to boycott the women’s world championship tournament unless they saw improvements in pay and financial support.

 

For more information, please see:

NPR — In ‘Important Step,’ U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Reaches New Labor Deal — 6 April 2017

The Huffington Post — On Equal Pay Day, U.S. Women’s Soccer Players Finally Strike a Deal — 5 April 2017

The New York Times — Long Days, Google Docs and Anonymous Surveys: How the U.S. Soccer Team Forged a Deal — 5 April 2017

PBS News Hour — U.S. Women’s Soccer Scores Higher Pay, Better Conditions in New Labor Agreement — 5 April 2017