By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OTTAWA, Canada – Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Lawrence Cannon, announced that he would be nominating Gerald Latulippe for president of Rights and Democracy, a government-funded human rights organization. Latulippe will replace Remy Beauregard who died of a heart attack at age 66 last month.

Latulippe is a former Cabinet Minister who was in Parliament during the 1980’s. He currently works in Haiti for the Democratic National Institute, a group dedicated to promoting democracy around the world.

Latulippe will take over as President of Rights and Democracy during a period of heavy turmoil. Members of the group have accused the current administration of overloading the board with conservative members in order to promote issues relating to the Middle East and Israel. The sharp divide has compelled former Presidents of the organization to call for the resignation of some senior board members.

Lawrence Cannon expressed his full confidence in Latulippe to lead Rights and Democracy at a press conference on Monday, February 22. “I fully believe that Mr. Latulippe is the ideal candidate to return Rights and Democracy to the promotion of Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” said Cannon.

Latulippe’s appointment stands in stark contrast to recent officials appointed to Rights and democracy. The current administration has typically appointed conservative members to serve on the board. In contrast, Latulippe was a member of the liberal party during his tenure in parliament.

Liberals have criticized the move saying it will only bring more turbulence by pitting a liberal director against a predominantly conservative board. “Our view is that the Conservative government started this process of chaos by appointing a board of governors that basically waged war on the organization it was charged to look after,” said liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.

For more information, please see:

Winnipeg Free Press – Feds Install New Head to Besieged Rights Group – 23 February 2010

CBC – Rights & Democracy: How Much has Changed? – 22 February 2010

National Post – Human Rights Group Choice Disputed – 23 February 2010

By Stephen Kopko

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON D.C., United States – Last month, President Obama called for congressional leaders to repeal the United States military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in his State of the Union address. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law bars homosexual soldiers from serving openly while they are in the military. Since then, congressional leaders have worked quickly in examining whether and how the law should be repealed. Both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee conducted hearings to assess the views of top military leaders on the repeal of the law.

The U.S. top military leaders are in agreement that the policy should be reexamined. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in a congressional hearing early in February, believed that Congress should act slowly to determine whether and when the law be repealed. Secretary Gates stated that it would take a Pentagon up to a year to study how a repeal of the law would affect the military. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, favors the repeal. He stated “allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military would be the right thing to do.” Admiral Mullen was troubled by the policy because it requires soldiers “to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”

Other top military officials believe that Secretary Gates’ stance on the issue is the correct way to examine the repeal of the law. Army Chief of Staff, General George Casey, agreed with Gates’ belief that the repeal of the law should be examined carefully and deliberately. While being questioned by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, General Casey stated a major concern congressional leaders need to consider in repealing the law. General Casey believed Congress should assess how the repeal of the law would affect the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and the success of the operations in those nations. General Norman Schwartz, the Air Force Chief of Staff, echoed General Casey’s concern in front of the House Armed Services Committee. He stated; “This is not the time to perturb the force that is, at the moment, stretched by demands in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere without careful deliberation. Also, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Marine General James Conway, agreed that the law should be examined slowly and that any decision on repeal be based upon the United States’ ability to fight wars.

As congressional leaders move forward they will take into strong consideration the views expressed by the United States top military leaders. They will have to balance the careful study of the repeal expressed by Secretary Gates and a majority of the leaders of the different branches of the military with President Obama’s hope of repealing the law within the year. All of the leaders of the different branches of the military did state they would follow and implement any decision made by Congress.

For more information, please see:

Los Angeles Times – Military chiefs voice concern over ending ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ – 24 February 2010

Miami Herlad – Top Marine softens stance on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ – 24 February 2010

NY Times – 2 Generals Wary About Repealing Gay Policy – 23 February 2010

By Brenda Lopez Romero
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – The drought zones of Mozonte and Macuelizo have at least fifty percent of their population without basic drinking water needs met. They must travel over eight kilometers to find usable water.

There are expectations for worse conditions to come. Monseñor Bernardo Hombach, Bishops of the Diócesis de Granada, is concerned with widespread hunger due to the drought. Hombach said many people had not picked their harvest. He stated “at the moment the impact is not felt because some people have small reserves.” The zone of Chinandega is starting to see the hunger issue.

The mayor of Mozonte called the World Food Program to obtain food for 520 families in the affected zone. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is implementing a program of food for work for about 652 families affected. In March, the families are to work in conservation and reforesting.

Government officials say there are doing the best they can to alleviate problems.

For more information, please see:

La Prensa – Poblados sin agua ni comida – 23 February 2010

La Prensa – Se agudiza la hambruna en el Norte – 22 February 2010

By Brenda Lopez Romero
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

NAHUNTA, Georgia – With a population of 930, this north Georgia town whose name is derived from the Iroquoian “nahunta”, meaning tall trees, witnessed a rally by the Ku Klux Klan. There were about a dozen-plus Klansmen out numbered by hundreds of spectators, counter-protesters and police. After the two hour event, the streets of the small town were all but empty, but the memory will last in the air of the quiet Brantley County town for years to come.

There were representatives of the Georgia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and about twenty white-robed members of the Georgia Knight Riders branch of the Ku Klux Klan and about twenty Klansmen from Alabama.

Ezekiel Holley, vice president of the Georgia NAACP, said “We are here to let people know that (the KKK is) still around, and they are here to spread hatred.”

The Klan sought a permit to rally stating they would focus on issues of punishing sex offenders, keeping youth away from drugs and protecting prayer in schools. However, its main message was unambiguous when Jeff Jones, imperial wizard of the organization, started with a simple statement “Wake up Georgia, and stop the Latino invasion now.”

Jones stated illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central America were a threat to the nation adding racial slurs to his speech, suggested immigrants should serve in the armed forces before earning citizenship, was opposed U.S. aid to Haiti and other countries, and that English should be the only language spoken in America.

“Some of it’s true. There are a lot of illegal aliens in this country,” said a man watching the rally. Douglas Morse of Savannah was not so convinced stating “The Klan always gets big when the economy is weak, and they just pick someone outside of their group to blame.” Greg Givings, a forty-year-old soldier of Waycross, laughed mostly, but was concerned about children in the audience. He stated “In this day and age, I can’t believe people are teaching their children this.”

Brantley County Commission Chair Ronald Ham said he was happy it was over and that it ended without incident.  “Let’s get back to normal,” he said.  “My big frustration is these guys haven’t sold anything all day,” he said referring to the stores on Main street.

For more information, please see:

The Brunswick News – KKK rally uneventful – 22 February 2010

First Coast News – Mixed Opinions Mingle at Nahunta, Ga., KKK Rally – 21 February 2010

Jacksonville News – Cheers, jeers greet Klan rally in Nahunta – 21 February 2010

By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OTTAWA, Canada – A Canadian federal court refused to give former Rwandan ambassador to Canada Maximin Segasayo a hearing to determine whether he was complicit in war crimes on Thursday, February 18, 2010. The court held that Segasayo could not receive a hearing because he was a senior official and was presumed to be complicit.

Segasayo came to Canada in 1991 to serve as Rwanda’s ambassador to Canada. He served in that position until 1995 when Rwanda ordered him to return. Segasayo refused to return and was granted refugee status in Canada.

In 1998 Canada declared that the Rwandan government had “engaged in gross human rights violation, genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity” during the 1994 genocide. During the genocide, members of the Hutu tribe killed 800,000 members of the Tutsis tribe. The genocide ended when a rebel group overthrew the Hutu controlled government and seized control of Rwanda.

Seqasayo was denied status as a landed immigrant in 1998 because he was a senior member of the Hutu tribe. The Canadian government has been trying to deport him ever since.

On Thursday, Federal Judge Sean Harrington found that Segasayo was not entitled to a federal hearing because there was an irrebuttable presumption that senior officials in a regime were complicit in war crimes. As a result, Segasayo a senior member of the Hutu tribe was not eligible for a hearing to determine if he was complicit in the war crimes.

The judge also held that the case was not ripe for adjudication in court because Segasayo had not yet exhausted all avenues of appeal.

This is the third time Segasayo has lost in federal court during his twelve year fight to stay in Canada. During that time he has also sought a ministerial exemption stating that he was not implicit in any of the atrocities that took place during the Rwandan genocide. An attempt to obtain refugee status from the immigration board claiming that as a member of the Hutu tribe he would be subjected to persecution if returned to Tutsis controlled Rwanda.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Canadian Court Denies Rwandan Envoy’s Refugee Bid – 19 February 2010

Montreal Gazette – Former Diplomat Loses Fight to Stay – 19 February 2010

Ottawa Citizen – Former Rwandan Ambassador Loses Key Court Fight to Stay In Canada – 18 February 2010