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Report Shows Evidence Of False Positive Killings

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia — Human Rights Watch has released a 95-page report on evidence of false positive killings by Colombian troops between 2002 and 2008. At the time, Colombia was conducting frequent military operations against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

Colombians protest the false positive killings. [Photo courtesy of BBC]
According to the report, there are 3,700 alleged incidences of false positive killings under investigation by the Colombian Attorney General. The victims were rural farmers, criminals and addicts, either abducted or lured to remote areas. After being killed, the victims were dressed in fatigues and arranged with weapons.

Over 180 battalions and tactical units are thought to have been involved in the killings over the course of six years. The killings were considered a measure of military success and were some times rewarded with cash and vacation time.

The killings sputtered out after the death of 19 young men from Bogota caught international attention and resulted in the Colombian army’s top commander stepping down. Since then about 800 army personnel have been charged with extrajudicial killings, most of them lower-ranking soldiers.

Colombia enacted the Legal Framework for Peace in 2012, a constitutional amendment that may allow impunity for atrocities committed by guerilla groups, paramilitary groups and the military upon the completion of a peace agreement between Colombia and FARC.

Very few of the army’s top officials, who the report alleges knew or should have known about the killings, have been charged with the crimes. Current commander of the Colombian Army General Jaime Laspirilla and commander of the armed forces General Juan Pablo Rodriguez have been summoned by the Attorney General’s office to give evidence. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos defended the two men, saying that he was not aware of any investigation against them.

Those involved who have spoken out or testified about the issue have faced backlash from within the military. Sergeant Carlos Mora reported some suspicious deaths to his superiors in 2006 and soon faced harassment and frequently dangerous assignments. His superiors also implied that his family would be killed if he continued told anyone else. He would later bring his suspicions to high command.

In October 2014, Niixón de Jesús Cárcamo was murdered in the 11th Brigade’s military detention center. Cárcamo had confessed to being involved with the false positive killings and was providing information on his superiors’ actions to investigators.

The International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor has been closely watching the proceedings in Colombia. The Office will consider opening an investigation if it determines that the Colombian authorities are not genuinely engaging in the prosecutions.

The United States has provided Colombia with billions of dollars in military aid because the country was “threatened by an insurgency,” said Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.). Leahy has criticized the aid given to Colombia in the past. Additionally, Human Rights Watch has called for the U.S. to suspend any military aid to Colombia that is subject to human rights conditions.

Colombia and FARC representatives have been in ongoing talks for a peace agreement since November 2012.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Colombia’s top army officials ‘knew of extrajudicial killings’ – 24 June 2015

Colombia Reports – Colombia generals escaping punishment for for role in civilian killings: HRW – 24 June 2015

The Guardian – Colombia acts on massacres – punishing whistleblower and promoting officers – 24 June 2015

Human Rights Watch – Colombia: Top Brass Linked to Extrajudicial Executions – 24 June 2015

Human Rights Watch – On Their Watch: Evidence of Senior Officers’ Responsibility for False Positive Killings in Colombia – 24 June 2015

Washington Post – Colombian army killed civilians to fake battlefield success, rights group says – 24 June 2015

Attack by Ethnic Uighurs was Likely Fueled by China’s Religious Controls

By Christine Khamis, Impunity Watch Reporter

 

BEIJING, China –

A clash between Ethnic Uighurs and Chinese police on Monday led to the death of an estimated 18 people in Kashgar, a city in the Xinjiang region in western China. The attack by the Uighurs on a police checkpoint was reported by Radio Free Asia.

Radio Free Asia, or RFA, is a Washington-based news service that employs Uighur reporters. Chinese news media fails to report much of what the RFA and pro-Uighur websites report on attacks against Chinese authorities.

RFA has reported that a car attempted to go through the police checkpoint in the Xinjiang region without stopping. A police officer attempted to stop the car and the car backed up, crushing the officer’s leg. Two individuals got out of the car and stabbed two traffic officers. Several other attackers arrived at the scene, as well as armed police officers. 15 of the attackers and 3 police officers were killed during the attack.

The RFA’s report has been corroborated by members of the neighborhood where the attack occurred. A police officer also confirmed the attack but wished to remain anonymous because he was not allowed to speak with foreign news organizations.

There is a long history of tension and conflict between the Uighurs and Chinese authorities. Tensions especially intensified in 2009 when there was ethnic rioting in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s regional capital. Hundreds of people have been killed during attacks throughout the past three years.

The Uighurs are an ethnic Turkish group comprising more than forty percent of the 22 million people in the Xinjiang region. Most Uighurs are Muslim. Beijing has increasingly controlled the Uighurs’ right to practice Islam, including allowing fewer mosques and strict oversight of religious schools.

In July 2014, some Muslim civil servants were not allowed to fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In some areas of the Xinjiang region, Uighurs are subject to fines or detention for wearing veils or having beards.

 

Members of ethnic Uighur population. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

 

The Xinjiang region has expanded economically and with that expansion, a number of Han Chinese have settled in the region. The Han Chinese are said to have the best employment options in the region and many of them do well financially. This has also fueled animosity among Uighurs.

Some of the Uighurs are separatists who want to create an independent East Turkestan, and some of those separatists commit similar attacks against Chinese authorities.

An Amnesty International report in 2013 stated that Chinese authorities criminalized “what they labeled ‘illegal religious’ and ‘separatist’ activities” and cracked down on “peaceful expressions of cultural identity”.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – China Police Checkpoint Attack ‘Kills 18’ in Xinjiang – 24 June 2015

Bloomberg Business – Attack in China’s Xinjiang Region Kills at Least 18, RFA Reports – 24 June 2015

New York Times – Deadly Clash Between Police and Ethnic Uighurs Reported in Xinjiang Region of China –24 June 2015

Reuters – Bomb Attack In Restive Xinjiang and Police Response Kill at Least 18: Radio Free Asia – 24 June 2015

BBC – Why Is There Tension Between China and the Uighurs? – 26 September 2014

Amnesty International – Annual Report: China 2013 – 25 May 2013

The Vatican Will Soon Officially Recognize Palestine as a State

by Mridula Tirumalasetti

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

The Vatican announced on Wednesday that it will sign a treaty that officially recognizes Palestine as a state. “In Rome, Pope Francis will declare on May 17 two Palestinian nuns as saints, and we are in full preparation,” Bishop William Shomali told reporters. Given the international stature of Pope Francis, Palestinian leaders have celebrated this announcement.

Pope Francis pictured at the Vatican in 2014 with Israeli President, Shimon Peres, on the left, and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, on the right (photo courtesy of The New York Times)

The Holy See has been referring to Palestine as a state since 2012, when  the United Nations General Assembly voted Palestine should be recognized as a “non-member observer state.” However, the official recognition by the Vatican is a significant and symbolic step, as it supports Palestinians in their push for international recognition of their sovereignty. Husam Zomlot, who is a senior Palestinian foreign affairs official explained the importance, “The Vatican is not just a state. The Vatican represents hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide, including Palestinians, and has vast moral significance.”

Although Vatican officials, who favor a two-state solution, hoped the official recognition would help Israeli-Palestinian relations, Israel has declared that the actions of the Vatican have been disappointing. In fact, one Israeli foreign ministry official even indicated that there could be reprisals. The official stated, “This does not promote the peace process and a Palestinian return to negotiations…Israel will study the agreement and consider its next steps accordingly.”

Others states, including 135 states belonging to the United Nations, have already recognized Palestine as a sovereign state. Still, the European Union as a whole and the United States do not, and maintain that an independent state cannot emerge through unilateral recognition, but can only emerge through negotiations with Israel.  However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged that there will be no Palestinian state to emerge on his watch.

Still, there are some that believe the Vatican’s move was not supposed to be something dramatic. “I don’t think anyone is going to conclude that Pope Francis is any less committed to Israel’s security, welfare and flourishing,” said Rabbi David Rosen, who is the international director of interreligious affairs or the American Jewish Committee.

For more information, please visit:

Reuters- Vatican move on Palestine adds fuel to European debate– 14 May 2015

The Independent- Vatican recognizes State of Palestine: Does this mean Israel is becoming more isolated on the world stage?– 15 May 2015

AlJazeera- Vatican recognizes State of Palestine– 13 May 2015

BBC- Vatican to recognize Palestinian state in treaty– 13 May 2015

The New York Times- Vatican to Recognize Palestinian State in New Treaty– 13 May 2015

Pope’s use of “Genocide” is Praised by Armenians and Condemned by Turks

By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East 

 

Vatican City, Rome

On Sunday Pope Francis held Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, he used the term “genocide” to refer to the death of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians killed in the former Ottoman Empire in 1915. The Mass was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the events and the leaders of the Armenian Church and the Armenian President attended the Mass. The Pope stated that the events of 1915 involving the Armenian people are widely considered to be the first genocide of the 20th century. The Pope’s use of the term “genocide” has sparked political uproar in Turkey who strongly denies the allegations of genocide.

The Pope during the 100th anniversary Mass, side by side with leaders of the Armenian Church. (Photo curtesy of Yahoo News)

The Turkish President condemned Pope Francis for describing the events of 1915 as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey claims that the deaths in 1915 were the result of unrest and civil war during a very turbulent time in Turkey and the World. The Turkish government has also claimed the death toll numbers have been inflated. In response to the Pope’s statements the government of Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the Vatican for consultation. The Turkish Ambassador claimed that this does not mean the end of diplomatic ties with the Vatican. Rather, that consultation is necessary for the ambassador after an event the Turkish government does not approve of.

On the other hand, the Armenian government praised the Pope for his statements in support of their cause. Armenia believes that Turkey is out of touch with the rest of the world and that the term genocide is widely used to refer to the events of 1915. The President of Armenia praised the Pope saying his statements act as a powerful message to the international community.

Pope Francis is not the first Pope to use the term “genocide” to refer to the events of 1915. Pope John Paul II authored a joint declaration with the leader of the Armenian Church in 2001 stating the deaths were considered the first genocide of the 20th century. Pope Francis took John Paul’s statements further, issuing them on the 100th anniversary, in the presence of Armenian political and religious leaders and urged the international community to recognize the events as a genocide.

For more information, please see:

The Associated Press — Turkey Recalls Ambassador over Pope’s Armenia Genocide Words — 12 April, 2015 

CNN News — Pope Francis Uses “Genocide” to Refer to Mass Killings of Armenians by Turks — 13 April, 2015 

Yahoo News — Erdogan “Condemns” Pope Over Armenian Genocide Comment — 14 April, 2015 

U.S. News and World Report — Pope’s Armenian Genocide Comments Anger Turks — 12 April, 2015