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Almost a Million Demonstrators Marched Against President Rousseff in Brazil

By Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil — Almost a million demonstrators marched in towns and cities across Brazil Sunday to protest the slumping economy, rising prices and corruption – and to call for the impeachment of left-wing President Dilma Rousseff.

Almost a million Brazilians protested and called for impeachment of President Rousseff on Sunday / image courtesy of CNN.com

The protests in the country come as Brazil struggles to overcome economic and political troubles and recovers from an economic boom that crumbled about the time Rousseff took office in 2011.

Rousseff, who began her second four-year term earlier this year, is unlikely to face the impeachment proceedings called for by her many opponents.  However, a fifth year of economic stagnation and a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at state-run energy company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, has fueled their anger.

For a president narrowly re-elected about five months ago, the protests are a sign of a deeply polarized country whose people are increasingly unhappy with the leadership.  Recently, the hard won gains of an economic boom have begun to succumb to an economic slowdown, in addition to recent water shortages.

The unexpectedly large demonstrations also promise to fuel opposition parties and restive allies, including the leaders of both houses of Congress, who are nominally part of Rousseff’s ruling coalition, but are hindering efforts to pass reforms intended to jump-start the economy.

During a press conference Sunday night, two members of Rousseff’s cabinet recognized the rights of protesters, but minimized the importance of the demonstrations, suggesting that they were expressions of discontent by those defeated at the polls.

The press conference also attempted to discredit those who suggested impeachment.  Miguel Rossetto, one of Rousseff’s top aides, criticized what he called the “intolerance” of those opponents and likened their demands to coup efforts.

In a statement posted online Sunday, Aecio Neves, a centrist who was defeated by Rosseff in October, said the demonstrations marked a day when Brazilians “went to the streets to reunite with their virtues, their values and also with their dreams.”

“People feel betrayed”, said Diogo Ortiz, a 32-year-old advertising worker, who called the Petrobras scandal “a national and international disgrace.”

For more information, please see:

CNN – Why are protesters furious with Brazil’s President? – 16 March 2015

Huffington Post – Massive Rallies Across Brazil In Protest Of The President – 16 March 2015

The New York Times – Brazil Leader Facing Turbulence, but Ouster Unlikely – 16 March 2015

Barron’s – Brazil: Rousseff Impeachment Unlikely, Despite Weekend Protests? – 16 March 2015

Report: Ten Children of Syrian Rebels Killed by Assad Force

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syrian Activists say at least 49 people, including 10 children, have been killed by Syrian government troops in the village of Rityan, north of the city of Aleppo. The alleged massacre was reportedly committed by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who have launched an offensive to cut rebel supply lines to the Turkish border, according to the United Kingdom based rights and monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

People rescue children from a building damaged by, what activists said where, explosive barrels dropped by Assad’s forces in the Al-Shaar neighborhoods of Aleppo. (Photo Courtesy of the International Bushiness Times UK)

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the regime forces backed by Hezbollah and non-Syrian fighters entered the town on Tuesday and executed 49 civilians, including 13 rebels and their families, including children. “The troops and militiamen knew exactly where they lived thanks to the informers who accompanied them,” said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. “There was no resistance except in one house where a rebel opened fire at troops before being executed along with his family.”

The Syrian Army denied alleged involvement in the massacre, which was reportedly carried out during the regime force’s offensive against rebel-held areas in the Aleppo region. “I deny completely such an act that cannot be committed by the Syrian army whose duty is to protect lives and not kill people,” a military source told the press. The military source claimed armed groups kill residents whom they suspect of being loyal or working with the government and then accuse the Syrian Army of committing the acts.

Aleppo is Syria’s second-largest city and has become the forefront of clashes between pro-regime forces and rebel groups. The Syrian regime has targeted civilians in and around the city throughout the course of the four year conflict and has even bombarded residential areas with barrel bombs and shelling.

On Friday the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that it had documented the killings of 103 people, including four women, by Islamist factions since the beginning of 2015. Of these, 72 people were reportedly killed “execution style” for a variety of perceived offences. Also on Friday, United Nations investigators announced that they were considering reversing their policy of withholding the names of alleged war criminals in the Syrian Civil war which has now claimed the lives of at least 220,000 people over the past four years. According to the United, more than 9 million Syrians have been displaced by conflict since the war began.

For more information please see:

Al Arabiya – Syria Forces Execute 10 Children of Alleged Rebels: Monitor – 21 February 2015

International Business Times UK – Syria: President Assad’s Troops ‘Kill Children of Alleged Rebels’ – 21 February 2015

Middle East Monitor – Assad Forces Kill 48 Civilians in Aleppo – 21 February 2015

Reuters UK – Monitor Says Syrian Army and Allies Killed 48 In Aleppo Offensive – 21 February 2015

Bill Browder’s Red Notice Hits the UK Sunday Time’s Best Seller List

February 20, 2015 – ‘Red Notice,’ a non-fiction thriller by justice campaigner Bill Browder, hit ‘The Sunday Times’ best-seller list in the first week since the book’s launch.

‘Red Notice’ is an unputdownable account of the rise and fall in fortune of a Westerner, once the largest international investor in Russia, and a look under the hood of the massive corruption of Vladimir Putin’s regime. The book is told through the story of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who was tortured and killed in Russian police custody after testifying about a $230 million government corruption scam.

The Sunday Times list reflects weekly book sales in the UK. ‘Red Notice’ has gained the No 9 position on this week’s Sunday Times list, which will be published on Sunday, February 22nd. It means that the book has become an instant best-seller in Britain.

“The reason I wrote the book is so that people could see for themselves what has happened to me and to Sergei Magnitsky when we tried to expose Russian government corruption. I wrote it in a style that both those interested in Russia and those who are not would find it easily accessible and interesting. It exceeds my best hopes to get such amazing feedback from my readers,” said Bill Browder.

This success in the UK follows ‘Red Notice’ becoming a best-seller in the US, where it has now been on ‘The New York Times’ best-seller list for the second week since its launch.

‘Red Notice’ has received rave reviews from celebrities and ordinary readers alike.

Playwright Tom Stoppard said: “The story of Sergei Magnitsky’s life and death is?a shocking true-life thriller, and Bill Browder was the man to write it.”

Reviewers on amazon.co.uk said:

“It reads like a legal and political thriller, a historical novel and true crime story all in one and I would recommend to everyone who is old enough to read to buy or download to their kindle and can guarantee you will be hooked before you reach the 3rd chapter.”

“It is the clearest, most fact-dense, heart-breaking and heartfelt account of grotesque, systematic and unrelenting criminality, at the highest levels of the government of a country, Russia, whose leaders brazenly demand the world’s respect while continuing to break the world’s laws.”

The book has also received glowing reviews in the global media:

“An unburdening, a witness statement and a thriller all that the same time … Electrifying … One heck of a read.” – The Times

“[Browder’s] freewheeling, snappy book describes the meteoric rise, and disastrous fall, of a buccaneer capitalist who crossed the wrong people and paid a steep price. . . The high stakes make for a zesty tale” – New York Times

“A sizzling accountof Mr Browder’s rise, fall and metamorphosis from bombastic financier to renowned human-rights activist … Readsmore like a financial thriller than a real-life story” – The Economist

“A tale that makes the dirty dealings of House of Cards look like Snow White.” – Toronto Star

‘Red Notice’ was published by Random House and released in the UK on 5 February 2015.