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Human Rights Group Says 6,000 Women Raped During Syrian Conflict

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – A report issued by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network estimates that 6,000 women have been raped since the beginning of the Syrian conflict. The report adds that women are being targeted by snipers and used as human shields.

The report documented 6,000 cases of rape with many more likely unreported. (Photo Courtesy of AP)

The report states the capture, torture, and rape of women is used as strategy to leverage prisoner exchanges and exact revenge on the opposition. Often times women will be abducted in effort to force their male relatives to surrender.

“They are being used as privilege, not in the sense that they are favored, but because sometimes of their relationship to opposition members or government-related members,” EMHRN spokeswoman Hayet Zeghiche told the BBC.

Many of the rape victims are socially stigmatized and forced to leave their families or fear returning to their families because of possible retribution. The social stigma attached to rape victims leaves them alone and isolated.

“Syrian women exposed to sexual abuses subsequently found themselves victimized not only by the crime itself, but also by enduring the silence that surrounds the crime and the social pressure related to it,” the report said.

The findings were backed up by Lauren Wolfe, an award-winning journalist who has focused on rape in conflict for several years. She is currently the director of Women Under Siege, a group that has been mapping reports of sexual violence in Syria over the past year.

“The general rule that I go by, and a lot of public health researchers go by, is for every one woman who speaks out, there are up to 10 more that remain silent,” Wolfe said.

Seventy-percent of the documented rape victims report that they were raped by government or pro-government forces. This is not uncommon in scenarios where, like in Syria, rebel fighters rely heavily on civilian support.

The report said rape was documented in seven provinces, including Damascus, mostly “during governmental raids, at checkpoints and within detention facilities.”

On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that first peace talks during the conflict would begin on January 22. He added that it would be “unforgivable not to seize this opportunity to bring an end to the suffering and destruction.”

For further information, please see:

BBC – Syria conflict: Women ‘targets of abuse and torture’ – 26 November 2013

Global Post – 6,000 cases of women raped during Syrian conflict, human rights group says – 26 November 2013

Gulf News – ‘Rape used as women of war against Syria women’ – 25 November 2013

Reuters – Syrian women suffer inside their country and out – 11 November 2013

Nepal Votes to Elect New Constituent Assembly Despite Bomb Threats and Violence

By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KATHMANDU, Nepal–Voters gathered outside polling booths across Nepal Tuesday to elect a Constituent Assembly that will attempt, yet again, to draft a constitution.  The interim government hopes to finally bring stability to the Himalayan nation.

Security personnel were deployed in force this past week to secure polling centers against various bomb threats as Nepal seeks to elect a new Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution. (Photo Courtesy of AP).

Candidates from over 100 political parties and several independent ones are competing in the election. The assembly will also double as a parliament and select a government. Nepal has 12 million registered voters.

Police said there were no reports of violence Tuesday morning. But, explosions rocked the capital in Kathmandu and other cities Monday night. Two people were injured in the explosion in Katmandu. Police believe the two suspects were supporters of an alliance of 33 opposition parties which have been attempting to disrupt and shut down the election.

Nepalese officials assured the public that security was formidable and tight, stating that they should have no fears of voting.

“We assure the voters we have done all that is necessary to ensure there will be free and fair election,” Nepal’s Chief Election Commissioner Neel Kantha Upreti told reporters, adding there was “more” than enough security.

The government ordered a four-day public holiday to allow voters to return to their villages in the mountainous country.

However, the opposition party alliance has been enforcing a nine-day transportation blockage to prevent voters from reaching the remote villages. The opposition appears upset at the appointment of a Supreme Court judge-led government in March, saying the larger parties have denied them any opportunities in the decision making leading up to the election.

There were several attacks on public vehicles that had defied the transportation embargo. A truck driver was killed and two dozen people have been injured in these attacks.

The previous Constituent Assembly was elected in 2008, following the end of a 10-year Maoist revolution and the overthrow of the centuries-old monarchy.

But the assembly was sabotaged by infighting and never finished its work. The result has been a power vacuum that left the country without a proper constitution for almost seven years.

Some of the disagreements center on whether to divide the country into a federal system based on ethnic groups or strictly by geography. But the parties mostly squabble over who gets to lead the country.

Analysts predict none of the political parties is likely to get a majority in the election. Any coalition government formed between two or more parties would face the insurmountable task of writing a constitution where each clause garners approval from two-thirds of the assembly. In a country with more than 100 ethnic groups and languages, this is a tall order.

The United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the party of former communist rebels, hopes to repeat the last election and emerge as the largest party. Its main competitors are the Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist).

Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, which seeks to revive a Hindu nation and bring back the monarchy, also hopes to win a chunk of the seats in the assembly.

For more information, please see:

BBC News– Nepal voting ends for new Constituent Assembly— 19 November 2013

Times of India– 12 million divided Nepalese expected to vote for stability— 19 November 2013

Al Jazeera– Bomb blast at Nepal polling booth— 19 November 2013

Bangkok Post– Nepal defies bombing, braves threats in post-war poll— 19 November 2013

JP Morgan Settles Bear Stearns Claims for $4.5 Billion

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

NEW YORK CITY, New York – US investment bank JP Morgan agreed Friday to pay a $4.5 billion settlement for investors lost money as a result of mortgage-related securities during the recent financial crisis. This multibillion dollar settlement, which is separate from the $13 billion prospective settlement with the Department of Justice, would cover 330 residential mortgage backed securities.

JP Morgan, one of the biggest investment banks in the world, is alleged to have knowingly sold shaky mortgage-backed securities which contributed to the financial crisis. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

This payout will settle claims on mortgage-backed securities issued between 2005 and 2008 by Bear Stearns, an investment bank and brokerage agency that JP Morgan acquired during the financial crisis.  This settlement would not similar claims made on trusts administered by Washington Mutual, another investment bank acquired by JP Morgan during the financial crisis.

Like many Wall Street firms, JP Morgan bundled home loans into marketable securities which they offered as investments to be traded much like stocks.  However, when millions of homeowners defaulted on their mortgage, the value of these securities drastically decreased in value.  The owners of these securities saw the value of their investments drop to nearly nothing.

In October, JP Morgan paid a settlement for similar practices by mortgage brokers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac totaling $5.1 billion.  All tolled, JP Morgan is expected to owe nearly $20 billion in settling the array of suits brought against the trusts it acquired in the financial crisis.

Officials at JP Morgan released a statement indicating their eagerness to settle these claims.  “This settlement is another important step in JPMorgan’s efforts to resolve legacy related [Residential Mortgage Backed Securities] matters,” the statement said in part.

Analysts suggest that JP Morgan is desperate to return to the good graces of Washington, which has taken measured steps to probe business practices of this financial giant.  Federal investigations into JP Morgan’s tactics in collecting credit card debts and alleged manipulation of a key interest rate benchmark are just some of those measured steps.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – JP Morgan agrees $4.5bn mortgage settlement – 15 November 2013

The New York Times Dealbook – For JPMorgan, $4.5 Billion to Settle Mortgage Claims – 15 November 2013

USA Today – JPMorgan reaches tentative $4.5B settlement – 15 November 2013

The Washington Post – JPMorgan to pay $4.5 billion to settle investor claims over mortgage securities – 15 November 2013

The Wall Street Journal – J.P. Morgan Reaches $4.5 Billion Settlement With Investors – 15 November 2013

Secret Service Supervisor Reassigned After Hotel Sex Scandal

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – Two members of President Obama’s Secret Service protective detail are under investigation for sexual misconduct by federal law enforcement agencies. This news come just 18 months after a prostitution scandal came to light involving Secret Service agents in South America.

Scrutiny into the procedures of the Secret Service began after the scandal in Cartagena last spring, which prompted an investigation and inspectors general report. (Photo courtesy of the Washington Post)

The most recent incident began in the spring of this year when a call from the Hay-Adams hotel to authorities described Secret Service agents attempting to break in to a woman’s room.  Just a month prior to that event, the service named its first female director, Julia Pierson, in an attempt to dispel the the perception of a male-dominated culture within the agency.

According to the Washington Post, the hotel incident started when a Secret Service agent began removing bullets from his service weapon and left a round in the room of a woman whom he met at the hotel bar.  The agent later tried to reenter the room in order to recover the bullet, identifying himself to the hotel staff as a member of the Secret Service.

The agent was identified by the Post as Ignacio Zamora, Jr. a supervisor of at least two dozen agents on the President’s personal protective detail.  Since news of the incident went public Wednesday, Zamora has been reassigned off the President’s detail.

A government source reported that the internal investigation into this incident was started because of the inquiries made by the Post. Representatives of the Secret Service were quick in telling the press that they would investigate the matter fully, taking necessary steps to correct the actions of that agent.

“Any misconduct is regrettable, but when it is identified, appropriate action is always taken based on established rules and regulations,” said Edwin Donovan, deputy assistant director of the Secret Service.

The inspector general report on this incident is expected to be available within the next few weeks.

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Report: 2 Secret Service Supervisors Under Probe – 14 November 2013

CNN – 2 Secret Service supervisors under investigation in misconduct probe – 14 November 2013

NBC News – Secret service agent removed after leaving bullet in woman’s hotel room – 14 November 2013

USA Today – 2 Secret Service supervisors axed from Obama detail – 14 November 2013

Washington Post – Two Secret Service agents cut from Obama’s detail after alleged misconduct – 13 November 2013

 

Thousands of Bulgarians Protest Incumbent Government After Ousting Previous Government in May

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Approximately 4,000 Bulgarian protesters marched in the country’s capital on Sunday, demanding that the current ruling party of the government step down to give rise to premature elections.

Thousands protested the country’s education system and current government over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of Novinite)

 

The protesters called for an end to the “rein of the oligarchy,” on a day exactly twenty-four years after the fall of the Communist Party in Bulgaria. Demonstrators gathered outside of government buildings in central Sophia, protesting that Bulgaria was still not a stable, prosperous country.

The protesters congregated at major intersections in the city, and were focusing their chants on pressuring incumbent Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski to resign. Many protesters toted images of Oresharski depicted as a zombie. A few protesters went so far as to burn their pictures. The Prime Minister recently took office in May but has already faced pervasive pressure to resign.

The previous administration was brought down by similar popular protests, but the new Socialist-led administration is already facing the same pressure to resign, as citizens are alleging corrupt ties with business groups.

Protesters are charging that the current government is “connected to the oligarchy” just like the previous administration. Sunday’s protest was the latest in a five-month-old anti-government movement that accuses its leaders of having ties with shady businessmen.

Sunday’s demonstrators carried banners stating, “Down with the mafia”, and “We stay, you emigrate.” Many signs referenced the twenty-four year anniversary of the fall of Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov, as many citizens do not believe the country has achieved true democracy.  “24 years of sham democracy is enough.”

Bulgarian students had also protested the previous day on Saturday, calling for changes to the country’s education system, which they said should develop “independent people with a critical mind, instead of conformists.” “We are protesting against poverty and unemployment”, the students stated in a written declaration. “We are protesting before we become beggars with a higher education.”

Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in the European Union, and has been politically unstable this year with protests against poverty and corruption in February prompting the previous government to resign. The average monthly wage in Bulgaria is the lowest in the EU at 400 euros and the average pension just 130 euros.

A concert has already been organized for Sunday, also in Sofia, set to headline protest songs from the first anti-communist demonstrations in 1989-1990.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Bulgaria Protests: Clashes Outside Parliament – 12 November 2013

Novinite – Students Reignite Popular Anti-Corruption Protests in Bulgaria – 12 November 2013

The Republic – Protesters Block Bulgarian Parliament, Hoping to Oust Demanding Early Elections – 12 November 2013

Al Jazeera – Bulgarians Protest Against Government Policy – 10 November 2013