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Child Torture Revelations in Syrian Conflict

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — In a twisted development to an already aberrant conflict, there is news that Syrian authorities have been detaining and torturing children.  This is coupled with previous reports that the Syrian military has routinely raped women, tortured detainees, shot unarmed civilians, and encouraged looting of houses they storm.  There have been (unconfirmed, as of yet) stories of the Syrian opposition army employing child soldiers.

The individual stories of child torture are shocking.

13 Year Old Hossam is one of many children that has been tortured by the Syrian army (Photo courtesy of Salon).

Hossam, a 13 year-old boy, talks of the “ultimate pain” of his torture when a “terrifying person” with a “huge body” drove a screwdriver up into his big toe nail before ripping it out with pliers.  The man screamed, “’You want freedom? You want to topple the regime?’” as he beat the boy.

Mohammed, a 16-year old from Duma, was tortured with electricity after being arrested, and telling his captors that he supported a Syria that benefits all Syrians.  He was beaten with a cable two or three times a day, and electrocuted on his chest, hands, legs, neck, and on his stomach, close to his genitals.

Pure physical torture of children does not cover the extent of the stories coming out of Syria.

Ayman Karnebo, a dissident who was arrested last May when the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began, witnessed the Syrian security forces torturing a pregnant mother, her husband, and her husband’s mother in front of the couple’s infant sons.  Karnebo was sharing a cell with them at the time.

He recalls that the family was of Somali origin; having been rounded up after the revolt took hold.  All foreigners were viewed with suspicion by the Assad government, leading many, like this family, to be detained and questioned.

Karnebo describes all three adults as being tortured with electric shocks to the elbows, hands and toes in front of their terrified children.  After this round of torture the family was moved to another jail.  Their fate remains unknown.

The Assad regime has long been known for its systematic and widespread use of torture, but these new revelations have still come as a surprise.

Amnesty International recently identified 31 methods of torture being employed by Syrian authorities. Some methods have been in use for decades, include the “tire,” where the victim is forced into a large tire and beaten on the feet. There is also the “flying carpet,” where the prisoner is strapped face-up on a wooden board that is bent to stretch the spine.

There are relatively unknown apparently new and even more disturbing techniques, including using pincers to rip out flesh, anal rape with sharp objects and a form of crucifixion where the prisoner is hung from a wall by their wrists.

“The biggest lie of the regime is that there are no orders to torture,” a defected former member of Syrian Air force Intelligence told GlobalPost. “It’s a program, a routine. I saw an old man with a 6-year-old girl brought to the interrogation department. Just five minutes of what she saw there, the screams she heard will surely traumatize her for the rest of her life.”

Navi Pillay, the United Nations’ human rights chief believes that the UN Security Council has enough reliable information to refer Syria’s actions to the International Criminal Court (“ICC”).

“They’ve gone for the children — for whatever purposes — in large numbers,” the BBC quoted her as saying. “Hundreds detained and tortured… it’s just horrendous…Children shot in the knees, held together with adults in really inhumane conditions, denied medical treatment for their injuries, either held as hostages or as sources of information…I feel that investigation and prosecution is a crucial element to deter and call a stop to these violations.”

Syria is not a party to the ICC, so unless Damascus refers itself to the court’s jurisdiction, the only other way for ICC jurisdiction to be created is by a UN Security Council vote.  Given the previous vetoes by Russia and China on resolutions concerning Assad’s violent crackdown such actions are unlikely.

The United States, for its part, is urging the Syrian opposition to unite and pledge to respect minority rights should they eventually push Assad out of power.

“They must be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to including all Syrians and protecting the rights of all Syrians,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

More than 9,000 people have been killed in the yearlong Syrian uprising.  Both the opposition and the Syrian government have been accused of human rights abuses during the conflict, drawing international flack from NGOs and other countries alike.

A supposed cease-fire between the opposition and the Syrian government, brokered by the United Nations, is scheduled to start on April 14, but its already shaky future is now further in doubt as the Syrian government is now claiming its conditions were misunderstood.

 For more information, please see:

Miami Herald — Syria puts new conditions on cease-fire — 08 April 2012

Business Mirror — Torture of children, rape by Syrian army ‘routine,’ ex-soldiers say — 07 April 2012

Independent — Syrians tortured parents in front of terrified children — 07 April 2012

Salon — Syria’s tortured children — 04 April 2012

Kansas City Star — Torture of children, rape by Syrian army ‘routine,’ ex-soldiers say — 02 April 2012

The Independent — Assad’s forces target children, says UN envoy — 29 Mar. 2012

MSNBC — Syria is torturing children, UN human rights chief says — 28 Mar. 2012

 

 

Argentina Takes Steps Forward, 18 Years Later Ex-President Menem to Stand Trial for Cover-Up in AMIA Bombing

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – A former Argentinian President will finally stand trial for the corruption scandals he was tied to during his terms in office.  Carlos Menem was directed to stand trial last week, by federal judge Ariel Lijo, for his involvement in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) building.

Carlos Menem to stand trial for tampering with evidence in worst terrorist attack ever to take place in Argentina. (Photo Courtesy of J Space)

The 1994 bombing completely wiped out the seven-story building.  There were 85 deaths, and more than 300 people injured, when a truck loaded with explosives drove straight into the structure.  Argentina, has the largest community of Jewish citizens in the Americas, outside the United States.

At the time, Argentinian prosecutors said the attack was planned and paid for by Iran who hired the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to carry it out.  Iran has adamantly denied any involvement.  Following the bombing relations between Iran and Argentina were completely frozen.  Argentina sought for years to extradite eight Iranian officials who allegedly masterminded the bombing.  No conviction, or even trial has ever been held regarding the attack.

In 2009 Menem was first accused of concealing and tampering with evidence that indicated the attack at AMIA had a Syrian connection.  Menem is the child of two Syrian immigrants.  A close family friend who died in 2010, Alberto Kanoore Edul, a Syrian-Argentine businessman, is alleged to have been involved.  It is believed that Menem ordered his staff to destroy evidence that linked Edul to the attack.

Judge Lijo has also issued that former judge Jose Galeano, who was in charge of the investigation, stand trial.  Menem is accused of pressuring Galeano to abandon further inquiries into Edul’s involvement.  Other officials also called to stand trial were: the former head of state intelligence, Hugo Anzorreguy; his deputy Juan Carlos Anchezar; former police chief Jorge Palacios; and a former federal police agent.

The Israel UN envoy in the US praised this “re-energizing” action and gave Argentina credit for rechecking the facts and trying to clear up and close the case.  In the past 18 years almost nothing has been done to investigate the attack.

Menem served two-terms as President of Argentina.  He was a member of the Peronist party and in the beginning he was very popular with the public.  However, his popularity decreased as his personal scandals and tough free-market policies alienated him from the public.  Corruption scandals emerged towards the end of his second-term, including charges of smuggling arms to Ecuador and Croatia in the 1990s.  He was recently cleared of these charges.

 

For more information, please see;

Buenos Aires Herald – AMIA Inquiry: Judge Announces Menem, Galeano to Stand Trial – 7 April 2012

J Space – Ex-Argentinian President to Stand Trial for AMIA Attack – 2 April 2012

Merco Press – Former President to Stand Trial in Relation to Argentina’s Deadliest Terrorist Attack – 1 April 2012

European Jewish Press – AMIA Bombing: Argentina’s Carlos Menem to be Tried for Obstruction – 31 March 2012

BBC – Argentina’s Carlos Menem Faces Bombing Trial – 30 March 2012

Fugitive Iraqi VP Travels to Qatar

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq’s fugitive Sunni vice president, left the country on Sunday for a diplomatic visit to Qatar, despite being under an international travel ban imposed by the Iraqi government.  The development is likely to put a wrench in the Iraqi government’s recent attempts to repair ties with other Arab nations.

Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's fugitive VP (Photo courtesy of CNN).

Al-Hashimi has increasingly frustrated the Shi’ite led government in Baghdad, as he has thus far avoided their attempts to prosecute him on terrorism charges.

Last December, al-Hashimi fled to the semiautonomous Kurdish region of Iraq after the government accused him of using his bodyguards as a personal death squad and issued an arrest warrant.  For the last few months he has lived under the protection of Kurdish officials, who refuse to turn him over for a trial in Baghdad.

Al-Hashimi has denied all of the charges levied against him, and claims he is the victim of a political witch hunt.

This visit is the first time al-Hashimi has left Kurdistan since the issuance of his arrest warrant.

Iraqi officials are enraged that al-Hashimi was allowed to leave Iraq.

“How could they let him leave?” said Ali al-Moussawi, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. “He is prevented from traveling. This is a violation. And receiving him in Qatar is a violation.”

Al-Moussawi has called upon Interpol, the international police organization, to arrest the vice president.

Iraq has been making strides recently to portray itself as a stable, functioning country, mending rifts with its powerful Sunni Arab neighbors.

The Qatari prime minister recently expressed concern about the growing sectarianism in Iraq, and the disenfranchisement of the country’s Sunni minority.  Similar concerns have been expressed by other Sunni-led Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Sunni Gulf states are also wary of the close ties Iraq’s government has formed with the Shi’ite state of Iran, which they see as a rival.

Al-Hashimi’s office has said that he does plan to return to his temporary headquarters in Kurdistan once he finishes his diplomatic travels.  Any attempt to re-enter Iraq will likely set off a struggle between Iraqi and Kurdish authorities over who controls the country’s airports, borders, and airspace.

Before official news of al-Hashimi’s travels emerged, al-Malawi issued a warning to other Arab states that afford him an official welcome.

“They must know that the accused is wanted by a country which is a member of the Arab league … so he is not supposed to be received as a vice president, which is a violation of the nature of the international relations,” he said.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Fugitive Iraq vice president arrives in Qatar — 1 April 2012

Boston Globe — Qatar: Iraq’s fugitive VP arrives for visit — 1 April 2012

CNN — Iraqi VP visits Qatar despite travel ban — 1 April 2012

New York Times — Iraq’s Fugitive Vice President Travels to Qatar — 1 April 2012

The Guardian — Fugitive Iraqi vice-president Tariq al-Hashemi travels to Qatar — 1 April 2012

 

Decision by Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice Sparks Outrage

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil — Amnesty International and human rights activists around the world are showing outrage at a Superior Court of Justice’s decision this week, which ruled that sex with a 12-year-old does not necessarily constitute statutory rape. The head of Amnesty International’s Brazil branch, Atila Roque, is concerned that this ruling will serve as a green light to rapists and discourage victims of sexual abuse from reporting their abusers.

A model wearing clothes made by sex workers in a Brazilian red light district. (Photo Courtesy of The Global Post).

A Brazilian law, adopted in 2009, forbids sex with anyone under the age of 14. This week, however, Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice did not convict a man accused of having sex with three 12-year-olds because, among other things, the girls had previously worked as prostitutes and the incident occurred in 2002.  Amnesty International said in a statement that “It is of extreme concern that the protections provided by Brazil’s legislation in cases such as these have not been implemented.”

Brazil’s human rights minister, Maria do Rosario Nunes, believes the court’s ruling “would in practice spell impunity” and has pledged to try to get the case overturned. Tourism Minister, Gastao Vieira, agrees, and stated on Tuesday that “the exploitation of sex is a crime and those responsible for it must be punished.”

According to the court’s president, Ari Pargendler, the court is open to revisit the decision.

Underaged prostitution has drawn many tourists to Brazil over recent years. Brazil’s Tourism Ministry stated on Tuesday that over 2,000  websites have been found, many of them hosted in the United States, promoting Brazil as the “sex tourism” destination in 2011. The websites show pictures of women in sensual poses and encourages sexual encounters with minors.

Taking down and reporting these websites is going to be one of the many steps the Brazilian government will take to combat the sexual exploitation of underaged girls during the 2014 World Cup. Last year, members of the Brazilian government distributed posters and sponsored advertisements across the country containing warnings that the sexual exploitation of minors is considered a crime. The posters were also distributed to the United States, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Spain.

 

For further information, please see:

ABC News – Brazil: Critics Slam Court’s Underage Sex Verdict – 30 March 2011

The Global Post – Human Rights Group Outraged At Brazil’s Underage Sex Ruling – 30 March 2012

The Washington Post – Critics Slam Brazilian Appeals Court’s Lenient Verdict in Sex With Minors Case – 30 March 2012

Associated Press – Brazil Takes on Websites That Promote Sex Tourism – 27 March 2012

 

Young Homosexual Man’s Death, From Violent Beating, Sparks Outcry for Passage of Anti-Discrimination Laws in Chile

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – On Tuesday of this week, 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio passed away.  His death is sparking calls for the passage of new national anti-discrimination laws in Chile.  Zamudio, an openly homosexual youth, was violently beaten up by a gang of men in a park, 25 days ago, on March 4.

Citizens have made a memorial to honor Zamudio outside the hospital where he died. (Photo Courtesy of La Razón)

The men carved swastika symbols into Zamudio’s body and stubbed cigarette butts out on him.  News reports state that the attackers beat Zamudio for roughly an hour with bottles and rocks, cut off a portion of his ear, broke his leg and left him with severe head injuries.  Doctors at the Santiago Emergency Assistance Public Hospital worked to keep Zamudio alive but on March 19 he suffered a heart attack and his condition deteriorated.

The four men accused of the attack are members of the neo-Nazi group, Nazis del Centro (Downtown Nazis).  They are all four currently in custody, on attempted murder charges, but prosecutor Ernesto Vasquez is asking that be changed to premeditated murder, which carries a life sentence.  At least one of the men already has a prior record for assaults on homosexual individuals.

Gay rights groups throughout the country are asking that torture charges be included as well.  Jaime Parada, spokesmen for Chile’s Movement for Homosexual Liberation and Integration, spoke out about how this aggressive attack highlights the fear that homosexuals in Chile must live with.

“We are fighting for an anti-discrimination law, for changes in language so people stop treating us like we are ill and make sure that the church does not treat us like sinners and so on,” said Parada.

Seven years ago, an anti-discrimination law was first proposed, but it was never passed due to pressure from Evangelical Christian groups. Chilean government officials are promising to focus on getting that passed.  Chile’s Interior Minister, Rodrigo Hinzpeter, currently acting as President while President Piñera is in Asia, affirmed this.  Hinzpeter spoke outside the hospital, the day Zamudio died, to a hostile crowd who booed him.

“Since this aggression, Daniel’s murder happened, we have had a relative education on how we are going to construct a more harmonious society, with more love, where no one – no one – is discriminated against for any reason, because all Chileans have the same rights.  There is no-one in our society who can feel such murderous arrogance that they can attack and assault a fellow citizen for any reason,” said Hinzpeter.

There has been a general public outcry in the wake of the attack because people feel that the government is not doing enough to protect those who are victims of hate crimes.

 

For more information, please see;

La Razón – Asesinato de Joven Homosexual Conmociona a Sociedad Chilena – 29 March 2012

The Washington Post – In Chile, Beating Death of Gay Man Stirs Change – 29 March 2012

BBC – Chile Prosecutors Seek Murder Charges Over Gay Attack – 28 March 2012

NTN24 News – Murder of Gay Man by Suspected Neo-Nazi Group Shakes Chile – 28 March 2012

EDGE – Gay Man Brutally Attacked in Chilean Capital Remains in Critical Condition – 25 March 2012