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Ugandan Writer Detained for Writing Book Opposing President

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KAMPALA, Uganda – On Saturday, 17 September, Ugandan security operatives arrested Vincent Nzaramba., author of People Power — Battle the Night General.  Since his arrest, police have held Nzaramba incommunicado.  The Ugandan police suspect this book criticizes the longstanding President Yoweri Museveni and his party along with predicting the removal of Museveni by a popular uprising.  Police officer Ronald Ogen stated they arrested Nzaramba because they fear the book will incite the public.

Grace Nzaramba with a copy of her husbands book. (Photo Courtesy of Daily Monitor)
Grace Nzaramba with a copy of her husband's book. (Photo Courtesy of Daily Monitor)

Uganda’s constitution limits the police to hold a person for no more than 48 hours, but Ogen said there are exceptions to the rule.  Nzaramba currently remains in detention.  Gloria, Nzaramba’s wife, stated the police confiscated his laptop and about 200 copies of the book when they arrested Nzaramba.  Although Nazaramba has not released his book to the public when the police confiscated all the copies, Twitter posted sections of the book.

On Tuesday after she initiated a public campaign for his release, Gloria visited Nzaramba at his detention cell at the Rapid Response Unit (“RRU”) in Kampala.  She stated “I spoke to him today but he’s badly beaten and he said he no longer feels safe at RRU and will not eat until they release him or take him to court.”

Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said, “We have him and we are investigating him for inciting violence.  Our investigators are analysing the content of the publication and we will be advised on other charges.”  Although she did not provide a reason for Nzaramba’s detention, she submitted a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions.  She also did not respond to the torture allegations someone via text message asked about.  Rights groups such as the government-funded Uganda Human Rights Commission have accused the RRU of torturing detainees in order to extract confessions.

Uganda elected Museveni into power in 1986.  However, several of the anti-government protests in sub-Saharan Africa targeted Museveni.  Since February, Nzaramba has been a candidate for the general elections under the ruling party.

Last October, the government seized 500 copies critical of Museveni written by the sister of Museveni’s political opponent.  In April, Ugandans protested the rise of cost of living prices.  During these protests, at least ten people died, and the police arrested hundreds of others in their efforts to crackdown on the protests.  The protests took place just two months after Museveni’s reelection with 68% of the vote.

Nzaramba’s book outlines three options for Ugandans to remove Museveni: “With the blocked constitutional means of transfer of power, Uganda is likely to experience a coup d’etat, a civil war or a non-violent revolution.”  The book specifies that the social change could come “any time from today.”

For further information, please see:
Daily Monitor – Writer Arrested Over Anti-Museveni Book – 21 September 2011
IOL News – Author Arrested by Ugandan Police – 21 September 2011
Reuters Africa – Uganda Detains Author of Book Critical of Museveni – 20 September 2011
Washington Post – Uganda Police Arrest Writer; Wife Says He Criticized Longtime President in New Book – 20 September 2011

UN Human Rights Officials Call for Access to Belarus

By Terance Walsh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

GENEVA, Switzerland — Navi Pillay, the United Nations’s human rights chief, called for Belarus to release its detained non-violent political opponents and allow the UN to visit Belarus on a human rights mission.  The UN’s demands to Belarus come as concerns grow over the possible torture and violations of free speech perpetrated against political opponents.

UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay (Photo courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay (Photo courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Belarus’s treatment of political opponents has been an issue since the nation held its presidential elections in late 2010.  Pillay stated that “the human rights situation significantly deteriorated after the December 19, 2010 presidential election.”  Belarusian president, the incumbent candidate during the election, Alexander Lukashenko won the election by a landslide.  The election was widely disputed as unfair both within the country and throughout Europe.  The result sparked protests during which police beat peaceful protestors.  Defendants in cases following the elections have reported physical and psychological torture and intimidation of defense lawyers.  The UNHRC previously condemned Belarus’s crackdown on opposition in June.

“The authorities have reportedly tightened their already highly restrictive control of the media since December,” the report states.  “The authorities have allegedly been conducting a policy of harassment against independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights defenders.”

Pillay’s report, most of which comes from secondary sources because UN human rights personnel are not allowed in the country, enumerates violations of “freedoms of association, assembly, conscience, speech, and right to a fair trial.”  Furthermore, “Serious allegations of torture and ill-treatment in custody, impunity of perpetrators, violations of due judicial process, lack of independence of judges and pressure on defense lawyers require on-site investigation.”

Mikhail Kvostov, Belarus’s delegate, defended Belarus’s position on the crackdown.  Specifically he denies Europe’s classification of post-election protests as “peaceful.”  He stated that the European community considered the raiding of buildings to be peaceful while Belarus maintains that such behavior is criminal.  Kvostov dismissed the UN’s report as politically motivated and stated that such criticism was not the right approach for dealing with Belarus.

Lukashenko has been in office for seventeen years following his election in 1994.  Last month the Belarusian Parliament introduced a bill that would outlaw “silent protests,” including protests consisting of large groups of people who do nothing.  Earlier this year a Minsk city court sentenced two former presidential candidates for organizing protests after the reelection.  Lukashenko has made efforts to strengthen ties from the west but his regime has traditionally been criticized by the United States Department of State and the UN.

For more information please see:

JURIST — UN Rights Chief Urges Belarus to Release Political Prisoners — 21 September 2011

The Echo — UN Human Rights Officials Call On Belarus to Immediately Release Political Prisoners — 21 September 2011

Expatica — UN Rights Chief Wants Access to Belarus — 20 September 2011

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — UN Human Rights Chief Wants Access to Belarus — 20 September 2011

UN News Centre — Citing Reported Abuses, UN Rights Officials Call On Belarus to Free Political Detainees — 20 September 2011

Amnesty International calls for justice for victims of paramilitary sexual violence in Colombia

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTA, Colombia — Amnesty International released a new report today demanding more action from the Colombian government and justice for women and girls in Colombia who have been long-time victims of physical and sexual abuse through out the country’s 45-year civil war.

Colombia fails victims of sexual abuse. (Courtesy of Colombia Reports).
Colombia fails victims of sexual abuse. (Courtesy of Colombia Reports).

Despite claims of progress by the Colombia government, Amnesty reports that acts of sexual violence have almost doubled in the past decade. In 2010, the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science reported 20,142 cases of sexual crime in Colombia compared to 12,732 cases in 2000. The actual number of sexual crime cases, however, is most likely a much larger number since eight out of ten cases typically go unreported by victims due to fear or shame.

Susan Lee, a director at Amnesty International, stated in the report that women are being used as “trophies of war” and that the issue of sexual violence within the military is being swept under the rug by government officials.

Included in the report were gruesome testimonies of emotional and physical suffering by Colombian women who have fallen victim to rape by paramilitary.

Shirley (name change) came forward in 2008 and told her story “so people would know this sort of thing happens.”  She stated that she was raped continuously by over 35 men for three months in 2005 until she managed to escape. None of the men she identified to authorities, however, are in jail.

“I couldn’t even tell when I was having my period, because I bled all the time. There were so many men,” she stated.

In response, the Colombian government placed Shirley in “safe housing” with other victims and — ironically– her rapists that had left the paramilitary years earlier.

Other testimony include that of women who were raped and tortured for attempting to report crimes of sexual violence to the authorities. According to a victim, although the Office of the Attorney General rehoused her, she was only afforded protection for a year and then kicked out of the protection program.

Obstacles to justice for women of sexual crime include: a lack of political and historical tradition of taking initiative in addressing these crimes, poor judicial training, and the fact that rape is not considered a crime under International law.

Amnesty International is calling for the International Criminal Court to step in and take action if the Colombian authorities continue to make crimes of sexual violence by armed men an invisible issue.

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – Colombian authorities fail survivors of sexual violence – 21 September 2011

BBC News – Amnesty: Colombian women treated as ‘war trophies’ – 21 September 2011

Colombia Reports – Colombia is failing victims of sexual violence: Amnesty International – 21 September 2011

Trust Law – Colombia failing victims of sexual violence- Amnesty – 21 September 2011

Vatican Decision Condemns Chilean Priest – Chilean Government Quick to Follow, Opens Investigation

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter – South America 

SANTIAGO, Chile – Archbishop Fernando Karadima was sentenced by the Vatican on March 18, 2011 for his sexual assault of minors.  He was moved into retirement far away from his community, immediately upon the release of the decision.  The Vatican stated he was to spend the remainder of his life in “prayer and penitence” for his actions.

Karadima celebrating mass. (Photo Courtesy of Media Project)
Karadima celebrating mass. (Photo Courtesy of Media Project)

The 80 year old priest was an influential religious figure in Santiago.  His parishioners were from the upper -class of the city.  Karadima was a leader and mentor to five bishops and dozens of priests.  He was accused by four men  who were former parishioners.  They claimed they were sexually molested by Karadima as young boys, abuse that began over 30 years ago.

The Vatican decision has spurred the Chilean courts into action.  Karadima has not yet been prosecuted criminally for his sexual abuse of children.  A previous investigation was started back in 2010 but was dismissed shortly after for failure to prove misconduct.  The current investigation started once the Vatican decision came out.

Karadima has consistently maintained his innocence, attributing the claims leveled against him to jealousy and the devil.  Recently he has come forward to the judge, hearing his criminal prosecution, with claims that Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz paid more than $1million US to stop publication of a book about Karadima’s abuse of parishoners. 

Other disturbing news surrounding the delayed investigation and prosecution has emerged.  Allegations have been made by Karadima’s lawyer, Juan Pablo Bulnes, that his office was illegally searched by police forces with no legal warrant. 

Bulnes wanted the transcripts of the Vatican trials, which he had refused to turn over and were confiscated in the serach, deemed inadmissible.  However, the Chilean Supreme Court ruled on 7 September that the evidence will be permitted in future trials, despite the controversial manner in which they were obtained.

The actual court proceedings against the priest ended back on July 19 and two months later there has still not been an announced verdict. 

 

For further information, please see;

The Santiago Times – New Scandal Rattles Chile’s Catholic Church – 11 September 2011

The Santiago Times – Controversial Evidence Permitted in High-Profile Sex Abuse Case – 8 September 2011

Vatican Insider – The Karadima Scandal: The Vatican Model of Justice – 1 July 2011

The New York Times – Chilean Priest Found Guilty of Abusing Minors – 18 February 2011

Former Director of Colombia’s Administrative Security Department sentenced to 25 years in prison for ties to paramilitary group and murder

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America


BOGOTA, Colombia — Former Director of the Administrative Security Department, Jorge Aurelio Norguera, was ordered to pay a fine of $1.9 million and sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday by Colombia’s Supreme Court of Justice for his ties with far right-wing military groups and his involvement in the murder of a human rights worker in 2004.

Jorge Noguera receives stiff prison sentence for paramilitary ties. (Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post).
Jorge Noguera receives stiff prison sentence for paramilitary ties. (Photo Courtesy of Huffington Post).

Noguera, 47, was found guilty of destroying public documents and giving illegal right-wing death squads names of leftist activists, students and labor union leaders so they could be killed. The Supreme Court specifically held Noguera in connection to the murder of Alfredo Correa de Andreis, a prominent sociologist and human rights worker who was shot by assassins belonging to a paramilitary group in 2004.


According to a former senior deputy at Colombia’s Administrative Department of Security (DAS), Noguera helped coordinate Andreis assassination after Andreis had reportedly investigated suspicious activity by the right-wing military.


In addition to his sentencing and fine, Noguera has also been ordered to pay $89,000 in restitution to Andreis’ family. A lawyer for Andreis’ family said public money from DAS had been used for his murder.


Noguera’s sentencing is one of many scandals to come out of Colombia’s Administrative Department of Security (DAS). Several former officials and staffers of DAS have been investigated and accused of illegally wiretapping opposition leaders and judges.


Former President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, has also been accused of ordering DAS to wiretap his opponents while he was president. Uribe has denied any involvement with the wiretapping, stating last month “I never gave orders to do anything illegal.”


On Wednesday, Uribe referenced Noguera in a tweeter message stating: “I nominated him because of his résumé and his family. I trusted him; if he transgressed the law, it pains me and I offer apologies to the citizenry.” In a speech regarding Noguera in 2006, Uribe famously stated “I put my hands into fire for him.”


Noguera’s sentencing is the stiffest punishment to have been handed out so far to a member of Uribe’s government.


Director of the Americas for Amnesty International, Susan Lee, says Noguera’s sentencing is a critical move in the right direction for justice in Colombia. She calls for all those responsible for crimes under DAS to be promptly brought to justice.


In 2003, Colombia began a program which offered financial and legal assistance to members of paramilitary groups that voluntarily quit.


For more information, please see:


Ahram – Colombian Ex-Spy Chief Gets Stiff Prison Sentence – 15 September 2011


CNN – Colombian Court Sentences Former Spy Chief for Paramilitary Ties – 15 September 2011

NY Times – Ex-Spy Chief of Colombia Is Sentenced to Prison – 14 September 2011

The Huffington Post – Jorge Noguera, Colombia’s Domestic Intelligence Chief, Convicted Of Criminal Conspiracy – 14 September 2011