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Belgrade Gay-Pride Parade Ends in Violence

By Ricardo Zamora
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BELGRADE, Serbia – Serbia’s first gay-pride parade in nearly ten years ended in violence earlier this week.  Anti-gay protesters intimidated local authorities over such demonstrations since Serbia’s last gay-pride parade in 2001.  The 2001 parade ended so violently that authorities postponed the parade for nearly a decade.

A gay pride march planned last year was canceled due to fears violence.  This year, however, after incorporating the use of heavy police presence and armored vehicles, local authorities felt confident that rioters would be deterred.

Before the march, the head of the EU mission in Serbia, Vincent Degert, addressed the group of 1,000 participants surrounded by riot police and armored vehicles.

However, shortly after the march began, rioters attacked parade supporters and participants with Molotov cocktails and rocks.  Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.  Approximately 100 rioters were arrested.  While no deaths were reported, 100 individuals, mostly police, were injured.

“The hunt has begun,” the AFP news agency reported the rioters say saying.  “Death to homosexuals.”

Boban Stojanovic of the NGO Queeria Center stated that “what happened on the street were the remains of the warmongering politics of the 1990s…and is related to a concentrated hate in this region in last 20 years.”

Politics aside, anti-gay sentiment runs deep in Serbian traditions.  Indeed, before the parade took place, the Serbian Orthodox Church condemned the demonstration and warned against violence against participants.  Belgrade’s mayor, Dragan Djilas, said the violence actually had nothing to do with traditional values, blaming the rioting instead on anti-government thugs.

“What’s going on now has nothing to do with the Pride parade.  Unfortunately there are always people who will use every opportunity to destroy their own city.  Fortunately no lives were lost – this is the most important thing,” Mr. Djilas said.

According to the BBC, “This year’s event was being seen as a test of how far the country has come from the ultra-nationalism and violence of the 1990s and on its path to EU membership.”

For more information, please see:

AFP – Serbian NGOs hail Gay Pride Amid Threats of More Violence – October 13, 2010

BBC – Scores Arrested in Belgrade After Anti-Gay Riot – October 10, 2010

ECONOMIST – Hate In Belgrade – October 10, 2010

Croatia Limits Humans Rights Of The Mentally Disabled

By Ricardo Zamora
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

ZAGREB, Croatia – The conclusion of a recent human rights report suggests that the Croatian government is forcing individuals with intellectual or mental disabilities to live in institutions which deprive them of their privacy, autonomy, and dignity.  The government has failed to provide alternative care options as promised to the European Union and the United Nations, according to Human Rights Watch.

The report, “Once You Enter, You Never Leave: Deinstitutionalization of Persons with Intellectual or Mental Disabilities in Croatia,” reveals the lives and living conditions endured by over 9,000 intellectually or mentally disabled people living in these institutions.

“Imagine always having to ask permission to leave the place where you live, having no privacy to take a shower, and no chance to decide what to eat or when to go to bed,” said Amanda McRae, fellow with the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch and the author of the report.  “This is the reality for thousands of people living in institutions in Croatia,” she added.

While community-based programs in other countries show effectiveness in offering disabled persons a better quality of life than those living in institutions, Croatia has resisted in implementing such programs.  This resistance runs contrary to its position among the first countries to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  The UN Convention expressly provides disabled persons the basic right to live in the community.  The report recommends that Croatia replace institutions with community-based programs in order to remain consistent with the Convention’s provisions.

“Real leadership on this issue will require a serious and sustained commitment to provide community-based housing and support for people with disabilities,” said McRae.

While up to 30 percent of persons live in these institutions by choice, Human Rights Watch cautions that such a choice is meaningless due to the lack of alternative options.

There are currently over 4,000 people with mental disabilities residing in institutions within Croatia.  While there are some community-based programs for the mentally disabled, there are only sufficient resources to support 16 people.  Similarly, while 5,000 people with intellectual disabilities are institutionalized, community-based resources for the intellectually disabled are able to support only 250 people.

The Croatian government plan for deinstitutionalization is part of its preparations for EU membership.  However, those plans have not yet been made public.  In the meantime, the number of institutionalized people continues to grow.

For more information, please see:

The Open Society Mental Health Initiative – Living Proof: The Right to Live In The Community – September 27, 2010

Human Rights Watch – Croatia: Locked Up, Limited Lives – September 23, 2010

UNHCR – Croatia: Unfulfilled Promises to Persons With Disabilities – September 8, 2010

Bahrain Threatens Legal Action Against Human Rights Activists

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain – Representatives of the Bahrain government reported Thursday that as many as 75 foreign human rights activists will be subject to legal action.  The government charges that these activists received “unauthorized training” from human rights groups in the country.  Officials declared these activists to be persona non grata, meaning “an unwelcome person,” and may seek to expel them from the Kingdom.  This is just the latest move in an intense country-wide security crackdown sponsored by the government in the run up to the parliamentary elections on October 13th. 

Government Cracks Down on Human Rights Activists (Photo Courtesy of Bahrain Human Rights Society)
Government Cracks Down on Human Rights Activists (Photo Courtesy of Bahrain Human Rights Society)

The government contends that the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS), the country’s first human rights non-governmental organization, unlawfully offered training to human rights activists within the region.  BHRS hosts regional training sessions for those interest in monitoring human rights violations by government actors.  During these sessions, activists are taught how to monitor unlawful detentions and the principles of international law regarding detentions.   In 2009 BHRS conducted training sessions in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain.  

Earlier this month, the government took over BHRS in order to quell potential opposition to the country’s leadership.  BHRS members were prohibited from commenting about Thursday’s allegations however, one member told the press that the group had always operated transparently.  Amnesty International has urged the government to rescind its decision to exercise control over BHRS, claiming that it “undermines the basic rights to freedom of expression and association.”  Responding to opposition, Government officials stated that it continues to welcome “all citizens of brotherly and friendly countries” as long as they do not “carry out wrongdoings that (are) detrimental to the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

Critics contend that the government’s recent security operations are designed primarily to disenfranchise the country’s minority Shia population in order to ensure Sunni dominance in the parliament.  International watchdog groups continue to pressure Bahrain to improve its poor human rights record and fear that political conflict may be a catalyst for a human rights crisis.  Just last month over 250 activists were detained by authorities and reports indicate that some detainees may have been tortured.  The government also continues its campaign to shut down media outlets reporting on security crackdowns.   

As the election draws near, one can only wonder if it will reinvigorate Bahrain’s democracy or whether the country will continue to spiral into authoritarian rule.  

To read press releases and statements issued by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation for Human Rights click here

For more information, please see:

Counterpunch – Constitutional Monarchy or Police State: A Blurred Line in Bahrain – 24 Sept. 2010

Deutsche Presse-Agentur – Bahrain Declares Activists Persona Non Grata – 24 Sept. 2010

Bahrain News Agency – Interior Ministry to Take Action Against Illegal Trainees – 23 Sept. 2010

Former Guatemalan Soldier Receives Maximum Sentence For Role in 1982 Massacre

By Erica Laster

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

FORT LAUDERDALE, United States – Former Guatemalan soldier Gilberto Jordan received the maximum sentence possible for lying on United States citizenship forms and was sentenced to 10 years in U.S. prison by a federal court in Florida last Thursday.  Prosecutors say that the 54 year-old pled guilty to taking part in the 1982 massacre of men, women and children in the Guatemalan village of Dos Erres.  Jordan acknowledged that he personally was also involved in throwing an infant down a well.   Allegedly, around 162 people were killed by gunfire or by being hit with sledgehammers.

Gilberto Jordan, a 54 year-old Ex-Guatemalan Soldier receives the maximum sentence for falsifying citizenship forms after admitting to his role in the 1982 massacre of men women and children in Dos Erres in Guatemala.  Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.
Gilberto Jordan, a 54 year-old Ex-Guatemalan Soldier receives the maximum sentence for falsifying citizenship forms after admitting to his role in the 1982 massacre of men, women and children in Dos Erres in Guatemala. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

“He never should have been allowed to live here peacefully for many years,” said U.S. Department of Justice senior trial attorney Hillary Davidson.  As a sergeant in an elite infantry unit known as the Kabildes , Jordan’s group was responsible for the control of opposition groups that rejected the military government currently in power in 1982.   The Guatemalan civil war lasted for decades before ending in 1996, claiming over 200,000 lives. 

At trial, Jordan insisted that the killings were committed out of duress, fearful for his own life after being told to follow orders or risk death as well.  He later asked for forgiveness for his actions in brief comments to the judge.  

Jordan was quoted as saying, “This is an incident in my life that I never expected to happen.”

Jordan illegally entered the United States in 1985, settling in Boca Raton, Florida.  Since 2004, he worked at a country club as a cook until his May arrest by U.S. agents. 14 arrest warrants have been issued for other suspects including 3 more awaiting trial for the Dos Erres Massacre.

District Court Judge William Zloch refused leniency and rather than impose the minimum 6 month sentence for lying on citizenship forms, gave Jordan the maximum 10 year sentence.  Judge Zloch commented that Jordan attempted to hide “his background as a mass murder,” indicating that “Anything less would be totally inadequate as just punishment for this crime and its accompanying heinous acts.”  

Jordan’s citizenship has been revoked and he will face prosecution for his crimes in Guatemala upon completion of his ten year sentence.

For More Information Please See:

Associated Press – Ex-Guatemalan Soldier Gets 10 Years In US Prison – 16 September 2010

Reuters – Ex-Guatemalan Soldier Gets Maximum Prison Term – 16 September 2010 

CBS News – US Seeks Max Sentence For Ex-Guatemalan Soldier – 15 September 2010

 

Greece Continues to Postpone Reform for Asylum Seekers

By Ricardo Zamora
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe Desk

ATHENS, Greece – The Greek government has failed to follow through on a January promise to reform its asylum system.  Under the current asylum procedure, Greece continues to recognize as few as 0.05% of asylum seekers as refugees in their first interview and leaves them with no guarantee against the risk of deportation back to their countries where they are subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment.

Human Rights Watch reports that Greece’s current policy is inconsistent with Article 39 of the EU’s procedures directive and articles 13 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.  Greek’s failure to adopt policies consistent with the EU directives have prompted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to withdraw from participation in Greece’s asylum procedure.  Human Rights Watch is urging the UNHCR to reconsider.

Earlier this year Greece proposed a presidential decree to adopt relevant emergency reforms to address asylum issues.  However, the decree, which was previously postponed until September 1, 2010, has been postponed once more, making it unlikely to be implemented before the end of 2011.

“Despite its formal commitments, the Greek government has utterly failed to meet its most basic responsibilities to protect refugees,” said Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director at Human Rights Watch.  “The UN refugee agency has a mandate to protect refugees when a government is unable or unwilling.  It needs to step in now and take over processing asylum claims.”

But the delays are not entirely the government’s fault.  Serious domestic problems are also prohibiting Greece from being able to meet the demands of asylum reform proponents.  For example, the recent financial crisis has drained the government’s already scant resources, making it difficult to implement the changes set out in presidential decree.

Greece is also receiving burdens from the international arena.  Due to its location at Europe’s external border, it has to address over 10,000 requests by other EU nations wanting to funnel their own asylum seekers to Greece.  Thus, Greece has to process not only the asylum seekers of other EU nations, but its own as well.

“Greece is seriously and unfairly overburdened,” Frelick said.  “EU member states need to recognize that, stop sending migrants back to Greece, and reform the Dublin regulation.  Without that, the benefits of reforms in Greece will be undermined by ever greater numbers of returns from other EU states.”

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Greece: Asylum Reform Delay Unacceptable – September 20, 2010

Human Rights Watch – Open Letter to the Government of Greece on Reform of the Asylum and Immigration System – July 28, 2010

UNHCR – UNHCR Chief Gutteres Backs Planned Greek Asylum Reform – January 20, 2010