Brazil’s Labor Minister Faces Corruption Allegations

November 7, 2011

By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazil’s labor minister, Carlos Lupi, now joins a list of six other cabinet-level officials in President Dilma Rousseff’s government with corruption allegations since she first took office in January. Reports by Veja magazine are alleging that Lupi and some of his top aids have received numerous kickbacks by private organization with government contracts. Veja cited unidentified law makers and officials in its report.

Brazil Labor Minister Faces Corruption Allegations — Brazil's labor minister faces corruption allegations. (Photo Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal).

After the allegations came out over the weekend, Lupi has come under pressure by leaders of two of the opposition parties in the lower house of the Brazilian congress to quit. Although the ministry has declined to formally comment, a note on the ministry’s web site states that Lupi denies the allegations and is calling for an investigation by the federal police into the report findings.

“I can’t permit my 30 years of public service to be dragged through the mud by cowards who hide behind anonymity in the pages of a magazine,” Lupi quotes in a note on the ministry web site.

Since the allegations, Lupi has fired one of his advisers. His party, the center-left PDT party, is planning to hold a meeting on Tuesday to go over the allegations against him and listen to his explanations.

Several of the scandals that surrounded six other cabinet-level officials in Rousseff’s government this year have ended with the eventual withdrawal of support by Rousseff and the resignation of the accused cabinet-level official. Several of them also initially denied the accusations.

The last official to quit was Sports Minister Orlando Silva. He was also accused by the media of receiving kickbacks from public contracts with private companies. Silva initially denied the accusations but then resigned in October, two weeks after the first allegation.

Brazil loses up to 2.3 percent of its annual economic output due to corruption. Rousseff, from the leftist Workers’Party, however, appears to be riding the anti-corruption wave recently; working hard to combat corruption in the capital Brasilia. Last month, she suspended federal government payments to private groups that have been under suspicion of giving kickbacks to government officials.

According to Claudio Weber Abramo, the president of corruption watchdog Transparency Brazil, Rousseff’s government is being more aggressive with its fight against corruption compared to Rousseff’s predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula. “The government is taking a more vigorous approach in relation to its allies in ministries … It is saying to them: ‘We are watching you more closely’,” Abramo said.

Rousseff’s office has declined to comment on the latest accusations against Lupi.

For further information, please see:

MercoPress – Rousseff Could See Another Minister Out: Labour Accused of Corruption – 07 November 2011

Reuters – Brazil’s Rousseff Rides Anti-Graft Wave – For Now – 07 November 2011

Reuters – Brazil Labor Minister Latest to Feel Scandal Heat – 07 November 2011

The Wall Street Journal – Brazil Labor Minister Faces Corruption Allegations – 07 November 2011

Terrorist Attacks Rock Nigeria, with Potentially More to Come This Week

November 7, 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Violence pervaded Damaturu, a town in northeastern Nigeria, on Friday after bombings and gunfire killed at least 67 people. The Red Cross believes the death toll could be much higher, but the present known total still makes it the deadliest attack in the country since at least 20 died in August’s attack on a United Nations building in Abuja, the capital. Islamist militant group Boko Haram, who conducted the August assault, took credit for Friday’s incidents, which destroyed a bank branch and ransacked three police stations, among other damage. A spokesman for the organization has warned that “more attacks are on the way.”

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege” in the local Hausa language, seeks to remove the present central government and replace it with strict Sharia law. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has a religious divide, with mostly Christians in the south and Muslims in the north. The organization has targeted police and government officials in an effort to achieve its goals. A few hours after Friday’s massacre, a spokesman spoke to the Daily Trust, a newspaper for the region.

“We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians,” he said.

In the wake of the attacks, President Goodluck Jonathan cancelled a trip to his home territory for his brother’s wedding. Through his spokesman, Reuben Abati, Jonathan vowed that “every step will be taken” to apprehend the perpetrators. Despite the president’s tough talk, the government has taken flak for not being able to stem the tide of violence. The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) expressed concern for its reactions, saying that “it is time for security chiefs to toe the path of honor by resigning or be kicked out.”

“In other climes, the President would have gone ahead to address his compatriots to reassure them that the government is still capable of protecting them, instead of merely telling them his cannot make a social trip,” the group added.

To the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), the growing strength of Boko Haram signified a weak government that was unable to act as an effective check. It demonstrated a lack of mechanisms to control arms flow into the country. The rise of terrorist organizations could be viewed as a “self-help effort.” If the government could not maintain security, it would have to deal with civilians acting their own.

Fear continues to reign in Nigeria. Saturdays, survivors were scared to leave their homes in order to survey the damage. Since then, the United States has issued warnings of potential new strikes at luxury hotels in Abuja during the Sallah holiday. The Hilton, Nicon Luxury and Sheraton are among the potential targets. They are frequented by diplomats, politicians and the country’s business elite.

“Radical sect responsible for attacks that left more than 100 people dead in Nigeria this week could bomb three luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in the oil-rich nation’s capital,” the U.S. Embassy advised.

Kashim Shettima, governor of the Borno State, said that he was willing to talk to the dissidents in an effort to put an end to the insurgency. Others are not so optimistic.

“I know for a fact that there’re Nigerian groups in and outside the government, including the media, who are suggesting that the government should try to talk to Boko Haram,” said Nii Akuetteh, a former executive director of Africa Action. “But my own impression is that they don’t seem to be particularly ready or inclined to talk.”

For more information, please see:

African Herald Express — Sallah: U.S. Predicts Boko Haram Attacks on Luxury Hotels in Abuja — 07 November 2011

Bloomberg — Nigeria Bombings at Police Stations in Northeast Kill 53 as Curfew Imposed — 07 November 2011

Daily Trust — Gov. Shettima Urges Boko Haram to Sheath Sword — 07 November 2011

The Guardian — Terrorists May Bomb Luxury Hotels in Abuja, U.S. Warns — 07 November 2011

This Day Live — Bomb: HURIWA Tasks FG on Quick Response — 07 November 2011

Al Jazeera — Nigeria Group Threatens More Deadly Attacks — 06 November 2011

BBC — US Warns of Attacks on Hotels in Nigerian Capital — 06 November 2011

New York Times — U.S. Warns of Attack by Muslim Sect in Nigeria’s Capital — 06 November 2011

BBC — Nigeria Boko Haram Attack ‘Kills 63’ in Damaturu — 05 November 2011

New York Times — Nigeria Attacks Kill 67; Sect Claims Responsibility — 05 November 2011

Gaza-Bound Aid Ships Intercepted by Israel, Preventing The Delivery of Medical Supplies

November 7, 2011

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel–On Friday 04 November 2011, Israeli authorities detained pro-Palestinian activists, journalists, and crewmembers on board two self-deemed “Freedom Waves to Gaza” vessels. These ships were intending to break the four-year Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, attempting to bring medical supplies to Gaza.

Israeli soldiers boarding one of the vessels trying to reach Gaza.(Photo Courtesy of NYT)

The Canadian vessel, the Tahrir (Arabic for “liberation”), and Irish vessel, the MV Saoirse (Gaelic for “freedom”) both were forced to sail into the Israeli port of Ashdod, where all 27 passengers were handed over to Israeli authorities and taken to an Israeli detention facility near Tel Aviv. The activists were from as many as eight countries, including the United States, and set sail from Turkey on Wednesday 02 November 2011. Both ships were approximately 50 nautical miles from the Gaza shoreline when they were contacted by the Israeli navy and told to turn around, reported the AFP news agency.

The Israeli navy said it “advised the vessels that they may turn back at any point, thereby not breaking the maritime security blockade” or could sail to Ashdod or an Egyptian port. According to the AFP news agency, the activists refused to cooperate and then Israeli naval ships approached the boats and boarded them before towing them towards Ashdod.

The group of activists claimed that the Israeli navy undertook “violent and dangerous” seizures methods to obtain the vessels. Fintan Lane, the group’s coordinator, stated that the Israelis pointed guns at the passengers and turned high-pressure hoses on the Irish and Canadian boats, blasting out windows and causing a collision that left the Saoirse badly damaged.

“The method used in the takeover was dangerous to human life. The Israeli forces initially wanted to leave the boats at sea, but the abductees demanded that they not be left to float at sea, for they would have been lost and possibly sunk.”

The Israeli Navy released the following statement.

“The Israeli Navy soldiers operated as planned, and took every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of the activists onboard the vessels as well as themselves.”

Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld reported that the activists would be questioned by police and immigrations officials and then returned to their respective home countries.

“The Gaza area and coastal region are closed to maritime traffic as part of a blockade imposed for security purposes. Your attempt to enter the Gaza Strip by sea is a violation of international law. We remind you that humanitarian supplies can be delivered to Gaza Strip by land, and you are welcome to enter Ashdod port and deliver supplies through land crossings.”

The organizers of the flotilla claimed that six people, including the captains of both vessels and two journalists, had been released by the evening of Sunday 06 November 2011. The remainder refused to sign waivers allowing their deportation, according to a statement on the Irish activist group’s website.

“They are refusing to sign not because they are legally challenging deportation or are demanding to see a judge, but rather because the waiver says that they came to Israel voluntarily and that they entered the country illegal. Of course, this is a lie and they won’t agree to it.”

Last year, Israeli troops killed nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists when they resisted an Israeli operation to halt a similar flotilla. Each side pointed a finger at the other for the responsibility of the violence. Israel claimed that that its troops had fired live ammunition only after activists, armed with clubs, knives, and metals bars attacked them and felt that their lives were threatened. The activists claimed that they were attacked first.

After the incident, Israel was forced to ease its land blockade on Gaza, which was imposed in 2006 and tightened, with the Egyptian cooperation, after Hamas seized control of the territory the following year.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Nicole Johnston reported, from the port of Ashdod, shared these sentiments on the continued attempts to bring supplies via water freely into Gaza.

“Another failed attempt for the season of flotillas to Gaza. This attempt was a lot quieter. It left on Wednesday from Turkey. There was no great fanfare with it, but again it didn’t succeed in getting past the Israeli navy, and achieving its aim which was to symbolically break this four-year siege on Gaza.”

The residents of Gaza have endured absolutely deplorable living conditions for some time. They depend every day on international aid and support. According to a 2008 UN Envoy to Gaza, more than 80 percent of the population is dependent upon food aid. Rates of anemia and diarrhea among children have rise to 40 percent in the last several years.

Israel claims that it is concerned about the smuggling of arms to Gaza militants intent on attacking the Jewish state. Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an openly anti-Israel militant group, and is classified as a terrorist group by the United States and Israel.

After prayers on Friday 04 November 2011 at a Gaza City mosque, Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister shared these sentiments concerning the activists on the boats.

“Your message has been delivered whether you make it or not. The siege is unjust and must end.”

For more information, please see:

CNN – Israel Deports Activists From Gaza-Bound Aid Ships – 06 November 2011

Al-Jazeera – Activists On Gaza-Bound Vessels Detained – 05 November 2011

Ahram – Egyptian Journalist Among Those On Captured Gaza Aid Boats – 05 November 2011

BBC – Israel Boards Protest Boats Taking Medical Aid to Gaza – 04 November 2011

NYT – Israel Intercepts Two Boats Bound For Gaza – 04 November 2011

The Guardian – Israeli Navy Boards Gaza-Bound Boats – 04 November 2011

Reuters – Israeli Navy Intercepts Gaza-Bound Boats – 04 November 2011

Freixo Flees Brazil Due to Threats From Militia Groups

November 6, 2011

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – Last Wednesday, November 2, Marcelo Freixo, a popular human rights activist, was forced out of Brazil. Freixo and his family fled the country to an undisclosed European nation with the help of Amnesty International.

Marcelo Freixo speaking in Europe regarding the spread of the militia groups in September of this year. (Photo Courtesy of Front Line Defenders)

In recent months, Freixo has received at least seven different death threats and there is a $230,000 price on his head. He is forced to travel in a bullet-proof car and to have 24 hour security guards. Since 2008, his activism against the militia groups has made him the focus for much animosity; however recently the threats have increased in frequency.

“I plan to stay outside Brazil for a while. I want this time to adjust my security precautions and to call the attention of the authorities. I’m treating this as my own personal problem but clearly it is a public security problem too,” was Freixo’s statement to Reuters news agency.

Freixo has become a target due to his work investigating and bringing to justice many of those involved with the militia groups taking over the slums. In 2008, when two investigative journalists were killed for their rumored exposé on the militia groups, Freixo was chosen to lead a commission. The commission was tasked with examining these groups made up of former police officers and military members.

Originally termed the Unidades de Policia Pacificadora (UPP or Pacifying Police Units) these groups were supported for their role in eliminating the control that drug gangs had in the slums. Unfortunately, with the power vacuum left by the absence of drug gangs, many of the militia groups have become corrupt.

Now, the militias are the ones who control the slums. They extort money, use violence and even kill opposition. As well, basic services in the slums like water, gas and transportation are managed by them. The militias control is almost more threatening because they intimately understand the system and the strategic loopholes that exist. The Rio newspaper, O Globo reported that roughly 55 slums are controlled by drug gangs and close to 105 slums are controlled by a militia group.

Freixo’s 2008 commission ended up indicting over 200 people, including a number of high profile politicians who supported the militias knowing that they were corrupt. Although many involved were punished, Freixo’s biggest concern was that the main support for the militias, the funding, was not stopped.

“We put a lot of people in prison, which was important as it weakened the militias. But we need to hit them financially. Above all it is a business.”

Just months ago, Judge Patricia Acioli was murdered. She took a firm stance against the militias and received multiple death threats for her decisions. Police involvement is suspected in her murder as the bullets used by the killers were police issue.

Freixo intends to return to Brazil, he stressed that he is not giving up on the fight and announced plans to run for Mayor in 2012.

For more information, please see;

The Rio Times – State Deputy Marcelo Freixo Flees Militias in Brazil – 3 Novermber 2011

BBC News – Rio Lawmaker Marcelo Freixo to Flee Rio After Threats – 1 November 2011

The Guardian – Mafia Assassination Threat Forces Brazil MP Into Exile – 31 October 2011

Reuters – Anti-Crime Politician To Flee Brazil After Threats – 31 October 2011

Tunisia’s Amended Constitution to Leave out Religion

November 6, 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUNIS, Tunisia — Planned changes to the Tunisian Constitution show that the Islamist-led government will focus on democracy, human rights, and a free-market economy. Religion will effectively be left out of the document when it is finalized.

Supporters of Ennahda celebrate its majority victory outside its headquarters (Photo courtesy of Reuters).

The government has decided not to introduce Shar’ia law or any other Islamic concepts into the constitution, and alter its already secular nature.

“We are against trying to impose a particular way of life,” said Ennahda leader Rachid Ghannouchi, a lifelong Islamist activist jailed and exiled under previous regimes.

Critics, both foreign and Tunisian, have expressed fear that Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party that won 41.7 percent of the vote in Tunisia’s first free election on 23 October, would try to impose its religious principles on the relatively secular Muslim country.

Ennahda and the minority parties that came in below them in the election formed an assembly to begin the long process of amending the constitution.

The politicians have made it clear that the new assembly was created to reassure Tunisian voters, foreign tourists, and the investors vital to its economy.

There was a consensus amongst the parties who amended the constitution to keep the first article, which lists Tunisia’s language as Arabic and its religion as Islam.

“This is just a description of reality,” said Ghannouchi. “It doesn’t have any legal implications. There will be no other references to religion in the constitution. We want to provide freedom for the whole country.”

A number of Ghannouchi’s reformist Islamist writings in the 1980s and 1990s influenced Turkey’s current mixture of Islam and democracy. Tunisia, like Turkey, had decades of secularist dictatorships before evolving into a democracy where moderate Islamists have emerged as a viable political force.

“Law by itself doesn’t change reality,” Ghannouchi said. “There shouldn’t be any law to try and make people more religious.”

The Ennahda leader views Shar’ia law as a set of moral values for individuals and societies rather than a code to be imposed by a country’s legal system. “Egypt says Shar’ia is the main source of its law, but that didn’t prevent (deposed President) Mubarek from being a dictator.”

The amended constitution will also reflect changes towards furthering women’s rights, however the parties would not agree to include the country’s liberal Personal Status Code in the constitution. These writes will be protected instead by legislation.

The biggest disagreement between the parties amending the constitution was over whether Tunisia should opt for a British parliamentary system, or a French-styled mix of a directly elected President and a parliament.

The realities of the coalition parties and the need for a two-thirds majority to approve the new constitution will likely force all parties to seek a broad consensus.

There is a hope that Tunisia will be able to build a democracy compatible with Islam that could be used by other Arab countries.

The new constitution is due in approximately a year.

For more information, please see:

Al Arabiya — Tunisia’s Islamist-led government rejects laws to enforce religion — 05 Nov. 2011

Daily Times — Tunisian constitution will make no place for faith — 05 Nov. 2011

Reuters — Tunisia’s Islamist-led govt sees little place for religion in revised constitution — 04 Nov. 2011

Voice of America — Islam in Tunisia – Will Ennahda Win Usher in Religious Reform? — 03 Nov. 2011

Los Angeles Times — Tunisia vote could shape religion in public life — 22 Oct. 2011