Egypt Sends Dual-Edged Message in Response to Crackdown on Coptic Christians

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – After security forces fired on Sunday’s peaceful march by Coptic Christians, killing at least 25 people and injuring at least 300 more, Egypt responded to allegations of running protesters over with armored vehicles and the use of live ammunition by saying that their actions were justified.  Wednesday, the ruling military council that is serving as the country’s interim government, suggested that the security forces were acting in defense from violent demonstrators.  At the same time, Egypt faces identical opposition.

A man who took part in Sunday's sectarian clashes shouts slogans through a megaphone during Thursday's protest in Cairo to mourn those who died at Maspero. He was one of more than 300 people who were injured during Sunday's incident. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)

During Wednesday’s press conference, two Egyptian generals claimed that the soldiers were unarmed and shocked by what they saw.  According to these leaders, a force of 300, armed with only riot gear, encountered a cadre of 6,000 Coptic dissenters who were armed with weapons, including sticks, stones, swords, and Molotov cocktails.

“The armed forces would never and have never opened fire on the people,” General Mahmoud Hegazy, a member of the ruling military council, told the assembled media.

Hegazy was also shown footage of military vehicles at the scene.  In response, the generals asked for sympathy, saying that soldiers were trying to escape the area, not run over protesters.  The New York Times believed that their tone of voice was meant to soften allegations of the military attempting to assert greater power.

“I want you all to imagine, as parents would, the soldier in his vehicle now who sees the scene and wants to run for his life,” said General Adel Emara. “He sees a car burning, and if people jump out, the crowd beats him up severely, so this is not safe either. What can he do, other than try to drive his car out of this hell to safety?  He wanted to get away with his car; he must’ve been traumatized.”

Emara’s efforts to deny the claim of vehicles being used to run over dissidents has already been proven false.  Forensic analysis of the dead indicated that they were run down by vehicles.

Exactly what started the violence is unclear.  The military council accused Christian figures and notable public figures of inciting the riot.  Emara said that only a minority of the Coptic Christians present were peaceful, while the rest attacked the soldiers.

But Thursday, a lawsuit was filed against Minister of Information Osama Heikal and Rasha Magdy Rasekh a television presenter for the state-run media, accusing them of inciting violence against the peaceful Coptic rally.  According to the complaint, Rasekh, whose job was under Heikal’s jurisdiction, made a report of Christians attacking the armed forces that “was, in fact, the intentional broadcast of false news, information and rumors, which disturbed public security, cast terror among the public, and harmed the public interest.”

While controversy over the incident in Maspero continues to fester, the Egyptian government also promised to investigate disputes over church-building.  In response to the massacre and Coptic claims that the government has not paid sufficient attention to them, Haikal announced Thursday that the Justice Ministry will be forming a review committee.  Its mission will be “to review all the incidents that occurred in the past few months concerning disputes over churches … to identify those responsible and take appropriate action.”

The military council emphasized that it does not want sectarian violence to continue.  The generals used Wednesday’s press conference to call for Egypt’s disparate religious groups to come together as one.

“The Egyptians include everyone in Egypt, whatever their religion, race or color. The Copts are part of the fabric of Egyptian society, which means they have rights and duties,” Hegazy said.  “The strength of the Egyptian people comes from its unity.  The Egyptian Armed Forces belong to the people, as they are part of the same fabric.”

The shooting in Maspero was Egypt’s worst incident of this kind since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

For more information, please see:

Egyptian Gazette — “Copts Are Part and Parcel of Egypt” — 14 October 2011

Al Jazeera — Egypt’s Army Accuses Christians of Incitement — 13 October 2011

Al-Masry Al-Youm — Information Minister Alleged to Have Incited Killing of Protesters — 13 October 2011

Daily News Egypt — Egypt to Review Church Permit Disputes after Violence — 13 October 2011

New York Times — Egypt Promises to Address Coptic Christians’ Concerns –13 October 2011

BBC — Egypt’s Army Defends Tactics in Coptic Rally Crackdown — 12 October 2011

New York Times — Egyptian Generals Plead for Understanding after Death of Coptic Protesters — 12 October 2011

Rallies Supporting Jailed Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Shut Down

By Terance Walsh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BARANAVICHY, Belarus — Rallies planned for October 16 in Baranavichy, Belarus in support of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Yymoshenko have been quashed by local authorities.

Ryhor Hryk (Photo courtesy of RFE/RL)

Ryhor Hryk, member of the United Civic Party, received a letter from the local Baranavichy government saying that “the public gathering in Belarus to support…Tymoshenko could be construed by the Ukrainian government as interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs, and therefore cannot be held.”  The city used the Mass Events Law to prohibit the demonstration.

Hryk blasted the decision of the Baranavichy authorities.  He called the ban “absurd, because I am not calling on anyone to overthrow the legally elected government of Ukraine. I just want to express moral support for Yulia Tymoshenko.”  Article 35 of the Belarusian constitution protects the right of Belarusian citizens to gather, march, and assemble.  Hryk claims that these rights of Tymoshenko’s supporters are being trampled.  He plans to file an appeal to the Baranavichy City Prosecutor’s Office.  Hryk had visited Ukraine this year, attended Tymoshenko’s trial, and participated in demonstrations in Kiev.

This is not the first time Hryk has been banned from holding a public demonstration.  In October 2009 he was arrested for protesting tax hikes on small businesses in Baranavichy.

Tymoshenko was tried for abuse of power after she brokered a 2009 gas deal with Russia that resulted in a $200 million loss in Ukraine’s budget.  Amnesty International has decried the conviction as “politically motivated.”

Tymoshenko plans to appeal her conviction and seven-year prison sentence as Amnesty International calls for her release.  Tymoshenko was openly defiant throughout the proceedings and called the conviction a “political lynching.”

The sentence drew harsh criticism form the United States and the European Union.  Officials of the US and the EU have warned that the conviction will likely worsen relations with Ukraine.

In the meantime Tymoshenko and her family are trying to alleviate her prison sentence.  The international community has put pressure on Ukraine to refrain from imposing a punishment that is driven by politics.  Tuesday’s sentence has placed in jeopardy Ukrane’s free trade agreements and the prospect of joining the EU.  The west has set a sort of deadline for October 20 to reform the sentence.  The Ukranian Parliament is set to convene on October 18 to discuss the decriminalization of the offense for which Tymoshenko is charged.

“All the signals indicate that before the 20th something should happen,” Tymoshenko’s daughter, Yevhenia Carr, said, “The result of the trial is already a big mistake, a big kind of technical error. It’s just the story of one person’s revenge.”

Tymoshenko has persuaded women in prison to start exercising and stop smoking.  She has also immersed herself in the Bible as a way to focus her attention on anything but politics.  Despite all the turmoil Carr believes her mother will one day be president of Ukraine.

For more information please see:

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — Amnesty International Repeats Call For Tymoshenko Release — 13 October 2011

NY Times — Tymoshenko To Be Freed Soon, Daughter Says — 12 October 2011

Naviny — Authorities in Baranavichy Ban Opposition Activists From Demonstrating In Support Of Ukraine’s Ex-PM Tymoshenko — 11 October 2011

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — Belarusian Activists Banned From Holding Rally For Tymoshenko — 11 October 2011

Charter ’97 — Baranavichy Businessmen Cracked Down For Protest Rallies — 2 October 2009

Message on News Reporting Disruption

 

Dear Impunity Watch reader,

As one of our many avid readers, you likely noticed that articles published between October 5th and 12th disappeared from the Impunity Watch website. I want to apologize for the disruption in our news service, ensure you that we will have all of the previously published articles re-published shortly, and inform you that service has been restored to normal. To avoid additional confusion regarding re-published articles, please note that we will include the original publication date in each re-published article.

The disruption occurred during the migration of the Impunity Watch website over to a new server. Although the brief disruption in service in regrettable, the change in server will allow our site to function more efficiently in the future because the new operators of the server will be able to provide more timely updates to our key applications.

Sorry again for the disruption in service and thank you for your patience and understanding. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any other matters.

Thank you for your continued support in the fight against impunity.

Your truly,

Warren Popp
Editor-in-Chief
wrpopp@syr.edu

Phillipine Army Falsely Labeling Children as Rebels

By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 MANILA, Philippines –The Philippine army is facing allegations that they have been falsely claiming that children taken into custody are rebel “child warriors” of the rebel New People’s Army.

The Philippine army has been accused of detaining children and falsely declaring them to the public as rebel "child warriors" (Photo Courtesy of Now Public).

According to Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, “[t]he army is concocting stories of rebel child soldiers that are putting children at risk for propaganda purposes.”

Since June 2010, according to Human Rights Watch, there have been at least six cases involving twelve children in which the children were not only taken into custody but also publicly exposed to the media as captured rebel combatants. This public exposure is not only a violation of Philippine law, but is also a violation of international law which prohibits the exposure of captured combatants to the public and the media.

In one case, three young boys were detained by soldiers while doing chores and then publicly declared to be rebel child soldiers. One of the children illustrated his experience by stating, “[t]he soldiers shook me…they were trying to force me to admit we had planted a bomb…they tied my hands together…I was afraid.”

One of the other boys stated that the soldiers pushed him to the ground and told him that they would kill his father if he did not give them the names of other rebels.

In some cases, the children were detained by the army for days or weeks before being surrendered to the Department of Social Welfare and Development as required by Philippine law.

In July, a fourteen year old boy and his younger sister were taken into custody while on vacation in Northern Samar. The children were then publicly declared rebels and the younger child was kept in the army camp for three weeks. While detained, she was forced to do laundry and other chores before being released to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The social welfare and development officer found no evidence to support claims that the children were recruited by the rebel and reported that this conclusion can be supported by school records.

Often, children and their families have reported experiencing continued harassment and intimidation by the Philippine army following their release. One mother reported that the continued harassment forced her to relocate her children after members of the army came to her home and asked her to take her children to the military camp to sign “unspecified papers.”

The armed forces public affairs office chief, Col. Arnulfo Burgos, has combated the allegations by stating that falsifying information has never been accepted or tolerated and if “…soldiers are ground to be falsifying documents or fabricating evidences, we will not hesitate to punish them.”

Despite the assurance of Burgos, Elaine Pearson has warned that “[t]he use of child soldiers in the Philippines is a matter of grave concern that the government should be taking seriously.”

The battle between the government and the rebels has been ongoing since the Communist Party of the Philippines began a campaign to seize power in 1969. The conflict has claimed the lives of countless civilians who were caught in the crossfire or fell victim to atrocities.

 

For more information, please see:

ABS-CBN News – AFP Denies Lying About NPA ‘Child Warriors’ – 12 October 2011

Arab News – Philippine Army Falsely Tags Children as Rebels: HRW – 12 October 2011

Philippine Daily Inquirer – Rights Group Accuses Army of Fabricating Stories on Child Warriors – 12 October 2011

Human Rights Watch – Philippines: Army Falsely Tags Children as Rebels – 11 October 2011

Reuters – Philippine Rebels Must Stop Targeting Civilians – Rights Group – 5 October 2011

Venezuela Rejects 38 Human Rights Recommendations From UN Universal Periodic Review

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – On Friday, October 7, Venezuela’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) began.  UPR’s are done on a four year basis, with every member state of the United Nations.  They are conducted by the Human Rights Council, which is made up of 47 member countries.  The goal of the UPR’s is to ascertain the progress that has been made in each country regarding human rights.

The UN Human Rights Council meeting, on Tuesday the Universal Periodic Review for Venezuela was released. (Photo courtesy of El Universal)

Once a UPR has begun, a “troika” of countries is assigned to it.  These three countries have 48 hours in which to prepare a final report that is then submitted to the Human Rights Council.  This report consists of recommendations for human rights improvements to be made.  The reports are not binding on the nations reviewed.  The “troika” of countries assigned to Venezuela was Burkina Faso, Czech Republic and Guatemala. 

Yesterday, the final report was submitted.  This report included 148 recommendations that spanned a variety of topics.  Venezuela chose to accept 95 of those recommendations.  Another 15 will be considered.  The remaining 38 recommendations were flatly rejected.  These recommendations all focused on issues of judicial independence, freedom of the press and protection for non-governmental activist groups.

Other suggestions were; more guarantees to allow for freedom of expression, increased safety for journalists, an independent and open selection process for prosecutors and judges as well as a higher respect for the independence of the judiciary.  Concerns regarding Venezuela’s failure to comply with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) and its denial of entry to UN special rapporteurs were also noted.

During their presentation, Venezuela made special note of signing on to most international treaties and covenants on human rights.  The Slovakian delegate politely chided this with a diplomatic statement inviting Venezuela to “observe them” in practice.

Brazil also gently chastised Venezuela.  “The guarantee of human rights needs independence of the Judiciary branch and full freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” was the Brazilian ambassador’s statement to the Human Rights Council. 

The Venezuelan vice minister of foreign affairs, Temir Porras Ponce de Leon addressed the rejections made with a statement that called the rejected recommendations “groundless statements” as well as “disrespectful and interfering.”

Venezuelan Foreign Affairs minister Nicolas Maduro said “[t]he proposals from the US are aggressive, cynical and boil down to a slap in the face to the dignity of our people.”  He noted that only twelve countries criticized the lack of judicial autonomy, limits on freedom of expression and insufficient protection for non-governmental organizations.

 

For more information, please see;

CNN International – Venezuela Rejects Certain Human Rights Recommendations – 11 October 2011

El Universal – UN Members Urge Venezuela to Meet International Agreements – 11 October 2011

El Universal – Report on Human Rights to be Submitted on Tuesday – 10 October 2011

El Universal – Venezuela Rejects UN Petitions to Repeal Crimes of Opinion – 10 October 2011

MercoPress – Brazil, in Friendly Tone, Asks Venezuela for Fair Judges and Freedom of Expression – 10 October 2011