Syrian Government Warns International Community Against Supporting Newly-Formed National Council

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria–Authorities from President Bashar al-Assad’s regime have warned the international community that it will retaliate against any country that chooses to formally recognize the recently established Syrian National Council (SNC). The SNC is compromised of individuals opposed to al-Assad’s rule and its formation was announced on Monday 03 October.

Anti-regime protesters in the province of Qamishli. (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

The formation of the SNC has been met with encouragement by many Western nations, including the United States and France. But the international community has yet to offer the SNC any sort of formal recognition, unlike Libya’s Transitional Council (NTC), the council established by Libyan warriors who overthrew Muammar Qadhafi.

Activists and officials in the international community have come to the consensus that there are few differences between the SNC and NTC.

The SNC has formally rejected the use of foreign military intervention, but has urged the international community to “protect the Syrian people.” Chairman Burham Ghalioun stated that the group was an “independent group personifying the sovereignty of the Syrian people in their struggle for liberty.”

Walid al-Moualem, the Syrian foreigner minister, released the following statement at a news conference broadcast by Syrian national television on Sunday 09 October.

“We will take tough measures against any state which recognizes this illegitimate council.”

In the latest occurrences of violence on the streets of Syria, activists claimed that security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of mourners at a funeral of a prominent Kurdish opposition figure, Meshaal Tammo, on Saturday 08 October. As a result, the security forces killed at least seven individuals, according to the London-Based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Moualem detailed Meshaal Tammo as a “martyr” killed by “terrorists,” insinuating that he was targeted because he chose to oppose foreign intervention in Syria. The Tammo family has blamed Syrian authorities for his death. He was expected to play a pivotal role in the SNC.

Turkey has condemned the assassination of Tammo as well as attacks on other leading opposition figures in Syria. Tammo was gunned down on Friday 07 October in the northern town of Qamishli and his funeral became a mass rally with more than 50,000 demonstrators calling for the end of al-Assad’s rule, various activists groups have reported.

The Turkish foreign ministry released a written statement on Saturday 08 October, which contains the following excerpt.

“We strongly condemn the attempts aiming to suppress the Syrian opposition and the increase in attacks targeting main representatives of the opposition. Turkey is deeply sorry for the loathsome assassination of Tammo, as well as the wounding of prominent dissident Ryad Seif who was injured after being beaten on Friday in Damascus.”

CNN reported that on Sunday 09 October, Syrian police were preventing Turkish citizens from entering Syria at the border town of Nusaybin, a few kilometers north of Qamishli where Tammo was killed, due to increased tensions in the area. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that he plans to impose sanctions on Syria and has launched military exercises in the Hatay province, where Syria has a longstanding territorial stake.

Meanwhile, Syrian foreigner minister Moualem went on further to criticize European countries, singling out Germany and Switzerland, noting that protesters had attacked Syrian embassies. He claimed that if they did not meet their obligations to protect foreign missions, Syria would respond in a similar fashion.

Protesters have stormed Syrian diplomatic properties in the German cities of Berlin and Hamburg. The Syrian mission in United Nations building in Geneva also fell victim to protesters on Friday 07 October.

The Syrian foreign minister made these statements while speaking at a joint news conference with ministers from five Latin American countries. The ministers from these countries had come to show their support for al-Assad’s regime.

“If they are not committed to implementing this Geneva Convention agreement and provide security for our missions, we will treat them the same way. The West will not attack Syria because no one will pay the bill. The West chose economic sanctions to starve our people, under the pretext of protecting human rights.”

The government in Damascus has kept promising reforms, but chosen to increase crackdown on the protesters and civil unrest, blaming the activity on armed gangs. Some 2,700 are believed to have lost their lives since the protests began in March.

The ban on international journalists inside Syria continues and reports cannot be independently verified.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Syria Warns Against Recognizing Opposition – 09 October 2011

BBC – Syria Warns Against Recognizing New Opposition Council – 09 October 2011

CNN – Syria Warns Against Recognizing Opposition Council – 09 October 2011

Reuters – Syria Warns Against Recognition of Opposition Council – 09 October 2011

The Guardian – Syria’s Protesters Turn to Facebook to Expose ‘Citizen Spies’ – 08 October 2011

NYT – Leading Syria Opposition Figure Killed, and Another Publicly Beaten – 07 October 2011

 

Cameroon’s Presidential Election Tainted by Fraud

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Sunday’s presidential election in Cameroon was marked with apathy as long-standing President Paul Biya’s main opposition party accused the ruling party of fraud.  Mr. Biya faced twenty-two challengers in the election.  The Supreme Court of Cameroon will announce election results within two weeks.

Polling station in Yaounde. (Photo Courtesy of Africa Review)
A woman at a polling station in Yaounde. (Photo Courtesy of Africa Review)

Although the election was generally peaceful, the government reported an unknown gunman killed two gendarmes (members of a military force charged with police duties) at a polling station in the Bakassi peninsular.  Nigeria recently handed control of this oil-rich peninsular to Cameroon after an international court ruling.

Social Democratic Front (“SDF”) official, John Fru Ndi, reported “disorder” and “intimidation” at polling stations, with some people unable to vote while others voted multiple times.  SDF Secretary General Elizabeth Tamanjon said, “”We actually caught some people voting three times . . .. How could such a thing happen?”

To prevent people from voting more than once, poll station workers stamped people with an indelible ink.  However, Mr. Fru Nidi reported this ink easily washed off.  Moreover, at the polling station several people were told that someone had already cast a ballot on their behalf.  The BBC reported it was common for polling stations to have stacks of unclaimed ballots.

On Saturday, Sani Tanimou, general secretary of Elections Cameroon (“Elecam”), said voters must be duly registered and present their national identity cards at polling stations from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to receive a ballot.  However, some polling stations remained opened after official voting hours concluded because they only opened at 4 p.m.  Voters also did not vote because they could not locate their polling station or their names were not listed on the voter list.  Other voters chose not to vote because the ballot was skewed widely towards Mr. Biya.

Government officials deny the fraud speculations.  Mr. Biya said, “The world is not a perfect place, but let’s be positive, for there has been no intention of fraud.  We’re for transparency and free elections.”

Without high voter turnout and a single opposition candidate, many people expect a Mr. Biya victory.  The opposition parties argue the government restricted their campaigns by limiting their funding and media airtime.  Previous presidential candidates, former government officials, and two women composed Mr. Biya’s opposing candidate pool.

Approximately 7.5 million people registered to vote, but less than 40% of these eligible voters participated in the election.  Cameroon also installed 79 voting stations in 33 countries for the 25,578 voters living overseas.

For example, a man carried 21 voter cards at the Mbangum market in the northwest regional capitol.  The polling station did not allow him to vote because they lost the voter list.  They eventually found the list in the man’s bag.

For further information, please see:

Africa Review – Cameroon Vote Count Starts as Paul Biya Poised for Win – 10 Oct 2011

Atlanta Journal-Constitution – 2 Troops Killed in Cameroon on Election Day – 10 Oct 2011

BBC – Cameroon Election: SDF Accuse Paul Biya’s CPDM of Fraud – 10 Oct 2011

Business Ghana – Cameroon Incumbent President Paul Biya Certain for Another Term – 10 Oct 2011

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Still in Prison

By Greg Donaldson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – A year after becoming the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Liu Xiaobo still finds himself incarcerated. Prior to being awarded the peace prize, Mr. Liu was arrested and sentenced to eleven years in prison for his work which demanded political and legal reform in China.

Liu Xiaobo was detained by Chinese officials and unable to accept the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize at the ceremony last December (Photo Courtesy of AFP)
Liu Xiaobo was detained by Chinese officials last December and did not attend the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Awards Ceremony (Photo Courtesy of AFP)

 

One year later human rights groups are again calling for Mr. Liu’s release. Several organizations have reported that Xiaobo has only been allowed to leave prison once and that was to attend his father’s funeral.

In addition to Mr. Liu’s imprisonment, his wife Liu Xia has been placed under house arrest at the couple’s home in Beijing even though she has not been charged with any crime. When Mr. Liu was awarded the peace prize last year reporters attempted to speak with Ms. Liu at her apartment but were denied by government security guards.

Amnesty International reports that Ms. Liu has had very limited contact with people outside of her apartment since February and in an online chat with a friend explained that she felt miserable and her entire family is being held hostage.

Conflicting reports exist about the visitations Mr. Liu has received while being detained. Amnesty International stated that Mr. Liu has been able to meet with his wife twice since January according to unofficial reports. However, other sources explain that Mr. Liu was not given any visitation rights until last month after he was visited by his brothers.

Monthly visits to imprisoned family members are protected by Chinese law.

Human rights groups are appealing for international support to release Mr. Liu. In a telephone interview with the New York Times, Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher for Human Rights Watch explained “The only thing that would force the government to reassess the decision is if there was some strong international pressure on China in this case, but the pressure is not there.”

He continued “There’s no incentive for the government to revisit this decision. We’re talking about a climate where standing defiantly against the West is reaping more political awards than collaborating.”

Others outside of the Liu family have been affected by Mr. Liu’s winning of the peace prize including the country of Norway. Prior to awarding the peace prize, the Chinese embassy in Oslo warned that diplomatic ties between China and Norway would suffer if the Nobel Peace prize was handed to “a criminal.”

Following the awarding of the peace prize China imposed additional import controls on Norwegian salmon. These controls have reportedly led to a sixty-one percent decrease in salmon sales to China and thousands of salmon rotting in Chinese warehouses.

For more information, please see:

New York Times – 3 Human Rights Groups Call for Release of Imprisoned Chinese Nobel Laureate – 7 October 2011

Asia One News — One Year After Nobel, Silence Shrouds China Dissident — 6 October 2011

The Independent – Norway’s Salmon Rot as China Takes Revenge for Dissident’s Nobel Prize – 6 October 2011

Radio Free Asia – Nobel Laureate Granted Family Visits – 4 October 2011

10 Year Old Girl Kidnapped in Colombia, Leads to Protests and Killing of Five Rebel Soldiers

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Eleven days ago, on September 29, ten-year old Nohara Valentina Muñoz was kidnapped.  She was abducted right outside of her school by a group of armed men.  Her mother, Pilar Gutierrez, was also taken but quickly released.  Nohara’s father is Jorge Enrique Muñoz, the mayor of the town of Fortul in the Arauca department.

 

School children protest the kidnapping of classmate Nohara Munoz. (Photo Courtesy of Colombia Reports)School children protest the kidnapping of classmate Nohara Munoz. (Photo Courtesy of Colombia Reports)

The Mayor’s first concern was that his daughter be unharmed.  Contact with the kidnappers was established three days later on Sunday, October 2.  The Mayor announced that he received a phone call from the kidnappers who told him his daughter was alive and well.  All requests for him to identify those responsible for the kidnapping were side-stepped.

“Now we know who has her. At present, I am not authorized to provide that information to the public, but I can only say that there was the first contact and that the girl is well,” was Muñoz’s statement to press.

The situation sparked a demonstration on Friday September 30.  Over 1,000 residents of Fortul, predominately fellow classmates of Nohara’s, turned out to protest her abduction.  They marched from her home to the spot where she was taken in front of the school, shouting words of encouragement and calling for her release.

The Catholic pope, his holiness Pope Benedict XVI, also took note of the kidnapping.  The Colombian Ambassador to the Holy See, Cesar Velasquez, announced that the Pope was keeping the girl in his prayers, hoping that she be safely returned.  Juan Santos, Colombia’s president also spoke out against the kidnapping.

“I don’t know who has her but what I want to say to these bandits, because taking this girl is an act of cowardice, is that we are going to pursue them to where they are and we are going to rescue this girl,” he said.

A 100 million peso (roughly US $50,000) reward has been offered for information about Nohara’s capture.  Additionally, requests have been made to Venezuela to make sure the kidnappers do not try and take her across the border.

Suspicions, about who is responsible, are firmly focused on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Group (ELN).  Neither group claimed responsibility.

Yesterday, during the search, fighting between the army and ELN occurred.  In the skirmish five rebel ELN fighters were killed.  The ELN has reacted to this by telling the FARC to come clean about their role in the kidnapping.

It remains unclear who in fact is responsible for taking the young girl.

 

For more information, please see;

Herald Sun – Five Rebels Killed in Colombia’s North – 9 Oct0ber 2011

BBC News – Colombia Troops Kill ELN Rebels During Kidnap Search – 8 October 2011

Latin American Herald Tribune –Colombian Girl’s Kidnappers Contact Family – 6 October 2011

Colombia Reports – School Children Protest Kidnapping of 10-year-old – 30 September 2011

RIOTERS ACROSS PAKISTAN DEMAND ELECTRICITY

by Hibberd Kline
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

LAHORE, Pakistan–On Tuesday, protesters took to the streets for a second day across eastern Pakistan to demand that the government put an end to severe, chronic electricity shortages.

Massive protests turned violent across Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of the Express Tribune)

Riots broke out in Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Gujranwala leading to the arrest of an estimated 200 people.

In Lahore, hundreds of protestors blocked traffic with burning tires. They also set fire to the Lahore Electricity Supply Company office, a Solid Waste Management truck, a Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) car, and several private cars.

Lahore police attempted to disperse the rioters with baton charges and tear gas, but were stopped short by a barrage of stones. Though senior officials eventually convinced the larger crowds to cease the violence, smaller protests continued into the night in other parts of the city.

However, the worst reported violence occurred in Gujranwala, where over two dozen separate protests were held in response to 20 hours of blackouts. Rioters burned down police stations and clashed with police, injuring 30 people including 14 policemen. Gujranwala police responded by arresting 20 people.

Police in nearby Sialkot reportedly took a more cautious approach by maintaining a safe distance from the angry crowds as they attacked WAPDA offices and injured several WAPDA officials.

On Tuesday, residents staged peaceful protests in many other parts of Pakistan including tribal areas, where residents have recently faced up to 16 hour blackouts every day and have often been forced to sleep on the streets at night as a result.

The power crisis has apparently not only reduced the quality of life for many Pakistanis, but has also started to take a toll on Pakistan’s economy. The industrial town of Faisalabad has been one of the hardest hit. Faisalabad’s commercial activity has practically ground to a halt in the face of unscheduled 16-20 hour long power cuts over the past several days.

The power shortages and cycled blackouts known as “load shedding” are widely believed to be due to mismanagement and corruption on the part of WAFDA and government officials.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who currently heads Pakistan’s main opposition party, lambasted the government for “sleeping and doing nothing for the last 15 months” while Pakistan has “fac[ed] a severe power crisis.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani attempted to divert criticism by blaming the United States, whom he said should help Pakistan to solve its energy crisis.

However, according to the U.S. Embassy the U.S. is currently working with Islamabad to construct and rehabilitate six power plants. The Embassy says that the additional electricity supplied by these plants will resolve 20 percent of Pakistan’s current energy shortage.

The US has already provided Pakistan with billions of dollars in military and civilian aid over the past decade, much of which was intended to help boost the country’s energy sector.

Many analysts attribute Pakistan’s electricity woes largely to the government’s failure to charge sufficient prices for electricity. Analysts generally also note that many consumers, including the Pakistani government, often fail to pay their electric bills at all. Accordingly, it has been suggested that a lack of funds compounded with bureaucratic ineptitude and outdated transmission systems have significantly hindered growth in Pakistan’s energy production capacity.

However, most analysts note that the idea of increasing the price of electricity for consumers is a sore political issue among Pakistani voters.

For more information, please see:

The Express Tribune – All-out Mayhem: Continued Outages Fuel Anarchy – 4 October 2011

The Express Tribune – Electricity Blackouts: 200 Rioters Sent to Jail as Power Protests Continue – 4 October 2011

The Miami Herald – Pakistani Police, Protesters Clash over Power Cuts – October 4, 2011