Iranian Christian Convert Faces Execution Over Refusal to Convert Back to Islam

September 29, 2011

By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran — A Christian pastor who converted from Islam to Christianity is facing the death penalty in Iran for refusing to return to Islam.

Yousef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor, faces death after refusing to recant his faith in favor of Islam (Photo courtesy of CNN).

Youcef Nadarkhani, of the Church of Iran, currently faces hanging after refusing to follow a court order to renounce Christianity. If the execution goes ahead it will be the first time a Christian has been executed in Iran for religious reasons in 20 years.

Nadarkhani was originally detained in his home city of Rasht in October 2009 when he attempted to register his church. His supporters claim he was arrested after questioning the Muslim monopoly on the religious instruction of Iran’s children.

The original charges Nadarkhani faced were for protesting, but those charges have since been changed to ‘apostasy’ – or abandoning Islam — and ‘evangelizing Muslims.’ Both of these charges carry the death penalty in Iran.

He was tried and found guilty of apostasy in September 2010. The court sentenced him to death.

Last June, the Supreme Court of Iran upheld the death penalty, but also asked the lower court to re-examine whether or not Nadarkhani had been a practicing Muslim adult prior to his conversion, offering recanting as an option.

Nadarkhani has made it clear that he has no intention of returning to Islam. He said: “Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?”

The court is ordering his repentance because of his deep Islamic ancestry. Based upon the type of apostasy Nadarkhani has been charged with he will likely be given a short period of time to repent or else he will be executed. Many believe the execution could occur as early as Friday, however due to misinformation practices carried out by Iran there is a chance, though unlikely, that it already happened.

The written version of the Supreme Court’s ruling included a statement that the death penalty would be annulled if the pastor recanted.

Nadarkhani’s lawyer is hopeful that an appeals court will acquit his client, but history does not give much defense for his optimism. Even if the sentence is commuted he could still face life in prison, and if were to be set free his life would still be in danger. Rumors abound of numerous counts of other Iranian Christian converts who have been assassinated because of their beliefs.

The story has garnered outrage and condemnation from Christian organizations worldwide.

Estimates put the number of devoted Christians in Iran at around 100,000. Iran’s leadership is concerned about the spread of Christianity throughout the state, and has been cracking down on its influence.

For more information, please see:

The Daily Mail — Christian pastor faces execution in Iran for refusing to renounce his faith — 29 Sept. 2011

International Business Times — Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Nadarkhani Refuses to Convert — 29 Sept. 2011

Voice of America — Lawyer Hopes Iranian Christian Sentenced to Death Will be Freed — 29 Sept. 2011

The New Statesman — The Trial and punishment of Yousef Nadarkhani — 28 Sept. 2011

Indigenous take Bolivia highway protests to La Paz after feelings of betrayal by Bolivia’s first Indian President

September 29, 2011

by Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LA PAZ, Bolivia — Thousands of indigenous Bolivians took to the streets in central La Paz yesterday to continue protesting the construction of a Brazil-funded highway through the Amazon that they say would likely destroy an indigenous preserve and encourage illegal settlements. The Bolivian government, however, maintains that the construction is essential for development and trade.

Bolivian miners protest in La Paz against a construction of a highway through the Amazon. (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

Bolivia’s Defense Minister, Cecilia Chacon, resigned on Monday in protest of a very violent police crackdown on Sunday which resulted in hundreds of arrests. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti and his deputy Marcos Farfan also resigned after disapproving the amount of force, including tear gas and truncheons, used during the break-up.

President Evo Morales, who advocated for indigenous rights and the protection of Mother Earth during his election campaign, has been heavily criticized by his indigenous and environmentalist constituents who say they feel betrayed by him.

President Morales announced on Tuesday that he has suspended the construction of the highway. According to Morales, whether the construction continues will depend on voters in the easter region of Bolivia.

On a televised speech on Wednesday, Morales called the protests a big wake-up call for his government. He asked for forgiveness from the families of the protestors for the amount of violence used and urged a meeting between the government and indigenous groups.

Jorge Lazarte, a political analyst, believes these protests mark a huge turning point in the Morales government. “There’s a split between the government and its indigenous support base that casts doubt on the government’s legitimacy,” he stated. “For the first time in recent years, we’re hearing people yell that this government should go.”

Since the police crackdown, protestors have regrouped and are planning to continue their march into La Paz this week. They reject Morales’ call for a vote.

This protest marks the second protest against Morales’ government by his own constituents in less than a year. Late last year, indigenous and environmentalists took to the streets to protest a hefty fuel hike ordered by his administration.

For further information, please see;

AFP – Bolivia Leader Asks for Pardon After Massive Strike – 29 September 2011

BBC News – Bolivia Highway Protests Spread, Paralysing La Paz – 28 September 2011

The Guardian – Bolivians March Against Evo Morales Over Jungle Highway Crackdown – 28 September 2011

Times Union – Bolivian Official Quits in March Backlash – 27 September 2011

First African Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dies After Lifelong Fight for Poverty & Conflict

September 28, 2011

By Tamara Alfred
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

The first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maathai, died late Sunday in a Nairobi hospital at the age of 71 following a battle with cancer. Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters.)

Maathai believed that a healthy environment helped improve lives by providing clean water and firewood for cooking, thereby decreasing conflict. The Kenyan organization she founded, the Green Belt Movement, planted 30 million trees in hopes of improving the chances for peace. Her triumph later inspired the United Nations to launch a worldwide campaign resulting in the planting of 11 billion trees.

Although the tree-planting campaign did not initially address issues of peace and democracy, Maathai said it became clear over time that responsible governance of the environment was not possible without democracy.

“The tree became a symbol for the democratic struggle in Kenya,” said Maathai during one of her speeches. “Citizens were mobilized to challenge widespread abuses of power, corruption and environmental mismanagement.”

Seen as a threat to the rich and powerful, Wangari Maathai was beaten, arrested and vilified for the simple act of planting a tree, a natural wonder Maathai believed, could reduce poverty and conflict. At least three times during her activist year, she was physically attacked, including being clubbed unconscious by police during a hunger strike in 1992. She also staged protests that vilified former Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi, a repressive and autocratic ruler, who called her a “mad woman” who was a threat to the security of Kenya.

In the summer of 1998, the Kenyan government was giving land to political allies in a protected forest on the outskirts of Nairobi. Maathai launched a campaign to reclaim the land, ending in a confrontation with 200 hired thugs armed with machetes and bows and arrows. While trying to plant a tree, she and her cohorts were attacked with whips, clubs and stones. Maathai sustained a bloody gash to her head.

“Wangari Maathai was a force of nature. While other deployed their powers and life force to damage, degrade and extract short term profit from the environment, she used her to stand in their way, mobilize communities and to argue for conservation and sustainable development over destruction,” said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environmental Program, for which Maathai served as an inspiration.

Various world leaders expressed their sorrow at having lost Maathai and her efforts.

“Wangari Maathai combined the protection of the environment, with the struggle for women’s rights and fight for democracy,” said Geir Lundestad, director of the Nobel Institute.

“At last count, the Green Belt Movement…had assisted women to plant more than 40 million trees,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a statement. “She understood and acted on the inextricable links between poverty, rights and environmental sustainability. One can but marvel at her foresight and the scope of her success. She was a true African heroine.”

“The values she had for justice and civil liberties and what she believed were the obligations of civil society and government,” said Vertistine Mbaya, Maathai’s colleague at the University of Nairobi. “She also demonstrated the importance of recognizing the contributions that women can make and allowing them the open space to do so.”

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore said Maathai “overcame incredible obstacles to devote her life to service – service to her children, to her constituents, to the women, and indeed all the people of Kenya – and to the world as a whole.”

For more information, please see:

CNN – Maathai: World mourns passing of ‘true African heroine’ – 26 September 2011

Huffington Post – Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dies – 26 September 2011

British Law Firm Publishes Guide For Prosecuting Belarusian President Lukashenko

September 28, 2011

By Terance Walsh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LONDON, United Kingdom — McCue and Partners, a British law firm, has posted a “Prosecution Kit” to guide civilians, NGOs, and governments in arresting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Kit is a dossier of evidence of human rights violations committed by Lukashenko.

Alexander Lukashenko (Photo courtesy of rfe/rl)

McCue had originally announced that it would be compiling a prosecution file for Lukashenko last March.

The firm’s website reads, “Wherever Lukashenko travels, he now faces the prospect of prosecution. The international community of nations and its organizations has so far failed to hold Lukashenko to account and to prevent further human rights abuses in Belarus. Only the E.U. and U.S. [have] managed to maintain an intermittent travel ban: lifting it when Lukashenko promises to reform only to re-impose it when he inevitably offends again. Unless Lukashenko is prepared to face justice, a de facto people’s travel ban has now been imposed by his victims and the people of Belarus. . . . Just as his victims have had to look over their shoulders in constant fear for their security and that of their families. Lukashenko now knows that wherever he goes he cannot evade justice.”

Matthew Jury, a partner at McCue, said, “Due to the current travel ban on Lukashenka traveling within Europe, there is no possibility at present of him traveling to our jurisdiction here in England. As a result, what we have done — what the people of Belarus have done — [is to make] available a prosecution file.”

He identified the file as “universally available as an open source document for download on the Internet so that private lawyers, nongovernmental organizations, or even governments can file for the arrest of Lukashenka should he travel to their jurisdictions.”

The firm also promises that “[i]f Lukashenko should travel to the U.K. we confirm that we will seek a warrant for his arrest.”

Senior partner Jason McCue stated, “Dictators and rogue regimes have evaded the law for too long. They do this through brutality and jumping through loopholes in sovereign and international law. We have developed a pragmatic solution to fill the gaps. Lukashenko and other would-be dictators around the world had better sit up and pay attention to this precedent. It is to the credit of the people of Belarus that this novel human rights tool has been developed.”

The dossier comes after Belarusian citizens who claimed they were tortured by Lukashenko’s government since the disputed Belarusian election last December approached McCue. Protests began in Belarus shortly after Lukashenko announced he won the election, securing a fourth term in office for himself. Former Belarusian opposition candidate Ales Mikhalevich was detained and compared the detention center in which he was held to a concentration camp.

Earlier this week Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish activist living in Belarus, was banned from exiting the country after allegedly defaming Lukashenko. The ban comes as the Eastern Partnership is set to convene this week in Warsaw to discuss relations with its member countries, including Belarus.

Belarusian rights group Charter’97 welcomes McCue’s efforts. “McCue & Partners represent Lukashenko’s victims, their families, and the campaign group Free Belarus Now that initiated this legal action. Heading a Belarusian/international coalition of leading lawyers, it has prepared a criminal case against him on charges of torture and hostage taking. We would like to see charges brought against Lukashenko in Belarus, but his tight control of state administrative apparatus, including the courts, precludes this from happening. However, Lukashenko has committed crimes, such as torture, that punishable under international law, meaning that any government may seek to prosecute Lukashenko upon these charges under universal jurisdiction. The people of Belarus today invite Lukashenko to submit to the universal jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales or any other E.U. country where a fair trial can be guaranteed.”

The dossier created by McCue is a relatively novel concept. “As far as we are aware, this approach hasn’t been taken before. And really, what our intent is [is] to put the power to bring [trials against] human rights abusers and those who would commit crimes against humanity into the hands of civil society rather than solely in the hands of national governments or international organizations,” Jury said. “By making this prosecution file universally available, we allow the victims themselves to decide where and when they bring a prosecution rather than leaving it in the hands of politicians and diplomats.”

Lukashenko was dubbed “Europe’s last dictator” by the United States and has faced a travel ban from the European Union since last December’s election.

“By preparing this prosecution,” McCue’s website posits, “his victims, their families and international civil society have ensured that impunity with respect to torture and electoral fraud in Europe will not stand in the 21st Century.”

For more information please see:

Polskie Radio — British Lawyers Produce Lukashenko ‘Prosecution Kit’ — 28 September 2011

Charter’97 — Global Prosecution of Europe’s Last Dictator — 27 September 2011

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — London Law Firm Publishes Torture Dossier Against Belarusian President — 27 September 2011

McCue & Partners — The Prosecution of Alexander Lukashenko, The Last Dictator in Europe

Brazil Truth Commission Bill Passes Congress

September 28, 2011

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASÍLIA, Brazil – Last week the Brazilian Congress took the first step forward in investigating the human rights abuses perpetrated during the military dictatorship which lasted from 1964 to 1985. On Wednesday they passed a bill to approve the creation of a commission to investigate these human rights abuses. The approved proposal now heads to the Senate and then to President Dilma Rousseff for approval.

The bill creates what is being called a truth commission. The duty of the commission will be to investigate and bring to light the human rights abuses that occurred during the period of several authoritarian leaders. The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) President, David Tolbert, stated that the Commission will help Brazilians to better understand a shadowed part of their history and aid in the recognition of rights for victims of abuse.

The commission would be comprised of 7 members who would be appointed by President Rousseff. The 7 members would investigate, for a period of 2 years, the torture, death, disappearances and hiding of bodies that occurred during the oppressive regimes. The military has offered their support of the commission. Their support is conditioned on the guarantee that investigations will look at both military abuses as well as abuses committed by opposition guerilla groups.

The positive aspects of the bill include the express recognition of the human rights violated at the time, investigations into disappearances of citizens to increase the possibility of discovering bodies and a comprehensive inquiry into the structures, institutions and places that lead to such systematic violation of human rights.

Critics note that there are a number of negative aspects to the bill. First, is the notable absence of an accountability mechanism. The commission will simply investigate and publish their findings at the end of the two year period. No punishment for any crimes they investigate will occur.

Linked to this concern, is the recent affirmation by the Brazilian Supreme Court that the commission will not overcome the country’s 1979 Amnesty Law. The law releases military personnel and civilians from liability for politically motivated crimes. It was originally formulated in order to give political prisoners and leaders, who were imprisoned and exiled, a way to return to the country. At the time it was largely unrecognized that it would also keep military crimes free from prosecution. In other South American nations, like Argentina, Chile and Peru, the establishment of truth commissions was the precursor to punishment of offenders and a full cycle of justice occurred.

Another concern is that the commission is too limited in scope; with only 7 members and only 2 years to investigate the crimes of 4 decades the reality is that only a cursory investigation will be possible. Roughly 500 Brazilians were killed in that period, another 150 disappeared and more than 20,000 citizens were tortured or abused.

For more information, please see;

Radio Netherlands Worldwide – Brazil: Truth or Reconciliation Without Prosecution? – 26 September 2011

International Center for Transitional Justice – Brazil: Six Critical Steps for Truth Commission Success – 22 September 2011

The New York Times – Brazil: Lower House Approves Truth Commission to Investigate Abuses During Military Dictatorship – 22 September 2011

MSNBC – Brazilian Lawmakers Approve Probe of Abuses – 22 September 2011

Times Live – Brazil Lower House Approves Truth Commission – 22 September 2011