Are Children In Mexico Better Off In School or Out?

By Brittney Hodnik
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – School-age children in Mexico are facing a terrible situation.  Due to the constant violence and threats from gangs and drug traffickers, thousands of schools are closed throughout Mexico; and the schools that are open do not provide a helpful, safe learning environment.

"No classes until further notice" sign outside of a Mexican school. (Image courtesy of AFP)

Mexico is riddled with drug violence, and the situation only seems to be getting worse.  Drug cartels have now resorted to threatening teachers and children, causing thousands of teachers to refuse to report to work.  CNN reports that approximately 140 schools have been closed since the beginning of the school year due to safety issues, and teacher refusal to work.

According to The Associated Foreign Press (“AFP”), teachers in Acapulco have been on strike for a month, trying to persuade authorities to improve security before they return to work.  The threats were left outside of the building, and in some situations, armed men entered and delivered the threats themselves, according to CNN.

Threats are often left by simple messages, but recently, gruesome displays have prevailed.  According to BBC News, Mexican police found five decomposing heads in a sack outside of a primary school along with threatening messages.  In Veracruz, 49 bodies were dumped on the roads within a three-day span, causing parents to be even more fearful of sending their children to class, reported AFP.

Parents are hesitant to let their children go to school for fear of violent clashes both in school and on their way to school.  Elizabeth Garcia, a mother of two told the Associated Foreign Press that she felt better keeping her kids at home.  “I don’t know if it’s better that they don’t go to school, but at least I know where they are,” she told AFP.

Although the threats were anonymous, Mexican authorities believe that they are linked to organized crime.  Gustavo Duncan, the representative for Santiago Mayor’s Office said that the threats were “against society in general” and “there was nothing specific,” reported CNN.

Questions about the legitimacy, safety, and overall learning environment of schools that are currently open have emerged.  According to the Washington Post, on September 23, teachers made sixth-grade students strip down after $13 went missing in a classroom.  Mexico’s Human Rights Commission is investigating the incident, and the school has refused comment.

Mexico’s violence is escalating, and Mexican authorities do not seem to have any of the drug cartels or other gangs under control.  The children are suffering from lack of education, potentially creating a dangerous cycle of violence and disobedience in Mexico.

For more information, please visit:

Associated Foreign Press — Fears of Violence Shake Mexico Schools — 2 Oct. 2011

The Washington Post — Mexican Rights Commission: Parents Say Sixth-Graders Forced to Strip Down After $13 Disappears — 2 Oct. 2011

CNN — More Schools Threatened in Mexico — 30 Sept. 2011

BBC News — 5 Severed Heads Left Outside Mexican School — 28 Sept. 2011

Mosque in Israel Set on Fire; Arson by “Price Tag” Group Suspected

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUBA-ZANGARIA, Israel – Years of general peace in the northern Israeli region of Galilee were shattered Monday after a mosque in Tuba-Zangaria was set on fire.  The attack is the latest in a series of arsons, but it is believed to be the first of its kind to be perpetrated within Israel’s pre-1967 borders.

Tuba-Zangariya residents survey the damage a suspected arson did to their mosque. Graffiti on the outside called the attack a price tag. (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

These actions, referred to as “price tag” attacks, are part of what is believed to be a radical campaign to make local Palestinians or Israeli security forces pay a proverbial “price” for violence against settlers or removing settlements form the West Bank. Police found severe damage to the building’s interior.

“The whole mosque was burnt – the carpet, the books, the Korans, all burnt,” the village imam, Sheik Fuad Zangariya, said in describing the scene to Israel’s Army Radio.

In addition to the scorched interior, graffiti had been spray-painted on the exterior walls.  The Hebrew words for “price tag,” “revenge,” and “Palmer” were the primary comments seen.  “Palmer” is believed to be a reference to a September 23 incident in which Palestinians threw stones at a car driven by Asher Palmer, a recent settler.  One of the stones may have hit him in the head, causing the car to crash and overturn.  The 25-year-old Palmer and his year-old son both died in the accident.

Israeli authorities were quick to condemn the attack.

“This is an act which is against the values of the state of Israel, which places supreme importance on freedom of religion and freedom of worship,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Monday, Israeli President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Tuba-Zangaria mosque in an effort to calm tensions after Bedouin protesters set fire to several buildings and scuffled with police.  He brought with him a delegation of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze spiritual leaders as part of a show of religious solidarity.  Zangariya said that the Bedouin village had always enjoyed friendly relations with neighboring Jewish towns.  By Monday night, the New York Times described the atmosphere there as “tense but calm.”

Peres denounced the arsonists as he reviewed the damage.

“I am shocked to the depths of my soul. I am full of shame and disgrace to see what they caused to this mosque, to the holy books in such a manner. We will not accept this, this is not acceptable. There is not one Israeli who is not ashamed,” he said.

Peres was particularly upset by the arson’s timing.  It took place during the Ten Days of Atonement between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).  He said this time period is meant to be one for reflection.

Netanyahu has instructed the Shin Bet security service to locate the perpetrators of these acts and bring them to justice.  The organization believes that attacks like these by right-wing extremists could lead to violence in the future.  This radicalization, which Shin Bet first noticed in 2004, appears to have been rising and no longer requires an incident to trigger action.  The variety of targets has also increased to include defacing military vehicles and the homes of left-wing activists.

But for now, the goal is to minimize the attacks’ effect and control tensions while the investigation into these incidents proceeds.  Israel appears to be taking the “price tag” group’s efforts very seriously.

“These acts are so dangerous, and harmful on a national level. They can result in an escalation, and this is the last thing the country needs,” Police Inspector General Yohanan Danino said in September.

Shin Bet believes that most settlers oppose these actions, which it suspects are being carried out by a few dozen individuals.

For more information, please see:

Ha’aretz — Israel Police on High Alert as Clashes Ensue Following Mosque Arson — 04 October 2011

Ma’an News Agency — Israel’s Peres Condemns Mosque Burning — 04 October 2011

Arutz Sheva — Arson in Galilee Mosque — 03 October 2011

BBC — Mosque in Northern Israel in “Price Tag” Arson Attack — 03 October 2011

Ha’aretz — Peres: Galilee Mosque Arson Shameful for the State of Israel — 03 October 2011

Jerusalem Post — Mosque Set Alight in Suspected “Price Tag” Attack — 03 October 2011

New York Times — Mosque Set on Fire in Northern Israel — 03 October 2011

Protests Against Impunity in Bulgaria

By Greg Hall
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

SOFIA, Bulgaria – About two thousand protesters marched into Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia in anti-Roma protests.  Prejudices against Roma in Bulgaria and intolerance to daily crime and impunity after several serious incidents have triggered a series of national demonstrations that have increased ethnic tensions.  The nationalistic party, Ataka, held demonstrations protesting against the impunity of Roma.

Bulgarian nationalists shout slogans during an anti-Roma demonstration in Plovdivon Sunday as political leaders and security chiefs sought to calm tensions. (Photo courtesy of Hurriyet Daily News)
Bulgarian nationalists shout slogans during an anti-Roma demonstration in Plovdivon Sunday as political leaders and security chiefs sought to calm tensions. (Photo courtesy of Hurriyet Daily News)

There has been an increase in protests recently due to a death of a youth hit by a car driven by relatives of a Roma clan boss.  Following the accident, an angry crowd of roughly 2,000 people attacked three houses owned by the Roma leader in the village.  Smaller protests occurred in other towns the following week.

National Security Council President, Georgi Parvanov, called on political parties and the media to cease using hate speech.  He also announced that a Roma inclusion program would begin in November and was being funded by the European Union and the Bulgarian government.  The time could not have come any later, as opinion polls state that 69% of Bulgarians rule out the possibility of having Roma friends and 63% find it unacceptable to live in the same neighborhood as them.

Volen Siderov, Ataka’s far right candidate, is calling for the death penalty to be reinstated and for Roma “ghettos to be dismantled.”  The recent violence in Bulgaria has been called the worst since the violence that took place in 1997.

This violence demonstrates the struggles of the Bulgarian country.  Bulgaria is the poorest country in the European Union.  Roma makes up only 5% of the population in Bulgaria. The attacks triggered worries that Bulgarian Turks, the county’s largest minority at almost 10%, will also become subject to attacks.  As of now, a great majority of the attacks have been directed only at the Roma.

All of these protests and attacks come just three weeks before the Bulgarian presidential elections. Some fear that a few civil servants that are Bulgarian Turks will be forced to work for the governing party’s electoral campaign.  Roma Rangel Palamoudov stated that the nationalist parties are inciting young people to turn against them so they can win the election.

The Roma community lives mostly in depressed areas with higher rates of poverty and unemployment and lower levels of education than the national average. Public frustration against corruption, a growing gap between rich and poor and the weakness of the justice system has helped turn people against the Roma, as well as against Bulgaria’s Turkish minority.

The unemployment rate among Roma is 65% and as high as 80% in some other regions.  The prejudice and distorted perception of Roma coupled together with low levels of education make it extremely difficult for Roma to get jobs.  It is also believed that quality of education to Roma children is inferior to that afforded to other students.

For more information, please see:

Hurriyet Daily News – Turks Worry as Bulgarian Nationalists Rally Ahead of Polls – 3 October 2011

iFocus – European Press Review – 3 October 2011

BBC News – Bulgarian Rally links Roma to Organised Crime – 1 October 2011

Argentina Enacts New Measures to Protect Domestic Industries: Customs Holding Books, Cars, Toys, Cell Phones

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Over 1 million books are currently being held by the Argentinian government at customs.  The books are the newest good to be affected by the stringent economic protectionist plan that President Cristina Fernández has enacted and which she is determined to see succeed.

Cartoon depicting Argentinas new policy to protect domestic industry. (Photo Courtesy of The Economist)
Cartoon depicting Argentina's new policy to protect domestic industry. (Photo Courtesy of The Economist)

Earlier restrictions have affected many things including; textiles, tires, cars, chemicals, pharmaceutical goods and cell phones.  President Fernández’s goal is to see the Argentinian economy grow more self-sufficient by promoting local goods over imports.  Also included in the policy is the goal of increasing exports; $1 export for every $1 import.

“The editorial sector is surprised by the prolonged intervention that affects the basic right of the citizens to have access to the book as a vehicle of education and culture,” the Publishing Chamber said in objecting to the customs slowdowns.

Last year the people of Argentina purchased roughly 76 million books, government officials claims 60 million of those were printed outside of the country.  Publishers disagreed with that and instead maintain that two-thirds of all books sold are printed domestically.

The ability of the publishing industry to keep up with the volume is being called into question.  Publishing executives further note that local printers are either not of as high a quality or drastically more expensive than printers overseas.

At the opening and inauguration of the new Museum of Book and Language President Fernández championed the plan once again.

“The world is going in one direction and at times it seems like we’re going to the opposite, but this is the necessary path to recover a country that already knew how to do things,” she said.

The other sectors affected by this plan report that they have been forced into talks with government representatives from the Commerce and Industry department.in order to try and recover their stopped goods.  These talks result in the company agreeing to a plan which will increase their export capacity or increase their use of domestic products and labor.

Nordenwagen, an Argentinian car importer, had its business stopped back in January when customs would no longer allow them to bring in imported Porsches.  It took three months for the cars to be released and it was only once Nordenwagen agreed to a deal.  The owners of the business also own a vineyard and have agreed to launch a mass-market line of wines for export around the world.

Cell phones, in particular Blackberry’s, are in high demand across Argentina with all cell phone carriers having sold out of them months ago and the government refusing to allow imports of the good in.  Brightstar, a multinational manufacturer of phones, has just agreed to begin manufacturing the phones in factories located in Tierra del Fuego, south of the Magellan strait.

The phones will be made with imported parts but put together by local workers and packaged in locally sourced wrapping.  The cost of this is roughly 15 times more than the phones being made in Asia.

Global Trade Alert, a database that monitors international commerce restrictions, reported that Argentina is now second in the world in trade limitations.  The only country ahead of them is Russia.

President Fernández is unable to raise import tariffs on its own because of membership in the Mercosur customs union.  This has led her to utilize the World Trade Organization’s recognized “non-automatic licensing” method which allows a country to hold imported goods for 90 days.

Argentina has certainly not maintained this 90 day period and the list they use of goods restricted to requiring special licensing before release by customs has grown from 400 to 600.  Tax incentives are also being offered to local companies.  For example, domestically produced finished books have been made tax-free and Brightstar was offered tax incentives for starting the Blackberry manufacturing plant in Tierra del Fuego.

Concerns in the Falkland Islands have also been expressed due to the new severe protectionist policy.  Just recently President Fernández announced a plan to support local island producers of fruit, vegetables, salad and eggs.  Grants will also be made to local new businesses that help provide locally sourced foodstuffs to the islands.

“The aim is for the Falklands to become self-sufficient and less susceptible to external pressure” said David Waugh, general manager of the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC).  Easily 60% of produce consumed in the Falklands could be supported by a strong local market according to the FIDC.

The new plan for the Falklands self-sufficiency follows a period of disruption of British shipping interests by Argentinian claims that all ships between the Argentina coast and the Falklands must hold a special permit.

All of this likely stems from the 2001 crash and resulting inflation experienced in the country.  Fears of a too strong import industry have sparked this new policy as Argentina brought in roughly $5 billion in imports per year since 2009.

For more information, please see;

MercoPress – Publishing Houses Told to Print in Argentina While Imported Books are Blocked in Customs – 1 October 2011

Seattle PI – Argentina Holds Up Book Imports to Help Industry – 29 September 2011

The Economist – South America’s Two Biggest Economies are Imposing Heavy Handed Trade Restrictions – 24 September 2011

The Telegraph – Falkland Islands’ Bid to Grow its own Food Amid Fears of Argentina Blockade – 6 September 2011

The Heritage Network – Argentina: Cristina Ramps Up Protectionism – 18 July 2011

Market News International – LatamWatch: Brazil Trade Barriers Hint at Rising Protectionism? – 16 May 2011

MercoPress – ‘Argentina’s Protectionism’ the Great Obstacle for EU/Mercosur Trade Talks – 15 April 2011

Police Arrest Demonstrators at Independence Rally Days Before their Presidential Elections

By Carolyn Abdenour
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Police detained over 200 people at an independence rally in Southern Cameroon this weekend. Police arrested 126 people for defying public order after they arrested fifty activists from the Southern Cameroons National Council (“SCNC”) at a demonstrated in Buea on Saturday. Saturday was the fiftieth anniversary of the merger between British Cameroon and French Cameroon that created present Cameroon.

President Biya is expected to win the presidential election on 9 October. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)
President Biya is expected to win the presidential election on 9 October. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

SCNC seeks independence for the English-speaking minority in Cameroon. English-speaking separatist movements created the organization in 1995 to gain independence of their territory. The Council complains the authorities in Yaounde, Cameroon’s capital, politically marginalizes and neglects the English-speaking minority. SCNC did not receive permission to hold its rally in Buea on Saturday, and security forces dispersed the Anglophone separatist movement.

On Sunday, an anonymous source stated “As I am speaking to you, 150 of [the detainees] are held at (the mobile intervention unit), 30 at the central police station and 25 at the gendarmerie brigade.” The source asked for anonymity because he did not receive authorization to speak to the press.

Cameroonians will go to the polls for a presidential election on Sunday, 9 October. President Paul Biya has governed Cameroon since 1982. Biya is likely to remain president of this oil-producing country for another seven-year term. In 2008, Biya amended Cameroon’s constitution by removing presidential term limits. This amendment provoked unrest in the country.

This protest trials behind recent unrest related to the elections. On Thursday, 29 September, gunmen, wearing military uniforms, opened fire in Douala, Cameroon’s commercial capital, in an anti-government protest. They carried signs that read “Paul Biya Must Go At All Costs” and “Paul Biya Dictator”.

The gunmen blocked the mile-long Wouri Bridge as they protested against Biya. The gunmen and police shot at each other for hours, and one gunman fell off the bridge into the Wouri River. An eyewitness to the incident was unsure if he drowned. Residents continued to hear sporadic gunfire hours after the situation concluded.

Biya faces twenty-two candidates opposing the 78-year-old incumbent in the race. However, Biya’s critics suggest with Biya’s tight control of the electoral commission, Biya will rig the election.

The Social Democratic Front (“SDF”) denounced the organization of the election. SDF’s spokesman Evariste Fopoussi says, “There is a whole mountain of irregularities” because the election rolls have double entries and is missing candidate names.

For more information, please see:
Antigua Observer – Cameroon Arrests More Than 200 Separatists – 2 Oct 11
Cameron Online – Cameroon: 126 Arrested Over Independence Protest – 2 Oct 2011
Voice of America – Cameroon Separatists Arrested Following March in Buea – 1 Oct 2011
BBC – Cameron Shooting: Douala Gunmen Kill One – 29 Sept 11