Venezuela’s Presidential Elections Moved Forwards Possibly Assuring Chavez Re-election

September 15, 2011

by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Rep0rter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – Election changes have just been announced in Venezuela by Tibisay Lucena, the president of the National Electoral Council. Presidential elections traditionally take place in December of election years. In the upcoming 2012 election year, the Venezuelan Presidential election has been moved up to October 7.

President Chavez tweeted, “7 October 2012: your destiny is written! We will write another revolutionary victory on your page! We will live and we will conquer!” as a response to this announcement.

Chavez, who announced his intention to run for re-election earlier, will be up for a third term in office and a victory will place him in power of Venezuela for a consecutive 18 years. In 2007, Chavez attempted to modify the Constitution, which he had drafted, to allow him to run for re-election for a third term. This move was unsuccessful.

Again, in 2009, Chavez sought to strike down term limits and amend the Constitution. This move was highly controversial as it was noted that Constitutional amendments are only permissible once per congressional term. Despite the reservations of this being an unconstitutional act, Chavez was successful, paving the way for his upcoming 2012 campaign.

Earlier this summer, in June, Chavez announced that he was battling cancer. On June 20 he had a tumor removed in Cuba and since then has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy. He announced Tuesday that he will start a final round of chemotherapy soon. He expects to be at full strength when he begins campaigning in December.

Approval ratings for Chavez stood at 70% at his 2006 re-election. Current polls place his ratings at roughly 50%. Opposition parties point out that moving the election date forward makes it harder for other candidates to successfully challenge Chavez. They note that this is a particularly opportune time for rival parties due to the President’s weakened position.

Instead of receiving a full year in which to campaign, the candidates will only get eight months to mount a successful opposition. MercoPress reports that political analyst Luis Vicente Leon believes shortening the campaign period will favor Chavez because an effective opposition needs to spend extensive time traveling around the country, meeting people and gathering support. Additionally, Chavez’s unlimited access to broadcast hours makes him the most recognizable politician in the Venezuelan arena.

The National Electoral Council is justifying their decision by citing a need to separate national from regional and local elections. Regional and local elections of governors will still take place in December. Tibisay Lucena claims this division is to benefit voters, so they can focus on each election, instead of having the Presidential race overshadow the others.

For more information, please see;

Americas Quarterly – Date Set for Venezuela’s 2012 Presidential Election – 14 September 2011

El Universal – Venezuelan Electoral Body Decides to Separate Elections – 14 September 2011

Latin American Herald Tribune – Venezuela Sets Presidential Elections for 7 October 2010 – 14 September 2011

MercoPress – Venezuelan Presidential Election Moved Forward to 7 October 2012 – 14 September 2011

Vietnam Political Prisoner Dies in Jail

September 14, 2011

By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

HANOI, Vietnam – Truong Van Suong, a political prisoner who has spent 33 years of his 68 year life in jail, died from medical complications while in detention.

Truong Van Suong died in prison after serving over 33 years as a political prisoner (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian).

In November 2010, Suong’s family was notified by prison officials that Suong had developed a serious heart condition. As a result of this condition, he was given one year of medical parole.

This parole was spent at a hospital until authorities suddenly re-appeared to return Suong to prison on August 19, just weeks before his passing, against the objection of his family who told authorities that his heart was too fragile to survive the conditions of his imprisonment.

Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch has criticized the Vietnamese government for forcing Suong to return to prison when he “urgently needed proper medical treatment.”

Phil Robertson also stated that “by locking him up again in such terrible health, the government of Vietnam essentially condemned him to die alone, separated from family and friends in his last days.”

Luong Thanh Nghi, Foreign Ministry spokesman, confirmed the death and stated that it came despite receiving hospital attention and returning to prison from medical parole in “stable health”.

Suong served as an officer in Southern Vietnam’s Army during the Vietnam War. When the north invaded Saigon, Suong was forced to spend six years in re-education camp in central Vietnam.

After being released, Suong fled to Thailand and joined the United Front of Patriotic Force for the Liberation of Vietnam in an attempt to bring democracy to Vietnam.

After returning to Vietnam, Suong and 200 other individuals were arrested after a Vietnamese spy informed the government of their involvement with the organization. In 1983 Suong was charged with treason and his involvement in an attempt to overthrow the Vietnamese government for which he was sentenced to life in prison.

Suong is the second political prisoner to die in Vietnam since July.

Human Rights Watch is calling on the Vietnamese government to “…immediately release all political prisoners unconditionally, but they should especially prioritize the release of those with serious health problems so they can receive proper medical treatment.”

For more information, please see:

Forbes – Vietnam Political Prisoner Dies After 33 Years – 13 September 2011

The Guardian – Vietnamese Political Prisoner Truong Van Suong Dies in Detention – 13 September 2011

Voice of America – Vietnamese Prisoner Dies in Prison After Year-Long Medical Parole – 13 September 2011

Radio Free Asia – Prominent Dissident Dies in Jail – 12 September 2011

Hungary Launches Investigation into Soviet War Crimes

September 14, 2011

By Polly Johnson
Senior Desk Officer, Europe

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hungary’s National Bureau of Investigation (NNI) will launch an inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by the Soviet army more than sixty years ago in Osaszfalu, near Zirc, Veszprém County, according to Hungarian newspaper Magyar Hírlap.

More than forty years passed until residents of the village of Olaszfalu were able to erect memorials to honor the thirty-two massacre victims (Photo Courtesy of Digital Journal/flickr).

During World War II, Red Army soldiers allegedly shot thirty-two men and boys while their parents watched. Reports vary as to whether the dead were buried in mass graves or in pits.

It is the first time in Hungary’s history that the Soviet Red Army and the secret police, the NKVD, have been accused of mass atrocities and war crimes. It is widely known that both groups committed mass looting, rape, murder, and deportations.

The murders remained a secret while the Soviets occupied the small village from 1945 until 1989. It was not until ten years after the Soviets left that families erected tombstones and raised memorials.

A Hungarian website reporting the allegations quotes Jozsef Toth, the vice mayor of the village, who said: “They laid them in a long trench, a few centimeters from each other. None of them were given coffins, they just took them off a wagon where they lay wrapped in sheets, there was no funeral. Neither priest, nor the families, not even the mothers could weep above those murdered.”

In related news, ninety-seven year old Hungarian Sándor Kepiro, a former police captain and alleged Nazi war crimes criminal who was acquitted this year, died on September 3.

Kepiro was acquitted in July of charges of the deaths of thirty-six civilians in northern Serbia during World War II raids by Hungarian forces. More than 1,200 civilians, mostly Serbs and Jews, were killed during the raids. The massacre became known as the Novi Sad massacre.

His case was turned over to the Hungarian authorities in 2006 by the Simon Wiesenthal center, which had deemed him the most-wanted Nazi war crimes criminal. He admitted to rounding people up prior to the massacre, but denied shooting or ordering anyone to be shot.

Kepiro had been found guilty in two previous trials, first in 1944, and second, in 1946. He was released after his first conviction because Germany was under the control of Nazis. By the time of his second conviction, Kepiro had fled to Argentina.

For more information, please see:

Digital Journal – First-ever war crimes prosecution against Soviet Army in Hungary – 12 September 2011

Budapest Times – Suspect dies after war crimes acquittal – 12 September 2011

New York Times – Sandor Kepiro Dies at 97; Acquitted of Holocaust-Era Crimes – 4 September 2011

Politics.hu – Hungarian investigators to probe alleged Soviet war crime – 29 August 2011

Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation Report Details Evidence of Escalating Government Control and Oppression in Cuba

September 14, 2011

By Ryan T. Elliott
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America/Oceania

HAVANA, Cuba – The Ladies in White are counted among the most determined groups battling against human rights abuses in Cuba. The Ladies in White work towards the release of hundreds, if not thousands, of political prisoners. Earlier this week, the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation released a report that focused on the beatings, violence and kidnappings the Ladies in White suffered from authorities in August.

Ladies in White were beaten and detained by Cuban authorities in August. (Photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journal)

On August 7, 2011, the Ladies in White suffered a series of violent attacks during peaceful demonstrations in the cities of Santiago de Cuba and Palmarito de Cauto, which are located in the Eastern province of Cuba. Comprised largely of Cuban women who are family members or supporters of Cuban political prisoners, the group was battered, and in some cases, pushed into buses headed for unknown destinations by Government-organized agents.

In the wake of these violent attacks, it was discovered that six activists were hospitalized with fractures, contusions, and wounds that required sutures. Meanwhile, the political police ordered doctors not to supply victims with medical certificates. This was an interesting and clever maneuver on the part of the political police, considering that medical certificates are required in order to accuse the Cuban authorities of any wrongdoing.

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (“CCHRN”)found that police violence against peaceful dissidents (persons who happen to hold or voice a different belief) was at its highest in recent years. The report found that police violence against peaceful dissidents (persons who happen to hold or voice a different belief) was at its highest in recent years. In fact, the panel found at least 2,221 arrests that were made for political reasons. This is an average of 278 arrests per month, a number that represents a hundred percent increase from the same period last year.

While the commission said there is little doubt that the crackdown on pro-democracy groups was approved at the highest level of government, the Catholic Church, which often acts as a go-between for dissidents and Cuban authorities, said it had received assurances that there was no national policy to target opposition groups. Nevertheless, the commission warned that the figures in its report suggest a serious deterioration of civil and political rights in Cuba. The commission stated that it believes that this represents a trend, which is likely to continue unless the Cuban government introduces new reforms or ratifies and complies with the U.N. human rights pacts.

The CCDHRN called on foreign governments and international human rights groups to show “solidarity” with Cuban dissidents and urge Havana to end its controlling and oppressive practices.

For more information, please see:

Emirates 247 – Cuban crackdown ordered from the top — September 7, 2011

Christian Post – Catholic Church in Cuba Condemns Violence Against Ladies in White — September 6, 2011

Miami Herald – Cuba denies it is targeting dissidents — September 6, 2011

Fox News – Cuba dissidents complain of escalating repression — September 6, 2011

Cuba Democracy & Life – Activists with Fractures are Hospitalized after Brutal Attack — August 7, 2011

Libyan Women Hopeful as Interim Leader Calls for Civil State

September 13, 2011

By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya – Monday marked the beginning of a turning point for Libya as Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC) that will act as the interim government, delivered a speech in Tripoli’s newly named Martyrs’ Square that laid out his vision for the newly liberated country. More than 10,000 people attended the address, including many women who enthusiastically cheered him on while waving the red, black, and green flag of liberation.

An enthusiastic crowd cheered NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel-Jalils address in Tripolis Martyrs Square Monday night — A passionate crowd cheered NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel-Jalil's address in Tripoli's Martyrs' Square Monday night. (Photo courtesy of the Tripoli Post)

“Women will be ambassadors,” Abdel-Jalil, the former justice minister of exiled leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, declared. “Women will be ministers.”

Statements such as these from Abdel-Jalil, who defected from the Gaddafi regime when the revolution began, raised the hopes of the crowd. He emphasized that the new Libya would have a strong focus on women and youth. The address also made a point of giving credit to all who were involved in the revolution, including the NATO alliance and sympathetic members of the Gaddafi forces, who sabotaged missions or deliberately aimed away from rebels when ordered to fire.

For women of Libya, they anxiously await the payoff for their hard work in organizing rebel cells that turned into small armies that helped send Gaddafi into exile. They functioned in multiple ways to aid the forces: collecting money, hiding fighters, and even running guns. One woman, an art teacher named Amal Bashir, acquired ammunition through use of a secret code. The New York Times described the code as follows: “[s]mall-caliber rounds were called ‘pins,’ larger rounds were ‘nails.’ A ‘bottle of milk’ meant a Kalashnikov.”

But whether that payoff comes will depend in large part on the government that forms. Abdel-Jalil vowed that the new Libya would not accept extremist ideologies. He also rejected the idea of a secular country, instead seeing one that is driven by Sharia (Muslim) law.

“We are a Muslim nation, with a moderate Islam, and we will maintain that. You are with us and support us – you are our weapon against whoever tries to hijack the revolution,” he said.

Abdel-Jalil had no plans for reprisals against Gaddafi loyalists. Part of his speech, which was broadcast nationally, was directed at those who remained loyal to the former despot, who remains at large. He urged those people to surrender, as Muslims were “a people of forgiveness.” Abdel-Jalil also encouraged Libyans affected by the Gaddafi regime not to seek revenge against loyalists for past crimes.

“We need to open the courts to anyone who harmed the Libyan people in any way. The judicial system will decide,” he told the crowd.

Women look forward to the possibility of their new role in society: their occupations, unimpeded by the corrupt Gaddafi regime. Gaddafi’s Green Book contained extensive material on respect for women, including sections on breastfeeding and domesticity. But when they tried to follow the Green Book, they were held down by the government. For instance, Bashir dreamed of a career as an artist, but she canceled what would have been her first exhibition after her sponsor, a member of the regime, demanded sex from her.

That fear is gone, having been replaced by optimism. For Aisha Gdour, a school psychologist who smuggled bullets to rebel fighters in her handbag, there is no looking back. “Maybe I can be the new president or the mayor,” she said.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Libya’s new leader calls for civil state — 13 September 2011

BBC — Libya: NTC’s Jalil vows state based on ‘moderate Islam’ — 13 September 2011

Libya TV — Libya’s interim leader makes landmark Tripoli speech — 13 September 2011

Tripoli Post — Interim Libyan Leader Calls for Reconciliation in His First Public Speech — 13 September 2011

New York Times — Libyan Transitional Leader Urges Reconciliation, Using Symbolism of Tripoli Site –12 September 2011

New York Times — Libya’s War-Tested Women Hope to Keep New Power — 12 September 2011