Crimes Against Humanity Explored at 5th IHL Dialogs
Three Executed in Iran for Sodomy
By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
AHVAZ, Iran — Last Sunday morning, three men were executed by Iran’s judiciary for sodomy. They were put to death by hanging in the south western city of Ahvaz at Karoun prison.
A total of six individuals were executed on Sunday. Two had been convicted for robbery and rape, and a third had been convicted of drug trafficking. The prosecutor announced that the other three men were convicted of “lavat,” the phrase used in Islamic law for sodomy. The official announcement did not reveal the names of the men who were executed only their initials.
This case is somewhat unusual because normally when such cases come before Iranian courts the charges involve acts such as sexual assault and rape — crimes that involve an element of force rather than consensual sex between willing parties.
These executions revolve around sections 108 and 110 of the Iranian penal code. Section 108 defines sodomy a crime using Iran’s interpretation of Sharia law, and under section 110 the penalty for commission of the crime is death. Prior executions quoting the penal code have referred to “lavat leh onf, “ or sodomy by coercion.
It is not unusual for Iran to frame sodomy cases as containing elements of coercion to make the executions more legitimate in the eyes of the public, and to avoid an international outcry.
In 2005, Iran was condemned for its execution of two teenagers who were publicly hanged from a crane in the city of Mashad. Human rights groups claimed that the two were executed for having a consensual sexual relationship, but the offical charges were “lavat leh onf.”
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, a researcher at Iran Human Rights, notes that “this case is the only one in recent years where the only basis for the death sentence has been a sexual relationship between two men, with reference to the articles 108 and 110 of the Islamic Penal Code.”
In 2007, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that there were no gay people in Iran, implying that homosexuality is a western “phenomenon.” This attitude in Iran has been a major motivator for keeping any public references to homosexuality at a minimum.
It is very hard to confirm executions of gay men and women inside of Iran. Prosecutors often only give small amounts of information about the killings, and families are reluctant to release information about executed family members and loved ones because of the cultural stigma attached to homosexuality.
Iran is run under a strict interpretation of Sharia law, and it remains one of the world’s largest executors. Just this year, Iran has executed over 180 people. Ahvaz has the highest rate of executions in Iran, and has gained some notoriety for the secret hangings carried out in Karoun prison.
For more information, please see:
The Independent — Iran executes three men for sodomy — 7 Sept 2011
International Business Times — Iran Execution: Three Men Hanged for Being Gay, Convicted of Sodomy — 7 Sept 2011
Huffington Post — Three Men Hanged For Having Gay Sex In Iran: Reports – 6 Sep 2011
Miami Herald — Three men executed for sodomy convictions, reports Iran Human Rights website — 5 Sept 2011
Iran Human Rights — Three men were executed convicted of sodomy — 5 Sept 2011
Violence in the Alemão slum as Peace Force Struggles to Overcome Drug Gangs
by Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
BRASÍLIA, Brazil – The Alemão slum complex in Rio de Janeiro is once again beset by violence. On Sunday evening, a scuffle between residents and the assigned Peace Force in the community took place. Reports of this incident show that three residents were arrested and that pepper spray and rubber bullets were used to disperse crowds. There were no reported deaths, although one woman was hit by a rubber bullet and a police officer was hit in the head with a stone.
The Peace Force has been present in the Alemão slum since November of last year. At that time, security forces entered and gained control as part of a “pacification program”. This program was an attempt to curb violence levels, in preparation for hosting the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Alemão had been the base for the Red Command, Rio’s largest drug gang. The securing of the complex was viewed as a huge success as it severely inhibited drug trafficking and related violence.
Reports of how Sunday’s altercation began vary. The Peace Force claims to have been assaulted by residents throwing stones and bottles as a foot patrol team arrested a man who had harassed them. Residents say that it started with a request, from a Peace Force team, to lower the volume on a television set at a bar and escalated from there.
Following Sunday’s scuffle, on Tuesday, a group of drug traffickers from a neighboring slum opened fire on the soldiers patrolling Alemão. The Washington Post reports that television broadcasts show residents running to find cover from the bullets flying through the air. Locals claim that a 15 year-old girl was killed in the fight and at least 16 others were wounded. Authorities deny that any deaths occurred as a result of the struggle.
The aunt of the 15 year-old girl, allegedly killed from a stray bullet, was frustrated by the government’s response. She stated, “I’m very angry because I was born and raised here and no one in my family has ever been killed in shootings. Now that (the slum) has been pacified, I’m seeing one of them killed. Where’s the state? Where are the authorities?”
Other residents voiced concerns that even with the Peace Force presence they do not feel any safer. Also heard were complaints of overly aggressive policing in Alemão. Authorities announced that police will now force occupations of the neighboring two slums as that is where the drug traffickers are believed to have originated from.
For more information, please see;
MercoPress – Brazilian Forces Try to Regain Control of Shantytown Again Lost to Criminal Gangs – 8 September 2011
BBC News – Extra Troops Sent to Rio Slum After Gunfight Erupts – 7 September 2011
The Washington Post – More Troops Flood Into Rio de Janeiro Slum After Fellow Soldiers Attacked by Gangs – 7 September 2011
The Rio Times – Confrontation in Complexo Alemão – 5 September 2011
NIGERIA RESIDENTS FEAR BOTH THE TERRORISTS AND THE MILITARY AMID REPORTS OF RELEASES TO PLACATE MUSLIM ELDERS
By Tamara Alfred
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
According to a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, Nigeria released known terror suspects, including some affiliated with al Qaeda’s north Africa branch, as part of a program known as “Perception Management” to placate elders in the country’s Muslim north.
The release of the suspects in early 2008 coincides with the time when Nigerian authorities released the man now suspected of helping organize the August 26 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria that killed 23 people.
The cable, dated March 20, 2008, outlines how 18 terror suspects being held by the government were released in early 2008. Twelve of the suspects became part of “Perception Management” run by the nation’s secret police. Under the program, imams and traditional leaders in north Nigeria served largely as parole officers responsible for reforming the suspects. However, the cable suggests pressures to save Nigeria’s international image may have influenced the decision to release the suspects.
“The court ostensibly remains under political pressure to expedite, even throw out terrorism cases to ensure Nigeria is not given the distasteful reputation of a ‘terrorist safe haven,’” said the cable signed by then-US Ambassador Robin Renee Sanders.
A high-ranking Nigerian government official told the Associated Press last week that Babagana Ismail Kwaljima, a suspected member of the radical sect Boko Haram now being held over the bombing, was released in 2007 to placate Muslim leaders.
Reports have been circulating recently of Boko Haram branching out and collaborating with al Qaeda’s affiliates. In the past two years, the radical sect, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege” in the local Hausa language,” has met and trained with al-Qaeda affiliates outside the country and begun waging a propaganda campaign that includes conference calls with reporters. Violence has increased recently and civilians are increasingly put in the line of fire.
Several dozen civilians were killed in June when bombs were thrown into the outdoor beer parlors that exist on the Christian-minority fringes. Not all women are veiled and alcohol can be obtained – apparently an affront to the group’s goal of imposing strict Islamic law in the north, say Nigerian authorities.
According to a report in mid-August from Amnesty International, about 140 people have died in the violence since January, including dozens of civilians killed by the military.
The Nigerian government has responded with such a broad, harsh crackdown that many residents now see the military as more of a danger than Boko Haram. The brutal Nigerian military tactics – shoot first, ask questions later – are creating more sympathizers for the group.
In the neighborhoods, the anger against the military is undeniable. Nobody admitted supporting Boko Haram, but several residents said “young men” were now signing up with the group. When asked about the army, an angry mob quickly formed.
“After looting the properties of the people, they killed innocent people,” said Yusuf Babagana, describing an army incursion after a bomb blast in the Abbangaram neighborhood in July. “They are creating more chaos than the Boko Haram sect. They are looting, killing, and even raping.”
Saude Maman recounted how soldiers yelled at her husband, “you are Boko Haram!” after a car bombing that resulted in the military cordoning off the district. When her husband denied it, “they dragged him to the courtyard and shot him,” said Maman. Fourth other women also said they lost their husbands that same night. Amnesty International reports that at least 25 people died in that operation alone.
A businessman in Abbangaram said, “When the army men came in they just started beating everybody, and killing everybody.” On July 23, according to Amnesty, 23 people were killed by soldiers after a blast near the palace of the sheik.
Residents were again forced to flee the streets when a bomb went off in Maiduguri alongside Baga road where Boko Haram has been accused of operating.
One resident told AFP that when the bomb went off “everybody rushed indoors to avoid harassment by soldiers who usually vent their anger on residents every time such attacks occur. Nobody can say if there were casualties because soldiers have taken over the area, shooting in the air.”
Hundreds of troops were deployed to Maiduguri this year to help stem the unrest, but residents have accused them of shooting civilians on suspicion they conspire with the Islamists.
Despite denials by a military spokesman, wounded men are still filling the hospital. “A soldier shot me,” Zira Koda said. “They entered my house and shot me. There was no reason for it.”
For more information, please see:
Huffington Post – Nigeria Terror Suspects Released Knowingly: Cable – 7 September 2011
AFP – Bomb explodes in violence-torn Nigerian city: residents – 6 September 2011
The New York Times – Islamist Group With Possible Qaeda Links Upends Nigeria – 17 August 2011