By Paula Buzzi Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
SANTIAGO, Chile –The Chilean government’s efforts to improve Chile’s deteriorating education system have proved ineffective for some. In response, the Chilean Students Federation and the Teacher’s Association took to the streets once again on Thursday to demand public education.
Student movement rejects government proposal. (Photo Courtesy of National Turk)
Over the past month, more than 200,000 people have participated in organized protests held on the streets of Santiago. Protest organizers claim that such mass protests are necessary to grab the government’s attention and put education reform high up on their agenda.
Education Minister Joaquin Lavin responded to the strike earlier this week by drafting the 75 million USD “Public University Education Revitalizing Fund;” an act which some believe to be a superficial solution to the education crisis. Additionally, Lavin has moved up winter break by 12 days, claiming that the shorter winter break will allow students to make up the class time they have missed while being on strike.
Some protestors, however, are not satisfied with Lavin’s response, claiming that the government’s recent action reflects its inability to solve conflicts. Many are demanding an end to for-profit education fueled by the unstable market. Jaime Gajardo, president of the College of Professors, believes educational policies must be redesigned. “We cannot continue on this path of privatization,” he tells CNN Chile.
Other groups in support of public education include: The Center Labor Federation (“CUT”), the Communist Party, and the Allende Party of Socialism (PSA).
CUT president, Arturo Martinez, defended his position to join the mobilization based on the fact that the high cost of education is being funded by working families.
By Carolyn Abdenour Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe – On Sunday, June 26, 2010, the Harare High Court in Zimbabwe ordered the release of government minister Jameson Timba from prison. Timba was arrested and detained the previous Friday after South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper reported he called President Robert Mugabe a liar.
Jameson Timba was released from jail on Sunday. (Photo Courtesy of Zim Daily)
Zimbabwean security law dictates that it is a criminal offense to insult the president. Timba was jailed for his statement that he believed President Mugabe lied about the South Africa Development Community’s (“SADC”) outcome from their meeting last month. At the SADC meeting, DA Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said the SADC addressed “Mugabe’s attempts to undermine political progress in Zimbabwe. The community extended the moratorium for the SADC tribunal to take new cases, a decision made due to Zimbabwe’s political instability. This tribunal tries cases between citizens and governments of SADC countries after citizens exhaust local legal avenues.
Timba is an aide to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and a current cabinet minister in Mugabe’s administration. Along with Tsvangirai Timba is a member of the MDC party while Mugabe is a member of the opposing ZANU-PF Party. The two parties share power in Zimbabwe under a coalition-style administration called the Government of National Unity (“GNU”).
Upon Timba’s release, Judge Joseph Musakwa stated “there was a violation of human rights…He was not informed of the charges he was facing.” The High Court went further, calling Timba’s arrest unconstitutional. Timba’s lawyers noted that while he was in prison, Timba was denied access to food and his legal team.
In response to Timba’s arrest, Trollip said “these are not the actions of a regime that is keen to embrace democratic reform, nor is it the behavior of a state that is ready to hold free and fair elections,” adding the incident “was an illustration of Mugabe’s determination to entrench ‘repressive, tyrannical rule’ in Zimbabwe”.
Besides Timba, other MDC officials face accusations. Energy Minister Elton Mangoma is being tried for abusing his position during negotiations on a fuel purchase contract, but the MDC believes that Mongoma’s charges are politically motivated. Additionally, ZANUF-PF is pressuring Finance Minister Tendai Biti to resign due to pay cuts for public workers.
On Sunday, June 26, Tsvangirai told MDC supporters that their party would not leave the campaign despite political harassment from the ZANU-PF. News Day reports Tsvangiari said to a group of thousands of supporters “he would rather rot in jail than pull his party out of the inclusive government and play into the hands of ZANU-PF.”
by Zach Waksman Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Tuesday, Saudi Arabia’s religious police arrested and detained five women for driving, which is prohibited by religious edict (fatwa) in the Islamic kingdom. The events took place in Jeddah, a port city along the Red Sea. These arrests are among the first to be made since the Women2Drive campaign that encourages defiance of the fatwa began on June 17, when 42 women took to the streets.
Women exit a car in Riyadh on June 17. That day marked the beginning of women driving in defiance of a fatwa banning such behavior. (Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)
Four of the arrested parties were young women, ages 21 and 22, using a single car. They were found in the Dorat al Arous neighborhood of Jeddah, where they were arrested by local religious police. They were taken to a police station, where they signed a pledge never to get behind the wheel again. They were then released. The actions taken are similar to what happened to Manal Al-Sharif, who was arrested on May 17 and also forced to sign a promise not to drive again.
The fifth was driving were her brother in the Sulaimania district. Local residents reported the incident to the police, noting that she was also not wearing a veil. According to the Saudi news website Sabq.org, “The two were surrounded by four police patrols who asked for their identities then took them to a police station, where they were interrogated.” As of June 29, they were in custody of police in Jamia, where an investigation was underway.
Saudi Arabia has a male guardianship system, meaning that women must obtain permission to go to work, get an education, marry, leave the country, or have a medical operation. According to the fatwa, women must be driven by a male chauffeur or relative. Hiring a full-time chauffeur is expensive, costing approximately $600 per month plus expenses for their coming to and remaining in the conservative kingdom.
Eman al-Nafjan, a Saudi women’s rights activist who is a member of Saudi Women for Driving, called referred to the arrests as “…the first big pushback from authorities, it seems. We aren’t sure what it means at this point and whither this is the start of a harder line by the government against the campaign.”
To some women, however, the pushback started before the activism even began. Many who supported the Women2Drive initiative said their husbands or male relatives prevented them from taking part. One housewife referred to as Mana (name changed) said she could not risk driving because her family did not support her. “I could not take my husband’s car because he expressed real fears and apprehension,” she explained. “He assumed I might get arrested or get into trouble like Manal Al-Sharif, so I could not pursue the idea.” Part of this, she believed, was the general belief among women that they must be submissive to their husbands, which interfered with any effort to protest. Another supporter who did not participate in the June 17 protest, Hawazen Nassief, a self-described “outspoken Saudi female activist,” felt there was too little to gain from driving.
The situation has drawn attention abroad. Saudi Women for Driving says its campaign draws inspiration by the recent uprisings in other Arab countries and has requested backing from the West. On Wednesday, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the group’s efforts, calling their actions brave. “They’re right to raise their concerns with their own government,” she said. Despite this, she said the U.S. would not take part.
Within the country, the discussion continues on whether, and if so, how to begin the process of allowing women drivers onto the roads. Much of the concern stems from safety issues, be it the safety of the women or the roads themselves. “The roads are a mess and there is construction work and uneven ground. With the atrocious traffic management system, you want women out there too? I did not allow my wife or daughter to drive,” said Salman Abadi, a Jeddah-based sales manager.
When asked the same question, marketing assistant Saad Hamri said, “Not yet.” In his opinion, too many variables existed, including whether women knew how to drive. Nassief believed that the issued should be handled gradually by working with the government. She noted that King Abdullah said that his government would not oppose women driving if society was ready to accept it. Therefore, she believed that the government should start acting to help prepare the country for women drivers with a series of programs designed to introduce them to the road.
In the meantime, al-Nafjan remained confident in the movement’s success despite the recent crackdown. “This will not scare us,” she said.
By Adom M. Cooper Impunity Watch, Middle East Reporter
BEIRUT, Lebanon–With the UN serving as the backbone, four members of the Lebanese Muslim movement known as Hezbollah have been indicted for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
A banner of the late Rafik Hariri. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) gave the indictments to state prosecutor Saeed Mirza. The indictments are meant to remain sealed for 30 days to allowed Mirza to examine them. But it is believed by multiple directions, international and local outlets citing judicial sources, that the arrest warrants named four men: Mustafa Badreddine, Salim al-Ayyash, Hassan Issa, and Asad Sabra.
Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed in February 2005 in central Beirut when a huge bomb went of as his motorcade moved through the streets. The STL was established in the Hague in 2009 by the UN to try those individuals alleged to have carried out the bomb responsible for the deaths that occurred.
Badreddine is Hezbollah’s chief operations officer, according to multiple sources. He replaced his former cousin and brother-in-law Imad Mugniyeh in the position after Mugniyeh was assassinated in Syria in 2008. The indictment alleges that Badreddine hatched and supervised the plan to kill Hariri, while al-Ayyash led the cell that actually carried out the bombing.
Saad Hariri, Rafik’s son and former Prime Minister, shared these sentiments after receiving news of the indictments.
“The days of the murderers are gone. My heart is full of joy. The martyrs may now rest in peace. I vow ahead of you to keep this country in peace under the ceiling of security.”
Hezbollah officials declined to comment on the situation. But the group has consistently denied any involvement in the assassination. The group claims that the STL is a plot involving the United States, Israel, and France. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has threatened to cut the hand of anyone who tries to arrest the group’s members.
Currently, Hezbollah has three members in parliament. The group forced the eventual collapse of Hariri’s administration in January after he refused to stop working with the STL. Hezbollah and its allies resigned from Hariri’s administration just days before the head prosecutor for the tribunal filed his petition for the indictments to a pre-trial judge.
The United States State Department has already come forward and supported the indictments and four arrest warrants. Spokesman Mark Toner expressed these words in urging the government of Nijab Mikati to act:
“An important step toward justice and ending impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon. The sealed indictments have been handed over. We’re now going to look to see what the Lebanese government does next. We’re looking for it take action.”
There have long been fears inside Lebanon that indictments of Hezbollah members over the assassination of the prominent Sunni Muslim leader, who served as prime minister for several terms between 1992 and 2004, could intensify conflicts between sectarian factions within the country. The two sides have been struggling with the legacy of the 1975-1990 civil war.
