MILITARY COURT IN BAHRAIN PURSUES PHYSICIANS FOR GIVING TREATMENT TO PROTESTERS

By Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain–A special military court has begun trial of some 48 medical professionals, accused by the local government of supporting weeks of pro-democracy protests throughout the country. The Court of National Safety held its initial sessions in politically motivated cases against opposition members of parliament and a well-known defense lawyer. The proceedings took at Salmaniya Medical Complex, without notifying the lawyers or the families of those on trial.

Doctors and nurses holding a banner while marching from the Salmaniya Medical Complex, now at the center of the court proceedings (Photo Courtesy of CNN
A banner in front of the Salmaniya Medical Complex (Photo Courtesy of CNN)

Most of the convictions against the individuals on trial were charges such as “participating in unauthorized demonstrations and incitement of hatred against the regime.” These charges yielded prison sentences from one to five years. One of the lawyers for the doctors said they had been tortured, forced to confess, and denied access to counsel during the initial hearings. Bahraini officials denied any allegations of systematic torture and asserted that any incidents of abuse would be properly investigated and prosecuted.

Human Rights Watch reports that it is aware of at least 82 individuals for whom verdicts had been delivered in the Court of National Safety as of June 13, while several dozen more cases are pending. Out of the 82 cases, 77 were convicted on some charges and only five were completely acquitted. There is evidence that most of the charges are originating from hospital staff choosing to treat hundreds of wounded protesters. Bahraini officials have accused the doctors from stealing medicines from the hospitals and stockpiling arms to support the protesters.

Many international human rights groups have expressed serious concern with hauling civilians in front of a military court, especially when wounded civilians are the catalyst of the investigation. David Michalski, of Medecins Sans Frontiers, shared these sentiments with an Al-Jazeera correspondent:

“The net effect of this, including the detention of the doctors and the medical personnel, the net effect for the patient is some patients are very fearful, and they don’t know where to go when sick and injured, [or] if they are injured in these protests. Medical personnel should be allowed to deliver treatment in an impartial manner.”

The preliminary sessions of the Court of National Safety against these individuals came just days after the Crown Prince, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, met with US President Barack Obama in Washington, DC, to garner support for a “national dialogue” with opposition forces.

Bahrain is host to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and has called on its fellow Sunni-led Gulf neighbor Saudi Arabia to help disrupt the pro-democracy protests that began in March. The ruling royal family consists of Sunni Muslims while the majority of the nation is made up of Shiite Muslims. Its leaders have placed the onus for the protests on sectarianism and Iran’s involvement.

For more information, please see:

CNN-Rights group urges Bahrain to stop military tribunals-14 June 2011

Human Rights Watch-Bahrain: Stop Military Court of Travesty Justice-14 June 2011

Al-Jazeera-Bahrain medics on trial over protests-13 June 2011

The Guardian-Bahrain doctors deny stealing medicines or stockpiling arms-13 June 2011

New York Times-Bahrain-Doctors Seized in Crackdown Say They Were Tortured in Custody-13 June 2011

Peace Negotiations Watch

Originally sent to Peace Negotiations Watch Subscribers on June 8, 2011.

Thank you for your interest over the past years in Peace Negotiations Watch.  In order to provide better targeted information and more detailed coverage of individual countries and topics, PILPG has decided to move to a new format for our news updates, and to discontinue the publication of Peace Negotiations Watch.  In its place, interested parties can sign up for country-specific and topical news updates.  PILPG will be publishing the following weekly news updates:

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Peace Negotiations Watch is a weekly publication detailing current events relating to conflict and peace processes in selected countries.  It is prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) and made possible by grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ploughshares Fund.

Chinese Legislator Dies in Police Custody

By Greg Donaldson
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – The death of a Chinese legislator, during his detention in police custody, has triggered mass protests throughout the Chinese province of Hubei. Ran Jianxin, a member of the local People’s Congress had been investigating accusations of corruptions in a city-backed land deal, but was arrested May 26th on bribery charges and died while in police custody on June 4th.  Mr. Ran’s family alleges that the bribery charges were fabricated in order to halt Jianxin’s corruption investigation.

Protests in Hubei (Photo Courtesy of BBC)
Protests in Hubei (Photo Courtesy of BBC)

Xinhua, China’s official news agency, quoted his cousin as saying that Mr. Ran’s body bore signs of an “unnatural death.” Ran’s body had multiple cuts and bruises. The New York Times released several photos online that allegedly show Mr. Ran’s corpse.

On Saturday 2,000 protestors stormed government headquarters in Lichuan to express their rage over the death of the legislator. Local authorities sent armed riot-police to disperse the crowd, but the protesters resisted. After fighting through the police, the crowd tore down the electric iron gate of the government compound according to the Epoch Times. Hundreds were injured as reports alleged that the  police beat the crowd with electric batons and protestors fought back with bottles and eggs. Eventually, officials sent armored vehicles which ended the riot.

Ms. Yuan of Lichuan City told Radio Free Asia (RFA) “the crowd demanded justice and demanded the murderers be captured.” Ms. He who works for a drug store told RFA that many protesters who were wounded and covered with blood came to her store to seek medical help.

Ms. Zhang told RFA that Ran worked hard for the well-being of civilians, and that people wished to seek justice for him. “A good official did many good things for his people, but was killed by officials from another area,” she said.

According to Hong Kong-based Apple Daily, several thousand Lichuan City residents gathered in front of the government offices on June 9, holding banners that read “Secretly Killed for Offending the Leaders.”

Li Jingsong, a lawyer, from Beijing, told RFA that detention centers in China are overseen by the Public Security Bureau, and hence there is a lack of effective monitoring and supervision. According to Li, Ran’s death again demonstrated that the legal rights of detainees in China’s detention centers are not protected.

“The main problem is that they have no regulations on management,” he said. “The detention centers and the public security system are too closely tied together.”

Two city officials have been detained in connection with Mr. Ran’s death, the Communist Party newspaper Global Times reported. Two others, a local prosecutor and a deputy director of the city’s Communist Party, have lost their jobs, according to Agence France-Presse.

For more information, please see:

Tibetan Review – Thousands clash with police in China over sympathetic bureaucrat’s custodial death – 13 June, 2011

BBC News – China unrest: 25 arrested after clashes with police – 12 June, 2011

The Epoch Times – Thousands Protest in China’s Hubei Province, After Official’s Suspicious Death – 12 June, 2011

New York Times – Chinese Street Vendor Dispute Expands into Violent Melee – 12 June, 2011

Azerbaijani City Renovations Bring Expropriations and Demolitions

by Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAKU, Azerbaijan – A government led “beautification” project in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, has resulted in forced evictions, house demolitions, and illegal expropriations.

A recently destroyed house in Central Baku (Photo courtesy of Human Rights Watch).
A recently destroyed house in Central Baku (Photo courtesy of Human Rights Watch).

The project was begun in 2009 to address what President Ilham Aliyev has called an “issue…of biggest concern to people,” the growing disrepair of the capital city and its suburbs.

The long-term plan began with the laying of roads and the building of new infrastructure.  Water and sanitation are to be improved, as are the condition of schools and cultural monuments.

Ilham Aliyev cited the renovations as a necessary step in familiarizing the rest of the world with Azerbaijan, and bettering their position internationally.

In the continuation of the project, the government has begun to expropriate and demolish the homes of many of its private citizens living in the city center.  Human Rights Watch puts the number of displaced homeowners and residents somewhere from in the hundreds to possibly the thousands, creating widespread violations of private property rights.

The “so-called ‘beautification’ project…isn’t just destroying homes in Baku, it’s destroying people’s lives,” said Jane Buchanan, Europe and Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch.  “The Azerbaijani authorities need to put an immediate halt to forced expropriations, evictions, and demolitions in Baku.”

On 13 June 2011 police were called to a building slated for demolition after the owners and tenants of the building painted a message on the interior walls: “This is private property and the destruction of this house violates the Constitution, and the European Convention on Human Rights.”

The house is owned by Leyla Yunus, a leading human rights defender in Azerbaijan, and it offices numerous human rights groups that provide crucial legal and other support to victims of human rights abuses in Azerbaijan.  Its destruction would be a huge blow to Azerbaijani human rights.

There have been reports from other Azerbaijani homeowners that demolition crews have begun demolishing some homes with the residents still inside.  Other residents have been forced out by police and detained only to come home to a pile of rubble with most of their possessions destroyed and valuables missing.

Compensation in many of the cases has been far below market value for property in Central Baku.  Authorities have designated a price of 1,500 manat (US $1,900) per square meter, regardless of the land’s use, age, or condition.  Independent appraisals have found the land to be worth around 4,000 manat (US $5,605) per square meter.  Compensation does not include the destruction of possessions.

There is no basis for the expropriations in Azerbaijani law, which guarantees the rights to private property, and allows expropriations only in limited cases with a court order.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Azerbaijan: Halt Illegal House Demolitions, Forced Evictions – 13 June 2011

Human Rights Watch – Open Letter to President Aliyev Regarding House Demolition and Expropriation – 13 June 2011

News.AZ – All social and economic issues to be settled in Baku suburb – 25 May 2011

News.AZ – President inspects development work in Baku villages – 20 May 2011

New Legislation May Threaten Free Speech, Expression in the U.S.

By Brittney Hodnik
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States – The controversial Supreme Court ruling in Snyder v. Phelps has sparked new legislation dealing with free speech.  Fourteen states are now seeking to pass a bill that would extend the “buffer zones” and “quiet time” associated with military funerals.  Although the Supreme Court has deemed these limitations constitutional, many are skeptical that the bill will severely limit free speech and expression in the United States.

Westboro Baptist Church members protest with unsettling signs (image courtesy of CNN.com)
Westboro Baptist Church members protest with unsettling signs (image courtesy of CNN.com)

As reported by RecordNet.com, Westboro Baptist Church made headlines with its divisive protests at military funerals in 1998.  In 2006, the church protested the funeral of Marine, Matthew Snyder, believing his death signaled the consequence of God’s wrath towards homosexual tolerance in the United States.  Westboro Baptist is infamous for their hate-filled signs including: “God hates fags” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.”

In early March, the Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 decision that Westboro’s message was protected speech under the First Amendment.  According to The Washington Post, the American public has mixed reactions.  A poll from the AP, GfK and the National Constitution Center shows that 70% of Americans agree that free speech rights are fundamental and require protection “even if they take [deeply offensive] positions.”

However, many states are now passing bills that put stricter limitations on military funeral protests.  According to Patch.com, Senate Bill 888 in California would make it a misdemeanor to picket a military funeral, unless protestors are at least 1,000 feet from the funeral and located on public property.  Also, the “quiet time” would be extended to a period one hour before and after the funeral.

There are mixed feelings about the new restrictions.  Cornell law professor, Steven Shiffrin made his concerns clear in his interview with USA Today.  “To me, this turns First Amendment values upside down.”  Shiffrin goes on to say that these new laws are vulnerable because of their application to military funerals and not all funerals.

Legislative director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon, Andrea Meyer agrees with Shiffrin.  “The proposal violates the state’s guarantee of free expression,” she shared with USA Today. 

On the other hand, there are also people supporting the proposed legislation, arguing that families should not have to tolerate hateful protests.  State Senator Ted Lieu sponsored California’s proposed bill, which passed in the state Senate by an overwhelming 36-1 vote yesterday.  He terms the Snyder ruling a “stupid decision.”

More and more states are passing these restrictive bills, but, according to RecordNet, “free speech rights almost always must trump hurt feelings and the pain it can cause in a free society.”

For more information, please see:

ManhattanBeachPatch.com — State Measure Would Restrict Funeral Protests – 6 June 2011

Recordnet.com — The Right to be Left Alone— 6 June 2011

USAToday.com — States Look to Guarantee Civility at Military Funerals — 3 June 2011

The Washington Post — Westboro Baptist Church Wins Supreme Court Case for Right to Protest Military Funerals — 3 March 2011