Man Sentenced To One Year In Labor Camp For Blog
By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch, Asia
BEIJING, China – In February China launched a campaign against dissent that has resulted in the detention of those criticizing the Chinese government without giving the accused a trial.
Chinese blogger Fang Hong was detained on April 24 and sentenced to serve one year in a Chongqing re-education labor camp for using a blog to mock the chief of Chongqing’s Communist party, Bo Xilai, despite his removal of the blog post following the orders of web censors.
Hong’s blog arose from Chongqing’s prosecution of a lawyer, Mr. Li, who defended a man being prosecuted for perjury. Mr. Li was himself charged after his former client testified that he had encouraged him to make false torture allegations. However, many believe that Mr. Li was framed by the government for opposing the campaign of Bo Xilai. Mr. Li was convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
The April 21 blog, which was posted to the Chinese social network Tencent, accused Bo Xilai of having excessive influence over Chongqing’s court system by comparing the case made against Mr. Li to excrement that Bo Xilai had delivered to Mr. Li who then returned it to Bo Xilai. The post then used Bo Xilai’s name in a sexual pun.
According to Fang Hong’s son, Fang Di, government discomfort with the blog post began to manifest when his father was told to go to the police station, his home was placed under surveillance and his electricity and gas were turned off. A post on a human rights website states that Fang Di vanished Tuesday after he had notified his lawyer that he was at the public security police office.
Over the past year, Bo Xilai has become known for promoting a campaign to revive Maoism by reviving Mao-era songs and instigating a violent crackdown on corruption which has been opposed by many who believe such a revival to be dangerous. Last month, following the detention of Fang Hong, China set up a command center dedicated to controlling the information that can be found on the internet which has left many fearful that internet regulation will soon become even more severe.
Rights lawyer Ma Gangquan stated in an interview that “Education through labor itself is illegal because the practice has already been annulled by law. But currently, the punishment is still used by police…”
For more information, please see:
New York Times – Scatological Mockery of Chinese Official Brings Swift Penalty – 8 June 2011
Bloomberg – Chinese Blogger Jailed for a Year After Writing About Party Chief, FT Says – 7 June 2011
Financial Times – Dissent Lands Chinese Blogger in Labour Camp – 7 June 2011
Radio Free Asia – Netizen ‘Re-educated’ for Online Rant – 6 June 2011
OPPOSITION PARTIES IN YEMEN BATTLE WHILE THE CIVILIAN POPULATION HANGS IN THE BALANCE
by Adom M. Cooper
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
ZINJIBAR, Yemen–Only days after President Ali Abdullah Saleh left his country after being injured in an attack on his compound, opposition forces in Yemen have ramped up their offensive in an effort to see real change happen. High government officials in Yemen routinely blame the violence on al-Qaeda operatives on such attacks. President Saleh is currently in Saudia Arabia, recovering from burns over 40% of his body and a collapsed lung, according to a U.S. government official briefed on the situation.
In the major city of Zinjibar, reports have surfaced that both government troops and opposition fighters lost their lives during overnight clashes. The government’s troops moved into the city in an attempt to recover control of it, as major sections of the city have been held by opposition gunmen since late May.
The head of the tribal council in Taiz, Sheikh Hammoud Saeed Al-Mikhlafi, relayed this message to an AFP news agency correspondent via telephone:
“We the tribes, in support to the oppressed and in retaliation against the illegitimate government have deployed around government installations, which we now control in order to protect from thugs.”
In the country’s capital Sanaa, approximately 4,000 protesters gathered in front of Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s residence, calling for President Saleh to create a transitional council to allow a new government to be born. A young activist named Omar al-Qudsi relayed this sentiment to a Reuters’ correspondent:
“We will remain in front of the residence of the vice president for 24 hours to pressure him for the formation of a transitional council. The era of Saleh has ended.”
The developing situation in Yemen has become a concern for Western powers due to its geographical location, its oil shipping lanes, and its oil-giant neighbor, Saudi Arabia. If the chaos in the country continues, al-Qaeda operatives could benefit the most from the freedom of movement. As recent as 9 June 2011, the US has launched airstrikes against designated al-Qaeda targets in Yemen to disrupt their efforts to gain from the ongoing turmoil.
Zinjibar was once home to approximately 50,000 residents. But as a result of the continual clashes, it is reported now to resemble a ghost town. The continual clashes of the Saleh regime and its opposition are coming at the expense of its residents, the very people that the government is supposed to protect. One can only wonder where this large number of displaced individuals has gone and if they are able to find access to basic resources, such as food and water.
For more information, please see:
Boston Globe-AP sources: US planes hit Yemeni militants-09 June 2011
Bloomberg-Yemen Opposition Seeks Formal Declaration That Saleh is No Longer President-08 June 2011
CNN-Witnesses: Tribal fighters take over major city in Yemen-08 June 2011
Al-Jazeera-Yemen opposition offer for talks rebuffed-07 June 2010
BBC Yemen-30 dead in Zanjibar and ‘clashes’ in Taiz-07 June 2010
Reuters-Yemen’s Saleh injuries believed more serious-07 June 2011
Update: Mladic makes first court appearance; threatens hunger strike
By Greg Hall
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Former Serbian commander Ratko Mladic appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to enter a plea last Friday. The once feared warrior and general is now long gone, replaced by an ill, elderly man. Yet, upon hearing the charges against him, Mladic gawked at the judge and answered the judge’s questions with contempt, claiming the allegations were “obnoxious” and “monstrous.” Mladic seemed more concerned with his health then with the allegations set before him.
Mladic was handed over to the tribunal to face charges for the worst war crimes and atrocities since World War II. After his capture, he attempted to avoid extradition, contending that he was not mentally or physically fit to stand trial. Serbian judges rejected his appeal and ordered the extradition to The Hague as soon as possible.
Mladic was indicted by the tribunal sixteen years ago for his role in the 43-month siege of the Bosnian capital and the massacre of over 8,000 Muslim men and boys during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.
“Mladic was the highest-ranking Bosnian Serb military leader during the wars in Bosnia. He is charged with responsibility for the role that he and his military forces played in the violent criminal campaigns that swept across Bosnia and Herzegovina,” chief prosecutor for ICTY Serge Brammertz said.
Mladic was captured after sixteen years of being on the run. Milos Saljic , Mladic’s attorney, visited Mladic in prison and reported that Mladic was “crying and very emotional” after a farewell visit from Mladic’s wife and sister last week.
After being captured, Mladic expressed that he should have just killed himself before being subjected to the authorities. Now, Mladic is threatening a hunger strike where he will refuse to take his medication and the food delivered to him unless he gets “adequate medical care, a lawyer, and allow his family to visit him.” Mladic was moved from a hospital prison to a cell. It is believed that Mladic is so sick that he may not live to see the start of his trial.
Mladic’s arrest and prosecution indicate a major step in the international effort to end impunity. After sixteen years of being on the run, the authorities caught up to him. It took a long time but it sent a message that the international community will not tolerate impunity, even if it takes sixteen years to get justice.
For more information, please see:
RIA Novosti – Mladic Threatens Hunger Strike if Rights not Observed – 6 June 2011
New Vision – Ratko Mladic and the End of Impunity – 5 June 2011
New York Times – Mladic Refuses to Enter Plea at War Crimes Tribunal – 3 June 2011
The Times of India – Mladic Must Face War Crimes Charges: Prosecutor – 1 June 2011
Taiwan News – Mladic Appeal on UN Court Extradition Rejected – 31 May, 2011
Venezuelan Inmates take prison employees hostage for the second time in two months
By Emilee Gaebler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
CARACAS, Venezuela – Inmates in Venezuelan prisons have taken prison officials hostage on two separate occasions in the last two months. On April 27, 2011, at the El Rodeo prison, 22 employee hostages were taken. State officials said that the hostages were taken by the inmates to protest an alleged tuberculosis outbreak.
The hostile take-over ended eight days later when the prison director and 21 prison employees were released. Officials agreed to the inmate’s demands to screen all incoming patients and dismiss one health official within the prison.
On May 20, 2011, at the Caracas prison, the prison director and 14 other employees were taken hostage for over a day as a protest against prisoner mistreatment. The hostage situation began when inmates physically clashed with the National Guard as they were taken to court.
Caracas inmates demanded that their rights be respected and that certain administrative officials be dismissed. No dismissals resulted; however, state officials agreed to investigate alleged incidents of prisoner abuse and to more closely monitor prison employees.
A recent investigation into the San Antonio prison on Margarita Island has revealed a bizarre situation. Inmates of the prison are not incarcerated in the traditional sense. Here, the prisoners have taken control. Children of inmates swim in a prison pool, wives and girlfriends visit regularly and satellite TV is provided. Prisoners mingle freely with each other and with visitors. Not only are they permitted to bet on cock fights, but prisoners openly engage in the sale and use of drugs and firearms.
An incarcerated drug trafficker, Teófilo Rodriguez, referred to as “El Conejo” (The Rabbit) is in control of the prison. He uses other inmates as personal body guards to enforce his power via intimidation and beatings of other prisoners with baseball bats. The prison warden is there simply to decide who is permitted in. Guards search visitors on the way in but not on the way out. Thus, the prison, filled with convicted drug felons, has become a haven for violence and drug trafficking.
For decades, Venezuela has been unsuccessful in tackling the challenges facing its prison system. Overcrowding, inmate gang disputes and prison official corruption are just the beginning. Research done by human rights groups reported that last year, 476 prisoners were killed during their incarceration. This is roughly 1% of the Venezuelan prisoner population.
For more information, please see;
The New York Times – Where prisoners can do anything, except leave – 3 June 2011
MSNBC – Inmates free 15 hostages at Venezuela prison – 21 May 2011
Times Union – Inmates free 15 hostages at Venezuela prison – 21 May 2011
ABC News – 22 hostages held at Venezuelan prison – 29 April 2011