Northern Ireland Constable killed in Terrorist Attack, Suspects Detained

By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

Security forces protect the scene of a car bomb attack that killed a 25-year old policeman. (Photo courtesy of SkyNews).
Security forces protect the scene of a car bomb attack that killed a 25-year old policeman. (Photo courtesy of SkyNews).

OMAGH, Northern Ireland -On Saturday, April 2, Constable Ronan Kerr, 25, was killed when a bomb that had been placed under his vehicle exploded. Kerr, a Catholic officer, had completed his police training only three weeks before the attack.  Three individuals have been detained and authorities believe a weapons cache recently discovered is related to the bombing.  Although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, it is widely believed the bombing was carried out by radical elements of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) seeking to disrupt the Catholic-Protestant peace process.

During the afternoon of April 2, an explosive device detonated in the Highfield Close area of Omagh. The bomb, attached to Mr. Kerr’s car, exploded as he was backing out of his driveway heading into work. Neighbors heard the explosion and tried rescue Mr. Kerr but were unable to save him. Police believe the bomb had been planted the night before.

On Wednesday, April 7, Scottish police arrested a 26 year-old suspect after a weapons cache was uncovered in Coalisland, Northern Ireland. The PSNI claim the weapons were found in a stolen vehicle and included: four rifles, ammunition, timer power units, detonators, incendiary bombs, components for rocket launchers and other explosive devices, and a quantity of explosives, possibly Semtex. The suspect is believed to have been working in Scotland when he was arrested but authorities have not given any details on the link between the weapons found and the suspect who was detained.

More recently two other suspects, a 33 year-old and a 40 year-old, both from Omagh have been detained by police. The 40 year-old was picked up on Thursday, and the 33 year-old suspect was taken into custody on early Friday.  Police plan on questioning them for the next five days. The names of all three suspects have not been released to the public.

Mr. Kerr is the second member of the of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to be killed since PSNI was created from the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 2001 as part of the peace process between Catholics and Protestants. The other murder occurred in 2009.

Sectarian tensions are especially pronounced in the formerly Protestant-dominated PSNI due to an influx of Catholic officers. Since 2001, the percentage of Catholic officers has increased from 9 to 30 percent. This has led radical elements of the IRA to target these officers because their participation in the police force shows complicity with both Protestants and the United Kingdom, both sworn enemies of this group.

In 2005, most members of the IRA laid down their arms and denounced violence but a small fraction continue to fight. Since 2005 dozens of bombs have been set under police officers’ cars but few have detonated with such tragic consequences. Strikingly, most of the bombs planted did not detonate, while those that have exploded mostly wounded but did not kill their intended target.

Both the location and target of this attack are symbolic. In August 1998, Omagh was the site of the worst bombing in Northern Ireland. That attack killed 29 people and left hundreds injured when a car bomb exploded in a shopping district.  The 1998 attack was carried out by a group called the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA), an off shoot of the IRA.

The August 1998 attack was the deadliest incident of the Troubles, the name given to the three decades of violence between Protestants and Catholics. During the three decades, more than 3,500 people were killed. One of the major points of contention was Catholics wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland while Protestants wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. The sectarian violence was halted by an April 1998 peace agreement.

For more information, please see:

AFP — Third arrest in N.Ireland police murder probe– 07 April 2011

AFP — N. Ireland policeman killed in car bomb attack – 02 April 2011

BBC —Policeman killed in Omagh car bomb attack – 02 April 2011

CBC News — Car bomb kills N. Ireland policeman –02 April 2011

SKY NEWS — Second Arrest In Omagh PC Murder Probe – 07 April 2011

The Daily Mail —‘He had only just joined’: Catholic police recruit, 25, killed after being targeted by booby trap car bombers at his home in Omagh – 02 April 2011

Time —Tragic But Not Troubled: The Murder of a Northern Irish Policeman—02 April 2011

China: World Pressure To Release Dissidents

David L. Chaplin II
Impunity Watch, Asia

BEIJING, China – Ai WeiWei, the brain behind the birds-nest stadium which was the centerpiece of Beijing’s Olympic Games, and outspoken activist was detained by police at Beijing airport in a widening crackdown on resistance across the country.

His wife told Agence France Press on Monday that police in Beijing had refused to disclose why they detained the artist, the internationally acclaimed artist, has now been missing for over a week.

A supporter of prominent Chinese artist Ai Weiwei holds a picture of him at Weiweis art studio in Shanghai Credit: Reuters/Carlos Barria/Files
A supporter of prominent Chinese artist Ai Weiwei holds a picture of him at Weiwei's art studio in Shanghai Credit: Reuters/Carlos Barria/Files

Ai Weiwei’s believes firmly in the freedom of speech and the right to speak up on behalf of others who have been brutally silenced for their efforts to change society for the better.

His public comments, activities and art are some of the loudest, most flagrantly defiant forms of speech in China today, in a time where government controls on the Internet and traditional media limit freedom in their civil society.

Citizens urge their government to treat their people with respect as a matter of basic justice and humanity.

More than 20 dissidents and activists have been held in the past weeks reports Human Rights Watch.

China’s authorities appear on edge over calls for a so-called Jasmine Revolution, partly inspired by pro-democracy movements in the Middle East.

The artist was stopped while passing through security checks for a flight to Hong Kong with an assistant, Jennifer Ng.

Ms. Ng was allowed to continue on her journey to Hong Kong only after the documents of both were searched thoroughly.

She told the BBC that Ai Weiwei was taken away by border guards.

A few hours later, more than 40 police officers raided the artist’s Beijing studio.

Dozens of items were confiscated, said another assistant, and several people were taken to a nearby police station, although they were released a few hours later.

Some of his work has political connotations, he tried to gather the names of every school child who died during the Sichuan earthquake in 2008.

This is a sensitive subject as many schools fell down in the earthquake, leading to claims that they were poorly built.

The Chinese government has made it a point to arrest activists who bring this issue up, says the BBC’s Michael Bristow in Beijing.

France, Germany and the United States have called for the immediate release of a Chinese artist and dissident, detained in China.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called on China for an “urgent explanation” of his fate.

A spokesman for the French foreign ministry said the country was “very concerned” about his disappearance.

“We hope he will be released as soon as possible,” Bernard Valero said, adding that the French government was following events “very closely”.

Human rights group Amnesty International said Mr Ai’s arrest showed that “China’s time for open dissent has come to an end”.

The detention adds to the lengthening list of dissidents held in a security crackdown by a government determined to snuff out any hint of challenges to its power as it approaches a leadership transition in late 2012.

Under Chinese law, the authorities must inform relatives within 24 hours when someone is brought in for questioning and 48 hours if he or she is arrested. However, the rule is often disregarded.

For more information,  please see:

Human Rights Watch – China: Arrests, Disappearances Require International Response – 31 March 2011

BBC – Concern mounts over missing Chinese artist Ai Weiwei – 5 April 2011

The West Australian – “No information” in disappearance of China dissident – 4 April 2011

Asia News – China West protests “disappearance” of renowned artist Ai Weiwei, but another 200 are also detained – 5 April 2011

UN To Begin Investigating Human Rights Violations In Libya

By Eileen Gould
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GENEVA, Switzerland – United Nations investigators have announced that next week they would begin an inquiry into alleged human rights violations that have been committed by both sides of the conflict in Libya.  They will look into abuses both by Muammar Gaddafi’s loyalists and the opposition forces as well as those by any foreign parties to the conflict. Evidence resulting from this investigation will be shared with the U.N. war crimes tribunal.

The team of investigators, led by war crimes expert Cherif Bassiouni, will visit hospitals and prisons, and will be talking to civilians, combatants and anyone else who may provide information.  Bassiouni, an emeritus law professor at DePaul University in Chicago, stated that the work “will be done with complete impartiality”.

The U.N. team is comprised of three investigators – Bassiouni, Phillippe Kirsch, and Asma Khader.  Kirsch is a Canadian former judge of the International Criminal Court, and Khader is a Jordanian lawyer, who is also an expert in sex crimes.  Khader claims the team will look into rapes, including the case of Eman al-Obaidi, a Libyan woman who accused government militia of raping her.

These investigators will be cooperating with the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.  The ICC is looking to see whether Gaddafi, his sons and his advisors have committed war crimes. He claims that well before the revolution spread from Tunisia and Egypt, the Libyan authorities considered killing unarmed protestors.

Actions by foreign powers will also be investigated. For instance, the Libyan government claims that civilians, including children, have been killed by NATO airstrikes.

This investigation was approved by the U.N. Human Rights Council on February 25.  The Council claims that attacks on civilians and arrests, as well as the detention and torture of peaceful demonstrators, may qualify as crimes against humanity.  According to Bassiouni, the Council’s mandate stipulates that all violations be reported, no matter who has committed the crimes.  Some say this may or may not reach the level of criminal accountability necessary to prosecute in the ICC. But Moreno-Ocampo is “100% certain” that the investigation into the government’s attacks on Libyan demonstrators will lead to charges of crimes against humanity.

For more information please see:
The Canadian Press – UN Says Its Libya Human Rights Abuses Investigation Will Cover All sides Involved in Fight – 08 April 2011

The Jerusalem Post – UN Rights Investigators to Start Probe in Libya – 08 April 2011

Reuters – UN Rights Investigators to Start Probe in Libya – 08 April 2011 

Obama Makes Promises in El Salvador

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Presidents Obama and Funes.
Presidents Obama and Funes.

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador—On a recent visit to El Salvador, U.S. President Barack Obama promised $200 million to aid the Central American nation in its war on drug trafficking and gang violence.  According to President Obama, this funding would go towards fighting the underlying causes of trafficking and gang membership, such as poverty and various social elements.  In addition to the $200 million promise, Obama also vowed to undertake new steps to increase trade and economic collaboration within El Salvador and Central America.

President Obama also announced the creation of the Central American Citizen’s Security Partnership after discussing the matter with Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes.  The Partnership is expected to fortify the court system within the country with the cooperation of countries like Chile, Colombia and Mexico.  The two leaders also discussed immigration, as two to three million Salvadorans live and work within the U.S.  Obama praised Funes’ “courageous work to overcome old divisions in Salvadoran society,” and said, “The U.S. wants to be a partner in this process.  We want El Salvador to be successful.”

Obama was accompanied by his wife and daughters on his trip.  He visited the National Cathedral in the capital, San Salvador, and saw the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero, a defender of the poor who was assassinated in 1980 after celebrating Mass.

Obama’s visit to El Salvador was the last of many visits to different Latin American countries, such as Chile and Brazil.  The visit was cut shorter than expected, as the president had to return to Washington early in order to handle the critical events taking place in Libya.

Though Obama’s promises have given many Salvadorans hope, some radical Salvadorans have been wary of the U.S.’s motives.  One student leader, using the alias “Ana Maria,” commented, “Obama is visiting El Salvador so that the U.S. can continue trying to control the Latin American region. . . .  [T]he reinforcement of the anti-narcotics division here [is] there to put down our social movements.  They are all part of maintaining a military position here—and we will continue to oppose it!”

The U.S. State Department lists El Salvador as one of the 10 most violent countries in the world.  It is estimated that last year there were almost 4,000 homicides in the country.

For more information, please see:

Axis of Logic-Dispatch from El Salvador: Obama’s Drug War Feels Eerily Familiar-5 April 2011

BBC-Obama pledges anti-drug funding on El Salvador visit-23 March 2011

AFP-Obama visits violence-plagued El Salvador-22 March 2011