Report Says Venezuela Most Corrupt Country In Western Hemisphere

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – According to a report published by Transparency International, a global anti-corruption civil society organization, Venezuela is the most corrupt country in the Western Hemisphere, edging out Haiti for the top spot.

Transparency International publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index which measures the “unfairness of the public sector” of countries around the world.

In terms of the complete list, Venezuela was the 164th most corrupt country out of the 178 nations that were included.  The annual ranking measures the perceptions of public-sector corruption by aggregating 13 independent surveys.

The news for Venezuela comes on the heels of President Hugo Chavez’s most recent efforts to make Venezuela a completely Socialist country.  Recently, President Chavez announced that the government was taking over the local subsidiary of Owens-Illinois, a U.S.-based glass container manufacturer.  In recent history, Venezuela has nationalized key industries within the country, including the steel and oil industries.

Chavez’s rule as President has been marred with accusations of corrupt government action and human rights abuses.  In a recent election, the Chavez regime is accused of silencing independent media, intimidating voters, arresting dissidents, and gerrymandering electoral districts in order to stave off legitimate competition from other parties.

Under Chavez’s watch, crime and inflation have skyrocketed.  According to news reports, many Venezuelan citizens cannot gain access to the basic necessities that they need, such as food, unless they shop at a government-controlled market.  The country has also been stricken by water and electricity shortages, which have affected even the capital city.

The next Presidential election is set to be held in 2012 and many political analysts think that Venezuelan citizens are growing increasingly disenfranchised with the current political regime.  Although ousting Chavez will not be an easy task because he has essentially gained control of Venezuelan commerce and media, analysts think that it could be likely for other political factions to unite against the embattled leader.

For more information, please see:

Miami Herald – Hemisphere Loser: Venezuela – 27 October 2010

El Universal – Venezuela is Considered One of the World’s Most Corrupt Countries – 26 October 2010

New America – Corrupt Venezuela Election Still a Blow to Regime – 3 October 2010

Amnesty International Urges Italy To Respect Rights of Possible Asylum Seekers

By Christina Berger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

CATANIA, Italy — Amnesty International called on Italian authorities on Friday to investigate the forcible return of 68 people to Egypt after they were intercepted near the coast of Sicily. Amnesty International is questioning whether the migrants were given the opportunity to apply for asylum and international protection.

Italian coast guard boats patrolling waters near Catania, Sicily intercepted the Egyptian fishing vessel on Tuesday. The boat was carrying about 130 migrants, who identified themselves as Palestinians. The authorities arrested seven suspected human traffickers when they boarded the fishing vessel, and the other people were taken to a sports facility in Catania. They were detained for 24 hours in order to facilitate identification and return arrangements, the Italian authorities said.

On Wednesday, 68 of the migrants were put on a plane to Cairo, Egypt because Italian authorities claimed they were illegal immigrants from Egypt and not Palestinians. Amnesty International is questioning how identifications were made and protection needs assessed, and whether these migrants were given appropriate information and opportunity to seek asylum in accordance with international refugee and human rights laws.

“All people rescued at sea must be given the opportunity to seek asylum and to have their claims assessed in a fair and satisfactory asylum-determination procedure,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia. “There are concerns that in this case none of the individuals, included the 68 deported, was given such an opportunity.”

According to Amnesty International, organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration, Save the Children, and the Italian Red Cross were repeatedly denied access to the migrants. This is believed to be the first time since 2005 that an official request from the UNHCR was denied in Italy.

For years, thousand of migrants from Africa attempted crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy, but that number has been drastically reduced since Italy and Libya made a deal in 2008 requiring migrants intercepted in international waters to be returned to Libya. Human rights groups argue that this deal violates the rights of asylum seekers. Amnesty International has broadly urged Italian authorities to stop mass summary expulsion of foreign nationals in order to conform with international laws and standards aimed at protecting the rights of asylum seekers.

For more information, please see:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL — Italy Urged To Stop Mass Expulsions — 29 October 2010

AFP — 128 immigrants intercepted off Sicily in Egyptian fishing vessel –27 October 2010

DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR — Italian coast guard intercepts 128 migrants — 26 October 2010

Human Rights Abuses Continue in Colombia

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Bloodshed continues in Colombia. (Photo courtesy of Colombia Reports)
Bloodshed continues in Colombia. (Photo courtesy of Colombia Reports)

BOGOTA, Colombia—Despite recent victories over the country’s most powerful rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia remains a nation plagued by violence and human rights abuses.

Last month, Colombians rejoiced after learning that armed forces killed a high-ranking FARC commander, “Mono Jojoy.”  President Juan Manuel Santos, who took office on August 7 of this year, announced, “This is the beginning of the end for the FARC.”

But military wins have come at a high cost in Colombia.  Colombian armed forces have become increasingly infamous for frequent, and often unreported, human rights abuses with impunity.  Concerned human rights organizations have discovered evidence of torture, rape, looting, displacements and restricted freedom of movement against innocent civilians.  About 2,300 extrajudicial executions have also been uncovered.

Many believe that the government’s tunnel-vision focus on the FARC has allowed military abuses to go unchecked, while allowing other, smaller rebel paramilitary groups to run rampant.  It is even thought that many Colombian troops work with illegal groups to engage in drug trafficking and human rights violations.

A Colombian soldier has recently been accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl on October 2 of this year near a site where three children were murdered this month.  The soldier had disappeared from his military camp when both the sexual abuse and murders had taken place; he also fits the description of the offender given by the abused girl.  Incidents such as these remain alarmingly commonplace.

Colombia has admitted for the first time that 50,000 of its citizens have been “forcibly disappeared.”  The Colombian Commission of Jurists reported that the vast majority of those who vanished were activists who were kidnapped and killed by government soldiers or right-wing paramilitaries.

On Thursday, human rights groups issued a report announcing that over 22 activists were killed in the first 75 days of President Santos’ presidency.  The report, a 21-page document, explores the details behind several activists’ deaths, including indigenous leaders, a human rights worker, trade unionists, and community educators.  These murders only represent “registered cases,” and many other similar cases are believed to exist.

Maria Paulina Riveros, the director of human rights in the Ministry of Interior and Justice, vowed to investigate the murders “immediately,” and said, “Obviously we recognize that there continue to be very serious threats against human rights defenders; we say that progress is about to open the way to relevant consultation.”

For more information, please see:

Tribune Magazine-Finally, Colombia admits that 50,000 have ‘disappeared’-29 October 2010

Colombia Reports-Army faces further child abuse accusations-29 October 2010

Colombia Reports-22 activists killed in Santos’ first 75 days-29 October 2010

Miami Herald-A fleeting chance to end the war-29 October 2010

Kosovo Continues to Allow Re-Admission of Deportees Despite Concerns of Human Rights Abuse

By Ricardo Zamora

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

Several human rights groups are urging European countries to halt the deportation of displaced Roma and other minorities into Kosovo where they face discrimination and human rights violations.

In a report released today, Human Rights Watch reports that deportees face numerous hardships upon return to Kosovo including lack of proper healthcare, difficulties in integrating into society, and a lack of education for their children.  The deportees also have difficulty obtaining identity documents, employment, and social welfare services.

While now independent despite Belgrade’s claim of sovereignty over it, Kosovo is plagued by poverty, unemployment, and crime.  Hostility among ethnic groups creates an environment with a high potential for violence.

“Europe is sending Kosovo’s most vulnerable people back to discrimination, exclusion, poverty, and displacement,” said Wanda Troszczynska-van Genderen, Western Balkans researcher at Human Rights Watch.  “If Europe’s leaders are serious about improving the plight of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians, they should suspend the deportations to Kosovo and ensure adequate support to those who have already been sent back.”

The report notes that over 50,000 minorities have been deported back into Kosovo since 1999 and expresses concerns over a significant rise in that number.  The report explicitly voices concerns over some 12,000 people facing deportation in Germany alone.

But a recent policy shift on deportations to Kosovo by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where almost 40% of the refugees are living, suggests that reform is possible.  A September decree issued by the state’s Interior Ministry recognized the need for special protection of these minority groups, requires individual screenings prior to deportation, and recommends not deporting school-age children.  While decree does not completely disallow deportations, Human Rights Watch says that it is a positive step toward reform and gives hope to many of the 12,000 people currently at risk of deportation.

Nevertheless, concern stems from the Kosovo government who, seeking international recognition and under pressure from Europe, has signed readmission agreements with Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Norway.

“These agreements, and the absence of screening by Kosovo prior to (return) open the door to ever greater numbers of deportations, create a real risk of human rights abuse, and escalate crisis conditions for deportees, their families, and the broader Kosovo community,” the Human Rights Watch report warned.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Kosovo: Europe Returning Roma to Face Hardship – October 28, 2010

The Star – Roma Forced Back To Dire Poverty, Deprivation – October 28, 2010

WAZ – Human Rights Watch Denounces Roma Deportations to Kosovo – October 28, 2010