Three Chinese set themselves ablaze after being evicted

By Joseph Juhn
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – Three people in eastern China were in serious condition in hospital on Sunday after they set themselves on fire in protest against forceful eviction by the local government officials, according to reports from Chinese state media.

Instantly after the incident in Jiangxi province, Chinese online reports showed graphic pictures of at least two people engulfed in flames, but it is suspected that many other reports were quickly deleted by government Internet censors.

Pictures showed one person standing on the roof of a residential building entirely engulfed in flames, while another photo showed another person jumping from the building while on fire. The trio remained in life-threatening condition, the report said.

This incident took place on Friday in Fuzhou when Luo Zhifeng, 59, her daughter Zhong Ruqin, 31, and family friend Ye Zhongcheng, 79, set themselves on fire, according to reports from rednet.cn, an official news website based in Hunan province.

The three were reportedly discontent with compensation provided in return for their forced eviction from their homes and neighborhood to make way for a bus terminal.

In recent days, China has witnessed a surge of violent protests over land seizures as local government officials forcibly evict residents to make way for infrastructure projects and property developments, thus causing official discomfort over potential social unrest.

Such incidents began to emerge last year as profit-minded officials and businesses sought to exploit on a nationwide trend of property boom by forcing residents out and developing their land, according to previous reports.

This led to a fatal incident in April, when a Communist Party official in Henan province was detained after he allegedly ordered a truck driver to run over a protester, who died as a result, in a land dispute.

Another case involved a 47-year-old woman who set herself on fire in November in Sichuan province over the planned demolition of her husband’s garment-processing business. She also died 16 days later.

These incidents, in addition to growing public anger over rapidly increasing housing prices, led to the government’s adoption of a series of preventive measures to stabilize the property market.

For more information, please see:

ABC Radio Australia – Three Chinese Set Themselves Ablaze in Property Row – 12 September 2010

Etaiwannews – Three Chinese Set Themselves Ablaze in Property Row – 13 September 2010

Adelaide Now – Three set themselves ablaze in China row – 12 September 2010

Human Rights Lawyer Detained in Iran

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – Prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was detained Thursday by authorities in Iran for allegedly spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm the national security of the country.  Ms. Sotoudeh has represented numerous Iranian opposition activists against the government, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi.  It is believed that Ms. Sotoudeh is currently being held in solitary confinement.

Nasrin Sotoudeh Arrested in Iran (Photo courtesy of Radia Zamanneh)
Nasrin Sotoudeh Arrested in Iran (Photo courtesy of Radia Zamanneh)
Since the disputed elections in June 2009, hundreds of individuals have been arrested for expressing their opposition to the Islamic regime.  Ms. Sotoudeh’s arrest comes at a time when Iran is facing tough international criticism for the sentencing of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtian to death by stoning.  Ms. Sotoudeh currently represents a number of individuals, including a fellow human rights lawyer, who were arrested following the 2009 election.

Ms. Sotoudeh has called the charges against her “absurd” and believes that her arrest is a reaction to her legal representation of Iranian activists.  She further stated that her clients will not be prevented from pursing their trials and having a chance to respond to the accusations levied against them.   Ms. Sotoudeh’s husband reported that his wife’s detention is indefinite and that he has been prohibited from visiting or contacting his wife.

Reporters Without Borders denounced Sotoudeh’s arrest noting that “Sotoudeh has for the past year been the spokesperson of victims of injustice, of those the regime is trying to silence.”  The organization further contends that “[b]y arresting lawyers, the regime is trying to gag the last dissenting voices.”  Amnesty International has demanded Ms. Sotoudeh’s release and fears that as a prisoner of conscience she is at risk of being tortured. The government has not yet commented on Ms. Sotoudeh’s detention or responded to claims of mistreatment.

For more information, please see:

Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran – Amnesty International: Demand Release of Human Rights Lawyer – 12 Sept. 2010

BBC News Middle East – Iran Opposition Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Detained – 9 Sept. 2010

Associated Press – Iran Detains Prominent Opposition Lawyer – 8 Sept. 2010

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – RSF Condemns Iranian Lawyer’s Arrest – 8 Sept. 2010

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran – Human Rights Lawyer Summoned: “Drop the Ebadi Case or Face Problems!” – 1 Sept. 2010

Evidence Thrown Out In Belgium Church Abuse Cases

By Christina Berger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BRUSSELS, Belgium – A court in Belgium ruled on Thursday that the raids police conducted in June of Catholic church buildings in Belgium were illegal.  The appeals court deciding the matter found that the high-profile police raids on church headquarters and other church property were disproportionate.  As a result, the seized documents, which included over 500 files and a computer detailing over 300 cases of alleged sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy, were unavailable for prosecutors to use in an investigation spanning several of years.

According to the AFP, the Archbishop of Belgium Cardinal Andre-Joseph Leonard, said in response to the court ruling that it is “in everyone’s interests that the fundamental rules of law are respected.”  He also said that he is “satisfied that clarity has finally been shone on this affair.”  At the time of the raids, the Pope described the raids as “deplorable”.

The seized files were the result of investigations conducted by an internal commission set up by the church. After the raids, members of the commission resigned, but a report of their findings up to that point was released on Friday.

The 200-page report details how serious sexual abuse of children by priests existed in almost every diocese in Belgium.  The allegations of abuse spanned five decades, and involved 327 males and 161 females.  The youngest case involved a two-year-old boy.  13 suicides and 6 attempted suicides have been linked to the abuse.

Most of the abuse detailed in the report occurred in the 1960s and 1970s.  Anything over 10 years cannot be investigated by Belgian authorities.

“The exposed cases are old, of course,” said Peter Adriaenssens, head of the commission and child psychiatrist.  “Society has developed. But there’s nothing to indicate that the number of pedophiles has diminished.  Where are they today?”

For more information, please see:

AFP – Belgian court bins church paedophile raids evidence – 10 September 2010

BBC – Belgium church abuse detailed by Adriaenssens report – 10 September 2010

CNN – Catholic Church in Belgium details widespread sexual abuse – 10 September 2010

NEW YORK TIMES – Pervasive Abuse Found in Belgian Catholic Church – 10 September 2010

NEW YORK TIMES – Priest Sex ABuse Linked to 13 Suicides in Belgium – 10 September 2010

BBC – Belgian church abuse raids ruled illegal – 9 September 2010

Chilean Lawmakers Join Mapuche Hunger Strike

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – Several Chilean lawmakers have joined the indigenous Mapuche-lead hunger strike against dictatorship-era terror laws. Tucapel Jimenez, Hugo Gutierrez, Sergio Aguilo and Manuel Monsalve, who belong to a human rights commission in the lower house of the Chilean Congress, have demanded that President Sebastian Piñera begin negotiations with the inmates.

The Chilean government has been critical of the congressmen’s actions, calling them “irresponsible and populist.”  During a recent visit to the Arica-Parinacota region of Chile, President Piñera added that he expected the lawmakers’ behavior to be “as deputies of the Republic, with responsibility” and to take measures to solve the problem instead of making it worse.

The four congressmen involved in the hunger-strike visited several Mapuche prisoners in Temuco jail. When they refused to leave, the prison guards apparently removed the legislators forcefully. 

Commenting on the removal, Congressman Aguilo said that“[w]e left a meeting we were having with the (Mapuches); we were tricked, they told us that it was to talk about a practical matter and there they told us that we would be forced to leave. They didn’t beat us, but in the scuffle my glasses were broken.”

Congressman Gutierrez said that “[t]his is the new government’s way and I think it’s a clear sign that there’s no form of dialogue here. What we experienced in one brief moment, the Mapuches have experienced historically, and I hope the government stops repressing people.”

After being removed from the facility for trying to grab onto some of the prison’s bars, the congressmen traveled to the building of the Unitary Workers’ Central and continued to vocalize the strike.

This sort of internal pressure appears to be effective to a small extent. 

Piñera recently proposed legislation that would effectively end the portion of the disputed law that allows civilians and minors to be tried by military commission.  While Piñera has taken this small step, his government has not engaged in negotiation with the Mapuche prisoners, nor does it appear that the government is willing to consider that option.

Piñera has, however, called on the Roman Catholic Church to mediate the dispute between the Mapuche and the Chilean government.

For more information, please see:

People Daily – Chilean President Criticizes Lawmakers on Strike Supporting Indigenous Mapuche – 11 September 2010

Latin American Herald Tribune – Politicians who Joined Inmates’ Hunger Strike Ejected from Chile Prison – 10 September 2010

BBC – Chilean MPs Join Hunger Protest by Indigenous Detainees – 9 September 2010

Reuters – Chilean Lawmakers Join Indigenous Hunger Strike – 9 September 2010

Trial of the Maguindanao Massacre

By David L. Chaplin II
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MANILA, Philippines – A powerful political family is brought to trial for plotting what is known as the deadliest incident for journalists since 1992, when the Committee to Protect Journalists began recording journalist deaths.  On November 23, 2009, 57 people – 32 of them journalist and media personnel, were slaughtered as they traveled in Maguindanao province with intentions of filing “gubernatorial candidacy papers for a local candidate”.

Poem in memory of the journalist slain in the massacre
Poem in memory of the journalist slain in the massacre

Nine months later, there are 19 people who stand accused at trial, out of a total of 195 named in the overall prosecution, while 127 suspects remain at large. The ultimate question remains, “whether the people who ordered the killings – not just the triggermen — will ever be brought to justice. The well-known identities of the political in-group behind the killings are believed to be local allies of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Ampatuan Jr, then a local mayor, allegedly led the massacre to stop the rival from running against him for the post of governor of Maguindanao province in this year’s national elections.

Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia chief of HRW, said five people with knowledge of alleged abuses by Ampatuan and his supporters have been killed since the massacre. 

“It is difficult to fight these devils,” she told AFP news agency. Knowing the dark history of and rampant nature of political killing, she remarks, “We want to see the light of justice.”

The first witness is a man named Lakmudin Saliao, once sworn in he testified that Ampatuan’s father, Andal Ampatuan Sr., and brother, Zaldy Ampatuan, were present at a meeting on November 17 where they helped plan the massacre. The witness, a former house servant, said the family had discussed killing their political rivals six days before the ambush in which 57 people died.

Journalists in provincial Philippines have been killed regularly; typically they are gunned down by two men on a motorcycle, as they make their way to work, or drop off their children at school, or meet a source for lunch.

Since 2000, 32 journalists, other than those who died in Maguindanao, have been killed and in only five of the cases has there been even partial justice. In none of the cases have the more politically well-connected men who paid them and ordered the executions have ever been tried, let alone found guilty.

Convictions of the killers of journalists in the Philippines are so rare that CPJ’s Impunity Index, which measures the rate of successful prosecutions, ranks the country third worst, behind only Iraq and Somalia.

The Secretary of the Philippines’ Justice Department, Leila de Lima, has called the trial a “litmus test” for the country’s judicial system, according to press reports.  The Maguindanao “litmus test” will really be a report not just on the state of the nation’s judiciary, but a frank indicator of the country’s future.

The summation of this trial will not address one of the root causes of the massacre, the Philippines tolerance for locally run paramilitary forces, which under national laws are allowed to deputize local militias to combat Muslim separatist fighters in the country, the Ampatuan’s have built up what amounts to a large private army.

 “The government has not done anything to disable and disarm these paramilitary forces,” Evans said.

For more information, please see;

Al Jazeera English – Philippine massacre trial begins – 9 September, 2010

CNN – Trial expected to begin over Philippine massacre – 6 September, 2010

BBC – Ampatuan family ‘plotted Philippines massacre’ – 8 September, 2010

Huffington Post – The Worst Massacre You Never Heard Of – 23 August, 2010