Rebels Rape Women and Children in DR Congo

by Elly On

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Africa

North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo–

Numerous children and women are being raped in Democratic Republic of Congo by armed rebels in the warn-torn eastern parts of the country, according to the United Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than 240 children and women were raped by Rwandan and Congolese rebels.

These rebels came to North Kivu province between July 30 and August 3, 2010 to rail the villages. They blocked roads, prevented villagers from going outside and cut off outside communications.
The attacks by the rebels occurred over four days within miles of a United Nations’ base, a US aid worker and a Congolese doctor said. A UN joint human rights team confirmed allegations of the rape of at least 154 women by fighters from the Rwandan FDLR militia and Congolese Mai-Mai rebels in the village of Bunangiri. The victims are currently receiving medical and psychological treatments.

According to a UN reporter, a day after the attack occurred on July 30, an internal UN email was relayed to relief agencies working in the area warning them that the rebels had taken over the villages, the International Medical Corps (IMC) said. Sexual violence took place as early as July 30. For instance, the town of Mpofi, located approximately 32 miles from Walikale was taken by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group. No one could get into the town until the rebels left. In other instances, the rebels raped nearly 200 women and some baby boys during the four-day period. This region is located approximately 10 miles from a UN peacekeepers’ base. Mr. Ban, the Secretary-General of  UN, is sending Atul Khare, assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping, immediately to Democratic Republic of Congo to help investigate, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Also, Mr. Ban has asked the government of Democratic Republic of Congo for cooperation.

For more information, please see:

BBC–UN Investigates Claims of Mass Rape by DR Congo Rebels –24 August 2010

CNN–Children Among Hundreds Rapes in Congo, U.N. Says–4 September, 2010

New York Times Rwandan Rebels Raped at least 179 Women in Congo, Humanitarian Officials say–23 August 2010

MISSING WITNESS, POLICE INVOLVED IN DISAPPEARANCE OF UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST

By Christina Berger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KHARKIV, Ukraine – Local news outlets reported on Wednesday that a key witness in the case of missing Ukrainian journalist, Vasyl Klymentyev, is also missing.  Petro Matviyenko, another witness in the case and Klymentyev’s colleague, would not reveal the name of the missing witness but stated he had confirmed the disappearance with law enforcement.

The police are believed to be involved in the disappearance and possible death of Klymentyev, who was last seen getting into a car with an unidentified man on August 11, 2010 after leaving his home in Kharkiv.  His cell phone and keys were later found on an empty boat floating in a reservoir near Kharkiv.

“There are enough reasons to believe that he is dead,” Interior Minister Anatoliy Mohyliov said.  “We have suspicions that members of law enforcement organs, both current and former, may be involved.”  Mohyliov stated he would be taking over personal control of the case, and switching the investigation to the Main Investigation Department, which handles high-profile cases.  President Viktor Yanukovych also said he was taking personal control of the case, ordering law enforcement to make “every possible and impossible effort” to find Klymentyev.

According to the Ukrainian Journal, Henadiy Moskal, former deputy interior minister and a member of the opposition group People’s Self-defense, believes Klymentyev’s disappearance has something to do with a battle for control over Kharkiv police.  “In reality this crime has been committed in the police environment,” Moskal said.  “It was committed in the battle for the post of the chief of the Kharkiv region police department.”

Klymentyev, chief-editor and reporter for the weekly newspaper Novyi Still (New Style), was reportedly offered a bribe and subsequently threatened for his refusal to kill a story.  According to Matviyenko, deputy editor-in-chief of New Style, Klymentyev was working on a report involving the illegal activities of a Kharkiv prosecutor at the time of his disappearance.  Matviyenko told Radio Free Europe/Liberty Europe that the police and the prosecutor’s office are connected and the investigators aren’t interested in finding Klymentyev, despite statements by the Interior Minister and President.  Matviyenko called the investigation a “farce.”

For more information, please see:

UKRAINIAN JOURNAL – Key witness in journalist case disappears – 1 Sept. 2010

UNIAN – Disappeared witness in the case of journalist Kharkov Klimenteva – 1 Sept. 2010

RFE/RL – Colleague of Missing Ukrainian Journalist Slams Investigation – 30 Aug. 2010

NEW YORK TIMES – Ukraine: Missing Journalist Is Presumed Dead – 26 Aug. 2010

UKRAINIAN JOURNAL – Minister: Missing editor killed by cops – 26 Aug. 2010

THE EPOCH TIMES – Missing Ukrainian Journalist Threatened Before Disappearance – 23 Aug. 2010

AP – Ukrainian President urges search for missing journalist – 20 Aug. 2010

COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS – Journalist goes missing in eastern Ukraine – 18 Aug. 2010

UNHCR calls on European countries to stop deportations of Iraqi refugees

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Just days after the official withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on European countries to halt the return of Iraqi refugees to the country.   UNHCR’s appeal came in response to the forced return of 61 Iraqi refugees from four countries last week.   The Commissioner expressed concern about continuing violence within Iraq.  UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists that the Commissioner “strongly urge[s] European governments to provide Iraqis with protection until the situation in their areas of origin in Iraq allows for safe and voluntary returns.”

European countries deporting Iraqi refugees (Photo courtesy of the New York Times)
European countries deporting Iraqi refugees (Photo courtesy of the New York Times)

The latest round of forced deportations is the third in a series of efforts to send Iraqi refugees back to the war torn nation.  UNHCR issued guidelines to European governments hosting refugees recommending that they not be sent home until violence subsides.  The Commissioner reiterated that European nations ought to facilitate development efforts within Iraq.  Although 50,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq to train and support Iraq’s army and police forces, President Obama announced that all U.S. troops will leave the country by the end of 2011.

According to UNHCR, five provinces, including Baghdad, are sites of continued violence and human rights violations.  The Commissioner has encouraged European nations to offer Iraqi asylum seekers protective status as per the 1951 Refugee Convention.  UNHCR noted that the forced return of refugees may send a message to Middle Eastern countries harboring Iraqi refugees that protection of refugees is no longer necessary.  Currently 1.6 million Iraqi refugees reside in Jordan and Syria and another 50,000 in Lebanon.  

Although President Obama reported that “security incidents have been near the lowest on record since the war began,” UNHCR fears that refugees returning to Iraq will become victims of instability and violence.  Car bombings, kidnappings, and mortar attacks remain a daily occurrence within Iraq.  The Commissioner explained that all nations hosting refugees have a continuing obligation to protect those who have sought asylum until conditions within Iraq improve.

For more information, please see;

Agence France Presse – UNHCR Urges Halt to Unsafe Iraqi Refugee Returns – 3 Sept. 2010

Reuters Africa – U.N. Refugee Agency Blasts Europe for Deporting Iraqis – 3 Sept. 2010

New York Times – Iraq: U.N. Asks Europe to Halt Deportations – 3 Sept. 2010

Washington Times – Deportation of Iraqis from Europe Worries U.N. Agency – 3 Sept. 2010

Indigenous Prisoners Seek Resolution To Hunger Strike

By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

People Protest Treatment of Mapuche Prisoners (Photo courtesy of Freedom to all mapuche political prisoners)
People Protest Treatment of Mapuche Prisoners (Photo courtesy of Freedom to all mapuche political prisoners)

 SANTIAGO, Chile – Chilean President Sebastián Piñera recently called for an end to an ongoing hunger strike by indigenous Mapuche inmates.  The Mapuche political prisoners are protesting a Pinochet-era anti-terror law that was used to convict them.

The Mapuche people have clashed with the Chilean government and farmers for years over ancestral lands in the southern part of the country.

The anti-terror law, which has been widely criticized by human rights groups, including Amnesty International, was used to label the inmates “terrorists” based on certain actions, such as setting timber shipments on fire.  The law also allows government witnesses to conceal their identities at trial and permits defendants to be tried by military commissions.

The hunger strike began in July with five prisoners and has since grown to include 34 inmates in various jails throughout Chile.  Many of the prisoners have lost up to 40 pounds during the hunger strike and are experiencing dizziness and low blood pressure. 

Last month, the families of the Mapuche prisoners went to Santiago, the capital, to denounce irregularities in their trials and push for dialogue with the authorities. 

A spokesperson for the Mapuche families stated that the prisoners were at a critical stage in the hunger strike and continue losing muscle tissue and experiencing vital organ failure.

President Piñera said that his government will send two bills to Congress next week to reform anti-terror legislation and the military justice system in an effort to end the strike.  He added, “I want to ask all of those worried about the health of the protesters to help us end this hunger strike.”

The police and military have been accused by human rights groups of using excessive force against the Mapuches in the past.  But the indigenous peoples have come under fire for sometimes violent protests where they have burned crops and the trucks and machinery of forestry companies.

The Mapuches lost their lands to the newly formed states of Argentina and Chile in the early 19th century after having fended off the Spanish conquistadores for centuries.  The indigenous peoples ancestral territory spanned most of the south of Chile and crossed over into Argentina. 

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Chile Wants to End Hunger Strike over Terror Laws – 3 September 2010

The Argentine Independent – Chile: Health of Mapuches on Hunger Strike Worsens – 2 September 2010

IPS – Mapuche Prisoners on Hunger Strike to Demand Talks – 12 August 2010

Intercontinental Cry – Mapuche on Hunger Strike over Chile’s Militancy – 4 August 2010

Kenya Defends al-Bashir’s Diplomatic Visit

By Laura Hirahara
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

President Omar al-Bashir at Kenyas constitution ceremony; Photo courtesy of AFP
President Omar al-Bashir at Kenya's constitution ceremony; Photo courtesy of AFP

NAIROBI, Kenya- On Thursday, Kenya’s government defended their decision to invite Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir to the country for a ceremony in which Kenya adopted its new constitution.  Following al-Bashir’s trip last week, many have criticized Kenya for not arresting al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide in the Darfur region.  Kenya’s government, which is a signatory of the ICC and has recognized its jurisdiction, said that arresting al-Bashir now would destabilize Sudan creating negative ripple effects for its neighbors.  Alfred Mutua, a government spokesman for Kenya, stated Thursday, “In the context of Omar al-Bashir’s case, Kenya’s obligation was first to the [African Union] and then to ICC. If Sudan [is] destabilized it is us who would suffer, not the West.”

The U.N. estimates 300,000 people have been killed and another 2.7 displaced in Darfur since al-Bashir seized power in 1989 through a coup.  The ICC has charged him with organizing a militarized force that has committed acts of rape, murder and other crimes against humanity since al-Bashir began fighting rebels there in 2003.  Sudan denies these charges and the African Union has stated they also oppose the arrest warrants.  In response to their refusal to arrest al-Bashir, the ICC has reported Kenya to the U.N. Security Council and the prime ministers of several European nations have directly questioned Kenya’s government officials.  On Wednesday, the United Kingdom spoke with Kenya’s ambassador about al-Bashir’s visit.  After the visit, Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said, “We made clear that the British government expects the government of Kenya to stand by its obligations under the Rome Statute (that established the ICC), and as a U.N. member state.”

Some within Kenya’s government, while not addressing the warrant against al-Bashir directly, believe inviting him was the wrong move.  A representative from the prime minister’s office stated Tuesday that Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga thinks the visit “sen[t] wrong signals in regard to Kenya’s commitment to the ICC and also Kenya’s respect for human rights.”  In a statement to Voice of America, Elizabeth Evenson, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, said al-Bashir’s visit went against Kenya’s new government after the violence that erupted over their last presidential elections, insulting both the victims in Darfur and Kenya.  Al-Bashir has travelled extensively since the arrest warrants were issued, including to ICC signatory country Chad earlier in the year.

For more information, please see;

Voice of America- Kenya Defends Bashir Invitation– 27 August, 2010

CNN- Kenya Pushes Back Over War Crime Suspect’s Visit– 2 September, 2010

BBC- Kenya Ambassadors Summoned Over Omar al-Bashir’s Visit– 1 September, 2010