Israel to Deport 400 Migrant Children

By Elizabeth A. Conger,
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Children of migrant workers at a protest against the deportation of the children of foreign workers. / Photo courtesy of:
Children of migrant workers protesting the decision to deport 400 migrant children from Israel. / Photo courtesy of David Bachar, Haaretz.com

JERUSALEM, Israel –  On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet recommended the deportation of 400 children of migrant workers within the next month.  The recommendation was approved by thirteen ministers, and voted against by ten, with four ministers abstaining.

Out of 1,200 children considered for deportation this past year, 800 were allowed to stay in Israel.

Of the remaining 400 children, those whose migrant parents have been in Israel for less than five years, and who have not yet entered first grade or a higher grade, will be deported.  Those children allowed to stay in Israel must also speak Hebrew, and if they were not born in Israel, must have arrived in Israel before the age of thirteen.  The parents of children allowed to stay must also have entered Israel legally.  Borderline cases will be decided by a special committee.

Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog abstained from the vote, stating: “I didn’t vote in favor [of the proposal] despite the improvements, which I supported, I could not accept deporting a group of five-year-old children.”

Those families whose children do meet the criteria must submit a request to the Interior Ministry within twenty one days.  If they are found to qualify, they will be given an additional twenty one days to produce required documentation. If approved, their parents and siblings will be entitled to temporary residence permits.

Netanyahu said of the decision: “This is a reasonable and balanced decision . . . It was influenced by two primary considerations – the humanitarian consideration and the Zionist consideration. We’re looking for a way to absorb and adopt to our hearts children who were brought up and raised here as Israelis. On the other hand, we don’t want to create an incentive that will lead to hundreds of thousands of illegal migrant workers flooding the country.”

Israeli Radio has reported that the Kibbutz Movement has made an offer to absorb the 400 children.  Kibbutz  Movement Secretary-General Ze’ev Schor appealed to Defense Minister Ehud Barak to freeze the cabinet’s decision.  Schor stated that the children slated for deportation were Israeli in every aspect beside their citizenship.

UNICEF Israel protested the cabinet’s decision calling it a “blatant violation” of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a signatory.  “Israel must formulate a human immigration policy and stop the senseless revolving door policy, that wants to deport migrant workers and their children, on the one hand, and bring in new ones instead, on the other.”

Physicians for Human Rights Israel also protested the cabinet’s decision and said: “The threat of deportation that hangs over the heads of hundreds of children is a dreadful edict, which we refuse to accept. We will continue to act in order to make sure that all the children receive legal status in Israel and to assure that Israel establish a humane and orderly immigration policy. Adhoc solutions like this one are no replacement for such a policy.”

Israel has a population of 7.5 million, 250,000 to 300,000 of which are migrant laborers.  Only half of the migrant laborers in Israel have valid documentation.  Due to security concerns, Israel began to invite foreign workers for limited time periods to replace Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza to work in construction, agriculture and domestic work.  A significant proportion of those initially invited to work in Israel have outstayed their visas. The migrant population also continues to swell because of an influx of African refugees and economic migrants entering the porous border with Egypt.

For more information, please see:

Haaretz.com – Kitbbutz Movement Offers to Absorb Children of Foreign Workers set for Deportation – 2 August 2010

The Jerusalem Post – 400 foreign workers’ kids out – 2 August 2010

The New York Times – Israelis Divided on Deporting Children – 2 August 2010

Haaretz.com – Cabinet Approves Deportation of 400 Migrant Children from Israel  – 1 August 2010

 

 

XENOPHOBIA IGNITES AFTER WORLD CUP

By: Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

 JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Numerous immigrants to South Africa are being expelled from their homes in the wake of the World Cup as xenophobia spreads throughout the country.  Many observers warned of a campaign among the South African populous to remove foreigners from South Africa after the World Cup concluded.  Some believe that this move to shun foreigners is more than a self-fulfilling prophecy and instead represents a xenophobic undercurrent in parts of South African society. 

Although the recent expulsion has affected Africans of different nationalities, emigrants from Zimbabwe have specifically been targeted by the South African xenophobes.  Nantes Rykaart of Interactive Security notes that “foreigners have been streaming out of the country” since the end of the World Cup.  The government has acted quickly to stem the violence against foreigners, fearing a repeat of the 2008 situation where xenophobic violence left over 60 people dead and thousands of foreigners displaced.  The South African army has even been called to move into settlement areas to maintain law and order. 

The official policy of the government towards combating xenophobia in South Africa however, is unclear.  Although the government recently established an agency, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Xenophobia, to help stop violence against foreigners, the government continues to deny the existence of xenophobia in South Africa.  Government officials have come out against this most recent episode of attacks calling perpetrators “criminals covered in xenophobia skin.”   These officials contend that the South African media is mischaracterizing these perpetrators as xenophobes when in fact they are simply criminals. 

Loren Landau, director of the Forced Migration Studies Program at Witwatersrand University, however, believes that the government is failing to address the seriousness of this situation.  Landau states that these acts are just being dismissed as run-of-the-mill criminal acts while in reality “we are starting to realize that these are linked to something deeper, a broader pattern of xenophobia and violence that has gone unaddressed.”  Landau contends the government has been hesitant to tackle the problem of xenophobia in South Africa for fear that it would tarnish the national image of unity and equality that has been fought for ever since the end of Apartheid. 

The solution, according to Landau, is to address the issues of poverty and unemployment in South Africa.  Although the country was recently the host to the nations of the world, many citizens are now turning against the country’s impoverished foreigners.   Now politicians are leveraging this xenophobic sentiment to mobilize impoverished South Africans in order to gain support and shift blame away from the government. 

Aid organizations and rights activists are mobilizing to prevent the spread of violence and to erase anti-foreign perceptions.  Some groups are working to install emergency hotlines in order to help facilitate police response to violent events.  Despite these initial efforts, human rights groups fear that the current violence is only the prequel to a larger nationalist upheaval. 

For more information, please see:

Pretoria News – Policy on Foreigners in SA Needs Review – 29 July, 2010

The Star – Rage Against Foreigners Coming to a Boil in South Africa – 29 July, 2010

Pretoria News – Say Yes to Ubuntu and No to Xenophobia – 27 July, 2010

Africa Today – South Africa Sends Troops to Kya Sands After Attacks on Foreigners – 22 July, 2010

Human Rights Groups Condemn Murder of Colombian Indigenous Leader

By Ricardo Zamora

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

RIOHACHA, Colombia – Another human rights activist was gunned down last week week, the latest murder in the ongoing struggle between human rights supporters and guerilla groups. Human rights groups are urging Colombia to be more proactive in protecting activists and in prosecuting and punishing those responsible for this and other crimes against humanity.

Luis Alfredo Socarras Pimienta, a local dentist, dental-care campaign organizer, leader of the Wayuu indigenous people, and human rights activist was gunned down last Friday in the doorway of his home. The unidentified gunman reportedly fled the scene after the shots were fired.

Over the past year, Pimienta had organized several demonstrations to protest the human rights violations and egregious living conditions the Wayuu people were subjected to. The Wayuu people used the demonstrations to urge the Colombian government to respect their human rights and assist them in obtaining a better quality of life.

During the year Pimienta also ran for the position of mayor of the Manaure municipality and for a position on the Polo Democratico Alternativo party.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) reports that Pimienta was widely recognized as a human rights activist and indigenous leader of the Wayuu poeple. The Commission explained that “attacks against leaders break down the cohesion of indigenous people when it comes to defending their human rights, and undermines their sociocultural integrity” and “that the work of human rights defenders is an essential component in building a solid and lasting democracy.”

In short, the IACHR says that it urges the State to protect activists because a leader’s removal essentially disintegrates the cohesion, and therefore the voice, of prejudiced groups, whether indigenous peoples or otherwise.

Guerilla groups and others opposing the movement for human equality thrive by capitalizing on the weakness of the individual. Without leaders such a Pimienta, indigenous groups cease to have a collective voice, leaving only the voices of independent and unintegrated individuals which are unlikely to be heard or understood by local or federal governments.

Created by the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR is an independent panel consisting of seven independent members equally representing its 35 member nations. It assists in unifying the voices of victims of human rights violations.

For more information please see:

CNN – OAS Human Rights Commission Condemns Colombian Activist’s Slaying – August 2, 2010

Colombia Reports – OAS Body Condemns Murder of Indigenous Leader – August 2, 2010

Indigenous Peoples Issues & Resources – IACHR Condemns Murder of Human Rights Defender of Wayuu People in Colombia – August 2, 2010

Ex-Dictator Elected Suriname’s President

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 

Surinames president-elect, Desi Bouterse. Photo courtesy of the Democrat Newspaper.
Suriname's president-elect, Desi Bouterse. Photo courtesy of the Democrat Newspaper.

 

PARAMARIBO, Suriname—An ex-dictator and convicted drug trafficker who has been accused of numerous human rights violations has been elected president in Suriname.  On August 3rd, the new president-elect, Desi Bouterse, will take office.

64-year old Bouterse was elected by lawmakers in Suriname, a small country with less than half a million citizens.  Bouterse ruled Suriname as a military strongman after staging a coup d’etat in 1980.  He gained notoriety during December of 1982, when 15 of Suriname’s intellectuals were executed at Fort Zeelandia.  Among those killed were lawyers, journalists and trade unionists, all of whom were Bouterse’s opponents and deemed political threats.  Bouterse has since taken political responsibility for their deaths, but has pinned legal liability on a now-deceased battalion commander, Paul Bhagwandas.

Bouterse is a defendant in the murder trial, but the trial, which began in 2007, has been stalled repeatedly because witnesses have not appeared to testify.  Although Bouterse has said he will not interfere with the proceedings, he can now grant himself a presidential pardon if found guilty during his five-year office tenure.

Bouterse is also noted for what is known as the Moiwana Maroon massacre.  In 1986, the army under his command murdered villagers in the Surinamese jungle who were suspected of supporting insurgents.

Two organizations in Suriname—the Organization for Justice and Peace and the Foundation December 8, 1982—petitioned the National Assembly, asking that Bouterse’s election be found illegal.  Families of the 1982 murder victims have issued an open letter requesting the same, pointing out that Suriname’s constitution states that “a Presidential candidate shall not have conducted any actions which are in violation of the constitution.”  The families believe that at least three of Bouterse’s violations are unconstitutional:  the 1980 coup, the December 1982 atrocity, and the 1986 Moiwana Maroon massacre.

Bouterse’s reputation is known throughout the world.  In 1997, the Netherlands issued an international arrest warrant for him for smuggling two tons of cocaine into the country between 1989 and 1997.  Bouterse was tried in absentia in 1999 and has yet to serve his 11-year sentence.

Bouterse has attempted to pass himself off as a defender of the poor and has promised more jobs, affordable housing, and a computer for every child.  On Wednesday, Bouterse and outgoing President Venetiaan met for the first time in 18 years and discussed plans for a smooth transfer of power.

For more information, please see:

Democrat Newspaper – Condoners or educated mis-leaders? – 1 August 2010

Caribbean Net News – Transfer of power discussed in Suriname – 30 July 2010

Reuters – Investors cool to Suriname presidential choice – 30 July 2010

Stabroek News-The Hemisphere: Suriname’s strongman or statesman?-29 July 2010

Iranian Scholar, Journalist, and Human Rights Activist Sentenced to One-Year in Prison

By Alyxandra Stanczak
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

Photo of Emadeddin Baghi. (Image by Payvan News).
Photo of Emadeddin Baghi. (Image by Payvan News).

TEHRAN, Iran – On Thursday, July 29, 2010, Emadeddin Baghi, acclaimed author and human rights activist, was sentenced to one year in prison for “acting against [Iran’s] national security through the spreading of propaganda against the regime,” “disclosing classified documents about [Iran’s] prisons,” “visiting political prisoners’ families and providing them with financial and legal help,” and “having relations with human rights organizations abroad.”  Along with his jail sentence, Baghi was sentenced to a five-year ban from political and media activities.

Considered to be a highly influential human rights activist in Iran, Baghi won the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for his campaign against the death penalty. Additionally, Baghi is an award-winning author and journalist. Six of Baghi’s twenty five books are banned in Iran. His efforts in Iran have largely focused on founding and heading the Association for the Defense of Detainee Rights.

Baghi was arrested on December 28, 2009 and released on bail June 23, 2010 after 180 days in jail awaiting his trial. Before his release, Baghi spent 150 of his 180 days in solitary confinement. After his first arrest in 2000 which led to a two-year prison sentence, Baghi has spent over four-and-a-half years out of the past ten years in prison.

In addition to Baghi’s one-year sentence, he now faces charges for an interview he participated in with the late Cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was extremely influential in the reformist movement and spoke out publically against the controversial reelection of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Baghi is one of many human rights activists in Iran targeted by Teheran. Other human rights activists have been arrested, detained, and charged in Iran, including seven members of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Saeed Kalanaki, Saeed Jalalifar, Shiva Nazar Ahari, Koohyar Goodarzi, Saeed Haeri, Parisa Kakayi and Mehrdad Rahimi.

For more information, please see:

Radio Free Europe – Iranian Journalist, Rights Activist Given Prison Term – 29 July 2010

Eurasia Review – Award-Winning Iranian Journalist Receives Jail Term – 26 July 2010

RTT News – Acclaimed Human Rights Activist Sentenced in Iran to One Year – 26 July 2010

Sydney Morning Herald – Iran jails award-winning journalist – 26 July 2010

Amnesty International – Prisoner of Conscience – 7 January 2010