Yemeni Child Bride Dies Of Internal Bleeding

By Ahmad Shihadah
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NA, Yemen – A 13-year-old Yemeni girl died three days after marrying a man twice her age, due to internal bleeding following intercourse, a Yemeni human rights group and UNICEF said.

The girl’s death comes amid ongoing debate on whether to set a minimum age for brides in Yemen, where human rights groups say one in every three girls is married before the age of 18.

Elham Mahdi Shoi died in the west of the Arab state earlier this month, said Sisters Arab Forum (SAF). “Elham is a martyr of abuse of children’s lives in Yemen and a clear example of what is justified by the lack of limits on the age of marriage,” SAF said in a statement.

A medical report by the hospital where she was treated said she had suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding after intercourse, the group said. In a statement obtained by the Reuters news agency, Unicef’s regional director, Sigrid Kaag, said the UN child agency was “dismayed by the death of yet another child bride in Yemen.”

The Yemeni rights group said the girl was married off in an agreement between two men to marry each other’s sisters to avoid having to pay expensive bride-prices. The group said that was a common arrangement in the deeply impoverished country.

Yemen’s gripping poverty plays a role in hindering efforts to stamp out the practice, as poor families find themselves unable to say no to bride-prices in the hundreds of dollars for their daughters.

Human rights groups have been pressuring the authorities to outlaw family-arranged child marriages in Yemen, which has a tribal social structure.

For More Information, Please See;

BBC – Yemen Child Bride ‘Bleeds to Death’ – 8 April 2010

The Washington Post = Child Bride Dies Of Internal Bleeding In Yemen – 8 April 2010

AP – 13-Year-Old Yemeni Bride Dies Of Bleeding – 8 April 2010

The National – Dead Yemeni Bribe, 13, ‘A Victim Of Childhood Abuse’ – 8 April 2010

MP Warns that Cabinet Decision in Tonga Could Spark More Violence

By Cindy Trinh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – A pro-democracy MP in Tonga says the Cabinet has rejected proposals put forward by a couple commissions set up to determine electoral boundaries. The Cabinet is opting instead to have 17 constituencies with an equal number of votes. Concern has risen over the Cabinet’s decision, and there is fear that more violence may ensue.

There has been much debate in Tonga for democratic reform. Mateni Tapueluelu says the priority for parliament right now is the recommendations for greater democracy compiled by the Constitutional and Electoral Commission.

He stated: “[I]t was brought up in parliament by the People’s Representatives…they already have information from the government that the Cabinet is not accepting the recommendation from that commission…they are forming up their own recommendation and so there is a bit of a fight between People’s Representatives about how Tonga will have to be subdivided before the election in November.”

However, the government rejected the recommendations put forward by the Constitutional and Electoral Commission.

The government then set up the Boundaries Commission after rejecting the reforms proposed by the Constitutional and Electoral Commission. The Boundaries Commission put forth three options, but the Cabinet also rejected these.

Akilisi Pohiva of the People’s Committee for Political Reform reported that the Cabinet rejected all three options put forward by the Boundaries Commission because the Cabinet instead has opted to have 17 constituencies with a roughly equal number of votes.

Pohiva stated: “Take for example Niua, under the government proposal it will have no representative. Niua will be one of the constituencies in Tongatapu. A group of islands in Ha’apai will move to Tongatapu. In order for government to be able to have an equal share or almost an equal number of notes, this is how they do it.”

Pohiva further reported that the parliament will be debating the Cabinet’s proposal on April 8, 2010. He expects that the Cabinet’s proposal will go through.

However, he fears that if the proposal does go through, more violence will ensue. He stated: “It’ll edge the Kingdom towards further violence.”

“That complete neglect of the boundary commission is the latest serious mistake they have made. And this is what we hope to raise in the House when we come back in the afternoon and probably next week. We will try to pressure the government to honor and respect the recommendations made by the Boundary Commission and if they continue to remain stubborn something can happen, that’s how I look at it.”

For more information, please see:
Islands Business – Cabinet decision could spark more violence in Tonga, says MP – 08 April 2010

Pacific Islands News Association – Cabinet decision could spark more violence in Tonga, says MP – 08 April 2010

Radio New Zealand International – Cabinet decision could spark more violence in Tonga, says MP – 08 April 2010

Radio New Zealand International – Tonga Cabinet rejects recommendations from boundary commission – 08 April 2010

Radio new Zealand International – Democratic reform debate sidelines Ashika report in Tonga – 07 April 2010

Government Ousted in Kyrgyzstan

By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TALAS, Kyrgyzstan – After prolonged street demonstrations and aggressive anti-government rallying, the opposition party successfully ousted the government in the central-Asian state of Kyrgyzstan.  Following a period of extensive unrest and violence, control of the government was taken after opposition leaders were able to gain dominance over security headquarters, television and numerous government buildings.  Command of the interior ministry of Kyrgyzstan, as well as the security structure of the state, have been fully replaced.

Rozun Otonbayeva, former foreign minister of the previous regime, has been instated as a tentative head of state until a more comprehensive governmental structure can be established.  The new regime aspires to build upon the current interim government within six months.  Opposition leaders hope also to draft a new constitution and establish fair election terms within that time.  The leaders of the new regime also hope to create conditions conducive to holding such democratic processes.

Although the actual replacement of Kyrgyzstan’s infrastructure seemed to have happened abruptly, the  causes and actions culminating in such a monumental event have persisted for a number of years.  President Bakiyev, Kyrgyzstan’s head of state prior to the shift in rule, has been continually accused of cronyism and corruption by his people.  He often gave his close associates and family members top economic positions for which they were not qualified, resulting in self-serving and unhelpful financial policies.  Bakiyev’s predecessor, Aksar Akayev, was also charged of similar violations.  Coincidentally, he too was later forcefully removed from the government.

Bakiyev, however, promised numerous reformations and improvements upon then-current mechanisms throughout his five-year rule.  Rather than substantiating these promises, Bakiyev took more counterintuitive measures and even began cracking down on media outlets reporting on his exploits.  He has also used coercive means to quell rallying, such as threatening prominent opposition leaders with violence and abusing his political influence to begin criminal investigations against them.

The rising cost of energy in Kyrgyzstan, identified as the reason for Wednesday’s street protests, has also invoked the ire of the people.   However, many poor nationals joined the rioting because of Bakiyev’s general negligence in taking affirmative steps towards improving their condition.

As of Wednesday, the death toll in the rioting is determined to be forty.  Many more were maimed and injured by security forces.  Despite the tragic costs, however, the new regime of Kyrgyzstan seems to have a plan for a more transparent and fair form of rule.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Kyrgyzstan opposition ‘seizes power’ – 08 April 2010

BBC – Q&A: Kyrgzstan unrest – 08 April 2010

Washington Post – US voices concern as protests plunge Kyrgyzstan into chaos – 07 April 2010

World Powers Discuss Sanctions Against Iran

By Bobby Rajabi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On April 8, the United Nations Ambassadors of six world powers met to discuss the possibility of new sanctions being imposed against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The countries that attended were the United States, China, Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia.  The meeting took place in New York and was a forum for the world powers to express their concern with Iran’s developing nuclear program.

Those who attended later spoke of how while the talks were productive, there will more meetings int he coming weeks. China and Russia have thus far refused to back any of the new measures proposed by the United States and European states. The two countries have repeatedly stated that the negotiations have not been exhausted in efforts to persuade the Islamic Republic to rein in its nuclear program.

Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev, later commented that his country is concerned about Iran, saying that, “We cannot turn a blind eye to this.” He also added that Russia favored “smart” sanctions. Medvedev noted that he favors sanctions that will change the government’s behavior as opposed to resolutions that will bring down the government or impose hardship on its people The Russian President also expressed concern about the Islamic Republic’s lack of cooperation, saying that, “unfortunately Tehran is not reacting to an array of constructive compromise proposals.”

Iran has repeatedly insisted that its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful purposes. Top leaders in the country lashed out against Western nations over the threats of new sanctions. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacked comments by US President Barack Obama where the American president emphasized his goal of working with Russia and the UN Security Council to pass sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Ahmadinejad said that his country does not welcome the idea or threat of new sanctions.

Iranian commander General Hassan Firouzabadi used more pointed language, saying that Iran was willing to strike back at United States forces in the Middle East if it is attacked. Despite the strongly worded statements, Iran insists that it needs to highly enriched uranium for research, not for the development of nuclear weapons.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Talks Begin on Iran Sanctions – 9 April 2010

BBC – World Powers Hold UN Meeting on Iran Nuclear Sanctions – 8 April 2010

Voice of America – Iranian Leaders Criticize New Threat of International Sanctions – 8 April 2010

American Born Cleric Targeted By CIA

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch, Middle East Desk

WASHINGTON D.C., USA – The Obama administration has authorized the CIA to capture or kill the New Mexico-born Muslim cleric believed to be in Yemen. He is thought to have taken on an operational role in terrorist plots.

Anwar Awlaki, 38, who was born in New Mexico, recently was added to the CIA target list after a special government review of his activities, prompted by his status as a U.S. citizen, one of the officials said.

Last month, in an audio message, Awlaki called on American Muslims to revolt against the U.S. government because of its actions against other Muslims around the world.

Awlaki is now considered a legitimate target for military strikes and lethal CIA operations.  He has ties to the Nigerian man accused of attempting to detonate an explosive device in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, according to the Post. Officials said Awlaki also corresponded by e-mail with Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, last year.

Over the past year, the US has increased the number of militants it has killed or captured, with those killed seeing the most pointed rise, says Thomas Sanderson, deputy director of the transnational threats program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. That rise is due to a “confluence of factors,” including better intelligence, more targeting, and increased cooperation between the US and Pakistan, he says.

Yemen has intensified its campaign against al-Qaida militants after the group’s local branch claimed responsibility for the failed bombing of the plane in December.

For More Information, Please See:

The Christian Science Monitor – Anwar Al-Awlaki: Is It Legal To Kill An American In War On Terror? – 7 April 2010

LA Times – U.S. Citizen Anwar Awlaki Added To CIA Target List – 7 April 2010

Politics Daily – American Cleric In Yemen Targeted By CIA – 7 April 2010

VOA News – Reports CIA Authorized To Kill US-Born Cleric – 7 April 2010