Japanese Man Exonerated After 17 Years

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

TOKYO, Japan – After spending seventeen years in jail for murder of a four-year-old girl, a Japanese man who was serving a life sentence was acquitted at a re-trial.

Toshikazu Sugaya, a former kindergarten bus driver now in his 60’s, was placed behind bars back in 1991 for kidnap, sexual assault and murder.  Sugaya did confess to the murder, but the court found that the false confession was made under duress and that the DNA evidence found at the murder scene does not match that of Sugaya.

The judges bowed in apology to Sugaya and the presiding judge, Masanobu Sato, said, “As a judge, I sincerely apologi[z]e that the court failed to listen to Mr[.] Sugaya’s real voice, which resulted in depriving him of his freedom for 17 . . . years.”

Judge Sato added, “I strongly hope something like this will never happen again.”

Sugaya’s acquittal was only the sixth one in Japanese history since World War II where a defendant who was serving a life sentence was acquitted at a re-trial.

Japan has 99% conviction rate for criminal cases, and human rights activists have long been critical of Japanese authorities for relying on confessions instead of building cases based on solid evidence.  Rights group have pointed out that such practice by the Japanese authorities led to police extracting false confessions from suspects and convictions of innocent people.

In addition, activists have criticized Japan’s interrogation system where suspects can be detained for up to twenty-three days and be questioned without a lawyer present.

During the initial investigations, prosecutors in fact neglected to inform Sugaya that he can consult with a defense attorney and that he has the right to remain silent.

After Sugaya’s verdict, Japan’s Justice Minister Keiko Chiba did say that the government will into whether or not interrogations should be taped.

Chiba said, “It is necessary to systematically and legally review evidence examination while considering [the appropriateness of introducing] videotaping of the interrogation process.”

Sugaya left the court in tears and said, “I feel completely different today from yesterday.  I feel refreshed by the verdict of complete innocence.”

The four-year old girl’s real murder is still at large.
For more information, please see:

BBC – Reform call after Japanese man acquitted of murder – 26 March 2010

Gulf Times – Man cleared after 17 years in Japan jail – 26 March 2010

NYT – In Rare Reversal, Japan Clears Man Convicted of Murder – 26 March 2010

Execution of Prisoners in Belarus Triggers International Condemnation

By David Sophrin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MINSK, Belarus – Belarus executed two prisoners earlier this week who had been sentenced to death this past year, continuing that nation’s distinction as the only remaining country in Europe to practice capital punishment.

Last year, Vasily Yuzepchuk, 30, had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death for the killings of six women.  Andrei Zhuk, 25, was convicted of armed robbery and murder.

Their executions marked the first uses of the death penalty by any European state in over a year.  The response by human rights activists and the European community was immediate.  By carrying out these executions, Belarus ignored a recent European Court of Human Rights ruling that ordered all signatory countries to cease the use of capital punishment.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International condemned the executions, calling on Belarus to re-establish the stay on executions that it had previously had in place.  Halya Gowan, a regional leader of Amnesty International, stated that “the death penalty is the ultimate cruel and inhuman punishment.  It violates the right to life and should be abolished.”

The leaders of other European nations voiced similar concerns regarding Belarus’s decision to go forward with the executions.  A statement from a number of national parliaments declared that “the Belarussian authorities should be aware that their cannot be political dialogue without shared values.”

These executions may damage Belarus’s continued efforts to become better assimilated in the economic and political circles of 21st century Europe.  Despite its questionable human rights record, the former Soviet Republic, which continues to rely heavily on Russia for political and economic support, has attempted in recent years to improve relations with the rest of Europe and distance itself from the control of Moscow.  The Council of Europe had recently proposed to allow Belarus a ‘special state status’, which it lost in 1997, if in exchange it established a stay on its use of the death penalty.

For more information, please see:

EPOCH TIMES – Two Men Executed in Belarus, EU Death-Free Zone Ends – 26 March 2010

NAVINY.BY – Two convicts executed in Belarus – 26 March 2010

REUTERS – Belarus Execution Draws European Protests – 25 March 2010

AFP – Amnesty condemns Belarus executions – 23 March 2010

DEUTSCHE WORLD – Amnesty condemns execution of two prisoners in Belarus – 23 March 2010

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL – Belarus carries out two executions – 22 March 2010

Iran Arrests Grandson of Former President Rafsanjani

By Bobby Rajabi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On March 21, Iranian authorities arrested the grandson of former Iranian President, Akbar Hashemi Rafasnjani, as he attempted to enter the country. Hassan Lahouti, 23, was arrested as he arrived in Iran. Rafsanjani currently holds a number of powerful positions within Iran’s government, but backed a reformist candidate in the 2009 election. The election was controversy filled and led to protests as opposition supporters contended that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reelection was the result of voter fraud.

Lahouti was returning from London when he was arrested at the Tehran airport. Lahouti had left Iran for London, where he keeps his permanent residence, ten days prior to the protests that followed the disputed June 12, 2009 presidential election. Lahouti, according to the opposition website Rahesabz.com, was taken to Evin prison in Tehran on the orders of a judge.

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi explained the charges against Lahouti to the Fars news agency. Dolatabadi said that the for President’s grandson was arrested “on orders from the judiciary on suspicion of committing some security crimes.” Rahesabz.net reports that Lahouti was actually arrested for “insulting the supreme leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei). The website alleged that telephone conversations Lohouti had from London was listened to by Iranian security forces. During one of these conversations, according to the website, Lahouti insulted the Supreme Leader of Iran. Insulting government officials can incur a jail sentence.

Lahouti was released from Evin prison on March 22 after posting seventy three thousand dollars in bail. Dolatabadi explained that the former president’s grandson’s case was sent to court for further investigation

Lahouti’s mother, Faezeh Hashemi, was herself briefly detained after opposition protests began in June 2009. Hashemi, the daughter of Rafsanjani, has been accused of being involved in the incitement of officials.

Former President Rafsanjani was President of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1989 to 1997. He currently leads both the Assembly of Experts, which has the power to replace Khamenei, and the Expediency Council, which serves as the arbitration body. Rafsanjani has been a fierce critic of Ahmadinejad and backed opposition candidate Mir Hussein Mousavi in his bid to unseat Ahmadinejad in the 2009 election.

For more information, please see:

AFP –  Iran bails Ex-president Rafsanjani’s Grandson Prosecutor – 23 March 2010

Al Jazeera – Iran’s Ex-leader’s Grandson Arrested – 23 March 2010

BBC – Grandson of Iranian President Rafsanjani Held – 22 March 2010

UNDP Urges More Women Political Participation in Pacific Region

By Cindy Trinh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

THE PACIFIC – A representative from the United Nations Development Programme, Knut Ostby, says that a more-open-minded approach to electoral systems will help Pacific countries get more women into parliament.

Women members average only 3.5% across the Pacific region. Four countries have no women politicians at all.

Compared with the global average of women parliamentarians, which is 18.5%, this small number of women politicians in the Pacific region shows the underrepresentation of women in the governments of the Pacific countries.

According to the UNDP, countries of the Pacific region have the lowest levels of women’s representation in parliaments. The Inter-Parliamentary Union has reported that Pacific women’s contribution as citizens and leaders is significant but it has generally remained informal and is not sufficiently recognized in mainstream political processes and power sharing with men, especially in national decision-making institutions.

While electoral systems such as New Zealand’s MMP system, which gave women the right to vote and has resulted in two female Prime Ministers, has proven to be successful in representing women in the Pacific region, other parts of the Pacific have much more difficulty introducing measures. These countries, for example the Solomon Islands, have institutional, financial, cultural, and development barriers which cause these Pacific parliaments to remain notoriously underrepresented by women.

On March 2, 2010, these issues were raised in a Pacific panel event at the UN Commission of the Status of Women.

At the panel, Minister Fiame Mata’afa for the Community and Social Development, stated that: “There are quite a few things that the Pacific is famous for, but one thing that we are infamous for, is being the least represented by women in the world.” She further suggested that while there are several reasons for the low numbers, campaigns dating back to the 70s and 80s have worked to further the gaps.

Mata’afa reasoned that “there might be a correlation between the level of development of a country and the rate of representation by women.”

Minister Patsy Wong for Women’s Affairs and Ethnic Affairs pointed out Samoa as being one of the Pacific countries that is severely underrepresented by women.

Wong is focusing on strengthening women’s representation and leadership not only in the public sector, but also in the corporate sector, as well as addressing the pay gap between men and women. She also supports women in the work force and creating a career path for women to promote the range of employment choices for girls. She continues to advocate for and inspire greater equality in decision making in the Pacific region.

Ostby of the UNDP says that when it comes to increasing women’s political representation, extra funding is only one consideration.

Ostby further stated: “Advocacy is important, and [so is] the willingness to look at existing electoral systems. For example, when you have constituencies with single representatives, that creates [a] situation for the voters…if you have several candidates coming out of a constituency perhaps there’s a bigger chance to have more diversity on this gender issue as well as on other issues.”

For more information, please see:
United Nations Development Programme: Pacific Centre – Promoting Women in Pacific Legislatures

Radio New Zealand International – Willingness to change electoral systems needed to get more women MPs – 25 March 2010

Pacific Gender Action Portal – Big Apple Bytes: Pacific women in politics panel stirs interest – 03 March 2010

Saudi Arabia Arrests Suspected Al-Qaeda Suspects

By Ahmad Shihadah
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – More than 100 suspected militants linked to Al-Qaeda have been arrested in Saudi Arabia, officials have said.

A statement from the ministry on Wednesday said the suspects were plotting attacks on oil and security installations in the kingdom. One cell consisted of 101 people, and two smaller cells were made up of six men each, it said.

The large cell comprised 47 Saudis and 51 Yemenis, as well as a Somali, a Bangladeshi and an Eritrean, the statement read out on state television said. The two smaller groups were made up of 11 Saudis and a Yemeni, who security officials described as being a prominent member of al-Qaeda.

Saudi Arabia stepped up its anti-terrorism fight against Al-Qaeda in 2004 after militants struck an oil installation and stormed a housing complex in the Persian Gulf city of Al-Khobar, killing 22 foreign workers. Those attacks were seen as an effort to destabilize the ruling al-Saud family.

The Interior Ministry said the new arrests followed an investigation in the wake of an incident in October in which two suspected al-Qaeda militants were killed in a gunfight after entering the kingdom from Yemen.

The threat from Yemen has gained global attention since the terrorist group’s local branch claimed responsibility for a Dec. 25 plot in which Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight with 278 passengers as it approached Detroit.

Al-Qaeda’s Saudi and Yemeni branches merged in January last year after the Saudi crackdown forced militants to flee. Saudi Arabia shares a 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) border with Yemen, the poorest Arab nation.

Riyadh is especially concerned about the resurgence of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen. In September, Michael Leiter, the director of the US National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC), said the AQAP had gained a dangerous foothold in Yemen.

“We have witnessed the re-emergence of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, with Yemen as a key battleground and potential regional base of operations from which al-Qaeda can plan attacks, train recruits and facilitate the movement of operatives,” Leiter said

For more information, please see:

 Al-Jazeera – Saudi ‘Al-Qaeda Suspects’ Arrested – 25 March 2010

BusinessWeek – Saudi Arabia Busts ‘Terror Cells’ Plotting Oil Attack – 25 March 2010

BBC News – Saudi Arabia Detains Dozens of ‘Al-Qaeda Militants’ – 24 March 2010

Christian Science Monitor – Saudi Arabia Announces Arrest of 110 Al-Qaeda Suspects – 24 March 2010