Cold Wave In India Kills at Least 100

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DEHLI, India-At least 100 people have died in a cold wave sweeping through northern India. The majority of deaths have occurred in the states of Uttar Pradesh.  In Uttar Pradesh the death toll has reached over 70 people.

Most of the deaths have taken place among the homeless and the elderly, and the local authorities have been asked to arrange shelter for vulnerable citizens.  The region saw its first snow fall on Sunday.  The snowfall which began early was recorded at over 10 centimeters by Sunday evening, with additional snowfall through Tuesday.  Temperatures in the region have been below freezing, with spells of rain bringing down the maximum temperature.  Scores of citizens die in India every year, being ill-equipped to deal with the extreme cold.  Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are among the northern states which have been hit hardest by intense cold weather.

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 25 states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, which includes access to housing, medical care,and necessary social services.

In Uttar Pradesh, the victims were mostly poor people who were sleeping on the streets or out in the open.  Uttar Pradesh chief bureaucrat Arun Kumar Gupta said all schools were shut down until Thursday as a health precaution. On Monday, Gupta said state authorities decided to spend 100 million rupees (2.17 million dollars) to hand out free blankets and firewood to the needy in the area.  In India, there are few homeless shelters in Indian cities, and although  blankets and firewood have been distributed,  the authorities’ efforts have been inadequate in the face of the intense cold.

Government spokesman Diwakar Tripathy said an exercise was underway to move the homeless into state-run night shelters.

In addition to cold-related deaths, heavy fog caused by rain and the cold wave resulted in visibility problems which caused two separate train accidents on Saturday, leaving 10 dead, and nearly 50 injured.

According to weather officials, temperatures are expected to stay low over the next few days.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- ‘Dozens of People’ Die in India Cold Wave– 4 January 2010

IBN Live- Cold Wave Grips North India, At Least 100 Dead – 4 January 2010

Associated Foreign Press- More Than 40 Die In India’s Cold Wave: Officials– 4 January 2010

United Nations- Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Zimbabwe Working On New Constitution Representative of The People

By Jonathan Ambaye
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa Desk

HARARE, Zimbabwe-On Monday a week-long parliamentary caucus was started to begin Zimbabwe’s process of creating a new constitution.  It was revealed today by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change Party Publication that foreign donors had agreed to fund the process of making a new constitution, which would likely lead to “real” multiparty elections. The estimated costs for the entire process are around 3.6 million dollars a month.

Much of today’s time during the caucus was spent on how much money would be distributed to senators and others involved in the process. It is expected that the government will hire around 800 people for high-paying temporary jobs as field officers. These field officer’s jobs would be to ask Zimbabweans what they would like to see in the new constitution.

The goal has been to make this constitution representative of the Zimbabwean people. The actual process of consulting the Zimbabwean people on a new constitution is to begin next week. Many different civic groups have spent weeks training activists to educate communities about the new charter and provide new ideas for it, to ensure the goal of the constitution is met.

Olivia Gumbo, a coordinator for the Zimbabwean Human Rights Association emphasized that her group wants a “people driven document.” “We are talking about the right to participate in the governance issues, the right to vote, the right to speak out your view and also, the freedom of association,” she said.

This new constitution is part of a power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe’s party and Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s party. The new constitution is hoped to end months of confrontation and controversial elections, and lead to “fresh” and fair ones within two years.

For more information please see:

Reuters –South Africa Sees Progress In Slow Zimbabwe Talks – 5 January 2010

Time – Zim MP’s Scramble for Seats On Gravy Train – 5 January 2010

VOA – Drafting Of New Constitution To Begin In Zimbabwe – 5 January 2010

Bulgarian Journalist, Critical of Organized Crime, Gunned Down In Sofia

By David Sophrin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

SOFIA, Bulgaria – A Bulgarian investigative journalist and radio host, who has written a number of books exposing the extent and influence of organized crimes in Bulgaria, was killed by a number of unknown gunmen in Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia today.  Boris Tsankov, 30, was killed at the entrance of a federal government building in the center of the city.  Two of Tsankov’s bodyguards were also wounded.

Tsankov’s books have focused on the influence that organized crime elements hold in Bulgaria.  His most recent book, entitled The Secrets of the Mobsters, resulted in Tsankov receiving a number of death threats in recent years, including the bombing of his home in 2006.  Stefan Bonov, a known criminal leader in the country, was arrested in November of this past year for threatening Tsankov.  Tsankov’s writing have also discussed connections between prominent Bulgarian businessmen and known criminal persons.  In a recent interview, Tskankov claimed to have specific information regarding internal struggles within Bulgaria’s criminal leaders, as well as information gleaned from a meeting he conducted with former Yugoslavian leader Slobodan Milosevic’s son.

Bulgaria has experienced an increased number of targeted killings in 2008.  In all, approximately 150 contract killings have taken place since 2001. Of the suspects arrested in these murders, hardly any have been convicted.

The newly elected center-right government of Bulgaria, led by Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, has promised to do more to prevent these targeted killings and fight the continued existence and influence of organized crime and corruption in the country.  Recently, the European Union has called on this government to do more to fight this corruption and the country’s criminal elements.  Concern over continued corruption recently resulted in the EU cutting large amounts of funding that had been appropriated to Bulgaria.

While Tsankov’s writings appear to be the likely explanation for his assassination, some have suggested others reasons motivations for his killing.  At the time of his death, Tsankov allegedly owed money to a number of parties who had sponsored his radio program.

The government’s investigation into Tsankov’s murder is currently ongoing.

For more information, please see:

IRISH TIMES – Author of book on local mafia shot dead in Bulgaria – 6 December 2010

BBC – Bulgaria journalist Boris Tsankov gunned down in Sofia – 5 December 2010

FINANCIAL TIMES – Gunman kill investigative journalist – 5 January 2010

SOFIA ECHO – Former radio host shot dead in Sofia – 5 January 2010

Fatah Admits Torturing Hamas Prisoners As It Pushes For Reconciliation Deal

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – Caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad impliedly admitted in a report released on January 3 that forces in the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, had tortured Hamas detainees for the past two years. The Associated Press reported that most of the torture in West Bank prisons had ended by October 2009.

 

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is predominated by members of the Fatah Party, while the Gaza Strip is ruled by the PA’s rival party—Hamas. In his statement on January 3, Prime Minister Fayyad said that there was a “dramatic change for the better” in West Bank prisons, and that forty-three prison officers had been jailed, fired, or demoted for torturing inmates. Fayyad claimed that torture was never an official policy of the PA, but rather were the product of a “flawed culture of revenge.” According to the Associated Press, some Hamas prisoners were beaten so badly at the hands of PA officers that eight detainees have died in West Bank prisons since 2007. The AP report drew on interviews with both PA officials and Hamas inmates.

 

There has been long-standing animosity between the two parties, often triggering retaliation and violence between members of the two Palestinian parties; Fayyad’s statement was also the first time that the PA has admitted that Hamas prisoners are arrested on their political affiliation alone. Fayyad’s cabinet issued a supporting statement, expressing its commitment to reforming the PA prison system.

 

The PA announcement comes as Fatah and Hamas continue to work toward a reconciliation agreement. Hamas seized power in the Gaza Strip after a violence coup in 2007, and has been at odds with the PA ever since. In the last months of 2009, Egypt attempted to broker a deal between the two parties, and sources inside the negotiations have said the two sides are close to a deal. Saudi officials are also reportedly involved in reconciliation negotiations. The reported deal would require Palestinian elections be held in June 2010 in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Current Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had earlier announced that he would not seek reelection from the June ballot.

 

For more information, please see:

 

Jerusalem Post – Hamas: Torture Ends in PA Jails – 4 January 2010

 

Ma’an News Agency – Fayyad Concedes PA Tortured Hamas Detainees – 4 January 2010

 

Al Jazeera – Palestinian Reconciliation “Close” – 3 January 2010

 

Ha’aretz – Fatah to Hamas: Want to Reconcile? Sign Deal – 3 January 2010

Western Countries Consider Battling Terror in Yemen

By Nykoel Dinardo
Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen – On January 4, France became the third country to close its embassy in Yemen in two weeks.  The French Foreign Minister explained the closing, saying that their “ambassador decided on January 3 not to authorize public access to the diplomatic mission until further notice.”  Following the attempted bombing on Christmas Day, the U.S. and British embassies have also closed.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP], a Yemen-based branch of the terrorist organization, claimed the attack and continues to make threats.  According to AQAM, Umar Farouk Abdulmullatab, the 23-year-old Nigerian man involved in the attack, received his materials and instruction from AQAM when he was in Yemen.  Abdulmullatab spent several months in Yemen in 2009; he claimed to be there to study Arabic.

John Brennan, a U.S. counterterrorism official, gave a statement to CNN saying that there are “indications that [AQAM] is planning an attack against a target in Sana’a.” 

Concern about Yemen’s effect on the region, as well as the rest of the world, continues to be echoed in the statements of other U.S. politicians as well.  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters on January 4 that “the instability in Yemen is a threat to regional stability and even global stability.”  Clinton explained that the U.S. is working closely with other countries to try to determine the best approach. 

Brian Whitaker, in an article in the U.K.’s Guardian, suggests that the best approach does not involve the Yemeni Government.  Whitaker goes on to suggest that the U.K. and the U.S. should focus on aid to the people of Yemen, particularly those affected by the conflict between the Huthi rebels.  An article in Al Jazeera reinforces the desire for a non-military solution in the region.  Arguing that military action in Yemen will reflect the U.S. offensive in Somalia in the early 1990s, the article goes on to say that military action “will aggravate a fragile state of Yemen into a failing state.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Yemen, The Joke is On You… – 5 January 2010

AFP – Yemen Instability Threatens Regional Stability: Clinton – 4 January 2010

CNN – Yemen Fertile Ground for Terror Groups – 4 January 2010

Guardian – Help Yemen, Not It’s Government – 4 January 2010

Financial Times – Third Western Embassy Closes in Yemen – 3 January 2010