Brazil Truth Commission Proposal Criticized

By Sovereign Hager

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will announce a proposal for a truth commission on Monday, aimed at answering questions about abuses that occurred during Brazil’s twenty year military dictatorship. Victims’ relatives have pointed out that the commission will only be effective if military archives are opened.

Victims’ relatives have also expressed concern that the draft version of the proposal called the new body a Truth and Reconciliation Commission rather than a Truth and Justice Commission. The draft proposal has to be approves by the Brazilian Congress. A member of the Torture never Again group expressed her concerns at a press conference saying “how can any of the families or anyone from civil society pardon or agree to reconciliation?”

Earlier this year Brazil granted amnesty and reparations to dozens of peasants who were “disappeared” in any army crackdown on a rebel movement in the Amazon. A justice ministry commission also toured Brazil this year and asked victims and their families for forgiveness and provided some compensation.

To date there have been no convictions in Brazil for participating in dictatorship-era murders and torture and has refused to make public the military archives from the period. The families of dictatorship-era victims argue that the opening of military files are key to “the showing of the truth and those responsible.”

The military and its leftists opponents both received amnesty by law in 1979. The Supreme Court is now considering a case that argues that torture is not covered by that law. Victims groups argue that the truth commission must have the power to investigate crimes, including the hiding or destroying archives. These investigations will aid in recommending criminal cases against suspects, and to send documents to courts. Brazil’s armed forces are opposed to further investigations or revisions of the amnesty law.

During the dictatorship, as many as 20,000 people were believed to have been tortured, often through the use of electric shocks and chemicals. Over four hundred Brazilians were murdered or disappeared. Victims groups have filed cases against Brazil with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, questioning the army’s role in the search for victims’ bodies in the Amazon and arguing that the Amnesty law impedes investigations of the dictatorship period.

In response to military accusations that victims’ families are seeking revenge, representatives said “we’re not looking for retaliation. What we want is justice. Brazil is the slowest country in Latin America on these issues.”

For more information, please see:

New Tang Dynasty Television-New Brazilian Human Rights Plan to Include Truth Commission-19 December 2009

Reuters-Brazil Torture Victims Want Army to Open Records-16 December 2009

New York Times-Brazil’s Lula to Propose Torture Truth Commission-14 December 2009

Australia asks Canada to Resettle Tamils

By Eileen Gould
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

CANBERRA, Australia – Australia has asked the Canadian government to resettle a small number of Tamil refugees whose boat was found in international waters last October.

Australia has used “robust foreign diplomacy”, calling upon other countries to resettle the asylum seekers.

Canada has agreed to consider those refugees who have close family in Canada.

A representative of Australia’ Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Douglas Kellam, stated that “[t]he only cases Canada has agreed to consider – and none have been accepted so far – are those that can demonstrate that they have close family links to somebody here in Canada, that they have been referred by the UNHCR … and we’ll have to be satisfied that they are not otherwise inadmissible to Canada,”

In October, approximately seventy-eight Sri Lankan Tamil were rescued by an Australian customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking, and brought back to Indonesia.   The Tamils refused to disembark when they were brought back to Indonesia, where they had been living for a few years.

The result was a month long stand-off, with the Tamils refusing to leave the Oceanic Viking.

Last month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), whose job is to find countries to resettle refugees, officially declared the Tamils to be refugees and prompted the Australian government to find homes for them.

Canada is not the only country involved in discussions to resettle the Tamil refugees.  Norway and New Zealand have also offered to support the United Nations to take in some of the refugees, and the U.S. may also be in discussions with Australia.

New Zealand refused to accept some of the Tamils last month.  However, New Zealand’s Immigration minister claims that it may reconsider.

Dr. Jonathan Coleman said, “If people from the Oceanic Viking were to be included as part of the normal refugee quota selection process facilitated by UNHCR, New Zealand would be prepared to consider them.”

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration official stated that Australia is unsure of the number of refugees that will resettle in Canada.

According to Kellam, “it is not a common thing” for Australia to ask other countries to take in refugees.

Australia will begin its resettlement program next weekend.

For more information please see:
National Post – Australia asks Canada to resettle Tamil refugees – 18 December 2009

New Zealand Herald – NZ considers accepting Tamil boatpeople – report – 18 December 2009

ABC News – Australia looks to friends to resettle Tamils – 17 December 2009

New Bombings in Two Major Iraqi Cities

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A series of bombings killed nine people in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Mosul on December 15. The bombings come only one week after suicide bombings in the Iraqi capital killed one hundred twenty seven people. The new blasts have increased pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to improve security.

In Baghdad, three cars were packed with bombs and were parked near different entrances to the Green Zone. One was located near the Foreign Ministry while two were located near the Immigration Ministry. At 7:30am, when Iraqis were entering the area to come to work, the three vehicles exploded within minutes of each other. Five people were killed by the bombings in the Iraqi capital and at least sixteen were wounded.

The bombings in Baghdad were the fourth in recent months to target government buildings and hit near the Green Zone, Baghdad’s most protected neighborhood. The Green Zone contains the parliament, ministries and the United States Embassy. An Iraqi woman, Um Ali, questioned how it was possible for the three vehicles to enter and explode when “there were two military checkpoints using detectors at the beginning of the street.”

The bombing in Mosul, a city two hundred twenty five miles away from the Iraqi capital, took place approximately four hours later. Two car bombs and a roadside mine went off and killed for people. The bombings took place near a church in a busy neighborhood and wounded up to forty people. Mosul is the third largest city in Iraqi and has been a lingering urban foothold for al Qaeda despite an overall drop in violence across the country.

The recent rash in bombings in Iraq has caused Iraqi civilians the ability of the Iraqi government to provide security leading up the country’s much anticipated elections next year. The government has stepped up its efforts to catch those responsible for attacks and prevent future attacks by giving a cash reward for information. The Iraqi cabinet has approved plans to give as much at eighty five thousand dollars to informants who give-up bomb makers. The plan was announced by the Iraqi Prime Minister, who is running for re-election in March.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Iraq Offers Reward For Information On Bomb Factories – 16 December 2009

Los Angeles Times – In Baghdad, More Blasts Near Iraq Government Center – 16 December 2009

Al Jazeera – Iraq Bombings Leave Several Dead – 15 December 2009

AP – Explosions in 2 Major Iraq Cities Kill 9 People – 15 December 2009

Explosion Near Pakistan Mosque Kills at Least Ten

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- Officials say that at least ten people were killed in an explosion near a mosque used by police officers in north-western Pakistan on Friday.  Nearly 30 people were also wounded in the latest attack by suspected Taliban militants waging war against the government.

Pakistan has fought back with several major military operation against Taliban strongholds in the country. The United States, while applauding the effort has urged Pakistan to expand its fight to target militants who are staging cross-border attacks against coalition troops in Afghanistan. 

The Taliban inside of Pakistan have increased their campaign of violence since the military began a major offensive in Mid- October in the militant stronghold of South Waziristan. Friday’s suicide bombing was the second attack in two weeks against mosques used by Pakistan’s security forces.  Feroze Khan, the area’s police chief said that most of the people killed in the attack in the Lower Dir region were police leaving the mosque after Friday prayers.  Mumtaz Zarin, another local police chief told the AFP news agency “The bomb blast took place inside a mosque near police headquarters…We are investigating the nature of the blast-that is, whether it was a suicide attack or planted bomb,” he said.

Other attacks have been staged against mosques in the region.  On December 4, a team of militants armed with guns, grenades and bombs raided a mosque near army headquarters outside of Islamabad.

In the past two months, over 500 people have been killed. Despite this recent wave of violence, the Pakistani military has vowed to continue its offensive in South Waziristan and crack down on other militants who threaten the state.

At the moment no group has taken advantage for the bombing, but the Taliban has carried out similar attacks throughout the country in the past.  Lower Dir is located next to the Swat Valley, a region which Pakistani soldiers wrested from the Taliban earlier this year.  Attacks have continued in the area.

Witnesses said the victims included a woman and two children.  The death toll could rise as the condition of some of the 28 people wounded in the attack was critical.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Suicide Bomber Near NW Pakistan Mosque Kills 10 – 18 December 2009

BBC News- Blast Near Pakistan Mosque Kills Four People  -18 December 2009

Aljazeera.net- Deadly Blast Hits Pakistan Mosque – 18 December 2009

Tonga Political Party Requests Interim Parliament

By Cindy Trinh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – A Tonga political party says an interim Parliament should be elected to consider the recommendations for greater democracy compiled by the Constitutional and Electoral Commission.

The Legislative Assembly has been discussing the political reform that Tonga might follow.

The Paati Langfonua Tu’uloa is one of many political parties that called for the recommendations to be endorsed immediately when the Constitutional and Electoral Commission’s report was made public.

However, for the last few weeks there has been much debate about the recommendations in the Assembly. The Cabinet has been pushing for a number of changes.

One possibility the Cabinet suggested is for the House not to take a vote on the Report, as that would be counterproductive at this stage, but to establish a Parliamentary Tri-partite Committee to consider the various possible routes, strive for consensus as much as possible, and then report back to the House next year.

The general secretary of Paati Langfonua Tu’uloa, Kamipeli Tofa, stated that he was “worried that many MPs lack independence of thought and many are motivated by self-interest.”

Tofa stated that the best thing would be for a new Parliament to be put in place under the new electoral rules, and for that body to then consider any other changes which might be necessary.

He further stated: “With seventeen members elected by the people and nine by the nobles and maybe under the existing monarchy because he has made it very clear that he wants no involvement in politics. With that new parliament they can then address some of the issues, or points of difference, that are currently existing in the existing parliament.”

The Prime Minister, Feleti V. Sevele, in his statement regarding the Government’s Roadmap for Political Reform, he said: “Before outlining what Government considers are the milestones that underpin the political roadmap that it believes Parliament and Tonga should follow, it is imperative that our minds are cast back to the beginning stages of the Political Reforms which His Late Majesty started back in 2004.”

For more information, please see:
Islands Business – Tongan political party calls for interim measure on reform recommendations – 17 December 2009

Pacific Islands News Association – Tongan political party calls for interim measure on reform recommendations – 17 December 2009

Radio New Zealand International – Tonga political party calls for interim measure on reform recommendations – 17 December 2009

Our Constitution – Government’s Roadmap for Political Reform: Prime Minister’s Statement – 18 December 2009