Rebel Leaders Accused of War Crimes and Human Rights Violations Begin Trial Tuesday

By Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The trial against two former Congolese rebel leaders accused of authroizing the attack on civilians, the rape of women, and the enlistment of child soldiers in “the greatest armed conflict” since Word War II is set to begin tomorrow.

Germain Katanga, 31, and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, 39, are to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) tomorrow.  They are accused of an attack on the village of Borgoro in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) northeastern region.

Katanga is a senior commander from the group known as the Force de Resistance Patriotique en Ituri (FRPI).  Ngudjolo is a former commander of the rebel National Integrationalist Front (FNI).

The men are faced with ten counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Katanga and Ngudjolo are both of Lendu ethnicity, and the the Bogoro residents were mostly Hema.  Chief prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampy described that “[t]he women of the Hema community were raped before they were killed.  They pillaged the entire village.  They kept some women as sex slaves.”

“This specific attack was part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population in Ituri,” continued Moreno-Ocampy.  This attack is said to have killed over 200 people in February 2003.

Defense council reports that both of the accused men have denied the charges against them.  The men have been described as relieved and happy the trial will begin on Tuesday.  Both men have also wished to express their sympathies to the victims.

“The victims have the right to know the truth and the defense has the right to a fair trial, so we are all seeking the same thing.  We are all seeking the truth,” says Katanga’s lawyer, Andreas O’Shea.

Jean-Pierre Kilenda, defense council for Ngudjolo said, “At no time did he [Ngudjolo] concoct a criminal scheme to raze Bogoro village.  He disputes the fact that he was ever the supreme commander of the FNI.”

The defense council also contends that the war in these regions had its roots in the Rwanda conflict.  He believes the international community failed to prevent a genocide there and allowed armed groups to take control, supported by Rwanda and Uganda.

Victims of these horrible events can participate in the trial by expressing their views and concerns, provided it is done in a manner consistent with the rights of the accused and a fair trial.  Ten child soldiers will be among these 345 people authorized to take part in the trial.

This is the second trial to be held at the ICC with regard to the situation in the DRC.  The first was that of Thomas Lubanga Dyllo, a Congolese warlord accused of recruiting child soldiers, whose trial began in January 2009.

The DRC’s information minister, Lambert Mende, says that the countries official radio and TV stations will provide live coverage of tomorrow’s trial.

“[w]e are also prepared to dispatch it by our national radio and national television.  So that every Congolese in Kinshasa and all the eleven provinces and Ituri where the atrocities have been committed can follow it and see that we are very committed to punish everybody who violates human rights in our country,” said  Mende

For more information, please see:

AFP – ICC Trial of Congolese Militiamen to Reveal “The Truth” – 23 November 2009

ReliefWeb – DR Congo: Press Conference on the Opening Tomorrow of the Second Trial Before The International Criminal Court – 23 November 2009

Reuters – PREVIEW-Congolese Warlords to Stand Trial at World Court – 23 November 2009

VOA – DRC Government to Broadcast Live ICC Trial – 23 November 2009

UN News Centre – International Criminal Court Trial of Two Former Congolese Leaders Opens Tomorrow – 23 November 2009

Rockets Exchanged Between Gaza and Israel Depite Hamas Truce

By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY, Gaza – Israel reported that Palestinians fired rockets into Southern Israel on November 21. The Israeli military responded with air strikes in the early morning of November 22.

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, had announced soon after the initial Palestinian attack that it had reached a truce with all Palestinian militant groups in Gaza. Since the rocket launch, several militant factions in Gaza have denied responsibility for the attack. An Israeli military spokesperson said that the homemade Qassam rocket landed in Southern Israel’s Negev Desert, and caused no damage or casualties.  The Israeli raids left eight Palestinians injured, one seriously.

The attack damaged the credibility of Hamas’s announcement of a truce among militant groups on November 21. A Hamas spokesperson said that the truce was an effort to reduce retaliatory attacks by Israel and to give Gazans opportunities to continue to rebuild their homes. Much of the Gaza Strip remains in rubble after last winter’s military offensive by Israel, known as Operation Cast Lead. As well as damage to the Gazan infrastructure, approximately 1,400 Palestinians and thirteen Israelis were killed during the three-week offensive during December 2008 and January 2009.

Israel’s air raids were the most comprehensive single-night military action by Israel since last winter’s offensive. An Israeli spokesperson said the raids were aimed at two rocket-building facilities in Gaza. Since the end of Operation Cast Lead, 270 rockets were launched from Gaza into Southern Israel, compared with over 3,300 launched in 2008.

Despite Hamas’s announcement of a truce, many locals fear the exchange of hostilities is a signal of escalating tensions between Gaza and Israel. Hamas political advisor Ahmed Yusuf said that his party has “no interest” in military engagement with Israel, preferring to focus instead on reconstruction. Yusuf added the caveat that Hamas would respond to any attacks by Israel.

“If the Israelis target us, people will react,” said Yusuf. “It’s a normal thing. And [Hamas] can’t stop anyone from fighting back against Israeli attacks.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Gaza Groups Deny Rocket Ceasefire – 23 November 2009

Ha’aretz – Gaza Rocket Hits Israel, Despite Hamas Moratorium on Qassams – 23 November 2009

Ma’an News Agency – Israel: Gaza Projectile Falls – 23 November 2009

Christian Science Monitor – Israel Air Strikes in Gaza: Will Hamas Rocket Truce Hold? – 22 November 2009

New York Times – Israeli Aircraft Strike Gaza Targets – 22 November 2009

Canadians Protest War in Afghanistan, NATO

23 November 2009

Canadians Protest War in Afghanistan, NATO

By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

HALIFAX, Canada – 200 protestors gathered in Cornwallis Park on Saturday to urge Canada to pull its troops out of Afghanistan and to withdrawal from NATO.  Among the protestors included the Halifax Peace Coalition, students, union members, human rights activists, Muslims, and Quakers.

The park is across the street from the Westin Hotel. The international Security Forum was being held there last weekend. Military leaders intended to discuss the possibility of increasing troop levels in Afghanistan.

Police were present to insure that none of the protestors attempted to enter the hotel. Only to protestors did and were escorted away without incident. The majority of interaction between protestors and police was friendly conversation.

Malali Joya , the youngest person elected to the New Afghan Parliament in 2005 spoke at the protest. She told protestors Afghanistan is not yet liberated and is controlled by corrupt officials. She said that Canada and other countries should pull their troops out of Afghanistan and allow the afghan people to run their own country.

“They pushed us of the frying pan and into the fire” she said

Joya further commented that western media was spreading propaganda about the war and that Canadian bombs had killed civilians. She said that civilians are caught in the crossfire between the Taliban and occupation forces.

Toney Seed editor of Shunpiking Magazine also spoke at the protest. He said that the talks of peace at the conference where part of “a well orchestrated disinformation campaign” to disguise a military Champaign under the guise of a human rights mission.

133 Canadian troops had died since Canada first became involved in the conflict. Support for Canada’s involvement in the war has dropped in the county to below 50 per cent. A recent poll found that 45 percent of Canadians supported Canadian involvement in Afghanistan. That number has dropped from 59 per cent in 2006. Prime Minister Steven Harper has said Canada will end its involvement in Afghanistan by 2011.

For more information, please see:

Chronicle Herald – Bring Soldiers Home, Anti-war Activists Urge – 22 November 2009

Globe and Mail – Time Running Out in Afghanistan: Hillier – 21 November 2009

Halifax Media Co-op – Canada Out of Afghanistan – 21 November 2009

Theme for World AIDS Day ‘Strikes at the Heart’ for Pacific Islanders

By Cindy Trinh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

NOUMEA, New Caledonia – Scheduled for December 1st, the theme for World AIDS Day 2009 has been announced: “Universal Access and Human Rights.” This theme “strikes at the heart” of what perhaps is the single largest challenge faced by people living in the Pacific Island countries.

Under the theme of this year’s World AIDS Day, global leaders have pledged to work towards universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care. These rights have been recognized has fundamental human rights.

These leaders emphasize that the protection of human rights is fundamental to combating the global HIV and AIDS epidemic. Violations against human rights fuel the spread of HIV. By promoting individual human rights, leaders hope to prevent the spread of HIV.

Michel Sidib, the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), stated: “Achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support is a human rights imperative. It is essential that the global response to the AIDS epidemic is grounded in human rights and that discrimination and punitive laws against those most affected by HIV are removed.”

Many countries still have laws and policies that impede access to HIV services and criminalize those most vulnerable to HIV. Many of these laws discriminate people who are infected with HIV and prevent them from moving freely and from working.

An example of such a country is New Caledonia, home to a Fiji native named Pita.

Pita faces the most difficult challenge that many other Pacific Islanders face today. Pita is a 30-year-old male who tested positive for HIV three years ago.

When explaining the hardships that he faces, Pita stated: “Life hasn’t been rosy. Even in the hospital, I experienced how people living with HIV are constantly discriminated against and stigmatized. To this day, such discrimination stops me from revealing my positive status to anyone.”

When the theme for the World AIDS Day theme was announced, Pita expressed how the theme “focuses on issues close to [his] heart.”

“To me being HIV positive doesn’t mean others should point the finger. As humans we still have equal rights to live. The World AIDS Day campaign is a call to those in power throughout the Pacific to work together to revise laws, activities and cultural practices that discriminate against people living with HIV and those living on the edge.”

Other leaders that support the campaign include Dr. Jimmy Rodgers, who is the Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

“The everyday increase in discrimination against our fellow human beings just because they seem different is the not the Pacific way. Whether a colleague or someone we encounter is a member of a sexual minority, a sex worker or a person living with HIV should make no difference. Every person has equal rights and should be embraced with the same level of respect.”

Currently, only a few Pacific Islands have laws that specifically protect the rights of people living with HIV. These countries include Papua New Guinea, French Territories, and Pohnpei State. Fiji is in the process of drafting a regulation specific to HIV, while other countries, such as Palau, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, are considering amending their Public Health Acts or developing other comprehensive legislation.

Most countries still have laws that discriminate against men who have sex with men and against sex workers.

For more information, please see:
Islands Business – Universal Access ad Human RIghts is the international theme for World AIDS Day 2009 – 20 November 2009

Pacific Islands News Association – Universal Access and Human Rights is the international theme for World AIDS Day 2009 – 20 November 2009

Trading Markets – Universal Access and Human Rights is the international theme for World AIDS Day 2009 – 20 November 2009

Zibb – Universal Access and Human Rights is the international theme for World AIDS Day 2009 – 20 November 2009

Avert – World AIDS Day 2009: Universal Access and Human Rights – 06 November 2009

Caleidoscop – 2009 World AIDS Day Theme Launched – Universal access and human rights – 03 November 2009

Saudi Forces Clash With Yemeni Rebels

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NA, Yemen – According to Huthi rebels, Saudi Arabian forces have carried out an incursion into Yemeni territory using tanks, artillery and aircraft. The statement from the Yemen-based group said that the attacks on Monday were taking place in the border districts of Malahiz and Shada provinces.

Hashem Ahelbarra, Al-Jazeera’s correpondent in northern Yemen, said Saudi Arabia’s incursion could be a rescue operation. Witnesses from the northern border town of Razah told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the Saudis began the offensive on Monday, but a Yemeni official denied that a Saudi assault was taking place. “These are allegations and lies that the rebels often repeat to expand the scope of the conflict, and also to give themselves more importance than they really have,” he told AFP.

The Saudi military is trying to enforce a buffer zone around the border, but has denied crossing into Yemen. The Saudi media has reported that three soldiers had been killed in the raids, and said the military claimed to have stopped a rebel plan to seize the Yemeni port town of Midi. Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz Saudi, Saudi Arabia;s interior minister, said on Monday that “other countries should not interfere” in Yemen’s affairs. “We condemn any interference in Yemen, and any action is to be be taken by Yemenis themselves,” said the minister.

The Huthis pushed through the border and took over a mountainous region of Saudi Arabia on November 3rd. The incursion was wiped out by Saudi airstrikes days after it happened. The Saudi and Yemeni governments have been bombarding them in an attempt to drive them back from the border.

For more information, please see:

Agence France-Presse – Yemen Rebels Accuse Saudi of Launching Major Attack – November 23 2009

Al-Jazeera – Saudi Forces ‘Fighting in Yemen’ – November 23 2009

BBC – ‘Saudi Casualties’ in Border Fight with Rebels – November 23 2009