Moldovan Presidential Election Postponed

By David Sophrin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

CHISINAU, Moldova – The Moldovan presidential elections that were scheduled for October 23 have been postponed by the country’s Constitutional Court.  Since only one party had put forth a candidate, the Court concluded that the election could not go forth.

The political environment of this southeastern European country has been unstable since parliamentary elections were held six months ago.  Following victories by the Communist Party, there were large-scale protests in the capital of Chisinau regarding allegations of election fraud.  Past attempts at holding presidential elections in May and June of 2009 failed, which brought about the most recent election.

As a result of the most recent election, the opposition parties boycotted the parliamentary votes necessary to elect a new president.  This prevented the Communist Party’s candidate from receiving the necessary numbers of votes to take office and forced the dissolution of the parliament.

The Constitutional Court gave a parliamentary commission until November 11 to come to a compromise.  If not, elections may not be held until next year.  The commission has proposed a number of constitutional amendments regarding election law that may resolve future electoral issues.

The only candidate that is currently in the running for the presidency in Marian Lupu.  Lupu, who is the former Communist parliament leader, has become the head of the Democratic Party, which is a part of the Alliance for European Integration (AEI), a four-party political alliance.  The Communist Party has stated that it will not put forth its own candidate nor will it support Lupu.  Due to ambiguity in the Moldovan Constitution, which requires that the election be competitive, it may be the strategy of the Communist Party that by withholding a candidate they can thereby force yet a new round of parliamentary elections.

For more information, please see:

EUROPEAN VOICE – Moldovan election on ice – 23 October 2009

MOLDPRESS – Moldovan presidential election to be held in two weeks – 23 October 2009

RADIO FREE EUROPE – Moldova Postpones Presidential Election – 22 October 2009

RIANOVOSTI – Moldova’s parliament delays presidential election – 22 October 2009

AFP – Official: Moldova presidential vote may be postponed – 19 October 2009

Video Shows ‘Witches’ Beaten in India

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

DEOGHAR, India- Five woman in a remote village of Deoghar district in India were paraded naked, beaten and forced to eat human feces by villagers after being branded as witches.  The local police stated the victims were Muslim widows who the local clerics labeled as witches.  Correspondents say abuse of women branded as witches is commonplace, but the rare video of the incident has incited outrage in India.

Uruguayan Dictator Sentenced to 25 Years

By Sovereign Hager

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay-Former dictator, Gregorio “Goyo” Alvarez was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison Thursday for thirty-seven homicides committed as a part of “Operation Condor” between 1973-1985. Alvarez was commander-in-chief of the army during the period and de facto president of Uruguay from late 1980 until shortly before the restoration of democracy.

Alvarez was accused of disappearing dozens of Uruguayan political prisoners seized in Argentina and secretly returned home as part of a cooperative effort by South America’s right-wing regimes to crush dissent. Alvarez said that he knew nothing about illegal abductions or forced disappearances. He has been detained by Uruguayan authorities since 2007.

The Court gave Navy Captain Juan Larcebeau twenty years in prison for twenty-nine homicides related to secret prisoner transfers in 1978.  Although the defense can still appeal the ruling, it is being hailed as “a very important step in clarifying” Uruguay’s past. The sentence came after an appeal successfully argued that charges for disappearances can be converted into murder charges, thus warranting heavier sentencing.

The sentence comes just days before a national election that includes a referendum on repealing a law that shielded members and agents of the military regime from prosecution for crimes such as kidnapping, torture and murder. The Supreme Court of Uruguay recently found those laws to be unconstitutional.

The prosecutor in Alvarez’ case persuaded judges that the crimes were not covered by the amnesty law because they stemmed from actions carried out under Plan Condor, a collaboration among various South American regimes to eliminate political enemies. It is estimated that about 150 Uruguayans disappeared in the secret flights from Argentina in the late 1970s and an additional twenty-nine people went missing in Uruguay.  The U.S. intelligence services provided help in “operation condor.

Current Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez has made human rights prosecutions a top priority and courts have detained a number of suspects. Juan Marie Bordaberry, in office from 1973-1976 is awaiting his sentence. “Goyo” Alvarez is considered one of the most representative figures of the military regime in Uruguay.

For more information, please see:

AP-Last Uruguayan Dictator Sentenced to 25 Years-23 October 2009

BBC News-Uruguay’s Ex-ruler Alvarez Jailed-22 October 2009

Latin-American Herald Tribune-Ex-Dictator Sentenced to 25 Years in Uruguay-24 October 2009

Tajikistan Women Beaten, and Regularly Abused

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan- Human rights group Amnesty International has accused Tajikistan of failing to protect their women.  The group says nearly half of Tajikstani women are raped, beaten or abused by their families.  According to Amnesty, Tajikstani women regularly endure humiliation from the hands of loved ones, including their husbands and in-laws, resulting in many committing suicide.

The report urges the authorities to address it as a crime, not to dismiss it as a “private family matter.  The authors of the report say the government should introduce laws and support services to tackle domestic violence.  Andrea Strasser-Camagni, Amnesty International’s Tajikistan expert said “Women in Tajikistan are beaten, abused, and raped in the family but the authorities tend to reflect the societal attitude of blaming the woman for domestic violence.  They see their primary role as mediator, to preserve the family rather than protect the women and to safeguard their rights.”

Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, is the poorest former Soviet Republic.  Strasser Camagni also states that traditional Tajikstani family values, reinforced after the Soviet Union break-up, impose even further discrimination on women by narrowing their role to that of wife and mother, and pushing them to lowest job market sector.

Tajikstani women have limited rights and job opportunities.  Many women drop out of school and enter into marriages that are often polygamous or unregistered.  “Women are being treated as servants or as the in-laws’ family property…They have no-one to turn to, as the policy of the authorities is to urge reconciliation, which…reinforces their position of inferiority” said Strasser-Camagni in a statement.

Up to one million Tajikstani men travel abroad every year looking for seasonal work.  In many cases, they stop sending money or do not return home and leave their wives vulnerable to abuse by their in-laws.  Some men even divorce their wives by text message announcing they have separated.  Because of this many women are driven to commit suicide but relatives regularly cover up these incidents by presenting them as accidents.

Tajikistan has ratified relevant international human rights treaties, but has fallen short of its international obligation to protect women’s rights.

Amnesty International has called upon the Tajikistan government to: introduce effective domestic abuse laws, and carry out a nationwide public awareness campaign to address the practices of unregistered, polygamous, and early marriages.  They have also urged a removal of all barriers to girl’s education and address the root causes of girls dropping out of education.

For information, please see:

Reuters- Tajikistan Fails to Curb Abuse of Women: Amnesty– 23 November 2009

Amnesty International – Tajikistan Women Beaten, Abused and Raped in the Family-24 November 24, 2009

BBC News- Amnesty: Nearly Half of Tajik Women ‘Regularly Abused’– 24 November 2009

MEND Announces Indefinite Cease-Fire

By Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

LAGOS, Nigeria – On Sunday MEND declared an “indefinite ceasefire” in order to pursue dialogues with the government regarding the Niger Delta region.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in a statement that because the government has “expressed it readiness to engage in serious and meaningful dialogue with every group or individual towards achieving a lasting peace in the Niger Delta,” they are willing to submit to a cease-fire while the dialogues take place.

Over the past few years, MEND’s attacks have wrecked havoc on the local oil industry.  Oil prices in the world market have been effected from the loss of revenue caused by violence and damage.  Nigeria is the world’s eight-largest oil producer, although its oil production has been reduced by one third since 2006.

Since the beginning of the oil region’s unrest, one of the key demands from MEND as been that the local communities must benefit from the region’s oil wealth.  Once President Umaru Yar’Adua met with MEND leader Henry Okah, for the first time, the announcement came that the rebel group would cease-fire and accept the government offered amnesty.

On Friday, Okah urged other rebel groups and members of MEND who have shunned the recent government amnesty, to give the peace dialogues a chance.

From the talks between Okah and Yar’Adua, it emerged that there are plans to allot ten percent of the money it makes from the Niger Delta oil to be put back into the oil producing region.  Currently the nine regions in southern Nigeria receive thirteen percent of the oil revenue.

Hundreds of oil workers, including dozens of foreigners have been targets of kidnapping by MEND and other rebel groups.  Their attacks on pipelines and offshore facilities are what caused the intense drop in revenue.  If the government and rebel groups find a way to achieve a middle ground, there may be hope for the region to find peace.

“The successful conclusion of the amnesty deal is the culmination of honest and all inclusive dialogue between the federal government and diverse stake holders in the Niger Delta,” said Information and Communications Minister Dora Akunyili.

“The achievement is unprecedented, not only in the history of Nigeria, but also throughout the world, in places where such internal disorders have occurred,” she added.

Several hundred fighters and civilians have been killed in the Niger Delta since 2006 and the oil out put has dropped from 2.6 million barrels a day to around 1.7 million.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Nigeria Rebel Group MEND Declare “Ceasefire” – 25 October 2009

AP – Nigeria Militant Group Calls Indefinite Cease-Fire – 25 October 2009

BBC – Nigeria Militants Reinstate Truce – 25 October 2009

Reuters – Nigerian Rebels Reinstate Ceasefire in Niger Delta – 25 October 2009

Xinhua News Agency – Nigeria’s Main Militant Group Announces Indefinite Ceasefire – 25 October 2009