UN Facing Criticism for Congo Offensive

By Jonathan Ambaye
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa Desk

KIVU, Congo-According to multiple reports by several human rights agencies, attempts by the United Nations to help destabilize Hutu Rebel forces in the Congo have taken a turn for the worse.  In the past year, the UN has supported a government military offensive in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The intention of the offensive was to bring peace to the Eastern part of the Congo through dismantling the Hutu rebels causing havoc in the region. These military operations backed by the UN have actually resulted in widespread civilian killings and rape and has become the reason many are disappointed with the UN’s involvement.

Since January of 2009 it has been reported that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed, 7,000 women and girls have been raped, and more than 6,000 homes have been burned down in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. An additional 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes and live in difficult conditions with host families or in displacement camps with limited food and medical resources.

Many of the killings and rapes have been attributed to Congolese government soldiers who have targeted civilians through killings, widespread rape, looting, forced labor, and arbitrary arrests. Also additional atrocities have been attributed to the Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).  One human rights coalition has calculated that for every rebel combatant disarmed during the offensive, one civilian has been killed, seven women and girls have been raped, six houses burned and destroyed, and 900 people have been forced to flee their homes.

Pressure has been put on the UN by many coalitions to assert their power and demand the Congolese government make changes to the military structure. The UN supplies, transports, and in certain cases pays the Congolese government army as part of an international effort to help rebuild the country. With the Congolese government depending on the UN to support their military efforts, many believe the UN has the ability to effect some change in the military practice.

For more information please see:

All Africa – Civilian Cost of Military Operation is Unacceptable – 13 October 2009
Afrik – Congo: UN mIssion Reaps Disastrous Consequences – 13 October 2009
BBC – UN Criticised on Congo Offensive – 13 October 2009

Australian Aboriginal Leader and Advocates Criticize NT Intervention

By Cindy Trinh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

SYDNEY, Australia – Aboriginal elder Richard Downs, along with various political and legal adversaries, has accused the Australian government of racism against the aboriginal people. Downs criticizes the NT Emergency Response (NTER) measures, stating that the measures have disempowered Aboriginal people.

The Australian government suspended the Racial Discrimination Act to permit certain measures in the NT Intervention, such as compulsory welfare quarantining.

In a press release from Downs, he demands that the Australian government heed to the advice of the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights, and end the NT Intervention. Downs criticizes the NT Intervention for taking away the “indigenous and human rights” of the Aboriginal people. He demands for equal treatment, and support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Furthermore, Downs states that the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act has taken away the aboriginal people’s rights to ownership and control of their land.

Professor James Anaya, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights, states that the intervention is “racist and discriminatory.” After his visit to Australia, Professor Anaya found that “compulsory welfare income management, land take-overs, and alcohol bans…failed to comply with Australia’s international obligations [and] would have been illegal had the Racial Discrimination Act not been suspended.”

A leading human rights lawyer, Julian Burnside, states that “the federal government must rework or scrap racist elements of the intervention program in remote indigenous communities and honor Australia’s obligations under international law.”

Burnside emphasizes that it “is essential that the directions provided by Professor Anaya be given serious attention.”

Michael Anderson, a leading activist for the Aboriginal people, calls for the reinstatement of the Racial Discrimination Act, and also demands that Section 51 of the Australian Constitution be deleted. This section gives the Australian government the right to make laws with respect to any race it deems necessary. Anderson claims that this section of the Australian Constitution gives leaders too much power and discretion to control the people, and is “without regard for public opinion.”

For more information, please see:
Intervention walkoff’s Blog – Press Release from Richard Downs – 12 October, 2009

Perth Independent Media Centre – Australian government accused of disempowering Aboriginal peoples – 09 October, 2009

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation – Indigenous rights organisation welcomes UN report on Northern Territory – 28 August, 2009

Humanitarian Aid Slow for Refugees in War-torn Yemen

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SA’NA, Yemen – Much needed aid for refugees northern Yemen has been slow to come due to security concerns and delays at the Saudi border. Intense fighting has continued in Northern Yemen between government forces and Shi’ite al-Huthi rebels. The on-going conflict has killed hundreds, including civilians and displaced tens of thousands more. A large humanitarian crisis looms as aid groups struggle in enter the worn torn region.

The U.N. has called for a truce between the warring parties so that humanitarian groups can have easier access to the area. The U.N. refugee agency announced on October 9 that it would, for the first time, send aid to northern Yemen from Saudi Arabia to help people stranded near the border after fleeing the fighting. But the convoy was held up at nightfall at the small crossing point of the Alb frontier. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Andrew Knight confirmed that the blocked aid convoy  entered Yemen late on October 10. The three-truck convoy carried two-hundred tents, blankets and mattresses to the about three-hundred stranded refugees. Knight continued by voicing concerns about the amount of financial aid being received, stating that the UNHCR is “$2.6-million short” of the $5 million it needs to organize management of five refugee camps, including tents and other assistance.

Other aid groups such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sa’na say that Yemeni Red Crescent has succeeded in delivering some aid to more than 10,000 refugees in the past few days. The ICRC has counted at least 30,000 internally displaced people; some figures such as the U.N. put the number at nearly 150,000.

The United States and Saudi Arabia fear the fighting in northern Yemen could create instability in the impoverished nation making it easier for extremists to orchestrate an attack on Saudi Arabia.

For more information, please see:

The Washington Post – U.N. Aid Convoy Halted at Saudi Border – 11 October 2009

Reuters – U.N. Urges Truce in Yemen Fighting to Deliver Aid – 11 October 2009

VOA News – Humanitarian Agencies Working to Deliver Aid to Yemen Refugees – 11 October 2009

Sudanese Men Sentenced to Death for Killing a U.S. Envoy

By Jennifer M. Haralambides
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – A Sudanese court has upheld the death sentence of four Islamists who were convicted of killing John Granville, an American Diplomat, along with his Sudanese driver, Abdel Rahman Abbas. .

The two men were shot in the early morning hours on January 1st just after a New Year’s Eve party.  At the time, Granville was working for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The four men were convicted last year in the Sudanese capital and were sentenced to death by hanging after the court upheld their death sentences.

During the trial, Judge Sayed Ahmend Al-Badry recited quotes from Islamic texts denouncing any killings regardless of if they are Muslims.  After reminding the men that it is a great sin to take another person’s life, he announced his verdict.

Calling Granville an “infidel,” the men said that Muslims should not be executed for killing non-believers.  In June, following their conviction, the men raised their hands and shouted slogans as they walked out of the Sudanese court.

Originally the death sentence was passed in June, although under Sudanese law the family of the murder victim has a few options.  They can either request the death penalty, forgive, or ask for compensation.

On Sunday, the letter from Granville’s mother was read aloud to the court which specified that she wanted the four men to be executed in order to “safeguard the lives of others from those who killed her beloved son.”  There was no option of life imprisonment.

“Her wish was to apply death by retribution and the court accordingly passed death sentence by hanging,” said Granville’s lawyer, Taha Ibrahim.  “It is the legal sentence, it is proper, it is according to the law and it will be executed.”

The convicted men maintain their innocence saying that their videotaped confessions were taken under torturous situations.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Sudanese to Hang Over U.S. Killing – 12 October 2009

VOA – U.S. Diplomat’s Killers to Hang for Murder in Sudan – 12 October 2009

AFP – Slain US Diplomat’s Mother Seeks Sudan Killers’ Death – 11 October 2009

The Washington Post – Sudanese Convicted of U.S. Murder Dismiss Defense – 11 October 2009

China Promises to Protect Press Freedom


By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China– In a speech at a meeting of global media leaders, the World Media Summit, President Hu Jintao promised that China would protect the rights of international news agencies reporting in China.

Along with China’s economic boom, news coverage on China also grew significantly over the years.  China has improved the reporting environment for foreign press in the past six years by loosening the tight control the communist government had over reporters, but Chinese officials continue to censor certain sensitive topics, including coverage of human rights.

Chinese government has stringent control over their media, and journalists are severely restricted as to what they can and cannot report.  All media in China are also owned by the government.

Although the Chinese government eliminated their policy of requiring journalists to obtain permission to travel to cities outside of Beijing or Shanghai, journalists still complain of assault and detainment when traveling in smaller towns and the countryside.  Furthermore, access to government ministers is near impossible, and public officials are often reluctant to go on record.

However, President Hu said, “[China] will continue to make government affairs public, enhance information distribution, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign news organizations and reporters, and facilitate foreign media coverage in China….”

News Corporation Executive Rupert Murdoch, one of the attendees of the Summit, criticized the Chinese media market for being too “sheltered.”  He urged for more openness saying, “China will ultimately decide its own fate, but unless the digital doors open, opportunities will be lost and potential will not be realized.” 

Murdoch also pointed out that China’s state-run media has hindered growth and development of China’s media industry.  He added that the Chinese government should also address copyright piracy so that Chinese media companies can generate more profits.

This Summit was attended by 300 media representatives from 80 different countries.  Some rights groups have criticized China for hosting this meeting since China has a history of censorship and limiting reporting opportunities for foreign journalists.
For more information, please see:

AP – China pledges to protect foreign media – 9 October 2009

Irish Times – Chinese leader supports rights of media groups – 10 October 2009

WSJ – Murdoch Urges China to Open Up to Media – 8 October 2009