Goldstone Defends Gaza Inquiry, Calls for Accountability

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

GENEVA, Switzerland – Richard Goldstone, lead investigator of the United Nations fact-finding report on Israeli-Palestinian fighting in Gaza during the winter of 2008, called on the UN Human Rights Council to accept the report and to hold both Israelis and Palestinians accountable for violations of human rights laws.

 

“A culture of impunity in the region has existed for too long,” said Goldstone to the UN Human Rights Council on September 29. “The lack of accountability for war crimes and possible war crimes against humanity has reached a crisis point…The ongoing lack of justice is undermining any hope for a successful peace process and reinforcing an environment that fosters violence.”

 

The Goldstone Report called for the UN Security Council to refer any allegations of war crimes to the International Criminal Court in The Hague after six months from the report’s release if either the Israelis or the Palestinians did not investigate or prosecute those suspected of war crimes.

 

On September 30, Goldstone told CNN that he believed Israel had intentionally targeted civilians, though not as a policy, nor as the primary goal of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead. However, Goldstone pointed to evidence that some of the civilian casualties were intentional.

 

“There was no mistake in bombing factories,” Goldstone said. “The Israeli intelligence has very precise information.”

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to the UN Human Rights Council on September 30, urging the Council to “come to its senses” and reject the Goldstone Report. Netanyahu said that the UN Human Rights Council has passed more resolutions against Israel than any other nation, and that adopting this report would harm peace efforts in the Middle East.

 

“It will harm the war on terrorism and it will grant legitimacy to terrorists who hide behind civilians,” said Netanyahu. “It will also harm the UN’s standing and, most of all, it will be a crippling blow to the peace process.”

 

Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch, emphasized that the Goldstone Report sharply criticized both the Israeli government and the Hamas government, demonstrating the report’s lack of bias. Whitson called on both Israel and Hamas to conduct thorough investigations of the report’s allegations.

 

“Israel has repeatedly shown that it lacks the political will to investigate itself impartially,” Whitson said. “And Hamas’s record on internal investigations is even worse.”

 

For more information, please see:

 

Ha’aretz – Israel to UN Body: Come to Your Senses on Goldstone Report – 1 October 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Goldstone: Israel Intentionally Targeted Gaza Civilians – 1 October 2009

 

Al Jazeera – UN Investigator Defends Gaza Report – 29 September 2009

 

Palestinian News Network – Through Women’s Eyes: PCHR Report on Gender-Specific Impact and Consequences of Operation Cast Lead – 29 September 2009

 

Human Rights Watch – US: Endorse Goldstone Report on Gaza – 27 September 2009

 

 

Taylor Continues to Deny Allegations

By Jonathan Ambaye
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

The HAGUE, Netherlands – Today, Charles Taylor again denied additional claims made by witnesses regarding his involvement in the atrocities that took place across West Africa during his time as the President of Liberia.  In his testimony on September 29, 2009 he denies claims by a witness that he ordered rebel attacks against Guinea, Sierra Leone, and The Ivory Coast all during his tenure as President of Liberia. The witness a former member of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a Sierra Leonean rebel group, claims Taylor supplied the group with the resources and instruction to carry out their attacks.

In his testimony the witness told prosecutors that the former interim leader of the RUF Sam Bockarie, rather than discuss decisions with his own members, would seek advice from Taylor. It is during his discussions with Taylor that the witness claims Bockarie was encouraged by Taylor to attack Freetown and free RUF leader FODAY Sankoh who had been imprisoned.

In response to these allegations, Taylor said to the judge, “I sure did not plan it. I don’t know if Sankoh did, but I did not. I did not plan any invasion of Freetown, never.” Taylor went on to deny having any knowledge of shipments of weapons used in the Freetown attacks into Liberia, and that he had no idea what the witness was talking about in general.

The Special Court’s Prosecution team is alleging Charles Taylor supplied the RUF with weapons in return for diamonds, further perpetuating the severe conflict taking place in the country at the time. They also allege he was controlling the RUF and planning attacks in not just Sierra Leone but also surrounding countries such as Guinea and the Ivory Coast, in hopes to further his own political agenda.

Taylor vehemently denies all of these claims. In response to the claims that he had RUF rebels attack Guinea, he claims if it was in his best interest to attack Guinea why he wouldn’t use the Liberian’s he had at his disposal to do so. It was a question he posed during his testimony in an attempt to dismiss the witness’s claims as illogical. Taylor’s testimony will continue this week regarding additional witness testimony.

For more information please see:

All Africa – Taylor Did Not Know of Sierra Leone Attack Plans, Nor Order A Rebel
Attack OnGuinea, He Says – 29 September 2009

CharlesTaylorTrial.org – Taylor Says He Didn’t Order Rebel Attack on Freetown – 29 September 2009

Impunity Watch – Taylor Denied More Allegations in Court – 27 September 2009

All Africa – I Was Not Aware of RUF’s Operation No Living Thing – 8 September 2009

Justice Is Served As Human Rights Activist and Leader Is Released

By Jared Kleinman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku issued a permanent stay of prosecution on Monday in the case of the prominent human rights activist Jestina Mukoko and eight other defendants facing charges of plotting to topple President Robert Mugabe’s government. Mukoko had been illegally abducted, beaten, and tortured in jail, by Zimbabwe’s security forces last year. Chidyausiku ruled that Mukoko and her co-accused could not be tried now, or in the future, because their constitutional rights had been violated.

Last year in December Mukoko, the leader of Zimbabwe Peace Project, was abducted from her Norton home in the early hours of the morning, wearing nothing but her night clothes. For weeks police claimed they did not have her in custody, only for the then State Security Minister, Didymus Mutasa, to admit in court papers that he had sanctioned the abductions as a matter of state security. Mukoko spent more than a month in several secret locations where she was tortured by state security agents to force her to confess to an anti-government plot. Her captors accused her of recruiting and attempting to recruit people, including a police officer, to undergo military training in Botswana so they could topple Mugabe’s government.

Monday’s ruling sets a precedent for other human rights and opposition activists who face similar charges and were subjected to the same conditions. They have applied to the same court to have their charges dropped but are awaiting rulings. “This is really a positive thing for activists and civil society but I hope the state will comply with the ruling because in the past they (the state) have re-arrested people on fresh trumped up charges,” John Makumbe, a political analyst and Mugabe critic, said. Innocent Gonese, a member of parliament from Tsvangirai’s party, said the judgment could be “the beginning of good things to come, politically,” but added that scores of other party activists remain jailed or face charges.

The Zimbabwe Peace Project director said she would be going home to rest and thanked everyone who had supported her during her ordeal. Mukoko also vowed to continue her activism work.

For more information, please see:

SW Radio Africa – Terror Charges Dropped Against Mukoko And 8 Others – 28 September 2009

CNN – Zimbabwe court bars activist Mukoko’s prosecution – 28 September 2009

Reuters – Zimbabwe Court Rules Activist Can’t Be Prosecuted – 28 September 2009

AP – Terror charges dropped against Zimbabwe activist – 28 September 2009

Iraq Struck By Multiple Bombings

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – On September 28, a number of Iraqis died as a result of a number of bombings that took place throughout the country. While the exact number of dead has not been confirmed, estimates range between thirteen and eighteen dead as a result of the first major acts of violence in the country that followed the end of Ramadan. There had been somewhat of a pause in violence in the country since the Muslim holy month ended. Additionally, at least fifty five people were injured as a result of the bombings.

The deadliest bomb went off twenty miles west of the city of Ramadi, capital of the Anbar province.  It killed a number of Iraqi security forces members. The Anbar province and its capital were bases for insurgents after the United States invasion in 2003. A suicide attacker was able to blow up a water tanker that was packed with explosives at the headquarters of a quick response unit located on the highway. The explosion killed seven police officers and wounded ten others. The explosion also damaged a number of nearby buildings.

Another bomb went off in Diwaniyah, a city located one hundred miles south of Baghdad. The bomb went off in a minibus. Three passengers were killed while two others wounded.

Two bombs exploded in western Baghdad. The bombs went off in the Ghazaliyah neighborhood and killed three people. Among those killed was the commander of the army battalion. The first blast was a roadside bomb that did not kill anyone but injured one individual. The second bomb was attached to a parked motorcycle vehicle and accounted for the three deaths. Overall the Baghdad bombings wounded twenty-eight individuals.

A bomb also went off in the city of Mosul. This northern city is an area where it is believed that insurgents have regrouped after being forced out of Baghdad. A roadside bomb targeting a police vehicle exploded and killed two officers.

Despite the drop in violence from 2006 and 2007, roadside bombs and attempted assassinations are frequent occurrences. The primary targets for insurgents are Iraqi security forces, who are expected to take complete control of the country after all United States combat forces leave in August 2010.

For more information, please see:

Washington Post – Bombings Across Iraq Kill 15, Wound Dozens – 29 September 2009

AFP – Eighteen Killed, Dozens Wounded In Iraq Attacks – 28 September 2009

BBC – Iraq Hit By Deadly Bomb Attacks – 28 September 2009

New York Times – Holy Month Ends, And Violence Rises Again In Iraq – 28 September 2009

Reuters – Iraq Bomb Attacks End Ramadan Relative Lull – 28 September 2009

Immigration and Nationality Act Leads to Civil and Human Rights Abuses and Violations

By Brenda Lopez Romero

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authorized more local police enforcement to use section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. 287(g) allows state and local authorities to have some of their officers trained to enforce immigration laws. Many advocates believed that the Obama administration would end this program, because they believe that 287(g) is arbitrary and punitive. Civil and human rights organizations argue that this program leads to multiple violations of the law and the Constitution because it is so susceptible to abuse by law enforcement officials.

In the beginning of this year, the Government Accountability Office found that the program lacked internal controls, with the result that 287(g) officers were detaining traffic-offenders rather than genuinely criminal aliens.

Advocates argue that the program makes immigrant communities less safe, including those that are U.S. citizens and legal residents, due to the strained relationship between local police authorities and the people. In fact, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona is now being investigated by the Justice Department on allegations that include racial profiling and due process violations.

Usa-imm

(PHOTO: The Economist)
Another strong supporter of “tough” immigration enforcement includes the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a group that the Southern Poverty Law Center designated as a hate group in part for its support of xenophobic hate speech.

Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, expects immigration work to restart in Congress in 2010. “As of right now, I have not been convinced that comprehensive immigration reform cannot move in 2010, so it needs to move,” Saenz said. “If that is not possible, then I’m interested in discussing this idea of down payments with a commitment to fulfill the obligation through comprehensive immigration reform that is not postponed indefinitely.”

“Part of President Obama’s mandate coming in, particularly in the high levels of support that he received from Latino voters in critical states, I think a significant part of his mandate was about comprehensive immigration reform,” Saenz said. However, Saenz is convinced that a good start is ending 287(g), a statute that has in effect created unsafe communities, and has essentially condoned civil rights abuses.

In New York, a multilingual religious group of Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Yoruba that took part in the prayer service and made a call for justice for hardworking, taxpaying communities, because “the need for comprehensive immigration reform remains as pressing as ever,” the religious leaders said in a written statement. “Our communities continue to suffer because of raids, anti-immigrant press, hate crimes against the immigrant community, and a broken immigration system that keeps at least twelve million people undocumented.” Reverend Donna Schaper stated that “this is un-American” and that family values did not stop at the borders.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics prove the claims that hate crimes are an increasing nationwide problem, particularly assaults against Latinos.

For more information, please see:

The Associated Press – AP Interview: Leader Has Back-Up Immigration Plan – 26 September  2009

The Economist – The Continuing Crackdown – 17 September 2009

The NY Daily News – Anti-Immigration Group FAIR Mars Smart Reform Push by Faith Groups – 17 September 2009