Malaysian Court Upholds Woman’s Caning

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, AsiaKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA– An Islamic court of appeals in Malaysia on Monday upheld the sentence of six strokes of the cane which will be given to a Muslim woman.  She was caught drinking beer in public at a resort.  She was caught by Islamic enforcement officers.

The significance of this ruling means that the woman, Kartika Sari Dewo Shukarno, a former model and nurse and a 32-year old mother of two, is set to become the first woman to be caned under the country’s religious laws that apply only to Muslims. Analysts have stated that the government fears that the punishment could damage Malaysia’s reputation abroad.  Malaysia uses a two-track legal system; where the majority Malays are subject to Islamic law, while the Chinese and Indian minorities are not.

After being arrested for drinking beer in a beachfront hotel in December 2007, she was originally told she would receive six strokes of a rattan cane during the last weeks of August.  This was delayed until after Ramadan and after a further review the ruling was subsequently upheld earlier in the week. 

Women’s minister Shahrizat Jalil, the chief judge of Pahang state appeals court called the verdict excessive, stating that it projected a “cruel image” of Malaysia.  “The overriding view was that the sentence meted out was too harsh and is not commensurate with the offense,” she told reporters.

The Prime Minister Najib Razak urged Shukarno to appeal.  However, Shukarno’s case previously garnered widespread media attention after she refused to appeal her sentence.  Shukarno asked that her punishment be carried out in public, saying that she wanted serve as an example to other Muslims.  This has triggered a debate over the use of Islamic laws in the moderate Muslim country, where the country’s majority Malay-Muslims make up 55% of the country’s 27 million population.

It is now in the hands of Pahang Islamic Religious Department to carry out the sentence.  A thin stick is used for the caning since the punishment is less about pain than it is about symbolism and humiliation.  No date has yet been set for the caning.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- Malaysia To Review Caning Woman– 25 August 2009

BBC News- Malaysia Upholds Woman’s Caning– 28 September 2009

USA Today- Court Uphold Caning of Malaysian Woman For Drinking Beer– 28 September 2009

Digital City-Court Upholds Caning of Woman For Drinking Beer– 28 September 28, 2009

Saudis To Permit Israeli Use Of Airspace In The Event Of Iran Attack

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – As Iran continued missile tests, Saudi officials in a closed door London meeting with British Intelligence chief John Scarlett and his Israeli counterpart Meir, agreed to give logistical support to Israel in the event it decides it decides to attack Iran. During the meeting it was agreed that Saudi Arabian air space would be available for Israeli airplanes to launch a hit-and-run operations against Iran. The Israeli offense and possible Iranian retaliatory strikes could result in the death of as many as 6 million people.

The alleged Iranian nuclear plant is located inside of a mountain near the ancient city of Qom and was discovered by British and Saudi officials. Both Tel Aviv and Riyadh perceive the site as a major threat. British Foreign Secretary David Milliband, acknowledged the danger of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and did not rule out military action but insisted “we are 100% focused on a diplomatic solution.” Further condemnations came from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US President Barack Obama urging Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to comply with weapons inspectors or face more sanctions.

Iran insists that the tests were part of Sacred Defense Week’s annual military exercises to commemorate Iran’s with Iraq in the 1980s. They further stress that their nuclear work is for peaceful power generation.

Officials from Iran and the United States are set to meet next Thursday in what are the highest-level talks between the two sides in three decades. Also joining the talks are the members of the UN Security Council including – Britain, France, Russia and China as well as Germany. According to State department spokesmen P.J. Crowley the main question to be answered at the meeting is whether Iran is prepared to seriously address the concerns of the international community.

For More Information Please See:

Arab Monitor – Saudi Arabia said to make available its airspace for Israeli fighter jets – 28 September 2009

Israel News Agency – Israel, Saudi Arabia, US, UK join forces as Iran fires nuclear capable missiles – 28 September 2009

The Daily Express (UK) – Saudis will let Israel bomb Iran nuclear site – 27 September 2009

CNN – Thursday meeting with Iran to test Obama ‘engagement policy’ – 29 September 2009

Latin American Drug Cartels Penetrate West Africa

By Ryan C. Kossler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

Colombia – Latin American drug cartels have crossed the Atlantic Ocean seeking to expand their share of the drug market into West Africa.  The Drug Enforcement Agency’s regional director for Europe and Africa said that “the same organizations that we investigate in Central and South America that are involved in drug activity toward the United States are engaged in this trafficking in Western Africa.”  He further said that “there’s not one country that hasn’t been touched to some extent,” by the Latin American drug cartels.

There are several factors that have led the cartels’ to seek West Africa as a viable market source.  West Africa is one of the poorest and least stable regions in the world.  Its Governments are weak and often corrupted and law enforcement in the region is also often riddled with corruption.  Further, due to its large population of desperate indignant inhabitants, it is relatively simple for the cartels to recruit soldiers from the area.  The combination of these factors makes West Africa particularly vulnerable to penetration by the drug cartels.

Geography also plays an important role.  West Africa is close to Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, which are the three Latin American countries that produce most of the world’s cocaine.  Cartels transport the drugs through Venezuela and across the Atlantic Ocean to the West Africa region.  A recent U.N. report said that nearly 1,000 tons of pure cocaine is produced each year.  Of this nearly 1,000 tons, approximately 60 percent evades the detection of law enforcement agencies, making for a wholesale global market value of $70 billion dollars.

Colombia’s Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) has already been identified by the DEA as one of the Latin American groups involved in the drug trafficking in West Africa.  Recently, Colombian and United States officials signed an agreement that would allow the United States access to Colombian military bases.  This agreement is intended to help battle the drug epidemic in the region.  Unfortunately, surrounding nations have condemned the agreement.  Nations such as Venezuela and Ecuador provide refuge to criminal organizations such as Colombia’s FARC and have been vocal in stating that they would not condemn any military activity against these organizations within their borders.

The United States has pressed Latin American countries to meet there counter narcotics obligations.  In a recent annual report, the United States identified Bolivia as the world’s third largest cocaine producer and charged Venezuela as failing to do enough to fight the drug trade.  The United States, however, said that it would continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Latin American countries, even though the aid was intended to be dependent on the countries counter narcotics obligations.

For more information, please see:

CNN – Latin American Drug Cartels Find Home in West Africa – 21 September 2009

The Spectator – South American Spat – 24 September 2009

Reuters – U.S. keeps Venezuela, Bolivia atop narcotics list – 16 September 2009

Canadian Terror Suspect Sues Canada for Their Role in His Detention in Sudan

By William Miller

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OTTAWA, Canada – Abousfian Abdelrazik has filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon claiming that they violated his rights as a Canadian citizen when they denied him flying credentials back to Canada after he had been placed on the UN no-fly list at the request of the United States government. He is suing Ottawa for twenty-three million Canadian dollars for a list of charges including false imprisonment, negligence, and breach of his rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He further accuses Cannon of misfeasance in public office, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breaches of his rights under the Canadian Charter and is suing him for three million dollars.

Abdelrazik is a Muslim living in Canada with dual citizenship in both Canada and his home country of Sudan. He first came to Canada in 1990 as a refugee in fear of prosecution for his opposition to the Sudan government. He became a Canadian Citizen in 1995. In 2003, Abdelrazik returned to Sudan to visit his sick mother and was promptly arrested by authorities. He was detained for twelve days and later imprisoned for eleven months. Abdelrazik claims he was tortured during his detention and was visited by agents of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service who refused to help him and told him he was no longer wanted in Canada. He claims that while imprisoned in Sudan, Canadian government officials questioned him about his connections to terrorist groups but told his late wife they did not know where he was.

Abdelrazik was released in July of 2004 only to find out he could not return to Canada because his passport had expired while he was in prison and the Canadian government refused to issue him new travel documentation. As a result, he was stranded in Sudan and was ultimately imprisoned again for nine months. Abdelrazik claims he was again visited by Canadian officials during his imprisonment who refused to help him and only wanted to know about his possible connections to terrorist agencies. After his release Abdelrazik was granted safe haven at the Canadian Embassy in Sudan where he remained for over a year. In March 2009 a Canadian Federal Judge ruled that Canada had violated Abdelrazik’s right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by not helping him return to Canada. Abdelrazik was issued an emergency passport and returned to Canada in June.

Abdelrazik is also seeking his removal from the UN terrorist watch list. He admits to traveling to many war torn regions but claims he did so to promote humanitarian efforts. He adamantly denies any connection with terrorist organizations. Canadian federal police and spy agencies have investigated his alleged ties to terrorist cells in Montreal and connections to Ahmed Ressam who is currently in prison for his attempt to bomb an airport in Los Angeles. The RCMP and other agencies however, admit that they do not have evidence to charge Abdelrazik with any crimes and no charges have ever been filed against Abdelrazik for his involvement with any terrorist group.

Abdelrazik does have scarring on his back which is consistent with his claims that he was tortured while imprisoned in Sudan. His allegations that Canadian officials visited him in prison and refused to help him have yet to be proven.

Abousfian Abdelrazik is suing the Canadian Government for failing to help him return to Canada after he became stranded in Sudan. (PHOTO: AFP)

For more information please see:

Globe and Mail – Abdelrazik’s Lost Years – 28 September 2009

AFP – Canadian Torture Suspect Sues Over Alleged Torture in Sudan – 24 September 2009

National Post – Abdelrazik Sues Canada for $27 Million – 24 September 2009

Canada.com – Abdelrazik Demands Canada Remove Him From UN Terror List -23 July 2009

Israeli, Palestinian Clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque Threaten to Spark Third Intifada

By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

JERUSALEM, Israel/West Bank – On September 27, fighting inside and outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem has further heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, tensions that have already been strained after recent Israeli refusals to halt settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

 

After noon prayers on Sunday, September 27, fighting broke out, though the exact chain of events is unclear. Israeli police said that Muslim worshippers began throwing rocks at tourists. Palestinians have claimed that Jews from radical groups attempted to enter the mosque on the eve of the Jewish holy day, Yom Kippur. Regardless of what set off the initial event, Palestinians began loud protests, and Israeli police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Thirty to forty people were injured and at least five people were arrested.

 

Mosque officials reported that they had asked Israeli police to not open the Moroccan Gate to any tourists on Sunday, in order to prevent any protests from Jewish settlers, but the police refused to do so. Instead, mosque officials said that police opened the gate early in the morning, and protected the settlers as they entered the mosque compound.

 

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, accused the Israelis of deliberately stoking tensions.

 

“At a time when [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama is trying to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis, and to get negotiations back on track, Israel is deliberately escalating tensions in Jerusalem,” said Erekat on Sunday evening.

 

Erekat said the situation was reminiscent of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the site in 2000. Sharon’s visit to Islam’s third-holiest site triggered the start of the Second Palestinian Intifada, or Uprising.

 

Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesperson, called for Palestinians to rise up in response to the incident, calling it a “Zionist crime.”

 

With Israeli government offices closed for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, there was no official comment immediately following the skirmishes. There was no sign that any fighting at the Dome of the Rock continued the next day, though teens in Bethlehem threw rocks at an Israeli military watchtower, and Israeli military personnel responded by throwing a stun grenade.

 

For more information, please see:

 

Al-Jazeera – Arab Officials Condemn Aqsa Raid – 28 September 2009

 

Ha’aretz – Erekat: Israel Deliberately Escalating Tensions in Jerusalem – 28 September 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Bethlehem Teens Hurl Stones at Watchtower After Al-Aqsa Violence – 28 September 2009

 

Reuters – Palestinian “Moderate” Govt Slams Israel on Mosque – 28 September 2009

 

Palestinian News Network – Extremists Have Attempted for Weeks to Storm Al Aqsa – 27 September 2009