U.N. Denounces Enslavement of Indigenous Guarani

By Sovereign Hager

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

EL GRAN CHACO, Paraguay and Bolivia – The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issueshas expressed grave concern in two recently released reports over findings of forced labor of indigenous people in the Chaco regions of Paraguay and Bolivia.  The report also cited findings of abuses related to land rights, child labor, freedom of association and discrimination. Permanent Forum Chairperson Victoria Tauli-Corpuz even found that “in some areas, those seeking to defend their rights were the target of systematic violence and threats.”

Three Permanent Forum members were in the investigatory mission along with experts from several UN agencies.  The reports recommend that the governments of Bolivia and Paraguay take steps to address forced labor beyond what is already in place.  This should include increased presence of state institutions in forced labor areas to ensure the enforcement of domestic and international labor law, security and legal services, social services and rural development.

Evo Morales has stated his intent to aid the tens of thousands of ethnic Guarani who live in eastern Bolivia by creating a 390,000-acre reservation. Guarani leaders in Bolivia have expressed optimism about positive progress under Morales’ government. However, land owners in the area have vowed to resist any attempts of land reform.

The Permanent Forum was clear in stating that “all efforts to address the situation of indigenous peoples of the Chaco region must  . . . include restoration of territorial and land rights for indigenous peoples, and the promotion and application of the principle of non-discrimination in all spheres of life of indigenous peoples.”

Reports over the last four decades by researchers and non-governmental organizations have made similar findings regarding the indigenous people of the Chaco region, who live in a state “reminiscent of slavery.” Most land in the Chaco region is owned by non-indigenous people, who government and international observers say force landless indigenous families into labor.  Many people are paid only in food and clothing, or live in debt bondage.

For more information, please see:

Indian Country Today – Permanent Forum Wants Forced Labor Stopped – 17 September 2009

The Scoop – Forced Labour Of Indigenous Peoples in Bolivia – 1 September 2009

The Business Age – Chaco Indigenous People Suffer Forced Labor, Abuse: U.N. – 31 August 2009

United Press International – U.N.: Protect Chaco Indigenous People – 31 August 2009

Bombings Leave Somalia Between a Rock And a Hard Place

By Jared Kleinman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – At least 21 people have died following the dual suicide car bombing at the African Union (AU) peacekeeper’s main base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu Thursday September 17th. Witnesses said the bombers entered the compound using two vehicles with United Nations markings and packed with explosives. Twelve Burundian, five Ugandan and four Somali soldiers are confirmed dead while 26 others who were injured seriously, were evacuated to Nairobi for treatment. Among the dead was Maj. Gen. Juvenal Niyonguruza, the Burundian deputy force commander. Thursday’s attack brings the total number of peacekeepers killed to 35 with Maj.-Gen Niyoyunguriza the highest ranking officer to be killed so far.

Al-Shabaab, the Islamist movement opposing Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG), has vowed to step up suicide attacks against foreign forces operating in the country. The Al-Shabaab group said these attacks were revenge for a US raid on Monday in which Kenyan-born al-Qaeda suspect Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan was killed. Earlier on Thursday, Al-Shabaab demanded that France ensure that AU forces are pulled out of Somalia. This was one of several demands issued by the group for the release of a French security adviser captured in July.

Al-Shabaab and its allies control most of southern and central Somalia, while the government, helped by the AU force, just runs parts of Mogadishu. Representative for Somalia, Mr Nicholas Bwakira, has urged the international community to play a bigger role in bringing the Somali instability to an end. “We need more superior weapons, human capacity and technical ability to wipe out the insurgents,” Mr Bwakira said. “Their presence in this country is not wanted,” he added.

The AU peace keepers were deployed in 2007 to guard the Presidential Palace, airport and seaport. Years of fighting and anarchy have left some three million people, more than half of the country’s population, dependent on humanitarian aid, with nearly 300,000 refugees crammed into a few square kilometers at the Dadaab camp in northeastern Kenya alone. Al-Shabaab wants foreign peacekeepers out of the country while Somalia’s TFG wants more foreign support. Should the AU forces leave, thousands of Somali’s will suffer with out the AU’s humanitarian aid. Should the AU forces stay and maintain their foreign fortification against the Al-Shabaab insurgents, Al-Shabaab will continue its attacks.

For more information, please see:

The East African – AU Troops Sitting Ducks – 21 September 2009

Impunity Watch – Somali Rebels Seek Foreign Reinforcements – 20 September 2009

Daily Nation – Death Toll from Militia Attack on AU Base Rises to 21 – 19 September 2009

BBC – AU urges more weapons for Somalia – 18 September 2009

BBC – Suicide blasts hit Somalia base – 17 September 2009

Tongan Government Votes Down International Discrimination Law Leaving Women Concerned

By Eileen Gould
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – Last week, the Tongan government rejected the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  In a vote of 18 to 1, with four abstentions, the Legislative Assembly refused to ratify the convention because it goes against Tongan culture.

The government claims there is no need to change the position of Tongan women in society because under the current way of life, they are “respected and cherished”.  Ratifying the convention would disturb Tongan traditions by paving the way for the legalization of abortion, the promotion of same-sex marriages, and the granting of land ownership rights to women.

Last week, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement which said that “the Tongan way of life is not solely based on the rights and responsibilities, freedom and obligations of the individual, but also emphasize its rights to the extended family and the whole community.”

Instead, the parliament’s actions will preserve the Tongan way of life by addressing women’s issues on its own.

Women activists were less than thrilled with the government’s explanation and refusal to adopt CEDAW.  A representative from the Tonga National Centre for Women and Children (TNCWC), an NGO that advocates on behalf of victims of abuse, expressed concern over the government’s lack of recognition of domestic violence.  In a country where women are held in high regard, the Tongan government has refused to pass an act aimed at preserving women’s rights.

The Ministry of Police reported the murders of four women in domestic disputes in 2009, as well as three rapes in August alone.  Further, TNCWC claims that over 200 women subjected to such violence seek help each year.

Contrary to the government’s suggestion that CEDAW’s provisions necessitate a complete revamping of Tongan law, the 132 year old constitution upholds basic human rights and freedoms.  However, it continues to discriminate against women and fails to afford them protection. Tonga has signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), as well as, the Pacific Island Forum’s Pacific Plan, and remains heavily involved in the promotion of human rights in the region.

Yesterday, an UN health advisor and a spokesperson for the New Zealand Labour Party criticized Tonga during a parliamentary hearing on Pacific maternal health in Wellington, New Zealand.

For more information, please see:

Radio New Zealand International – NZ Pacific MP critical of Tonga’s move not to ratify UN Convention – 22 September 2009

Matangi Tonga – Tongan parliament blatantly ignores women’s rights – 19 September 2009

ABC Radio Australia – Tonga rejects convention on discrimination against women – 18 September 2009

Matangi Tonga – Tongan parliament decides not to ratify CEDAW – 18 September 2009

Radio New Zealand International – Tongan women disgusted with government for snubbing CEDAW – 18 September 2009

Radio New Zealand International – Tonga not to ratify CEDAW – 17 September 2009

Iranian Rally Leads to Violence

By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – On September 18, thousands of opposition supporters came to blows with Iranian security forces at a mass rally sponsored by the Mahmoud Ahmedinejad-led government. The supporters of the opposition held up signs in favor of the former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Moussavi, who lost the controversy-filled June presidential election to Ahmedinejad.

Ahmedinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had both warned supporters of the opposition that any demonstrations would not be tolerated. The Islamic Republic threatened that there would be a crackdown on any opposition at the annual rally. The clash between the two sides is viewed a clear defiance against the orders of the sitting President and the Islamic Republic, whose authority has come into question since the disputed June election.

Tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets on the Islamic Republic’s annual al-Quds day rally. The yearly assembly is held on the final Friday of Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini established the day as an annual international day of support for all Muslims to support Palestinians against the state of Israel.

The rally began peacefully, but tensions escalated as the march continued. Over one hundred thousand Iranians took the streets in Tehran for the yearly rally. Opposition supporters used the day to stage their first government protest in two months. The clash between the two sides led to multiple arrests and the use of violence by both sides. Opposition supporters threw stones and Iranian police used tear gas.

Reports have come through saying that Moussavi and former President Mohammad Khatami, another opposition leader, were attacked when the clash when opposition protesters clashed with government forces. It is alleged that attempts to beat former President Khatami after his turban was knocked off were stopped by opposition supporters. According to reports, the former President was not hurt during the day of clashes. Witnesses have come forward to say that opposition supporters held hardliners back from Moussavi as he attempted to get away in a car.

Ahmedinejad also used Friday’s rally in order to repeat his famous claims that the Holocaust was a myth. The Iranian President alleged that it was used as a “false pretext” to create the state of Israel and claimed that it was both a national and religious duty for Iranians to confront the “Zionist regime.” Despite his strong comments about Israel, Ahmednejad’s problems in his own country remain as chants of “resign” could be heard from the crowd.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Iran Opposition Chiefs Attacked as Mass Protests Hit Regime – 18 September 2009

Al Jazeera – Iranians Rally on ‘al-Quds Day’ – 18 September 2009

BBC – Clashes Erupt at Iran Mass Rally – 18 September 2009

New York Times – Despite Warning, Thousands Rally in Iran – 18 September 2009

Opposition Protesters Clash In Belarus Clash With Police

By David Sophrin
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MINSK, Belarus – On Wednesday police arrested 30 activists who were involved in a peaceful opposition rally in central square of Belarus’s capital city, Minsk.  Approximately 50 people had gathered to mark the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Viktor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky, political opposition leaders.

After surrounding the group of protesters, who were made up primarily of students, riot police pushed those who had gathered out of the square.  During the incident a number of protesters were hit by the police, who used clubs to arrest those that did not leave the square.  The police also attempted to prevent the journalists at the scene from taking pictures.  Some photographers, who were recording the incident, were beaten by the police.  They were threatened by police if they did not delete what they had recorded.  Among those arrested was Mikalai Statkevich, a leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party.

In recent months the European Union has called upon Belarus to improve its protection of basic democratic freedom.  The president of the EU issued a statement on Thursday, urging Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to “refrain from the use of force in dealing with peaceful demonstrations and to ensure that representatives of independent media are able to perform their tasks without interference.”  Lukashenko, who has held the office since 1994, has been accused of ruling Belarus in an authoritarian manner.  In recent years Lukashenko has been labeled by the United States as “Europe’s last dictator.”

Wednesday’s incident involving protesters and state police comes on the heels of other recent protests in the capital city.  On September 9, 20 people were detained by police while protesting the close military relationship that Belarus has developed with Russia.

The whereabouts of Gonchar and Krasovksy are still unknown.  The state investigation into their disappearance was closed in 2003.

For more information, please see:

BELARUS NEWS – EU expresses concern over police crackdown on demonstration in Minsk – 18 Septemeber 2009

DEMOCRATIC BELARUS – Belarus Police Beat, Detain 36 Opposition Protestors – 17 September 2009

EARTHTIMES – Belarus cops smash ‘disappeared’ person memorial march – 17 September 2009

RADIO FREE EUROPE – Belarus: Police break up protest, make arrests – 17 September 2009

AFP – Belarus police beat, detain 30 opposition – 16 September 2009

REUTERS – Belarus police break up anti-Russia protest – 9 September 2009