UNHCR Holds Conference in Syria to Address Iraqi Refugee Crisis

By Brandon Kaufman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria– The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held a three-day conference on Iraqi refugees and their rights to international protection from August 11 through August 13 at Damascus’s Four Seasons Hotel.

The workshop discussed such topics as international refugee law, refugee status determination, the rights and duties of refugees and asylum seekers and the protection of refugees with special needs.  The workshop focused mainly on the ever growing Iraqi refugee crisis in Syria.

As of August 2009, there were over two-hundred thousand Iraqi refugees registered with the UNHCR in Syria, of which 82, 427 were identified as children, adolescents, women, elderly people at risk or disabled persons with critical medical conditions or with special needs protection.  Yet, the numbers hardly end there.  Faisal al-Miqdad, Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister, contends the crisis is much deeper than that.  He believes the number of Iraqi refugees in Syria to be around 1.2 million, a staggering number in a country of roughly 18 million.  These huge influxes of refugees have complicated life for many throughout Syria.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also said that the human health needs of the arriving Iraqis is ever growing, particularly among women and children.  The Syrian government is attempting, with what resources it has available, to remedy the situation.  Despite their best efforts, a health care crisis had emerged.

The UNHCR recently estimated that the number of Iraqi refugee families in Syria without a breadwinner is approximately thirty percent.  This number is significantly higher among female-led houses.  As a result, many women have been forced into prostitution or have been forced to use their daughters in prostitution to sustain the family.  Furthermore, there is an urgent need to provide appropriate care for the elderly and for the very large number of arrivals with disabilities, mainly as a result of injuries sustained while in Iraq.

As such, the Syrian authorities have taken important steps to remedy the refugee situation from Iraq and other countries.  “This workshop reflects the significance that Syria accords to asylum issues, in view of its generosity in hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and other countries” said Radhouane Noucier, the UNHCR Middle East and North Africa Bureau Director.

For more information, please see:

Al Arabiya- Iraqi Refugees in Syria Worry as Governments Dispute– 13 September 2009

Syria Today- UNHCR Holds Refugee Protection Conference– September 2009

UN Syria- UNHCR Protection Workshop Highlights Refugee Issues in Syria– 14 August 2009

FMR Review- Iraqi Refugees in Syria– January 2009

Venezuelan Weapons Deal Brings Fear of South American Arms Race

By Ryan C. Kossler
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela – Last week Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that Venezuela had entered into an arms deal with Russia.  The Russian government is purported to have opened a 2.2 billion dollar line of credit for Venezuela to purchase weapons, including, 92 Soviet-era T-72 battle tanks, 300-millimeter Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, and surface to air missiles with a range of up to 186 miles.  The Russian government has said that it is willing to sell Venezuela whatever weapons it is willing to buy.

President Chavez said that the weapons were needed for defense purposes because his government feels threatened by Colombia’s recent agreement with the United States to give U.S. forces increased access to Colombian military bases.  The agreement between the U.S. and Colombia occurred last month and was for the purpose of combating regional drug trafficking and terrorism.

U.S. officials say that they fear Venezuela’s new arms acquisitions could lead to an arms race in the region, in turn, leading to regional instability.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said U.S. officials think Venezuela’s arms buildup “poses a serious challenge to stability in the western hemisphere.”

Kelly also said that the U.S. urges Venezuela “to be transparent in its purchases, and very clear about the purposes of these purchases” and that the U.S. is concerned that the Venezuelan government “put[s] in place very clear procedures and safeguards that these arms are not diverted to any irregular organizations,” referring to the fact that in the past, the Venezuelan government has been accused of providing arms to FARC guerillas in Colombia, who are considered a terrorist group by the Colombian government.

President Chavez said that his country had the “right to take the minimum necessary steps” to protect its national security and natural resources.  He accused the United States of encroaching on the country’s oil and gas reserves by saying “the empire has set its sights on them.”  President Chavez seemed to be implying that the U.S.-Colombian agreement may have ulterior motives.

Russia has already sold Venezuela military equipment amounting to the cost of 4 billion dollars since the United States barred the country from buying U.S. equipment and this latest purchase further outpaces those of any other South American country.

For more information, please see:

Google News – US Fears Latin American Arms Race – 14 September 2009

Miami Herald – US Worries About Venezuelan Arms Buildup- 14 September 2009

Miami Herald – Venezuela Gets $2.2B in Credit for Russian Arms- 13 September 2009

VOA News – US Says Venezuelan Arms Buildup Threatens Regional Stability – 14 September 2009

VOA News – Venezuela Buys Rockets from Russia – 12 September 2009

Christian Boy Accused of Blasphemy and Killed

 

By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

Sialkot, Pakistan– Emotions are ran high on Wednesday while Pakistani Christians clashed with security forces during the funeral of a Christian teenager who police say hung himself while being held on accusations that he committed Blasphemy by defiling the Qur’an, the Muslim holy book.  Christian leaders and Human rights group in Pakistan believe he was murdered.

Fanish Masih was jailed after allegedly throwing a chapter of the Qur’an down a drain last week in the village of Jatheki.  Masih was found dead in his cell on Tuesday.  Jail superintendent Farooq Lodhi stated that Masih hung himself using the string from his pants.  Witnesses have stated the contrary however, stating that there were no strangulation marks on his neck, and his body was littered with injuries which were indicative of torture.  The National Commission of Justice and Peace, a Catholic advocacy group in Pakistan, called the death an “extra-judicial murder”, and demanded an investigation into the events.

Of Pakistan’s 175 million people, non-Muslims make up less than 5 percent of the population.  As a result these non-Muslims are particularly vulnerable to the anti-blasphemy on the books which carry the death penalty for derogatory remarks or any other actions against Islam, the Qur’an or the prophet Mohammad.  Under this system anyone can make an accusation, and often these rules are used to settle personal scores and vendettas.  According to sources, the claim of blasphemy against Masih was only made as a pretext to arrest him, who allegedly was in a romantic relationship with a Muslim girl, which was opposed by the girl’s family and religious radicals within the community.

According to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), this latest case of violence against a non-Muslim demonstrates the recklessness and confidence of the religious leaders in their own impunity, along with how powerless law enforcement agencies have become before influential social groups.  This case is also an example of the extreme vulnerability which religious minorities in Pakistan suffer from.

For more information, please see:

Asian Human Rights Commission-Witnesses killed within prison walls: a Christian boy is accused of blasphemy and murdered– 16 September 2009

MSNBC- Christian’s death in jail sparks Pakistan unrest 16 September 2009

Pakistan Christian Post- Christian MNA Akram Masi Gill arrested in Sialkot -16 September 2009

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi Appeals House Arrest Conviction

By Megan E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
 
RANGOON, Burma– Though not present, final arguments were made by defense lawyers of Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The proceeding was closed to Ms. Suu Kyi while her attorneys argued against an extended house arrest at a hearing in Rangoon. The hearing was also closed to reporters. According to lawyer, Nyan Win, the Yangon Divisional Court will deliver its verdict on October 2.
 
Ms. Suu Kyi has spent 14 out of the past 20 years in detention. She is said to have violated the terms of her last house arrest sentencing, and the length of the penalty was extended for another 18 months. In effect, this extension would bar Ms. Suu Kyi from participating in next year’s elections. 
 
The timing of Ms. Suu Kyi’s appeal is extraordinary. As she awaits a sentencing verdict, one day earlier 7,0000 prisoners were granted amnesty by Burma’s military rulers. Prison amnesties such as the one announced Thursday usually mark important national days or are intended to deflect criticism ahead of high-profile international gatherings. This release is a memorial of the 21st anniversary of the seizure of power by the military junta in Burma. The amnesty also comes just ahead of the opening of this year’s U.N. General Assembly session. The event will be attended by Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein. Sein is the highest-ranking Myanmar government leader in more than a decade to participate.
 
Aside from the recent group of prisoners granted amnesty, among those still in capture are many political prisoners, not unlike Ms. Suu Kyi who represents the National League for Democracy (NLD). In the past 20 years, the number of political prisoners in Burma is reported to have doubled according to Human Rights Watch. The current number of political inmates is approximately 2,200. Of those released, 20 were held as political prisoners, two of whom are prominent NLD members. Another two are journalists who were jailed last year for reporting the Cyclone Nargis.
 
The NLD won elections in 1990, however, the military has never allowed the political party to assume power. The military seized power in 1962 and has not relinquished its authority to other political factions. Any information from Burma, including reports about Ms. Suu Kyi’s hearing and about a series of seven recent explosions in the northern part of the city of Rangoon, is tightly regulated. Burma’s military government strictly monitors the flow of information in and out of the country, and there has been no indication as to the cause or source of the blasts. 
 
For more information, please see:
 
BBC World News- Suu Kyi appeal ruling next month – September 18, 2009
MSNBC World Headlines- Myanmar junta closes Suu Kyi hearing again – May 21, 2009 
The Irrawaddy- Rangoon Court Postpones Suu Kyi Appeal Hearing – September 18, 2009
Yahoo! News- Myanmar’s Suu Kyi appeals conviction – September 18, 2009

UN Calls for Renewed Aid in Yemen Conflict

By Ahmad Shihadah

Impunity Watch Reporter Middle East Desk

SA’DA, Yemen – The United Nations (UN) is renewing its efforts to stabilize the conflict in the Sa’da region of Yemen between government forces and the Al-Huthi rebels. Following an air raid on which killed over eighty civilians, the international community calling for both a ceasefire to allow aid in to the region and for an investigation into the attack. The UN currently estimates that 150,000 people have been displaced in the north by the fighting since 2004.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has called on the Yemeni government and the Al-Huthi fighters to a cease fire to allow humanitarian aid the reach affected northern regions. He also expressed concern about the large number of civilian deaths in the region. The US embassy in the capital city of Sana’a has also called for a 72-hour ceasefire to allow access for aid and has welcomed the Yemeni government’s announcement that it will hold in investigation into the devastating raids.

Further Navi Pillay, the UN High Commission for Human Rights, called for an inquiry into the air raids and described the casualty reports “deeply disturbing.” The High Commissioner’s spokesman, Rupert Colville, says Pillay is urging the government to investigate and refrain from launching similar attacks in the future.

Another main concern of the High Commissioner is the limited access of aid workers in the region.  As a result, civilians are being deprived of much needed food, water, and medication. UN refugee spokesman Melissa Fleming calls the humanitarian situation alarming and illustrates this by saying, “five weeks into the conflict, Sa’da City remains virtually isolated and inaccessible for the UN humanitarian community.”  The UN efforts to gain assistance to the people of Sa’da through Saudi Arabia are still pending security clearances from both governments. Aid agencies are strapped for cash and their appeals to the international community are still falling on deaf ears

For more information please see:

UN News Centre – As fighting resumes in Yemen, UN agency renews call for aid corridor – 22 September 2009

VOA News – UN rights official calls for investigation into Yemeni Civilian Deaths – 18 September 2009

Al- Jazeera – UN calls for Yemen Ceasefire – 19 September 2009