UPDATE: South Ossetian Foreign Ministry Says Georgia Attempted to Obstruct Recent Elections

TSKHINVALI, South Ossetia – Attempts by the Georgian Republic to interfere with South Ossetia’s parliamentary elections on May 31 were thwarted, the South Ossetian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

While the European Union and NATO have dismissed the election as illegitimate, international observers have deemed the election process fair, including an Italian member of the EU, who declared the vote a “model of democracy.”

Moldavian monitors have also called for authorities to recognize the election results, reporting that polling stations were operated according to international standards.  The same monitors added that Moldavia should now recognize South Ossetia as an independent state.

Georgia Times – Moldavian monitors at South Ossetian elections called on the authorities to recognize it – 5 June 2006

Moscow News – The week in review—South Ossetia elections denounced by West – 4 June 2009

INO.com – NATO Rejects South Ossetia Elections Results – 2 June 2009

Iraq Mourns Death of Assassinated Sunni Leader

By Nykoel Dinardo
Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – On June 13, Iraq held a state funeral for Sunni Leader Harith al-Obeidi after his assassination on June 12.  Al-Obeidi was the leader of the largest Sunni bloc in the Iraqi Parliament.  He was known for his strong stance on human rights issues.  He argued for the rights of many Sunni detainees in Iraq, a controversial issue between the Sunni minority and the largely-Shi’ite government. 

Al-Obeidi’s assassination took place outside a mosque in Baghdad, where he had just finished giving the sermon at the Friday afternoon services.  A teenaged gunman shot al-Obeidi twice in the head, and then opened fire on al-Obeidi’s guards.   He then ran down the street, and detonated a grenade on his own body, killing himself and several bystanders. 

The Interior Ministry of Iraq released a report stating that they believe that the assassination was orchestrated by al Qaida.  Ministry officials refuse to elaborate, saying that there would not be more information until a more thorough investigation had been completed.  However, there is speculation that al-Obeidi’s assassination was planned to aggravate tensions between Sunni and Shi’ite communities. 

Al-Obeidi was known for his attempts to unify the factions within the Iraqi parliament.  According to Shatha al-Abousi, another Sunni lawmaker, al-Obeidi wanted national unity.  Al-Abousi also explained that al-Obeidi, an avid human rights supporter, disclosed information about the torture and mistreatment that had taken place in Iraqi prisons.  Both Sunni and Shi’ite government officials from all over the country came to show their respect for al-Obeidi at his funeral. 

The assassination comes just one day after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned that there may be an increase in violence in the coming months.  U.S. troops are scheduled to withdraw from urban areas by June 30, and there is concern that violence will increase without the extra military assistance.  Furthermore, elections are scheduled for January of next year, and there is concern that there will be an increase in assassination attempts before the election.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – Iraq Blames al-Qaida for Sunni Killing – 13 June 2009

Los Angeles Times – Leader of Iraq Parliament’s Arab Bloc Assassinated – 13 June 2009

Reuters – Iraq Holds State Funeral for Murdered Lawmaker – 13 June 2009

Voice of America – Iraqi Leaders Mourn Slain Sunni Lawmaker – 13 June 2009

Associated Press – Iraq: Senior Sunni Lawmaker Killed Outside Mosque – 12 June 2009

Sri Lanka’s Tamils Illegally Detained in Camps

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW YORK, U.S.– Nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils, who are not among the rebels fighting for secession, are being illegally detained by the Sri Lankan government according to Human Rights Watch.  Tamils are being held against their will in overcrowded, barbed-wire camps with sanitation problems.  Most detainees are being kept at Menik Farm, which the United Nations described as the world’s largest displacement camp.

The Tamil rebels were defeated by Sri Lanka’s government last month after decades of civil war.  Despite the victory, the government is still wary of Tamils rebels and fear that some civilian Tamils may still have links to the rebel group.

Thus, for over a year, Sri Lankan government, in violation of international law, has detained almost all civilian Tamils, including entire families, who have been displaced by fighting in northern Sri Lanka.  Although the government is claiming that the detainees will be released by end of this year, concerns over indefinite confinement have been expressed since there are no concrete plans for the release.

2009_Sri+Lanka_refugees

Civilian Tamils at Menik Camp (Source: Reuters)

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Treating all these men, women, and children as if they were Tamil Tiger fighters is a national disgrace.  Displaced Tamil civilians have the same rights to liberty and freedom of movement as other Sri Lankans.”

In addition to being held against their will, Tamils in the camps are facing misery and hardship according to the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader.  TULF leader, Mr. V. Anandasangaree described the situation in camps saying, “Health, water and sanitation situation is horrible.  Many people are having skin diseases as they didn’t get a chance to have a shower because of water shortage.”  He added, “Pregnant mothers and newborn babies go through a harrowing time…due to scorching heat.”

The United Nations and other aid organizations have demanded for better access to the camps so that they can carry out humanitarian work, but the Sri Lankan government, suspicious of aid agencies, has accused the agencies of helping the rebels in the past.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Sri Lanka Tamils ‘facing misery’ – 1 June 2009

Gulfnews.com – Rights group calls on Sri Lanka to release civilians held in displacement camps – 12 June 2009

Human Rights Watch – Sri Lanka: End Illegal Detention of Displaced Population – 11 June 2009

Free Speech Debated as Canadian Human Rights Commission Regulates Hate Speech on Internet

By Sovereign Hager

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

OTTAWA, Canada – Canada’s Human Rights Commission presented a special report to the Canadian Parliament in which it asserted a continued need for the commission to regulate hate speech on the internet.  The report expressly opposed a suggestion to relegate the policing of internet hate speech to the criminal code.

The new report has several proposals for changes to section 13, the hate speech provision of the Canadian Human Rights Act.  These include a clear, legal definition of hate speech, repealing the $10,000 fine the commission can impose for hate speech, and an allowance to award legal costs in some cases.

The Chief Commissioner argued that the flexibility in the “dual approach” of the Human Rights Act and the criminal code provide an effective resolution to internet hate claims.  While the criminal code is intended to punish those who engage in hate speech, the Human Rights Commission focuses on removing hate speech from the internet. Proponents further argued that hate speech can be very dangerous on the internet because it has the capability of spreading undetected without constant attention.

Conversely, some experts are opposed to the broad provisions in the Human Rights Act.  Individuals like law school professor Richard Moon contend that the broad nature of the Act may end up limiting free speech.  Others contended that the new report suggests tinkering of a system that is in need of an overhaul.

Debate about section 13 heated up after a Muslim group filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against Maclean’s magazine in 2007.  The complaint was dismissed after an investigation.  Opponents cite to this example as evidence that very little action is actually taken under section 13 and to suggest that it should be used for extreme hate cases only.

The Commons Committee will consider the new report as it considers the future of section 13 this fall.  The text of the report is available here.

Nicaragua Grant Asylum to Peruvian Indigenous Leader

By Nima Nayebi

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

Alberto Pinzango – Photo: Correo HuanucoMANAGUA, Nicaragua – Nicaragua has granted asylum to exiled Peruvian Indian political leader Alberto Pizango, after he requested shelter at the Nicaraguan Embassy in Peru earlier this week.
The Peruvian government has accused Pizango, and indigenous political leader, of instigating a series of clashes in the Amazon that left at least 33 dead. He is wanted for sedition, conspiracy and rebellion.

Tomas Borge, the Nicaraguan ambassador to Peru stated: “Our only choice, keeping in mind the spirit of solidarity that [Nicaraguan] President Daniel Ortega has [with] those thought to be politically persecuted, was to grant political asylum to Mr. Alberto Pizango. We have no other choice and no other alternative than to grant Pizango asylum since this is a strictly political case and this is a person being politically persecuted.”

The controversy arose when the Peruvian government passed Decree 1090, a law that indigenous people contend undermines their control over ancestral lands by empowering Lima to grant mining, logging and drilling permits without consulting area residents. The plans would also effectively ease environmental and developmental restrictions in the area.

In protest, indigenous people blocked main arteries of traffic and shut down a crude oil pipeline that traverses the Amazon and ends in Peru’s north coast. Police forcefully removed protesters from a highway last Friday, triggering an outbreak of violence between Peruvian authorities and the indigenous population. Peru maintains that 24 police officers and nine protesters died during the clash, while indigenous groups claim that 30 to 40 protesters were killed by police.