U.S. Journalists’ Trial Begin in North Korea

By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PYONGYANG, North Korea – The trial of U.S. journalists detained in North Korea began Thursday.   Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters working for an Internet-based television network launched by former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, were arrested back in March while covering a story on the plight of North Korean defectors near the China-North Korean border.  Lee and Ling are accused of crossing into North Korea illegally and engaging in “hostile acts.”  If convicted, the journalists can face 10 years in a labor camp.

Journalists detained in nk
Euna Lee and Laura Ling (Source: Yonhap/AP)

Human rights groups have expressed suspicion as to whether the arrest was orchestrated in advance by North Korea and, to no avail, have tried to contact the journalists’ guide who is currently believed to be in a Chinese prison.  Observers have also been barred from the courtroom, and contact with the two women has been limited.

Moreover, it is impossible to know for sure what penalties the journalists will face if convicted, because little is known about the North Korean legal system.  However, North Korea is known to have a brutal gulag system.

U.S. State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly called the trial an “opaque procedure,” adding that the Department was informed that the journalists do have a defense attorney although the lawyer’s name was not given.

U.S. officials and media groups have repeatedly called for Lee and Ling’s release, and the reporters’ families have asked for clemency and leniency from the North Korean government.  In a letter to her husband, Ling wrote, “While I am trying to remain hopeful, each day becomes harder and harder to bear.  I am so lonely and scared.”

The trial comes at a time when tensions are high between North Korea and the international community due to underground nuclear testing and blasting of short range missiles by North Korea.

For more information, please see:

CNN – N. Korea bars observers at U.S. reporters’ trial – 4 June 2009

Financial Times –  N Korea puts US journalists on trial – 4 June 2009

New York Post – 2 JOURNALISTS ON TRIAL IN N. KOREA – 4 June 2009

UPI – N. Korea opens U.S. journalists’ trial – 4 June 2009

Lebanese View Political Parties as Corrupt Ahead of National Elections

By Meredith Lee-Clark
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BEIRUT, Lebanon – A report released on June 3 by Transparency International, an anti-corruption group, has found that 36% of Lebanese view domestic political parties as the most corrupt organizations in the country.  The report was released ahead of Lebanon’s national elections scheduled to take place on June 7.  The report also stated that 29% of Lebanese perceive civil servants as the most corrupt element in Lebanon, with repercussions on the upcoming elections.

Some young Lebanese voters plan to accept bribes from competing political parties, waiting until the day of the election to accept such bribes, when the prices are at their highest.  Ghassan, a 31-year old man from Beirut, said that he and his friends will certainly vote for the party that pays them the most.  “We will wait until the last two hours,” said Ghassan, “This is when our votes will be purchased as if we were in an auction…People are saying at the last hour on voting day, each vote would be worth as much as $1,000.”

Some Lebanese voters hope that this election will be different, turning to Ziad Baroud, the country’s interior minister, who has made it a personal mission to fight corruption in the Lebanese government.  Baroud will also be supported by an international monitoring team, led by former-U.S. president Jimmy Carter.  Others, including Ghassan, are more skeptical:  “This country will need at least 10 Ziad Baroud’s [sic] to fight the corruption.”  Baroud has battled such practices such as vote buying, fake identification cards, free flights for expatriates back to Lebanon, and ballot boxes that go missing.

Lebanon has struggled with corruption for at least thirty years.  During Syria’s long military occupation, the weak Lebanese government struggled to maintain autonomy and neglected enforcement of anti-corruption regulations.  During the Lebanese civil war, the sale of fake IDs and documents was rampant, as many Lebanese tried to conceal their religion and protect against being killed.  While the Lebanese press has often reported on instances of corruption in recent years, such reports rarely spark a judicial inquiry.

For more information, please see:

The Daily Star – Political Parties Seen as Most Corrupt Groups in Country – 4 June 2009

The National – Buying Votes Just a Part of the Price of Democracy – 4 June 2009

IPS – Legal Flaws Could Twist Election Result – 1 June 2009

Lebanese Transparency Association – The Civil Campaign for Electoral Reforms – 2007

Global Integrity Report – Lebanon:  Reporter’s Notebook – 2007

Afghan Civilian Casualties – A “Mistake”

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

WASHINGTON – A U.S. military investigation in Afghanistan continues to uncover mistakes in airstrikes that have exponentially added to the civilian death toll.

The 2000 pound bomb dropped in the 8 hour long strike was dropped by an Air Force B-1 bomber at night, making it even more difficult to determine whether civilians were present. A U.S. defense official who chose to remain anonymous commented that dropping a 2000 pound bomb was “overkill,” particularly since there is evidence the bomber may have briefly lost contact as well.

Another U.S. official confirmed that the civilian death toll would probably have been much lower if U.S. air crews and ground troops had followed proper rules to prevent civilian casualties. Afghan officials put the civilian death toll from air strikes in the Farah province to as high as 140 deaths. By contrast, U.S. military officials have said that 20-35 civilians have been killed among 80-95 people – the majority of whom they say were Taliban fighters.

The U.S. investigation, ordered by General Petraeus, has largely concluded that one U.S. aircraft, cleared to attack Taliban fighters, did not confirm targets before dropping deadly bombs. This leaves open the possibility of militants fleeing the targeting area, leaving just civilians in place.

The New York Times quoted a senior military official saying “in several instances where there was a legitimate threat, the choice of how to deal with that threat did not comply with the standing rules of engagement.” A second military official told Reuters that certain mistakes were linked to the choice of weapons used in the operation rather than any protocol violation. Regardless of the specific means, the reports are mostly concluding that several mistakes were made that added to the civilian death toll.

A senior military official familiar with the report cautioned that the report was not yet complete and went on to pose the ultimate question “given what was known, what was seen from the air, and given the threat, was that the right choice?”

One would be hard-pressed to answer in the affirmative when protocol is ignored and contact is lost when dropping 2000 pound bombs on a nation already ravaged by war.

For more information, please see:

AP – U.S. Broke Bombing Rules in Afghanistan June 3, 2009

Reuters – U.S. Finds Mistakes in Deadly Afghan Strikes June 3, 2009

Los Angeles Times – Some Afghanistan Airstrikes were Mistakes June 3, 2009

El Salvador and Cuba Re-establish Full Diplomatic Ties

By Nima Nayebi

Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – El Salvador and Cuba have restored full diplomatic ties on the eve of the inauguration of new leftist Salvadorian President Mauricio Funes.

El Salvador originally cut its diplomatic ties with Cuba under pressure from Washington D.C. following the Cuban Revolution 50 years ago. As his first presidential act, former President Funes, a former journalist, announced that he was restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba, making El Salvador the last Latin American country to do so.

“The government that I preside will normalize relations with all the Latin American countries; this means that we will immediately re-establish diplomatic, commercial and cultural bonds with the sister nation of Cuba,” said Funes at his inauguration. In attendance was a Cuban delegation headed by Vice-President Esteban Lazo. Also in attendance was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

According to new Salvadorian Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez, this will be one of the main foreign policy decisions of the new government. The policy aims to facilitate trade, as well as educational, cultural, and health exchanges between the Salvadorian and Cuban peoples.

Guantanamo Detainee Refused New Lawyer After Accusations of Severe Misconduct and Infighting

By Sovereign Hager
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – On June 1 the first war crimes hearing under the Obama Administration took place as Canadian born terror suspect, Omar Khadr, lost his bid to fire his lawyers. Khadr, a Canadian national and only remaining westerner in Guantanamo, was shot and arrested at the age of fifteen in Afghanistan after a firefight. Khadr has been a detainee in Guantanamo Bay for the past six years. Despite Khadr’s lawyers’ argument that he was a child soldier fighting for Al Qaeda under the influence of his father, he remains accused of five war crimes, including killing a U.S. serviceman with a grenade.
Khadr’s charges have been dropped and re-filed multiple times amid uncertainty regarding the future of the court itself. A military judge ordered Khadr to appear before him after months of infighting between his Chief Defense lawyer and other counsel. Each side accused the other of severe misconduct. Khadr sought to fire both of his Pentagon-appointed lawyers, saying “Right now I can’t trust them . . . They’ve been accusing each other and pointing fingers at each other. . . I want to erase all of them.” Khadr has stated that he will only trust his Canadian Lawyers, but the military commission will only classify them as “foreign military consultants.”

A new trial date has not been set and the Obama administration has not announced whether Khadr’s case will remain in the military tribunal system. The judge made clear that switching lawyers would not guarantee Khadr any delays.

The Canadian government has refused to make a decision on repatriation of Khadr until the U.S. decides if it will drop the charges. Justice Department Lawyer Doreen Mueller has argued that the refusal to repatriate Khadr, if held to violate his rights under the Canadian Constitution, is a justifiable infringement to protect national security. Conversely, Federal Court Justice James O’Reilly ruled that Ottawa’s refusal to seek Khadr’s return violates his constitutional right to fundamental justice under Canada’s international human rights obligations. Furthermore, O’Reilly argued that the Canadian Government was complicit in Khadr’s mistreatment when federal officials questioned him in 2004, with knowledge that he was prepared for questioning using sleep deprivation. The Canadian Government contends that “mere knowledge does not equate to participation.”

Khadr stated that “It’s not the first unfairness” he is going through and that he is “expecting more unfairness.”