Reveal the Brutality of Prison Camp in North Korea

1. Do not attempt to escape. The punishment is death.

2. Never gather in groups of over three people or move around without the guard’s authorization. The punishment for unauthorized movement is death.

3. Do not steal. If one steals or possesses weapons, the punishment is death. The punishment for failure to report the theft or possession of weapons is death.

4. Obey your guards. If one rebels or hits a guard, the punishment is death.

5. If you see outsiders, or suspicious-looking people, report them immediately. The punishment for abetting in the hiding of outsiders is death.

6. Keep an eye on your fellow prisoners and report inappropriate behavior without delay. One should criticize others for inappropriate behavior, and also conduct thorough self-criticism in revolutionary ideology class.

7. Fulfill your assigned duties. The punishment for rebelling against one’s duties is death.

8. Men and women may not be together outside the workplace. The punishment for unauthorized physical contact between a man and a woman is death.

9. Admit and confess your wrongdoings. The punishment for disobedience and refusal to repent is death.

10. The punishment for violating camp laws and rules is death.

Fiji Government Seeks Jail Sentences for Newspaper Editors, Claims There is No Plan to Curtail Media Freedom

By Sarah E. Treptow
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

SUVA, Fiji – Fiji’s interim government is seeking jail sentences for another newspaper editor and publisher over contempt of court charges.  The interim Attorney General is in the midst of a contempt proceeding against the Fiji Times editor and publisher because they published a letter to the editor which criticized the High Court ruling that declared the 2006 coup legal.  A second newspaper, the Fiji Daily Post, will make its first appearance in court tomorrow.  The Attorney General has said he is seeking a jail sentence against its editor, Robert Wolfgramm, and Australian-based publisher, Allan Hickling.

Deputy Information Secretary, Major Neumi Leweni, was one of the speakers at the 10th Attorney Generals Conference near Sigatoka where he confirmed that the interim Government has no plan to curtail media freedom even though they are working on media promulgation.  Major Leweni said the interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama has assured Fiji during the World Press Freedom Day that media freedom in the nation is guaranteed under the Constitution.

Major Leweni said, “Government recognizes that the media has a significant part to play in conveying information for the purposes of informing, educating and entertaining the public, and that information ranges from the more serious issues of politics, economic, social and cultural interests to the lesser serious matters of entertainment and sports, etc, depending on one’s perception.”

Major Leweni also said the Government recognizes that it needs to foster and cultivate an improved relationship with the media as partners in national development.

For more information, please see:

Fiji Government – Major Leweni – Address at the 10th Attorney-General’s Conference – 1 December 2008

Fijilive – We Will Not Curtail Media Freedom: Govt – 30 November 2008

Fijilive – Army work not appreciated: Major Leweni – 29 November 2008

Pacific Islands Report – Fiji Military Government Takes Aim at Editors – 28 November 2008

Iraq-Iran Exchange War Dead

By Lauren Mellinger
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, TEHRAN – On December 1, Iraq and Iran exchanged the remains of soldiers killed during the Iraq-Iran War, marking the latest sign of increased diplomatic relations and cooperation between the two governments, since the fall of Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq in 2003.

The bodies of more than 250 soldiers, 200 of whom were Iraq, were exchanged at the Shalamjah border crossing near the city of Basra.  This latest exchange of fallen soldiers marks the first time that remains were exchanged between the two countries since 2003.

This weeks repatriation of soldiers between the two countries follows the signing of a framework Memorandum of Understanding between the Iranian and Iraq governments, in Geneva in October 2008.  This agreement established a framework for the gathering and sharing of information on the fate of missing soldiers, and the handing over of remains.  This marked the first time the two governments reached a direct agreement without the aid of an intermediary.  Previous discussions regarding the exchange of soldiers’ remains were conducted through the International Committee for the Red Cross.

For families on both sides of the border, this exchange was an emotional moment, as many have been waiting form more than twenty years to be reunited with the remains of their family members, and lay them to rest.  According to Jamila Hammami, a delegate of the ICRC in charge of missing persons for Iraq, “The return of the bodies is important for the families of the dead and an essential element in the process of dealing with the past.”  More than 1 million people from both countries were either killed or went missing during the eight year conflict.

While this marks the first ever direct agreement between the two countries to secure the release of their dead soldiers, the ICRC estimates that tens of thousands of soldiers and prisoners of war from both countries still missing.  The ICRC, along with other human rights organizations, hope that this exchange of soldiers will serve as the beginning of future exchanges between the two countries.  According to Iranian Consul Spokesman Mohammed Baghban, “We want to pursue this long unresolved humanitarian case until it is totally closed.”

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera –Iraq, Iran Swap Troop Remains  – 1 December 2008

AP –Iraq-Iran Swap Remains of 1980 – 1988 War Dead  – 1 December 2008

BBC – Iraq-Iran War Dead Are Exchanged – 1 December 2008

ICRC – Iraq-Iran: Repatriation of Remains of Soldiers Killed During the 1980 – 1988 War – 1 December 2008

Papuan Refugees Return to Indonesia Amid Accusations of Propaganda

By Hayley J. Campbell
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Two West Papuan refugees were discovered in Jakarta today after they went missing from their home in Australia two weeks ago. Supporters of the Papuan separatist movement have raised concerns over whether the Indonesian government coerced the refugees’ return for “propaganda purposes.”

In 2006, Yunus Wanggai, age 43, and his daughter Anike, age 7 made the dangerous sail from Merauke, Indonesia to Cape York, Australia. Mr. Wanggai and his daughter were among several separatists who claim they were victims of persecution by the Indonesian government. The Australian government granted Mr. Wanggai and his daughter refugee status, and before returning to Indonesia, they were on the path to receiving permanent Australian residency.

Mr. Wanggai’s wife, Siti, did not go to Australia but instead fled to Papua New Guinea before continuing to Vanuatu. Ms. Wanggai is awaiting Australia’s decision whether to grant her refugee status, but in the meantime, must remain in Papua with a sick older daughter. Mr. Wanggai decided to return to Indonesia because his wife had to stay behind.

“I miss my family. I want to be together with my family again,” Mr. Wanggai said today after arriving in Indonesia.

Political instability and public protests have long marked Papua’s history. Once a Dutch colony on New Guinea’s western end, Papua became Indonesia’s largest province in 1969. Violence erupted in 2003 after President Megawati Sukarnoputri separated Papua into three provinces: Central Irian Jaya (Irian Jaya Tengah), Papua (or East Irian Jaya, Irian Jaya Timur), and West Irian Jaya (Irian Jaya Barat). But the establishment of the central province was declared unconstitutional by Indonesian courts as a violation of Papua’s Special Autonomy status.

The separation has divided Papuans who protest the Indonesian military for allegedly violating human rights. Many Papuans complain that the money earned from Papua’s natural resources mostly ends up profiting Jakarta. As a result, many Papuans have been campaigning peacefully for independence from Indonesia.

After a two week disappearance, members of Australia’s West Papuan independence movement are concerned that the Indonesian government coerced Mr. Wanggai to return to Indonesia for “propaganda purposes.” The Indonesian government denies all claims, however, that any sort of intelligence operation was conducted.

Nick Chesterfield, a Melbourne-based Papuan activist said, “We still have concerns about the manner which they were repatriated, the secrecy surrounding it, and that there was pressure brought to brought to bear on them.”

For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International – Concern over two Papuan refugees missing in Australia – 28 November 2008

ABC News – Indonesia denies intelligence operation in Aust – 29 November 2008

Sydney Morning Herald – Papuan asylum seekers return to Indonesia – 30 November 2008

The Age, Australia – Indonesian refugees return to their homeland – 30 November 2008

Update: UN Mission to Fiji Completed

By Sarah E. Treptow
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

SUVA, Fiji– The United Nations sent a three-person mission to Fiji from November 23 to November 28.  The members were led by Tamrat Samuel from the Department of Political Affairs and included Professor Yash Ghai, a senior expert adviser, and Tamara Murer, from the Department of Political Affairs.

The purpose of the mission was to explore ways the UN can support a political dialogue with Fiji in its efforts to restore democratic order to Fiji after the 2006 coup.  The mission held discussions with interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, other Interim Government officials, political party leaders, civil society leaders and academics, as well as diplomatic representatives in Suva.  Discussions were also held with the Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum and with the visiting mission of the Commonwealth.

This mission has reiterated the UN’s desire to see a speedy return to parliamentary democracy in Fiji through an early election.  This follows Bainimarama’s announcement at the General Assembly in September that he did not believe Fiji will be able to hold parliamentary elections by next March, as previously scheduled.

The mission found an earnest desire among Fijian interlocuters for a return to an elected government.  They also found a willingness to discuss the electoral system and was encouraged by the strong desire to find a political solution to these problems through dialogue and consensus.

For more information, please see:

Pacific Magazine – Three-Person UN Team Completes Fiji Mission – 28 November 2008

Scoop World – Ban Dispatches UN Team To Fiji – 25 November 2008