BRIEF: Annan Urges Kenya for Patience

NAIROBI, Kenya – Talks and hopes resumed today for the third week of negotiations to end the chaos and violence in Kenya. Raila Odinga’s comment during the funeral of slain legislator David Kimutai Too on Saturday, to remain steadfast on the issue of President Kibaki’s resignation, renewed fears that an agreement would not be reached and the violence would continue.

However, today former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and mediators remained positive that mediation would resume and a deal could be met within two to three days. Annan has invited both sides to meet privately outside Nairobi and to refrain from discussing negotiation issues with anyone.   

The possible solutions that have circulated are: 1) a power-sharing government with Odinga becoming Prime Minister or 2) a joint presidential term of five years in which Kibaki rules the first half of the term with Odinga completing it.

Along with political talks, issues such as the humanitarian crisis stemming from the post election violence will also be discussed. A UN envoy led by Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes visited several hot-zones in Kenya for three days. An estimated 600,000 have been displaced by the violence and about 300,000 were in make-shift camps. The UN has appealed for $42 million (£21.6 million) from the international donor community.

For more information please see:

AllAfrica.com – Hopes for a Breakthrough in the Post-Election Crisis – 11 February 2007

Reuters: Africa- Annan Hopes for Kenya Talks Result in 2-3 Days – 11 February 2007

BBC- Some 600,000 Displaced in Kenya – 11 February 2008

BRIEF: Annan Urges Kenya for Patience

NAIROBI, Kenya – Talks and hopes resumed today for the third week of negotiations to end the chaos and violence in Kenya. Raila Odinga’s comment during the funeral of slain legislator David Kimutai Too on Saturday, to remain steadfast on the issue of President Kibaki’s resignation, renewed fears that an agreement would not be reached and the violence would continue.

However, today former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and mediators remained positive that mediation would resume and a deal could be met within two to three days. Annan has invited both sides to meet privately outside Nairobi and to refrain from discussing negotiation issues with anyone.   

The possible solutions that have circulated are: 1) a power-sharing government with Odinga becoming Prime Minister or 2) a joint presidential term of five years in which Kibaki rules the first half of the term with Odinga completing it.

Along with political talks, issues such as the humanitarian crisis stemming from the post election violence will also be discussed. A UN envoy led by Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes visited several hot-zones in Kenya for three days. An estimated 600,000 have been displaced by the violence and about 300,000 were in make-shift camps. The UN has appealed for $42 million (£21.6 million) from the international donor community.

For more information please see:

AllAfrica.com – Hopes for a Breakthrough in the Post-Election Crisis – 11 February 2007

Reuters: Africa- Annan Hopes for Kenya Talks Result in 2-3 Days – 11 February 2007

BBC- Some 600,000 Displaced in Kenya – 11 February 2008

BRIEF: Annan Urges Kenya for Patience

NAIROBI, Kenya – Talks and hopes resumed today for the third week of negotiations to end the chaos and violence in Kenya. Raila Odinga’s comment during the funeral of slain legislator David Kimutai Too on Saturday, to remain steadfast on the issue of President Kibaki’s resignation, renewed fears that an agreement would not be reached and the violence would continue.

However, today former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and mediators remained positive that mediation would resume and a deal could be met within two to three days. Annan has invited both sides to meet privately outside Nairobi and to refrain from discussing negotiation issues with anyone.   

The possible solutions that have circulated are: 1) a power-sharing government with Odinga becoming Prime Minister or 2) a joint presidential term of five years in which Kibaki rules the first half of the term with Odinga completing it.

Along with political talks, issues such as the humanitarian crisis stemming from the post election violence will also be discussed. A UN envoy led by Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes visited several hot-zones in Kenya for three days. An estimated 600,000 have been displaced by the violence and about 300,000 were in make-shift camps. The UN has appealed for $42 million (£21.6 million) from the international donor community.

For more information please see:

AllAfrica.com – Hopes for a Breakthrough in the Post-Election Crisis – 11 February 2007

Reuters: Africa- Annan Hopes for Kenya Talks Result in 2-3 Days – 11 February 2007

BBC- Some 600,000 Displaced in Kenya – 11 February 2008

US Denounces Proposed Myanmar Referendum

By Juliana Chan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s military government announced on Saturday they would hold a referendum on a new constitution in May and general elections in 2010.

The United States and pro-democracy activists in Myanmar have denounced the regime’s plans for “its lack of seriousness about an open and fair process for the restoration of democracy.”

Dana Perino, White House spokeswoman, said the problem was not the setting of the date for elections, but  with the regime’s non-transparent and exclusive processes. “The drafting process for the constitution does not incorporate the views of opposition parties or all ethnic groups, nor does this timeframe allow for adequate debate on the pros and cons of the proposed constitution.”

Sean McCormack, State Department spokesman, said the proposed constitution was a “sham referendum [drafted] in a closed process by a hand-picked committee dominated by senior regime officials.” The proposal includes non-democratic features, including a ban on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyifrom running for office because she married a foreigner. “No referendum held under these conditions […] can be free, fair, or credible,” Mr. McCormack added.

Saturday’s announcement is widely seen as an attempt to deflect international pressure after last September’s suppression of pro-democracy protesters that killed at least 31 people. The junta has also failed to meet pledges it made to begin talks on political changes.

If elections are held, however, it would be the first since 1990, when Ms. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won a landslide victory that the junta ignored.

For more information, please see:

AFP – Activists reject Myanmar charter, fear violence during vote 11 February 2008

Bloomberg – Myanmar Elections Plan ‘Not Satisfactory’ to U.S. – 11 February 2008

Reuters – U.S. assails Myanmar election pledge; U.N. cautious – 12 February 2008

AP – Myanmar Activists Denounce Planned Polls – 11 February 2008

Iran to Execute Two Sisters by Stoning

y Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TEHRAN, Iran – Two sisters are facing execution by stoning for adultery in Iran. On Thursday, Amnesty International called on the authorities to commute the sentences immediately, while both the EU and the US have already expressed their disapproval of Iran’s apparent human rights violation.

Iranian police arrested the two sisters, Zohreh and Azar Kabiri-niat, in February 2007 after Zohreh’s husband filed a complaint against her, her sisters, Azar’s husband, and another man. Zohreh’s husband claimed that they had ‘illicit relations’ and submitted as evidence video footage from a camera he had secretly installed in his house.

In March 2007, An Iranian court sentenced the five to flogging for “having illicit relations.” Zohreh also received five years’ imprisonment for forming ‘a center of corruption.’ But after the sentence was carried out, fresh charges of “committing adultery while being married” were brought against Zohreh and Azar mere three months later. A court found both sisters guilty and they were sentenced to death by stoning.

A new lawyer representing the sisters believes the trial was unfair. “The case has fundamental problems, since a person can not be tried twice for the same crime. Yet these two sisters have been tried twice in the same case, and two sentences have been issued for them,” he said. Furthermore, the prosecution was unable to satisfy the circumstances that are required to prove adultery under the Iranian law – confession by the accused on four different occasions that can be corroborated by the testimony of four eyewitnesses to the alleged crime.

As local and international clamor to halt execution by stoning became louder, both the EU and the US have expressed their concerns on Iran’s current human rights record. The EU was particularly “dismayed” that Iran is again carrying out execution by stoning despite the moratorium ordered by the Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Shahroudi in December 2002. The US was also concerned that Iran has already executed at least 36 people since January of this year.

Iran regime’s ambassador, however, criticized the reports on abysmal record of human rights violations in Iran and called on the rights groups to respect such inhuman punishments as “local traditions.” “Our laws establish that we amputate a hand of those who steal. It is not accepted in the West, but local customs must be respected,” he said.

For more information, please see:

NCRI – Iran regime’s ambassador defends amputation and hanging – 9 February 2008

The Times of India – US concerned at upsurge of executions in Iran – 7 February 2008

M & C News – EU “dismayed” by human rights violation in Iran – 7 February 2008

Amnesty International – Two sisters face execution by stoning – 7 February 2008

Human Rights Watch – Judiciary must prevent imminent execution by stoning – 6 February 2008