Extrajudicial Killings Decrease, Prosecutions Remain Nonexistent in the Philippines

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MANILA, Philippines – According to a report released by the Interior Department, the number of extrajudicial killings of activists and journalists has decreased by eighty-three percent from the previous year. The Philippine National Police recorded seven killings in 2007, compared with forty-one in 2006. The Interior Department stressed that the sharp decrease “underlines the Arroyo government’s strong commitment to human rights and its firm resolve to put an end to these unexplained killings.”

The killings have been suspected to the work of the Arroyo administration in order to silence critics and leftists. The Human Right Watch has described the extrajudicial killings as a “dirty war” against leftists and journalists.

Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, said the Filipino authorities “are much more interested in discussing numbers, but we really have not seen one of the most important developments we’re waiting for, and that’s the prosecution of senior members of the military.”   Richardson added that the lack of prosecution demonstrates that the “culture of impunity” has not changed at all.

The culture of impunity is quite apparent in Bicol, Philippines. In Bicol, there have been 157 cases of extrajudicial killings since 2001, and none have been solved. Sonia Sta. Rosa, widow of murdered activist pastor Isaias Sta. Rosa, said, “I cannot trust government agencies to pursue justice for us. Of course, they will not cook themselves in their own oil. We do not know who to turn to now.” Sta. Rosa’s case was one of two that made it to the court system, but it was junked anew by the Albay Prosecutor’s Office.

Victim’s families have other recourses for their cases with the United Nations Tribunal and Joint Monitoring Committee of the government and the communist-led National Democratic front. However, the other venues have been criticized for giving “orchestrated and planned results.”

The Philippine government has charged persons in twenty-two cases thus far. Most of those accused are former members of the Communist New People’s Army, while only one soldier was charged. The Philippine government has contended the Communists were behind the murders. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Philip Alston, had earlier stated the claim is “unconvincing.”

Several human right groups like Karapatan, Promotion of Church People’s Response, and Hustisya-Bikol have sponsored the first series of meetings to be held across the country to unite victim’s families and basic sectors in order to achieve justice.

For more information, please see:

Inquirer – Extrajudicial Killings Victims’ Kin Losing Hope – 14 January 2008

International Herald Tribune – Killing Activists and Journalists Drops in Philippines – 14 January 2008

The New York Times – Philippines: Decline in Killings – 15 January 2008

Georgian Presidential Opposition Candidate Rejects Compromise

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

A crowd of 30,000 protesters gathered to show their disapproval of the results of the presidential election.  The main opposition candidate, Levan Gachechiladze, reaffirmed his commitment to them to fight for their democracy.  “We will not compromise.  We will not take a single step back. We will not let them falsify the election.” (AP)

Last week, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was reelected president.  However, his main opponent Gachechiladze contends that votes were not tallied correctly, because he contends that Saakashvili should not have received more than 50% of the vote.  The Georgian election law usually allows for two rounds of presidential election.  This allowance was created to account for the multiple numbers of candidates who run for the presidency, which this year was nine candidates running for president.  Typically, the top two vote getters will move on to a final round of voting, which would have really helped Gachechiladze since the seven candidates that were eliminated probably would have supported Gachechiladze.  However, in this election Saakashvili received a majority vote (53.5%) and so it was not necessary to hold a second round vote.

The outright election of Saakashvili caused opponents such as Gachechiladze to assert that the votes were miscounted. Therefore, he began discussions with the acting president of Georgia, Nino Burjanadze.  Burjanadze was made president by Saakashvili to enable Saakashvili to be able to run for another term in office.  However, Gachechiladze has promised that he will continue to fight for the democracy of his country without compromise as he talks with the president.

Gachechiladze has rejected the idea that he would take a government post as a payment to stop protesting the legitimacy of the election.  “Making deals on government positions is not going to happen. I am one of those who do not recognize [Saakashvili as President],” he said.  (Civil Online Magazine)

The resolution of this election and the preservation of the democratic process is essential in Georgia as it tries to deepen its ties with the European Union and the West. If the election is not resolved quickly it could lead to a possible bitter rivalry between the opposing parties.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Georgia Opposition Holds Protest Rally- 15 January 2008

Civil Online Magazine- Gachechiladze on ‘Speaking’ with Authorities- 16 January 2008

Reuters- Georgia opposition vows court move to win recount- 15 January 2008

Bomb targets US Embassy Vehicle in Beirut; Three Killed

BEIRUT, Lebanon – On January 15, a bomb explosion in northern Beirut killed three, two Lebanese and one Syrian, and injured over 20.  However, the US State Department reports that four people died as a result of the attack.  According to Lebanese security forces, the bomb was placed either behind dumpsters next to a main road or packed into a stolen car on the road.  It is thought that the target of the bombing was an US embassy vehicle that was passing the bomb as it exploded.  While armored, the vehicle did not have any embassy markings and had Lebanese license plates.

The explosion occurred after the US embassy vehicle had passed and the car following it, carrying the two Lebanese nationals, was hit.  The Syrian national was riding a scooter close by.  The driver of the US embassy vehicle sustained non-life threatening injuries and the sole passenger, a non-American, sustained no injuries.  Lebanese security forces state that the unmarked car was scouting the road in security preparations for a ceremony for the outgoing US ambassador.  One American was injured in the attack; however, he is not affiliated with the US embassy.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack stated that preliminary evidence indicated that the car was the target.  According to McCormack, evidence supporting this conclusion includes the type of car (an SUV), the location – a road frequently used by American diplomats – and the lack of other potential targets in the area.  This is the first attack directed against US personnel in Lebanon since the end of the Lebanese civil war.  In the 1980s, US military barracks and the embassy were targets of attacks.  However, no individual or organization has claimed responsibility for the attack so the intended target remains unstated.

Following the explosion, Lebanese police and US embassy security personnel cordoned the area to begin investigations.  McCormack stated that a joint diplomatic and security team, including the FBI, will investigate the attack.

Lebanese and US officials have condemned the attack.  US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the US was outraged “against the terrorist attack” and that “the United States will, of course, not be deterred in its efforts to help the Lebanese people, to help the democratic forces in Lebanon, to help Lebanon resist force and interference in their affairs.”

Lebanese officials condemned the attack as an attack against Lebanese security and stability.  Hezbollah also condemned the attack since it was on Lebanese territory and killed innocent people.

This follows a January 8 explosion injuring several UN peacekeeping personnel south of Beirut.

For more information, please see:
Associated Press – US Embassy Vehicle Hit by Car Bomb – 16 January 2008

Daily Star – Three Killed by Bomb Meant for US Embassy Vehicle – 16 January 2008

Middle East Times – Lebanon US-Targeted Blast Raises Stakes – 16 January 2008

New York Times – Bomb Targets US Car in Beirut – 16 January 2008

Reuters – US Car in Beirut Seems to Have Been Target – 16 January 2008

Telegraph – Beirut Attack on US Embassy Car Kills Three – 16 January 2008

BBC – Four Killed in Beirut Explosion – 15 January 2008

BBC – Bomb Strikes UN Patrol in Lebanon – 8 January 2008

UN Urges Thailand to Release 149 Hmong

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BANGKOK, Thailand – The United Nation’s refugee agency urged Thailand to release 149 ethnic Hmong from Laos. The Hmong have been detained for more than 400 hundred days even though several countries have offered to take them in. They were rounded up in Bangkok in November 2006 for deportation.

The refugees fled persecution in Laos. Many Hmong sided with the pro-U.S. Laotian government in the 1960’s and 1970’s before the communist takeover of Laos in 1975. After the communist takeover in 1975, almost 300,000 Hmong fled to Thailand. Most resettled in third countries, and several thousand were voluntarily repatriated in Laos. UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokeswoman Erika Feller said, “They have been recognized as in need of international protection, and they should be allowed to take up the offer already made to them to leave Thailand and start to live productive lives and have a future in other countries.”

Thailand, however, recognizes the 149 refugees as migrants and contends they violated Thai law by entering the country illegally. Nearly 300 others were deported in 2006. The 149 refugees presently detained were on the brink of being repatriated to Laos on January 1, 2007 until international pressure halted the move.

The refugees underwent a hunger strike last August. They declare that they would rather die than return to Laos.

The refugees include 90 children. Five children have been born while in detention. The UN’s refugee agency is concerned about the conditions the Laotians live in and the education of the children. Spokeswoman Erika Feller said, “We are particularly concerned that 90 children, including five born in detention, are being held in these sub-standard conditions. They should not be locked up and should be getting a proper education.” Thai authorities have only recently allowed the refugees out of their cells for three hours a day.

For more information, please see:

Radio Free Asia – UN Urges Thailand to Free Lao Hmong – 15 January 2008

Reuters – UNHCR Urges Thailand to Release Hmong Refugees – 15 January 2008

UN News Centre – UN Agency Urges Release of Laotians Held in Thailand for More than a Year – 14 January 2008

Deteriorating Situation in Sudan

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

KHARTOUM, Sudan – South Africa is leading the voice of concern over the deteriorating situation in Sudan.  Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad commented on a UN report citing a “dramatic deterioration” in the security situation in Darfur and that the joint UN-AU peacekeeping force is seriously behind schedule. 

Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno has already appealed to the Security Council for help in speeding up the delivery of units and equipment and to promote the political process to ensure full deployment of the desperately needed peacekeepers. 

Mr. Pahad expressed concern over Guehenno’s statements, and said that “it is clear the situation is deteriorating not just beyond the borders but also in the Darfur region.”  He also voiced concern over the recent attack by the Sudanese Army on a UN-AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) convoy of more than 20 vehicles.  The convoy had been carrying rations for UNAMID personnel when it came under fire.  The convoy did not return fire. 

The Sudanese government has confirmed its commitment to ensuring the security and safety of UNAMID personnel and to the full implementation of the UN resolution approving the force. 

Recently, the rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), has accused the Sudanese government of bombing rebel positions in West Darfur.  According to Jem, there have been several civilian casualties as people flee the villages.   International sources confirmed with Reuters that government planes had been seen in action on Sunday, however there has been no confirmation from the government regarding the attacks.

Meanwhile, the situation is being further complicated by hostilities involving Chadian elements. There are numerous media reports that the Chadian government may have engaged Chadian rebels in Sudanese territory on a number of occasions.   Further reports state that the Chadian Air Force may have bombed some locations south of Darfur. 

Over 200,000 people have died during Sudan’s 5-year conflict and more than 2 million have been displaced from their homes. 

For more information, please see:

AllAfrica.com – Rebel Positions Bombed in West Darfur – 16 January 2008

AllAfrica.com – SA Concerned Over Deteriorating Sudan Situation – 16 January 2008

VOA News – Darfur Rebels Say Sudan Military Bombed Two Villages – 15 January 2008

BBC News – Sudan ‘bombing rebels in Darfur’ – 15 January 2008