Man Stoned to death in Iran

On July 5, local Iranian authorities executed Jafa Kiana near the town of Takestan, Qazvin province.  10 years ago, the Criminal Court in Takistan found Kiana, along with Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, guilty of adultery and sentenced them to death by stoning.  On June 20, a day before the pair was scheduled to be stoned, Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi Shahrudi, Iran’s top judicial official stayed the execution.  Despite the stay, local officials carried out the execution.

Now, international organizations, like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are working to protect Ebrahimi from the same fate.  In December 2002, Shahrudi ordered a ban on stoning.  Despite the ban, the practice still continues.  Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch argue that until Iran officially removes stoning as a punishment, local authorities will continue to carry out these executions.

Iran is experiencing international pressure for their position on capital punishment.  Not only is Iran facing criticism for implementing stoning as a method of execution, but they are also facing criticism for sentencing adulterers to death.  In the face of this criticism, Iran plans to execute twenty sex offenders by hanging.  Officials refuse to bow to outside pressure on the issue of capital punishment and will continue to uphold the country’s religious beliefs and legal system.

For more information please see:
Guardian :  “Iran to defy west by executing sex offenders”  11 July 2007. 

Human Rights Watch:  “Iran:  Prevent stoning of condemned mother”  11 July 2007. 

Amnesty International UK:  “Iran: Woman faces stoning for adultery”  10 July 2007. 

BBC:  “Iran ‘adulterer’ stoned to death” 10 July 2007. 

Amnesty International:  “Save Iranian woman from execution by stoning”  9 2007. 

Human Rights Watch:  “Iran:  Stop executions by stoning slated for June 21”  20 June 2007.

Yemen ceasefire becomes increasingly fragile

The ceasefire between the Yemen government and the Believing Youth has become increasingly fragile, disturbing Sa’ada residents.

The Sa’ada region has been a bloody battleground for many years.  The Yemen Government is fighting to stop the Believing Youth.  The purpose of the Believing Youth is to overthrow the government and replace it with a Zaidi imamate.  The group is opposed to Yemen’s close relationships with the United States and Israel. Beside self-preservation and overthrowing the government, the group’s purposes are unclear.

The ceasefire was enacted on June 16, 2007 to help the Sa’ada region recover from the warfare.  The purpose of the agreement was to enable the government to give the people in the region the necessary healthcare, food, and agricultural supplies for the Sa’ada people’s survival.  In exchange for the treatment of the people of Sa’ada, the rebels agreed to turn over their weapons to the Yemenite Government.

The continued instability combined with the rebels increasing reluctance to turn over their weapons to the Yemenite government has created a fragile ceasefire.  However, gunfire has been continually exchanged in the Ghamer district between the rebels and the pro-government tribesmen.  The Believing Youth have been hesitant to agree to the initial ceasefire agreement.  They have added additional conditions, as well as, demanding that the government fulfills its obligations before they hand over their weapons.  The government sees this demand as impossible and has tried to negotiate a different agreement.

Furthermore, the rebels have accused the government of launching a media campaign against them, and abducting the rebel soldiers.  These claims are possibly legitimate since the Yemenite government has shut down the competing media outlets to the official news, and has arrested the editor of the leading online newspaper which supported the Believing Youth.  With a strong hold on the media, the government has the opportunity to operate without the necessary scrutiny of the general public.

The ceasefire is necessary for the people in the war-torn region, because the agreement infuses the area with the government aid necessary to rebuild the community.  The battle has taken its toll on the people, leaving killing many civilians, destroying the region’s agriculture, and spreading diseases.  Not only have civilians been killed, but it is difficult for those who are remaining to get jobs and survive.  Recently, UNICEF reported that the children at the regional camps suffer from anemia and leg swelling.  If these problems are not addressed soon, it will give the people in the Sa’ada region a greater reason to overthrow the government, because they will not have anything left to lose. 

Yemen Times. Sa’ada residents fear renewal of clashes. 8 July 2007.
Reuters. Yemen ceasefire strained over arms handover. 12 July 2007.
IRIN. Yemen:Despite Ban on arms, activists warn of increasing violence. 8 July 2007.

Former head of China SFDA executed

China on Tuesday executed the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), Zheng Xiaoyu. The Supreme People’s Court approved the death sentence of Mr. Zheng, 62, for accepting 6.5 million yuan (approximately $850,000) in bribes to allow substandard medicine slip past regulations. He was accused of taking bribes from eight pharmaceutical companies.

Mr. Zheng’s execution follows a string of food and drug safety lapses on products made in China. This is, however, the first time China has imposed a death sentence on an official of his rank since 2000. The People’s Daily, the voice of the ruling Communist Party, said the harsh punishment was intended to deter other corrupt officials and President Hu Jintao’s attempt to promote a tough, clean government image.

Under Mr. Zheng’s tenure at the SFDA from 1997 to 2005 dozens died in China from fake or bad drugs. One antibiotic caused the deaths of at least ten people. In another case, a gallbladder medicine containing the wrong ingredients is believed to have led to the deaths of at least five people. An SFDA spokesperson, Yan Jiangying says the agency is working hard to tighten its safety procedures.

Skeptics, however, say this harsh sentence may deter corrupt officials momentarily, but Mr. Zheng’s execution cannot stop corruption because it is so widespread and the risk to officials are so low.

For more information, please see:

–http://www.ft.com/cms/s/86ea503c-2eb4-11dc-b9b7-0000779fd2ac.html

–http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118412346727663053.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

–http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-China-Tainted-Products.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

–http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSP32731420070711

Darfur Violence Threatens Relief Workers

By Impunity Watch Africa

Escalating violence in Darfur has caused 160,000 people to be forced out of their homes and 4.2 million to aid relief since January.  Attacks against relief works have increased 150 percent in the past year according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  In June, one out of every six convoys leaving capitals in Darfur were attacked or ambushed by “armed groups,” generally bandits or anti-government rebels.  OCHA states that since January, 64 vehicles have been hijacked and 132 staff temporarily detained.

“This kind of lawlessness by armed groups of different political affiliations has forced relief organizations to suspend programming and relocate out of dangerous environments on 15 occasions, temporarily depriving over 1 million beneficiaries of life-saving assistance,” OCHA said.

U.N. and African envoys have set a August deadline to start peace negotiations and have called an international meeting in Libya July 15-16 to hopefully move the process along.  Invitations have been sent to Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, the Arab League, the US, and UN Security Council’s other four permanent members, as well as key donors.  The hope is to begin negotiations towards ending this 4-year conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million.

Sudan has previously agreed to a UN-African Union hybrid peacekeeping force of 20,000 troops and police.  However, this force is not expected to be in place until next year, when it will help the current 7,000 member AU force.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Darfur Actors to Discuss Road Map for Peace – 11 July 2007

AllAfrica – Attacks On Aid Workers in Darfur Threatening Relief Efforts, Warns UN Official – 10 July 2007

Relief Web – The Humanitarian Community in Darfur Under Increasing Pressure – 10 July 2007

Reuters – Violence overwhelms relief workers in Darfur – 10 July 2007

Yahoo – Darfur Conference Called for Mid-July – 05 July 2007

Indonesia sues Suharto, former dictator

Indonesia sued Suharto, the former dictator, for $1.54 billion. Suharto fell from power nine years ago.

The Indonesian government has claimed that Suharto and his foundation stole $441 million from state institutions between 1978 and 1998. The government also seeks $1.1 billion in damages. Suharto has avoided criminal corruption charges by claiming bad health.  He is 86.

Transparency International has estimated that Suharto and his family amassed up to $35 billion between his ascent to power in 1966 and the end of his rule in 1998. Suharto pressed state banks, other government institutions, and Indonesian businesses to give part of profits to his foundations. Suharto claimed that he collected the money to give scholarships to poor children. Instead, prosecutors accuse him of diverting the money to his other family foundations and companies.

Mr Suharto’s youngest son, Tommy, and half-brother Probosutedjo are the only family members convicted of corruption.

Tommy (Hutomo Mandala Putra) served five years for ordering the murder of a Supreme Court judge who convicted him of corruption in a land scam. The government seeks to seize $48 million of his frozen assets.

Probosutedjo is serving four years in prison for stealing $11 million from a government reforestation fund.

For more information, please see:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/297a8c78-2df1-11dc-821c-0000779fd2ac,_i_email=y.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/09/suharto.sued.ap/index.html

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/09/asia/AS-GEN-Indonesia-Suharto-Lawsuit.php

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/17ADABE2-EFDB-4F91-BB7F-79431210A9A3.htm