Torrential Floods in Peru Affecting Thousands

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

LIMA, PERU—The El Niño phenomena is battering the Andean country of Peru with extreme weather. Due to the torrential downpours and flooding, ninety-four people are dead and an estimated seven-hundred-thousand people are homeless in 12 of the 25 regions of Peru.

Citizens in Peru deal with the aftermath of the the floods. (Photo Courtesy of NBC News)

The rain has severally damaged the northwestern coastal region of Peru. Additionally, the weather event has been considered the worst natural disaster to hit the nation in twenty years. Meteorologists believe there is little hope of relief from the extreme weather which is predicted to last for many weeks to come. The weather system hitting Peru is very unusual.

The widespread damage to infrastructures such as roads and highways has hampered relief efforts. For example, in Catacaos, Peru the flood waters have reached up to six-feet high killing four and isolating the town. Relief efforts have struggled to reach the area. Only five-hundred people have been evacuated while many continue to wait to be rescued. Furthermore, in the capital of Lima, many residents have gone six days without drinking water. General Jorge Chavez of the National Center for Emergency Operations stated, “We know this is an extreme situation, but we are pleading for calm. Please be confident that all will be taken care of.” Many citizens believe the response by the government has been too slow. The Peruvian government has sent its army to assist in the rescue efforts.

Additionally, crops have been destroyed with some regions losing up to fifteen-thousand acres of crops. It is believed that the cost to Peru’s economy in lost productivity is an estimated $3.1 billion. The Minister of Transportation, Martin Vizcarra, released an estimated price tag of at least $1 billion in order to fix the infrastructures.

Currently, international aid has arrived to Peru including $525,000 from the United States and $1.5 million in relief from China. Peru has asked the United States to donate more to relief efforts.

For more information, please see:

NBC News—Devastating Floods in Peru Displace Tens of Thousands—29 March 2017.

VOA—Peru Asks US for More aid to Confront Intense Rains, Floods—29 March 2017.

BBC—Peru Floods: Four Killed as Piura Bursts its Banks—28 March 2017.

Los Angeles Times—Peru’s Brutal Season of Floods Leaves 94 dead, 700,000 homeless—28 March 2017.

Hundreds Arrested, Beaten Amidst Protests in Belarus

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

MINSK, Belarus — According to a Belarusian human rights group, over 400 people were arrested, and many were beaten, in Belarus on March 25 amidst protests against a tax on under-employed citizens.  The law, known as the “anti-parasite” law, demands a $250 tax on anyone who works less than six months each year who does not register with the state labor exchange.  Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko insists that the tax will not be eliminated and believes it disciplines those who are “workshy.”  Lukashenko has, however, suspended the tax for the year.  Opponents to the new law believe it punishes those who cannot find work.

An opposition activist who was detained at a protest is escorted by a police officer upon his arrival for a court hearing in Minsk on Monday, March 27, 2017. (Photo Courtesy of the Washington Post)

About 700 people marched on Saturday in a demonstration along Minsk’s main street, however were blocked by police holding shields and clubs.  According to demonstrator Alexander Ponomarev, the police were “beating the participants, dragging women by the hair to buses.”  More arrests took place on Sunday when other demonstrators demanded to know the whereabouts of those arrested the previous day.

Prior to the weekend, over 100 opposition supporters were sentenced to jail terms of up to 15 days.  Police raided human rights group Vesna’s office and detained more than 50 people.  20 journalists were among those arrested according to the Belarusian Journalists’ Association.  BBC Belarus correspondent Sergei Kozlovsky told reporters that “[the police] grabbed everybody indiscriminately, both young and old” and that they were “treated very harshly.” Known opposition supported Vladimir Neklayev was allegedly removed from a train by police as he was traveling to Minsk overnight.

About 150 of those arrested were sentenced to jail terms of up to 25 days.  Opponents of Lukashenko ran the protests in Minsk and in other cities across Belarus.  Vladimir Lobkovich, of Vesna, called the jail sentences a “judicial conveyor.”

Demonstrators shouted slogans such as “Shame!” and Basta! (Enough!)” and displayed the opposition’s red and white flag.  “Petrol bombs and “arms-laden cars” were found near the protest in Minsk according to the foreign ministry.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Dzmitryy Mironchyk called the actions of the police “completely appropriate.”  Mironchyk said that because the rallies were unauthorized, “specific consequences” would have been justified “in any country of the world.”  He further commented that no tear gas or water cannons were used by the police.

 

For more information, please see:

U.S. News & World Report — Rights Group: More than 1,000 Arrested in Belarus Protests — 27 March 2017

The Washington Post — Rights Group: More than 1,000 Arrested in Belarus Protests — 27 March 2017

BBC — Belarus Protests: Government Defends Mass Arrests — 26 March 2017

Hawaii News Now — Belarus Police Arrest over 400 Protesters; Many are Beaten — 25 March 2017

 

Singapore Couple Receives Short Jail Sentence for Starving Housekeeper

By: Nicole Hoerold
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PULAU UJONG, Singapore – A Singapore couple was sentenced this week for starving their Filipino house maid. The case sheds important light on an issue that is, according to human rights organizations, fairly common.

Chong Sui Foon & Lim Choon Hong, charged for starving their Filipino domestic worker, arrive at the State Courts in Singapore. Photo courtesy of Reuters.

Thelma Oyasan Gawidan, age 40, weighed only 65 pounds in April 2014, after having been given too little to eat for about 15 months. Gawidan was given two to three slices of plain white bread and packets of instant noodles by the couple who employed her. The diet lacked any source of critical vitamins and proteins, leaving the worker frail and with major health risks. She also had to ask for permission before drinking water, upon which she was only ever given tap water.

The husband, Lim Choon Hong, received a jail sentence of only three weeks and a $7,200 fine while his wife received a sentence of three months with no fine. The presiding judge told the couple that the court accepted that they did not intentionally starve the housekeeper.

The head of the research team for human rights group Transient Workers Count Too, told Reueters that cases of domestic aids being given inadequate amounts of food “happen with alarming regularity.”  Singapore’s courts are seeing rising numbers of lawsuits regarding domestic aid abuses.

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MoM) has since permanently denied the couple the ability to employ foreign workers. The Ministry released a statement stating that it has a zero tolerance policy for abuse and mistreatment of workers. Ministry rules state that employers must provide adequate and acceptable accommodations, food, and medical treatment to their employees. Despite these ideals, human rights organizations warn that there is still a lot of progress to be made in protecting such worker’s rights.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Singapore couple jailed for starving Philippine maid – 27 March, 2017

Reuters – Singapore jails couple for starving Filipino domestic helper – 27 March, 2017

The Straits Times – Jail and fine for couple who starved maid, causing her to lose 20kg – 27 March, 2017

Gulf News – Singapore jails couple for starving Filipino domestic helper – 27 March, 2017 

Attack on Refugee Boat in Yemen Characterized as a War Crime

by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen — Human Rights Watch released a statement on Sunday, March 26th, in which it indicated that an attack on a boat carrying Somali civilians allegedly carried out by the Saudi-led coalition amounts to a war crime.

Human Rights Watch called the attack on the refugee boat a “war crime” (Photo courtesy of CNN)

Witnesses reported that on March 16th, an Apache helicopter, and potentially a military naval vessel, opened fire on the boat at approximately 9 p.m. A female Somali refugee who was wounded in the incident reported seeing a helicopter above the boat, followed by an attack that happened “abruptly”. She stated that the helicopter “kept firing at [them]” and anyone on the boat who spoke Arabic started screaming “we are Somalis!” The head of the fishing port at which the boat docked after the attack stated that they had to put the bodies in the area reserved for “stor[ing] the fish” because they could not “find a place to put the bodies[.]” Photographs of the attack showed “damage consistent with gunfire from an aerial attack” and depicted “a boat strewn with bodies[.]”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (“UNHCR”) stated that the attack killed a minimum of forty-two individuals, including women and children, at least thirty-two of which were Somali refugees. Eighty individuals who survived the attack were subsequently rescued and transported to a hospital for treatment. The International Organization for Migration indicated that the victims had been carrying UNHCR identification documents, however it was not clear where in Somalia they had originated from and where the boat was traveling to and from. UNHCR officials reported that the boat could have been traveling towards Sudan or other northern countries.

International organizations responded with outrage to the attack on the refugee boat. The Foreign Ministry of Somalia stated that “target[ing] a boat carrying Somali migrants” was “very sad[.]” The UNHCR indicated that it was “appalled by the deaths of refugees[,]” and further added that “Yemenis, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants continue to suffer and disproportionately bear the brunt of the conflict in Yemen[.]” Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) called for an urgent “need for accountability” on the Yemen war’s second anniversary.

Based on the laws of war, deliberate or reckless attacks on civilians are war crimes. HRW stated that although all parties to the conflict refused to claim responsibility for the attack, the only party that has military aircraft is the Saudi-led coalition. Ms. Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East Director for HRW cited the Saudi-led coalition’s “reckless disregard” for civilian life when characterizing the attack on the refugee boat as a war crime.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch—Yemen: Attack on Refugee Boat Likely War Crime—26 March 2017

RT—Likely war crime: Alleged Saudi coalition strike on refugee boat condemned by HRW—26 March 2017

CNN—In Yemen, urgent support for survivors of deadly boat attack—18 March 2017

Time—31 Killed When Airstrike Hits Refugee Boat Near Yemen’s Coast–17 March 2017

BBC News—Yemen migrant boat attack kills at least 42—17 March 2017

Drug Cartels Blamed for Mass Graves in Veracruz

By Sarah Lafen
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, North America

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Within the past two weeks, two mass graves have been found in Veracruz, Mexico that are attributed to the work of local drug cartels.  Sometime within this past week, over 250 human skulls were found in a mass grave in the Mexican state Veracruz, according to state attorney general Jorge Winckler.  Winckler did not comment on the exact day they found the grave, however he noted that this particular site might be the largest grave in Mexico.

Clothing hangs on a fence that surrounds a recently discovered mass grave in Alvarado (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Mexican authorities believe the human remains belong to victims of drug cartels and organized crime from recent years.  Identification of the remains has begun, however has proved to be a slow and complicated process.  Authorities are working to match the skulls to those in their database of missing people.  Members of Colectivo Solecito, a group of relatives of the missing victims, aided discovery of the mass grave.

Martha Gonzalez, a member of Colectivo Solecito, noted that some will finally get closure as a result of the discovery.  She recognized that although the authorities just give her the bones of her victim relative, she will be able to keep them somewhere safe, “put a flower on it,” and will be able to know they “are really there and resting.”

This past Sunday, another 47 skulls were unearthed from a few different locations near the town of Alvarado.  Winckler said that the remains were found in eight different unmarked graves found within a 120-square meter area.  So far, authorities have been able to match the remains to five people.

Winckler blames drug traffickers for using Veracruz for many years as a dumping ground for bodies.  An ongoing turf war between the Zetas cartel and the Jalisco New Generation cartel is suspected to contribute to the high amounts of violence in the area.  On March 1, 2017, 11 bodies were found near a popular tourist site.

Winckler also blamed the previous state government for not taking enough action to find and identify the bodies of people reported missing.  Alluding to former governor Javier Duarte, who has charges of money laundering, organized crime, and looting state coffers against him, Winckler pointed out that “[f]or many years, the drug cartels disappeared people and the authorities were complacent.”

 

For more information, please see:

BBC — Mexico Violence: Skulls Found in New Veracruz Mass Grave — 20 March 2017

Reuters — Mexico Drug War Investigators Unearth 47 More Skulls in Mass Graves — 20 March 2017

Newsweek — Drug Cartels Blamed for Mass Grave Discovery in Mexico — 19 March 2017

CNN — ‘One Big Mass Grave’: More than 250 Human Skulls Found in Mexico — 15 March 2017