CAPE TOWN, South Africa– President Jacob Zuma is under intense scrutiny after being accused of corruption. Zuma has been under fire before for misuse of government funds. A new 355 page report called the ‘State of Capture’ claims that Zuma had an improper relationship with the Gupta Brothers. The report claims that the Gupta brothers helped Zuma pick key cabinet members.
Zuma giving a speech. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)
Zuma is a member of the African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela that has been ruling South Africa since the end of apartheid. The party has enjoyed uninterrupted rule despite Zuma’s past issues with corruption. However, the release of the ‘State of Capture’ is worrying other party members who are calling for a full investigation of Zuma.
Opposition party members are calling for Zuma’s resignation. Zuma is defiant and says that he has done nothing wrong.
by Yesim Usluca Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish police have used tear gas, a water cannon, and plastic bullets to disperse a protest against the imprisonment of nine journalists from the secularist opposition newspaper, Cumhuriyet.
Turkish police use water cannon to disperse crowds protesting arrests of journalists (Photo courtesy of Newsweek)
The protest took place hours after nine journalists were formally arrested. Approximately 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside a mosque in central Istanbul, shouting slogans denouncing the “fascist” state and vowing not to remain silent. Riot police sprayed freezing water from trucks, fired plastic bullets and used tear gas in an attempt to prevent crowds of protestors from marching to the offices of the Cumhuriyet newspaper.
The nine arrested individuals include some of the most prolific journalists of the Turkish press. They were detained as part of an intensifying crackdown on oppositionists by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Following the arrests, the Turkish courts ordered a media blackout, prohibiting the press from reporting on the detention of Cumhuriyet journalists. The newspaper is known for being one of the few media outlets still critical of President Erdogan. Its reporters are suspected of crimes committed on behalf of Kurdish militants and U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of organizing the coup attempt.
The arrests come after the shutdown of over 100 media outlets and detention of dozens of journalists following July’s failed coup attempt. Prominent Turkish journalist, Can Dundar, declared his outrage over the current administration by stating “our ‘crime’ is our writing, our headlines, our news. We will write again. We will write even more…” The government has stated that the crackdown is necessary to identify terrorists, whereas critics of President Erdogan state that he is using the coup as an attempt to defeat the opposition. Recently arrested politicians stated that they are victims of a “civilian coup by the government and the palace.” Furthermore, the head of Turkey’s main opposition party outraged “What are you trying to do? Are you trying to create a Turkey where everyone is in jail?”
The recent wave of opposition arrests has sparked concern among Turkey’s allies. The EU’s Foreign Policy Chief stated that she was “extremely worried” over the detentions. The U.S. State Department spokesman noted that there was a “worrisome trend” in Turkey over limiting freedom of speech.
“If You Don’t Believe in Human Rights, What Are You Doing in Journalism?” du Preez on Transitional Justice and MediaLater this month, Tunisians will have an opportunity to hear the truth about the dictatorship’s abuses directly from victims in a series of public hearings hosted by the Truth and Dignity Commission. However, in order for these public testimonies to be effective, the media must cover victims’ stories fully and explore the issues underpinning their experiences. South African journalist Max du Preez spoke with his Tunisian counterparts to help prepare them for the challenges they will face. We sat down with him afterwards to discuss the role of media in transitional justice processes.
Cote d’Ivoire Youth Find Voice Through StorytellingIn Cote d’Ivoire, avenues for education system reform are limited. To help youth find their voice, ICTJ and UNICEF facilitated an innovative truth-telling project led by Ivorian young people themselves. The result: an exploration of the unique experiences of young people during the conflict, told through radio broadcasts, public discussions and reports to government officials.
Transitional Justice in Ukraine: National Reconciliation or Reconsolidation of Post-Communist Trauma?Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution in 2014 ushered in a wave of decommunization efforts, ostensibly in order to ensure respect for human rights and to prevent a recurrence of the crimes of Communist and Nazi regimes. However, the laws were largely a product of contentious politics of memory: they further a particular understanding of past events that will likely continue to fuel division and distrust among Ukrainians, and between Ukraine and Russia.
In the years immediately before the 2015 election, there was a palpable sense of waiting among those working in Burmese civil society. Many of their plans depended on one or two critical developments to take hold: the NLD coming to power and the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement. Now, both long-hoped-for events have happened, and Myanmar’s transition to democratic rule continues to move slowly forward. But what opportunities exist to address human rights violations?
Where should justice for some of the world’s worst crimes be done? In national courts or at the International Criminal Court in The Hague? Our new Handbook on Complementarity explores those questions, laying out the interconnected relationship between the ICC and national court systems in the global fight against impunity.
LONDON, England — The international governing body of soccer, FIFA, has rejected players’ requests to wear embroidered poppy flowers on their jerseys during a game between England and Scotland on November 11. In the United Kingdom, November 11 is the day which memorializes those who have passed away in war. Both England and Scotland have asked FIFA to allow them to wear the symbol out of respect for the Royal British Legion, which is a charity that sells poppy badges to raise funds for veterans. British soccer teams traditionally honor a moment of silence and wear embroidered poppies on their jerseys on the weekend of November 11.
Embroidered poppy symbol on a soccer jersey honoring fallen veterans (Photo Courtesy of BBC)
FIFA bans any political or religious messages on jerseys, and Scottish Football Association chief Stewart Regan supports FIFA’s position that the organization is “sticking to the letter of law.” FIFA considers the poppy to be a political statement, and will not allow the symbol to be worn on international shirts unless special permission is given by the organization.
The ban has elicited public outrage from fans. Falklands veteran Simon Weston supports the English Football Association’s position of risking an imposed fine, and allowing their players to wear the poppy on November 11 regardless of what FIFA decides. Weston told reporters that both England and Scotland both “took part in both World Wars and should take the lead. They should pay any fine has to give them. This is not a political gesture.”
The Football Associations of England, Scotland, and Wales are set to meet with FIFA in the upcoming days to discuss whether players should be allowed to wear the poppies on their jerseys. These associations are curious to learn what punishments would be administered should they decide to ignore the ban and wear the poppies anyway, as there are rumors that one punishment could be point reduction. The FAs ensure fans and players that they have “led remembrance discussions with FIFA to allow the England team to show its support for the poppy appeal during the World Cup qualifier with Scotland.”
In 2011, Scottish soccer players were allowed to wear armbands with an embroidered poppy on them after receiving special permission from FIFA.
On this day, when the future of our world and the values we defend are tested, I would like to share a memory, to celebrate the recent nomination of António Guterrez to the post of UN Secretary General, and, above all, to encourage him in his mission.
A memory…
One day in the summer of 2015.
I had the honor of guiding António Guterrez, already then the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, through a private visit to the Dream of Humanityexhibition on the banks of the Seine in Paris.
The exhibition displayed images on the theme of humanity, on the theme
of exile and displayed seven large panels bearing different key values translated into the languages of the world.
The new mission of António Guterrez, more than ever after today,
is to spread these values and to encourage each nation to fight for them,
so that they are not trampled.
