Egyptian Court Freezes Assets of Human Rights Activists and Organizations

by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt — On Saturday, September 16th, an Egyptian court ordered the assets of five human rights activists and three non-governmental organizations (NGO) to be frozen.

Mr. Eid stated the case is “politically motivated revenge” (Photo courtesy of AlJazeera)

The Zeinhom Criminal Court based its decision on a case that has been pending since 2011, in which the NGOs were accused of receiving foreign funds to “sow chaos.” The case was brought on charges that include “pursuing acts harmful to national interests,” “destabilizing general peace,” or “harming security and public order”. This decision now paves the way for criminal proceedings against these defendants. All of them could face life sentences if found guilty, which is equivalent to a twenty-five-year prison sentence in Egypt.

The individuals and NGOs whose assets were frozen include Hossam Bahgat (founder and former director of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights), Gamal Eid (head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information), the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and its director Bahey el-din Hassan, the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and its director Mostafa al-Hassan, and the Egyptian Right to Education Center and its director Abdelhafiz Tayel. While the assets of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and the Arab Network for Human Rights Information were not frozen immediately, they could be linked to Mr. Bahgat and Mr. Eid and frozen at a later date.

Egypt had begun looking into foreign funding in early 2011 during a crackdown against civil society groups after an 18-day uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule and left the military in charge. At the time, Egypt had come under international fire when it raided Egyptian and Western NGOs in Cairo on suspicion of illegal financing, including the U.S. National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.

Following Saturday’s ruling, NGOs and Egyptian human rights activists have stated that they are “facing the worst assault in their history” during a campaign to remove the liberties that were won in the 2011 uprising. In response to the court’s decision, Mr. Eid stated that the decision was expected, but that the NGOs and activists “will carry on despite living under threat.” He further declared “we will not live in complicity with a police regime that hates human rights, the 2011 revolution and democracy.” Amnesty International declared the ruling “a shameless ploy to silence human rights activism,” and further stated that it is a “reprehensible blow to Egypt’s human rights movement.”

For more information, please see:

Middle East Eye—Egypt court freezes assets of top human rights defenders—17 September 2016

World Bulletin—Egypt freezes assets of human rights defenders, NGOs—17 September 2016

Amnesty International—Egypt: Asset freeze is a shameless ploy to silence human rights activism—17 September 2016

BBC News—Egypt Court freezes assets of human rights workers and NGO’s—17 September 2016

AlJazeera—Egypt court freezes assets of rights defenders and NGOs—17 September 2016

 

Mexico’s Chief Criminal Investigator Resigns After Mishandling 43 Missing Students Case

by Portia K. Skenandore-Wheelock
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO — Chief of the Criminal Investigation Agency Tomás Zerón de Lucio resigned his position on Wednesday, without citing a reason for stepping down.

Zerón was in charge of investigating the disappearance of 43 students from Ayotzinapa, a radical teaching college, who have not been seen since September 2014. Zerón has been heavily criticized for his handling of the case and parents of the students have been vocal in their complaints. The government has said the students were arrested by municipal police in Guerrero state in the town of Iguala on September 26, 2014 and handed over to a drug trafficking gang. The government asserts that the gang killed the students and incinerated their bodies at a garbage dumpsite. Lab results proving this type of incineration impossible were released a day before Zerón’s resignation.

A contentious investigation into the disappearance of 43 students that occurred nearly two years ago has failed to uncover answers. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Two independent international investigations have dismissed the government’s claims. Zerón’s handling of the crime scene has been under investigation since April after a report made by a panel of foreign investigators and legal experts. Information had been revealed with video and image evidence that Zerón had visited the site of the alleged incineration with one of the accused gang members a day before crime scene evidence was found. Zerón failed to note this visit in any of the official records.

Families of the students held a press conference Thursday in response to Zerón’s resignation. They are critical of his appointment to another high-level government job on President Peña Nieto’s National Security Council. “Instead of punishing him they have given him a prize. It doesn’t change anything. We are going to continue taking to the streets to demand the return of our children alive, and to demand the truth,” said Hilda Hernández, a mother of one of the missing students. The families have been preparing a protest for September 26, the second anniversary of the students’ abduction.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Mexico Missing Students Inquiry Boss Quits – 15 September 2016

New York Times – Top Investigator in Case of Missing Students in Mexico Resigns – 14 September 2016

PanAm Post – Lead Investigator in Mexican Student Massacre Steps Down – 15 September 2016

Vice News – Mexico’s Botched Investigation of 43 Missing Students Leads Chief Investigator to Resign – 15 September 2016

 

Poland to Consider Proposed Law Criminalizing Abortions

By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

WARSAW, Poland — Polish legislators have proposed a law which would criminalize abortions. If passed, the law would apply to both women seeking abortions as well as doctors and other medical staff who are involved in the performance of the procedures.  These parties would be subject to jail time between three months and five years for causing “the death of a conceived child.”  The proposed legislature was drawn up by a rightwing think-tank, with the support of the Catholic Church and the Law and Justice governing party.

Women in Kraków , Austria in April protested proposed anti-abortion legislation set to be considered in Poland (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

Current abortion laws in Poland permit abortion only in the cases of rape, when the fetus is diagnosed with a severe or irreversible disability or an incurable illness which is threatening its life, or if the woman’s life is in danger.  The new proposed law would permit abortions only when the mother’s life is in danger.

Protesters have staged demonstrations in opposition to this proposed legislation in cities across Europe.  Thousands of human rights activists gathered in Warsaw, Poland outside of the Polish parliament on Sunday, while another demonstration occurred outside of the Polish embassy in London, England.  Pro-abortion campaign called “Save Women” compiled approximately 215,000 signatures in opposition of the proposed legislature.  These protestors argue that if passed, this bill would encourage women to have “dangerous, back alley abortions.”

On the other side, the pro-life bill has collected approximately 450,000 signatures.  Mariusz Dzierżawski, head of Poland’s “Stop Abortion” committee, claims that 58% of Poles currently back the proposed legislature.  Dzierżawski says that the legislature is necessary because “about 1,000 unborn children are legally killed in Poland each year.”  In April, the Catholic Church voiced its support for the passing of the proposed legislature.  Polish bishops want the bill passed in order to “protect every person’s life from conception to natural death.”

Official studies estimate that less than 1,000 legal abortions are performed each year in Poland as it is – as doctors are scared of suffering the repercussions of performing the procedure.  However, other independent research groups have estimated that 80,000-190,000 women undergo the procedure annually in Poland, whether through the “back alley” methods, or by traveling abroad.

Polish legislators are set to consider the bill on Wednesday.

 

For more information, please see:

Life News — Poland Proposes New Law Banning All Abortions and Protecting Unborn Children — 19 September 2016

New Europe — Poland Tables New Bill to Criminalize Abortion — 19 September 2016

The Guardian — Thousands Protest Against Proposed Stricter Abortion Law in Poland — 18 September 2016

Motto — This Polish Law Would Imprison Women Who Have Abortions — 16 September 2016

South Sudan to take Legal Action after Corruption Report

By Samantha Netzband

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

JUBA, South Sudan–The South Sudanese government is planning on taking legal action against the Sultry group after the publication of what they believe is an incorrect corruption report.  The Sultry group was founded by American actor George Clooney and activist John Prendergast.  The group was also a key player in gaining South Sudan’s independence.

President Kiir seen giving a speech. (Photo Courtesy of Aljazeera)

The report, which was published by the Nation Mirror, alleges that President Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar amassed wealth throughout the time of the Sudanese conflict.  This wealth includes luxury cars, foreign properties, and stakes in oil and business ventures.  Both President Kiir and Riek Machar’s spokespeople have said that these allegations are “rubbish”.  This then lead to the closing of the Nation Mirror and the pursuance of a lawsuit.

There are already calls to reopen the Nation Mirror, the newspaper that published the report.  Given the lack of independent and critical newspapers in the region those in the media in South Sudan would like to see the newspaper reopened.

Those who belief the report are suggesting that the United States threaten sanctions until reform is made.  This stems from the fact that George Clooney, the partner in the Sentry group, is an American actor.  Countries on the outside looking in are taking these allegations seriously considering war profiteering is a serious crime, and the conflict in South Sudan has displaced a million people.

For more information, please see:

Africa News – South Sudan urged to reopen newspaper that published corruption report – 16 September 2016

Al Jazeera – South Sudan to take legal action after corruption report – 13 September 2016

CNBC Africa – South Sudan: Actor George Clooney against the Kleptocrats – 17 September 2016

Fox News – South Sudan challenges US watchdog’s report on corruption – 17 September 2016

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect: Atrocity Alert: Syria and South Sudan

Atrocity Alert, No. 21

Atrocity Alert is a weekly publication by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect highlighting and updating situations where populations are at risk of, or are enduring, mass atrocity crimes.

Syria

On 6 September Syrian government forces were accused of dropping barrel bombs filled with chlorine gas on the Al-Sukari neighborhood in eastern Aleppo. These accusations come one week after the UN Security Council met to discuss the report of the UN-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Joint Investigation Mechanism (JIM) on responsibility for chemical weapons use in Syria, and less than a month since at least three people were killed during a reported chlorine attack on the opposition-held Zubdiya neighborhood of Aleppo on 10 August. It was reported that at least 70 people were injured during Tuesday’s attack, including women and children. The recent JIM report concluded that Syrian government forces had carried out at least two chemical weapons attacks since 2013. The use of chemical weapons constitutes a war crime and is in clear contravention of Security Council Resolution 2118, which threatened possible Chapter VII measures in the event of non-compliance.

The latest report of the Human Rights Council-mandated Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on Syria was published on 6 September. The CoI condemns the increase in indiscriminate attacks on civilians and medical facilities following the breakdown of February’s cessation of hostilities and asserts that “without a return to the peace process, the Syrian conflict, and the violations and abuses it has nourished, will continue.”

South Sudan

Following renewed fighting in Juba during July and the UN Security Council’s authorization of the deployment of a Regional Protection Force (RPF), South Sudan is at a critical juncture for the prevention of further mass atrocity crimes. The UN Security Council visited South Sudan from 2 to 5 September to discuss with government officials, UN representatives and civil society how to improve the security and humanitarian situation across the country. The Transitional Government of National Unity and UN Security Council members issued a Joint Communique on 4 September in which the government consented to the deployment of the RPF as part of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). UN Security Council Resolution 2304 threatened an arms embargo on South Sudan if the government impeded the deployment of the RPF. Ensuring UNMISS’ free movement and establishing the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, in cooperation with the African Union, are other essential commitments that the Transitional Government of National Unity should uphold in order to prevent further atrocities.

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