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ICTJ: Truth is the First Step Towards Peace
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Dear friends, Today, in our troubled times marked by ongoing conflicts, incredible violence and increasing hostility, it is imperative that we stand united in the struggle against impunity. Our attention and effort must be directed to do what we can in defense and remedy of those targeted by brutal violence from Syria to Central African Republic, from Pakistan to Turkey and beyond. As we search for ways to halt the violence and foster lasting peace in societies grappling with a legacy of massive human rights abuse, there is arguably no more important day to reflect upon the importance of the struggle for truth and justice than today, March 24. Thus, we take a moment to mark the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. The pursuit of justice can take many forms, and truth telling is an essential one. In 2010, the United Nations established March 24 as a day to honor the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and their right to truth and justice. If peace is to have any chance of prevailing in times of escalating conflict, it is more necessary than ever to uphold this fundamental right. Truth telling is essential to achieve long-lasting peace and social change. It helps reduce tensions between opposing parties by revealing and validating the experiences of different groups. To build a dignified and inclusive future, it is necessary to overcome divisive sectoral narratives by establishing an objective account of the violent past. In many post-conflict settings, efforts to establish a reliable account of what happened during conflict have taken the form of a truth commission. Truth commissions are temporary, official inquiries established to determine the facts, causes, and consequences of past human rights violations. Victims are at the heart of such truth-seeking processes, because oftentimes their voices have been silenced or ignored for years. Since 1983, more than 30 truth commissions have been established around the world to investigate past human rights abuses committed during periods of conflict or repression. In 2013, ICTJ and the Kofi Annan Foundation joined efforts to reexamine assumptions about how truth commissions may be established and what makes them operate effectively as a tool to strengthen peace processes. This project has produced several outcomes, including the publication “Challenging the Conventional: Can Truth Commissions Strengthen Peace Processes?” and thoughtful discussions in Geneva, New York, and Bogotá, among other places. Today, as part of this sustained effort and our firm commitment to building peace on the foundation of truth, we are launching a multimedia presentation based on the reflections we have developed throughout this 3-year project. We invite you to learn – in English, Spanish and Arabic – from Guatemala, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Nepal on how truth seeking can serve as a catalyzer for peace. Join us in challenging the conventional to find new ways to contribute towards building accountable and dignified societies. Sincerely, David Tolbert ICTJ President |
Indonesia Raises Dispute with Chinese Fishing Vessels in South China Sea
By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America and Oceania
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesia on Monday strongly protested the Chinese government and demanded it clarify the actions of a Chinese coast guard vessel that reportedly had contravened law enforcement measures being conducted by Indonesian authorities against a China-flagged boat allegedly committing illegal fishing in Indonesian waters. According to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, the Indonesian government submitted a protest to China’s charge of affairs Sun Weide in Jakarta over the incident in Indonesia’s economic zone near the Natuna islands.
Foreign Minister Retno said the coast guard ship had disrupted Indonesian authorities who were acting in accordance to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Beginning Saturday evening, the Chinese fishing vessel was stopped for fishing illegally in Indonesia’s waters and was being towed to port when the Chinese took it back, leaving its crew in the hands of Indonesia.
Arrmanatha Nasir, a spokesman for Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, stated that Indonesian personnel boarded the Chinese boat, the Kway Fey, took its captain and eight-member crew into custody, and began towing the ship back to a base on the Natuna Islands. But around midnight, he said, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, which had been following the Indonesian ship, approached it on or inside the 12-nautical-mile line marking Indonesia’s territorial waters, eventually hitting the ship.
According to multiple Indonesian sources, China’s Coast Guard rammed one of the country’s fishing boats to pry it free from the Indonesian authorities. Indonesia decided to release the boat and proceed to shore with the crew.
On Monday, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, called the area where the episode took place traditional Chinese fishing grounds, and said that the Coast Guard vessel had not entered Indonesian territorial waters.
“China immediately requested Indonesia to release the detained Chinese fishermen and ensure their physical safety,” she said at a regularly scheduled news conference in Beijing. “The sovereignty of the Natunas belongs to Indonesia. China has no objections to this.”
Indonesia’s Marine and Fishery Minister Susi Pudjiastuti however disputed the statements from China, particularly those pertaining to traditional fishing grounds.
“There’s no international treaty which recognizes or admits what’s been claimed by the China government as traditional fishing ground. If there’s such, that’s a one-sided claim and not acknowledged by the international community,” she told reporters.
“We will summon the Chinese ambassador to discuss the issue,” the Jakarta Post reported Susi as saying on Sunday. “We respect China, but we must also maintain our sovereignty.”
For more information, please see:
BBC News – Indonesia protests against Chinese ‘breach of sovereignty’ – 21 March 2016
Bloomberg – Indonesia Detains Chinese Fishermen After S. China Sea Chase – 21 March 2016
Jakarta Post – Indonesia protests against China in South China Sea fishing dispute – 21 March 2016
Reuters – Indonesia says it feels peace efforts on South China Sea ‘sabotaged’ – 21 March 2016
Sky News Australia – China, Indonesia in South China Sea row – 21 March 2016
U.S. State Department: Myanmar’s Persecution of Rohingya Does Not Rise to Genocide
By Christine Khamis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
The United States State Department announced on Monday that it had determined that Myanmar is persecuting its religious minority, the Rohingya Muslims, but that the country’s persecution of the Rohingya has not risen to the level of genocide.
The State Department issued a report to Congress regarding the issue, saying that while it was “gravely concerned” about the persecution of Rohingya, that treatment of the Rohingya did not amount to mass atrocities.
The United States Congress passed legislation in 2015 that called for Secretary of State John Kerry to determine whether Buddhist extremists in Myanmar had committed atrocities against the Rohingya. Part of his directive included the task of consulting with governments and human rights organizations in Myanmar to make his determination of whether atrocities against the Rohingya had in fact occurred.
Mr. Kerry’s report stated that the State Department remains concerned about the persecution and discrimination against the Rohingya and that displacement and violence were ongoing through 2015. The report called for Myanmar’s government to pursue solutions to address the human rights violations and to grant or restore citizenship to the Rohingya and other stateless individuals.
In 1948, the United Nations defined genocide to include acts committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. Such acts include killings and violence against members of a group and deliberate infliction of poor conditions of life meant to bring about a group’s physical destruction.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya have left Myanmar since 2012, fleeing from persecution and poverty amidst anti-Muslim violence. Many Rohingya who have remained in Myanmar live in camps, and are denied official legal status and some basic human rights. International critics have called for the investigation into what they view as evidence of genocide against the Rohingya.
As Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government prepares to take power on April 1, her government will be under pressure to address the contentious issue of persecution against the Rohingya. Ms. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party (NLD) has been criticized so far for how little it has addressed the issue.
The United Nations and European Union stated on Monday that the hope that conditions for the Rohingya will improve under Ms. Suu Kyi’s new government has, in turn, contributed to a decline in the number of migrants fleeing the country.
For more information, please see:
Time – Burma’s Treatment of the Rohingya Is Not Genocide, Says U.S. – 22 March 2016
The New York Times – Myanmar: State Dept. Says Persecution of Muslims Does Not Rise to Genocide – 21 March 2016
Reuters – U.S. Says Myanmar Persecutes Rohingya, But Not Genocide – 21 March 2016
Voice of America – What is Genocide? – 15 March 2016