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Lula Questioned, Detained in Petrobras Investigation
By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was questioned on Friday as part of “Operation Car Wash,” the official investigation into the Petrobras scandal. Known around the world as “Lula,” he served as Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010 and is widely credited with Brazil’s emergence as an international power. He is considered by many to be Brazil’s most popular president.
The Petrobras scandal was born of an inquiry into bribes at the state-run oil firm. However, the investigation was widened to include high ranking members of Brazil’s ruling Workers’ Party. There is evidence that “scores of politicians and business executives” stole money from Petrobras. Those under investigation are suspected of overcharging Petrobras contracts. The money is thought to have been put towards Workers’ Party electoral campaigns.
Lula was detained and his home raided on Friday morning. His institute in Sao Paulo, and his wife and sons were also targeted in the investigation. Lula was released a few hours later. When speaking with supporters after his release, Lula said that he “deserved respect” and that the investigators were “disrespectful of democracy.”
Police allege that Lula took money from the Petrobras kickback scheme and laundered it through real-estate assets and his institute.
The detention sparked widespread criticism – even from those who supported his questioning, and sparked several clashes outside of Lula’s home in Sao Bernardo do Campo on Friday.
On Saturday, Lula supporters gathered outside of his home, chanting, “if you mess with him, you mess with me.” Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff also travelled to Saw Bernardo do Campo to meet with Lula in his home on Saturday, in show of solidarity after his “unnecessary” detention. Both Lula and President Rousseff have denied involvement in the Petrobras scandal. President Rousseff’s popularity has severely declined since the investigations began, and she may be facing impeachment.
Despite criticism, prosecutors stand by the questioning, saying that that Lula “holds no power that puts him beyond the reach of the Car Wash investigation.” The investigation has called both Lula’s political future and his legacy into question.
For more information, please see:
BBC – Brazil Petrobras scandal: Former president Lula questioned – 4 March 2016
Latin America News Dispatch – Brazil Ex-President Lula Questioned in Corruption Case – 4 March 2016
New York Times – Snapshot of Brazil’s Web of Scandal – 4 March 2016
Agence France-Presse – Brazil’s corruption scandal anger spills onto street – 5 March 2016
Associated Press – Crowds cheer Brazilian ex-president after being grilled by police – 5 March 2016
Bloomberg Business – Rousseff Visits Lula as Brazil Supporters Stage Solidarity Vigil – 5 March 2016
Reuters – Brazil top judges back graft probe despite concern over Lula’s detention – 6 March 2016
Venezuela Security Forces Search for Missing Miners
CARACAS, Venezuela — Security forces in Venezuela are searching for a group of miners in the state of Bolívar who have gone missing. Family members of those missing from the Atenas gold mine are alleging that sometime between Thursday and Friday, 28 miners were rounded up by gunmen and killed execution style. The mine is unlicensed “wildcat” mine, and is located near to the town of Tumeremo.
State Governor Francisco Rangel first denied that “any person [was] killed or missing,” saying that reports referred to clashes between gangs fighting over control of the mines. He accused the opposition of spreading “FALSE information about murdered miners.” Governor Rangel is an ally of President Maduro.
In response to Governor Rangel’s claim, about 300 relatives of the miners engaged in demonstrations over the weekend, shutting down a road running through Tumeremo that serves as an important link between Venezuela and Brazil.
“I’m not asking for justice,” said Juan Jose Coello, the father of a missing miner. “Right now, I’m just asking that they return the body of my son, so I can give him a Christian burial.”
The protests led Venezuela’s Attorney General to designate both a national and regional prosecutor to investigate the matter. Governor Rangel finally acknowledged on Monday that there was an official search for the miners. Family members continued to block the road through Tumeremo.
Some claiming to have witnessed the massacre and family members of the missing have accused law enforcement agents of playing a role in the alleged killings. Opposition lawmaker Americo de Grazia has also accused the state government of complicity.
1,000 soldiers were ordered to the area to search for the missing miners. There are conflicting reports from those who claim to have witnessed the attack as to what the gunmen did with the remains of the miners. Some locals allege that the gunmen drove the bodies of the miners deeper into the mine, while others say they were dismembered and removed from the area.
For more information, please see:
Agence France-Presse – Missing Venezuelan miners families protest – 7 March 2016
Associated Press –Venezuela Opens Investigation Into Possible Killing of Miners – 7 March 2016
Reuters – Venezuela says investigating alleged killing of miners – 7 March 2016
Voice of America – Venezuela Investigates Possible Slaying of 28 Missing Miners – 7 March 2016
BBC – Venezuela probes gold miners’ disappearance in Bolivar – 8 March 2016
Latin America News Dispatch – Venezuela Investigates Disappearance of 28 Gold Miners – 8 March 2016
Washington Post – Venezuela Congress takes up case of missing miners – 8 March 2016
Suicide Attack Kills Several People in Pakistan
By Christine Khamis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan –
Over a dozen people were killed on Monday morning in a suicide attack, while an estimated twenty were wounded. Four women and two children are among the dead.
A suicide bomber detonated a vest containing explosives after shooting his way into a district court compound in the town of Shabqadar, about 20 miles north of Peshawar. The bomber shot a police officer once he had forced his way into the compound, then detonated his vest. Another officer was killed when he tried to subdue the bomber and prevent him from entering the courtroom, in which family disputes were being decided at the time.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a removed branch of militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is part of the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar’s spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said in an email statement that the bombing was in retaliation for the execution of Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri. Mr. Ehsan claims that Mr. Qadri was innocent and executed against Allah’s laws. He has also stated that his faction will continue to conduct attacks on Pakistani courts.
Mr. Qadri was recently sentenced to death for killing Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province. Punjab’s governor had previously called for reform of blasphemy laws which require death for insulting Islam.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has issued a statement denouncing the attack. He states that Pakistan is united in its commitment to eliminate this type of “menace” and commemorates those who died trying to prevent the bomber’s attack.
The bombing was the second suicide attack of its kind so far this year. In January, Taliban suicide bombers attacked Bacha Khan University in the Charsadda district, killing 21 students and teachers.
Taliban militants have engaged in uprisings against Pakistan’s government since 2007 as part of their effort to enforce more strict interpretations of Islamic laws.
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Suicide Attack Hits Pakistan – 7 March 2016
CNN – At Least 13 Killed, Including 2 Children, in Pakistan Suicide Attack – 7 March 2016
The New York Times – Suicide Attack at Pakistani Court Compound Kills Over a Dozen – 7 March 2016
Reuters – Pakistani Militants Say Blast at Court That Kills 10 Was Revenge – 7 March 2016
War Crimes Prosecution Watch Volume 10, Issue 26 – March 7, 2016
War Crimes Prosecution Watch is a bi-weekly e-newsletter that compiles official documents and articles from major news sources detailing and analyzing salient issues pertaining to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes throughout the world. To subscribe, please email warcrimeswatch@pilpg.org and type “subscribe” in the subject line.
Opinions expressed in the articles herein represent the views of their authors and are not necessarily those of the War Crimes Prosecution Watch staff, the Case Western Reserve University School of Law or Public International Law & Policy Group.
Contents
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- Allafrica.com: Food Aid Reaches Thousands Uprooted by Boko Haram in Chad
- Reuters: Chad’s Former Ruler Habre awaits ruling in landmark human rights trial
- New York Times: U.S. Plans to Put Advisers on Front Lines of Nigeria’s War on Boko Haram
- IB Times: Nigeria Schoolgirls Kidnapping Update: Lagos Police Hunt Armed Abductors of Babington Macaulay School
- Newsweek: Boko Haram: 76 Starving Members Surrender to Nigerian Military
Court of Bosnia & Herzegovina, War Crimes Chamber
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mladen Milić Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Suspect Edin Sakoč Ordered into Custody
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ramiz Avdović and Vintila Iulian Nicolae Found Guilty
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dario Slavuljica Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- InSerbia: ICTY: Verdict in the Trial of Radovan Karadzic on March 24
- InSerbia: Selakovic: We Will Respond to ICTY by March 15 Deadline
Domestic Prosecutions In The Former Yugoslavia
- Global Post: Croatia Arrests War Crimes Convict After 15 Years on Run
- Balkan Transitional Justice: Bosniak Detainee Jailed for Beating Fellow Inmates
- Balkan Transitional Justice: Bosnian Serb Ex-Paramilitary Jailed for Sarajevo Rape
- Balkan Transitional Justice: Croatia Acquits Special Police of Killing Villagers
- Balkan Transitional Justice: Bosnian Serb Faces Hate Charge for Genocide Denial
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
- The Cambodia Daily: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Hears Arguments Against Genocide
- The Cambodia Daily: Tribunal Hears Testimony of Security Centers, Internal Purges
- Khmer Times: Minorities Forced to ‘Hide Identity’ under Khmer Rouge
- Sky News: Russia Guilty Of Syria War Crimes, Says Amnesty
- The Local SE: Man Held on Accusations of War Crimes in Syria
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
- Los Angeles Times: Apple-FBI battle Over San Bernardino Terror Attack Investigation: All the details
- ABC 15: Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem Update: Agent Testifies About Interviews Of Man Accused In Attack
- Reuters: U.S. Air Force Vet One Of First To Face Trial For Islamic State Support
- The Daily Star: Al-Akhbar Editor’s STL Case Remains Behind Closed Doors
- The Daily Star: Al-Akhbar STL Proceedings Mirror Al-Jadeed Case
Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal
- Dhaka Tribune: Tribunal Prosecutor Ali Suspended
- BD News 24: Supreme Court Irked With War Crimes Tribunal’s Investigators, Prosecutors
- The Daily Star: ICT Wants Probe Report on Satkhira War Crime Suspect May 8
- The Daily Mail: Bangladesh Considering Abandoning Islam as Its Official Religion Following Wake of Extremist Attacks
- The Daily Star: Shakhawat Broke My Leg to Extract Info About FF Camp