Sectariansim_FINAL_EN_AS
Uganda Election Won With not so Popular Vote
By Tyler Campbell
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
KAMPALA, Uganda – It was announced yesterday that Yoweri Museven has been elected to his 5th term in office as Uganda’s President. However, the streets were rather quiet and lacked the celebration that you would expect for someone who won 60.8% of the vote. Instead of supporters filling capitol square to celebrate their re-elected leader armed soldiers and police kept watch silently. While President Museven sat comfortably in the capitol, the leader of the opposition party, Kizza Besigye, was at home under house arrest.
This is the fourth time Besigye had been arrested since voting started. Finally, he was placed under house arrest after trying to enter a home where he believed ballots were being altered. Supporters of Mr. Besigye have also clashed with Ugandan police forces since voting began Friday. Police forces and Besigye followers traded rocks and teargas canisters thought the capitol city after the election was called for President Museven with just over 10% of the polls reporting.
Mr. Besigye has officially called for an independent audit of the election in an open letter he sent to the people of Uganda on Saturday. Besigye commented on the election calling it “stolen” and “what must be the most fraudulent electoral process in Uganda.”
Mr. Besigye and his supporters do seem to have good reason to be upset. During the election social media sites were blacked out along with mobile-money services. Urban areas that were expected to be heavily in favor of Besigye did not receive their ballots until late in the day. This led to lower voter turnout and ended with some citizens not getting to vote at all. Finally, there were reports of ballots arriving at polling stations that had already been marked for President Museven.
The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) were in attendance at the election and do not claim to have seen this level of fraud, but stopped short of calling the election free and fair. The EU-EOM reported that there was great enthusiasm to go out and vote but also admitted that this enthusiasm was over shadowed by intimidation and a lack of transparency.
For more information, please see:
The Guardian – Uganda election victory extends Yoweri Museveni’s grip on power – 20 Feb. 2016
Al Jazeera – Uganda’s Museveni re-elected amid controversy – 20 Feb. 2016
All Africa – Uganda: Poll Observers Give Mixed Verdict – 21 Feb. 2016
The Economist – Yoweri Museveni wins a fifth term as Uganda’s president – 21 Feb. 2016
Police Abuses Escalate in Egypt, Thousands of Doctors Protest
By Brittani Howell
Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East
CAIRO, Egypt – On Friday, thousands of doctors protested the assault of two doctors by policemen that occurred a month ago. This was the largest demonstration in Egypt since the unauthorized protests had been banned over two years ago.
A doctor working at a hospital in Matariya last month, told a police officer that his cut didn’t require stitches. The police officer’s response was to beat up the doctor and a colleague and take the two into custody. Mamoun Hassan el-Deeb, the deputy head of the hospital, told the Associated Press that the doctors, Ahmed Abdullah and Moamen Abdel-Azzem, had been attacked by two police officers.
According to a nurse who had witnessed the incident, seven additional police officers rushed to the scene to arrest the doctors. She also reported that when one of the doctors tried to resist, he fell and the policeman stomped on his head with his boots.
According to Abdel-Azzem’s Facebook page, he initially filed an official complaint but later withdrew the complaint. Abdel-Azzem feared detention in prison once he found out that officers filed a counter-complaint accusing Abdel-Azzem of assault.
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate called for the prosecution of the police officers that were involved in the alleged assault and stated that they would protest until the officers were brought to trial. Dr. Rashwan Shaaban, the assistant secretary-general of the syndicate told Reuters, “The general assembly of the syndicate decided to escalate the situation and is organizing a protest across all hospitals on February 20.”
According to human rights groups, there is a culture of impunity across Egypt as police brutality is widespread. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights stated, “The authorities (must) end the overall impunity enjoyed by police today to prevent the constant recurrence of such incidents.”
The protests came just days after the body of Italian student, Giulio Regeni, was found at the outskirts of Cairo. According to eyewitnesses, surveillance camera footage would have revealed that two Egyptian security agents, in plain clothes, took Mr. Regeni into custody when he was last seen.
Egyptian authorities have not yet requested the footage, according to shop keepers. Human rights groups indicated that this is typical police behavior in Egypt.
According to Egyptian security officials who were interviewed, Mr Regeni was “very rude and acted like a tough guy,” and was then taken into custody. Authorities also allege that Mr. Regeni was also suspect because certain contacts on his phone were associated with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and the April 6 Youth Movement. One official stated, “They figured he was a spy,” continuing, “After all, who comes to Egypt to study trade unions.”
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – Italy Mourns, Premier Demands Truth from Egypt Slaying – 12 February 2016
BBC News – Giulio Regeni: Funeral Held for Italian Student Killed in Cairo – 12 February 2016
Reuters – Thousands of Egyptian Doctors Protest Over Alleged Police Brutality – 12 February 2016
The New York Times – Egyptian Doctors Revolt Against Escalating Police Abuses – 12 February 2016
The New York Times – Italian Student’s Death Highlights Perils for Egyptians, Too – 12 February 2016
Two Israeli Teens Sentenced for the Death of Palestinian Teenager
By Brittani Howell
Impunity Watch Reporter
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – Last Thursday, two unnamed Israeli minors were given lengthy prison sentences for the murder of Palestinian teenager, Muhammed Abu Khdeir. The older of the two minors, who was seventeen years old at the time of the murder, was sentenced to 28 years (the 25-year maximum life sentence plus an additional three years). The younger one, he was 16 at the time, was sentenced to 21 years, because the court found that he was not actually involved in the murder.
The main defendant, 31-year-old Yosef Haim Ben-David, has yet to be sentenced as he plead insanity at the last minute. Last November, all three were found guilty of kidnapping and murder. Mohammed Abu Khdeir was kidnapped the morning of the 2nd of July 2014 and his body was later found in the forest.
A few days before the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir three Israeli teenagers were found dead in a field in West Bank, presumably kidnapped and killed by Palestinian Hamas militants. After being arrested, the defendants confessed the murder of Abu Khdeir was an act of revenge for the killing of the three Israeli’s.
Regarding the shorter sentence for the younger teen, the court ruled “He is the youngest of the bunch with potential for rehabilitation.” The court continued, “His actions are also vicious, he captured the deceased, prevented him from resisting, assisted in strangling him. But nevertheless, he did not take part physically in the last stage that led to his beating and the pouring of the fuel or oil on his body.”
Mohammed Abu Khdeir’s mother, Suha, told reporters, “what kind of justice is this? I’m a mother who lost her son forever, while I’m sure they will be released in 10 years or less. Why? This isn’t justice. This is unfair. I won’t accept such a ruling.” The father stated the family will be sending an appeal, arguing both of the minors should have received life sentences.
Mohammed Abu Khdeir’s father stated, “My wife and I are having nightmares in the middle of the night when we think about what has happened to our son.” He continued, “We are not stable and very emotional about the entire thing.”
For more information, please see:
BBC News – Mohammad Abu Khdair Murder: Two Israelis Jailed – 4 February 2016
CNN – Israeli Teens Sentenced for Palestinian Boy’s Burning Death – 4 February 2016
The Guardian – Israeli Teenagers Jailed for Murder of Palestinian Boy – 4 February 2016
The New York Times – 2 Israelis Sentenced in 2014 Murder of Palestinian Teenager – 4 February 2016
Syria Deeply Weekly Update: Washington Unlikely to Renege on Kurdish Support
|