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Several Killed by Suicide Bombing in Pakistan
By Christine Khamis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan –
At least ten people were killed by an explosion at a military checkpoint outside of Peshawar, Pakistan on Tuesday. At least 20 people were also wounded. Pakistani authorities say that the death toll is expected to increase as rescue efforts continue.
Shahab Ali Shah, the administrator for the region, has stated that based on eyewitness accounts, the attack was a suicide bombing. According to police, the suicide bomber rode a motorcycle loaded with explosives into a roadside military checkpoint located on the Torkham-Jalalabad Highway, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The bomber drove the motorcycle directly into a police car and the checkpoint, detonating the explosives on the vehicle. In addition to the casualties, several vehicles and buildings near the checkpoint were damaged in the explosion.
Among those killed in the explosion were a child, a military officer, and a prominent senior member of the Tribal Union of Journalists. At least five policemen were also killed. Saiful Islam, an official in the region, has stated that a local security official, Nawab Shah, appears to have been the intended target.
It is unclear at this time who planned the bombing, and multiple parties appear to be taking responsibility for the attack. The senior commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Maqbool Dawar, is one of the parties who has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Mr. Dawar told Reuters that the bombing was revenge for the deaths of Taliban members who died recently while in government custody. A separate Taliban group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar (TTP-JA), has also claimed responsibility for the explosion.
The explosion occurred in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas near the outskirts of Peshawar. The region has been marked by fighting between security forces and the Pakistani Taliban since more than 150 people were killed in a nearby school in December 2014.
At least 26 people were killed in another suspected suicide attack on a government building in northwestern Pakistan last month.
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera America – Deadly suicide blast in Pakistan kills at least 10 – 19 January 2016
BBC – Pakistan Suicide Bombing ‘Kills 10’ in Peshawar – 19 January 2016
NBC News – Motorcycle Suicide Attack Hits Major Pakistan Highway, Killing 10 – 16 January 2016
Newsweek – Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 10 in Northwest Pakistan – 19 January 2016
The New York Times – Explosion, Said to Be Suicide Bombing, Kills 8 in Northwest Pakistan – 19 January 2016
ICTJ | World Report January 2016 – Transitional Justice News and Analysis
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SNHR: An Open Letter to the EU Leaders
Julian Assange to be Questioned by Swedish Prosecutors
by Shelby Vcelka
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe
LONDON, England–
Ecuador’s foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, has announced that the Swedish government will be allowed to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Assange has been living in the embassy seeking refuge since 2012, awaiting extradition to Sweden on rape allegations.
Assange’s extradition to Sweden was allowed in 2012 after a long legal battle he ultimately lost in supreme court. After his bail was set for extradition, Assange fled to the Ecuadorian embassy out of fear that his extradition back to Sweden would be a pretext for his extradition to America. Both Assange and his supporters believe he could be charged under the U.S. Patriot Act for posting classified documents on the Wikileaks site.
Under Swedish law, Assange cannot be formally charged without an interview taking place. In December 2014, the Swedish Prosecution Authority announced it was making a new request to interview Assange in London. The British government granted the request last June. “When all necessary permits and arrangements are ready, the interview will be performed by the supporting prosecutor to the case, chief prosecutor Ingrid Isgren, together with a police investigator,” the Swedish authority commented.
The Ecuadorian authorities have responded that they are willing to accept Sweden’s petition to question Assange, “as long as the sovereignty of the Ecuadoran state and the laws in the constitution are respected.” Patino requested that the Swedish prosecutors provide their Ecuadorian colleagues with the questions they will be asking Assange, as well as allowing them to place one of their own prosecutors in the room during the interview.
Kristinn Hrafnsson, a spokesperson for Wikileaks, stated that Assange has embraced the “opportunity to deliver his statement to the prosecutor. Julian has been offering his statement to the prosecutor by various means for five years [in total] and for three-and-a-half years since he went into the embassy – whether via videolink or by the prosecutor coming to London. Let’s hope [the interview] can be carried out as soon as possible. Julian is very eager to get his point of view into the investigation.”
For more information, please see–
The Guardian– Julian Assange to be questioned by Swedish prosecutors in London— 15 January 2016
Latino One– Ecuador Announces Cooperation with Swedish Prosecutors in Julian Assange Case— 15 January 2016
Telesur– Ecuador Gives Sweden Green Light for Assange Interrogation— 15 January 2016
South China Morning Post– WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange free to live in Ecuador if cleared of Swedish charges— 16 January 2016