Palestinian Hunger Striker Re-Detained After Hospital Release

By Brittani Howell

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – Mohammad Allaan, a Palestinian lawyer, was re-arrested by Israel on Wednesday after being discharged from the hospital. Allaan was in the hospital as a result of his hunger strike, protesting his incarceration

Protesters hold posters of Mohammed Allaan’s picture. (Courtesy of CNN)

Allaan, an alleged member of the Islamic Jihad militant group was detained by Israel without charges or a trial. The administrative detention allows military courts to detain militant suspects indefinitely, subject to a renewal every six months. According to the Israeli civil rights group, B’Tselem, “Israeli’s use of administrative detention blatantly violates the restrictions of international law.”

Israel states that the detention orders are necessary to protect intelligent sources in security-related cases. The Shin Bet internal security agency stated that Allaan was still, “a danger to peace and security in the region” and placed him back in custody because his health had improved.

Israel’s justice ministry alleges that Allaan is involved in “grave terrorism” which necessitates his detention. Allaan denies the allegations and denies involvement with the Islamic Jihad militant group.

Allaan was detained November 2014 and his detention was renewed in May. Allaan stopped eating on June 16 and, as a result, suffered brain damage among other medical conditions. Allaan’s lawyer, Mr. Khatib, intends to appeal the re-arrest because of the brain damage Allaan suffered. He also argues that only the Supreme Court had the authority to cancel the suspension of Allaan’s detention. The re-arrest was a result of a military directive, not a Supreme Court order canceling the suspension of the detention.

Sawsan Zaher, a lawyer for an Arab-rights group which also represented Allaan, stated, “The fact that the authorities renewed the order the moment his situation improved, without checking relevant or justifiable evidence – this means that the order is only an act of revenge.”

In July, Israel passed a law which allows force-feeding to those who are hunger-striking, if the strike’s life is in danger. The United Nations finds the law a “cause of concern” and the Israel Medical Association equates the law to torture.

Allaan was not force-fed, as the government could not find any willing doctors to do the procedure. Instead, Allaan was given intravenous fluids when his condition deteriorated.

Israeli police stated Allaan will be held in detention until November 4, which is when his detention is scheduled to end.

For further information, please see:

Al-Jazeera – Palestinian Hunger Striker Detained on Hospital Release – 16 September 2015

BBC – Israel Re-Arrests Hunger Striker Mohammed Allan – 16 September 2015

CNN – Palestinian Hunger Striker Mohammed Allan back in Israeli Detention – 16 September 2015

The New York Times – Palestinian is Rearrested and Resumes Hunger Strike – 16 September 2015

The Seattle Times – Israel Re-Arrests Palestinian Hunger Striker – 16 September 2015

Google Alert – War Crimes September 18, 2015

war crimes

Daily update ⋅ September 18, 2015
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Many countries and human rights organisations have been demanding a probe into the war crimes for sometime now (“Sri Lankan war crimes horrific: …
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British Arms Fair Invites Countries with Child Soldiers

By Tyler Campbell

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

 

ALGIERS, Algeria – This Tuesday marked the opening day of the Defence and Security Equipment Industry (DSEI) show. This is one of the world’s largest arms and securities fairs in world and it is held every two years in London. This is a massive event were more than 1,500 companies show off their best and latest weapons of war. On the guest list to the event are some of the biggest repeat offenders in human and civil rights violations.

Child Soldiers in Algeria (Photo of photo courtesy of telegraph.co.uk)

There were 61 countries officially invited to the event. Out of these 61 countries 14 of them have authoritarian leadership. More troubling is that the UN has flagged 23 of these 61 countries for serious child rights violations, including the use of child soldiers. Notable African countries with questionable human rights records on the list were Egypt, Angola and Algeria.

 

These invitations come in stark and almost ironic contrast to the message the European parliament was trying to send some of these countries only four days earlier. In debates about the British arms industry parliament talked about Azerbaijan and Angola, two countries with an invitation to the DSEI. The deteriorating situation of human rights in Angola was one topic that got touched upon.

 

This type of hypocrisy is not a new trend for the British arms industry. Britain has been selling arms to the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2010. This is one nation that has a long record of recruiting and using child soldiers. Another country, Saudi Arabia, has had its own problems with civil rights and continues to be Britain’s leading arms customer. In past years at the DSEI, devices clearly against British law have even been offered up for sale.

 

These problems have not gone unnoticed by London protesters. Human rights activist protested and attempted to block the set up of the event. They also have a protest schedule for each day the event is going on. Advertisements on the sides of buses around London have been replaced with “These visitors make huge amounts of money from weapons and equipment that kill people all over the world.”

 

The other side of the debate continues to say that this event and the British arms industry are important sections of the economy and are essential to jobs and a growing GDP. This is most likely not an understatement. The UK has continued to be the world’s second largest defense exporter, behind only the United States. For this to change it will take aggressive action and legislation by parliament.

 

 

 

For more information, please see:

EurActive – Nations using child soldiers are invited to British arms fair – 14 September 2015

 

Yahoo News – Mega arms fair met with protest in Britain – 15 September 2015

 

Global Information Network – Nations using child soldiers among guests at UK arms fair – 15 September 2015

 

Defense One – UK Invites ‘Countries of Concern’ To Shop for Weapons in London – 15 September 2015

Cuba’s Human Rights to be a Spotlight for Papal Visit

By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, North America and Oceania

HAVANA, Cuba — Democracy activists have been scrambling to get the Pope’s attention: they want him to know that Cuban authorities have been arresting peaceful protesters and violating basic human rights. Laura Labrada Pollan, leader of a Havana group called Ladies in White said, “we are asking for a meeting, a few minutes with Pope Francis, so he can hear it from us, to show him that yes, there are political prisoners in Cuba.”

Workers Prepare for the Arrival of Pope Francis. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters UK)

However, members of Cuba’s fractured and officially illegal opposition party said they see little chance that the trip will bring significant change.

“Pope Francis wants his visit to have a major impact, but he won’t be able to work any miracles, because change depends on the Cuban government’s political will. And it has none,” said Elizardo Sanchez, president of the Cuban Commission on Human Rights.

“Cuba is at a human rights crossroads, with important advances such as the recent release of prisoners of conscience and other activists and a number of positive reforms to its migration laws overshadowed by the government’s determination to deploy new methods to stifle dissent,” said Amnesty International ahead of a state visit by Pope Francis.

Historically, Cuba has had a tenuous relationship with the Holy See.

In 1998, John Paul II called for greater respect for human rights during the first papal visit to Cuba, a historic trip that symbolized a nascent rapprochement between the Church and the one-time atheist state. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI criticized Marxism and spoke of the need for “new models,” considered by some to be a veiled message of disdain for the troubled country’s policies.

Amnesty International and other international organizations have not been allowed to enter Cuba since 1988, when a delegation from Amnesty International went to document the situation of prisoners of conscience and other individuals who were detained for political reasons across the country.

Although the country has been hesitant to allow these organizations to enter its country, Amnesty International claims advances have been made there, including a 2013 reform loosening travel restrictions and the release of political prisoners.

“However, the country still needs to make progress when it comes to allowing people to peacefully express their views without fear of being harassed, detained or attacked,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, the rights group’s director for the Americas.

Over the past few years, authorities in Cuba have switched from a strategy of incarcerating people viewed as political dissidents for long periods of time, to consecutive short term arrests and public smear campaigns.

In an act of goodwill before the visit, Cuban authorities released more than 3,500 prisoners last week, amplifying a gesture also undertaken for the previous papal trips. Cuba is sensitive to criticism of its human rights record, saying it needs to restrain critics it describes as “mercenaries bent on destabilizing the government.”

 

For more information, please see:

LA Times — Pope Francis heading for Havana in first leg of reconciliation tour – 18 September 2015

NBC News — In Cuba, Democracy Activists and Dissidents Hope to Meet with Pope – 18 September 2015

Reuters UK — Pope’s visit to Cuba raises prospect of human rights friction – 18 September 2015

Yahoo! News — Cuban dissidents not expecting miracles from pope visit – 18 September 2015

Amnesty Int’l — Cuba at a human rights crossroads as Pope Francis prepares to visit the country – 17 September 2015

China Releases Activists as Xi Jinping’s U.S. Visit Approaches

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China –

Guo Yushan, a Chinese scholar who aided blind activist Chen Guangcheng in his 2012 house arrest escape, has been conditionally released by Chinese authorities. Mr. Guo was released along with a former colleague, He Zhengjun.

Mr. Guo. (Photo courtesy of the Economic Times)

Mr. Guo was the head of the Transition Institute, a Chinese research institution, before Beijing authorities shut it down in 2013. The organization was pro-democracy and researched social and economic issues in China. Mr. He was the Transition Institute’s administrator.

Li Jin, Mr. Guo’s lawyer, has confirmed that Mr. Guo was released on bail on Tuesday. Li Jinxing, Mr. He’s lawyer, also confirmed his release. The reason for their release is still unclear. Because the release of Mr. Guo and Mr. He is conditional, the charges against them are still in effect and both men could be taken back into police custody.

Mr. Guo and Mr. He were detained at the same time that the Occupy Central protests were occurring in Beijing. Both men were arrested on suspicion of illegal business activity, which included the unlawful printing of books and other publications.

In 2012, Mr. Guo assisted Chen Guangcheng in his escape from China by helping him travel to the United States Embassy in Beijing. Mr. Chen then traveled to the United States, where then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton advocated on his behalf so that he could stay in the United States as a visiting student.

Mr. Guo could have been detained for his role in Mr. Chen’s escape from China. Initially, Mr. Guo was put on house arrest for 81 days, after which he stated in an interview that Chinese police had warned him of more severe consequences for his involvement in the escape. About a year later, Mr. Guo was taken into custody after police raided his apartment in Beijing.

Critics have accused the Chinese government of carefully timing the release of the activists with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming United States’s visit, which is scheduled for later this month. It will be President Xi’s first state visit to the United States since he became president in 2012. Throughout his presidency, President Xi has cracked down on lawyers, human rights activists, and others.

Many critics believe that the release of the activists was a symbolic measure taken to prevent the United States’ criticism of China’s human rights record. Sophie Richardson, the China Director at Human Rights Watch, told The Guardian that the Chinese government has made a series of small concessions in an effort to “keep human rights issues out of the summit”.

 

For more information, please see:

 Associated Press – China releases scholar ahead of its leader’s visit to US – 15 September 2015

The Guardian – Beijing releases activist on eve of Chinese president’s visit to US – 15 September 2015

The New York Times – China Releases Scholar Who Helped Activist Gain Asylum in U.S. – 15 September 2015

Radio Free Asia – China Releases Two NGO Activists ‘On Bail’ Ahead of President’s US Trip – 15 September 2015