Fragile Truce Tested in Ukraine

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor

KIEV, Ukraine – The ceasefire between pro-Russian forces and the Ukrainian military, brokered by France and Germany, is broadly holding at the front line in eastern Ukraine, but the events of the last several days have put new strained on the fragile truce. Pro-Russian fighters in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk are reportedly training for another round of clashes against Ukraine’s government troops. Under the watch of rebel commanders, fighters have fired automatic assault rifles, grenade launchers and even an anti-tank missile at targets propped against refuse discarded by a local mine on Sunday. The training operations came just a day after the murder of Boris Nemtsov, a Putin critic and opponent of the war in Ukraine, who was gunned down in Moscow on Saturday night. Nemtsov was reportedly planning to publish evidence of Russia’s presence in eastern Ukraine.

Volunteers of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People”s Republican guard fire their weapons during training in Donetsk on Sunday March 1, 2015.

“We don’t want this war”, said Yegor, a commander of the rebels, who claim to be serving the new Republican Guard created by the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zacharchenko. “But when we see what’s happening on the other (Ukrainian) side we’re preparing for the worst.”

On Monday the Ukrainian military reported that one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and four more wounded in separatist eastern territories in the past 24 hours. The Ukrainian government reported a sharp drop in attacks from pro-Russian separatists over weekend but warned that rebels may be using the ceasefire as a means of repositioning for future combat. Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko also claimed that pro-Russian rebels continue to receive a “significant” amount of military equipment from neighboring Russia, a claim continually denied by the Putin regime.  “The enemy is moving heavy weapons and military equipment, primarily in the area of Mariupol,” Lysenko said in a televised briefing. “If the situation doesn’t worsen, then the Ukrainian side will continue to pull back weapons. For now the process of withdrawal is ongoing,” Lysenko said.

The United Nations announced on Monday that a sharp escalation in the fighting in eastern Ukraine from mid­-January to mid-February led to the death of at least 842 people and left more than 3,400 people wounded, with hundreds missing and many buried without their deaths being recorded. Ivan Simonovic, the United Nations assistant secretary general, reported that in total more than 6,000 people had been killed since the conflict began last April. “Credible reports indicate a continuing influx of heavy and sophisticated weaponry to armed groups in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as foreign fighters, including from the Russian Federation,” the United Nations Said.

For More Information Please See:

The New York Times – Fighting In Ukraine Has Killed Over 840 since Mid-January, U.N. Says – 2 March 2015

Reuters UK – Pro-Russian Rebels Train For More Fighting Despite Ukraine Truce – 2 March 2015

Reuters – Ukraine’s Military Says One Ukrainian Serviceman Killed In Past 24 Hours – 2 March 2015

Forbes – Nemtsov and the Crisis in Ukraine – 1 March 2015

Assassination of Putin Critic Draws World’s Attention

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – As multiple theories continue to float up about the assassination of Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin wrote a letter to Nemtsov’s Mother promising to find and bring to justice the murderer. Theories currently range anywhere from Putin ordering the assassination of Nemtsov, a strong opponent of Putin’s, to rumors that perhaps an ally of Nemtsov killed him to make him a martyr. Internationally, reactions have been skeptical that Putin is entirely clean from involvement.

A crowd gathers at the site of Nemtsov’s death to create a memorial. (Photo courtesy of The New York Times)

Vladimir Milov, a former deputy minister of energy and co-author of pamphlets created by Nemtsov, believes that Putin was behind the murder “to revive a culture of fear in Moscow.” The Kremlin disagrees, however, stating that they have “half a dozen” leads, and that perhaps Islamic extremists are responsible for the killing.

French president Francois Hollande, British prime minister David Cameron, and European Union foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini all spoke out today to voice disapproval of the killing and demanding a transparent investigation into the murder. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the killing “cowardly,” and Obama asked the Russian government to be “prompt, impartial and transparent” in investigating the murder. Finally, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko commented on the impact Nemtsov had, calling him a “bridge between Ukraine and Russia.”

Other Russian opposition has been fairly outspoken, stating that the killing is clearly a politically motivated move by an increasingly militaristic state, particularly in regards to how Russia has handled the situation in Ukraine. Given that Nemtsov blogged two weeks ago in an interview that he was worried Putin would kill him, and that Putin has subsequently ordered the investigation into Nemtsov’s murder be taken over by Putin’s men rather than the police, many are skeptical that the Kremlin has had no part in the what is being called a “contract killing”.

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – Fear Envelops Russia After Killing of Putin Critic Boris Nemtsov – 28 February 2015

ABC (Australia) – Boris Nemtsov assassination: Russian president Vladimir Putin vows to bring those responsible for ‘vile’ murder to justice – 28 February 2015

BBC – Reaction to death of Boris Nemtsov – 28 February 2015

USA Today – Anti-Putin leader Boris Nemtsov fatally shot in Moscow – 27 February 2015

Report States Chicago Police Detain American Citizens Illegally

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

 

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America – A recent report has found that the Chicago police department has been operating an off-the-books interrogation compound. The facility was described as a warehouse on Chicago’s west side known as Homan Square. The facility has been described as the domestic equivalent of a CIA black site.

The Homon Square Warehouse is allegedly used by the Chicago Police to illegally detain American Citizens. (Photo Courtesy of NY Daily News)

The warehouse is said to contain interrogation cells, and a cage. Police at the site reportedly carry heavy military gear and according to the Guardian, police practices at Homan Square include: keeping detainees out of the official booking databases, beatings by police, shackling for prolonged periods, and denying attorney’s access. Additionally, it has been reported that armored tanks are parked outside the facility.

Individuals taken to Homan Square are not booked, and thus do not have a searchable record indicating where they are located. Therefore, lawyers and relatives are unable to gain access to the detainee. Additionally, lawyers who have attempted to gain access to the warehouse have been turned away. Many local attorneys have states that the operations taking place at the Homon Square location deny the detainees basic constitutional rights. Two attorneys who were admitted access inside Homon Square told the Guardian that the police working at the Homon Square location purposefully withheld information to the individuals housed there regarding there whereabouts.

Brian Jacob Church, who was arrested at a protest in 2012, was detained at the Homan Square location for 17 hours in handcuffs and ankle restrains. He told the Guardian that he was not sure if he would ever be released, stating “Essentially, I wasn’t allowed to make any contact with anybody.” Church also states that while he was being interrogated, he was not read his Miranda rights and was not permitted to call his lawyer for hours after his original arrest.

Homon Square is concerned with more than just terrorism. It is said to focus on poor black American citizens. There is also alleged to be several special units, which operate exclusively to investigate drugs and gangs.

 

For more information, please see the following:

ALJAZEERA – Chicago Police Slammed For Hidden Interrogations – 25 Feb. 2015.

BUSINESS INSIDER – Chicago Police Are Detaining Americans At An Abuse-Laden ‘Black Site’ – 24 Fe. 2015.

THE GUARDIAN – The Disappeared: Chicago Police Detain Americans At Abuse-Laden ‘Black Site’ – 24 Fe. 2015.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS – Chicago Police Detain Americans in ‘Black Site’ – 25 Feb. 2015.