U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Accuses Sri Lankan Government of Attempting to Sabotage War Crimes Inquiry
By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch, Managing Editor
SRI JAYAWARDENEPURA KOTTE, Sri Lanka – The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein accused the Sri Lankan government of trying to “sabotage” a war crimes inquiry by creating a “wall of fear” to prevent witnesses from giving evidence. The U.N. Human Rights Council set up an inquiry in March to investigate war crimes allegedly committed by both government forces and Tamil rebels, known as the Tamil Tigers, during the final stages of a 26-year war that ended in 2009. “The Government of Sri Lanka has refused point blank to cooperate with the investigation despite being explicitly requested by the Human Rights Council to do so,” Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said in his statement. “A wall of fear has been created that has undoubtedly served to deter people from submitting evidence,” he said.” “Such a refusal does not, however, undermine the integrity of an investigation set up by the Council – instead it raises concerns about the integrity of the government in question. Why would governments with nothing to hide go to such extraordinary lengths to sabotage an impartial international investigation?” The government has allegedly practiced surveillance and harassment intended to deter people from submitting evidence Commissioner Zeid said, calling it “unacceptable conduct for any member state of the United Nations which has committed to uphold the U.N. Charter.”
The government of Sri Lanka has refused to cooperate with the investigation into allegations of abuses by both government soldiers and members of the Tamil Tiger rebel organization. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris “expressed strong displeasure at the selective and biased approach” of the investigation and said it infringed “on the basic norms of justice and fair play.” Zeid rejected Peiris’s accusations, saying his office had many years of experience with similar inquiries into violations.
According to an earlier report published by the United Nations, as many as 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians may were killed during the last months of the country’s quarter-century civil war. The report alleged both sides of the conflict bore responsibility for war crimes and other violations of human rights. The report claimed the government may have deliberately shelled civilians and hospitals as well as blocked food and medicine intended for civilians trapped in the war zone. The rebels were accused of recruiting child soldiers and using civilian populations as human shields. After resisting demands for an internal investigation for years, the Sri Lankan government appointed a three-member commission to inquire into cases of war disappearances.
The Sri Lankan Civil War was born out of the long history of ethnic conflict between the Island’s majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamil population. The Tamil minority faced a long history of civil and economic discrimination preventing social mobility and political participation. The Tamil militia, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or the Tamil tigers became one of the first militia groups to use Suicide bombing as a terror tactic. The organization is listed as a terrorist organization by 32 countries including the United States which sent a military advisory team to the island in 2005. The Sri Lankan government responded harshly to the Tamil Tigers, it been accused on increasingly discriminating against the Tamil community, treating anyone from the community as a potential militant, including children.
For more information please see:
ABC News – UN Rights Chief Blasts Sri Lankan Attacks on Probe – 7 November 2014
The New York Times – U.N. Rights Chief Says Sri Lanka Is Obstructing – 7 November 2014
Reuters – U.N.’S Zeid Accuses Sri Lanka of Trying to Sabotage War Crimes Probe – 7 November 2014
United Nations News Centre – UN Rights Chief Condemns ‘Disinformation Campaign’ To Discredit Sri Lanka Probe – 7 November 2014
Parents of Ferguson Teen Testified Before U.N. Committee Against Torture
By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America – After the shooting of an African-American teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri and the number of racially charged protests that have risen in its aftermath, the parents of the teen testified Tuesday before a United Nations Committee Against Torture. Currently, citizens of St. Louis and the smaller town of Ferguson are awaiting the grand jury decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed Brown. Last week, the grand jury heard from Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by the Brown family’s attorney to perform an autopsy. This was the third autopsy performed.
Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown’s parents, traveled to Switzerland to testify as part of the delegation of human rights advocates organized by the U.S. Human Rights Network. The Browns made a statement against police brutality and voiced their concerns over the ongoing events in Ferguson. They wished to relay the message to members of the U.N. committee and recommended them to bring an end to racially biased policing tactics and racial-profiling by officers in the Ferguson area. The family also requested a nationwide investigation examining police brutality and harassment in minority communities. The statement released by Brown’s family calls for recommendations that would apply to the entire United States, including the Department of Justice.
The family’s testimony to the committee took place behind closed doors, but a statement released last week says that Brown’s killing and the force used by the police during protests “represent violations of the Convention against Torture….” According to its website, “the Committee Against Torture is the body of 10 independent experts that monito[r] implementation of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by its State parties.” Brown’s family hopes that by speaking in Switzerland, the U.N. will expose thee issues to the rest of the world.
On 24 October, Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Michael Brown’s family said, “All Michael Brown’s family has asked from day one is equal justice for their son. The concept of due process, this notion of all the law in the legal proceedings being fair for them, just like it is for a police officer.” Lawyers for Officer Wilson have chosen not to speak to the media.
For more information, please see the following:
CNN – Michael Brown’s Parents Address U.N.: “We Need the World To Know’ – 12 Nov. 2014.
FOX NEWS – Michael Brown Case: Ferguson Teen’s Parents and Double Standard – 15 Nov. 2014.
HUFFINGTON POST – Michael Brown’s Parents Advocate For Human Rights To U.N. Committee Against Torture – 13 Nov. 2014.
USA TODAY – Michael Brown’s Parents Testify at U.N. Hearing – 12 Nov. 2014.
The untold story of Syria’s smallest victims: The “bucket children”
By: Ashley Repp
News Desk Reporter, Middle East
East Ghouta-Syria
In an area the UN has declared one of the most dangerous places on earth, roam young Syrians carrying pots and pails. They are called Syria’s “bucket children,” and as their world, safety, and health deteriorate around them, these youngsters will roam up to 15 kilometers a day in a desperate search for scraps of food; anything edible to get them, and their families, by for another day. After the war sufficiently devastated the East Ghouta area in 2012, little food has made its way to the markets. With few survival options, despairing parents send their children out in groups to search for scraps. And while many of these children smile for photos, and enjoy a sense of comradery as they search for food together, their situation is dire.
The psychological and developmental implications of homelessness, war, and hunger, are incredibly grave. The bucket children suffer from severe malnutrition in many cases, and while they endlessly search for food, their brains become trained to focus solely on hunger and finding sustenance. As a result, psychologists concede that most of these children will have serious developmental delays and will struggle to concentrate on quite tasks, including reading and writing. The devastating impact malnutrition has on development and cognitive ability cannot be overstated, and the longer malnutrition continues, the more irreversible and serious the effects are on brain and physical development.
The bucket children are also exposed to serious dangers to their person when they venture out onto the streets to search for food. The children are often sexually assaulted or physically abused while out on their search. They are also exposed to sniper fire and crossfire. Death and injury become part and parcel of the fight for survival on the war torn streets.
Further compounding the issues of food shortage, is the difficulty many NGO and IGO organizations have in obtaining permission from the Syrian government to enter the country and distribute food and supplies to those in most serious need. It is nearly impossible for these organizations to have any impact, and many are ready and willing to help these bucket children and their families. And while aide waits at the door for permission to enter Syria, the dire conditions in which these children live deteriorate further with each passing day, as the war rages on around them. Without access to food and safety, most of these children do not have promising fates, and many will die as they struggle to survive another day, buckets in hand.
For more information, please visit:
Al Jazeera- Syria’s bucket children desperate for aide– 10 Nov., 2014
UNICEF- Syria Children’s Appeal
NBC- Hungry, homeless, helpless, Syria’s children know too much about war
Save the Children- Help and hope for Syria’s children and refugees
Pirate attacks in the Niger Delta; Government left to pay over $131 million in ransoms
By: Ashley Repp
News Desk Reporter, Africa
Abuja, Nigeria-
Though the international community began to associate piracy with the waters off of the coast of Somalia, the piracy practice is even more rampant off of the coast of West Africa. And while world piracy rates have largely fallen throughout most of the world, recently, the number of attacks on ships near Nigeria has increased. In the final days of last month, two attacks in the same week sent shock waves through the Niger delta region, and intelligence suggests that rate of attacks is likely to continue to rise, as elections are coming up. Intelligence sources assert that election time will likely contribute to increased rates of pirate attacks in the region, particularly because many of those campaigning will procure support and funds from illegal sources. In order to generate some of these funds, piracy will come into play as an economic resource.
In the two recent October attacks, over a dozen people were abducted, several were killed. In one of the attacks, the primary target was the gun boat, as it had a store of arms. In both of these cases, the pirates had more fire power than the police forces, and easily overpowered security. Furthermore, the ships were both oil company ships, which are typical pirate targets. In recent decades, piracy rose with rise of oil production in the Niger Delta, and then fell again. In fact, until the past few years, pirate attacks occurred on an almost basis. Many seafarers and security in the region are concerned that another spike in pirate attacks is at the doorstep of the Niger Delta, and the possibility of returning back to an era of daily pirate attacks is terrifying for many.
It is likely that the abducted men are being held as hostages. As they work for oil companies, the pirates offer equate holding these men hostages with a hefty ransom. According to the Contemporary Maritime Piracy Database, it has cost the Nigerian government and companies over $131 Million dollars in just the last three years alone to recover abducted men and pay pirate ransoms. This is no small price to pay for a government that already struggles financially, but with such high level oil drilling on Nigerian soil, piracy is likely to continue to remain a problematic and dangerous reality, not only for the government, but for those working on the ships and security boats.
For more information, please visit:
BBC News- Danger Zone: Chasing West Africa’s Pirates– 13 Nov., 2014
Times Live- Priates Hijack Gunboat, Kidnap Workers in Niger Delta– 28 Oct., 2014
Sahara Reporters- Niger Delta Pirates Seize Police Gunboat, Kill Four Policemen and Kidnap Six Oil Workers in Bayelsa– 25 Oct., 2014
gCaptain- Pirates Launch Deadly Niger Delta Attacks– 27 Oct., 2014