Venezuela Elected to UN Security Council

By Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela — Today Venezuela was victorious in their bid to fill a temporary seat on the UN Security Council.  Angola, New Zealand and Malaysia were also successful in their bids.  In another round of voting Turkey lost their bid to Spain.

It is speculated that the daughter of Hugo Chavez will play a more prominent role in international politics after Venezuela was elected to the security council.  Maria Gabriela Chavez is Venezuela’s deputy ambassador at the UN mission.

UN Security Council | Image courtesy of Britannica.com

It took 181 votes from member states to secure one of five rotating seats on the Council.  Before the vote, special attention had been on Turkey, who has been under consistent pressure to do more concerning war in Syria.

Venezuela’s socialist government was unopposed for the single seat allocated to Latin America and the Caribbean. Venezuela’s foreign minister, Rafael Ramirez, dedicated “this huge triumph” to Chávez and said it came despite a “malign campaign against our country”.

The United States, which shut-down Venezuela’s last attempt to join the security council in 2006, did not discuss how it voted in the secret ballot.  Ten countries abstained from the vote.

Though Venezuela’s partners are United States enemies, the US chose to not publicly oppose Venezuela this year.  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has close ties with Syria’s Bashar Assad and Iran and he has shown support for Russia over the Ukraine in the crisis.

Rights observers expressed concern over some of the newly elected council members. Philippe Bolopion, the UN director of Human Rights Watch, said: “The security council’s new membership could prove more problematic on human rights issues, with several generally rights-friendly countries leaving and others coming on board with poor voting records.

“This is particularly true of Venezuela, which has consistently challenged protection efforts at the [UN] Human Rights Council, but also of Angola and Malaysia, which need to demonstrate a more human rights-oriented approach in New York than they did in Geneva.”

The new members will join the council on 1 January and serve to the end of 2016. The five will replace Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda.

There are five permanent Council members, which each wield the power of veto, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Along with Lithuania, the non-permanent members that will remain on the Council until the end of 2015 are Chad, Chile, Jordan, and Nigeria.

Described in the UN Charter, the Security Council is responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. Each of the Council’s members has one vote. Under the Charter, all UN Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.

For more information, please see: 

the guardian – Venezuela elected to UN security council – 16 Oct. 2014

UN News Centre – Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela elected to serve on UN Security Council – 16 Oct. 2014

BBC News – Turkey loses out on UN Security Council seat – 16 Oct. 2014

ABC News – Venezuela Jubilant Over UN Security Council Win – 16 Oct. 2014

 

Prisoners Riot and Hold Wardens Hostage At Guarapuava Jail in Brazil

By Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil — The riot that began at Guarapuava jail Monday, has dissipated today.  Most of the hostages were released with injuries, but no deaths have been reported.

 

Prisoners hang warden upside down during riot. / photo courtesy of dailymail.co

Monday, on their way to work at a construction site several prisoners overpowered guards.  The prisoners took 13 guards hostage and control of the prison.  Shortly after they were taken hostage three of the guards were freed.

Following a two-day standoff the other ten hostages were released.  A local official said the “rebellion” ended when prisoners demands to be transferred to other facilities was granted.

Initially, the prisoners had a long list of demands including: better food, treatment, conditions and the transfer of some prisoners to other penitentiaries.

For Brazil, jail riots seem to be as common as weekdays.  This is Brazil’s 21 prison riot this year.  Brazil has the world’s fourth largest prison, with 500,000 inmates held in prisons equipped to hold 300,000 people.

A spokesman for the Parana state’s justice secretary said 28 prisoners involved in the riot would be transferred from Guarapuava jail to other detention centres in the region.

News broadcast of the rebellion showed the inmates on the roof of the prison holding the guards, whom they had stripped of their clothes.  Prisoners were armed with knives and clubs beating some of the disrobed guards and fellow inmates atop a prison building roof.  At least six men were injured when they were thrown from the roof onto the ground below.  One report noted that guards were set on fire before being thrown from the roof.  At one point the prisoners tied up a warden by his feet and dangled him off the roof.

Prison riots in Brazil often turn extremely violent. Five people were killed in August in a riot in Cascavel prison also in Parana, two of them were decapitated.

Earlier this year the UN called for an investigation into the high number of violent deaths in Brazil’s prisons, after previous riots at a jail in the north left dozens of people dead.

For more information, please see: 

BBC News – Brazil prisoners end hostage drama at Guarapuava jail – 15 Oct. 2014

Aljazeera – Brazil Prison Guards Held Hostage by Inmates  – 14 Oct. 2014

Int’l Business Times – Rioting Brazilian Prisoners Set Fire to Guards and Throw Them From Rooftops – 14 Oct. 2014

dailymail.co.uk – Horrifying Moment Warden held hostage by inmates at Brazilian jail has his feet bound and is DANGLED from the roof of the prison – 15 Oct. 2014

 

Shia Militias Operate Outside the Law in Iraq

By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, The Middle East

 

Baghdad, Iraq 

The predominantly Shia government of Iraq has been accused of giving Shia militant groups impunity to terrorize the Sunni population in response to the attacks by the predominately Sunni forces of ISIS. The government of Iraq has responded that it fairly governs all its citizens, Shia’s and Sunni alike. The Iraqi government has been unable to halt the advance of ISIS as it rolls across Northern Iraq, Amnesty groups have said that it is now mostly Shia militant groups that have been in combat with ISIS forces.

The Shia militia groups are estimated to a combine to be in the tens of thousands. After ISIS seized the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for volunteers to reinforce the military, who had suffered several defeats to ISIS forces. The Shia militias answered the call; they have military equipment and operate with impunity across Iraq but do not formally answer to the Iraqi government and are not prosecuted for crimes they commit.

The Shia militias have ben accused of abducting hundreds of Sunni civilians in response to terror attacks by ISIS targeting Shia civilians. There have been stories reported to Amnesty International, telling how even after their families have paid the ransom demanded by the militias the abductees were still killed by the militias. Ransoms have been reported to be as high as $80,000 for Sunni’s that are abducted, in most cases the average Iraqi can’t afford to pay such a high ransom.

Sunni insurgents, mainly ISIS fighters and operatives have targeted Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad and across Iraq with car bombs and other attacks. The Shia militias respond with kidnappings and killings and the cycle continues. The Iraqi government is powerless to combat either group. ISIS has already proven to be too much to handle for the Iraq military, capturing large swaths of Iraqi territory. On the other hand, the government needs the Shia militias for their own protection, they don’t have the power to fight ISIS on their own and rely on the numbers that the militias can bring to combat ISIS. The Iraqi military has had difficulty recruiting soldiers to fight ISIS, the Shia militias are much better at recruiting members to fight ISIS and is one of the main reasons why the militias have taken large responsibilities in the defense of Iraqi territory.

For more information, please see:

BBC News — Iraq: Shia Militias “Killing Sunnis in Reprisal Attacks” — 14 October 2014

ABC News — Rights Groups: Iraq Shiite Militants Killing Sunnis — 14 October 2014

CBC News — Iraq’s Shia Militias Kill Sunni Civillians in Retaliation Against ISIS, Amnesty Says — 14 October 2014

The Independent — Iraq Descends into Anarchy: Shia Militias Abducting and Killing Sunni Civilians in Revenge for ISIS Attacks — 14 October 2014 

Riot at Albania-Serbia Match Fueled by Political Underpinnings

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BELGRADE, Serbia – A Euro 2016 qualifying match between Albania and Serbia ended abruptly due to a drone carrying a controversial flag that interrupted the game and sparked a riot.

Serbian player Stefan Mitrovic takes down the “Greater Albania” flag that sparked the riot. (Photo courtesy of RT)

Around 41 minutes into the match, a drone flew over the stadium while carrying a flag depicting the “Greater Albania”, which was shown to include Kosovo. When Serbian player Stefan Mitrovic took down the flag, a brawl quickly erupted. Martin Atkinson, an English referee on the field, tried to take players off the field, but it was too late. A brawl erupted between the two teams, with referees and fans soon finding themselves in the middle of it as well.

Two political figures were also on the flag. The first, Isa Boljetini, was an Albanian nationalist who led uprisings against the Serbs and Ottomans in 1912 and 1913. The second figure was Ismail Qemali, the founder of the modern Albanian state, which gained independence back in 1912.

While some countries recognize Kosovo’s independence, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, other countries do not. Even after Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, Serbia is among those countries that do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

Olsi Rama, brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, was detained by police on suspicion of being the one responsible for the drone. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, however, insisted Rama be released and allowed back home.

This was the first match Albania has played in Belgrade since 1967, and given the ethnic war in 1999 and Kosovo’s independence in 2008 that have happened since, tensions were already high going into the match. Away fans were not present, and so once the fighting began, the Albanian team was outnumbered. Serbian captain, Branislav Ivanovic, claims that his team “shielded the Albanian players every step of the way to the tunnel.” Albanian captain, Lorik Cana, reports that his players were “being attacked and hit even inside the tunnel, and even by the stewards.” Furthermore, Albania’s coach, Giovanni de Biazzi, reports that four of his players were injured from the incident.

For more information, please see:

CNN – Serbia and Albania game abandoned after drone invasion sparks brawl – 15 October 2014

Reuters – Serbia-Albania match abandoned following drone stunt, brawl – 15 October 2014

The Guardian – Albania and Serbia face heavy Uefa sanctions after abandoned game – 15 October 2014

The Telegraph – Serbia accuses Albania of ‘terrorist action’ with drone carrying flag as both countries charge by Uefa for violence – 15 October 2014

The Washington Post – UPDATED: Drone toting pro-Albanian flag causes riots that end Albania vs. Serbia Euro 2016 qualifier early – 14 October 2014

Hong Kong Protesters Re-gather after Talks Collapse

By Hojin Choi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

HONG KONG, China – “The Umbrella Revolution” has not ended. The number of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, which once dropped down to few hundreds, is re-growing as the meeting between the government and the protest leaders has been cancelled. Reportedly, the number is now estimated at tens of thousands, and tension is elevating with worry that violent clashes will soon ensue.

The Hong Kong Chief Secretary announced on Saturday that the government cancelled the meeting scheduled for Sunday. He said the government would not have any conversation unless the students accept the legal framework of the 2017 election announced by Beijing. There seems to be no way to reach an agreement between the two groups, the government and the student-led protesters, because Beijing’s decision on the 2017 election was the main trigger of the mass protest. The student leaders made it clear that they cannot disperse unless the Hong Kong government at least agrees to represent their views to Beijing.

Protesters wearing masks and goggles (Bloomberg)

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who has been pressured by the protesters to resign, said the protesters are making “impossible” demands. This is because, according to Leung, there is “almost zero chance” that Beijing will revoke its earlier decision about the 2017 election. A Chinese state-run newspaper editorial described the protesters demand as “arrogant and ignorant.”

Beijing wants to nominate pro-Beijing candidates chosen by the Communist Party, but the Hong Kong people want an open and democratic nomination by the public. Leung also added that the police might have to use the least level of force since the protests have “spun out of control.” The current Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Leung, was elected by a small number of voters, about 1,200 who were mostly pro-Beijing.

The current situation in Hong Kong is becoming acute. Once, the protest seemed to be over when the protesters let government officials return back to their work places. This was to partially accept the government’s request. A few hundred students remained to continue the protest while police forces kept a distance not to provoke them. However, after the meeting was canceled, the number of protesters rose back to tens of thousands. According to Bloomberg and CNN, the police moved barricades out of the street. This was understood to be a gesture signaling to protesters that the police would be ready to take any immediate action as needed.

Hong Kong Police removing barricades and watching protesters’ reaction (Bloomberg)

Conflicts between pro-democracy and pro-Beijing protesters have been alleviated to a degree. Accordingly, the pro-Beijing group gathered at several places opposite the “Occupy Central” movement. CNN reported on Monday that police had to stand between the two groups as they clashed when the pro-Beijing group attempted to remove barricades reinstated by the pro-democratic protesters. The pro-Beijing groups gave a deadline to clear the streets, the end of Tuesday, to both the students and the police, or they will clear the area by themselves.

For more information please see:

CNN – Scuffles as protest opponents try to tear down Hong Kong barricades – 13 October 2014

The Washington Post – Hong Kong chief says protesters are making ‘impossible’ demands – 12 October 2014

Bloomberg – Hong Kong Police Remove Some Barricades to Shrink Protest Site – 12 October 2014

The New York Times – Police Move on Barricades; Hong Kong Leader Rejects Protesters’ Appeal – 12 October 2014