Security Council Members Urged to Spare Veto in Cases of Mass Atrocity

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

United Nations Headquarters, United Nations – More than two dozen foreign ministers have urged permanent members of United Nations Security Council to avoid using the veto power in matters that involve mass atrocities including genocide. The Security Council has been criticized for failing to produce resolution to respond to mass-atrocities committed by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebel groups including the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) during the Syrian civil war which has raged on for more than three years. Several resolutions on Syria proposed by members of the United Nation’s most powerful body have been vetoed by Russia and China.

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius urged fellow UN Security council members to hold back using veto powers when dealing with issues of mass-atrocities (Photo courtesy of the Irish Independent)

France, which is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council is proposing that the France, The United States and The United Kingdom voluntarily refrain from using the veto in what French foreign minister Laurent Fabius called “mass crimes”. “We cannot stay paralyzed,” He said calling for an agreement by next year’s 70th anniversary of the UN’s founding.

Sir Mark Lyall Grant, The United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the United Nations, expressed support for France’s proposal saying, “The UK is appalled by its recent abuse at the expense of millions of suffering civilians.” United States Ambassador Samantha Power  did not express specific support for the Fabius’ proposal but criticizes the China and Russia’s vetoes on the Syrian issue, the United States has used its veto power more than two dozen times on issues involving Israel.

“We can even ask ourselves whether ISIL would have gained the foothold it has if the Security Council had been able to come together,” she said, using an acronym for the Islamic State extremist group that has seized huge parts of both Syria and Iraq. Neither Russia nor China sent its ambassador to United Nations to the meeting and China’s representative suggested that Security Council members should “fully consult” with each other to keep disputed draft resolutions from reaching a vote.

Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin has maintained that Russia will oppose any change to veto rules. Vitaly Churkin’s deputy Alexander Pankin reiterated Russia’s concerns asking what mechanism the UN Secretary General would resort to in order to limit a Security Council member state’s right to use veto. Russia’s representative said the veto repeatedly protected the council from “doubtful undertakings” and asked skeptically how secretary general Ban Ki-Moon would determine what qualified as a mass atrocity. Earlier this year Ban Ki-moon called Syrian conflict an “extraordinarily brutal war” and warned that the UN’s credibility would suffer if was unable to help end it.

Earlier this year both Russia and China vetoed a draft UN resolution calling for the crisis in Syria to be referred to the international criminal court – ignoring support for the measure by 65 other states and all 13 remaining members of the Security Council. Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s UN ambassador, dismissed that vote as a “publicity stunt.

“Moscow and Beijing can veto a resolution but they can’t suppress the desire for justice by the Syrian people and the dozens of governments that stood for their rights,” said Richard Dicker, international justice director at Human Rights Watch in response to the vetoes. “With the Syrian crisis entering a fourth year, atrocities raging on all sides, and the death toll skyrocketing well over 150,000, Russia and China’s vote for continued impunity is a disgrace.”

For more information please see:

Irish Independent – UN’s Big Guns Urged to Limit Veto – 26 September 2014

RIA Novosti (Russian State Media) – Russia Vows to Oppose Push to Change UN Veto Rules – 26 September 2014

The Associated Press – Security Council Urged to Spare Veto in Atrocities – 25 September 2014

The Guardian – Russia and China Veto UN Move to Refer Syria to International Criminal Court – 22 May 2014

Brazil Tries to Curb Dengue Fever with ‘Good Mosquito’ Release

By Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian researchers have released thousands of mosquitoes infected with a bacteria that suppress dengue fever.

Genetically modified mosquitoes. Photo courtesy of International Business Times

The researchers believe that the mosquitoes will multiply, breed and become the majority of mosquitoes.  They hope this will reduce cases of the disease.  The initiative is actually a part of a larger program also taking place in Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Dengue fever, is a mosquito-borne infection that causes a severe flu-like illness.  The more severe forms include dengue shock syndrome and dengue hemorrhagic fever.  Dengue fever must be treated before it turns into dengue shock syndrome or dengue hemorrhagic fever.  Dengue fever is commonly found in urban areas of subtropical and tropical climates, such as Central and South America, various parts of Africa and Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The intracellular bacteria the mosquitoes were infected with, Wolbachia, cannot be transmitted to humans.

The program started in 2012.  “Transparency and proper information for the household is a priority.” said Luciano Moreira of the Brazilian research institute Fiocruz, who is leading the project in Brazil.  “Our teams performed weekly visits to the four neighborhoods in Rio being targeted.  Mosquitoes were analyzed after collection in special traps.”

Ten thousand mosquitoes will be released each month for four months, the first release was in Tubiacanga, in the north of Rio.

The bacterium Wolbachia is found in 60% of insects.  Wolbachia acts as a vaccine for the mosquito which carries dengue, Aedes aegypti, stopping the dengue virus multiplying in its body.

Aedes mosquitoes with Wolbachia become predominant without researchers having to constantly release more contaminated insects.

The program has already proved successful in Australia.  Within 10 weeks on average Wolbachia mosquitoes became predominant.

Three more neighborhoods will be targeted next.  There will be large scale studies to evaluate the effect of the strategy possibly in 2016.

Dengue fever re-emerged in Brazil in 1981 after an absence of more than 20 years.  In the following 30 years, seven million cases were reported.

Brazil leads the world in the number of dengue cases, with 3.2 million cases and 800 deaths reported in the 2009-14 period.  The disease continues to have implications for Brazil’s public health system and economy.  There was large concern about dengue fever in Brazil during the World Cup.

For more information, please see:

BBC News — Brazil Releases ‘Good’ Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue Fever — 24 Sept. 2014

The Malay Mail Online — Researchers Release ‘Good’ Mosquitoes to Suppress Dengue Fever in Brazil — 26 Sept. 2014

International Business Times — Brazil Releases Thousands of ‘Good’ Mosquitos to Combat Dengue Fever — 25 Sept. 2014

The New Age Online — Brazil Releases Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Dengue Fever — 25 Sept. 2014

Australia Expands Laws to Face Terrorist Threat

By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania 

 

Canberra, Australia 

The Australian Senate has passed a new bill in response to the recent foreign and domestic terrorist threats facing Australia. The new legislation will make it easier for intelligence and law enforcement agencies to access the personal information on computers and cell phones of Australian citizens overseas. The bill would also create an increased penalty of up to 10 years in prison for disclosing secret information, this is especially concerning for journalists, who are concerned that they will be targeted with these new penalties. Lastly the new legislation gives civil and criminal immunity to Australian intelligence agents. The government was quick to comment that the immunity would not be extended to those agents that caused death, serious injury, engaged in sexual offenses or severe damage to property.

IS TERROR SUSPECT RAIDS
Australian police outside a house in Sydney during raids last Thursday (Photo Curtesy of SBS)

The Parliament has pushed for these new laws in response to major counter terrorist operations in recent weeks, where Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies foiled an ISIS plot to stage a public beheading in Sydney. There have also been smaller incidents, including a number of arrests involving ISIS recruiters operating in Australia. The Australian response was to lift restrictions on the intelligence community however; the political opposition parties are voicing their disapproval. Both the Liberal Democratic Party as well as the Green Party has stated that these new laws will effectively restrict freedom of the press. The major concern is that if the press is not able to report on intelligence activities then democracy in Australia will be undermined.

Another major concern of the opposition groups was that torture could be included in the new laws. Prime Minister Tony Abbott gave a speech in response to this rumor that torture would not be included in the new legislation and that it will remain outlawed in Australia. The legal immunity was also explicitly stated to not cover incidents of torture. It has only  been in the last few weeks that Australia responded to a call from the U.S. to aide international efforts in combating ISIS. In response to that call Australia deployed troops abroad, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott stating that Australia was not out of the reach of the ISIS threat. Shortly after the deployment announcement, ISIS became very active in Australia, evident from a foiled terrorist plot as well as a slew of arrests. Now Australia has adapted their laws to face the new threat but many worry that it will lead to injustice.

For more information, please see:

ABC News — Senate Passes New Counter-Terrorism Giving Stronger Powers to Intelligence Agency ASIO — 25 September 2014

The Guardian — Torture Ruled Out of Counter- Terrorism Laws For Australian Security Agencies — 21 September 2014

The Guardian — Australia’s Counter- Terror Laws Will Restrict our Free Speech and Free Press — 21 September 2014

SBS — What Will the Counter- Terror Laws Mean for Australians? — 24 September 2014

UN General Assembly Focuses on Traditional Topics As Well As Ebola and ISIS

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America – On Tuesday 23 September 2014, more than 140 heads of state and government gathered in New York City for the 69th annual United Nations general assembly. With the current state of world affairs this year’s agenda took on new crises, including the rise of Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria, the Ebola outbreak, and the ongoing civil strife between Ukraine and Russia. However, traditional topics such as nuclear weapons and climate change were also discussed.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon spoke in New York at the Climate Change Summit on 23 Sept 2014 (photo courtesy of Time).

On Wednesday, the United Nation Security Council convened at a special session chaired by United States President, Barack Obama, in order to reach an international agreement regarding disarming ISIS. The agreement seeks to sever the flow of funds and weapons to extremist groups. Thus, straining the rapid development of extremist groups such as ISIS.

In addition to addressing the concerns regarding security issues in the Middle East, United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, focused on the U.N. Climate Summit. Kerry states that it is “absolutely imperative” for the world to curb the impact of climate change immediately.

Additionally, the Ebola outbreak in Africa was a highly discussed matter at the summit. Last week, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution addressing the rapid spreading of Ebola, calling it an “international peace and security threat.” The resolution called for field hospitals to be set up in outbreak areas, along with all U.N. member nations to provide assistance in the form of qualified staff and supplies.

Since the first case of Ebola was discovered, it has claimed the lives of more than 2,7000 individuals. The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, stated at a recent press conference, “Ebola is an exponential crisis that demands an exceptional global response.” President Obama also addressed the issue at the summit, and asked world leaders to provide more assistance in the form of funds and medical aid to the affected countries.

 

For more information, please see the following:

NEW YORK TIMES – President Obama to Address U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday – 23 Sept. 2014.

TIME – UN General Assembly Kicks Off in New York City – 23 Sept. 2014.

US NEWS – Obama Tackles ISIS, Ebola, and a Nuclear Iran at U.N. General Assembly – 24 Sept. 2014.

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Transcript: Obama’s Address to the United Nations General Assembly – 24 Sept. 2014.