Fijian Police Investigate Violent Shooting Shown in a YouTube Video

By Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

 

Suva, Fiji

To add to the mounting domestic struggles in the island nation of Fiji in the wake of elections and government repression, a YouTube video has surfaced claimed to be showing a Fijian fishing crew being gunned down just outside Fijian waters as they clung to their submerged craft. Fijian police have yet to identify the victims in the video, confirm that they are indeed Fijian citizens or that it actually occurred in the South Pacific. The amateur video shows the assailants on another boat laughing and taking selfies in the wake of the killings. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that the vessel the assailants were on has been identified as a Taiwanese tuna fishing vessel. The vessel in question has had its  Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) turned off for the past three months and has not been located since. The Taiwanese fishing boat is reported to have been licensed to fish for tuna in the waters around Southern Australia and New Zealand last year.

IW #11 Fiji Fishing Shooting
In a still from the video one of the victims clings to the wreckage of his boat as bullets tear into the water around him.
(Photo Curtesy of the Daily Mail)

A Fijian college student originally uploaded the video to YouTube. Police say that the student found a mobile phone left inside a taxi that contained the video. The Fijian authorities have asked for help from Interpol to further the investigation.

The Fiji Tuna Boat Owners Association President, Mr. Southwick has stated that he believes the video actually originates from the coast of Somalia. It has been recorded that Taiwanese tuna crews have been making record catches of tuna off the coast of Somalia in recent years and have been risking the pirate infested waters ever since. It is Mr. Southwick’s contention that the incident shown in the video is actually a well-known event that occurred off the coast of Somalia. Somali pirates attempted to board a tuna boat but were shot by armed guards on the boat.

There is no evidence linking the video to Fiji or any evidence to reveal the victims in the video or indeed whether they are the victims in the situation at all. Even though the fishing boat had been previously licensed in the south pacific it is not uncommon for the boat to move to different waters. However, Southwick went on to say that he is aware that violence often erupts in pacific waters. The completion for tuna has grown quickly in recent years as tuna has become rare and where large amounts of money are at stake there is always a possibility for foul play.

For more information, please see:

ABC News Australia — Men Shot at Sea: Fiji Police Told Gruesome Video Showing Men Being Shot at Sea Originated in Somalia — 19 August 2014

The Guardian — “Fijian Fisherman Being Shot” Video Posted on YouTube — 19 August 2014

The Sydney Morning Herald — Fiji Police Investigate High- SeasShooting Video — 19 August 2014

The Daily Mail — Shot at Sea: Shocking Video Posted on YouTube Appears to Show Fisherman “Murdered” in Fiji — 19 August 2014 

 

 

Washington Post Considers The Word ‘Redskins’ A Slur And Refuses to Use the Word In It’s Opinion Columns

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America – The editorial board of the Washington Post has decided to no longer use the word “Redskins” when referring to Washington’s professional football team in opinion articles. The board stated that the term degrades Native Americans and was the reasoning behind their decision.

The Washington Post editorial board says that the word ‘Redskins’ is a slur and it’s opinion columns will no longer use such word (Photo Courtesy of The Washington Post).

Washington Post’s editorial board operates separately from the news staff and controls only the paper’s opinion pages. The Post’s newsgathering side will continue to use the Redskins name.

The Post’s editorial board stated, “We have decided that, except when it is essential for clarity or effect, we will no longer use the slur ourselves,” and continued to state, “that’s the standard we apply to all offensive vocabulary, and the team name unquestionably offends not only many Native Americans but many other Americans, too.” The board also made it a point to state that it did not think that fans who supported the team’s name had racist feelings towards Native Americans.

Opposition to the name has been extant since the 1960’s. However, the campaign has recently taken off as a result of efforts made by the Oneida Indian Nation. Ray Halbritter, the representative of the New York State tribe, and Jacqueline Pata, the executive director of the National Congress of American Indians calls the Post’s decision, “appropriate and honorable.”

The owner of the Washington Redskins, Daniel Snyder, who bought the team in 1999, has refused to change the name, and says that he honors Native Americans. Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner and a group of Redskins players have voiced their support for Snyder’s opposition to change the team’s name. Snyder has come under pressure from U.S. Senators, journalists, newspapers, and the President to change the team’s name.

In June, the U.S. patent office cancelled six of the trademarks belonging to the Redskins, due to their finding that the team name is a slur against Native Americans, thus making it ineligible for trademark protection. The team has decided to appeal the patent office’s decision, which would ultimately force the franchise to drop the team’s name.

 

For information, please see the following:

BBC – Washington Post Editorial Board abandons ‘Redskins’ – 22 August 2014.

NEW YORK TIMES – Washington Post Editorial Board No Longer Using Word ‘Redskins’ – 22 August 2014.

REUTERS – Washington Post Editorial Board No Longer Using Word ‘Redskins’ – 22 August 2014. 

WASHINGTON POST – Washington Post Editorial Board Stops Using the Word ‘Redskins’ – 22 August 2014.

 

 

 

The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre: Lessons from Cambodia

 

Killing Fields in Phnom Penh
Killing Fields in Phnom Penh. Source: Joel Burslem,Flickr Creative Commons

Attention over the past few weeks has centered on ongoing conflicts, including ISIS’s activity in Iraq and the situation in Gaza. In another corner of the globe, however, the international community has taken action to address war crimes from long ago. On August 7th, Cambodia’s UN-backed tribunal found two former Khmer Rouge leadersguilty of crimes against humanity. The Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia from 17 April 1975 to 7 January 1979, during which the regime killed at least 1.7 million people. The tribunal’s verdict is widely perceived as too little, too late, but, nonetheless, it may prove instructive to the international community.

The two men convicted are Nuon Chea, 88, and Khieu Samphan, 83. They are the two most senior members of the Khmer Rouge who are still alive. Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge leader, died in Cambodia in 1998.

During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, roughly a quarter of the Cambodian population perished due to forced labor, starvation, and execution. Survivors, such as SJAC board member Youk Chhang, recall torture, imprisonment, and a struggle to live: “my mother lost all three of her brothers, one sister, one daughter and many grandchildren under the regime. Nearly 60 of our family members are still missing today.”

Many survivors welcome the verdict for its symbolism. “We knew that the court would not resolve everything,” Chhang tells the New York Times, “but it was important to have the proceedings.” The verdict—albeit 35 years after the crimes—demonstrates that the international community does not forget atrocities. This is a small step towards accountability.

Nonetheless, the verdict is limited. It cannot heal the lingering scars of the Cambodian people. The perpetrators have been sentenced to life but, at 88 and 83, life imprisonment means something much different than it would have 35 years ago, when Chea and Samphan were younger. Given the court’s tardiness, many other leaders have already died, escaping prosecution. Equally importantly, this belated accountability process denies now-deceased victims the opportunity to see their tormentors brought to justice.

Looking forward, Chhang argues, the international community must focus on prevention. “Saving millions of lives today speaks far greater for our civilization than issuing verdicts tomorrow.”

How does this apply to Syria today? While prevention is a logical first step, Syrians and the international community must also consider ways to address the atrocities of the past few years. Special tribunals—as enacted in Cambodia—represent one possible avenue. However, such tribunals prove quite costly. The Rwanda tribunal, for example, cost around $250 million to try fewer than 50 individuals. The Cambodia tribunal itself has spent over $200 million since 2006 and convicted only three individuals. Syrians and the international community must consider tribunals’ long timelines and high price tags, and determine whether such funds might be better spent on other accountability initiatives, such as reparations programs.

Special tribunals offer one path to implementing international law, but other alternatives can be considered, such as International Criminal Court investigations or the creation of domestic Syrian accountability systems.

Cambodia has taught us that accountability is attainable, but often belated. To best achieve justice and deter future crimes, Syrians and the international community must discuss potential avenues for accountability so that they can be employed as soon as possible and with the best possible impacts on Syria’s future.

ICRC: Rules of War in a Nutshell (150 Years of IHL)
22 AUGUST 2014
Today, as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the original Geneva Convention, we call on all parties to all conflicts to preserve what it means to be human, by complying with international humanitarian law. You can help us spread the word by sharing this video on your web and social media platforms.

The pdf of the original Geneva Convention signed in 1864 is also available on scribd and on icrc.org. You can download it, share it or embed it on your own platforms.
A photo gallery retracing 150 years of IHL can also be shared on social media.

We count on you to help us take advantage of this anniversary to convey our IHL messages as broadly as possible!

Best regards,
ICRC Law & Policy

Hamas Executes 18 Palestinians Suspected of Collaborating with Israel

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

GAZA CITY, GAZA – Hamas has executed 18 Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel.  The executions come one day after Israel killed three of Hamas’ top military commanders in an airstrike on a house in southern Gaza Strip.  The killings suggest an attempt to by Hamas to deter any future collaboration with Israel.

Palestinians watch outside of a mosque in Gaza as seven alleged Israel collaborators are executed by masked gunmen. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Early Friday 11 people were killed, but whereabouts of the execution is uncertain.  Reports vary, claiming that the executions took place in the Gaza City police headquarters, an abandoned police station outside of Gaza, or in a public park in Gaza City.  These 11 were allegedly already sentenced to death for collaborating with Israel.

Seven more alleged collaborators were executed publicly in a central Gaza square later on Friday.  Masked gunmen dressed in black shot the victims outside a mosque after prayers had ended.  The victims had their heads covered and their hands tied.  Video footage showed blood running down the streets as children watched.

“The spies had their heads covered and were sitting by the wall outside the mosque,” said a witness at the mosque, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “There were about 20 masked gunmen in the area. One of them said loudly that the death sentence is going to be carried out against seven collaborators.”

“They did not mention their names,” he added. “They shot them after that and then the militants left. People were shouting, God is great.”

Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland, reporting from West Jerusalem, said Israel’s intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders.

“Israel has a long and successful history of recruiting collaborators and informers both in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, and they do so through a variety of different means: sometimes it is financial inducements; other times it is blackmail, bullying, threats, promises [and] maybe intimidating family members,” Rowland said.

The killings are reminiscent of executions that took place during Israel last Gaza offensive in 2012.  During that period at least seven vigilante executions took place, including one of a handcuffed man identified as Ashraf Ouaida.  Quaida’s bloody body was left beneath a billboard with a sign indicating that he aided in the killing of 15 Palestinian leaders.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Hamas executes 18 suspected informers – 22 August 2014

BBC –  Gaza: Hamas says 18 suspected informants executed – 22 August 2014

Haaretz – Hamas executes 18 ‘collaborators’ in Gaza – 22 August 2014

NY Times – Gazans Suspected of Collaborating With Israel Are Executed – 22 August 2014

Reuters – Gaza gunmen execute ‘collaborators’; mortar kills Israeli boy – 22 August 2014