Newlyweds Murdered in Honor Killings in Pakistan

 By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

Islamabad, Pakistan – A newlywed couple was murdered at the hands of the bride’s family in an honor killing in eastern Pakistan police said Saturday. The newlyweds, Sajjad Ahmed, aged 26, and Muawia Bibi, aged 18, were married on June 18 in the Punjab region of Pakistan without the consent of the Bibi family. Police say the girl’s father and uncles lured the couple back to their home promising that they would give their blessings to the union.

"Honor" killings in Pakistan persist despite the issueing of a fatwa against people who commit these murders by relgious leaders in Pakistan (Photo courtesey of Al Jazeera America)
“Honor” killings in Pakistan persist despite the issuing of a fatwa against people who commit these murders by religious leaders in Pakistan (Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera America)

Members of the Bibi family then reportedly tied and decapitated the couple, while there were no outside witnesses the family members turned themselves into policy and are now jailed in Punjab. The family members say they were embarrassed by the girl’s marriage because she married a man who they considered to be from a less prominent tribe.

These so called honor killings are not uncommon in Pakistan. According to the country’s human rights commission 869 women were victims of honor killings last year. Honor killings such as this most recent horrific murder often originate from tribal traditions in Pakistan and are most commonly carried out in rural communities. Human rights activists say that in many cases bystanders, including police officials, don’t often step in and interfere because the killings are regarded as family matters.

According to the United Nations, approximately 5,000 women across the globe are murdered by family members in honor killings every year. However, many advocacy groups believe the crime is under-reported and the actual number of women killed at the hands of their own families in the name of “honor” is much higher.

A number of honor killings have made international news in Pakistan in recent months, drawing awareness to this horrendous trend. Earlier in June 18 year-old Saba Masqood was found inside a sack after she was left for dead in a canal in Pakistan by her brother and father.

A coalition of religious leaders in Pakistan has responded to the honor killing crisis by issuing a fatwa against honor killings, calling them “un-Islamic” and “highly condemnable.” The fatwa came just days after 25 year-old Farzana Parveen was killed by about two dozen relatives, including her father and brothers, in front of Lahore High Court as onlookers watched but did not intervene to saver her.

“A daughter is a gift by Allah. And the feeling of being dishonored by your daughter is forbidden in Islam,” the edict issued by the group read. “Killing one’s daughter and humiliating them is a sign of ignorance.”

For more information please see:

CNN International – Pakistani Newlyweds Decapitated by Bride’s Family in Honor Killing – 29 June 2014

The New York Times – Family Kills Pakistani Couple After They Married For Love – 28 June 2014

Al Jazeera America – Faith Leaders in Pakistan Issue fatwa Against ‘Un-Islamic’ Honor Killings – 1 June 2014

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan – State of Human Rights 2013 – March 2014

Syria Justice and Accountability Center: Child Soldiers and Child Scholars: Syria’s Next Generation

WHR

“I lost my studies, I lost my future, I lost everything”—Saleh,  17, who has fought for opposition groups since he was 15 years old. 

For Syrian young adults, it’s becoming harder to go to school, and easier to take up arms. The result may be a generation with more training in shooting than in science. Looking forward, Syrians and international supporters need to address this generation of youth—ensuring opportunities for study, discouraging armed groups’ recruitment of children, and promoting re-integration of child soldiers.

According to Human Rights Watch’s June 23rd report, armed groups in Syria have used children as young as 14 in support roles and as young as 15 in active combat. The number of children participating in Syria’s fighting is unknown, but, as of June 25th, the Violations Documentation Center has recorded 196 “non-civilian” male children killed during the conflict. In interviews with Human Rights Watch, young men recalled participating in a variety of operations, including front-line fighting and suicide bombing preparations.

Young adults join are joining fighters for different reasons. Many volunteer to fight, others are recruited at schools. Some child soldiers are paid. One interviewee, who joined Jabhat al-Nusra at 14, reported earning a 20,000 Syrian pound (US $135) monthly salary. Another, who joined Jabhat al-Nusra at 17, reported earning a monthly salary of 10,000 Syrian pounds (US $68) in addition to a monthly food box.

Nonetheless, international law prohibits use of child soldiers. Most pointedly, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child—which Syria has ratified—bans states and non-state armed groups from recruiting or using children under 18 in armed conflict. TheRome Statute of the International Criminal Court—not ratified by Syria—classifies conscription of children under 15 as a war crime. Regardless of the legality, employing children as soldiers limits their capacity to re-integrate into a post-conflict society; child soldiers will have little experience at operating as adults in a non-combat capacity, and skill sets geared more towards fighting than participating in a non-combat economy.

A parallel, though inextricably linked trend challenges Syrian young adults: extremely limited opportunities for schooling. Within Syria, pro-regime forces have targeted students at universities, and anti-regime forces have kidnapped students travelling to exams. Due to the fighting, many Syrian students only return to school for their exams—sometimes only to die in the classroom. Refugees outside of Syria face considerable obstacles as well. In Jordan andLebanon, limited resources for education, Syrians’ own financial pressures, and administrative hurdles prevent Syrian students from going to school. It is important to note that not all Syrian youth are soldiers, but all Syrian youth could benefit from access to education.

Ultimately, Syrians and international supporters must not forget this generation. Syrian youth have the capacity to re-build Syria and advance discussions of justice and accountability in the long-term. Consequently, looking forward, engaging this generation must be seen as a component of holistic transitional justice efforts. A first step is to cease use of child soldiers, stop targeting students, and promote greater access to education.

President Maduro Silenced During Venezuela Blackout

by Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela—In Caracas, each year a fortnight of heavy downpours known colloquially as El Cordonazo de San Francisco (the lash from St. Francis of Assisi’s belt) cover the Venezuelan capital, the storms are considered a tropical winter.

People Scramble During Blackout Chaos. Photo courtesy of Reuters

Currently, President Nicolas Maduro, is drawing heavy ire from critics on both the left and right, and seemingly in a constant state of damage control.  In early February, a rash of street protests and barricades paralyzed the nation, and were violently suppressed by state authorities in a series of crackdowns that saw several notable opposition leaders incarcerated.

In the middle of a triumphalist speech for “national journalists day,” broadcast by law on every Venezuelan television and radio station, the lights suddenly went out on Maduro—and on much of the country.

Much of Caracas, and areas in nearly all of Venezuela’s other 22 states was affected.  The country’s aging and poorly maintained power grid struggled to get back online.  The Caracas metro had stopped working and people had trouble making it home.  Lots of people that would normally have been on the metro were overflowing the sidewalks and taking up much of the roadways.  All of the stoplights were out.  The result was a perfect storm of commuter congestion where normal Caracas chaos became absolute mayhem.  There have been three major blackouts this year.

On some previous occasions blackouts have been blamed on saboteurs from either the U.S. imperialists (“the CIA”) or else sinister Venezuelan groups from the traditional elite (“los fascistas”).  At other times, nature itself has taken the blame, such as in 2012 when a wire-hungry opossum was held responsible for a day-long blackout in Guayana City, or the iguana two years earlier who got loose in the grid, sufficed to cut off the lights in Anzoátegui State for an extended period.

Pending the outcome of Maduro’s investigation, preliminary culpability seems to have been attached to the wind, or, more specifically, the unusually heavy winds caused by El Niño, toppling a collection of eight electrical towers.

Many people are uneasy and not amused about the excuses provided by the government for the blackouts.  Maria “Macarena” Paz, a Caracas engineer, is underwhelmed by the explanations. “So it’s no longer the cable-eating iguanas, the CIA, or the opposition, it’s the wind! Knocking down no less than eight towers specifically designed to withstand hurricane gales but swept away in unison by light breezes… they must really think we’re idiots.”

For more information, please see:

The Daily Beast — Who Will Maduro Blame for Venezuela’s Blackout’s This Time? — 28 June 2014

Wall Street Journal — Power Outage Hits Venezuela — 27 June 2014

Reuters — Venezuela Blackout Leaves Commuters Scrambling, Silences President — 27 June 2014

The Guardian — Widespread Blackouts Hit Venezuela — 27 June 2014

 

Supreme Court Rules Warrantless Cellphone Searches Unlawful

By Lyndsey Kelly
Desk Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America – On 25 June 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police officers need a warrant before they can search the cellphone of an arrested suspect. The unanimous 9-0 ruling was a major decision in favor of privacy rights at a time of increasing concern over the government’s encroachment on digital communications.

The Supreme Court ruling limited law enforcements right to search cellphones (Photo Courtesy of Reuters).

In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court said, “we cannot deny that our decision today will have an impact on the ability of law enforcement to combat crime,” he added that the right to privacy “comes at a cost.”

Currently, law enforcement can search a person under arrest and whatever physical items are within reach to find weapons and preserve evidence. However, the Court noted that in today’s society smartphones carry a vast amount of sensitive data and cannot be compared to other items found in a search. “Modern cell phones…implicate privacy concerns far beyond those implicated by the search of a cigarette pack, a wallet or a purse,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote.

The court made its decision after weighing two separate cases, one from Massachusetts and one from California. While the cases were different in scope and the type of cellphone used, one was a flip cellphone the other a smartphone, the Court decided the two cases together, finding both searches unconstitutional.

Concern about increasing government encroachment on personal privacy has surged in the past year following the disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. “The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the information any less worthy of the protection for which the (country’s) Founders fought.” Chief Justice Roberts wrote.

In it’s opinion the Court noted that there would be some emergency situations in which a warrantless search will be permitted. The court held that the “exigent circumstances” exception to the warrant requirement would also be applied to cellphones. Thus, in a situation that is an imminent danger to life or the possibility that evidence will be destroyed may justify searching a cellphone without a warrant.

In a concurrence, Justice Samuel Alito opened the door to further exceptions stating that he would reconsider the question presented if Congress enacts legislation that draws reasonable distinctions based on the categories of information contained in the searched cellphone.

 

For more information see the following: 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE – Supreme Court limits police right to search cell phones – 29 June 2014.

MSNBC – Supreme Court rules cell phones cannot be searched without a warrant – 29 June 2014.

REUTERS –  U.S Supreme Court’s milestone ruling protects cellphone privacy – 29 June 2014.

USA TODAY – Supreme Court limits police searches of cellphones – 29 June 2014.