China Sentenced 55 People in Stadium Trial

By Hojin Choi

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

XINJIANG, China – A Chinese court sentenced 55 people for terrorism, separatism, and murder at a sports stadium. The sentence was handed down before a crowd of more than 7,000 spectators in the prefecture of Yili, a part of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Three of the defendants were sentenced to death.

The accused held on the back of pick-up trucks, dressed in orange jumpsuits and surrounded by security forces. (CNN)

The open trial follows a spike in widespread fear of terror attacks and increasing tensions across the country. In October, five people were killed and at least 40 injured by a car rushing into crowds of innocents on busy streets in Beijing. In March, a group of men armed with long knives invaded a train station in the city of Kunming and murdered 29 people, and  injured at least 130 others at the scene. In early May, some 39 people were killed and almost 100 injured by a terror bombing  in Xinjiang.

Chinese authorities believe these terror attacks were carried out by a separatist group formed with Uyghurs, an ethnically Turkic Muslim minority group native to the Xinjiang region. The ruling Communist Party declared an anti-terrorism campaign to strike hard any “violent terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism.” Li Minghui, Deputy Party Secretary of the prefecture of Yili, said they must “resolutely strike criminals … and boost the confidence and will to fight for all ethnicities among the masses.” The Xinjiang police launched a crackdown on the extremist groups that has resulted in 200 arrests of suspected terrorists so far.

Uyghurs have complained for a long time about pervasive discrimination in favor of Han, the Chinese majority ethnic group. The alleged discrimination includes employment, education, housing, and religious freedom restrictions. The Chinese government believes that Uyghurs are trying to form an independent state called East Turkestan.

Human rights organization Amnesty International described the “deplorable” proceeding as a “show trial.” William Nee, China Researcher of Amnesty International, said the recent terror attacks and disregard of human lives must be held to account. However, “speedy show trials will not deliver justice for the victims. Hastily sentencing people after unfair trials will only exacerbate tensions in the region,” said Mr. Nee.

The regional Communist Party leader announced before trial that the suspected criminals should be “severely punished.” According to Amnesty International, this places all of the defendants at risk of torture while they are detained.

According to Reuters, the trial was originally reported by the official Xinhua news, a state-operated press agency, but links to the news appear to be disconnected at this time.

For more information please see:

Reuters – China sentences 55 in Xinjiang mass trial – 28 May 2014

CNN – 55 sentenced before 7,000 onlookers at terror ‘show trial’ in Chinese stadium – 29 May 2014

CNN – China train station killings described as a terrorist attack – 2 March 2014

Aljazeera – China sentences 55 in mass stadium trial – 29 May 2014

BBC – China sentences 55 people in Xinjiang stadium – 28 May 2014

Amnesty International – China: Shameful stadium ‘show trial’ is not justice – 29 May 2014

Marshall Islands Sues U.S and Other Nuclear- Armed Countries in U.N’s Highest Court

by Max Bartels

Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania 

Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands 

The tiny island nation of the Republic of Marshall Islands has sued a number of nations in the United Nations highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. The nations involved in the suit include the Unites States, China, North Korea, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United Kingdom. The Marshall Islands accuses these nations of not fulfilling their obligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.

Mushroom Cloud of Bikini Atoll Explosion
(Photo Curtesy of The Guardian)

The lawsuit is particularly pointed at the United States, which used the different atolls of the Marshall Islands as a testing ground for their nuclear programs between 1946 and 1958. During that 12 year span the U.S detonated 67 nuclear weapons of varying potency.

The inhabitants of Bikini Atoll were evacuated in 1946 to make way for the testing. Then in 1954 the atoll was vaporized by a 15- Megaton hydrogen bomb. The inhabitants of the atoll were allowed to return to in the early 1970s but were again removed in 1978 after ingesting high levels of radiation from eating local foods grown on the atoll.

The people of Rongelap Atoll were exposed to severe nuclear fallout from U.S nuclear testing in 1954. It is estimated that the people of Rongelap were exposed to three times the external dose of the people most heavily exposed to the Chernobyl accident. The U.S government did not evacuate the people of Rongelap until two days after the explosion. The people of the Marshall Islands that have been exposed to the radiation of the testing sites have suffered many adverse effects such as tissue destructive effects and latent radiation diseases. In 2005 the National Cancer Institute reported that the risk of contracting cancer to those exposed to fallout is one in three.

Under an Agreement between the U.S and the Marshall Islands a Nuclear Claims Tribunal was formed to award damages to the victims of the nuclear tests. However, the tribunal has never had the funds to fully compensate the damage done. The Tribunal has awarded about $2.15 billion in damages but only about $150 million was paid because the U.S compensation fund was exhausted. The U.S claims that it is continuing to work with the Marshall Islands to provide health care and environmental monitoring.

The nuclear-armed countries named in the lawsuit will most likely argue that they have been making progress in certain areas or that they support the start of negations toward disarmament. The lawsuits state that Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) requires states to negotiate in “good faith” on nuclear disarmament. It will be up to the ICJ to decide if the nuclear- armed countries, including the U.S have sufficiently complied with International law.

For more information, please see:

News.com.au — Marshall Islands Sues U.S, Others Over Nuclear Arms — 25 April 2014

Aljazeera America — The Pacific Island Nation, Site of Many Nuclear Tests, is Taking its Case to the ICJ and U.S Courts — 24 April 2014 

The World Post — The Legacy of U.S Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands — 23 May 2010

Newsweek — Tiny Pacific Islands and Nuclear Testing Site Sues Nations for Failing on Nuclear Disarmament — 24 April 2014

The Guardian — Bikini Atoll Nuclear Test: 60 Years Later and Islands Still Unlivable — 2 March 2014

 

 

 

 

 

Venezuelan President Maduro, Backed by Russia, Pushes Back Against US Sanctions While Praising The Obama Administration

 

By Delisa Morris

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has stated that sanctions placed on Venezuela by the United States could cause his country to shut down its diplomatic missions in the U.S.

President Maduro Photo courtesy of nationalreview.com

The measure, which has cleared the House of Representatives but faces a challenge in the Senate, could “lead to the point of not having an embassy or consulates in the United States, Maduro said Thursday.  However, Maduro has praised the Obama administration’s opposition to the bill, saying it has led him to name a new top diplomat in Washington.

The opposition to the bill Maduro is speaking of, is in response to comments by Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, who has again urged the U.S. Senate to vote against the bill.  Maduro said that he read the remarks “with great attention” and said that the remarks were a “leap toward good sense”.  These remarks sparked Maduro to name a new top diplomat in Washington.

The praise from Maduro, however slight, is a change in tide from the plethora of denunciations attributed to the U.S. by the Venezuelan President.  Following in his predecessor, and role model, President Hugo Chavez’s footsteps Maduro and his supporters have repeatedly accused Washington of trying to topple his government.  Maduro has blamed the U.S. for stirring up the protests in which at least 42 people have died since February.

This week, pro-Maduro Caracas Mayor Jorge Rodriguez announced that the U.S. ambassador to Colombia, Kevin Whitaker, was implicated in a plot to murder President Maduro.  This news was announced in the midst of an event where Rodriquez was speaking that included first lady Cilia Flores and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello.  Rodriguez requested that the U.S. government clarify if it knew of Whitaker’s alleged role or if Whitaker was acting without aid.

Jen Psaki, State Department spokeswoman, called the allegation baseless.

Amongst Maduro’s supporters is Russia.  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday, at a joint press conference with Elias Jaua, Venezuelan Foreign Minister, “[a]ll the problems (of a country) must be solved under the Constitution, without outside interference, or even sanctions or threats of sanctions.”  Lavrov added, “[w]e have endorsed our solidarity with the government of Nicolás Maduro, and his determination to both overcome certain difficulties facing Venezuela and engage in dialogue (…) with the opposition.”

Maximilien Sanchez Arvelaiz, former Venezuelan ambassador to Brazil, has been named as Maduro’s new top diplomat in Washington.  In February, Maduro named Sanchez Arvelaiz to fill the vacant ambassadorship in Washington, but U.S. officials have not acted on the proposal.

For more information, please see:

El Universal — Russia Takes Issue with US because of Sanctions on Venezuela — 29 May 2014

ABC News — Venezuela Leader Praises US Rejection of Sanctions — 30 May 2014

The Washington Post — Venezuela Leader Praises US Rejection of Sanctions — 30 May 2014

Monterey Herald News — US Slow to Back Sanctions on Venezuela — 21 May 2014

 

United States Secretary of Defense To Make Decision Regarding Transfer of Guantanamo Bay Detainees

By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America–  Guantanamo Bay has been highly criticized by human rights groups for imprisoning individuals for extended periods of time without being charged or given a trial. President Obama’s administration wants to close the detention center in Cuba, however the President’s plan has been thwarted by the difficulties of transferring the detainees.

Hagel to make decision on transfer of Guantanamo Bay Detainees “fairly soon” (Photo Courtesy of Reuters). 

The Senate Armed Services Committee recently wrapped up a defense bill on Thursday 22 May 2014. The bill would authorize the transfer of prisoners currently incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay to U.S soil for detention, trial, and incarceration.  The bill is in accordance with last years National Defense Authorization Act that eased restrictions on transferring detainees to foreign countries and is another step towards closing the Guantanamo Bay facilities.

In an effort to close Guantanamo Bay, President Obama has been talking to several countries about relocating inmates. The U.S President recently spoke with Uruguayan President Jose Mujica about accepting six detainees. Uruguay agreed in March to take some inmates from Guantanamo Bay, in return, the United States was to free some Cuban prisoners. Uruguayan media reported that the detainees to be transferred were four Syrians and one Pakistani.

Under the current laws the Secretary of Defense must review all cases of detainees to be transferred and examine the procedures put in place to monitor the detainees so as to certify to Congress that they will not be at risk to return to the battlefield. United Stated Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel, stated on Wednesday 28 May 2014 that he would soon make a decision regarding the detainees at Guantanamo Bay whom Uruguay has offered to accept. Defense officials said there was no timetable for Hagel to make the decision, and Hagel’s only indication as to the timeframe of his decision was his response that the decision would be made “fairly soon.”

Hagel responded to comments about his drawn-out decision by stating, “What I am doing is taking my time to assure that any decision I make is…by standards Congress gave me, that I in fact can notify and certify that this is the responsible thing to do.”

The decision to close Guantanamo Bay has been controversial due to the high security interest. Top Senate Republicans have vowed to do all they can to keep the facility open, or at the very least slow the process of transferring the detainees. Of the 166 men who were held in detention in May 2013 only 12 have ben transferred out of Guantanamo Bay in the past year.

Hagel has addressed the oppositions concerns to close the facility by stating that he has created a system whereby he will carefully examine the risk the detainees could potentially pose as well as measures put in place to mitigate those risks. However, Hagel acknowledged the risk in closing Guantanamo Bay when stating, “there is a risk in everything … I suspect I will never get a 100-percent deal.”

 

For More Information Please See:

ABC News – Obama Win on Guantanamo Prison May be Short-Lived– 30 May 2014.

Huffington Post – Time to Close Guantanamo — Not One More Day – 30 May 2014.

Reuters – Hagel to Make Decisions on Guantanamo Detainees ‘Fairly Soon’ – 30 May 2014.

Wall Street Journal – Hagel Reviewing Cases in Transfer of Six Detainees to Uruguay – 30 May 2014.

 

Pregnant Pakistani Women Stoned to Death by Family as Crowd Watched

By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – As a court of onlookers watched outside of a Lahore courthouse on Tuesday, several male relatives beat her to death with stones, bricks and clubs because she married the man she loved instead of  her cousin.

Police investigators said the 25-year-old woman, Farzana Parveen, was stoned and beaten to death on a busy street as of about 30 men watched, but took no action to save her. Ms. Parveen was killed in the name of protecting her families “honor.” She was from a small Punjabi village 57 miles west of the city of Lahore, enraged her family in January when she married Muhammad Iqbal, a widower from a nearby village, instead of the man who had been chosen by her parents, a man who was her own cousin.

Mohammad Iqbal sits next to his wife,Farzana Parveen’s body, who was stoned to death members of her own family for not marrying her cousin. (photo courtesy of Reuters)

Her parents had brought a police complaint against her husband claiming that he had kidnapped their daughter. On Tuesday, Ms. Parveen was scheduled to appear in court in Lahore in the case. According to her lawyer she intended to tell the court that she had not been coerced into marrying her husband.

She was killed outside of the courthouse by her father, brother and the cousin her parents wanted her to marry as well as about a dozen male relives. So far Lahore police have charged her father, Mohammad Azeem, with murder, and the other men involved are being sought for the crime. Azeem told the police he helped kill his daughter because she had shamed his family.

While such crimes, often called “honor killings” are still seen in rural Pakistani communities where tribal traditions are strong and protections of women’s rights are weak, the crime of “honor killing” has become relatively rare in Pakistan’s larger cities. “I do not even wish to use the phrase ‘honor killing’: there is not the faintest vestige of honor in killing a woman in this way,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement condemning the horrific killing.

According to Farzana Bari, a human rights activist based in Islamabad, in many so-called “honor killings” witnesses outside of the women’s family do not step in to stop the killings and protect the victim. She said “I’ve seen in the past people stand around and watch, and don’t intervene because it is a private matter. Farzana believes honor killings are still engrained in the culture in parts of Pakistan; she said, “I think honor killing is very much part of our culture. It is a cultural form of violence which is quite prevalent in certain parts of Pakistan.”

Ultimately the brutal murder of Farzana Parveen was not shocking because it is a rare occurrence in Pakistan or any other country but instead because her death was so public, it did not occur in the dark corners of a remote village but instead Ms. Parveen was killed on the streets of a bustling city. According to a report published in April by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 869 women in the country were the victims of honor killings last year.  Activists say the number may be much higher.

For More Information please see:

CNN International – Pregnant Pakistani woman beaten to death with bricks by relatives – 28 May 2014

Reuters – Pakistan woman stoned to death by family for marrying man she love – 27 May 2014

The New York Times – Pregnant Pakistani Woman Is Beaten to Death – 27 May 2014

USA Today – Pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death by her family – 27 May 2014