A Voice for the Voiceless

Nigerian Pirates Kidnap Two Americans

By Brandon Cottrell 
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America 

Two U.S. citizens were abducted when pirates attacked an oil industry vessel early Thursday.  According to the Nigerian Navy, which confirmed the piracy attack, the captain and chief engineer of the vessel were the ones abducted.  The number of pirates involved in the attack is unknown.  The FBI has begun its investigation and the attack is being treated as a kidnapping-for-ransom and not an act of terrorism.

Despite patrols of the coast by the Nigerian Navy, pirate attacks are still prevalent, as evidenced by Thursday’s kidnapping (Photo Courtesy BBC).

Jack Cloonan, a specialist in international piracy, kidnapping, and extortion, has said that “If you take the Americans, you get a good price, but at the same time you bring a lot of heat on you too.”  He looks forward to seeing the initial demands because he said the initial demand provides valuable information in regards to determining who exactly they are dealing with.  He also expects the hostages to be safely released.

The Nigerian Navy has since “directed its operational command to search for and rescue the vessel and the crew members” and stated that, “right now, the search is going on, and we are tracking down the culprits.”  The Navy also added that they were not sure how the piracy attack was carried out.

An official that works for the AKE Group, a private security firm, also stated that, “All we know is this attack happened, and these were the people who were kidnapped.”

White House spokesman, Jay Carney, said the administration was “seeking additional information so that we can contribute to the safe resolution of the situation.”  He further expressed their concern about “the disturbing increase in the incidents of maritime crime, including incidents of piracy off the coast of West Africa, specifically in the Gulf of Guinea.”

This year, oil-searching vessels in the Gulf of Guinea have been targeted by pirates who abduct crewmembers of ransom.  According to Maritime Industry officials, most abductions are not reported and the ransoms are settled and paid quickly.

While the United Nations has reported that Somali piracy is at a seven-year low, there have been significant increases in piracy off the coast of West Africa.  For example, in 2012 there were more piracy attacks off the coast of West Africa than off the coast of Somalia.

The United Nations has described this difference by the “increased international policing, tougher prosecutions of pirate gangs, and greater use of private security on vessels” in Somalia.  In West Africa, however, armed private security guards are not allowed on vessels.

There have been a total of 200 incidents of piracy this year across the world, with 11 hijackings.  Most incidents involved stealing commodities and seeking ransom for hostages.  Since 2010, it is estimated that $100 million of oil products have been stolen.

American Capitan Richard Phillips, who was held hostage several years ago, may have described the threat of piracy best when offered the following statement, “If you don’t want to deal with piracy you [maritime workers] need to get another job.”

 

For more information, please see:

ABC News – Pirates Singled Out Americans in Ship Attack Off Nigeria, Official Says – 24 October 2013

BBC – Nigeria Pirate Attack: US Sailors Seized – 24 October 2013

New York Times – Pirates Abduct Two Americans on Oil Ship Off Nigerian Coast – 24 October 2013

Reuters – Pirates Kidnap Two U.S. Sailors Off Nigerian Coast – 24 October 2013

Tensions in Kashmir Boil Over, Pakistan and India Exchange Fire

By Brian Lanciault
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DELHI, India– Indian and Pakistani troops opened fire with machine guns and mortars. The gun fight over the line dividing territorial claims in the Kashmir region have wounded at least 12 people — including children —  in the middle of what appears to be some of the worst tension in a decade over the disputed region.

Indian officials report that at least 2 children have been injured in the recent round of gun-fire at the Kashmir border. (Photo Courtesy of Reuters)

Analysts believe that it is too early to determine whether the firing signals a more serious conflict between India and Pakistan. The two nuclear-armed neighbor countries have an extensive history of animosity, with particularly strong focus on the Kashmir dispute. Vivek Katju, a retired Indian diplomat, believes the violence could be an attempt to further increase tensions along the Kashmir dividing line to garner international attention to the conflict.

A 2003 cease-fire between India and Pakistan has, for the most part, held such tensions at bay, although there have been sporadic violations. In recent days, however, skirmishes in Kashmir have escalated significantly.

Both India and Pakistan reported an increase in the number of cross-border attacks since the current Pakistani and Indian prime ministers held their first face-to-face meeting last month in New York and agreed on the need to reduce tensions.

The latest violence in the Jammu and Kashmir region, which borders Afghanistan and China, began Thursday night. At approximately two dozen military posts along the India-Pakistan dividing line, gun-fire erupted into violent skirmishes. As in most cases of firing in the area, India and Pakistan accused each other of initiating the fighting, with neither side conceding any sort of responsibility.

Shantmanu, an Indian civil administrator in Kashmir who uses only one name, said 10 civilians, including four children, were wounded.

Pakistani military officials, speaking from Islamabad, said Indian troops fired first, wounding two civilians. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with military policy.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry called the cease-fire violations “a matter of great concern.”

On Wednesday, India accused Pakistani troops of firing guns and mortars on at least 50 Indian border posts overnight in Kashmir, calling it the most serious cease-fire violation in a decade. There has yet to be confirmation of these accusations.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raised concerns about Kashmir tensions during a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House on Wednesday. Obama praised Sharif for seeking to end tensions between Pakistan and India.

“Billions of dollars have been spent on an arms race in response to these tensions,” Obama said. “Those resources could be much more properly invested in education (and) social welfare programs on both sides of the border between India and Pakistan.”

Sharif requested for the United States to act as a mediator in the Kashmir conflict, but Obama flatly rejected the idea.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over control of the Jammu and Kashmir region, which is divided between them and claimed by both.

A 1948 ceasefire split control over the region along a cease-fire line that is now called the “Line of Control,” and remains a hot spot for conflict.

India regularly accuses Pakistan of supporting Kashmiri rebels, who have been fighting on the Indian side since 1989 for independence or a merger with Pakistan.

An estimated 68,000 people have been killed over the course of the conflict, though most resistance is now in the form of street protests. Pakistan denies giving any backing to the rebels beyond moral support.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera– Kashmir tensions rise as India, Pakistan exchange gunfire — 25 October 2013

Deseret News– India, Pakistan exchange gunfire over border— 25 October 2013

Washington Post– India, Pakistan exchange gunfire over border in disputed Kashmir region— 25 October 2013

BBC News– Kashmir: India says eight civilians injured in Pakistan firing— 25 October 2013

SNHR: Syrian Regime’s Army and Free Syrian Army: Losses and defections

The Syrian Arab Army was estimated to consist of 350.000 soldiers before the outbreak of Syrian revolution.  Since then, members had defected from the ranks of the Syrian Army, due to the large deviation of its mission of defending the Syrian people and not killing them.

Proportion of the dissenting soldiers exceeded 55%, almost 190,000 defectors, including soldiers and high rank officers.  Most of them are from the Sunni sect, who suffered the most from the ongoing murder, detention and destruction, along with a few from the other sects.

The Syrian regime offset those defections by calling Iranian militias such as the Brigade of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas, Iraqi militias, and militia of Hezbollah (it should be mentioned that its military wing was recently added to the terrorist list).  In addition to recruitments of hundreds of Syrians, most of them belong to the Alwite sect where they formed the so-called National Defense Army, who are paid monthly salaries that exceed the rate paid for regular soldiers, allowing them to plunder and steal property and houses from neighborhoods that they raid, are permitted to commit rape, murder, torture without any  deterrent or punishment.  Even more, al-Assad (the father) has legislated these crimes constitutionally in order to protect the criminals.  On January 15, 1969, Legislative Decree 14 was issued establishing the General Intelligence Administration; Article 16 of the decree states, “No legal action may be taken against any employee of the department for crimes committed while carrying out their designated duties…. except by an order issued by the director.” To Human Rights Watch’s knowledge, the General Intelligence director has never issued such an order.

On September 2008, Bashar al- Assad (the son) issued Legislative decree No.69 which extended this immunity to members of other security forces, by requiring a decree from the General Command of the Army and Armed Forces to prosecute any member of the internal security forces, Political Security, and customs police.

On the other hand defectors and a huge number of armed rebels formed the Free Syrian Army, comprised of more than 200,000 fighters, most of them are civilian rebels who took weapons and trained themselves to use them.  Free Syrian Army suffers from major problems such as disintegrating, dispersions, and lack of  centralized leadership unlike the Syrian Army.

There are a number of battalions who chose to not fight under the banner of Free Syrian Army, the most prominent are:

–  Sham Islamic Freedom Movement, where the number of fighters exceed 20,000 (95% of them are Syrian).

– Nusra front; the number of fighters exceed 50,000, after the defection of a number of foreign fighters and joining The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, most of the fighters in Nusra are Syrian (exceed 80%).

– The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, exceed 4,000 fighters.  Its popularity sharply deteriorated within the past seven months because it committed a large number of violations against Syrian people.  Their final goals are radically different from the goals of the Syrian people’s revolution in pluralism and democracy, which led to tens of defections.  Considering it infiltrated by Iranian and Syrian intelligence and implementing their agenda, foreign fighters forms overwhelming majority in The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (exceed 90%).

According to Syrian Network for Human Rights documentations, Syrian Free Army lost at least 14,574 fighters in combats with government forces since the beginning of the revolution to this date.

SNHR doesn’t document causalities of  Shabiha militia, security forces and Syrian Regime’s Army because of the inability to access and communicate with their parents and relatives under the prosecution , ban and restrictions of SNHR’s members.

Press Release: Putin Promotes Notorious Judge Who Presided Over the Posthumous Trial of Sergei Magnitsky

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Distribution

25 October 2013 – Russian President Vladimir Putin has promoted judge Igor Alisov, who presided over the first trial of a dead man in the history of Russia. The trial ended with the posthumous conviction of Sergei Magnitsky in July this year.

President Putin’s decree was published on the official Kremlin website showing that judge Igor Alisov has been upgraded from the Tverskoi district court to the Moscow City Court, which is a significant promotion(http://graph.document.kremlin.ru/page.aspx?3584338)

The Presidential decree was signed on 29 August 2013, just one month after judge Alisov convicted Sergei Magnitsky and refused his rehabilitation.

“This looks like Judge Alisov’s payback for selling his soul to Vladimir Putin. He may enjoy the prestige and creature comforts of his new position, but history will not be kind to the man who allowed a man killed in custody to be prosecuted and convicted after his death, – said a Hermitage Capital representative. – This vindictive move towards Sergei Magnitsky shows how deeply vulnerable Vladimir Putin feels about the corruption uncovered and bravely exposed by Sergei Magnitsky and his colleagues.”

Judge Igor Alisov also exonerated all officials implicated by Sergei Magnitsky in the $230 million theft by pinning the entire theft on an “unemployed” man in a 2011 sentencing ruling.

For further information, please see:

Law and Order in Russia