ICC Judge Warns Media After Attempt to Expose Witness Indentity in Ruto Trial

By: Dan Krupinsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a stern warning to the media on Wednesday, after the identity of a witness in Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto’s trial was apparently exposed on social media.

William Ruto in court at the ICC. (Courtesy: ICC-CPI on Flickr, Human IPO)

The woman, who was to be known only as Witness 536 for her protection, took the stand on Tuesday as the first witness for the prosecution in the trial of Ruto, accused of crimes against humanity. She testified about an attack in January 2008 by a mob on a church in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, which she and her children survived. The incident left at least 28 people dead.

Because of safety concerns, she testified from behind a curtain, and her image was pixilated and voice distorted on the court video.

However, after her testimony on Tuesday, which was broadcast live on Kenyan TV, speculation began about her true identity on Twitter and other Internet sites. By Wednesday, numerous Twitter posts had supposedly identified her, and one Kenyan blogger and the website of a tabloid newspaper published photographs supposedly of the witness.

The woman in the photograph was identified by name, but the name attributed to her was different than the actual name of the woman in the photograph. So, while the woman in the photograph is not Witness 536, it is still unclear if the reported name of the woman is accurate. But the woman whose photograph is being circulated has asked for police protection.

“The photograph is mine but I have nothing to do with the ICC cases. I am not a witness in any case,” the woman said.  “Some began condemning me for going to The Hague to testify even without asking me whether it was true I had gone to testify. I am in shock.”

The woman in the photograph was one of the survivors of the attack on the church, which is likely why she was mistakenly believed to be the witness.

On Wednesday, Presiding judge Eboe Osuji issued a warning to the media that anyone who acts to expose the identities of witnesses in the case will be held in contempt of court, and may face prosecution.

“Let me warn everybody: bloggers, journalists or anyone else intimidating witnesses, that you will be investigated and prosecuted,” Osuji said.

“Revelation of identity of a witness protected by the court is an offense and considered as contempt of court.”

The possibility that the protected identity of a witness has been uncovered after only one day of testimony will undoubtedly make an already difficult case for prosecutors even harder.

Claims by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda of witness intimidation were already being investigated. Because of the controversial nature of the case, many potential witnesses were already scared to come forth. Four witnesses withdrew just before the trial began, with several more following before the prosecution even began its case.

For more on the charges and accusations, please read earlier reports from Impunity Watch.


For further information, please see:

All Africa – ICC Judge Warns Against Exposing Ruto Trial Witnesses – 18 September 2013

BBC – William Ruto trial: Kenyan’s fears over witness claims – 19 September 2013

Human IPO – ICC judge warns Kenyan media and bloggers against exposing Ruto trial witnesses – 19 September 2013

News24 – ICC warns journos after Kenya witness ‘outed’ – 19 September 2013

News Observer – Branded an ICC witness, Kenya woman fears for life – 19 September 2013

UPI – ICC judge: Witnesses names to be kept out of media – 19 September 2013

 

Greek Neo-Nazi Accused of Killing Activist-Rapper in Athens

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

ATHENS, Greece – A member of the Greek Neo-Nazi political party Golden Dawn is the main suspect in the stabbing death of an activist-musician, police say.

Golden Dawn Supporters at a rally in May. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)

Pavlos Fyssas, 34, was stabbed to death early Wednesday morning in the western Athens district of Keratsini, after an alleged dispute over the Oympiakos vs Paris St. Germain Champions League football match.

Fyssas, however, was a well-known left-wing musician, and an opponent of the fascist party.

The Golden Dawn political party has denied any involvement, but Fyssas, who was able to identify his attacker before he died, has named a member of the party.

Fyssas, whose nickname was Killah P, was allegedly ambushed on his way out of a café by a gang of Golden Dawn supporters, and stabbed multiple times in the heart and abdomen. Fyssas died shortly after arriving at Tazanneio Hospital.

Police have arrested the Golden Dawn suspect, and conducted a search of Golden Dawn’s offices.

Social tensions have been rising as Greek citizens react to the implementation of austerity measures approved by Parliament back in late July. Greece’s Public Order Minister, Nikos Dendias, has cancelled a trip to Rome. He has stated that the situation was “critical.” Dendias expressed sorrow over the incident, and stated the government would put forward a new law against political violence and armed groups.

The killing occurred amidst additional strikes against government plans to cut thousands of public sector jobs as a part of the austerity measures. Golden Dawn has frequently been accused of violence towards left-wing activists and immigrants and is blamed for vigilante attacks.

The Council of Europe, Europe’s human rights body, has stated that there are grounds for Golden Dawn to be made illegal.

Greece’s Socialist Party, which is the second party in the governing coalition, has also stated that Golden Dawn should be considered a criminal group.

Golden Dawn’s popularity, however, has grown during Greece’s financial crisis. The government fears banning the party would increase its support even further underground.

The civil servants’ union had called a strike on Tuesday night to protest the latest austerity measures, and to protest Fascism, and are planning an additional rally for Wednesday.

Fyssas had been part of the Greek hip-hop scene since 1997, and was an outspoken activist against the Fascist party.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Neo-Nazi Held Over Greek Musician Pavlos Fyssas Death – 18 September 2013

Ekathimerini – Police Say Amfiali Suspect Intended to Kill – 18 September 2013

International Business Times – Greece: Golden Dawn Neo-Nazi Accused of Murder of Rapper KillahP – 18 September 2013

United Press International – Left-Wing Musician Killed by Alleged Member of Golden Dawn in Greece – 18 September 2013

 

Nigeria’s Army Engage in Battle With Boko Haram

By: Danielle L. Gwozdz
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s army and Boko Haram militants engage in a fierce battle in Borno state, leaving many dead on both sides. In May, Nigeria’s air force carried out similar attacks, killing at least 20 insurgents at suspected militant Islamist camps.

Thousands of troops have been sent to north-eastern Nigeria (photo courtesy of AP)

After all of the fighting, the army reports that it has killed 150 militants, while 16 soldiers died and 9 are missing. However, local media reports that around 100 soldiers may have died.

“Our military has overrun a number of the militants’ camps in north and central Borno state,” said defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade.

“Within those insurgents’ camps, we discovered that they have been storing sophisticated, high-caliber weapons including anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.”

Several thousands of people have been killed by Boko Haram since it launched its insurgency in 2009, seeking to create an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria.

A state of emergency was declared in Borno and two neighboring states in May, with thousands of extra troops sent to the area.

Local vigilante groups have also been formed to help counter the militants, but scores of these volunteers have been killed in recent weeks.

Last month, the army said it killed Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau but this has not been confirmed and the militants’ attacks have continued.

“The operation continues, we are injecting even more troops and resources into those areas,” Olukolade added.

In May, a spokesman for the U.N. human rights commissioner told reporters that Boko Haram could face war crimes charges for alleged ethnic and religious cleansing in Nigeria.

According to Human Rights Watch, the group has killed more than 2,800 people in an escalating campaign to impose strict Islamic law on largely Muslim northern Nigeria.

The U.N. human rights office is calling on Nigeria’s government to respect human rights principles during security sweeps, following reports of heavy casualties in some parts of the country.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with a population of nearly 175 million according to the CIA World Factbook, and is the political and economic powerhouse of West Africa.

For more information, please visit:

BBC News – Nigeria’s Boko Haram unrest: Scores killed in Borno state – 18 September 2013
CNN – Nigeria military: Insurgents killed in raid on militant camps – 17 May 2013
Sunnews – Nigeria Boko Haram attack kills 11 – 17 September 2013
Nigeria70 – Nigeria’s Boko Haram unrest: Scores killed in Borno state – 18 September 2013
World News Inc – Nigeria’s Boko Haram unrest: Scores killed in Borno state – 18 September 2013
Word Press – Nigeria’s Boko Haram unrest: Scores killed in Borno state – 18 September 2013

UN Report Confirms ‘Large Scale’ Sarin Attack in Syria

By Thomas Murphy
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria – A team of United Nations chemical experts, led by Dr. Åke Sellström, has reported that there is “clear and convincing” evidence that sarin gas was used on a “large scale” during a 21 August incident outside of Damascus. The attack, which employed rockets equipped with sarin gas, killed many civilians including children.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addresses the media, on Monday, after briefing the Security Council on the confirmed use of chemical weapons in Syria. (Photo Courtesy of the UN)

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke to the media after briefing the Security Council on the team’s findings. Ban referred to the report as “chilling read” and stressed the significance of attack, the first of its kind “since Saddam Hussein used [chemical weapons] in Halabja in 1988.”

“This is a war crime,” the Secretary-General said, “The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable and to ensure that chemical weapons never re-emerge as an instrument of warfare.”

The purpose of the report was strictly to determine whether a chemical weapons attack occurred, not to assign blame for the attack. Ban told reporters that whether responsibility for the attack is determined is “for others to decide”, but stressed that whoever was responsible should be brought to justice.

The inspectors interviewed more than fifty survivors, many of whom reported suffering from telltale signs of exposure to sarin gas. Symptoms of the survivors often included difficulty breathing, eye irritation, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, and loss of consciousness. First-responders reported suffering from similar symptoms and observed that a large number of people were either unconscious or deceased upon arrival.

In addition to personal accounts of the incident, the chemical weapons team discovered a great deal of physical evidence that supported the existence of a chemical weapons attack. Eighty-five percent of blood samples taken from survivors tested positive for sarin or sarin indicators. The majority of rocket fragments and environmental samples tested positive for sarin or sarin indicators as well.

The report concluded that the attack occurred during the “early morning hours of 21 August.” Based on weather reports during this time, the conditions were favorable for maximizing the effect of sarin gas. The temperature on the ground was falling and would have created a downward draft of air, effectively preventing the gas from dispersing upwards, and therefore increasing exposure.

“The downward movement of air would have allowed the gas to easily penetrate the basements and lower levels of buildings and other structures where many people were seeking shelter,” Ban said, referring to the report.

The opposition and the Assad regime continue to blame each other for the attack. Certain details, including the high quality of sarin gas and the advanced rockets used, point to the Assad regime. However, Assad maintains the rebels are responsible in an effort to encourage Western military involvement.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – UN: Evidence of Syrian chemical attack ‘indisputable’  – 16 September 2013

BBC – Syria Crisis: UN report confirms sarin ‘war crime’ – 16 September 2013

NBC – UN report confirms chemical weapons use in Syria – 16 September 2013

UN News Service – ‘Clear and convincing’ evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria, UN team reports –  16 September 2013

UN – United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic – 13 September 2013

Philippine Security Forces Secure the Release of More Than 80 Hostages

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine security forces rescued scores of hostages held by Muslim rebels in the southern city Zamboanga. Rebels struck back, taking the local police chief captive early Tuesday morning. He was released several hours later.

A young hostage is reunited with his family at the Philippine National Police Camp in Zamboanga city. At least 80 other hostages were rescued as well. (Photo courtesy of AP)

Senior Superintendent Jose Chiquito Malayo was engaged in negotiations with the rebels for the release of more civilians Tuesday morning when he was abducted at gunpoint and held hostage by the rebel group.

He was captured in a coastal mangrove area near Zamboanga city, a major trading center that has been paralyzed for the past nine days by the chaotic hostage crisis. “Pursuit operations” were undertaken to rescue him according to a spokesperson for the Philippine National Police, but he was released a few hours later, accompanied by 23 other hostages.

The setback coincided with a pronouncement by Philippine authorities that significant progress was being made against the rebels. Military officials said more than 120 hostages had been freed in the past 24 hours.

It is unclear how many people remain captives.

The Philippine armed forces have been carrying out operations to try to “constrict” the rebels, who came ashore early last week and took some 180 hostages in several coastal districts. Military attack helicopters fired rockets at rebel positions Monday in an effort to curb the rebel offensive.

The recent violence has substantially disrupted life in Zamboanga, a largely Christian city in the southwestern region of Mindanao, the southernmost island in the Philippines.

The crisis has led to increased fears of instability in a region where the Philippine central government has been attempting to pursue a new peace plan after decades of unrest.

President Benigno Aquino III and other top Philippine officials are overseeing authorities’ response. Authorities estimate the violence has left more than 100 people dead, most of them rebels, and displaced more than 80,000 residents. Military officials say they have captured scores of rebels and handed them over to police.

The unrest has also caused schools and businesses to close. Hundreds of houses have been burned during the fighting. Philippine authorities accused the rebels of deliberately setting the fires.

The rebels are believed to be a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a separatist movement which was founded in 1971 by Nur Misuari. Their goal appears to be establishing an autonomous region for Muslims in the mainly Catholic Philippines. The MNLF signed a peace deal with the central government in Manila in 1996, but some of its members have diverged and continue a violent campaign.

Misuari issued a “declaration of independence” for the Moro nation — referring to Mindanao’s indigenous Muslim population — last month after complaining that the MNLF had been left out of a recent wealth-sharing agreement with another insurgent group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

For more information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Offensive frees hostages in Philippine city — 17 September 2013

Gulf News — Dozens of hostages freed in Philippine city — 17 September 2013

Philippine Star — Captured Zambo police chief released by MNLF — 18 September 2013

CNN — Hostages freed in Philippines; Muslim rebels capture police chief — 17 September 2013