Brazilian Police Officers Convicted in Carandiru Prison Massacre

By Ellis Cortez
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BRASILIA, Brazil – A jury has found 25 Brazilian police officers guilty of killing 52 inmates during the 1992 riot at Sao Paulo’s Carandiru prison. It was country’s bloodiest prison riot in which 111 prisoners died.

Carandiru jail demolition on 8 December 2002.
The Carandiru prison was demolished in 2002, but the state has been slow to bring the perpetrators to trial. (Photo Courtesy of The Associated Press)

Judge Rodrigo Tellini de Aguirre Camargo sentenced those convicted to prison terms of 624 years each for their roles in what has been dubbed the Carandiru massacre. The officers, nine of whom are still on active duty, will also lose their jobs. Currently under Brazilian law there are no life sentences, and no convicted person can serve more than 30 years in jail. The officer’s attorney informed reporters that she would appeal the sentencing. The officers will be allowed to remain free pending the outcome of their appeal.

The lawyer for the officers, Ieda Ribeiro de Souza, argued they were only doing their duty and acted in self-defense, as many of the inmates were armed. She further stated that the fault lies with then Governor Luiz Antonio Fleury Filho, who oversaw security forces in the state.

“Who should be here is Dr. Fleury. He didn’t go [to Carandiru] himself” because he had political protection, said Ribeiro de Souza.

The riot, which began on October 2, 1992, was sparked by a fight between two rival gangs that started with a quarrel during a soccer game. It escalated into an uprising that quickly spread through the penitentiary, which was built to hold fewer than 4,000 inmates but was housing nearly 8,000. The riot went on for around three hours before more than 300 military police officers stormed the Carandiru prison. The officers gunned down more than 100 inmates within 30 minutes. No police officers were killed.

Autopsies showed the dead were riddled with an average of five bullets. The revolt ended in a massacre that exposed the harsh conditions of prisons in Brazil and it became an iconic example of how Brazil’s military police can sometimes kill with impunity.

Some survivors of the violence said police made little attempt to negotiate with the revolting prisoners. The officers entered firing, and continued to fire on prisoners who had surrendered or were hiding. Others said they hid among the scores of bodies, pretending to be dead, to avoid the gunfire.

The sentencing is the latest in a series of separate trials of police officers accused of executing inmates during the 1992 massacre. In April of this year, 23 officers were sentenced to prison terms of 156 years each for their part in killing 13 inmates during the same massacre. Another 31 officers will be tried in the coming months in connection with the slayings at the now-defunct prison.

Human rights groups have long decried conditions in Brazil’s prisons and the behavior of the military police. The Carandiru massacre gained special attention in Brazil because of its size and a popular 2003 movie.

For more information please see:

BBC – Brazil Carandiru jail massacre police guilty – 3 August 2013

Reuters – Brazil court sentences 25 police officers for prison massacre – 3 August 2013

Los Angeles Times – Brazil court sentences 25 police officers in 1992 prison massacre – 3 August 2013

The Wall Street Journal – Brazil Police Officers Found Guilty in 1992 Prison Massacre – 3 August 2013

Fox News – Jury finds 25 Brazilian police officers guilty of killing inmates in 1992 prison riot – 3 August 2013

Sri Lankan Mosque Attacked by Buddhist Mob

By Brian Lanciault

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A mob of Buddhists attacked a mosque last night in Sri Lanka’s capital, injuring 12. This is the latest in a string of attacks against the minority Muslim community in the region.

Security forces deployed in mass to quell the violent eruption in the aftermath of the mosque attack. (Photo courtesy of AP)

A mob of Buddhists, who are mainly ethnic Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, threw stones at the three-story mosque and nearby houses in Colombo during evening prayers on Saturday. Hundreds of Muslim residents took to the streets, to prevent further attacks in their community.

“Support the police to maintain the law and order,” Inspector General of Police N.K. Ilangakoon told state media. There has been mounting violence against Muslims in Sri Lanka since last year, closely mirroring events in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which has seen its own surge of attacks by members of the majority community against Muslims. In Myanmar, extremist Buddhist monks have been at the forefront of these violent campaigns against Muslims.

In Sri Lanka, the group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), or the “Buddhist power force”, has been trying to win over Buddhists with their anti-Muslim platform. A spokesman for the BBS, Dilantha Vithanage, denied any involvement by his organisation in the latest mosque attack.

Buddhists make up about 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s 20.3 million population, while Muslims make up just 9 percent. The mosque damaged in the attack was only built a month ago after hardline Buddhists forced a nearby mosque to close.

The U.S. Embassy in Colombo said the incident was particularly troubling in light of a number of recent attacks against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. “Targeting any place of worship should never be permitted and we urge calm from all sides. We call for prosecution of perpetrators in this attack and an end to religious-based violence,” the embassy said in its official statement. N M Ameen, president of Sri Lanka’s Muslim Council, said more than 20 mosques have been attacked since last year.

In a distinct incident, a hand grenade was thrown at a Buddhist temple in the Jaffna peninsula, on the northern tip of the island. There were no injuries reported. Jaffna is largely made of ethnic minority Tamil people, most of whom are Hindu and Christian. The area was fiercely contested in a 26-year war between government forces and Tamil separatists that ended in 2009. The longstanding unrest has left the entire region a powder keg for religious and ethnic tensions.

For more information, please see:

Reuters — Buddhist mob attacks Sri Lankan mosque, 12 injured — 11 August 2013

BBC — Sri Lanka Buddhist mob attacks Colombo mosque — 11 August 2013

Al Jazeera — Colombo mosque attack stirs tensions — 11 August 2013

Hindustan Times — Buddhist mob attacks Colombo mosque, 12 injured — 11 August 2013

Spanish, French Authorities Round Up Ring of Human-Traffickers

By Ben Kopp
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MADRID, Spain – Spain and France shut down gang operations that trafficked Chinese civilians into Europe and the US. Human-trafficking, especially child-trafficking, is a recognized problem worldwide that generates millions of dollars for ringleaders annually.

Human-trafficking is a global problem that takes an estimated 1.2 million children each year. (Photo courtesy of International Business Times)

Two years ago, investigators began probing the ring, which police described as “intricately structured, divided into independent and virtually isolated cells to avoid detection.”

Spanish authorities say that, for approximately $60,000, trafficking victims are typically offered a better life, and later subjected to prostitution or harsh working conditions in “clandestine factories.” In this instance, the gang gave the migrants instructions on blending in with tourists, and used “travel enforcers” to ensure the migrants’ passage through airports, across borders, and into cities. When security changes endangered their operation, the smugglers changed quickly to a more lenient destination. After delivery, the smugglers returned to China and Malaysia, where they avoided Western police until instructed further.

While the final destination was typically the UK or US, some were also sent to Ireland, Spain, France, Turkey, or Greece.

Barcelona served as the main European hub, where Chinese migrants awaited falsified documents. Raids recovered 81 fake passports from South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan in addition to fake immigration stamps, Chinese and European currencies, and weapons. In Spain, there were 51 arrests; in France, 24. The ringleaders were arrested in Barcelona.

In a statement, police said, “The composition of this perfectly structured, hierarchical organisation, with its kingpin in China and independent cells operating in different countries, completely shut off from each other, complicated the investigation.”

In March 2013, Spanish authorities busted two Romanian human-trafficking rings. While Spain has acted particularly strong to protect women and children, the US and EU consider human-trafficking in and through Spain an increasing problem.

Recently, the EU warned Thailand about its unrelated human-trafficking record, stating that Europe may impose a ban on importing seafood from Thailand if its record did not improve.

“The European Union has an index for nations whose fishing industries are corrupted by human trafficking. Under the system, Q1 is Good, Q2 is Medium and Q3 is Bad,” Marine Police Region 8 Deputy Superintendent Lt Col Prasert Srikunrat explained to his officers. “Right now Thailand qualifies as -Q2, but that might drop to Q3 in the future. That will affect our fishing product exports because Europe will say no to them if the situation worsens.”

In mid-July 2013, British authorities arrested members of yet another human-trafficking ring, which moved people from Eastern Europe into Derby, UK.

Global problems require global solutions, and human-trafficking gives no exemption. While authorities bring traffickers to justice, people from and visiting all countries and cultures must work together carefully and cautiously to prevent the spread of abduction and the centers of abuse.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Spain and France Bust People-Smuggling Ring – August 10, 2013

BBC – ‘Human Trafficking Ring’ Broken Up – August 10, 2013

CNN – Human Trafficking Roundup Nets 75 in Spain, France – August 10, 2013

International Business Times – Chinese Human Trafficking Ring Busted in Spain and France – August 10, 2013

Phuket Gazette – Phuket Warned Human-Trafficking Record May Result in European Ban on Seafood – August 9, 2013

Derby Telegraph – More Held over Human Trafficking – July 16, 2013

Father of Killed Chechen Comes to America to sue FBI

By Brandon Cottrell
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – Abdulbaki Todashev, whose son Ibragim was shot to death by FBI agents, has arrived in Florida to prepare his case.

Abdulbaki Todashev displaying photographs of his dead son’s body. (Photo Courtesy of US News)

Ibragim, who was friends with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, voluntarily submitted to FBI questioning this past May.  The interrogation was based on Ibragim and Tsarnaev’s potential ties to a triple homicide in Massachusetts in 2011.  During the course of this interrogation, FBI agents shot Ibragim.  The circumstances that lead to the shooting remain uncertain as the agents gave conflicting narratives.

Some agents claim they were forced to shoot Ibragim in self-defense because Ibragim lunged at them with a knife; but others say Ibragim was armed only with a broomstick.  Still other agents maintain Ibragim was entirely unarmed throughout the confrontation.  Abdulbaki, meanwhile, claims that Ibragim did not pose a threat to the agents, as he was weakened by a recent knee surgery and was on crutches.

The FBI has yet to issue a clarifying statement as to what actually transpired during the interrogation and it is unlikely that such a statement will ever be released.  The FBI, however, along with the US Department of Justice, launched investigations into the confrontation to determine whether the use of deadly force was reasonable.

The Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations hired a homicide investigator and claims Ibragim was shot seven times.  The investigator’s report claims Ibragim was shot in the back of the head while he was lying on the ground.  However, because the FBI will not release the official autopsy report, the investigator’s claims cannot be confirmed.

The Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations also claims that the FBI, while questioning Ibragim’s friends, “illegally threatened to throw them in jail and take away their green cards if they did not become informants and spy on several members of their faith, their mosques, their restaurants and so on.”

Abdulbaki cannot afford a lawyer and speaks minimal English.  Therefore, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida promised to aid in the investigation.  Howard Simon, director of the ACLU says the lack of answers is disappointing, and that, “Secrecy fosters suspicion and the people of Florida deserve better than to be left without an explanation from their government about what led to a person being shot to death.”

Abdulbaki will hold at press conference Tuesday at the Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations office, where he plans to update the public on newly discovered information as well as the status of his lawsuit.

 

For further information, please see:

Chicago Tribune – Father of Chechen man shot by FBI after Boston bombings in U.S. to probe killing – 7 August 2013

Orlando Sentinel – Father of Chechen man shot during FBI interrogation to speak out in Florida – 7 August 2013

Russia Today – Killed Chechen’s father arrives in US to sue the FBI – 6 August 2013

Washington Times – Ibragim Todashev’s father to sue FBI; Tsarnaev’s friend was shot in Florida – 6 August 2013

The Guardian – Florida won’t investigate Ibragim Todashev shooting – 31 July 2013

Following Coup, Violence in Central African Republic Escalates

By Dan Krupinsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

BANGUI, Central African Republic – The Central African Republic (CAR) remains in turmoil, months after rebels seized the capital Bangi and inserted themselves into power.

In the months since the Seleka rebel forces overtook the government, and Michael Djotodia named himself interim president, there have been accusations by Human Rights Watch and others of serious crimes, including summary executions and rape.

 

Seleka rebels patrol the streets in Bangui (Photo courtesy of Reuters)

With reports of human rights violations remaining a common occurrence, a group of United Nations independent experts recently described the rule of law as “almost non-existent.”

“We are seriously concerned over reported acts of killings, torture, arbitrary detention, gender-based violence, enforced disappearances, ‘mob justice’ and the pervasive climate of insecurity and the absence of the rule of law which have prevailed in the country in the last five months,” the human rights experts said, calling for authorities to take steps to end to the human rights violations and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The International Federation for Human Rights estimates that the rebels have killed more than 400 people since taking power. Locals accuse the Selekas of murdering 15 people last month, after it was discovered that the mini-bus they were riding on contained t-shirts supportive of deposed president Francois Bozize.

Seven bodies, which showed signs of torture, were recovered from the Ubangi River.

Nicolas Tiangage, formerly a human rights lawyer and now inserted by the rebels as the Prime Minister to act as an emissary to the outside world, told The New York Times, “It’s anarchy, a non-state. Looting, arson, rape, massacres of the civilian population – they are sowing terrorism.”

The UN estimates that since December of 2012, 1.2 million people in the CAR have been cut off from what are described as “essential services,” with 37,000 people fleeing the country.

The international community, including Human Rights Watch and African civil society groups, have called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to monitor the ongoing abuses and for investigations of the alleged crimes.

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in late April that the situation is “under close scrutiny,” and that she “will not hesitate to prosecute those responsible” for the violence, according to AllAfrica.com.

Calls for increased criminal prosecution comes amongst reports that only 16 arrest warrants had been issued (as of July), and for primarily minor offenses, providing evidence that the crimes are being committed in near impunity.

The estimated growth of the Seleka forces from 5,000 fighters initially to over 20,000 suggest that the violence will only continue to escalate.

 

For further information, please see:

All Africa — Group of UN Experts Raise Alarm Over Lawlessness in Central African Republic — 6 August 2013

All Africa — In Recent CAR Coup, Echoes of Past Violence — 6 August 2013

New York Times — Violent and Chaotic, Central African Republic Lurches Toward a Crisis — 6 August 2013

Voice of America — Rights Group: CAR Rebels Committing War Crimes — 18 July 2013

Reuters — Central African Republic in chaos, abandoned: MSF — 6 July 2013