OTP Briefing: Prosecutor Files Notice to Withdraw Charges Against Mr. Muthaura in Kenya Case
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Argentina Begins the Trial of Participants of Operation Condor
By Pearl Rimon
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The former government officials responsible for tens of thousands of disappearances of dissidents in the southern region of South America during the 1970s and 1980s are standing trial for the first time. Twenty-five defendants, all former military officers, are accused of human rights abuses during Operation Condor, which was a decade-long campaign led by six allied military officials who conspired to find activists living in exile in neighboring countries.
Operation Condor coordinated the military dictatorships in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Opponents of the regimes were tracked down and often tortured or killed, these included guerrilla fighters, activists, students, priest and journalist.
The defendants include Jorge Videla and Reynaldo Bignone, who were former de factor presidents during the country’s 1976-83 military rule. Both are already serving life sentences for their role in the country’s Dirty War. The sole non-Argentine defendant is Uruguayan Manuel Cordero, a former colon charged with human rights violations from a Buenos Aires torture center. Videla and Bignone were accused of “illicit association” and “deprivation of personal liberty”.
“We’re delighted that after years of struggle this has finally come to trial,” says Alcira Ríos, the lawyer of a Paraguayan victim.
In 1980, a left-wing militant named Horacio Campligia was abducted in Rio de Janeiro and taken to a military base in Buenos Aires, which was his last known whereabouts. “The trial is historic as it’s the first to deal with the repression coordinated between Latin American dictatorships,” says Carolina Varsky, the lawyer representing Campiglia.
“This is a huge step to achieve the truth internationally…” said Atilio Borón, an Argentine political scientist.
The trial is expected to last two years and call 500 witnesses to testify. Judges are expected to rule on 106 victims’ cases directly from Operation Condor and on 56 cases stemming from a related operation. Most of these victims are Uruguayans who disappeared in Argentina, but citizens from neighboring countries were also affected.
“This is the first time in Latin America that a trial is being held over Operation Condor, to prosecute those responsible, above and beyond trials held in some countries for specific cases,” lawyer Luz Palmas of the Fundación Liga Argentina por los Derechos Humanos (FUNLADDHH), a human rights organization.
Operation Condor was backed by the United States. The investigation into the operation began in the late 1990s when impunity laws were still in place. Human rights have been a focal point in Argentina since Néstor Kirchner overturned impunity laws.
For more information, please see:
Christian Science Monitor — Argentina begins prosecution of military-era human rights abuses – 05 March 2013
Global Post — Argentine rights trial spotlights military abuses – 05 March 2013
Inter Press Service — Operation Condor on trial in Argentina – 05 March 2013
Yahoo! News — Argentina begins prosecution of military-era human rights abuses – 05 March 2013
Lynch Mob Kills Two in Egypt
By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
CAIRO, Egypt – Yesterday, residents of Gharbiya captured and lynched two Egyptian men accused of kidnapping and theft.
Enraged villagers chased the men through the town after allegedly catching the men attempt to steal a rickshaw and kidnap a girl inside the vehicle. The citizens stripped and brutally beat the men with sticks and clubs before hanging the men from the rafters in a bus station. Some attempted to help the individuals, but were pushed back by the mob.
Ahram reported that individuals parked their cars on major roads to protest rising gas prices. The roadblocks prevented police from reaching the scene in time to stop the killing.
Approximately 3,000 locals observed the event. A photographer at the scene said many in the crowd chanted “kill them!” during the execution. After, residents dumped the lifeless bodies on the steps of a police station.
Though two years have passed since the revolution that overthrew former President Mubarak, many areas of Egypt have yet to reestablish permanent and effective law enforcement. Frustrated with the lack of police presence, locals are beginning to take the law into their own hands.
The event took place one week after the Attorney General’s Office announced that citizens should arrest criminals and turn them over to the police. Following that advice, citizens in several cities and villages formed independent groups known as “popular committees” dedicated to maintaining public security. Many of the groups carry clubs and knives.
Since the Office’s announcement, incidences of vigilantism have risen dramatically throughout Egypt. However, Gharbiya has seen the most extreme examples. A similar public execution took place in the province on Saturday.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Gharbiya spokesman Mamdouh al-Muneer explained to the Associated Press that the lynching followed a series of kidnappings and rapes in the area. “Unfortunately, the police are completely out of the picture in Gharbiya,” he added.
Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei condemned the acts and blamed President Morsi’s administration for the violent outbreak. ElBaradei tweeted on Monday, “Public display of vigilante lynching & killing: are we losing our humanity in a lawless society?”
Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki spoke out against the rise in vigilantism as well. In a statement to a Turkish news agency, he indicated that the violence is a signal of the “death of the state.” He explained, a “government that allows this to happen is an unjust government, because it does not afford citizens with adequate protection.”
For further information, please see:
Sky News – Egypt Vigilantes Kill Two Men as Crowd Watches – 19 March 2013
Ahram – Angry mobs attempt 3rd public lynching in Egypt’s Gharbiya – 18 March 2013
Ahram – Public lynchings indicate ‘death of state’: Egypt justice minister – 18 March 2013
BBC News – Egyptian villagers lynch two men – 18 March 2013
SJAC Weekly Update: 19 March 2013
Magnitsky Family Rejects the Closure of the Death Investigation, Appeals to the European Court of Human Rights
Press Release
Hermitage Capital
19 March 2013 – The family of Sergei Magnitsky has rejected the claims of the Russian investigative authorities that there were no signs of crime in his death in custody at the age of 37.
“This [the decision by Russian authorities to close the case into the death of Sergei Magnitsky] was expected. I don’t believe that it is possible to obtain justice in Russia today because there are people in power interested in concealing it and someone is directing this process,” said the mother of Sergei Magnitsky.
“They have concealed from us the details of the death of my husband. However, even what is already known shows that his death was no accident,” said Mr Magnitsky’s widow.
“Today’s decision by the Russian investigative authorities is a clear indication that they have decided to ignore the conclusions of two independent domestic commissions on the case. It is a sign of an overwhelming government cover up, and the extent the Russian government is ready to go to protect those exposed by Mr Magnitsky for committing enormous crimes against the state,” said Hermitage Capital representative.
There is a wealth of information that was previously released on Sergei Magnitsky’s torture and death in custody as well as evidence of his beating just before he was found dead on the floor of an isolation cell (http://russian-untouchables.com/rus/docs/P01E.pdf). None of this evidence has been properly investigated, and no officials have been prosecuted for the $230 m theft uncovered by Mr Magnitsky which led to his arrest after testifying against those officials.
In October last year, Natalia Magnitskaya, the mother of Sergei Magnitsky, filed a claim with the European Court of Human Rights. The complaint asks the ECHR to prosecute the Russian Federation for violating five articles of the European Convention of Human Rights: Article 2 (denial of right to life); Article 3 (torture); Article 5 (unlawful detention); Article 10 (retaliation against whistle-blowers); and Article 13 (failure to provide an effective remedy) (http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/litigation/magnitsky-v-russia)
The Russian Investigative Committee announced today that they have closed the investigation of the death of Sergei Magntitsky due to “no event of crime” having been identified (http://www.sledcom.ru/actual/287357/).
“The people who killed Sergei Magnitsky may be able to avoid justice in Russia but they won’t be able to outside of Russia,” said a Hermitage Capital spokesperson.
For further information please contact:
Hermitage Capital
Phone: +44 207 440 1777
Email: info@lawandorderinrussia.org
Website: http://lawandorderinrussia.org
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/hvIuVI
Twitter: @KatieFisher__
Livejournal: //hermitagecap.livejournal.com/