South African Teen Dies After Gang Rape Attack

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa—Today, Wednesday February 6, 2013, a 17-year-old South African girl died of injuries inflicted on her in a gang rape several days before. Her death stimulated outrage today in a country that has one of the world’s highest levels of sexual violence.

Many reports of sexual violence continue to go unreported in South Africa. (Photo Courtesy of BBC News)

The young victim had been sliced open from her navel to her genitals and left on a building site in the town of Bredasdorp, about 130 kilometers east of the country’s capital. The victim was able to identify one of her attackers before she died as the hospital staff who fought to save her life also counseled her due to the horrific nature of her injuries.

In the hours after the attack, the young girl was taken to three different hospitals—the town’s Otto du Plessis hospital, then the main hospital in Worcester, and finally the Tygerberg hospital.

Troy Martens of the ANC Women’s League said, “It is difficult to find reason behind the many different acts of gang rape, child rape, rape of the elderly, corrective rape and male rape.” The South African police figures and records show that about 64,000 sexual offense cases were reported last year, and that many attacks still go unreported.

South Africa’s statistics agency concluded 13 years ago, in the year 2000, that it had the highest reported rape rate of all 120 Interpol member countries. The report also recognized that even when suspects are caught, only about 12 percent of cases end in a conviction. With these statistics comes the reality that sexual crimes rarely spark outrage; until today.

The death of this young girl has sparked outrage in South African and has been condemned by female politicians of the country’s governing party. Martens argued that the women’s league and the other few women’s non-governmental organizations would no longer be the “lone voices crying out against rape.”

Martens continued saying, “Men and women need to join hands around this issue and fight this epidemic together. The Women’s league and a few women’s NGOs can no longer be the lone voices crying out against rape.”

 

For further information, please see:

BBC News – South African Gang Rape Murder Angers ANC Women – 6 February 2013

IOL News – Girl, 17, Identifies Attacker Before Dying – 6 February 2013

Reuters – South African 17-Year-Old Dies of Gang Rape Injuries – 6 February 2013

Voice of America – South African Teen Dies of Gang Rape Injuries – 6 February 2013

Syria Revolution Digest: 5 February 2013

How You Failed Syria!

Syrian Revolution Digest – February 5, 2013 

How you failed Syria, let me count the ways: you abandoned her when her movement for democratic change was nonviolent. You let Assad violate her and kill her children. You turned your back on her children when they rushed to her rescue, and pretended you were unaware. You uttered words of sympathy and encouragement, and sent few blankets and tents to people who were at the mercy of mortars and MiGs, not only the elements. You tied her fortunes to complicated geopolitical agendas that are beyond her control or interest. You let her legitimate aspirations and her all too human and humanitarian needs be the last entry on a long list of objectives. What do you expect of her now? Would tell her she is wrong to hate you? Would you blame her should she implode? Do you really think she would care anymore?

 

Tuesday February 5, 2013

 

Today’s Death Toll: 113 martyrs (including 6 women and 11 children): 41 in Aleppo, 41 in Damascus and Suburbs, 9 in Daraa, 4 in Homs, 4 in Idlib, 4 in Raqqa, 3 in Hama, 2 in Deir Ezzor and 1 in Lattakia (LCCs).

 

Points of Random Shelling: 281 points, 17 points were shelled by warplanes, 1 point by Phosphorus Bombs, 1 point by Thermobaric Bombs and Cluster Bombs and 1 points by barrel bombs. Artillery Shelling was reported in 138 points, mortar shelling in 96 points and missile shelling in 47 points across Syria (LCCs).

 

Clashes: 131. Successful rebel operations included an aerial raid mounted by a defect pilot against loyalist militias in the village of Safsafiya in Hama. In Aleppo, FSA rebels forced down a helicopter and liberated the Mulhab Barracks in the neighborhood of Khaldiyeh. In Daraa, rebels gained control of a loyalist checkpoint in Daraa Al-Balad (LCCs).

 

News

Ahtisaari: Major powers failing Syria Nobel Peace Prize Winner Martti Ahtisaari blames the lack of progress in Syria on the divided UN Security Council. He tells DW that he sees elections – not an interim government – as the best option.

UN warns of deepening humanitarian crisis in Syria “If the violence continues unabated, we could, in the short term, see considerably more than the current four million in need of urgent assistance and more than two million internally displaced in Syria,” the spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, told a news conference in Geneva. “Organizations are struggling to reach more people, in more places, with more aid, but lack of access is still a major obstacle,” he added.

Disease spreads as Syria casualties and drug shortages grow: WHO “The biggest concern for us is the breakdown of the water and sanitation system and the increasing numbers of water-borne diseases,” WHO representative Elisabeth Hoff told a news briefing about the deteriorating health situation on the ground. Hepatitis A, a viral liver disease that can cause explosive epidemics, has been reported in Aleppo, Idlib – where there has been intense fighting – and some crowded shelters for the homeless in the capital, she said by telephone from Damascus. Aid groups have had to start using alternatives to purify water because the import of chlorine gas has been banned over fears it could be misused as a chemical weapon.

Pressure mounts on Assad over Syria opposition’s offer Assad himself has yet to comment on the offer from Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, leader of Syria’s opposition National Coalition, but pro-regime Al-Watan newspaper described it as a political “manoeuvre” that comes two years too late.

Syria opposition ponders course as leader offers talks Sheikh Moaz Alkhatib, the moderate Islamic cleric who leads the 70-member assembly, said he would be ready to meet Assad’s ceremonial deputy, Farouq al-Shara, if Assad fulfils conditions including the release of tens of thousands of political prisoners. “The Coalition needs to convene to chart an urgent strategy after the reverberations of the initiative and seize on the momentum it has created, regardless of the reservations of some members,” one Coalition official said. While some opposition figures have criticized Alkhatib’s offer to talk to Assad’s representatives, others say it could expose Assad’s proposals for dialogue as hollow.

Islamic summit to urge Syria transition: draft The declaration, due to be issued after a two-day summit of 56-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Cairo starting on Wednesday, does not mention President Bashar al-Assad and pins most of the blame on his government for continued violence… “We strongly condemn the ongoing bloodshed in Syria and underline the Syrian government’s primary responsibility for the continued violence and destruction of property,” the draft communique said. “We express grave concern over the deteriorating situation the increasing frequency of killing which claims the lives of thousands of unarmed civilians and the perpetration of massacres in towns and villages by the Syrian authorities.” It was not clear whether Syria’s ally Iran, which is attending the OIC summit, would back the tough wording.

Syria rebels tighten noose around key Idlib city Insurgents have tightened their noose around the city of Jisr al-Shughur, held by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, but refrain for now from staging further attacks, and an eerie calm prevails in surrounding villages.

Palestinian Officials to Try to Secure Syria Camps Ahmed Majdalani said Tuesday that representatives will meet Syrian officials to try to protect Palestinian areas from fighting that has engulfed parts of the capital Damascus. Generations of Palestinian refugees have lived in the crowded Damascus area of Yarmouk since their forefathers fled, or were forced to flee, their homes during the 1948 Mideast war surrounding Israel’s founding. Majdalani said they also will try to convince Palestinian factions to stay out of the fighting. The some 500,000 Palestinians in Syria are divided between supporters of rebels and government forces.

Third Iron Dome station in North amid Syria tensions An army spokeswoman said that the anti-rocket systems were continuously in the process of being moved, and did not draw a link to the deployment with any current events… The Army Radio report said that the deployment “does not signal pinpoint information on an expected missile attack on Israel, but in light of the reports of an Israeli attack in Syria [last week], and the threats being heard in Lebanon and Iran, the IDF is not taking any chances.”

Syria scales back threats against Israel over airstrike, suggests it won’t retaliate Syria’s defense minister signaled Monday that his country won’t hit back at Israel over an airstrike inside Syria, claiming the Israeli raid was actually in retaliation for his regime’s offensive against rebels he called “tools” of the Jewish state. “The Israeli enemy retaliated. When the Israeli enemy saw that its tools are being chased and did not achieve any (of their) goals, they interfered,” he responded. “It was a response to our military acts against the armed gangs,” al-Freij added. “The heroic Syrian Arab Army, which proved to the world that it is a strong army and a trained army, will not be defeated.” In surprisingly candid remarks, al-Freij said that rebels have made Syrian air defenses across the country a focus of their attacks over the past months, attacking some with mortars while attempting to seize others in order to incapacitate them. In response, he said the Syrian leadership decided to station them all in one safe place, leading to “gaps in radar coverage in some areas.” “These gaps became known to the armed gangs and the Israelis who undoubtedly coordinated together to target the research center,” he said. He suggested the army was overstretched and finding difficulty retaining control over several positions across the country, adding they had to abandon some areas to minimize casualties.

 

Special Reports

‘The Kiss’ In Syria: Artist Tammam Azzam Goes Viral With His Take On Gustav Klimt’s Artwork (PHOTOS)

Syrian artist Tammam Azzam took the twittersphere by storm last week when he posted an image of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” superimposed on the facade of a bullet-ridden building in Damascus. The photoshopped image — which some mistook for an actual street-side mural — brought the eye of the art world to the artist’s war-torn home country.

Syrian rebel raids expose secrets of once-feared military

Former regime strongholds are now being picked clean – and some are underwhelmed by what lies behind the perimeter walls

Through Social Media, Tracking Rape In Syria

The Women Under Siege project is live-tracking how sexualized violence is being used in Syria. What’s new is the data: information collected through crowdsourcing – reports on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from inside the country — which is then analyzed by public health researchers at Columbia University. The project’s crowdmap keeps an up-to-date tally in visual form: incidents of sexual violence are represented by dots on a map — the larger the dot, the more reports of rape.

The Rise of Syria’s Kurds

In a remarkably short time, the PYD has succeeded in setting up a well-armed military of about 10,00 fighters, known as the Popular Protection Units (or Yekineyen Parastina Gel, or YPG), as well as local, self-organized civilian structures under the label of the “Movement for a Democratic Society” (Tevgera Civaka Demokratik, or TEV-DEM). In theory, the PYD shares power with some 15 other Kurdish parties (who form the Kurdish National Council, or KNC) in the framework of the Kurdish Supreme Council, which was established in July 2012 through the mediation efforts of Massoud Barazani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan and leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Yet on the ground, the PYD is dismissing its council partners as nothing more than proxies for Barazani himself, whose close relationship with Turkey the PYD deeply mistrusts. Additionally, the PYD has prevented any armed Kurdish presence besides its own loyalist Populist Protection Units; most recently, armed altercations were reported with the Kurdish Union Party in Syria (Yekiti) in the towns of al-Darbasiyah and Qamishli.

Killed By the Regime: Aleppo’s River of the Dead

For weeks now, the river has brought new bodies almost every night. The corpses arrive without any identification and the hands are generally tied together with plastic strings. The men have all been shot. The week before last, the river carried three bodies on some days, and seven on others. Last Monday there were five, but on Tuesday there were almost 80. There had been heavy rain in the night, the river level had risen, and now corpses were lining the muddy river bank… The dead were students enrolled at the University of Aleppo who had come from other cities to stand exams.

Syrian Justice and Accountability Center: Lionesses and Sectarianism

News of the women’s unit, a part-time and volunteer fighting force known as the “Lionesses for National Defence,” made headlines mid-January. A video from the Russia Today Arabic TV shows the soldiers in uniform as they train and chant pro-Assad slogans. They have already been deployed in Homs and carry out security operations and guard checkpoints. The rationale for the women’s unit has been explained by Assad’s need for new recruits and perhaps as a morale-boosting tactic aimed to draw his supporters into a closer community.

Syria’s Fate Hinges on Whom It Hates Most, U.S. or Iran?

Benign neglect, however, hasn’t been so benign. Syria’s humanitarian crisis has reached epic proportions, with more than 60,000 people killed and 2.5 million people displaced. The sense of abandonment and desperation felt by many Syrians has served to strengthen the most radical elements of the rebel forces, some of whom are thought to be aligned with al-Qaeda. Syria’s hemorrhaging will continue to fuel radicalism until there is a change of political leadership in Damascus. In order to expedite this process, the U.S. administration must inhibit Iran’s ability to arm and finance Assad… A greater U.S. role won’t render Syria an American-allied democracy. That possibility, if it ever existed, has long been lost. But continued U.S. inaction risks leaving Syria at the mercy of Iran and Sunni extremists whose intolerance, and hatred of the U.S., dwarfs any concerns they may have for the well- being of Syria and its people. Such an outcome would haunt Syria, the Middle East and the U.S. for years to come.

 

My new paper, prepared for a briefing in Washington, D.C. that took place on January 15, 2013, is now out and is titled “Syria 2013: Rise of the Warlords.” It should be read in conjunction with my previous briefing “The Shredded Tapestry,” and my recent essay “The Creation of an Unbridgeable Divide.”

 

Responses

 

My friend, Daniel Serwer, from SAIS, refers to my earlier posting on Alkhatib’s and Assad’s “finitiatives,” and expresses certain doubts as to whether Alkhatib’s move will serve to “weaken or strengthen his position,” as opposition leader, noting that “the uncertainty is itself debilitating.” He is right. Alkhatib made quite a gamble, but that’s what real leaders need to do in times of crisis in order to break the stalemate. There are no guarantees of success. But a political move was clearly needed, and I think what Alkhatib started is the right move at this particular time on the political front, even if it failed.

 

Meanwhile, the Guardian found my endorsement of Alkhatib’s “finitiative” to be surprising, considering my hawkish background and my affiliation with a neocon think tank:

 

Khatib’s call for conditional dialogue with the Syrian government has been backed by unlikely the source – Ammar Abdulhamid a usually hawkish Syrian dissident and blogger. Abdulhamid, fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which is regarded as a NeoCon thinktank, said an armed struggle should continue alongside Khatib’s call for talks.

 

But I am not motivated by ideology. I stared preaching a jasmine revolution long before it became fashionable to do so, but, when people opted for armed struggle, people like me were not in a position to contradict them and dissuade them from doing so: I did not have the standing or the leverage to do this. So, my best option at that stage was to make sure that the rebels had the material and political support they need to win. If you cannot prevent a certain development, you can at least try to guide it or influence it to the best of your ability. The objective is still democratic change in the region, and not only Syria, breaking the Assad regime is simply the beginning of a long process, a generational process.

 

Video Highlights

 

Rebels from the Syrian Islamic Front attack a loyalist convoy near the town of Zabadani, Damascus (February 4) using a roadside bomb http://youtu.be/Xz4a6MQwXpk

 

Rebels in Eastern Ghoutah, Damascus, attack the Tamico Checkpoint using RPGs http://youtu.be/-yAQ8y7EKng Even cows are not safe from random shelling by the regime, as this clip from a farm in the village of Hujairah in Eastern Ghoutah shows http://youtu.be/gd1X4XLLn7I A plane overfly the village in preparation for another raid http://youtu.be/JS1Ue-mNzxA Houses catch fire in Sbeineh http://youtu.be/U2U5Rv4lYNA

 

Not too far, in Damascus City, a MiG carry out an aerial raid against Al-Qadam neighborhood http://youtu.be/k5MSL-q-93I , http://youtu.be/QoDuEQH2EOQ

 

Back to the west, and in the town of Daraya, rebels destroy a marauding regime tank http://youtu.be/IT6N8URM9YY But other tanks keep wreaking havoc http://youtu.be/hXP8Byq8uvs And the clashes continue http://youtu.be/zZeoIbJpsMc

 

The bodies of loyalist soldiers from the Republic Guard are strewn in a side street in Deir Ezzor City http://youtu.be/Fk-tYoFrok8 On the outskirts of the city, rebels target loyalist positions with their own heavy artillery http://youtu.be/nUFYa_QK19k

 

Rebels from Al-Tawhid Brigade in Daraa City storm a loyalist checkpoint http://youtu.be/yXSG0_a2M1o

 

In Aleppo, rebels clash with loyalist troops in Massakin Al-Sabeel http://youtu.be/KIGlt2FBdms , http://youtu.be/k6nM5iWVJ6w , http://youtu.be/MtkvvaLWhj4

Somali Woman Sentenced for “Falsely Accusing” Security Personnel of Rape

By Hannah Stewart
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali woman who accused state security forces of rape and the journalist who interviewed her were each sentenced to a year in jail on Tuesday.  The judges held that Luul Ali Osman, 27, had falsely accused the government.  Human rights groups condemned the decision, stating that the government is attempting to conceal rampant sexual abuse of women by the security forces.

Mogadishu court chairman Ahmed Aden Farah reads a verdict inside a court in Mogadishu on February 5, 2013. (Al Arabiya News via AFP)

Osman was charged on multiple counts.  She faced charges for insulting a government body, inducing false evidence, simulating a criminal offense, and asserting a false accusation.  Freelance journalist Abdiaziz Abdinur was charged with insulting a government body, and inducing the woman to give false evidence.

During the trial, the judges refused to entertain evidence from three witnesses who intended to testify on behalf of Osman and Abdinur.  It was reported that the judges largely based their decision upon medical evidence that showed Osman was not raped.

The National Union of Somali Journalists described the trial as a suppression of press freedom.  Moreover, it expressed shock that Abdinur was convicted of entering Osman’s home without her husband’s permission, although he was never charged with that crime.

Three others charged in the case, including Osman’s husband, were acquitted Tuesday.  Osman’s prison term will be delayed, as she is currently breastfeeding her child.  Osman and Abdinur plan to appeal the court’s decision.

“The court’s decision to convict an alleged rape victim and the journalist who interviewed her is a terrible miscarriage of justice, and sends a chilling signal to victims of sexual assault in Somalia,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Somalia 175th out of 179 countries surveyed in its 2012-2013 World Press Freedom Index.  This placed Somalia one place ahead of Syria.

In September, the international community applauded Somalia for its first peaceful elections since military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.  The United States State Department referred to the case as “a litmus test” for the future of Somalia.

Thus far, the international outcry surrounding the case serves as an embarrassment for current Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.  After the elections, the international community welcomed Mohamud as the beginning of a new era following decades of Somalian conflict and instability.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Somali Woman Who Alleged Rape Given Jail Term – 5 February 2013

NY Daily News – Somali Court Sentences Rape Victim, Journalist to One-Year in Jail Over “False Accusations” – 5 February 2013

Reuters – Somali Court Sends Alleged Rape Victim and Journalist to Jail – 5 February 2013

The Guardian – Somali Woman is Jailed for a Year After Claiming She Was Raped – 5 February 2013

Tunisian Opposition Leader Chokri Belaid Assassinated

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TUNIS, Tunisia — Chokri Belaid, a leading Tunisian opposition figure, and also, one of the leaders of the Popular Front coalition, was shot dead today as he was leaving his home in Tunis on Wednesday. A bullet had struck his neck and another hit his head.

Chokri Belaid, a leading member of Tunisia’s opposition party, was assassinated outside of his home on Wednesday. (Photo Courtesy of Tunisia Live)

His brother confirmed that he was pronounced dead at a Tunis hospital. “My brother was assassinated. I am desperate and depressed,” said Abdelmajid Belaid.

In a statement made after Belaid’s murder, the Unified Democratic Nationalist party confirmed that “Chokri Belaid was targeted as he left his house in the capital.” It is unclear what the motive for Belaid’s assassination was.

Belaid, the leader of the left-leaning opposition Democratic Patriots party, was a vocal critic of the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, who currently controls much of the Tunisian government.
Belaid, a lawyer and human rights activist, was a constant critic of the government, calling it a puppet to the small yet wealthy Gulf state of Qatar. Ennahda denied any involvement in the assassination.

Government spokesman Samir Dilou commented on Belaid’s assassination, calling it an “odious crime.” Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, who mentioned that the identity of the attacker is unknown, condemned the assassination, and called it “a strike against the Arab Spring Revolution.” Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said he would “fight those who opposed the political transition in his country.”

After Belaid’s assassination, 8,000 protesters amassed outside the Interior Ministry in Tunis, calling for the fall of the government. Thousands more held demonstrations throughout the cities of Tunisia, including Mahdia, Sousse, Monastir, and Sidi Bouzid, where Arab Spring demonstrators had originally gathered two years ago to call for the overthrow of the long-time dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

“This is a black day in the history of modern Tunisia… Today we say to the Islamists, ‘get out’… enough is enough,” said Souad, a teacher who took part in the demonstrations outside of the Interior Ministry. “Tunisia will sink in the blood if you stay in power.”

Omar bin Ali, a member of the Tunisian Trade Unions, believes that Islamists were responsible for Belaid’s murder. “This is what they have been calling for in mosques,” said bin Ali, who took part in the demonstrations in front of the Interior Ministry. Bin Ali does not believe that the orders for Belaid’s assassination came from another country. “Tunisia is a friend of all nations. It is hard to think of anyone from abroad to do this to us.”

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Leading Tunisian Opposition Politician Killed — 6 February 2013

The Independent — Tunisian Politician Chokri Belaid Shot Dead — 6 February 2013

Reuters — Tunisia Protests After Government Critic Shot Dead — 6 February 2013

Tunisia Live — Leftist Politician Chokri Belaid Assassinated — 6 February 2013

Queensland, Northern Territories Dismiss Warnings from Prime Minister on Indigenous Alcohol Bans

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

CANBERRA, Australia — Queensland and Northern Territories both said on Wednesday that they would move forward with their plans to deal with alcohol bans in indigenous communities, despite federal pressure to keep the policies in place.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman calls alcohol bans on indigenous communities “discriminatory” and plans to review whether the laws should continue, despite warnings from the Prime Minister. (Photo Courtesy of the Townsville Bulletin)

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said his state has no intention of backing down from a planned review of what he calls the “discriminatory” booze bans, while acting Chief Minister of the Northern Territories Robyn Lambley rejected a call to reinstate the bans that she helped lift last year.

“I simply say the policy of discrimination against Aboriginal people is not appropriate,” Newman told reporters on Wednesday in Ipswich, a community about 40 km outside the state capital of Brisbane.

The ban prohibits possession and selling of alcohol in indigenous communities, including the 19 in Queensland.  Violators face penalties including jail time.

Queensland’s review of the alcohol bans, a campaign promise in Newman’s election last March, would allow individual communities within the state to determine whether to keep the restrictions.  The review is expected to last 18 months.

In the Northern Territories, state leaders dismissed calls to reinstate its Banned Drinkers Register law.  Eliminated last year, the ban required indigenous alcohol buyers to have a photo ID scanned and checked against a list of repeat drunks.  A match would prevent the purchase.

Both states’ decisions come after a warning from Prime Minister Julia Gillard to reconsider.  During her annual Closing the Gap Address, aimed at improving opportunities for indigenous Australians, Gillard said the federal government would act against any state or territory alcohol policy that she deems irresponsible.

“I have a real fear that the rivers of grog that wreaked such havoc among indigenous communities are starting to flow once again,” she said.  Big Pond News reported that Gillard was referencing, in part, the Northern Territories lifting its BDR and five recent alcohol-related deaths in Alice Springs.

But leaders from both states dismissed the Prime Minister’s comments.

“For Julia Gillard to start dictating from Canberra how we should implement alcohol policies and what they should be is an absolute nonsense, Lambley told ABC radio.  “I think that she should be listening to us more than we should be listening to [her].”

Newman said Australia as a whole needed to reconsider how to best address the problems related to alcohol because they are not limited to the indigenous populations.

“We need to tackle alcohol abuse issues across the board,” he said.  Newman added that the laws have not worked in reducing alcohol-related violence.

But Queensland’s minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Glen Elmes disputed that claim, saying the bans were effective in reducing crime and improving school attendance.  Elmes added that under the review, any community wanting to lift the ban will have to show it can ensure public safety and not reverse the school attendance rates.

For further information, please see:

The Australian — Abbott, Gillard United on Grog Bans — 6 February 2013

Big Pond News — Butt Out of NT Grog Decisions – CLP — 6 February 2013

Brisbane Times — Alcohol Bans Discriminatory: Newman — 6 February 2013

Townsville Bulletin — Alcohol Bans Discriminatory: Newman — 6 February 2013

Herald Sun — Aboriginal Alcohol Ban Not Solution, Says Member for Cook David Kempton — 10 October 2012

Courier Mail — Indigenous Councils to Rule on Liquor Bans — 3 October 2012