Pilots Who Threw Dissidents Out Of Their Planes Go On Trial In Argentina

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America 

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Pilots for Argentina’s infamous “death flights” have begun trial, and brought up on charges for crimes against humanity for their active participation in de facto president Jorge Rafael Videla’s “dirty war” that consumed the Latin American county for years.

The military detention center Esma where political dissidents were processed before being disappeared by the Argentinean military government. (Photo Courtesy of Periodismo humano)

From 1976-1983 during Videla’s reign as Argentina’s dictator, in addition to the armies kidnappings and murders, dissidents and  political prisoners were dragged from their cells in military detention, drugged and flown over the ocean and thrown from the plane.

The trial is expected to focus on the Naval School of Mechanics (Esma) which became a military detention center for leftist dissidents, of the 5,000 political prisoners sent there, more than 90% disappeared.

Among the 68 defendants – all ex-armed forces – set for trial are eight pilots who allegedly flew and participated in the flights which contributed to the murder and forced disappearance of hundreds of Argentinians.

The most famous on trial during this new set of trials is Alfredo Astiz. Convicted in 2011 – and serving a life sentence – for crimes against humanity, the pilot affectionately known as the “Blond Angel of Death” is facing new charges for his active participation in the force disappearance of prisoners in the infamous secret detention camps in Beunos Aires. In interviews Astiz showed no remorse, claiming that he “had acted to save Argentina from left-wing ‘terrorism’”, and he dismissed his trial as an act of political vengeance.

Many of these pilots have only recently been identified, some who have been identified by survivors from the Esma detention centers and others for lapses in judgment. Emir Sisul Hess, one of the pilots on trial admitted to co-workers how his victims “fell like little ants.” He has since formally denied any involvement in the flights.

Among those testifying are 70 survivors of Esma. One survivor, Carlos Munoz, who was detained at Esma for a year remembers  ” to have seen a room filled with vomit. I later found out that those who were going to be killed in the death flights were drugged and that those drugs made them throw up,” he continued, “At one point many of my cell mates disappeared and we were told they were moved somewhere else. We now know they were thrown in the water.”

Current President Cristina Kirchner has pledged to speed up and prosecute those involved with these human rights abuses. Many speculate that her commitment is linked to her husband, Nestor Kirchner who rescinded the laws that granted amnesty to security forces who participated in these military abuses.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Argentina Holds ‘Death Flights’ Trial – 29 November 2012

Bernma Malaysian National News Agency – Argentina Tries Alleged ‘Death Flights’ Pilots – 29 November 2012

Prensa Latina – Death Flight Pilots Prosecuted For The First Time In Argentina – 28 November 2012

SF Gate – Argentina’s ‘Death Flights’ Trials Begin – 28 November 2012

The Independent – Victims Of ‘Death Flights’: Drugged, Dumped By Aircraft – But Not Forgotten – 27 November 2012

BBC – Argentina ‘Angel Of Death’ Alfredo Astiz Convicted – 27 October 2011

Human Rights Organization ‘Viasna’ Evicted in Belarusian Dictatorship

By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MINSK, Belarus – The human rights group Viasna (“Spring”) has been kicked out of their offices in Minsk following last year’s conviction of their chairman, Ales Belyatski, for tax evasion.  Belyatski has continued to deny the charges.

Belyatski, sentenced to 4.5 years, claims the foreign accounts for Viasna were necessary because without the recognition of Belarusian authorities, Viasna could not hold an account in Belarus. (Photo courtesy of Amnesty International)

Viasna has experienced adversity from the government in the past.  In 2003, its status as an NGO was revoked, without explanation according to the group.

Last August, Belyatski, chairman of Viasna as well as Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights, was arrested and jailed on charges of tax evasion “on a large scale.”  He denied the validity of the charges, because the refusal of Belarusian authorities to register Viasna as an NGO meant that it could not hold a bank account in the country.  Therefore, Belyatski open accounts for the NGO in Poland and Lithuania.  For more information see Belarus, Lithuania Rebuked for Arrest of Human Rights Activist.

However, in November 2011, the court sentenced Belyatski to 4.5 years in prison and ordered the confiscation of all of his property.  This seizure extends to the Viasna office space.

Belyatski has been declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.  He has won the Human Rights Defenders Award by the US ambassador to Poland, and the Lech Walesa Award.

Last week, a court notified Viasna that the apartment space it had used as an office for the past 12 years was being confiscated.

On Monday, the court’s orders were carried out, and officials emptied the office of all its equipment and furniture.  The fate of the empty office, a key for which was left in the possession of Belyatsk’s wife, will be decided by a court.

Valentin Stefanovich, Belyatski’s deputy and Viasna’s acting head, acknowledged that “this will make our life harder [because] [t]he office is well-known, recognizable, and people knew how to find us when something happened to them.”  However, he promised that “We are not going to stop any aspects of the legitimate human rights work of the organization. All victims of human rights violations can count on us as before for help and support.”

David Díaz-Jogeix, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Europe and Central Asia Program condemned the act, calling it “a blatant violation of Belarus’ international human rights obligations to respect and protect the right to freedom of association.”  Furthermore, in October, for the first time since the 1990s, an Amnesty International researcher was denied an entry visa by Belarusian authorities.  A reason was not given.

Additionally, Belarus, a former Soviet republic, has an unfavorable record.  It stands as Europe’s last dictatorship, ruled since 1994 by President Alexander Lukashenko.  He has been accused of persecuting dissidents in order to maintain power.

For example, last month, Lukashenko’s most formidable political rival, Andrei Sannikov, once a deputy foreign minister, fled Belarus, taking political refuge in the U.K..  He had served 16 months in prison, during which he claimed prison staff tortured him and tried to get him to commit suicide.

This September, during voting for parliament, there were reports of election rigging.  There were similar reports two years ago during the 2010 presidential elections.  The result is that no one elected to the 110 seat lower house of parliament was a member of an opposition party.

Mikhail Pashkevich, a leader of the Tell the Truth opposition party, told the BBC that the results had been predetermined.  “There are no elections […] in Belarus now, only something like a farce, a play that is named election but is not an election,” he said.

Unfortunately, Viasna and other NGOs in Belarus face a battle on two fronts.  They face both the human rights abuses they intended to fight, as well as a government that does not want them there in the first place.

For further information, please see:

Moscow Times – Lukashenko Relishes Reputation as Dictator – 27 November 2012

Amnesty International – Belarus Evicts Leading Human Rights Organization – 26 November 2012

RFE/RL – Belarusian Human Rights Center’s Property Confiscated – 26 November 2012

BBC News – Lukashenko’s Belarus: Rights Group Viasna to be Evicted – 20 November 2012

Polskie Radio – Opposition Parties Boycott Belarus ‘Pseudo-Elections’ – 23 September 2012

Polskie Radio – US to award Belarusian ‘human rights defender’ in Warsaw – 25 September 2012

Polskie Radio – Belarusian ‘prisoner of conscience’ wins Lech Walesa Award – 23 September 2012

Human Trafficking Rings Busted in New York, Call Attention to National Issue

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — New York State Police announced on Thursday they arrested nine people connected to a sex trafficking operation in upstate New York involving a minor.

Colorado authorities fear Kara Nichols, 19, may have fallen to sex trafficking while attending a modeling gig in Denver last month. (Photo Courtesy of The Daily News)

After a nine-month investigation, Troopers charged Lynette Tilden of Utica, Edward Tilden of Orwell, and Alexandria Davall of Utica with felony trafficking.  Troopers said the Tildens—25- and 30-years-old, respectively—used an online classifieds website called Backpage.com to advertise in the Northeast for sex with the victim.  Police did not describe the role Davall, 23, played in the operation.

Troopers also charged two men from the Utica area with rape, two others with endangering the welfare of a child, and two others with a criminal sex act.  Investigators did not release the age of the victim.

The bust came a little more than a week after New York City Police and the New York Attorney General’s Office announced the break-up for a $7 million, three-state prostitution and money laundering ring.  On Nov. 20, authorities arrested more than a dozen people and rescued two human trafficking victims.

A 16-month investigation into Somad Enterprises Inc. revealed it operated a “one-stop shopping vehicle for prostitution rings,” authorities described.  The ad agency created listings for escort services on television and websites, including Backpage.com.

The 180-count indictment charged 19 people and one corporation with enterprise corruption, money laundering, and prostitution, among other crimes.  So far, only 17 of those indicted have been arrested, and each faces up to 25 years in prison.  Reuters reported three prostitution clients also were charged.

These arrests highlighted a growing concern about sex trafficking in other parts of the United States, as well.  In Colorado, investigators said an aspiring model who disappeared last month may have fallen victim to trafficking.

Kara Nichols, 19, was last seen on Oct. 9 when she went to a modeling gig in Denver.  But according to an El Paso County Sheriff’s Office bulletin obtained by KKTV, investigators feared she became trapped in a sort of front for a modeling business.

A search of modeling and fashion websites authorities believe Nichols visited involved drugs and prostitution, according to police.

“Someone that has big dreams with limited resources sometimes turn to the internet,” Lt. Jeff Kramer said in an interview with the Daily News.  He hoped someone who knows something might come forward to shed light on what happened to Nichols.

Dangers like those that may have befallen Nichols have prompted the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to pass a motion to investigate sex trafficking.

County officials said the majority of youths arrested on prostitution charges in LA County are from the foster care system. Supervisor Michael Antonovich cited FBI and U.S. Department of Justice data showing the average entry age into prostitution in 12-years-old, and that participation lasts seven years.

For further information, please see:

The Corning Leader — Police: Upstate NY Sex Trafficking Ring Broken Up — 29 November 2012

The Huffington Post — LA Teen Prostitutes Come from Foster Homes a Majority of the Time, County Says — 28 November 2012

The Daily News — Missing Model May Be Victim of Colorado Sex Traffickers: Authorities — 26 November 2012

The Chicago Tribune — Human Trafficking Victims Freed in U.S. Prostitution Bust — 20 November 2012

Region of South Sudan in State of Humanitarian Emergency

By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

 JUBA, South Sudan – The Jonglei area of South Sudan is currently in a state of humanitarian emergency due to the ongoing ethnic bloodshed, according to international aid group, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders.

 

Villagers from Jonglei return to their homes after escaping the ongoing violence in the region. (Photo courtesy of Robin Meldrum/MSF)

In a report published on Tuesday, the MSF called attention to the “devastating impact” of the ongoing violence on the lives and health of tens of thousands of people living in South Sudan’s Jonglei state.

The MSF special report, “South Sudan’s Hidden Crisis”, noted that civilians have become targets of attacks that are mainly caused by inter-communal, cattle rustling, fighting between government and rebels and a government disarmament process.

Based on the findings of the MSF, women and children make up more than 50 percent of the gunshot injury victims treated by the MSF teams. One of their patients recalled her experience last March where she witnessed children thrown into a fire. “If the child can run, they will shoot them with the gun; if they are small and cannot run, they will kill them with a knife,” she told the humanitarian agency. Children as young as four months old are among the victims, according to the report.

Cases of violence are also likely to increase as the dry season approaches.

“What we are seeing is an emergency; the lives and health of Jungle’s population are hanging by a thread. The dry season is now upon us, making movement around the area possible again, and we fear a further spike in violence, injury and displacement,” said Chris Lockyear, the MSF’s Operational Manager.

The violent clashes between South Sudan army, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and a militia group in Jonglei have also caused massive displacement and insecurity in the region. Entire communities fled their homes to escape the conflict and to seek refuge in safer towns. Due to lack of shelter, food and safe drinking water, however, they have become susceptible to diseases like malaria, pneumonia, malnutrition and diarrhea.

Another problem pointed out by the MSF report is that healthcare facilities have likewise been targeted. Hospitals and clinics are usually looted and destroyed.

As it highlighted the gravity of the humanitarian crisis Jonglei’s population faces, the MSF called on the South Sudan government, the UN, donors and other humanitarian organizations for support “to ensure that there is adequate emergency response capacity.”

“Today we are sharing the medical consequences as our teams see them on the ground,” added Lockyear. “Jonglei is in the grip of an emergency. MSF remains committed to providing neutral and impartial healthcare in Jonglei, however we fear there may be even more medical needs among people who cannot reach our clinics – due to sheltering in the bush or for fear of travelling to seek care. MSF calls on all armed groups to respect medical humanitarian facilities and staff.”

 

For further information, please see:

All Africa – South Sudan: Juba Unveils Water Project to Mitigate Conflicts in Jonglei – 28 November 2012

All Africa – South Sudan: Silent Violence of Hidden Crisis in Jonglei – 27 November 2012

CBS News – Aid group raises concern on South Sudan violence – 27 November 2012

Doctors Without Borders – South Sudan: Displacement and Destruction of Health Facilities in Jonglei State – 27 November 2012

Doctors Without Borders – South Sudan’s Hidden Crisis – 26 November 2012

 

At Least 50 Injured by Riot Police in a protest over a Copper Mine in Myanmar

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar – Riot police used violence to disperse protestors in the town of Monywa located in the northwestern district of Sagaing, injuring at least 50 individuals.

An injured monk gets aid for his burns caused by the riot police. (Photo Courtesy of The Guardian)

Roughly 1,000 protestors, including local monks, gathered in a camp in Monywa to oppose a copper mining venture jointly operated by a subsidiary of the prominent weapons manufacturer, China North Industries Corp, and the military-owned, Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd.

The protestors alleged that the proposed billion dollar expansion of the copper mining venture was illegally usurping more than 7,800 acres of land.  Local farmers protesting the current expansion complained that they were forced to swallow an undesirable deal only two years prior when they gave up their land in exchange for new housing and cash compensation.

The riot police arrived early in the morning, around 3 a.m., and opened fire on the camp inhabitants with water cannons, tear gas and incendiary devices, or “phosphorous bombs.”  Some protestors suffered severe burns from the incendiary devices and, as they took off their burning clothes, fires started all across the camp.

Zaw Htay, a spokesperson for President Thein Sein’s office, denied any use of incendiary devices against the protestors and stated only water cannons, tear gas and smoke bombs were used to disperse camp inhabitants.

Some of the injured, many of them monks, have taken refuge in a nearby village to nurse their burns and other injuries suffered at the hands of Myanmar’s riot police.  The injured reported that there were no ambulances to take them to nearby hospitals, other emergency medical response measures, or doctors to help care for their burns.

Disputes over land usurpation, like the one presented in the expansion of the copper mining venture, has been a growing problem in Myanmar, especially after the central government under Thein Sein has relaxed the laws governing individuals’ rights to protest.

Prominent Burmese politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, has offered her services to ensure a peaceful resolution to the current conflict between the interests of the joint mining venture and local land owners.

Aung San Suu Kyi has already met with the companies behind the mining venture and desires to meet with the thousands of protestors and local land owners to ensure better cooperation between the conflicting parties.

The hiccup in the mining venture’s progress has caused the Chinese media to characterize the ordeal as a losing situation for the Chinese interests involved.  The Chinese media has also gone as far as to blame Western interests as the cause for the unrest and stall in the project, claiming that only third party Western interests will benefit from the current result.

For further information, please see:

BBC – Burmese police break up copper mine protest – 29 November 2012

The Guardian – Burma: riot police move in to break up copper mine protest – 29 November 2012

Reuters – Riot police move in to end Myanmar copper mine protest – 29 November 2012

The Telegraph – Burma copper mine protest broken up by riot police – 29 November 2012

Democratic Voice of Burma – Hundreds protest against Burma copper mine – 21 November 2012