Russian Slavery Prosecution Transforms into Potential Deportation of Prisoners

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – In early November, Leila Ashirova and Bakiya Kasymova, who were among 12 Kazakhs and Uzbeks, were freed from a nightmare described as a decade of slavery in a basement of a Moscow supermarket.

Bakiya Kasymova and Leila Ashirova face deportation after they were freed from a 10 year captivity. (Photo Courtesy of RFE/RL)

Although Ashirova and Kasymoya thought their captors would face criminal charges for slavery, Russian prosecutors dropped the criminal investigation and claimed there was no evidence of a crime. Furthermore, on November 9, police accused Ashirova and Kasymova of illegally residing on Russian territory without proper documentation.

Irina Biryukova, the lawyer who represents Ashirova, stated, “The girls are in a really difficult situation because they are no longer connected to a criminal investigation.” She continued, “That means in the eyes of the authorities, they are on Russian territory illegally. [The authorities] would, of course, like to deport them somehow. But we are trying everything to stop this from happening.”

Rights activist, Danila Medvedev, reported “Six years ago, a survey on human trafficking was conducted at the U.N.’s request and said that there are half a million to one million people in Russia who are practically living as slaves here.”

When Russian human rights activists freed the two women in early November, Ashirova and Kasymoya said they were attracted to Russia with the promise of employment. The women also told investigators that they were kept in the supermarket basement for at least 10 years with the fear of violence if they tried to escape. Furthermore, the prisoners were not paid for their work in the supermarket.

Ashirova described the conditions, “I saw one young woman who was carried out dead. Another woman was taken from there forcibly by her parents because she had not come home in so long. Another girl left because one of her legs had become gangrenous. She’d worked there 10 or 15 years; she was there even before us.”

However, despite Ashirova’s testimony, the Moscow prosecutor’s office maintains there is no evidence of slavery. Yelena Rossokhina, a spokeswoman for the Moscow prosecutor’s office, stated, “They say it’s slavery and that they were held for several years. These Uzbek women weren’t held by anyone; they visited shops, they visited clinics, and they didn’t appeal to anyone about being held captive. How can this be sufficient grounds for a criminal case? It’s a very big question. Simple as that.”

Oleg Melnikov, a member of the rights organization Alternative, scorns the prosecutors’ claims as “deceit.”

Anastasia Denisova, a member of the Civil Assistance rights organization, said the two women, “realize that if they don’t go all the way to the end now that it won’t be safe for them either here or at home if these people (their former captors) remain at large.”

Attorneys for Ashirova and Kasymova believe the two women face deportation because of the criminal case the women initiated against their alleged captors.

For further information, please see:

RFE/RL — Freed ‘Slaves’ In Moscow Face Deportation, Their Captors Off The Hook – 20 November 2012

Times of News — Grocery Store Slavery Case Opened – 06 November 2012

Reuters — Russian activists say have freed 12 human “slaves” from shop – 02 November 2012

The Moscow Times – Activists Say Migrants Were Held as Slaves in Grocery Store – 01 November 2012

Riots Break Out in Kenya After Bus Bombing

By Heba Girgis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya—Early this morning, Kenyan police fired tear gas to end a number of riots that broke out in its capital city after a grenade blast, on Sunday, killed at least seven people. Many shops were looted in the neighborhood of Eastleigh, a primarily Somali neighborhood, as the angry youths blamed the ethnic Somalis for Sunday’s explosion. Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked group, al-Shabab, is specifically blamed for this attack, as they have been held accountable for numerous attacks in Kenya in recent years.

The Grenade That Exploded on the Bus Yesterday, Sparked Riots in the Neighborhood of Eastleigh. (Photo Courtesy of CoastWeek)

Al-Shabab, a militant group, has vowed large-scale attacks in Nairobi after Kenya sent its own military forces into Somalia last year. There have been a series of explosive attacks over the last year that have killed and wounded dozens of people and have been responsible for raising ethnic tensions in the region.

The riots were carried out by demonstrators who were venting their frustration over a bomb attack in the same neighborhood yesterday. Maurice Ouma, a witness to the bombing and the riots, said, “It’s unfortunate that now people we’re hosting are actually turning against us.”

Regional Police Commander Moses Ombati, said, “We are worried the number of casualties could be higher since there were two more vehicles behind after an explosion on a 25-seater mini bus which was blown up by the explosive device.” He further noted, “Several have been rushed to the hospitals and we expect the number of casualties to be higher since there were also some passerby and bystanders who were also hit.”

The injured were rushed to the Kenyatta National Hospital for treatment resulting in an appeal for blood drives to help the victims of the grenade attack.

Tensions are running high in the region as Kenyan residents are beginning to attack Somalis whom they suspect are responsible for the rising insecurity of the country that has effected the “residential estate in the recent past.” Commander Ombati noted that security forces have been deployed in the neighborhood of Eastleigh in order to contain the violence. The police have also launched a major crackdown to apprehend and bring to justice, those behind the deadly attacks.

 

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Kenya Grenade Attack: Somalis Attacked in Nairobi – 19 November 2012

CoastWeek – Nairobi Police Fear More Deaths After Blast in Eastleigh Suburb – 19 November 2012

DW – Riots in Kenya Over Bus Bomb – 19 November 2012

Washington Post – Kenya Police Fire Bullets, Tear Gas As Riot Breaks Out – 19 November 2012

South East Asian Countries Move to Adopt Human Rights Declaration Despite Protest From Activists

By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have committed to signing the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration to combat the rampant disregard for basic human rights in the region.

Cambodian rights activists protest the summit in Phnom Penh. (Courtesy of the Philippine Star)

Despite strong protest from rights groups that say the declaration adopted by ASEAN falls short of international standards on human rights, the countries plan to move forward with the adoption of the declaration.

The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration will not be legally binding and currently contain certain loopholes that allow the nations who sign it into “law” to escape penalty.  The document declares all citizens of the nations who sign the declaration into effect are entitled to equal protection under the law.

The declaration also provides special protection to marginalized groups such as women, minorities, disabled persons, and displaced migrants.  These groups are said to have certain “inalienable rights and freedoms” under the proposed human rights declaration.

Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary General, has touted the declaration as representation progress in the realm of human rights for many of the ASEAN members.  However, Pitsuwan also acknowledges that inherent weaknesses exist within the declaration.

Deputy Director for Human Rights Watch Asia, Phil Robertson, has condemned the declaration, calling it an “ASEAN human rights feel-good show.”  Robertson believes that the declaration is nothing more than a “public relations game” to improve ASEAN members’ international perception because the human rights abuses in this area of the world have been so prevalent.

Vietnam has been guilty of imprisoning internet bloggers because of their criticisms of the Communist government’s policies.  Cambodia, the host for the declaration summit, has also been host to over 300 politically motivated killings in the past two decades alone.

Because the declarations are not binding, the provisions essentially have no weight in the context of improving human rights for citizens of these countries.  There are event specific omissions that show that this declaration is weightless such as the Muslim majority in Malaysia lobbying for gay rights to be omitted from the final draft of the declaration.

President Barak Obama of the United States is slated to visit the region, specifically Myanmar, to address these failures in adhering to the minimum international standards on human rights.  The president is under immense pressure by rights groups to persuade the region to raise their standards on human rights.

ASEAN members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  All member countries have struggled with promoting basic human rights and have all been guilty of violating international standards in recent history.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Calls mount to scrap ASEAN human rights plan – 17 November 2012

The Philippine Star – Territorial disputes, human rights top Asia summit – 17 November 2012

Reuters – Southeast Asia to adopt human rights platform; condemned by activists – 17 November 2012

The Washington Post – Southeast Asian leaders plan to adopt human rights declaration despite calls for delay – 15 November 2012

Will Libya’s new Government Issue in a new Period of Human Rights?

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya – On November 14, 2012, Libya swore in its new government. The new Prime Minister is Ali Zeidan, a former human rights activist. The new justice minister is Salah Marghani, a former human rights lawyer.

New Prime Minister Zeidan, a former human rights activist, enters a situation in which he rules over a country that currently is illegally detaining around eight thousand people. (Photo Courtesy of Magharebia)

“I take full responsibility for the safety and security of all Libyans equally, including those who sided with the former regime,” said Zeidan. The new Prime Minster is committed to running a country where the rule of law and conceptions of justice are central to the government. With justice as an important tenet to the new regime, the government seeks to place special emphasis on human rights.

If the new government is going to make good on its claims, it is going to have to address the current detainee crisis which plagues Libya. Currently, there are eight thousand individuals who are held in illegal detention. Four thousand of these individuals are under government detainment. Many of those four thousand held by the government have yet to been charged with anything and are denied access to legal consultation and representation. The other four thousand detainees are being held by armed groups who have no legal right to hold anyone within their control.

Those currently in custody are mainly men and most have been detained for more than a year. Most of these men held various affiliations with the Gaddafi regime. Many others though are foreign nationals from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International believes that, “[i]t is shameful that Gaddafi-era abuses against foreigners, especially those from Sub-Saharan Africa, have not only continued but worsened. The Libyan authorities must acknowledge the extent of the abuse by militias and put in place measures to protect all foreign nationals from violence and abuse.”

Currently, the amount of armed forces groups in Libya, many of which hold detainees, far outnumbers the amount of actual official armed forces employed by the government. A law was passed four months ago during the transitional government that stated that “all supporters of the former reigme” detained by militia should be brought before judges and charged. It is roughly four months later, and practically no one has followed this transitional decree.

Libya’s Criminal Procedure Code clearly restricts non-governmental groups from holding the authority to arrest and detain others. Moreover, such detentions are also disallowed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights under international law. There is only an exception made for when there is a national emergency in which the country’s criminal codes are insufficient to deal with the matter. This is not the current case with Libya.

Those in detention are not subject to the greatest of treatment. Since May of last year there has been some reports of torture and at least three men have died while under militia custody.

If Libya’s new government is going to be as just as it purports to be, then these detainees are either going to have to be charged or released.

For further information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Libya: New Government Should end Illegal Detention – 16 November 2012

Magharebia – Libya Inaugurates new Government – 16 November 2012

Tripoli Post – Human Rights Watch Urges New Libyan Government to Free Illegal Detainees – 16 November 2012

Amnesty International – Libya: foreign Nationals Face Abuse and Exploitation – 13 November 2012

Syrian Revolution Digest – Saturday 17 November 2012

Free the Air!

Syrian Revolution Digest – November 17, 2012 

Liberating the land but not the air does not a victory make. Unless rebels are able to neutralize Assad’s airpower the mere possibility of organizing local governments is rendered meaningless, and all hopes for transitioning beyond the current mayhem are dashed. This is not something that the rebels can accomplish without external support. The international community needs to move beyond symbolic gestures in its dealings with the Syrian opposition. The Russians, by their own admission, are definitely providing much more than symbolic support to Assad. The rebels deserve no less from their international sympathizers.

Today’s Death Toll:  136 (including 3 women and 6 children)
63 in Damascus and suburbs (including 7 in Harasta)
30 in Aleppo
21 in Deir Ezzor
11 in Idlib
4 in Homs
2 in Daraa
2 in Hama

Points of Random Shelling: 153
91 by artillery
44 by mortar
20 by missiles
Regime warplanes conducted aerial raids in 13 regions and released barrel bombs in Mayadeen (Deir Ezzor) and Daret Azzah (Aleppo) They also used vacuum bombs in 5 areas, and poison gas bombs in Harasta in Damascus Suburbs

Clashes:  82

Developments: Rebels attacked a convoy of tanks on its way to Eastern Bowaida in Damacus Suburbs. They also attacked the checkpoint in Hirak, Daraa, and in the Shaghour and Sina’a checkpoints in Damascus. In Aleppo, rebels stormed the agricultural school that had been transformed into a barracks by regime forces; they also stormed the 46th regiment that had been bombing areas in Aleppo countryside (LCC).

 

News

Turkish Cameraman Set Free by Captors in Syria

In Bold Move, France Welcomes Syria Ambassador

Syria rebels say seize airport near Iraqi border

Turkey to ask NATO for missiles on Syria border: German daily

Obama urged to consider no-fly zone in Syria Key U.S. Senators, including an influential Democrat are calling on President Barack Obama to consider establishing a no-fly zone in Syria.

 

Special Reports

Syria: Spillover into Iraq? By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Given Syria’s trade ties with Iraq, a post-Assad regime would be more likely to take on a role as mediator, advisor in Iraqi politics.

Inside Syria, a Grandma Faces Down War
Syrian doctors routinely treat the war injured, knowing that if they are caught doing this they may be tortured to death by the Assad regime’s security services.

Mapping Syria’s armed opposition: A sketch of rebel units, leaders and organizations.

 

Video Highlights

Rebels take control of Al-Hamdan Airport in Alboukamal, Deir Ezzor Province http://youtu.be/XXzpJ2Oud8Y ,http://youtu.be/7uGlq_GPSqM , http://youtu.be/dijsOT-UXDk , http://youtu.be/kaY3GErC2VA ,http://youtu.be/MlB02lt4Yqs Spoils of war http://youtu.be/gwXAUBab-dY

Summary executions in Bahdaliyeh, Damascus Suburbs http://youtu.be/6ChUFEX_6DY A child among the dead inJisreen http://youtu.be/cPiUSekZe68 Aerial bombardments claim more victims in Harastahttp://youtu.be/gsUU7dYF3jI More aerial bombardment of Eastern Ghoutah Region: Jisreenhttp://youtu.be/0kdYeWcn5ug Hamouriyeh http://youtu.be/6EZ3IU3h3lY

Transporting the victims of the pounding in Haydariyeh, Aleppo City http://youtu.be/MJljPpueiLo , http://youtu.be/4-8_oalLe1s , http://youtu.be/Mkik2sIohfY , http://youtu.be/giKBfuDAa38

Clashes in Hirak, Deraa Province http://youtu.be/Sg8ec7bTNgQ , http://youtu.be/x8QCBG-av7Q