Four on Trial in Bahrain for Tweets Against the King

By Justin Dorman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — Four men in their twenties were recently detained and charged for statements they made on Twitter which allegedly insulted King Hamad.

A torn poster of King Hamad can get you at least two months in prison. (Photo Courtesy of the Guardian)

They were all arrested on charges of defaming the king on Wednesday and had their computers and other electronic equipment confiscated. Prosecutor Ahmed Bucheeri has said that the four will face, “an urgent trial before the criminal court.”

So far three of the cases have been adjourned to October 31 for submission of defense papers. The other case has been adjourned for the verdict on November 1. The three adjourned until the 31st have all denied the charges brought against them. Additionally, all three have been denied their respective requests for release. The fourth man charged admitted to committing the act, however, later notified the judge that he was informed he would be released had from custody had he admitted to the crime.

Bahrain has been in political tumult since the Sunni rulers suppressed the Shia majority’s pro-democracy protests last year. They put down the uprising through the use of martial law and help from other Gulf neighbors. The country is in great unrest and it is a daily commonplace occurrence that protestors and police will clash in the streets.

Since the uprisings, criticism of King Hamad or the Al Khalifa family has been considered a great offense. The court interprets any insult towards the ruling family as an insult on the country of Bahrain as a whole.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (“ANHRI”), has called for the “immediate release of all the prisoners of conscience in the Bahraini prisons and respect the freedom of opinion and expression and the peaceful demonstration.”

ANHRI is upset about how these four bloggers have been arrested and in general, condemns the frequent and systematic violence in which Bahraini authorities deal with peaceful demonstrators. They have urged other international and regional human rights organizations to take greater action to change Bahrain’s policies which suppress human rights.

These four twenty year old men have not been the only alleged protestors who have been recently detained. A month ago, Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of a detained Bahraini activist, was imprisoned for two months for tearing up a picture of King Hamad.

Last July, protest leader Nabeel Rajab was convicted and sentenced to three months in jail for a comment he tweeted against the prime minister. Rajab was later acquitted on appeal which gives some hope to these four men on trial for similar charges.

For further information, please see:

Gulf Daily News – Four on Trial for Insulting His Majesty – 23 October 2012

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information – ANHRI Calls the Bahraini Authorities to Stop Suppressing the Peaceful Demonstrations – 23 October 2012

Saudi Gazette – Bahrain Detains Four for Defaming King on Twitter – 19 October 2012

Guardian – Bahrain Charges Four Men with Insulting King – 18 October 2012

 

European Parliament Calls on EU Council of Ministers to Impose EU Wide Visa Bans and Asset Freezes on Officials in Magnitsky Case

Press Release
Hermitage Capital

25 October 2012 – The European Parliament passed with an overwhelming majority a resolution calling on the Council of Ministers of the EU to impose EU wide visa sanctions and asset freezes on Russian officials involved in the false arrest, torture and death of whisleblowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. The European Parliament also called on the Russian government to conduct a credible investigation into Magnitsky’s death and to cease persecuting his mother and widow.

The report was presented by Kristiina Ojuland MEP (Estonia/ALDE Party), the special rapporteur on the Magnitsky case in the European Parliament. On the floor of the European Parliament, Ms. Ojuland said: “Although former president Dmitry Medvedev promised to cast light to this case, we still have not seen justice served. Visa bans and asset freezes are concrete reactions…and demonstrate the EU’s value based policy. Let us be clear, the Magnitsky case is more than a tragedy of an individual fighting organized crime. …we cannot let EU banks accept the fortunes of corrupt individuals stealing from the Russian people.” 

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/afet/pr/908/908403/908403en.pdf

The EU Parliament has twice before called for progress in Russia’s investigation into Sergei Magnitsky death. Because of the lack of action, the EU Parliament is now specifically calling on the Council of Ministers of the EU to implement sanctions. Similar calls have been made by parliamentarians of Sweden, Holland, the UK and Poland, as well as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Marek Migalski (Poland /ECR Party) said: “Sergei Magnitsky…was killed, was tortured in a Russian prison. Our responsibility is just doing the minimum – that which is proposed by Ms Ojuland’s report – that is the introduction of visa bans, the freezing of assets on those whom we suspect may be involved in the process of killing this innocent man.”

Andris Piebalgs, a member of the European Commission and speaking on behalf of the EU High Representative on Foreign Affairs said: “The Magnitsky case has become one of the emblematic cases in this respect, not only for the Russian people but also for the EU. The … reason why we continue to be active in the Magnitsky case is that we believe that Russia itself should have a great interest in solving it.”

The next step is for the recommendations voted on by MEPs to be brought up at the next meeting of the EU Council of Ministers.

 

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/

Violence between Israel and Gaza Escalates

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East 

GAZA CITY, Gaza — Four Palestinians were killed and two Thai nationals were seriously injured within a twelve hour period last Wednesday when Israel launched an aerial assault on Gaza.  The act was a response to events that occurred last Tuesday, when Palestinian fighters launched six rockets at Israel.  The Israeli military said it had fired 72 rockets and mortar shells over the border since midnight.

 

Israel launched an aerial assault on Gaza City that resulted in the deaths of two Hamas fighters. (Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera)

The aerial bombardment began Tuesday evening and continued well into the early morning hours on Wednesday.  Israeli aircrafts killed two fighters from the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, in northern Gaza, sparking more rocket fire.  An early morning raid killed a third fighter from the Popular Resistance Commitees (PRC) near the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, while a Hamas fighter died of injuries he sustained during Tuesday night’s air raid.  Since Monday, 6 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks, while 12 have been injured.

“4 Palestinians killed in a day is a spike in numbers, with the killings and also the rockets there is an increase in tension, things currently are really tense in Gaza as border crossings are closed,” said Nicole Johnston, a reporter for Al Jazeera.

Palestinian armed groups fired 50 home – made shells from the Gaza strip as a response to Israel’s air raids.  Israeli sources say that at least 6 Israelis were injured by the attack.  Palestinian sources say that fighter groups within the region have formed a joint operations center to counter any Israeli wide spread attacks.

During a tour of the area around Gaza, Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed that “Hamas would receive its punishment for what happened [here].”  “No terror element responsible for causing damage in Israel, or to Israelis will be spared,” he said.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ensured that “every community within 7 kilometers would be properly protected against rocket fire.”  An Iron Dome battery, one of Israel’s missile defense systems, intercepted 7 rockets that were fired at the town of Ashkelon.

Haaretz reports that as of now, all Israeli communities within mid-range of Gaza rockets are properly reinforced to protect against the fire.

The events occurred after Egypt tried to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas following a round of violence where approximately 80 rockets and mortar shells were fired at the areas surrounding the Gaza strip.  A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters last Wednesday that “[t]he contacts Cairo made resulted in a verbal promise by Hamas to calm the situation down and Israel… would refrain from attacks unless it was subject to rocket fire.”

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Israel and Gazans in tit-for-tat Attacks — 24 October 2012

Gulf Today — Israeli Raid Kills Four Palestinians — 24 October 2012

Haaretz — Palestinians: Egypt Trying to Mediate Hamas – Israel Truce — 24 October 2012

International Middle East Media Center — Palestine Today 10 24 2012 — 24 October 2012

The Jerusalem Post — Palestinian Official: Egypt Mediating Hamas-Israel Truce — 24 October 2012

U.S. Record on Human Rights Criticized

By Mark O’Brien
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

WASHINGTON, United States — Russia’s foreign ministry denounced the United States this week for what it called “serious problems” in the U.S. human rights record.

Russia criticized the United States and its record on human rights this week, turning the tables on it called American double standards. (Photo Courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor)

Presenting their own report on human rights to foreign nations, Russian leaders condemned what they called the American double standards on human rights.  Specifically, they criticized harsh conditions in prisons, use of the death penalty, mistreatment of adopted children, and the United States’ failure to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

“Washington’s attempts to become the world’s tutor on democracy are baseless,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov during a hearing by the Duma International Affairs Committee.

The report, which was not actually released after being presented on Monday, was the second paper from the Russian Foreign Ministry on human rights abroad.  The first was released in December, not long after a report from the U.S. State Department criticized Russia.

Among the criticisms outlined in the report were racial profiling, police brutality, Internet censorship and rising right-wing extremism.  It also condemned the United States for “extra-judicial” killings overseas by drones, its involvement in Afghanistan, CIA “renditions,” and failing to sign and ratify more than a dozen international treaties and conventions on human rights going back 80 years.

Konstantin Dolgov, who authored the new Russian report, said the purpose was to expand the dialogue of human rights abuses worldwide by showing no country is perfect.

“Nobody likes to be hectored,” he said.  “We are a young democracy, we have our problems, but we also have serious achievement that we hope won’t be overlooked.”

Dolgov and other authors based the report largely on the work of American academic and non-government sources.  They claimed the data shows that U.S. criticisms of other countries are often less than objective, ignorant of cultural significance, and sometimes hypocritical.

“They criticize and judge everyone except themselves,” Dolgov said.  “We think the U.S. should not try to monopolize the role of leader, teacher, and mentor in the field of human rights.  If they want to do this, they should be aware that they are also being monitored.”

The official U.S. response to the Russian report was “Bring it on,” according to the Christian Science Monitor.  The news organization quoted State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland as saying that would be the response from any agency, whether American or international.

“[The United States] is an open book, and we have plenty of non-governmental organizations of our own that make assessments about our human rights and that represent to the government what they think needs to be done,” Nuland said.

For further information, please see:

The Christian Science Monitor — Russian Report Criticizes US on Human Rights, US responds ‘Bring It On’ — 24 October 2012

Global Research — Russia Denounces US Human Rights Record — 23 October 2012

The Chicago Tribune — Russia Condemns United States for Human Rights Record — 22 October 2012

The Moscow Times — Foreign Ministry Slams U.S. on Human Rights — 22 October 2012

Two Month Prison Hunger Strike Ends After Hospilization

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – The last members of the Mapuche Indian hunger strike protesting the Chilean government has ended. The Indigenous Inmates hunger strike which began July12 2012 was in protest of the treatment they received and misuses of their ancestral lands.

Mapuche Indians Clash With National Police On Oct. 15. (Photo Courtesy of Warrior Publications)

Late Sunday Evening one of the protesters,  Quijo Leonardo had to be transferred from his cell after abdominal pain led to a minor episode of cardiac arrest. However at the medical center he refused medical treatment after a blood test and the staff was forced to return him to the prison in Temuco, Chile.

The Mapuche inmate strike began with members of the indigenous tribe forsaking food and medical treatment. These inmates believing themselves to be political prisoners are protesting the Chileans treatment of the Mapuche indigenous tribe. They continue that their group has been unfairly prosecuted and their human rights continually violated. Their numbers have slowly dwindled during the past 2 months as health reasons have forced them to abandon their protest of the Chilean laws that placed them in prison.

The prison in Angol has a permanent group of protesters outside the cities jail, actively protesting the anti-terrorist law. The bulk of the protest is criticizing the Chilean governments use anti-terrorism laws that unfairly prosecute Mapuche members. Known as the Anti-Terrorism Act, it was originally enacted by General Pinochet who used it to quell dissent and subversives of his government. In 1993 the government began enforcing the law to actively criminalize the Mapuche social movement. The law allows citizens to be detained indefinitely and tried in military tribunal courts where they would receive harsher sentences than in a civilian court.

While the Chilean government has vowed to support changes to the anti-terrorism laws, Mapuche protesters are still being met with violent response from the countries national police force. The hunger strike that was just ended could be seen as an extension of the a similar strike that occurred two years prior where 30 Mapuche inmates refused food. Their message was overshadowed by the rescue of the trapped Chilean Miners in 2010.

Chilean government officials and representatives feared violent conflict as the protest continued, with human rights experts fearing a violent outburst if one of the protesters died. Small skirmishes have already erupted on October 15th, after individual inmates suffered health risks as a result of their hunger strikes.

While not all their demands were met, representatives believe that “The steps taken to end the hunger strike have reached a satisfactory conclusion,” and would be welcomed by the Mapuche people.

There are approximately 650,000 Chileans who identify as members of the Mapuche, almost 3.5 percent of the people in Chile.

For further information; please see:

Latercera – Mapuche Still On Hunger Strike And Refuse Medical Care – 22 October 2012

Latin America Herald Tribune – Last 10 Mapcuche Indians On Hunger Strike In Chile End Fasting – 22 October 2012

UNPO – Mapuche: Court Action For Human Rights Against Chile – 22 October 2012

The Argentina Independent – Chile: Court Sends Mapuche Hunger Strikers Back To Prison – 19 October 2012

Sounds and Colours Magazine – Mapuche Hunger Strike In Chile Highlights The Real Problem Facing President Sebastian Pinera – 15 October 2010