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US House Leaders Prepare Gift to Putin?
Press Release
World Affairs — 2 August 2012
Two days before leaving for the August recess, the leaders of the US House of Representatives announced that the two interconnected Russia bills—the extension of permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) and the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, which proposes to sanction Russian human rights violators by denying them US visas and freezing their US assets—will not be considered on the floor until September and, most likely, until the lame-duck session after the November election. One of the key reasons, according to several sources on the Hill, is the unwillingness of some Republican lawmakers to extend PNTR, which they consider “a gift to Vladimir Putin.” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, suggested that PNTR would constitute “yet another concession to a regime that abuses the human rights of its citizens,” urging her colleagues to pass the Magnitsky Act on its own.
The reality is that the Magnitsky Act, opposed by the White House (in unison with the Kremlin) from the very beginning, can only become law if connected with PNTR. The choice, in this case, is both or neither. PNTR would not represent any kind of “gift” or “concession” to Putin. Russia is set to join the World Trade Organization on August 22nd regardless of what the US Congress does. After that date, the only ones who would be hurt by the lack of PNTR with Russia are US exporters. Furthermore, the retention of the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendement, which deals with the (non-existent) emigration restrictions in the (non-existent) Soviet Union, does not in the least bother the Kremlin leaders. In fact, it allows them to portray the US as “anti-Russian” for maintaining sanctions that are no longer relevant.
What would be a gift to Vladimir Putin is the failure to pass the Magnitsky Act—a bill that directly addresses the very real (and very grave) problems with the rule of law in today’s Russia, and which establishes much-needed personal accountability for Kremlin officials complicit in corruption and human rights violations. The nervous reaction from Moscow shows beyond doubt how afraid the Putin regime is of this bill becoming law. In fact, Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, has publicly stated that, given this choice, the Kremlin would prefer to keep Jackson-Vanik. Conversely, the leaders of Russia’s democratic opposition (including Boris Nemtsov, Mikhail Kasyanov, and Garry Kasparov) have publicly advocated replacing the 1974 amendment with the Magnitsky Act. As Nemtsov and Kasparov argued in a recent article, “replacing Jackson-Vanik with [Magnitsky] would promote better relations between the people of the US and Russia while refusing to provide aid and comfort to a tyrant and his regime.”
The time is running out. Delaying consideration of the PNTR/Magnitsky package increases the likelihood not only of a lack of place on the legislative schedule, but also of a post-election White House veto. It would be ironic if those who do not want to provide any “concessions” to Putin would hand him the greatest victory of all.
Newsflash Update
On Thursday evening, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) issued the following statement:
“Upon our return from the August constituent work period, the House is prepared to take up under suspension of the rules a bill to extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) to Russia, combined with the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, should the Senate and President commit to support passage before the end of September.”
Uganda Fights the Spread of Ebola
By Vicki Turakhia
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
KAMPALA, Uganda – The deadly Ebola outbreak is sweepings its way across Uganda. The fast acting disease has taken the life of a 3-month-old girl, at her funeral 15 others contracted the disease, 11 which have died.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) diagnosing someone who has Ebola can be difficult because the early symptoms are similar to other more common and less dangerous diseases. The fatality rate for Ebola is 65%, requiring most people to be in a strong, healthy condition in order to survive.
Police intervention has become necessary to prevent hostility among Ugandan citizens. Ugandan officials have asked that anyone who is suspected of dying from Ebola not be buried, instead officials should be contacted immediately so actions can be taken to prevent the further spread of Ebola.
Some Ugandan people are fearful of the treatment and the hospital stay. One patient ran away from the hospital and was tracked down, now the concern becomes who the patient may have come in contact with and if the disease has spread to those people.
There was a month delay in identifying the outbreak because there was a belief in the community that there was a curse. This delay prevented any early detection and prevention.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not recommended any travel nor trade restrictions for Uganda. Instead, there is an advisement to refrain from public gatherings. Over 250 schools are closed in Uganda as well as markets and public gatherings.
An additional difficulty in combating the spread of Ebola has been the shortage of healthcare workers. Uganda has only 56% of the healthcare worker positions in the country filled. Other healthcare workers are frightened after seeing colleagues pass away.
Some health centers do not have the vital supplies to protect from Ebola and have been unable to provide the full healthcare needed to patients. Food shortages have also been present in Uganda this year.
The hospitals do not have enough money to feed the patients, but arrangements are being made to provide for them. Such as the $1 million dollar reserve fund that Uganda keeps for emergencies, decisions are being made now about the use of the reserve.
For further information, please see:
All Africa – Uganda: Containment Worries As Ebola Numbers Rise – 2 August 2012
All Africa – Uganda: Ebola Claims Four More At Kagadi, Mulango – 1 August 2012
CNN – Ugandan officials, international experts tackle Ebola outbreak that’s killed 14 – 1 August 2012
Huffington Post – Ebola Virus Uganda Outbreak: What is it? – 30 July 2012
Yahoo – Ebola was spread widely at funeral of first victim – 2 August 2012
Gu Kailai’s Trial is Set for Neil Heywood’s Murder.
By Karen Diep
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
BEIJING, China – On August 9th, Gu Kailai’s murder trial will begin in the eastern city of Hefei. Ms. Gu, the wife of former Communist Party member, Bo Xilai, will face a jury for the alleged murder of British businessman, Neil Heywood.
In early April, authorities arrested Mr. Gu and last week, prosecutors charged Ms. Gu with intentional homicide. If convicted, Ms. Gu may face the death penalty.
On November 15, 2011, Mr. Heywood was discovered dead in his hotel. Chinese authorities allegedly quickly categorized his death as overconsumption of alcohol. Furthermore, Mr. Heywood’s body was cremated without an autopsy.
Prior to his death, Mr. Heywood resided in China for over a decade with his Chinese wife. Moreover, he consulted with various companies, including a company founded by former MI6 agents, Britain’s secret intelligence service.
When Wang Lijun, Mr. Xilau’s long-time lieutenant, sought political asylum last February at a U.S. Consulate, suspicion arose. According to CNN, Mr. Lijun feared for his life because he was holding incriminating information against Mr. Xilau, the former Communist Party chief.
Mr. Wang had previously headed Mr. Xilau’s campaign against organized crime. However, after Mr. Wang voiced that Mr. Heywood might have been poisoned during a business dispute with Ms. Gu, trouble between the two ignited.
According to The Telegraph, Ms. Gu poisoned Mr. Heywood after he allegedly threated her son. Mr. Heywood and Ms. Gu’s son purportedly clashed over their “economic interests.” Fearing for her son’s safety, Ms. Gu, with her house aid, who is also facing the jury, poisoned Mr. Heywood.
A UK Foreign Office spokesman reassured that Britain is dedicated to finding justice for Mr. Heywood’s family. “The details of the ongoing investigation are a matter for the Chinese authorities,” shared a Foreign Office spokesman last week. “However, we are glad to see that the Chinese authorities are continuing with the investigation. We are dedicated to seeking justice for him and his family and we will be following developments closely.”
For more information, please see:
Telegraph News – Gu Kailai poisoned Neil Heywood ‘after he threatened her son’ – 05 Aug. 12
BBC – Heywood murder: China sets Bo Xilai wife trial date – 04 Aug. 12
CNBC – China to hold Gu Kailia muder trial on Aug 9: sources – 04 Aug. 12
CNN – Murder trial starts next week for Chinese politician’s wife, friend says – 03 Aug. 12
Syrian Revolution Digest – Thursday 2 August 2012
THE COMMENTARY IN THIS PIECE DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF IMPUNITY WATCH.
*WARNING VIDEOS MAY CONTAIN GRAPHIC IMAGES*
Spiteman!
After the assassination of his brother-in-law, and regardless of the uneasy nature of their relationship, the struggle in Syria for Bashar Al-Assad became that much more personal. The mixture of spite, contempt and vindictiveness that has always colored his view of dissent and dissidents will now drive him to commit even more massacres and spread more mayhem. Going gently into that good night has never been a favorite choice of Middle Eastern dictators. Spite, rather than bravery, has made it so. Assad is but a case in point.
Thursday August 2, 2012
Today’s Death toll: 145. The Breakdown: 50 in Damascus City and Suburbs (including 20 in Yarmouk Neighborhood), 30 in Daraa Province (including 4 children and a woman), and 17 in Homs, 7 in Hama and 5 in Aleppo.
Cities & Towns Under Shelling: Harasta, Arbeen, Moadamiah, Harran Al-Awameed, Ain Terma, Zabadani, Madaya, Eltal, Dmeir, Hameh, Yelda, Rankous, Qarrah (Damascus Suburbs), Sit Zeinab, Al-Qadam, Midan, Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, Yarmouk, Kafar Sousseh, Mazzeh, Qaboun, Barzeh(Damascus City), Daraa City, Khirbet Al-Ghazaleh, Tafas, Bostra Al-Sham, Na’eemah, Mseifrah, Jimreen, Hraak (Daraa), Rastan, Talbisseh, Houla, Tal Kalakh, Al-Qusayr, Al-Hosn, Al-Ghanto, Al-Bouaydah, Old Homs (Homs Province), Hreitan, Elbab, Eizaz, Marei, Bayanoun (Aleppo Province), Haffeh, Jabal Al-Akrad (Lattakia), Deir Ezzor City, Mouhassan, Albou Kamal (Deir Ezzor Province), Kafar Zeiteh, Hawash, Shahshabo, Hama City (Hama Province), Jabal Al-Zawiyeh, Ma’rrat Al-Nouman, Saraqib, Maar Shoureen, Ariha, Kafroumah, Al-Rami, Khan Shaikhoon (Idlib).
More clashes have been reported along the Syrian-Jordanian borders. President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, met with SNC leader, Abdulbassit Seida, to discuss the situation in Kurdish areas in the region, and the prospects of unifying the Syrian Kurdish opposition.
News
Op-Eds & Special Reports
Rebels give inside account of Damascus fighting “We never had enough ammunition to capture the entire city, so how could that have been our plan? We withdrew when we received the order, not because we were forced.”
After Assad Falls: When his regime ends, will a new slaughter begin?Syria is a mosaic of ethno-religious communities. Good fences will be required to make them good neighbors. Start with Syria’s Kurds, who have been aloof from the fighting, relatively safe in their northeastern territories. In a post-Assad Syria, they’ll want substantial autonomy. They should have it within a federal Syria that guarantees minority rights — to Alawites, Christians, Druze, and other groups. Al-Qaeda won’t like that, Iran and Hezbollah won’t like that, and some in the Sunni majority won’t like it either. But those who hope to rebuild Syria as a decent country, independent and at peace within its borders, should readily grasp the benefits.
Washington, get ready for more Iranian influence after Bashar al-Assad falls in Syria After the fall of Bashar-al Assad in Syria, Iran will compensate for its lost ally by strengthening its influence in Lebanon alongside its affiliate Hezbollah – the Shiite militant group that now dominates the country. To prevent this, Washington must take a leadership role in the Lebanon.
Resigning as Envoy to Syria, Annan Casts Wide Blame …“without serious, purposeful and united international pressure, including from the powers of the region, it is impossible for me, or anyone, to compel the Syrian government in the first place, and also the opposition, to take the steps necessary to begin a political process.”… “It is clear that President Bashar al-Assad must leave office,” Mr. Annan wrote. “The greater focus, however, must be on measures and structures to secure a peaceful long-term transition to avoid a chaotic collapse.”
Leading from behind? Syria’s invisible president “Until the regime feels it has the upper hand, I don’t think we will see him again,” he said. “His style and personality is one that only engages, whether with his own people or the international community, from a position of strength.”
How to stop al Qaeda in Syria “The number is relatively small now,” Benjamin said. “I would put the numbers in the dozens to a hundred, a hundred plus. We don’t have that much granularity that we can say with any certainty how many there are.”
Syrian human rights activist Ammar Abdulhamid, with the Washington-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, says his contacts in Syria tell him there is no evidence of a surge in aid to the rebels. “I do not really see any intensification of these efforts. I see a lot of leaks, it seems to me, that were sort of primed to show that something is being done. But the reality is, so far on the ground, we have not detected any real involvement by the U.S. in the ongoing military operations in the country,” Abdulhamid said… Human rights activist Ammar Abdulhamid says he expects much of the new aid to go to refugees in camps in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, as well as to those trapped in Syria. “But I will also imagine that they will try to send some aid to local communities who are cut off and have been cut off because of the fighting, and where food supplies are getting more and more scarce,” Abdulhamid said.
Aleppo’s Berri Clan and Summary Justice
While we have every reason to be appalled by the summary executions that have taken place in Aleppo, we still have the responsibility to put things in perspective. For such acts of retribution remain pretty isolated and have been widely condemned by opposition groups and known dissidents and activists. More importantly, it’s important to point out that the victims were not some randomly chosen individuals, nor was the motivation involved sectarian in nature.
The three victims of yesterday’s execution, as reported by local activists, were high ranking members of the Berri Clan, including its leader Zeino Berri. The Clan is Sunni and is known for its involvement in drug-trafficking and gun-running, among other illicit activities. The Clan is known as well for its affiliation with Maher Al-Assad and, before him, with his late brother, Bassil. This connection has served to guarantee Berri elders at least one spot in the parliament, and has allowed them to make a mockery out of the legal system in Syria for decades. In fact, many of their members have multiple death sentences issued against them. Naturally, the sentences were never carried out. The worst thing that has ever happened to a Berri clansman, before yesterday, was spending few months in prison for offences that by law warrant execution. Zeino Berri himself is known to have had three death sentences issued against him. It was the fourth one that finally killed him.
Early in the revolution, members of the Berri Clan went to Damascus where they met Bashar Al-Assad and pledged their loyalty. Almost every member of the delegation had at least one sentence of one type or another hanging over his head. That didn’t seem to bother Assad who is said to have given a carte blanche to the Berris in Aleppo. On their return, the Berri Clan became more vicious than ever and served as the de facto pro-Assad militia in the city, spreading terror by jailing, torturing and killing activists, as well as extorting local businessmen and merchants. By the time the rebels entered Aleppo City and clashed with the Berris, the level of popular animosity against the Clan was simply too high. Commanders of Al-Tawhid Brigade were simply ill-prepared to deal with such volatile situation.
The positive thing, however, is that FSA commanders have now become aware that simple assertions and exhortations are not enough to deal with such eventualities, and have promised to establish special courts and prisons for dealing with likes of Berri in the future.
Should the U.S. and other western powers become more closely involved in supporting the FSA, their ability to prevent similar occurrences in the future and to encourage the adoption of a more institutional and legal approach to captured pro-Assad militias will increase dramatically. Crying foul from the sidelines has not stopped the Assad and will not affect the rebels. Only friends and allies can influence the rebels’ behavior. Considering the identity of current backers of the rebels, preventing such scenarios in the future will not constitute a priority for them. By continuing to stand on the sidelines, the U.S. and E.U. will have little influence in this matter. Their condemnations will ring hollow and hypocritical and will have little effect. The more they balk from intervention the worse the situation will get and the more necessary and complex intervention will become.
Damascus
The indiscriminate shelling http://youtu.be/vs1fnoXZ7qI of the Yarmouk Neighborhood, Damascus City, leaves 20 locals deadhttp://youtu.be/GvV4OnNuiN4 and scores woundedhttp://youtu.be/w4889Te2waw , http://youtu.be/5cgpbxvE8lI
The pounding http://youtu.be/6hf77KZlSo4 of nearby Tadamon Neighborhoodleft several dead as well http://youtu.be/PFm1QqS8HWE , http://youtu.be/-D35-CJX9L4 , http://youtu.be/XjT73WhoWNU
The suburb of Zamalka came under intense gunfire during the dayhttp://youtu.be/9QJqC2csbmA Clashes left a number of casualtieshttp://youtu.be/fS70-dT7-JI
The shelling of the town of Zabadani to the West continueshttp://youtu.be/YfuRUhk1u1g , http://youtu.be/-Ir6IFhzLTU ,http://youtu.be/G29XxzhvHeg , http://youtu.be/7FwXh_8MaT0
Elsewhere in the province, rebels form a new fighting unithttp://youtu.be/CqQB0498w3Y
Homs
The pounding of Talbisseh continues http://youtu.be/cTjURKknV-U And Rastanhttp://youtu.be/mADhw4D2I_8 In Qusayr, the pounding left 7 dead that were buried in a hasty funeral http://youtu.be/67QMERZrjEg
Aleppo
Pounding Aleppo City with MiGs continues http://youtu.be/ZV5UMeWauTUHelicopter gunships are also taking part http://youtu.be/iVBkS-9hM8Y
Colonel Ammar Al-Wawi, recently interviewed by the Daily Beast while on a stop in Turkey, is taking part of the battle in Aleppo City with his brigade, Al-Ababeelhttp://youtu.be/Oks0ixZVemU , http://youtu.be/izsE6Od_xXI
Hama
In Treimseh, the pounding resumes, and local FSA members rush to save the civilian inhabitants http://youtu.be/wbPFvJVRNHs
Raqqah
Local defectors form a military council for the provincehttp://youtu.be/yNRaMsy7QRI
Deir Ezzor
Locals in the town of Asharah form a new fighting unit under the banner of the FSA http://youtu.be/4GOxhY8UXxc More to the east, closer to the border with Iraq, another group is formed http://youtu.be/BZUCZ25b2ns