Human Rights Watch report says at least 20 killed in Burma crackdown

At least 20 people were killed during a crackdown on protestors by the military junta in Burma, twice as many as the government reported, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today, according to Agence France-Presse.

“The crackdown in Burma is far from over,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Harsh repression continues, and the government is still lying about the extent of the deaths and detentions.”

The group claimed that the actual death toll is probably much higher and said that hundreds of activists remain imprisoned. HRW said its assessment was based on interviews with more than 100 witnesses, but added that it could not establish a definitive death toll because it could not gather any information from outside Yangon.

HRW has accused the government of lying about the number of deaths and people in jail.

“It’s time for the world to impose a UN arms embargo and financial sanctions, to hurt Burma’s leaders until they make real changes,” said Adams. “Countries like China, India and Thailand have the responsibility to take action to help hold the generals accountable and to end this long nightmare of military repression.”

For the AFP article, click here.
For the HRW release, click here.

Human Rights Watch calls for suspension of Iranian activist's sentence

Human Rights Watch is urging Iran to suspend a two and a half year prison sentence against women’s rights activist Delaram Ali. The group also wants Tehran to free 10 other students and activists being held for their participation in demonstrations, All Headline News reported Monday.

Ali, who works with the One Million Signatures Campaign for Equality, was charged with “acting against national security” and “advertising against the system.” She was originally sentenced to two years and 10 months, as well as 10 lashes. An appeals court later upheld the conviction, but reduced the sentence to two and a half years.

“Women's rights activists, student activists – no one who criticizes the government is safe in Iran,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch said. “These arrests should be seen as a sign of the Ahmadinejad administration’s utter desperation and insecurity about the basis of its own popular support in the country.”

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Human Rights Watch calls killing of peacekeepers a war crime

Human Rights Watch said on Monday that the United Nations and African Union should promptly investigate the September 30 killings of 10 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, allAfrica.com reported.

Unidentified rebel forces attacked an AU base in Haskanita, Darfur, killing 10 peacekeepers and civilian police, and injuring at least 8 personnel from the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). About 40 people are missing in what was the worst attack yet on the AU force.

Direct attacks against personnel and objects involved in international peacekeeping missions are prohibited by the statute of the International Criminal Court, so long as the peacekeepers are not directly involved in the hostilities.

“Deliberately attacking peacekeepers is a war crime,” said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The Sudanese government and the rebel groups should cooperate fully with an independent investigation into the dreadful attack in Haskanita.”

For the full article, click here.