World

State violence against protesting civilians: A global comparison

Published

2 years ago

July 9, 2022

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PHOENIX (Stacker) – The killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police in 2020 ignited anti-police brutality and anti-racism protests across the U.S. and the world. For many, the murders represented a shift in awareness of police brutality as an issue—between 2015 and 2020, there was a marked increase in U.S. adults who believed that police violence was a serious problem.

As protesters took to the streets, another shift was occurring: increased police violence against protesting civilians. Over the past several years, the use of excessive force by police and military against protesters—both domestically and globally—has steadily increased, according to a statement from the United Nations Human Rights Office. This trend includes violence against journalists covering protests and has made conditions for protesting more dangerous. The U.S. nearly tops the list for most incidents of state violence against protesters, placing sixth among all countries.

In order to compare levels of state violence against protesters globally, Stacker compiled data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project to see which governments have had the most violent reactions to protesting civilians since January 2021. Data is from January 2021 through June 2022.

Incidents of violence against protesters include abductions, attacks, and sexual violence by police, military, or another state actor, but do not include civilian-on-civilian violence, civilian or political militias, or gang activity. State responses to protests are classified as “interventions” and include attempts to disperse or suppress the protest without “lethal injuries.” “Excessive force against protestors” means serious or lethal injuries were reported. Protests where there was no formal, forced attempt to disperse civilians were not included in the ranking.

#16. Central America (65 total incidents)

Nicaragua: 29 incidents of state violence (#67 globally)
5 as response to protests (17.2% of incidents)
Costa Rica: 9 incidents of state violence (#101 globally)
7 as response to protests (77.8% of incidents)
Guatemala: 9 incidents of state violence (#101 globally)
7 as response to protests (77.8% of incidents)

In 2018, protesters in Nicaragua turned out to speak out about social security program changes, but things quickly turned violent as President Daniel Ortega’s national police force and pro-government groups began lashing out at protestors, many of them students and young people. According to a 2019 Human Rights Watch report, over 300 people were killed and more than 2,000 were injured in the protests, which lasted several months. The report further details that many protesters detained by government forces were brutally tortured.

Despite months of calls and protests for Ortega’s resignation, as well as a statement from the United Nations in 2021 calling on the Nicaraguan government to stop attacking peaceful protesters, Ortega has remained in power. Some have likened the nature of the state violence and Ortega’s authoritarian rule to Nicaragua’s old Somoza dictatorship, which stayed in power by similarly crushing student protests with militant violence. Ironically, Ortega was a part of the revolutionary and idealistic Sandinista uprising that eventually toppled and replaced the Somoza regime.

#15. Oceania (155 total incidents)

Australia: 100 incidents of state violence (#38 globally)
100 as response to protests (100.0% of incidents)
New Zealand: 37 incidents of state violence (#65 globally)
37 as response to protests (100.0% of incidents)
Papua New Guinea: 10 incidents of state violence (#98 globally)
0 as response to protests (0.0% of incidents)

In both Australia and New Zealand, protests relating to Black and Indigenous rights have been met with police violence. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police in May 2020, Black Lives Matter protesters in Sydney were pepper-sprayed by police in a train station as they tried to board trains to leave but were unable to disperse. The following day, incarcerated protesters at Sydney’s Long Bay Correctional Complex were tear-gassed by prison guards in riot gear while spelling out “BLM” in the yard. In addition to protesters’ injuries, tear gas wafted through the neighborhood, harming residents in their yards and on balconies nearby. Another protest was held some days later in solidarity with the incarcerated protestors.

In New Zealand, one event is particularly memorable in its history of protest. The 1977-78 Bastion Point protest lasted over 500 days and centered around Māori activists who peacefully occupied the land at Bastion Point, or Takaparawhau, in protest of the colonizing government’s plans to build a housing development on their land. After well over a year of protest, 800 police and military personnel evicted and arrested more than 200 people and destroyed their dwellings and crops. The land was returned to Ngāti Whātua, the iwi (tribe) who lived there, in the 1980s.

#14. Caribbean (190 total incidents)

Cuba: 120 incidents of state violence (#32 globally)
36 as response to protests (30.0% of incidents)
Haiti: 27 incidents of state violence (#71 globally)
18 as response to protests (66.7% of incidents)
Jamaica: 16 incidents of state violence (#87 globally)
1 as response to protests (6.3% of incidents)

In 2021, protests in Cuba drew thousands of people inflamed over the government’s poor response to COVID-19, food and medicine scarcity, and power outages, among other issues. Human Rights Watch reported that recurring patterns of police and security abuse of protestors imply that Cuban authorities had a coordinated plan to violently shut down demonstrations. Authorities arrested hundreds of peaceful protesters, and reports say many of those imprisoned were subjected to violence and deprived of customary due-process rights.

Human rights abuses were also reported in Haiti during protests over government corruption, gas shortages, and widespread poverty that began in 2018 and have continued into 2022. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights reported that police barricades have restricted protesters’ and bystanders’ access to food, education, and medical services. Protesters were also subjected to tear gas and beatings by police.

#13. Southern Africa (245 total incidents)

South Africa: 101 incidents of state violence (#37 globally)
65 as response to protests (64.4% of incidents)
Eswatini: 54 incidents of state violence (#55 globally)
35 as response to protests (64.8% of incidents)
Zimbabwe: 52 incidents of state violence (#57 globally)
15 as response to protests (28.8% of incidents)

South Africa has a bleak legacy of state violence against protesters, particularly during apartheid. In 1960, police fired on a crowd of Black protesters who were demonstrating against pass laws, which required Black South Africans to carry passport-type documentation with them at all times. The event became known as the Sharpeville massacre; 69 protesters were killed and 180 were wounded.

In 1976, students in Soweto, South Africa, staged an anti-apartheid walkout and began peacefully marching toward Orlando Stadium. Police set dogs on the crowd and began firing at them. Officials claimed 23 protesters died, but other accounts put the total as high as 200 along with hundreds of others injured. Afterward, the state coordinated attacks on activists and tortured and executed political prisoners.

#12. East Asia (466 total incidents)

China: 295 incidents of state violence (#11 globally)
34 as response to protests (11.5% of incidents)
South Korea: 108 incidents of state violence (#35 globally)
108 as response to protests (100.0% of incidents)
North Korea: 26 incidents of state violence (#74 globally)
1 as response to protests (3.8% of incidents)

In June 1989, tens of thousands of protestors gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to peacefully demand an end to government corruption, as well as to advocate for democratic ideals including free speech and press. In response, the Chinese government sent massive numbers of armed troops and tanks to repress the protesters. The troops opened fire on the crowds and crushed attendees. As with other violent state acts toward peaceful protests, the official death count at Tiananmen Square is misleading. The Chinese government claimed 200 dead, while a diplomatic message from Britain’s ambassador to China put the total at 10,000.

In November 2021, reports surfaced that critics of the Chinese government have been abducted or forcibly silenced by being taken to forced-labor camps. Both vocal dissidents and ordinary protesters—and even a famous tennis player—have disappeared or been confined to house arrest. Estimates of those illegally imprisoned number in the tens of thousands.

#11. Western Africa (515 total incidents)

Nigeria: 168 incidents of state violence (#25 globally)
69 as response to protests (41.1% of incidents)
Mali: 78 incidents of state violence (#44 globally)
6 as response to protests (7.7% of incidents)
Burkina Faso: 77 incidents of state violence (#45 globally)
10 as response to protests (13.0% of incidents)

Youth-led protests in Nigeria in 2020 began in response to police brutality perpetrated by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. While the government promised to disband the force, it simultaneously targeted those involved in the protests through a campaign of imprisonment, sabotaging of bank accounts, and confiscation of passports. There have also been more explicit forms of violence—one protest ended with soldiers shooting into the crowd, killing at least 12 people.

In nearby Mali, protests in 2020 over perceived government corruption and political transition became violent, leaving at least 14 people dead and over 300 more injured. Security forces used tear gas and live rounds against protesters. Many of the dead were young people. Reports that the Anti-Terrorist Force was brought in to deal with protesters caused the prime minister to announce an official investigation.

#10. Middle Africa (608 total incidents)

Democratic Republic of Congo: 242 incidents of state violence (#14 globally)
123 as response to protests (50.8% of incidents)
Cameroon: 154 incidents of state violence (#28 globally)
11 as response to protests (7.1% of incidents)
Central African Republic: 74 incidents of state violence (#47 globally)
4 as response to protests (5.4% of incidents)

In 2016, the UN documented over 422 victims of human rights abuses over the course of a couple of days of protests in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The protests broke out after sitting president Joseph Kabila refused to leave office at the end of his term. At least 53 people were killed and 143 were wounded, while nearly 300 were illegally arrested. In 2021, police again cracked down on protesters demonstrating against martial law being declared, allegedly firing without warning on people participating in a general strike; three died, including a 6-month-old baby, and at least 12 were injured.

#9. North America (723 total incidents)

United States: 381 incidents of state violence (#6 globally)
319 as response to protests (83.7% of incidents)
Canada: 216 incidents of state violence (#19 globally)
211 as response to protests (97.7% of incidents)
Mexico: 126 incidents of state violence (#31 globally)
68 as response to protests (54.0% of incidents)

After Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd in May 2020, half a million people from across the U.S. turned out to protest police brutality against Black Americans. Over the course of the first several days of protests, Amnesty International documented 125 incidents of police officers, National Guard troops, and federal agents using excessive force against largely peaceful protesters. These included beatings, use of rubber bullets and sponge rounds, and misusing pepper spray and tear gas. There were also violations like illegal arrests and kettling or trapping protesters in a confined space without a means of escape.

Back in the 1960s, civil rights activists and protesters were met with similar types of violence from state actors. In 1963, police attacked young protesters in Birmingham, Alabama, with fire hoses and police dogs, beat them with clubs, and unlawfully arrested them in large numbers. In Selma, Alabama, in 1965, voting rights activists were subjected to similar treatment when they were attacked with clubs, bullwhips, and tear gas in an event that later became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

In 2021 and 2022, several states across the U.S. enacted anti-protest legislation, which makes it more difficult—and more dangerous—for people to exercise their right to free speech and assembly. These laws largely narrow the options of where it is lawful to gather, make it illegal to block traffic and employ the term “riot” in broad and subjective terms, which make it easier to criminalize protesting in general.

#8. South America (758 total incidents)

Brazil: 237 incidents of state violence (#15 globally)
48 as response to protests (20.3% of incidents)
Colombia: 176 incidents of state violence (#24 globally)
103 as response to protests (58.5% of incidents)
Venezuela: 113 incidents of state violence (#34 globally)
16 as response to protests (14.2% of incidents)

Protesters and dissidents in Brazil have long been subject to state violence. During the U.S.-backed military dictatorship of 1964-85, an estimated 20,000 people were tortured and 434 killed or disappeared. Protests in the country have also been met with excessive force by authorities since then.

During protests about rising transportation fares in 2013, police used tear gas and rubber bullets on demonstrators, leading to casualties and death. In 2014, people demonstrating against Brazil’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup were attacked with percussion grenades, tear gas, and pepper spray. In 2021, Indigenous land rights activists were targeted by riot police as they peacefully protested outside Congress over a bill up for debate that would compromise the official recognition of protected lands and were attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets.

#7. Northern Africa (853 total incidents)

Sudan: 372 incidents of state violence (#7 globally)
316 as response to protests (84.9% of incidents)
Morocco: 268 incidents of state violence (#12 globally)
252 as response to protests (94.0% of incidents)
Algeria: 129 incidents of state violence (#30 globally)
126 as response to protests (97.7% of incidents)

During 2021 pro-democracy protests in Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum, demonstrators who turned out to voice opposition to a military takeover were met by security forces who used live bullets, tear gas, and, in other cities, beatings and arrests. The UN also received reports that 13 women and girls were raped at a protest by military officers. According to a 2022 Human Rights Watch report, hundreds or even thousands of protestors have been illegally detained or disappeared by the military, including children, since the 2021 protests.

In 2011, protesters in Casablanca, Morocco, demanding democratic freedoms and better economic and social conditions were beaten by police wielding truncheons after being kettled by police sealing off streets. In 2017, demonstrators taking part in the “Hirak” protests, who were similarly demanding government action on economic improvement, were again targeted. Allegations surfaced that police tortured people detained because of their suspected involvement in the protests. Roughly 216 protesters were imprisoned.

#6. Caucasus and Central Asia (968 total incidents)

Afghanistan: 654 incidents of state violence (#4 globally)
32 as response to protests (4.9% of incidents)
Kazakhstan: 177 incidents of state violence (#22 globally)
68 as response to protests (38.4% of incidents)
Azerbaijan: 62 incidents of state violence (#50 globally)
45 as response to protests (72.6% of incidents)

The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 sparked protests among Afghan citizens in several cities. In Jalalabad, both protestors and journalists were fired at and beaten by Taliban soldiers. In Kabul, several journalists covering protests were illegally detained and tortured by Taliban authorities before being released with threats against doing further reporting. Shortly after, a group of women protesting the formation of an all-male government was beaten by Taliban soldiers. Prior to the Taliban’s takeover, 2019 protests over several air raids that killed over 20 civilians were met with violence.

#5. Eastern Africa (1,127 total incidents)

Uganda: 261 incidents of state violence (#13 globally)
103 as response to protests (39.5% of incidents)
Burundi: 221 incidents of state violence (#17 globally)
3 as response to protests (1.4% of incidents)
Ethiopia: 179 incidents of state violence (#21 globally)
31 as response to protests (17.3% of incidents)

During the 2020-2021 election cycle in Uganda, two presidential candidates opposing five-term incumbent Yoweri Museveni were arrested shortly before the election, sparking protests across the nation. Between 16 and 54 people were killed during demonstrations, which involved tear gas and live bullets, and hundreds were arrested. Journalists were among those beaten and attacked by security forces. The government also shut down the internet, inhibiting access to social media and making it harder for people to organize and for news to travel. Amid the internet shutdown, Museveni was declared the winner of the election, and authorities blocked people from entering or exiting the home of the most popular opposition candidate, Bobi Wine.

#4. South Asia (1,638 total incidents)

India: 1,183 incidents of state violence (#2 globally)
1,028 as response to protests (86.9% of incidents)
Nepal: 185 incidents of state violence (#20 globally)
144 as response to protests (77.8% of incidents)
Pakistan: 115 incidents of state violence (#33 globally)
63 as response to protests (54.8% of incidents)

In 2019, India passed the Citizenship Amendment Act, which provided expedited paths to citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian immigrants, while excluding Muslims. Protests broke out across the country, and at least 30 people, mostly Muslims, were killed by police. Others were wounded by beatings, tear gas, and live bullets, and over 1,500 protesters were arrested. The government shut down internet access in several areas of the country, including regions heavily populated by Muslims.

#3. Middle East (1,673 total incidents)

Turkey: 522 incidents of state violence (#5 globally)
467 as response to protests (89.5% of incidents)
Yemen: 346 incidents of state violence (#8 globally)
35 as response to protests (10.1% of incidents)
Iran: 300 incidents of state violence (#10 globally)
167 as response to protests (55.7% of incidents)

After Turkey pulled out of an international pact that promoted awareness about gender-based and domestic violence in 2021, protests broke out across the country. Police responded to protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets after putting up riot barricades that made it impossible for crowds to disperse. Back in 2013, demonstrations known as the Gezi Park protests erupted after a group of protesters who were trying to prevent a park from being destroyed were violently removed by police. The protesters were subjected to beatings, tear gas, and the burning of their tents by police. Protests spread around the country, expressing dissent at the treatment of the Gezi Park defenders. A reported 8,121 protesters were admitted to Turkish hospitals during the duration of the protests for injuries sustained at the hands of the police.

#2. Europe (1,808 total incidents)

Russia: 834 incidents of state violence (#3 globally)
728 as response to protests (87.3% of incidents)
United Kingdom: 220 incidents of state violence (#18 globally)
219 as response to protests (99.5% of incidents)
Germany: 165 incidents of state violence (#26 globally)
164 as response to protests (99.4% of incidents)

Russian protesters have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the war in Ukraine, with thousands unlawfully arrested. Roughly 5,000 protesters were arrested on March 6, 2022, alone. Within the first week and a half of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, roughly 13,500 people were arrested. Rare audio recordings of interrogations of protesters by police reveal physical and verbal abuse and torture. In 2021, Human Rights Watch reported that over 5,000 protesters were detained during protests over the arrest of prominent Putin critic Alexei Navalny, while many were beaten and tasered by police.

#1. Southeast Asia (2,915 total incidents)

Myanmar: 2,323 incidents of state violence (#1 globally)
675 as response to protests (29.1% of incidents)
Philippines: 346 incidents of state violence (#9 globally)
29 as response to protests (8.4% of incidents)
Indonesia: 176 incidents of state violence (#23 globally)
120 as response to protests (68.2% of incidents)

Since Myanmar’s military overthrew the democratically elected government and established martial law in February 2021, more than 2,035 protesting and nonprotesting civilians have been killed by military forces, and over 14,000 people have been detained. According to testimony given by Myanmar police officers who defected and fled to India after the coup, police were given orders to shoot protesters. Reports of tear gas, rubber bullets, and beatings at the hands of police have also surfaced. Human Rights Watch has labeled these offenses as “crimes against humanity.”

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Bangladesh: Rampant Police Abuse of Rohingya Refugees

Published

2 years ago

January 17, 2023

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(Bangkok) – Bangladesh’s Armed Police Battalion (APBn) is committing extortion, arbitrary arrests, and harassment of Rohingya refugees already facing violence from criminal gangs and armed groups, Human Rights Watch said today. Donor governments should press the Bangladesh authorities to investigate alleged abuses against Rohingya living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, ensure that victims have effective remedies, and develop measures to better protect refugees.

The Armed Police Battalion took over security in the Rohingya camps in July 2020. Refugees and humanitarian workers report that safety has deteriorated under the APBn’s oversight due to increased police abuses as well as criminal activity. Some refugees allege collusion between APBn officers and armed groups and gangs operating in the camps.

“Abuses by police in the Cox’s Bazar camps have left Rohingya refugees suffering at the hands of the very forces who are supposed to protect them,” said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate allegations of widespread extortion and wrongful detention by Armed Police Battalion officers and hold all those responsible to account.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 40 Rohingya refugees in October and November 2022 and reviewed police reports, documenting more than 16 cases of serious abuse by APBn officers. These included abuses against 10 refugees who were detained on apparently fabricated grounds for trafficking yaba, a methamphetamine drug, or for violence-related offenses. Human Rights Watch and others have long documented the common practice by Bangladesh security forces of framing suspects with drugs or weapons.

Almost every case Human Rights Watch investigated involved extortion either directly by APBn officers or communicated through majhis, the camp community leaders. Police generally demanded 10,000-40,000 taka (US$100-400) to avoid arrest, and 50,000-100,000 taka ($500-1,000) for the release of a detained family member. Families often had to sell gold jewelry or borrow money for bribes or legal costs. Many worried about the harm to their reputation.

Several refugees were seemingly targeted for information they had shared online regarding APBn harassment of Rohingya. Sayed Hossein, 27, who works as a health volunteer with an international organization and as a citizen journalist, said that on July 25, 2022, at about 10 p.m., around 30 APBn officers arrived at his house, handcuffed him, and confiscated his laptop and flash drive. (Pseudonyms are used to protect the security of interviewees.) He said they told him he was being arrested for posting on social media about an APBn officer harassing innocent Rohingya. They took him to the police camp and demanded a bribe. When his family could not pay 50,000 taka ($500), the APBn officers forcibly photographed him with yaba tablets and sent him to the nearby Ukhiya police station.

“I asked them not to take any photos since it would impact my job and future,” Sayed Hossein said. “They said that because I’m Rohingya, I don’t have any future.” APBn posted the photos on their social media accounts. He was detained on drug trafficking charges and spent 41 days in jail before making bail. He said most of his fellow inmates were Rohingya.

Many of the Rohingya victims work for nongovernmental organizations or as teachers. Humanitarian organizations have raised concerns regarding the impact of APBn harassment on their staff and operations. Another health volunteer paid APBn officers 6,000 taka ($60) after they confiscated his work cellphone and downloaded photos and videos related to armed groups to frame him. “I still remember them smiling when they gave my mobile back,” he said. “In Myanmar, the security forces used to charge us money for anything, any time they wanted. Now in the camps, Bangladesh law enforcement is doing the same thing.”

The APBn officers arrested Soyedul Hoque, 57, in his betel leaf shop on November 2, 2022, and demanded 100,000 taka ($1,000) for his release. “Because we have such little income from the shop, we couldn’t pay the police anything,” his daughter said. He was charged with possession of 2,000 yaba tablets and remains in jail. Human Rights Watch interviewed a witness named on the First Information Report, a formal complaint, who knew nothing of the case or why he was listed.

The APBn crackdown has compounded fear and vulnerability among the one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, the majority of whom fled Myanmar military atrocities in late 2017. The police abuses have escalated amid increasingly coercive restrictions on livelihoods, movement, and education in the camps, including harassment at checkpoints and closing community schools and markets.

The refugees also face threats due to the growing presence of armed groups and gangs. Bangladesh authorities should develop and carry out a rights-respecting security policy, in consultation with refugees, to protect the camp population, Human Rights Watch said. This should include providing comprehensive access to education and livelihoods to reduce illegal and dangerous economic activity.

In late October, the APBn initiated “Operation Root Out” in response to a spike in targeted killings by armed groups. The police have arrested at least 900 Rohingya since mid-2022. But refugees allege that APBn corruption has allowed criminal activity to proliferate, while Rohingya not responsible for crimes have ended up targeted in police crackdowns.

Family members of three Rohingya arrested during Operation Root Out said that the cases against their relatives were fabricated. APBn officers arrested Ali Yusuf, 23, a teacher, on October 29, claiming he had ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) armed group. His mother met with him at the police camp the next day.

“My son said that a number of Rohingya had been falsely arrested, accused of hoarding weapons like machetes, knives, or firearms,” she said. “He said the police had weapons and drugs in their possession and forced anyone arrested to be photographed to spread rumors about them. He told me not to pay any bribe. The majhi told me that if I paid the police money, he would be released, but I listened to my son.” In the First Information Report, reviewed by Human Rights Watch, Ali Yusuf is accused of possessing homemade weapons. His mother has not yet been able to afford the legal fees.

Several refugees said that ABPn officers beat, slapped, kicked, or otherwise assaulted them, either in detention or at checkpoints. Two were arrested when the police arrived at their homes looking for family members who were not there. Officers arrested Kamal Ahmod, 18, a teacher, on November 2 when they were looking for his father, whom they accused of being an ARSA member.

Kamal Ahmod was sent to jail when his family was unable to pay the 100,000 taka ($1,000) bribe, and later sentenced to one month in prison. “We still don’t know why my brother was sentenced to prison,” his sister said. “My mother went to prison to meet with him yesterday and saw his face was swollen from police beatings. My brother said he was tortured mercilessly.”

Mohammad Alam, 36, an activist who had assembled a list of 149 refugees allegedly abused by APBn officers, was arrested in December 2021 after police found out about the list. “I was put in a single room that looks like an APBn torture cell with equipment like sticks, rods, and electric shock materials,” he said. “They kicked me with their boots every time someone came to interrogate me.” He was released on bail in February 2022.

In some cases, refugees paid bribes that were not honored. APBn arrested a 35-year-old Rohingya man in October 2021. Though his family paid a series of bribes for his release, he remains in jail. His brother, Abul Basher, 23, was arrested on June 27, 2022, and refused to pay the 100,000 taka ($1,000) that APBn officers demanded given his brother’s experience. He paid 30,000 taka ($300) for a lesser charge, which was not upheld, and spent 70 days in jail before securing bail.

Abul Basher said the harassment and extortion has not stopped. “APBn officers keep coming to me and my family asking for bribes,” he said. “They think we are some sort of money machine. How could we pay so much money? There is no way to earn cash. There is no work. We already lost all of our gold to get my bail. We are helpless.”

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh lack recognized legal status, which puts them on a precarious footing under domestic law and makes them vulnerable to rights violations. The Bangladesh government has a responsibility under international human rights law to ensure that the rights of everyone in its jurisdiction, including refugees, are protected, and to investigate allegations of abuses by government security forces and hold those responsible to account. Restrictions on rights cannot be imposed on a discriminatory basis, including by country of origin.

The authorities should consult refugees and humanitarian groups to improve training and monitoring of APBn units operating in the camps, Human Rights Watch said. Each camp should task and train non-APBn personnel to receive complaints against police officers filed by refugees.

The 2022 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis received less than half of the US$881 million needed for the year. Donors, including the US, United Kingdom, European Union, and Australia, should increase funding to meet the massive protection needs of the Rohingya refugee population.

“The US, UK, and other donors should support projects to promote Rohingya refugees’ safety and protection, while pressing the Bangladesh authorities to end police abuses in the camps,” Bauchner said. “Bangladesh should do what Myanmar never has – hold those responsible for abuses against Rohingya to account.”

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Vietnam Dismisses Two Deputy PMS Amid Corruption Probes

Published

2 years ago

January 5, 2023

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(Bloomberg) — Vietnam dismissed two deputy prime ministers — the most senior officials to be relieved of duties since 2017 — amid lengthy investigations driven by a campaign to clean up corruption and protect the Communist Party’s legitimacy.

The National Assembly voted to dismiss Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam from office during a four-day special session that began today. Pham Binh Minh, who has held the position since late 2013, was also voted out.

The parliament didn’t provide reasons for the dismissals. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh earlier today asked the National Assembly to dismiss Minh and Dam at their requests, VnExpress news website reported.

Of the 484 delegates who voted, 476 approved the dismissals and three didn’t vote, according to a tally provided by the National Assembly.

Delegates also voted to approve Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, 59, and Tran Luu Quang, 55, head of the Haiphong provincial Communist Party, to replace Dam and Minh.

Party officials in September stepped up efforts to prod officials to resign if they have been reprimanded, disciplined and are deemed to have low competency. Party Chief Nguyen Phu Trong has also urged “timely” dismissals of officials who haven’t been effective in their roles or have committed wrongdoings.

The dismissals come as authorities aggressively tackle graft as part of a years-long campaign that has ensnared hundreds of officials and businessmen. The probes have defined Trong’s legacy as he serves a rare third five-year term.

There were signs this was coming for the two top ranking officials. Late last month the two were dismissed from the powerful party Central Committee. Minh, a former foreign minister, was also dismissed from the Politburo, which plays a leading role in the country’s governance. The dismissals came at their requests, Thanh Nien newspaper reported earlier.

Police recently detained Dam’s assistant on alleged abuse of power amid investigations involving Viet A Technology JSC., a maker of Covid-19 test kits. Authorities in September also detained Nguyen Quang Linh, an assistant of Minh’s, and Nguyen Thanh Hai, director of the department of international relations under the government’s coordinating office, for alleged bribery tied to the organization of repatriation flights for Vietnamese abroad during the pandemic. Authorities have begun criminal proceedings against 39 individuals tied to the case.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated against 102 individuals tied to the Viet A Technology case. In June, police detained former health minister Nguyen Thanh Long, former Hanoi Mayor Chu Ngoc Anh, and a former deputy minister of science and technology for alleged ties to bribery and abuse of power in investigations involving the test kit maker.

Trong has warned that corruption could put the party’s legitimacy at risk as the public grows more intolerant of graft — echoing President Xi Jinping in neighboring, communist China. In one of the biggest cases to date, former Vietnam politburo member Dinh La Thang was sentenced in 2018 to 18 years in prison for violating state regulations.

Vietnam, a country of roughly 100 million people, also has much to gain economically if it can bolster its image as place to do business.

During a corruption standing committee meeting on Nov. 18, Trong pointed to slow progress in handling some major graft cases and called for stronger actions to be taken, according to his speech posted on the government’s website.

Authorities last year initiated criminal investigations of at least 4,646 individuals in about 2,474 cases for alleged violations tied to corruption, abuse of power and economic wrongdoings. Since early 2021, the Politburo and the party have disciplined at least 67 officials under the management of the Politburo and the Secretariat, including 5 ministers and former ministers, 13 provincial chairs and former chairs and 20 lower level officers.

In April of this year, police detained Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister To Anh Dung over alleged bribery while he organized repatriation flights for Vietnamese abroad during the pandemic.

–With assistance from Philip J. Heijmans.

(Updates the story with new deputy prime ministers in the fifth paragraph.)

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Peru roadblocks resume as president urges ‘peace, calm, unity’ | Protests News

Published

2 years ago

January 5, 2023

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Protests reignite in Peru after holiday pause, with many demonstrators demanding removal of new President Dina Boluarte.

Anti-government demonstrations and roadblocks have resumed in Peru after a two-week pause as the South American nation continues to reel from last month’s impeachment, arrest and detention of former President Pedro Castillo.

Peruvian protesters on Wednesday used stones and burning tyres to barricade main routes in the southern regions of Puno, Cusco, Apurimac and Arequipa, as well as in Junin, a department in the centre of the country.

The crowds chanted for the removal of President Dina Boluarte, who took over on December 7 after the country’s opposition-held Congress overwhelmingly voted to remove Castillo.

Castillo, a former rural school teacher and union leader who took office in July 2021, was impeached after he tried to dissolve the legislature and rule by decree – a move widely condemned as an attempted coup.

He was arrested shortly after the impeachment vote and has been ordered to remain in pretrial detention for 18 months on charges of rebellion and conspiracy, which Castillo has denied.

The left-wing leader’s removal followed months of escalating tensions with Peru’s Congress over allegations of corruption. It spurred demonstrations across the country, particularly in rural regions where Castillo garners much of his support.

In addition to Boluarte’s removal, the protesters also are demanding the closure of Congress — which has a high disapproval rate — along with changes to the Constitution and Castillo’s release from prison.

The new government has agreed to bring forward elections set for 2026 to April next year — another key demand of the demonstrators — but many want the vote to happen even sooner.

While the demonstrations died down over the holiday period, representatives of civil groups and unions from 10 historically left-wing regions in southern Peru announced their resumption on Wednesday.

“There are 10 blockades, mainly around Puno,” government spokesman Alberto Otarola told reporters in the capital, Lima, where a crisis centre was set up.

As a precaution, train services between the town of Cusco and the Machu Picchu historical site were suspended indefinitely on Tuesday. Some 2,000 were tourists escorted from the tourist destination. During the first wave of protests, thousands were stranded in the area after transportation was disrupted.

Soldiers and police stand guard at an airport in Peru — Soldiers and police stand guard inside an airport to keep protesters out in Arequipa, Peru, on January 4, 2023 [Jose Sotomayor/AP Photo]

In mid-December, Boluarte’s administration declared a 30-day, nationwide state of emergency, suspending certain civil liberties and authorising the police and military to be deployed in a bid to stop the demonstrations.

Television footage on Wednesday showed police and the army guarding the headquarters of public institutions in areas where protests were announced, including Ayacucho, which has been a centre of the recent unrest.

In a speech from Lima, Boluarte again called for a return to calm.

She blamed the protests for “delays, pain, economic losses” and urged “peace, calm, unity to promote development of the homeland”.

But in the mountainous Apurimac region, protest leader Milan Knezvich said the struggle will continue. “No one will want to talk to her. As long as Mrs Dina Boluarte does not resign, this will continue,” he told Exitosa radio.

On Tuesday, thousands of people marched in Lima and elsewhere demanding “peace and tranquillity”. The country’s human rights ombudsman has said 22 people were killed in protest-related clashes and more than 600 were injured so far.