Africa

Senegal's Sadio Mane scores a hat-trick for Southampton in a win that threatens Manchester City's Champions League qualification hopes.

Lions rescued from circuses in Colombia and Peru have been released at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa.

April 30, 2016 (BENTIU) – A respected Leek-Nuer elder from South Sudan's Rubkotna county has died at the age of 101.

The map of Unity state in red

Dhiaydor Tutroal Bany, officials said, died from an unknown sickness in Tuarkiel village located south-west of Rubkotna.

Gen. Ruai Kuol Jal, an opposition appointed governor in Liech state said he received reports he received new on the sudden death of the renowned elder Saturday afternoon.

He said Bany's death was a great loss to the people of Unity state, particularly the Leek-Nuer hailing from Rubkotna county.

“I, Lt. General Ruai Kuol Jal Thor, Governor of Lich State, do hereby, formerly announce to the general public about the passing of uncle Gat Tutroal. With the heartfelt condolence from the bottom of my heart, comforting the bereaved families of the deceased who lost a great man like him,” he said.

Kuol described Bany as a uniting factor whose legacy could only be compared to Ngundeng, a famous Nuer prophet

“His death will be a great loss to the people of Lich state as well as the whole country. The people of the state will never forget him throughout the history,” he further stressed.

Lam Tunguar Kweiguong, the minister of information and culture of Northern Liech state said the region will miss the presence of a respected and great elder from Leek-Nuer.

Many say his death occurred at a time when South Sudan had just formed a Transitional Government of National Unity.

Bany had 80 brothers. One of his grandsons is currently the head chief of Bentiu town.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (BWEYALE) - South Sudan refugees in Uganda say they now feel relieved after the country's warring factions formed the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU).

Leaders of South Sudanese refugees address a rally at Bweyale camp, April 30, 2016 (ST)

At an occasion at Bweyale resettlement camp in Uganda, most of the refugees expressed willingness to return home after several months of the conflict.

Malow Riak, the vice chairperson of the community in Bweyale, said South Sudanese refugees in Uganda are now free to return home and being another life in their nation.

“The return of first vice president to Juba has now given us hope to go back to South Sudan because this is real peace,” he said.

Riak said life in exile makes one not free and is unable to participate in development and decision making process.

“It is always here in Bweyale, we say one day we will go back home. From today and tomorrow many of us shall return home,” stressed.

John Junub, a musician who fled the country after the crisis in December 2013, said South Sudanese were tired of war.

He, however, believes the signed peace accord between warring parties will hopefully re-unite people after the war.

“The peace signed by Dr. Riek Machar and president Salva Kiir shall be the last end of war in South Sudan. We believe their coming once more on the table by forming transitional government of national unity is a good sign for us,” he said.

The renowned singer vowed to carry out peace-related messages through his music to unite South Sudanese, adding that it's through music that people will shun tribalism.

Martha Nyakume, a church leader in Bweyale, said the peace be embraced by South Sudanese leaders and citizens.

More than 20 months of the conflict, she said, traumatised women, many of who were raped and exposed to suffering.

Deng Thomas, a refugee from Jonglei state, said he would go back to his country as soon as stability was restored.

The conflict, which broke out in December 2013, has negatively impacted on the country's citizens, including pushing the country to the brink of famine with 5.8 million people, almost half of the population—in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, according to a recent joint United Nations assessment on food security.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (Khartoum) – Saudi Arabia Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi, is expected to pay a short visit to Khartoum on Wednesday, to discuss joint collaboration on minerals.

Al-Naimi and his delegation will discuss with his Sudanese counterpart ways to utilize the mineral resources in the Red Sea rift valley, which is known as Atlantis II.

In February 2012, Khartoum and Riyadh signed an agreement on exploring minerals in the joint territorial water in the Red Sea. Atlantis II is dated back to 1970s, but was not implemented due to the lack of suitable exploration technologies at the time.

Minerals estimates show that there are 97 million tons of various minerals, which include two million tons of zinc, 500,000 tons of copper, 4,000 tons of silver and 80 tons of gold and other valuable minerals.

Sudanese Minister of Minerals, Mohamed Sadig al-Karori, told reporters in Khartoum on Saturday, that the two countries are closely cooperating on minerals exploitation.

“The visit of the Saudi minister to Khartoum aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and attracting more Saudi investments to minerals sector in Sudan. This cooperation aims to provide more employment and introducing new mining technologies that would bring added value,” said al-Karori.

Saudi Arabia tops the list of Arab investments in Sudan with over $ 4 billion, and the second-largest Sudan's trading partner after China.

In addition, the minister said that the discussions will include the activities of the Saudi-Sudanese committee for the joint exploitation of mineral resource in Red sea bed in the common area between the two countries.

In 2010, the Canadian Diamond Fields International and Saudi Manafa International Ltd. were licensed by the Saudi Sudanese Committee to conduct exploration activities in Red Sea rift valley.

In a feasibility study conducted in 2012, Diamond Fields International expected that Saudi Arabia and Sudan will make big profits from the extraction of copper, silver and zinc from Red Sea bed. At the time, it expected to start production in 2014 once technical studies are terminated.

Sudan and Saudi Arabia relations have recently improved after years of tension caused by Sudan-Iran connections. The development of bilateral relation was crowned by Sudan's participation in the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi militants in Yemen and in the military exercises “Thunder of the North” in Saudi Arabia.

(ST)

April 29, 2016 (JUBA) — Members of the Troika countries on Friday welcomed the formation of South Sudan's transitional government of national unity, but warned against violating key provisions of the agreement, including under representation of women.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir (C) poses for a picture after the government swearing in with his first deputy Riek Machar (R) and second deputy James Wani on 29 April 2016 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

The western nations, in a statement, said formation of the 30-month interim government was a step forward, calling for cooperation between the former foes.

"In that regard, decisions undermining provisions the parties agreed to in negotiations, such as not fully meeting obligations for women's participation in the council of ministers, sets a concerning precedent at the beginning of the transition," the statement reads in part.

President Salva Kiir and first Vice President Riek Machar appointed ministers on Thursday. President Kiir selected four female cabinet ministers as required by the agreement, but vice president Machar nominated only one woman yet the deal demands two.

The Troika also applauded statements issued by the president and his first vice president on Tuesday, pledging cooperation, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence.

"We call on South Sudan's leaders to continue this spirit of cooperation and to start the difficult task of rebuilding their country. While formation of the transitional government is a step forward, with thousands dead, widespread atrocities committed and millions displaced from their homes during the conflict, this is no time for celebration," noted the statement, adding that the international community stands united in urging the transitional government to start to work for the people of South Sudan.

"The fighting must stop, decisive action must be taken to tackle the economic crisis and there must be full cooperation with the UN and humanitarian agencies to ensure aid reaches those in need; formal and informal impediments must be removed," Troika, which sponsored the regional broker peace deal noted.

The Troika members vowed to remain long term partners and friends of South Sudan's people. We stand ready to support the transitional government if it shows it is serious about working for the good of the country and implementing the peace agreement in full. We expect the transitional government to honor its commitments.

"The people of South Sudan deserve nothing less", the statement stressed.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's foreign ministry has downplayed a warning issued by the British government last week asking its citizens to avoid students' protests which have sparked violent clashes in several parts of Sudan.

Wounded student carried by his colleagues to hospital after clashes with the police at at Omdurman Ahlia University (OAU) on April 27, 2016 (Photo Activists)

Two students Mohamed al-Sadiq of Omdurman Ahlia University and Abu Bakr Siddiq of Kordofan University were killed during violent clashes between government and opposition supporters respectively on 27 and 19 April.

Following what, the opposition supporters Thursday and Friday organized several protests in different universities accusing the security services of targeting pro-opposition student groups and called to overthrow the regime.

On Wednesday, the British government, in an advisory on its website, urged its citizens in Sudan and particularly in the capital Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman to remain vigilant and avoid any demonstrations or large gatherings.

It said that the protests are no longer isolated to universities and the possibility of further demonstrations can't be ruled out.

However, the deputy Under-secretary of Sudan's foreign ministry Siraj al-Din Hamid described the warning as “exaggerated”, stressing that the security situation in the country is stable.

He told the official news agency (SUNA) Saturday that the warning doesn't mean the security situation is unstable to the extent that it prevents British citizens from travelling to Sudan and described it as a mere advice.

The United States embassy in Khartoum on Friday also asked its citizens to exercise caution in light of anti-government demonstrations and violence at several universities in the Sudanese capital.

“As a result of ongoing unrest, the Embassy is exercising heightened caution by temporarily restricting Embassy staff from the vicinity of the affected universities,” said a message sent by the Embassy to the American nationals in Khartoum.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (JUBA) - The South Sudanese government on Saturday commended what it described as a positive response from members of the international community after formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU).

South Sudan's minister for parliamentary affairs Bashir Gbandi (thenile)

“We welcome with open heart and mind as the government the support of the international community. There have been positive statements from different countries and international organizations after the return of the first vice president and after the formation of the transitional government of national unity", the parliamentary affairs minister, Peter Bashir Gbandi told Sudan Tribune Saturday.

“We are not an island. We are part of the international community”, he added.

The minister was reacting to comments attributed to members of international community which reacted to the formation of South Sudan's TGoNU on Friday.

“Such positive statements shows that it can be an opportunity to work together with our international partners to restore hope of our people in the government and build the nation together”, said Gbandi.

The members of the Troika comprising United States, United Kingdom and Norway, which are the key players and guarantors of peace agreement, issued a statement welcoming the formation of what they referred as the "long-awaited formation" of South Sudan's transitional government. The countries, however, said they were concerned that the new government did not have sufficient women representation in accordance with the 25% quota allocation to women by the constitution.

"While formation of the transitional government is a step forward, with thousands dead, widespread atrocities committed, and millions displaced from their homes during the conflict, this is no time for celebration," the Troika said in a statement issued Friday.

"The fighting must stop, decisive action must be taken to tackle the economic crisis, and there must be full cooperation with the UN [United Nations] and humanitarian agencies to ensure aid reaches those in need; formal and informal impediments must be removed," it added.

The troika member countries vowed to support the TGoNU "if it shows it is serious about working for the good of the country and implementing the peace agreement in full."

Meanwhile the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said the formation of the new government is an "important milestone in the peace process" and urged South Sudan's leaders to establish all institutions of transition.

He also urged the country's warring parties to immediately cease all hostilities.

Canada's foreign affairs minister, Stéphane Dion said his country welcomed the new government and hailed it as an "important step" toward national reconciliation.

“Most urgently, every possible step must be made by the national leadership to put an end to persistent conflict across the country and to give humanitarian agencies unfettered access to those in dire need of assistance," Dion said.

Dion added it is crucial that the government move quickly to establish accountability measures to end South Sudan's cycle of violence and impunity.

The European Union said the new government is a "welcome development" which is long overdue. "Now the leadership must work to deliver peace and security, as well as humanitarian access for the people of South Sudan," the EU said, through its commissioner for humanitarian affair.

The EU said it would support the new government if it works to end persistent conflict, abuse of civilians, violations of international humanitarian law, and corruption.

"The worsening humanitarian situation and the suffering of the people of South Sudan have reached extreme proportions," the EU said.

"Restrictions on access continue to impede humanitarian operations. The EU expects the Transitional Government to uphold its obligation to respect independent and unhindered humanitarian assistance."

Pete Walsh, country director for Save the Children said the new government is a "golden opportunity" for the country to devote itself to children's education for boys and girls.

"The formation of the TGoNU is not an end in itself – it's the beginning of hard work to reverse the physical and psychological injuries inflicted on millions of children," Walsh said.

He urged the new government to honour provisions of Chapter 3 of the peace deal, which says the parties must allow delivery of humanitarian aid, offer special consideration to conflict-affected persons such as women, children, orphans and release all child soldiers.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Five Sudanese military personnel were killed when a military plane crashed in the capital of North Kordofan State El Obied, 588 km south Khartoum on Saturday.

Firefighters put out a fire on the wreckage of a military plane at El-Obied airport on 30 April 2016.

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) spokesperson Brigadier, Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami, said in a brief statement that the military plane Antonov 26 crashed while landing in El Obied airport due to a technical problem.

“All the crew members including three officers and two soldiers were killed in the accident,” said the statement.

Late 2012, a Sudanese military fighter crashed in El Obied and its pilot was killed instantly.

At the time, SAF said it will investigate the reason of the crash, which happened after fulfilling a military operation; on South Kordofan State where the army fights the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement -North (SPLM-N).

In the same year, three similar accidents occurred.

A Sudanese Armed Force drone crashed in Omdurman. Followed by the death of 12 people when a military Antonov crashed in the same town in October 2012.

32 people, including senior security and military officers and ministers, were killed when an army Antonov 26 hit a mountain and caught fire while landing in Tuldi in South Kordofan State in August 2012.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Saturday prevented the Journalists Network (SJN) from holding a symposium to discuss government plans aimed at integrating daily newspapers into a limited number of press institutions.

Veteran Sudanese journalist and analyst Faisal Mohammed Salih speaks to AFP during an interview in Khartoum on May 29, 2012 (File/ AFP)

The director of programmes at Tiba Press Faisal Mohamed Salih told Sudan Tribune that the NISS ordered them over the phone to not host the symposium organized by the SJN without stating reasons.

He added that Tiba Press has the right to host such an event inside its premises without permission from the concerned authorities according to the law.

The move comes two days after a media watchdog said the NISS directed the newspapers to not report about student demonstrations to protest the recent killing of two students.

The symposium titled “Integrating Newspapers: A leap into the Unknown” was supposed to bring a panel of speakers from various newspapers including publishers, chief editors and journalists to discuss the impact of the government plans on their newspapers.

It is noteworthy that senior government officials have repeatedly called on publishers to consider integrating their newspapers in order to receive government support particularly as they suffer from high cost of printing and low circulation.

The government seeks to convince publishers to adopt its plans by mutual consent since there is no law in place that compels them to accept the move, however, disagreements exist among the latter on the proposal.

Also, journalists fear that dozens of their colleagues would be laid off as a result of the integration of the newspapers.

Sudan's constitution guarantees freedom of expression but laws subordinate to the constitution such as the National Security Forces Act of 2010 contains articles that can be potentially used to curtail press freedom and instigate legal proceedings against newspapers and individual journalists.

Sudanese journalists work under tight daily censorship controls exercised by the NISS.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (JUBA) – The armed opposition faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-IO) has dismissed as baseless “rumour” allegation that their party's chief negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, has resigned from the SPLM-IO.

SPLM-IO Chief Negotiator, Taban Deng Gai, speaking to journalists at Juba airport upon his return from Pagak with his team, 22 January 2016 (ST Photo)

The allegation circulated on social media on Saturday could not explain the reason behind the alleged resignation.

Deng has been the SPLM-IO's chief negotiator under the leadership of the newly sworn in First Vice-President, Riek Machar, for two years since peace negotiations with President Salva Kiir's government began in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January 2014 to end the civil war which erupted on 15 December 2013 in the country.

However, Machar's press secretary, James Gatdet Dak, dismissed the rumours as untrue, but said Deng wanted to take a break from his role as chief negotiator.

“It is not true that H.E. General Taban Deng Gai, Mining Minister, has resigned from the SPLM-IO as rumoured and circulated on social media,” Dak said.

“He just feels that his direct role as Chief Negotiator should come to an end and be replaced with another official,” he added.

Deng, a former governor of the oil rich Unity state, was also appointed as minister of mining in the newly sworn in transitional government of national unity per nomination by Machar.

It was not however clear whether his decision to quit his role as chief negotiator resulted from a frustration to continue leading the opposition's committee.

But Dak told Sudan Tribune that Deng wanted to be given time to establish his new mining ministry.

“He wanted time in order to concentrate on establishment of the Ministry of Mining,” Dak explained.

Deng, he added, therefore decided to resign from the membership of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) as well as from being the chief negotiator for the opposition.

He said the leadership of the SPLM-IO commended him for his role in successfully negotiating the peace agreement until it was signed on 17 August 2015.

(ST)

April 30, 2016 (JUBA) – Amnesty International, a global human rights body, has commended the South Sudan's government for releasing two senior officials who had been under detention since December last year and called on Juba to release 33 others still under detention.

WES governor Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro, pictured in his office on 24 January 2012, has called for peaceful coexistance among communities following rising tensions over federalism (ST)

“This week, we received good news that two men kept under arbitrary detention by the National Security Service in South Sudan, whom Amnesty International has been campaigning for, have been released. The two were part of 35 men that Amnesty International confirmed are being held at the NSS [National Security Service] headquarters in Jebel neighbourhood of Juba,” partly reads a statement from the Amnesty International extended to Sudan Tribune.

The two released this week include former governor of Western Equatoria state, Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro, who was freed upon arrival to Juba of Riek Machar, first vice president, and Leonzio Angole Onek, a Juba University professor, who was released two days earlier.

Bakosoro was arrested on 22 December 2015 at around 3pm after being summoned to the NSS headquarters in the Jebel neighbourhood. He was kept in incommunicado detention until early March when he was allowed family visits. No charged were filed against him.

Onek, who was arrested on 7 December 2015, on the other hand was released on ‘humanitarian grounds' and without charge by the NSS. Since his arrest, Onek did not have access to a lawyer and did not know why the NSS were holding him.

“The remaining 33 detainees have been denied the right to be brought promptly before a judge and the right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention,” said Nyagoah Tut, a South Sudanese human rights campaigner for the Amnesty International organization.

She said some detainees are being held incommunicado, without any access to family members or the outside world.

“Detainees are fed a monotonous diet, and sometimes only eat once a day. They sleep on the floor and do not have access to adequate medical care. Some have been beaten, especially during interrogation or as a form of punishment. These poor conditions amount to ill-treatment and may also amount to torture in some cases,” she said.

Nyagoa added that this 33 number of the known detainees however represents a mere fraction of people being detained by NSS and other security forces such as the military in South Sudan.

(ST)

A mosque under refurbishment collapses during Friday prayers in the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing at least 15 people and injuring 40.

The Instagram account poking fun at "orphanage chic"

More than 30 lions rescued from circuses in Colombia and Peru are flown to a sanctuary in South Africa - in what is said to be the largest such airlift.

Journalists in Zambia protest against attacks on the media. Credit: Kelvin Kachingwe/IPS

By Zubair Sayed
JOHANNESBURG, Apr 30 2016 (IPS)

Imagine a world without the media, where we have no verified information about what’s going on around us. Where everything is hearsay and gossip, where there are no trusted sources of information. It would be hard to operate in a world like that: to make decisions about what to do about the things that affect our lives.

Think for a minute too about what it would mean for those in power; they would be able to act as if we, the people, did not exist. It would be impossible to hold them to account, to know that they’re keeping the election promises they made in their wordy manifestos, and it would be impossible for our voices to be heard. Similarly, it would be difficult to know how companies are behaving, how they are treating their workers and the environment, and whether they are colluding to extract ever more from our pockets.

The role of the media in providing credible information, of giving voice to the people and holding those in power to account is fundamental to the realisation of our freedom and human rights. Whilst there are differences of opinion about whether the media are part of civil society, what is undisputed is the key role that they play in social and economic development, democracy, human rights and the pursuit of justice. Organisations and activists that work on social issues and help articulate public opinion need the media to disseminate the voices they represent. Without a plurality of voices, ideas are diminished, debate is stifled and tolerance is weakened.

Yet, or perhaps because of their role in giving voice and speaking truth to power, the media are increasingly under attack from both governments and corporate interests.

In its recently released World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders say that there has been a “deep and disturbing decline in respect for media freedom at both the global and regional levels” and that there is a “climate of fear and tension combined with increasing control over newsrooms by governments and private-sector interests.”

This assault on journalistic freedom takes many forms, including regular harassment of journalists, censorship, confiscation of equipment, closure of media outlets, arrests and in some cases direct and dire attack. Research by the Committee to Protect Journalists is quite chilling: 72 journalists were murdered in 2015 and a further 199 imprisoned.

In Africa, the situation for media varies in different countries across the continent. Alongside Eritrea and Ethiopia as two of the most censored countries in the world – in first and fourth place respectively – there are countries like Namibia, Ghana, Cape Verde and South Africa that score highly when it comes to freedom of information (even though those countries too experience challenges to media freedom). However, in far too many African countries the media come under regular attack and freedom of information remains a distant right.
                              
There is perhaps no clearer indication of both the importance of the media and the assault it faces than when governments crackdown on journalists and media houses in the run up to and during elections. In January this year, Ugandan officials shutdown an independent radio station after it broadcast an interview with a leading opposition candidate. A few months earlier, police shot and injured radio journalist Ivan Vincent as he covered squabbles between supporters of the leading opposition candidate and the police. Between October 2015 and January 2016, the Human Rights Network for Journalists–Uganda documented about “40 election-related incidents in which journalists have been shot at, assaulted, their gadgets damaged, detained and released without charge and blocked from accessing news scenes.”

The situation for media in Burundi following the violence and repression that started ahead of last year’s election has not improved, and some say that the country has seen the near complete destruction of independent media with journalists and civil society being targeted. Facing shutdowns and direct attacks, many journalists have fled the country out of fear for their lives.

Similarly, during the last year in Djibouti and the Republic of Congo, the desire of leaders to hold onto power and to silence voices opposing them, contributed to election-related violence and media repression.

Of course, the media don’t only face attack during elections. In Angola, the government has kept a decades-long close watch on the media, frequently arresting and harassing those it disagrees with. Currently, journalist Domingos da Cruz is one of 17 activists in prison for his participation in a private gathering to discuss non-violent strategies for civil disobedience.

An Ethiopian human rights advocate that spoke with CIVICUS recently reiterated that “Ethiopia has for a long time severely restricted press freedom and the work of civil society. It is one of the top countries when it comes to jailing journalists, many of whom it charges under the 2009 anti-terrorism law.”

This attack on the media is itself part of a broader attack on the fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly that CIVICUS has been documenting during the last few years (in 2015 there were serious violations of these freedoms in more than 100 countries). Attacks on the media often go hand in hand with those on activists and organisations that challenge or question the powers that be. In many countries, this crackdown happens with impunity and attacks often go unpunished.

While governments are the main culprits when it comes curtailing media freedom, the private sector also often seeks to control or manipulate media outputs in ways that favour them and their narrow interests: putting profit before people. This takes place in multiple ways, from the concentration of media ownership and the power that allows corporates to yield, to bribing journalists and influencing editorial content in exchange for paid advertising.

Often caught between state repression and corporate influence, media in many African countries face huge challenges. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to these challenges a key part of the solution must be to support independent media, including citizen-journalism; for regional governance institutions to hold African countries accountable and for African countries to hold each other accountable; and for education and awareness about rights related to freedom of information and expression.

With regard to the latter, recent research shows that there is widespread support for media freedom and freedom of expression in Africa but that support for these rights is not universal.  In some contexts, journalistic ethics need to be strengthened; media outlets need to invest more in their journalists and support for independent media amongst civil society and the general public needs to be amplified. We need to look towards innovation too, to think of ways to use inexpensive technology to produce people-powered information and data.

Media that is accurate, credible, ethical and impartial is crucial to development, freedom, human rights and justice in Africa – as it is elsewhere. A study on freedom of expression across 34 African countries in 2013 showed the link between this most basic right and a range of factors, stating that “freedom of expression is also consistently linked to better ratings of government performance, especially with respect to government effectiveness in fighting corruption, but also in other sectors such as maintaining roads and managing the economy.”

Given the challenges we face on the continent, the current media crackdown is untenable and dangerous, and does nothing to facilitate the progress so many are working hard to achieve. As citizens of Africa, we need to increase our efforts to protect those that give us voice and help us realise the full scope of our rights.

Zubair Sayed is the Head of Communication and Campaigns at CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations.

Follow him on Twitter @zubairsay

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta sets fire to a huge stockpile of ivory in an effort to show his country's commitment to saving Africa's elephants, but the move has its critics.

By Shakhawat Liton
Apr 30 2016 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

The dead do not feel anything, but those who survive do. The horrendous experience of the insensitive test after rape. The courtroom insults during trial because a draconian law permits the accused to question the victim’s character. The families suffer no less humiliation as they wait for justice. While nations around the world have overhauled relevant laws with provisions that shield the rape victims, ours still favour the offender instead. Isn’t it time we were a little more sensitive towards the victims of a crime now regarded as a crime against society? In the wake of Tonu murder after suspected rape, The Daily Star tries to shed some light on all these aspects.
Today, we run the third and final instalment of the three-part series.

She was gang raped by railway employees at the railway rest room in Kolkata while travelling in India on February 26, 1998.

The incident triggered outrage. Maitree, a network of 42 women’s groups and NGOs in Kolkata, moved to Kolkata High Court seeking compensation for the 27-year old Shefali Begum (name changed to protect her identity).

The Kolkata HC in 1999 gave her 1 million rupees compensation for the humiliation she had undergone. But the Railway Board, which was asked to pay the compensation, challenged the order in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court in January 2000 upheld the HC verdict and said: “Even those who are not citizens of this country and come merely as tourists will be entitled to the protection of their lives in accordance with the constitutional provisions.”

When the apex court ordered for the compensation, the criminal case against the rapists was still on in the lower court.

The judgement was very significant because such a huge amount was never given to a rape victim in India and that too awarded to a foreigner.

In numerous cases, Indian High Courts in different states and the Supreme Court have ordered the state governments concerned to pay compensations to rape victims for their failure to protect their dignity.

In India, the compensation process is independent of the trial process.

In Bangladesh the situation is different than that of countries like the UK and the USA. The government of Bangladesh does not need to pay compensation to a rape victim for its failure to protect the victim’s fundamental rights as a woman.

“As far as I know, there is no such case in which the government has compensated the rape victim,” said advocate Fahmida Akhtar, case manger of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, an organisation that works for women who have been victims of sexual violence and abuse.

Asked, ZI Khan Panna, a Supreme Court lawyer, says they do not need to pray to the court seeking compensation from the state in sexual violence case as the offenders are made to pay compensation, if necessary.

“The court certainly will order the state to compensate the victims if the situation arises,” he told The Daily Star.

Advocate Fahmida Akhtar says special tribunals dealing with offences against women and children, in some cases, have ordered the accused to compensate their victims.

“But the path to the compensation is long, as the accused filed appeals with the higher courts against the tribunal’s orders. Disposal of the appeals takes a long time,” she told The Daily Star.

Eminent jurist Shahdeen Malik says many countries compensate rape victims. Bangladesh should also take responsibility for compensating the rape victims, he added.

“Jurisprudence in this regard should evolve,” he told The Daily Star referring to the practice in India.

The Supreme Court, in the State vs. Md. Moinul Haque and Others case in 2000, emphasised the need for compensating the victims for their rehabilitation.

It, however, observed that victims of rape should be compensated by giving them half of the property of the rapists should be given to the victims to rehabilitate them.

At present, the Woman and Child Oppression Prevention Act 2000 empowers tribunals set up under this law to hold trial of the sexual crimes against women and children for compensating the victims.

As per the law says, the tribunal may imposes any monetary fine on convicted persons and order the district collector to sell the confiscate the convicted person’s movable and immovable assets and sell them on auction. Then the collector will deposit the money to with the tribunal that will award the money to the victim as compensation.

But the completion of the process may take a long time if the convicted person files an files appeal.

So, there is no scope for a sex crime victim to get any compensation before the conclusion of her case.

PRACTICE IN OTHER COUNTRIES

A rape victim in UK is entitled to get compensation from the government. To provide the compensations to blameless victims of violent crimes including rape, the government has set up Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority–CICA.

People who have been physically or mentally injured can apply to the CICA for compensation ranging from £1,000 to £500,000.

A victim of sexual assault or rape has a right to claim compensation. The CICA in its official website says rape is a horrendous experience to endure and it can have a life long physical and psychological effect on the victim – although compensation will never put things right or reverse what has happened it can still come as invaluable financial help for treatment and counselling should you need it. Claiming compensation can help a rape victim gain back control and closure, it states.

In the United States, rape is generally prosecuted as a crime at the state level. U.S. The principal victim compensation programs for rape victims are found at the state level. However, the most significant victim compensation programs at the state level are funded by the federal Crime Victims Fund, which was established by the federal Victims of Crime Act of 1984.

A rape victim in Hong Kong is also entitled to get compensation from the state under the Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation Scheme.

Under the Crime Victim Protection Act, a rape victim in Taiwan, a rape victim and victims of sexual assault crimes and family members of deceased victims get compensation.

INDIAN JUDICIARY SET EXAMPLES

In March, 2014, India’s Supreme Court has ordered the West Bengal government to pay 5 lakh rupees to a tribal woman who was gang-raped in January on orders of village elders.

The judges said the state had failed to protect the victim’s fundamental rights as a woman.

“No compensation can be adequate nor can it be of any respite for the victim but as the State has failed in protecting such serious violation of a victim’s fundamental right, the State is duty bound to provide compensation, which may help in the victim’s rehabilitation,” it stated.

In the Llatest case, in February this year, the Supreme Court directed all states and Union Territories to formulate a uniform scheme to provide compensation to the victims or dependents who have suffered loss as a result of such crime.

“Indisputable, no amount of money can restore the dignity and confidence that the accused took away from the victim. No amount of money can erase the trauma and grief the victim suffers. But this aid can be crucial in the aftermath of the crime,” said a SC bench headed by Justice MY Eqbal.

In this case, the court ordered the Chhattishgarh government to grant a compensation of Rs 8,000 per month compensation to an 18- year old blind girl who was subjected to sexual violence.

The SC also refused to stay the orders of Chhattishgarh High Court in which the convict was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment.

The trial court awarded him the accused seven year a jail sentence of seven years for raping a 18-year-old the blind and illiterate girl on the false promise of marriage. The order was upheld by the Chhattishgarh High Court.

The apex court said the states should consider and formulate programmes for such victims in the light of the scheme framed in Goa which provides compensation of up to Rs 10 lakh.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

By Asfiya Aziz
Apr 30 2016 (Dawn, Pakistan)

When young Bisma died in a traffic jam en route to Civil Hospital in Karachi last December, there was a media frenzy. To onlookers it looked like frenzy, devoid of principles – a burgeoning show of power by the media, the right to information overshadowing all other rights. Lately, media debate on similar issues often cross the same boundaries. The gap between what a decent society expects from their media, and what media is able to provide, appears to be widening under the myriad pressures of business and political interests.

Media organisations` business models often appear to determine to what extent basic journalistic skills of accuracy, objectivity and timeliness are stretched or strained.

Step-by-step codes of ethics are often seen as `stifling` and `inadequate` for the mercurial field of 24-hour news reporting. Regardless of business pressures, one must recognise that there is little distinction between the media`s and an individual`s responsibilities.

Both share the same societal responsibilities, and must also share a mutual understanding of ethics. A principle-based approach, therefore, may be a viable alternative framework for journalists to practise in the line of duty. Perhaps we might borrow from other fields to develop an ethics code for journalism.

Bioethics is a subject that devises standards of behaviour when dealing with living beings. One of many theories in this field is Principlism, articulated by T.L. Beauchamp and J.F. Childress in The Principles of Biomedical Ethics. The principles put forward in this book, and currently most practised, include: respect (for individual autonomy); justice; beneficence; and non-maleficence.

For practical purposes, these are rephrased as: be respectful; be fair; be kind (do good); and do no harm. Like medicine, journalism also requires constant (often quick) judgement calls to be made, and therefore needs to develop a set of principles to apply to daily situations.

Analysing the unfortunate case of Bisma from a bioethical standpoint leads us to some interesting observations. The core principles stated here were (in some form) already at work but there still remains a need to formalise such principles, to inculcate them into journalists` decision-making processes.

That day, the principle of `respect` for an individual was absent despite the intention to adhere to it. While the media protested the lack of respect for an average person`s life, they were themselves disrespectful by being invasive; evident in the coverage of her body, and her father`s distress on being pressed to comment seconds after his child had passed away.

Later, commentary shifted to speculations on the family`s economic conditions, some newscasters affecting pity when describing their modest dwelling. They disrespected mourners, zooming in on women struggling to hide their faces from the media glare. The right to information and freedom of the press are poor defences when in conflict with vulnerable parties` rights to respect, privacy and choice.

The principle of `justice` was present, as this story became newsworthy due to a perceived lack of justice and accountability. Whether the media was fair to all parties is, however, a moot point. The coverage drew attention to the state of reporters` skills of maintaining objectivity and taking all parties` positions into account. As surfaced later, some doctors and the administration of Civil Hospital denied there was any obstruction to the hospital that day. Their position was hardly part of the day`s coverage. As journalists demand justice for the people, they still need to remain judicious or `be fair` in their own decision-making. One can also argue that central to the media campaign was the principle of `beneficence`; the media advocating for the individual in particular and the public at large, suffering at the hands of perceived VIP cul-ture. `Non-maleficence` (or `do no harm`) is often a tricky principle to negotiate. The incident had escalated into a full-scale media frenzy forcing the provincial government to do damage control at a time when they were already receiving flak on other issues of governance. The question of media`s intent arises: were they doing this for the benefit of the victim and the public, or to do harm to the government and those VIPs involved? Objective analysis is an essential skill for a journalist if analysis points towards a party`s negligence or incompetence, the journalist bears a responsibility to expose such misdemeanours. However, this still remains a judgement call, which must be guided by the principle of non-maleficence and by examining one`s intent, to determine the limits of reporting.

Perhaps if journalists were to test and adapt bioethical principles in their own practices, and media organisations could reach consensus on the most ef fective and relevant principles in the field, journalism in Pakistan may finally adopt a code of ethics which practitioners could own and uphold.• The writer is a joumalist with a special interest in bioethics.

This story was originally published by Dawn, Pakistan

April 29, 2016 (NEW YORK) – United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, has commend the parties to the conflict, turned peace partners in South Sudan for the formation of a long-awaited transitional government of national unity (TGoNU).

Ministers of the Transitional Government of National Unity swearing in on 29 April 2016 (Photo Moses Lomayat)

“The Secretary-General welcomes the appointment today by President Salva Kiir of the Ministers of the Transitional Government of National Unity, consistent with the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan of 17 August 2015,” partly reads a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.

The statement said the UN chief was pleased to note that President Kiir and First Vice-President Riek Machar have achieved this “important milestone” of the peace process which the two leaders signed in August 2015 to end 21 months of civil war.

He urged them “cease immediately all hostilities” and to swiftly complete the establishment of all institutions of transition.

The Secretary-General also commended the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) chair, President Festus Mogae, and the African Union High Representative, President Alpha Omar Konare, for steering the peace process forward.

He also reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to support all South Sudanese in restoring peace, stability and prosperity in the country.

The top leader of the world body has called on the larger international community to remain actively engaged in the peace process and provide the necessary support to the full and timely implementation of the Peace Agreement.

(ST)