Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Syria: EU imposes sanctions


Syria: EU imposes sanctions on President Assad

The EU has imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time to pressure him to end his brutal crackdown on dissent, officials say.

Foreign ministers agreed at a meeting in Brussels to add Mr Assad and nine other officials to a list affected by travel bans and asset freezes.

The EU had already imposed sanctions on the president's brother, four of his cousins and others in his inner circle.

Five people were shot dead at funerals in Homs on Saturday, activists say.

They were mourning some of the anti-government protesters killed by security forces after Friday prayers in the city, in central Syria.

At least 44 people are believed to have been shot dead during Friday's nationwide demonstrations. But the government said only 17 people had been killed by armed gangs at small gatherings.

Human rights activists say more than 850 people have been killed and thousands arrested since the operation to quell dissent began in March.

Monday's EU announcement of sanctions came after US President Barack Obama imposed sanctions on Mr Assad for human rights abuses - the first time he had been targeted by the international community.

"President Assad now has a choice. He can lead that transition or get out of the way. The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests," Mr Obama said in a speech last week.

The 10 individuals affected by EU sanctions will not be named until Tuesday, but the Council of the European Union said it condemned "in the strongest terms the ongoing repression in Syria and the unacceptable violence used by the military and security forces against peaceful protesters which have lead to hundreds of fatalities".

"Those responsible for this violence should be held accountable. The EU expresses it condolences to the families of the victims and salutes the courage of the Syrian people."

It added: "The EU urges the Syrian authorities to respond to the legitimate demands of the Syrian people by launching an inclusive and genuine national dialogue and by implementing without delay and through a concrete timetable, meaningful political reforms."

"This is the only way to initiate a peaceful transition to democracy and provide stability for Syria in the long term."

On 10 May, the EU unveiled an asset freeze and visa ban on 13 top Syrian officials, including the president's younger brother, Maher al-Assad. He was described as "principal overseer" of the violence.

The Syrian government insists it is pursuing "armed terrorist gangs".

Meanwhile, the Syrian human rights lawyer, Anwar al-Bunni, was released from prison over the weekend. He was detained for his involvement with the Beirut-Damascus declaration, which urged improved ties with Lebanon, and given a five-year sentence in April 2007.

Mr Bunni told the AFP news agency on Monday: "My freedom is not really complete because there are still many others held in prison."

"I believe we are living a critical and interesting moment. Something like this happens every 200 or 300 years. Even if it stops now, it is obvious that there will be a big change," he added.


Monday, June 13, 2011

Humala might pardon Fujimori...


Peru's President-elect Ollanta Humala says he would pardon former President Alberto Fujimori on humanitarian grounds if his health worsens.

Mr Humala told Peru's El Comercio newspaper that "nobody should die in prison, except people serving life sentences for abusing children".

Fujimori is serving a 25-year sentence for corruption and ordering killings by the security forces.

He been taken to hospital, suffering bleeding in his mouth.

Doctors fear this might be linked to a recurrence of his tongue cancer.

Mr Fujimori's doctor says he has also lost a lot of weight - some 15kg (33lb) - recently.

Contentious issue

The contentious issue of whether Mr Fujimori should be granted a pardon was raised during the closely-fought presidential run-off between Mr Humala and Alberto Fujimori's daughter, Keiko.

Critics accused Keiko Fujimori of standing so that she could grant her father a pardon if she won.

During the election campaign, she denied that she would.

Former president, Alberto Fujimori, was sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2009 Under Peruvian law, he could only be pardoned on health grounds.

Some analysts have also speculated that the current President, Alan Garcia, could grant Mr Fujimori a pardon before he leaves office at the end of July.

Last week, a member of Mr Garcia's party called publicly for him to do so.

But earlier this year, Mr Garcia said it was not something he was considering.
Mr Garcia and Mr Fujimori have a history of disputes.

In the 1990s, when Alberto Fujimori was in power, his government supported attempts to extradite Mr Garcia from Colombia, where he was in exile.

The government wanted to prosecute him for alleged corruption during Mr Garcia's first period in government in the 1980s - charges Mr Garcia denied.

The attempts to prosecute Mr Garcia ultimately failed.