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國際特赦組織年度報告(2011) - 以色列及巴勒斯坦佔領區

轉貼來源: 紀念若雪巴勒斯坦資訊網Palestine Information Website
http://palinfo.habago.org/archives/2011/06/13/12.35.04/index.php?page=1

楊舜斌 譯;李鑑慧 校訂
Date: 2011.06.13

原文出處:國際特赦組織2011年度報告
事件發生期間:2010年1月至12月
國家元首:Shimon Peres
行政首長:Binyamin Netanyahu(3月接替Ehud Olmert)
死刑:一般犯罪免除
人口數:730萬人(以色列);440萬人(巴勒斯坦佔領區,OPT)
平均壽命:80.3歲(以色列);72.9歲(巴勒斯坦佔領區,OPT)
五歲以下兒童死亡率:每千名兒童,男6女5(以色列);男23女18(巴勒斯坦佔領區,OPT)

2009年1月,以色列軍隊與巴勒斯坦武裝團體的停火協議普遍獲得認同。但以色列軍隊持續地在佔領區嚴厲監控巴勒斯坦人的行動自由,包括封鎖迦薩走廊地區,讓當地的150萬人民的生活日益艱困並且形同被監禁。數百名巴勒斯坦重病患申請前往迦薩境外接受特殊醫療照護,卻遭到以色列當局拒絕或延遲,許多病患因此而死亡。大部分的迦薩居民皆仰賴國際援助才得以生存,然而以色列的軍事封鎖卻嚴重阻擾各界的國際援助。5月,以色列軍隊在國際海域上,攻擊一艘試圖進入迦薩封鎖圈的國際援助船隻,並且殺害了9人。

在約旦河西岸,由於以色列所設置的數百個檢查哨、關隘,並且持續地在西岸內築起長達700公里的隔離牆,導致巴勒斯坦人的行動自由嚴重受到限制。巴勒斯坦人的住家、蓄水池、建築物遭受以色列政府破壞的數目有顯著的增加,數以千計的居民生活都受到影響。以色列政府並且摧毀位於以色列南部的貝都因人村落。以色列藉由非法佔領巴人土地來擴張其屯墾區,部分土地直到去年9月26號才重新獲得使用。

以色列依然沒有對於該國軍隊在「鑄鉛行動」襲擊中,涉嫌多起戰爭罪和其他嚴重違反國際法的行為進行適當地調查。從2008年12月至2009年1月,在以色列軍隊「鑄鉛行動」22天的襲擊侵略中,造成約1400名巴勒斯坦人喪生,其中有超過300名是孩童。以色列士兵與移墾者,針對巴勒斯坦人及其財產所犯下的嚴重侵犯,包括非法殺人和襲擊,但以色列政府通常都不追究他們的罪行。

以色列軍隊在巴勒斯坦佔領區(OPT)殺害了包括八個孩子在內的33名巴勒斯坦平民。數百名巴勒斯坦人遭到以色列軍隊逮捕和拘留,至少有264名巴勒斯坦人以行政拘留之名在未經起訴或審判之狀況下被監禁,有些人甚至被關了兩年多。而關於刑求與虐待的報導也很多,但是調查動作卻很少見。大約有6000名巴勒斯坦人目前仍被關在以色列監獄裡,許多人後來都遭受不公平的軍事審判。在以色列因良心問題而拒服兵役者則持續地遭到收押。

背景

以色列和黎巴嫩邊境地區之關係仍然持續緊張。8月3日,在兩國軍隊的一場交火中,造成至少3名士兵以及1名黎巴嫩記者的死亡。

儘管以色列軍隊與巴勒斯坦武裝團體們大致都能遵守停火協議時,但是後者偶爾仍會向以色列南方隨意地發射火箭砲與迫擊砲(請參閱巴勒斯坦篇),雖然在程度上已經較去年減少,以色列軍隊因此襲擊並且殺害他們認為應為此負責的巴勒斯坦人。8月31日,四名以色列屯墾者在西岸遭到槍殺,於2006年贏得巴勒斯坦大選並且掌管迦薩地區之哈瑪斯的羽翼戰鬥團體Izz al-Din al-Qassam brigades宣稱該攻擊事件為其所為。

9月,美國召集以色列與巴勒斯坦當局(但不包含哈瑪斯)進行談判會議。然而談判很快就中斷了,因為以色列為期10個月於西岸興建屯墾區的局部禁令,在9月26日宣布解除,這使得巴勒斯坦當局退出會談。這項屯墾區的停建禁令並不包含東耶路薩冷及其周邊,此外在西岸為了「安全需要」的建築以及各種公共建設亦同樣有增無減。

封鎖迦薩與人道危機

從2007年6月以來,以色列持續封鎖迦薩走廊,造成當地經濟蕭條,而人民則幾乎是赤貧的狀態。在健康與衛生條件持續惡化、貧窮與營養缺乏的狀態下,有80%的迦薩人被迫依賴國際人道救援,而人道救援過程中卻總是遭到軍事封鎖的阻擾。嚴重的物資短缺狀況造成高物價,這也導致大部分由聯合國提供的診所與學校的重建計畫必須延後,如此一來,原本有資格可在9月份進入聯合國學校就學的4萬民巴勒斯坦孩童將無法如願。

幾乎所有的迦薩人形同被囚困在一個孤立的土地上,在這裡面有許多需要前往它處就醫的重症病患,以及需要到外地求學與工作的學生和勞工,只有極少數人能獲得允許離開迦薩。

5月,以色列軍隊強行攔截試圖進入封鎖圈的國際援助船隻,一共有9個人遭到殺害並且有超過50人受傷,其中幾位傷勢嚴重,另外幾位以色列士兵也受了傷。針對該起攻擊事件,包含兩個由聯合國所執行之幾個調查單位展開調查。9月份,根據聯合國人權委員會(UN Human Rights Council)所公布的調查指出,「由於以色列軍隊廣泛並且隨意地使用致命性武器,造成不必要的大量死亡或嚴重受傷」。一個由以色列政府所指派的調查委員會則缺乏超然性和透明度。

隨著國際社會對於攻擊事件的批評聲浪之增高,以色列政府宣布將部分鬆緩封鎖,然而這樣的舉動依然不足,無法顯著改善迦薩當地之狀況。直到12月8日,以色列持續地禁止迦薩的各種貨物出口;而直到年底,以色列宣布鬆綁出口限制的支票,也遲遲沒有兌現。國際特赦組織認為,封鎖措施已經構成一種集體懲罰,並且違反國際人權法,並且也不斷地呼籲以色列應盡快解除封鎖。

在西岸對人民的各種限制
 數以百計的以色列軍事檢查哨和關隘限制了巴勒斯坦人在西岸的活動,他們阻礙或阻止巴勒斯坦人進入工作場所、教育單位、衛生組織以及使用其它公共服務。

2010年底,一個長達七百公里長的隔離牆已經完成將近60%,而整個路線卻有85%是建築在巴勒斯坦的西岸土地之內。該隔離牆造成數千名巴勒斯坦人與他們的農田和水源分隔開來,想要進入東耶路撒冷的西岸巴勒斯坦人,要獲得入境許可證,只能向隔離牆所設置的16個檢查哨中的其中3個檢查哨申請。這對於嘗試要到達東耶路薩冷的六間專門醫院之病患與醫務人員特別造成影響並導致嚴重後果。

以色列持續拒絕巴勒斯坦人前往他們位於以色列屯墾區附近的大片農田,而這些屯墾區的建立與維持都是違反國際法的。以色列人屯墾於約旦河西岸,包括東耶路撒冷在內的人口已超過50萬人。巴勒斯坦人也被禁止或有限制地使用約300公里長、專為以色列移墾者所建設之公路。雖然2010年在以色列移除了一些路障,以及改善巴勒斯坦交通網路後,往來巴勒斯坦大部分城鎮的旅途時間,有了些許改善,特別是北方,但是旅程依然是緩慢而艱辛的。

居住權-強制驅逐
 居住在西岸,包括東耶路撒冷的巴勒斯坦人,他們在興建房屋時面臨嚴格限制,也因此居住權受到嚴重侵犯。以色列在西岸,包括東耶路撒冷,進行強制驅逐,其理由是那些房屋並沒有獲得建築許可,然而巴勒斯坦人想要從以色列當局獲得許可證幾乎是不可能的。拆遷團隊在安全人員的陪同下,一般在無事前通知的狀況下抵達,並且幾乎不給家屬機會取出他們的財產。因為以色列的軍法適用於西岸的大部分巴勒斯坦人地區,因此以色列並不需要對迫遷的家庭重新安置或給予補償。而在東耶路撒冷的巴勒斯坦人,儘管受以色列民事當局管理,實際上也沒有受到更好之待遇。2010年,以色列當局在東耶路撒冷和西岸拆毀了431處建築,比2009年的數量高出59%。

至少有594名巴勒斯坦人,其中一半是兒童,在他們的家園遭到以色列當局拆毀後因而流離失所。另外有超過一萬四千名巴勒斯坦人因為蓄水設備、水井和相關建設被摧毀而生計受到影響。

* 位於西岸 Khirbet Tana 村莊的房屋跟建築,遭到以色列軍隊兩次摧毀,該村莊位於約旦谷地西邊一個被宣告為「封閉軍事區」之內。1月10日,他們搗毀了100個居民所居住的房屋、鄉村學校以及12座牲畜圍欄。還有在12月8日,他們摧毀了10戶人家、17個動物遮蔽所以及一所重建的學校。在更之前的2005年,該村莊就已經被摧毀過一次,村民自從1970年代開始都得不到以色列當局的建築許可證,然而位在附近的 Mekhora 和 Itamar 的以色列屯墾區卻早已經建設完成。

至於位在以色列南部境內,居住於Negev(或 Naqab)區域的貝都因人,其房舍被搗毀的數目有顯著的增加。居住在數十個村莊中的數以萬計的貝都因人雖然是以色列公民,但是卻不為以色列當局所正式認可。這些村莊缺乏基礎建設,而居民們也活在房屋隨時會被拆除與被逐出家園的陰影下。

* 在「未被承認」的 Negev 地區的 al-’Araqib村,大約有250名貝都因居民,他們在7月27日至12月23日間,遭到以色列土地管理局和武裝警察共8次的摧毀。每次遭遇摧毀過後,村民就重建臨時避難所。

武力使用過當

以色列安全部隊以過度地武力對付巴勒斯坦平民,包括在西岸和迦薩地帶的非暴力示威者,以及以色列在迦薩或沿海水域所劃定的「禁區」中的農民、漁民和其他勞工。根據聯合國人道事務協調辦公室(UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) 所指出,2010年期間,在佔領區裡有33名巴勒斯坦平民,其中包括8名兒童,被以色列軍隊殺害。以色列軍隊為了維持在迦薩北部、東部邊界內約1500米寬的「禁區」以及海上禁令,殺害了15名巴勒斯坦平民,其中包括4名兒童,並使100多人受傷。

* 3月20日在約旦河西岸 Iraq Burin 村莊一場示威活動中,因遭受以色列軍隊實彈射擊,兩名巴勒斯坦少年死亡。Muhammed Qadus被子彈擊中胸部,Usaid Qadus被子彈擊中頭部。四月份,根據以色列軍警調查,兩名以色列高級官員在死亡事件後遭到申斥。

* 9月,三名巴勒斯坦牧羊人—91歲的Ibrahim Abu Said、他16歲的孫子Hosam Abu Sa’id,和17歲的Isma’il Abu ‘Oda—在迦薩Beit Hanoun附近的「禁區」放牧時,被以色列的坦克砲彈炸死。以色列當局後來承認,這三名受害者是平民,而不是他們最初所認定的「恐怖分子」,並宣布將對這一事件進行調查,但直到2010年底前並沒有任何結果。

法外免責

以色列士兵、保安部隊成員和屯墾者依舊享有對巴勒斯坦人人道犯行的法外免責,包括非法殺害。屯墾者的暴力行為包括射擊巴勒斯坦人和破壞巴勒斯坦人的財產。僅有少數案例的肇事者被繩之以法。

2010年10月,根據以色列人權組織 B'Tselem 一份針對有罪不罰之情形所做的詳細報告所公布,以色列軍方在2006-2009年殺害了1,510名巴勒斯坦人,這數字並不包含那些在「鑄鉛行動」中遭到殺害的人數。其中有617名亡者,包括104名18歲以下的兒童,並無從事任何具敵意之行動卻仍遭到殺害。B'Tselem呼籲,針對大部分在迦薩走廊發生的148起犯罪,並造成288人死亡的事件進行調查。然而最終只有22起事件受到調查,而且大部分是發生在西岸地區之案件。B'Tselem報告說,事實上只有四次調查是在案發一個月內就展開調查。在兩個調查結案後,並沒有起訴任何涉案的士兵。

鑄鉛行動

雖然以色列軍方正在調查與此行動相關之事件,但是以色列當局仍然沒有依照國際標準超然地針對以色列軍隊在「鑄鉛行動」中所涉嫌的戰爭罪和其他嚴重違反國際法的罪刑展開調查。關於2009年這次衝突,由聯合國所授權的實地調查團發現(戈德史東報告;Goldstone report),以色列軍隊和巴勒斯坦武裝團體都犯下戰爭罪行,和可能違反人道的罪行。

到2010年底,只有三名參與「鑄鉛行動」的以色列士兵被定罪,其中兩名被認定犯有「非授權行為」,命令一名19歲的巴勒斯坦男孩Majed R.充當「人肉盾牌」去打開一個可能是誘敵裝置的袋子。11月,他們被降職並且暫緩三個月的徒刑。

由於雙方皆沒有進行充分調查,國際特赦組織呼籲,希望透過國際仲裁機制來調查此次行動。

由於「鑄鉛行動」造成聯合國建築物受損,以色列在一月份支付聯合國一千零五十萬美元做為賠償。然而,遭到攻擊的受害者,卻沒有得到任何的補償。聯合國表示,這項賠款解決了「鑄鉛行動」所造成的財務損失。但是戈德史東報告中明確建議聯合國在尋求賠償時,除了針對在攻擊事件中於聯合國建築物裡喪生的聯合國人員和平民,也應該要為其他在「鑄鉛行動」中遭到攻擊的平民受害者求償。

司法系統

未經審訊的拘留
以色列持續施行一套「行政拘留」辦法,在未經起訴或審判下,長時間地強制拘留巴勒斯坦人。在2010年至少有264名巴勒斯坦人遭行政拘留,有些人已經被關超過兩年了。

* Moatasem Nazzal,一名16歲來自Ramallah附近Qalandiya難民營的學生,3月20日在沒有任何說明下於自家被逮捕。他被審問時遭到鐐銬。他連續收到三次行政拘留令,這使他待在監獄直到2010年12月26日。

監禁情況—親屬探訪遭拒
約680位巴勒斯坦囚犯的親屬持續被拒絕前往探訪獄中家屬。有些人已經連續三年無法探視家屬,因為以色列對迦薩實施封鎖,禁止迦薩人前往位於以色列境內的監獄。

不公的審判

受制於以色列的軍法制度,佔領區內的巴勒斯坦人接受公平審判的權利仍然遭到嚴重侵犯。他們通常在沒有律師陪同下遭到審訊,並且儘管他們是平民,他們的案子仍是由軍事法庭而非一般法庭審理。

刑求及其他虐待

對於包含兒童在內的刑求及其他虐待的持續指控,常見於許多報導。其中最常被提及的方法包括了毆打、威脅被拘留者或他們的家庭、剝奪睡眠及長時間使其維持在受壓迫的姿勢。據稱,被指控乃是在脅迫下所取得的自白在以色列的軍事和民事法庭裡依然被視為證據。

* A.M,一名15歲、來自Hebron附近的Beit Ummar村莊的巴勒斯坦人,5月26日遭到逮捕,被關在Gush Etzion的拘留中心,在六天的審訊中據稱遭到刑求,而他在「承認」扔石頭後被釋放。他說:「安全官員在他的生殖器上繫上一條電線,並威脅他將遭到電擊」。八月份,兩個非政府組織,一個來自巴勒斯坦,另外一個來自以色列對於該青年所指控的刑求,向以色列警方和軍隊提出控訴。在警方方面,此案以「證據不足」為由結案,軍方則是到2010年年底仍在調查這起控訴。

言論和集會自由

以非暴力方式抗議以色列興建隔離牆而遭到逮捕、審判和監禁的人數明顯地增加。通常有關當局憑藉軍事命令第101條(Military Order 101)—「禁止10人以上的集會,若其行為具有政治目的或者可被解釋為具有政治性的」,除非抗議活動事先獲得以色列軍事指揮官的許可。

* 十月,以色列軍事法庭判處Abdallah Abu Rahma一年監禁。他是一名老師,同時也是西岸Bil'in村反抗隔離牆人民委員會(Popular Committee Against the Wall in the West Bank)的領導者,他被認定犯有「組織和參與非法示威罪」和「煽動罪」。在「投擲石塊」和「擁有武器」之指控上,他則被判定無罪。他是一名良心犯。

* 2010年5月,前核子技術員Mordechai Vanunu被送回監獄三個月,罪名是接觸了外國公民。幾乎是即刻地,他被單獨監禁。他是一個良心犯。他因為揭露以色列的核武能力給一家英國報紙而曾遭到18年的監禁。自從他在2004年獲釋後,仍因受制於軍事命令而持續受警方監督;此一軍事命令每半年會重新更新一次。除此之外,該命令禁止他與外國人交涉或出國。2010年10月,以色列最高法院駁回了取消這些禁令的請願書。

良心犯—以色列的良心反對者

至少有12名良心犯因拒絕服兵役而遭到監禁。

* Shir Regev來自以色列北部Tuval村莊,因拒絕服兵役被監禁過三次,共64天,因為他反對以色列軍事佔領

2011年8月27日 星期六

國際特赦組織年度報告(2011) - 巴勒斯坦當局

轉貼來源: 紀念若雪巴勒斯坦資訊網Palestine Information Website
http://palinfo.habago.org/archives/2011/06/13/12.17.24/

湯智巽 譯;Liz Lai校訂
Date: 2011.06.13

原文出處:國際特赦組織2011年度報告
事件發生期間:2010年1月至12月
巴勒斯坦當局元首: Mahmoud Abbas
自治政府首相: Salam Fayyad
死刑存廢: 保留
人口數: 440萬人
平均壽命: 73.9歲
五歲以下幼兒死亡率: 每千名兒童,男23女18
成人識字率: 94.1%

當迦薩執政的哈瑪斯肆意拘禁與法塔聯繫的人民時,西岸由法塔掌控的巴勒斯坦當局,也同樣任由安全部隊拘禁與哈瑪斯通聯的人民。在雙方的拘禁行動中,人們被施以酷刑及慘無人道的虐待,而施行者卻可獲得法外免責。雙方都對人民的言論與結社的自由進行箝制。在迦薩,至少有11人被判死刑,5人的判決被執行,這是自2005年以來首度執行的死刑。在迦薩走廊,150萬居民的人道危機隨著以軍在佔領區的封鎖與國際間對執政的哈瑪斯所實施的制裁而不斷惡化。

背景

約旦河西岸、東耶路薩冷與迦薩走廊皆處於以色列的佔領之下,但有兩個獨立的非國家巴勒斯坦當局各自以其有限的權力運作著。西岸是臨時巴勒斯坦自治政府,由法塔掌管,總理為Salam Fayyad,迦薩則由前巴勒斯坦當局總理Isma’il Haniyeh所領導的哈瑪斯執政。雙方關係至今依然緊張。

自2009年一月起,附屬於哈瑪斯的武裝團體,大致上和以色列維持著非正式的停火協議。但其他的巴人武裝團體仍零星地對以色列南部以無特定射擊目標的方式發射火箭及迫擊砲。

巴勒斯坦當局仍是國際承認的巴人代表機構,9月時並參與了一系列由美國所發起的新的雙邊會談,目的在與以色列就屯墾區的問題做政治協商。但此次會談終於破局,因為除了東耶路撒冷之外,以色列拒絕延長在西岸屯墾區的停建計畫。所有的協商,哈瑪斯均被排除在外。

以色列持續控制著迦薩的邊界與空域,並擴大管制西岸的出入境。以色列對迦薩的軍事封鎖嚴重地影響當地居民的生計,使當地的人道危機更加惡化,其中約80%的迦薩人民需仰賴國際人道救援組織提供的物資度日。迦薩人民的出入境均受到嚴格控管與限制,即使是重症患者也無法順利出境尋求迦薩境內無法獲得的專業醫療。持續而廣泛的進口限制,除了以方在6月及12月實施的「寬鬆政策」外,已為糧食安全、健康及當地建設帶來嚴重的衝擊。對迦薩人民的封鎖行動構成了集體懲罰,此舉違反了國際人道法。迦薩通往埃及的地下道是人民走私民生用品的管道,因以軍對該地進行的空襲、地道本身的崩壞及其他事故,導致46人死亡及89人受傷。

有數個拉丁美洲國家正式承認巴勒斯坦以其1967年的邊界為一獨立國家。

哈瑪斯軍隊與其他巴人武裝團體在「鑄鉛行動」時遭指稱犯下戰爭罪與危害人類罪,但哈瑪斯當局並無致力調查;該行動是以色列所發動、為期22天的軍事攻擊,結束於2009年1月18日。

2009年9月,聯合國真相調查團的報告建議給予以色列與巴勒斯坦有關當局6個月的時間,用來調查並起訴這場衝突中的戰爭罪犯。哈瑪斯執政當局在2月提交聯合國的報告中,否認巴人武裝團體以平民為目標進行攻擊。7月,由哈瑪斯所指派的調查委員會在另一份報告中指出:並無「可靠的證據」能起訴那些被指稱蓄意攻擊以色列平民的人。

哈瑪斯仍一再拒絕被俘虜的以色列士兵Gilad Shalit與「紅十字會國際委員會」(ICRC)接觸,也拒絕其家人探視。該名士兵在2006年6月被俘。

任意逮捕與拘禁

在西岸的巴勒斯坦安全部隊任意逮捕及監禁疑似支持哈瑪斯的人民,而迦薩的哈瑪斯安全部隊也以同樣方式對待疑似支持法塔者。雙方的執政當局都放任其安全部隊濫權,包括非法逮捕、拘禁、刑求與虐待犯法的人民,且給予上述行為法外免責權。「獨立人權委員會」(ICHR) 的報告指出,他們於西岸地區收到了超過1400件任意逮捕的投訴案件,迦薩地區有300件以上。

刑求與其他虐待情事

據傳安全部隊與警察對被拘禁者有刑求與虐待的情事,犯行主要來自於西岸巴勒斯坦當局的「預防性安全部隊」(Preventive Security force) 與「情報總局」,以及迦薩的「內部安全機構」(Internal Security)。「獨立人權委員會」(ICHR) 指出,其在西岸受理遭到巴勒斯坦當局刑求或虐待的投訴案件超過150件,在迦薩,受害於哈瑪斯的則超過200件案例。以下是2009年案例的最新報告。

在西岸與迦薩,犯下刑求與虐待情事者皆享有法律免責權。在一極罕見的獲起訴案件中,有5名「情報總局」成員在2010年被控涉及2009年Haitham Amr在羈押中死亡的案件,但軍事法庭判他們無罪。

* Mohammed Baraka Abdel-Aziz Abu-Moailek在迦薩被「內部安全機構」(Internal Security)的人員刑求,他在2009年4月以疑似以「通敵(以色列)」為名遭到逮捕,隨後遭斷絕對外通聯長達50天。他表示曾遭到電擊刑求、打腳底板、香菸燙傷及受到死亡威脅以迫其認罪。直到2010年底,他仍被拘禁與審問。

* 一位機械工Ahmed Salheb於9月遭到巴勒斯坦安全人員逮捕,隨後遭到刑求。安全人員稱其涉嫌勾結哈瑪斯。他說他在一個極度痛苦不適的姿勢下被長時間緊緊捆綁,這使得再先前受到安全人員酷刑所造成的背傷嚴重惡化。10月,他被無罪釋放。
在迦薩,一人在拘禁中遭警察毆打致死。

* 1月1日,迦薩的Nazira Jaddou’a al-Sweirki遭警察重擊背部與接續的毆打後隨即死亡。她的三個成年的兒子都遭毆打,其中兩個更以涉嫌支持法塔遭拘禁。

司法體系

在西岸,保安機構並未遵守法庭命令釋放被拘禁者。巴勒斯坦當局持續禁止前司法人員及警察到迦薩為哈瑪斯工作,而迦薩的哈瑪斯當局則繼續自行任用缺乏適當訓練、資格不符且不具司法獨立精神的檢察官及法官。

死刑

在迦薩,至少11人被「軍事及犯罪法庭」宣判死刑,其中5人在死刑執行前並沒有經過符合國際公平標準的審判,當中2人在4月間因以「通敵(以色列)」入罪,3人於5月間被判謀殺定讞。

言論及結社自由

西岸的巴勒斯坦當局與迦薩的哈瑪斯當局都持續嚴密地箝制言論自由,並且騷擾記者、部落客及評論家,甚至起訴他們。

* 10月31日,一位部落客Walid al-Husayin在西岸的Qalqilya遭「情報總局」拘禁。他在部落格裡張貼的文章被懷疑倡導無神論及批評伊斯蘭和其他宗教;直到年底,仍未獲得釋放。

* 2月,一名英籍記者Paul Martin在設法幫助一名遭指控「通敵(以色列)」的人民之後被逮捕。最初他被控為以色列的間諜,但在拘禁25日後無罪釋放。

哈瑪斯與巴勒斯坦當局箝制人們的結社自由,兩者都阻撓伊斯蘭團體Hizb ut-Tahrir的聚會,強制驅離和平抗議者,並限制其他政黨與民間組織的活動。

* 8月25號,在Ramallah的一場和平抗議被安全人員強制驅散,當時的訴求為反對巴勒斯坦當局與以色列開啟新的和平對話。在場的許多記者、攝影師、人權觀察者也都受到襲擊。

* 自5月31日起,一個在拉法(Rafah)地區宣導家庭計畫的民間組織,「南方婦女健康協會」(South Society for Women’s Health),據報被哈瑪斯當局強制關閉了3週,之後僅能在其內政部的監督下重新運作。另外兩個在拉法(Rafah)的婦女團體也同時被強制關閉。

*「Sharek青年論壇」(Sharek Youth Forum)是一個由「聯合國發展計畫」(UN Development Programme) 資助的民間組織,運作於西岸與迦薩走廊。該論壇自11月30日起即被通知暫時關閉,隨之而來的是哈瑪斯當局為期數月的騷擾。直到2010年底,其迦薩地區的辦公室仍被關閉。

武裝團體的暴行

與「法塔」、「伊斯蘭聖戰」(Islamic Jihad) 和「解放巴勒斯坦人民陣線」(Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) 有關的武裝團體,在3月18日向以色列南部以無特定射擊目標的方式發射了若干火箭與迫擊砲,造成一位泰國移民工死亡,並危及其他人的生命安全。火箭發射的數量較過去幾年減少很多。以軍亦對這些攻擊者發動反擊。

5月及6月間,一名身分不明的持槍巴人將聯合國近東巴勒斯坦難民救濟工作署(UNRWA,UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) 的設施燒毀,那是夏日兒童遊戲計畫所使用的設備。

8月31日,就在美國所發起的新的雙邊對話前夕,有四名以色列人在西岸的以色列屯墾區Kiryat Arba附近被殺,包含一名孕婦。隔天,又兩名以色列人在另一個屯墾區Kochav Hashachar附近遭槍擊受傷。哈瑪斯的羽翼戰鬥團體,Izz al-Din al-Qassam旅,聲稱犯下這兩起攻擊事件。

2011年8月14日 星期日

2011年8月10日 星期三

2011年8月5日 星期五

Village fights for survival

source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/inpictures/2011/07/2011719151145851623.html

Wadi Fukin village, which sits just west of Bethlehem along the 1967 border, was destroyed when the Israeli army dynamited much of the town during and in the years following the 1948 war, and then rebuilt when residents returned almost 20 years later. It was the only time, as far as many Palestinians can recall, that residents rebuilt a town destroyed in the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. Now the town's 1,200 residents are facing what many fear could be its second death. The neighbouring Beitar Illit settlement has the highest birthrate of any settlement in the occupied West Bank and currently houses more than 40,000 Israeli settlers. The expanding settlement, deemed illegal under international law, continues to take more of Wadi Fukin's land.

Ironically, it is often the men from Wadi Fukin who run the jackhammers and build the settlement's multi-story homes. Land confiscation, along with cheap Israeli produce that has flooded the Palestinian markets, is putting farmers in this verdant valley out of business and pushing them into construction jobs within the settlement. Under the proposed route of the Israeli wall, Wadi Fukin will eventually be surrounded on three sides, cutting the village off from the rest of the West Bank.

1) Yousef Manasra, 87, raises his cane in frustration as he looks at the Beitar Illit settlement on the hill above Wadi Fukin on December 30, 2009. "As much as life squeezes us ... we are still holding on tightly to our land, still holding on to our homeland," he said [Jakob Schiller]

2) A farmer and sheep herder pass each other on one of the main roads in Wadi Fukin on January 2, 2010. The town, which is fed by several springs, used to be known as the breadbasket for the nearby city of Bethlehem. Today, few people still work the land because they have to compete with cheaper produce, imported from Israel's large-scale farms [Jakob Schiller]

3) Men from the town of Wadi Fukin participate in a wedding celebration on June 3, 2011 [Jakob Schiller]

4) Young boys from the town of Wadi Fukin jump into an irrigation pool to cool off on June 2, 2011. Farmers in Wadi Fukin use the pools to store water from the natural springs that flow into the valley [Jakob Schiller]

5) Maher Sukkar harvests turnips from his land in Wadi Fukin on December 29, 2009 [Jakob Schiller]

6) Since it is difficult for farmers to sell goods in the market, most of the food grown in Wadi Fukin is eaten by the community. Some of the crops include wheat, cabbage, turnips and chili peppers [Jakob Schiller]

7) Ibrahim Manasra tends to one of his sheep while they graze above his house in Wadi Fukin on January 1, 2010. Manasra is part of the first generation in Wadi Fukin who can no longer make a living from the land. At one point he was forced to drive a cement truck in the Beitar Illit settlement to support his family [Jakob Schiller]

8) Two young men from the town of Wadi Fukin sneak through a fence on their way to work illegally in the Beitar Illit settlement on December 29, 2009. The Israeli occupation prevents residents in Wadi Fukin from earning their traditional living in agriculture, so most of the young men now make their living by working construction in nearby settlements or in Israel. "At the end of the day, people need money and a source of income for their families - and the only available source of income to be seen for Wadi Fukin, and maybe many communities around it, is work inside the settlements themselves; building these same settlements that suffocate them," said Suhail Khalilieh, who monitors settlements for the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem, a Palestinian think tank [Jakob Schiller]

9) Wael Manasra, 34, helps his four-year-old son, Adel, with his homework on January 1, 2010. Last year, Wael illegally snuck into Israel to work on a housing development. While he was there, he fell off a set of scaffolding and knocked out his front teeth. Bloody and in shock he had to spend the night hiding on a rooftop before he could sneak back into Palestine. Since his accident he has lost 30 pounds, because he can't eat solid foods. He's currently trying to save enough money for a set of dentures [Jakob Schiller]

10) Wisam Manasra, 25, gets his hair cut by Nader Manasra on March 28, 2006. At the time, Wisam wanted to attend a university and work as a journalist, but feared it would be impossible with Israel's impending wall. Instead, he left Wadi Fukin after marrying a US citizen he met online. He now lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and works the night shift at a bakery [Jakob Schiller]

11) Men dance during a wedding celebration in Wadi Fukin on June 2, 2011. The lights from the nearby Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit can be seen in the distance [Jakob Schiller]

12) Ibrahim Manasra plays with his grandkids Malik, 13 (L), and Sameh, 14, in Wadi Fukin on January 1, 2010 [Jakob Schiller]

13) An abandoned couch sits in front of the Israeli wall near the Palestinian town of al-Walaja, located just northeast of Wadi Fukin. The wall will eventually surround Wadi Fukin on three sides, cutting it off from the rest of the West Bank [Jakob Schiller]

14) Mohammed Mizher (L) and Mohammed Fahri, both 11, point out where they live in Wadi Fukin on December 31, 2009 [Jakob Schiller]

15) Majid Atta, 9, in Wadi Fukin on June 2, 2011 [Jakob Schiller]

2011年8月4日 星期四

Hard Road Back: A war that never ends?

source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/witness/2011/08/201181122156892311.html



After decades of war, today the Colombian government claims to be putting an end to one of the oldest guerrilla organisations in the world: the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The strategy that accompanies the government's military strikes is to offer opportunities and guarantees to those soldiers who decide to leave the ranks of the group. But can Colombia keep its promise of peace for the ex-FARC guerrillas returning home from the jungle - and can they resist temptations? In the following account, filmmaker Russ Finkelstein describes the issues behind the demobilisation programme and why many ex-FARC guerrillas are struggling with demobilisation.

The FARC has been fighting a revolution in Colombia for 47 years now. What first began as a Marxist-inspired struggle over land rights, social and agrarian reforms and resistance to neo-imperialism has been intensified and warped by the influence of the extremely lucrative cocaine trade.

At times, the FARC has held support among Colombia's lower classes, especially in the countryside. In other contexts they have been feared and despised for their ruthless tactics. The Colombian government, the US state department and the European Union consider them to be a terrorist organisation.

Alvaro Uribe, who was president of Colombia from 2002 to 2010, made eradicating the FARC a top priority of his administration.

Contrary to his predecessor, Andres Pastrana Arango, who held peace talks with the guerrillas, Uribe took a hardline approach to ending the conflict; perhaps in part because his own father was killed by the FARC during a 1983 kidnapping attempt.


During his presidency, Uribe launched countless military operations against the group, and his former minister of defence and the country's current president, Juan Manuel Santos, has kept putting an end to the FARC a top priority of the current administration.

For the guerrillas, the harshness of the jungle combined with enduring increasingly effective military strikes has made life for the combatants treacherous, if not intolerable.

Thousands of the groups remaining members have been tempted to defect thanks to the government's demobilisation programme, which consist of a pardon for having been a member of a terrorist organisation as well as economic, educational and psychological assistance while integrating into civilian life. The Santos government considers the programme, along with the military pressure on the FARC, to be successful, citing the large numbers of demobilised combatants as forward progress in the seemingly endless war.

"The best way to win the war is to prevent combat from continuing while still being able to achieve one's objectives," said President Juan Manuel Santos at a recent forum on the demobilisation process, adding, "How can we defeat them as quickly as possible? Of course military action continues. They are constantly adapting, they have and continue to finance themselves through drug trafficking, and so what will put an end to them once and for all? We have told them to demobilise and form part of the [demobilisation] programme, because if they don't it will either be jail or the grave. For this to be more convincing, we've got to make demobilisation more attractive, and we've got to make the threat of jail or the grave more effective."

The end of a war that does not necessarily end

While we were making Hard Road Back, it became apparent that for the ex-combatants the war does not necessarily end with their demobilisation. The FARC continues to exist. They consider their defected former comrades, including those who participated in our film, to be traitors to the organisation, an offence punishable by death. Most of the ex-combatants we spent time with were hesitant at first to appear on camera as they generally try to remain anonymous for the sake of their personal safety.

Additionally, they do not usually discuss their pasts as they try to avoid discrimination they are likely to face in a society that generally considers them to be terrorists, extortionists, kidnappers, torturers, rapists and murderers. For these reasons many of the demobilised leave their homes in the countryside to settle in large cities where they can live anonymously.

For their personal surrender as well as for their participation in psychological counselling and basic education, the ex-combatants receive a modest monthly stipend from the government. The programme also allows them plenty of free time in which they are encouraged to work. We learned however after talking to dozens of ex-combatants in the programme, that with little if any education, few employable skills and the discrimination they face as former terrorists, the demobilised ex-combatants generally live lives of poverty.

At the same time, the war continues to manifest and change. New armed groups have sprung up in marginal neighbourhoods of major cities; which also happen to be the types of places where many of the ex-combatants settle after demobilising. These criminal elements, including urban wings of paramilitary groups, pay three to five times the amount of the monthly government stipend to those who work as hired guns. The money is often sufficient temptation for those with the experience and know-how necessary for this type of work.

After meeting dozens of ex-combatants and hearing them tell their stories, it became apparent that the existence of these new armed groups and the temptation they represent to the demobilised ex-combatants presents a significant challenge to the success of the government's programme and to the prospect of peace as proposed by the current policies.

The government's efforts may be diminishing the FARC's numbers, but if a significant number of those who leave the group end up taking up arms to fight for other illegal armed groups, then the war will perhaps mutate and persist. The names of the groups doing the fighting may change though the profile of the individual combatants remains essentially the same. For the most part, they are poor and frustrated people to whom joining in the fighting represents a means of survival.

As is usually the case with people from the countryside anywhere in the world, the ex-combatants we came in contact with were all very hospitable, humble, friendly, respectful and accommodating. At first it was startling to recall that the people who had invited us into their homes and offered us their food had a few months or years ago been carrying out unthinkable acts in the jungle. We soon realised though that they are tired of fighting and are now doing their best to leave their violent pasts behind.

Giving up on the FARC's revolution

All of the former FARC combatants we met including Julio came from rural poverty. Julio first joined the FARC as a miliciano or plain-clothed, unarmed helper, when he was eleven or twelve years old. He was an orphan and had been forced to work in the fields as a young boy. To him, the well dressed, well-armed FARC soldiers commanded respect. Furthermore, they stood for political ideals that directly reflected the injustices he lived as a peasant from the countryside. He soon became dedicated to the organisation and was convinced that the FARC would topple the powers that be and establish a new and more just government in Colombia.

But after nearly two decades with the organisation and changing personal circumstances, Julio decided to defect. He moved to Bogota with his wife and son and has since been doing his best to make ends meet; though it has not been easy. Although he has given up on the FARC's revolution, he still remains politically committed to social change and progress for Colombia's poor. He has had to put his political ideals aside to some degree however in order to address the more pressing issue of his family's wellbeing.

Julio is charming and charismatic. In the FARC he rose to the rank of commander and in civilian life he has attracted countless friends and comrades. He is currently organising a committee of ex-combatants in his neighbourhood which he hopes will, among their other objectives, help prevent the demobilised from falling back into the war. The idea is to pool resources, improve relations with the community and establish solidarity and camaraderie amongst the demobilised in order to improve their situation.

For the government, the success of the demobilisation programme is seen as a vital strategic step in putting an end to a gruesome war that has gone on for nearly half a century. But for the FARC's former combatants, most of whom have endured hardship and turmoil all their lives, the government's programme offers an opportunity to start anew and pursue something they have never known: a peaceful life. If they are to achieve this goal, however, they must be personally committed to peace in order to resist the ever-present possibility of reverting back to a life of violence.