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jail terms despite pro-child ISLAMABAD, July 11: She is only 14 years old, but Nadeem is a teenageer with no future. Sentenced .....more Fiji coup leader to SUVA, July 11: Fiji coup leader George Speight and 12 associates were committed to stand trial on ....more Dubai Police DUBAI, July 11: A British man disguised as an Arab woman and allegedly carrying an air pistol and a .....more Global warming to hit poor AMSTERDAM, July 11: Global warming is likely to boost the world’s food production.......more |
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No Indian PoWs in Pak prisons: Pak Minister ISLAMABAD, July 11: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider has said there were no Indian ......more Vajpayee-Musharraf WASHINGTON, July 11: The outcome of the summit between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee ........more No Indian PoWs ISLAMABAD, July 11: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider has said there were....more WASHINGTON, July 11: The United States will stay away from the the Indo-Pak summit due to take...more |
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Minor get stiff jail terms despite pro-child ISLAMABAD, July 11: She is only 14 years old, but Nadeem is a teenageer with no future. Sentenced last year as an accomplice in a series of killings of about 100 children, Nadeem is now serving a 14-year jail term for each murder count. She was less lucky than Sabir, now 17, who was also found guilty of being an accomplice to the crimes but was meted just 42 years of imprisonment. Nadeem, though, could still consider herself fortunate for having been able to escape the fate of Shahzad, who at 16 found himself being sentenced to death on top of a 686-year jail sentence for the same crimes. To be sure, what the three teeners, whose appeals are pending in court, were found guilty of having been part of was horrifying. Yet even the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) was moved to comment that the verdicts on them - and the adult mastermind, who was ordered to be strangled in public, then have his body cut into pieces and dissolved in acid - were no less horrible. Then again, even activists here are no longer surprised at the fate awaiting minors who somehow get entangled with the law in this country. They say that while Pakistan ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as early as 1990, the implementation of the few laws protecting the rights of children remains weak. Officials themselves have told IPS that almost half of the registered 4,000 child prisoners are undergoing trial. This is despite the fact that among the stipulations of article 40 of the CRC is one that obligates a signatory state to ensure that judicial proceedings and institutional placements are avoided whenever possible when minors are involved. Since last year, the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) has also been in effect. The ordinance, which defines a child as a person below 18 years of age (compared to below 16 years in many local laws), abolished the death penalty for child offenders and banned the whipping of minors found guilty in courts. Among its stipulations are the setting up of courts exclusively for juveniles as well as the separation of detention quarters for child offenders from those of adults. Moreover, the ordinance says that offences carrying sentences of 10 years in jail should be bailable if the suspects happen to be children under 15. Yet one official says: "(Especially) in rural areas, every day police rounds up thousands of children and keep them in police lock-up for days without registering a case and subject them to torture." He adds that the "number of unregistered cases against children are much higher" than the recorded figure. The Human Rights Commission also says that minors are languishing in Pakistan’s 29 overcrowded jails that are notorious for substandard sanitation facilities and inadequate meals. In most cases, it adds, the minors share quarters with the adults. Officials at the National Commission for Child Welfare and Development (NCCD) say that minors who come in conflict with the law are often treated as if they were adults. This includes having court delays even though the law says cases involving children should be decided within four months. As a result, the children suffer unduly in jails, where they are at high risk to abuse. Last year, for example, a minor prisoner in a jail in eastern lahore city approached the High Court, complaining that many of the young prisoners held in the juvenile ward of the prison were being subjected to sexual abuse by older inmates. The subsequent medical examination ordered by the court found that at least eight child prisoners were sexually molested. The court observed that similar conditioned could exist in other jails as well. But the case ended there and only a couple of jail staffers were suspended. NCCD Director Hassan Mangi says all these can be traced to the lack of proper awareness about protection and concessions provided to children in the law. He adds that if the JSSO "is implemented in letter and spirit, the nation will have the best viable system soon. It will really be a harbinger for setting up an independent juvenile justice system for children". The JJSO was actually part of the Government’s effort to bring all administrative and legislative framework of the juvenile justice system in the country in conformity with the requirements of the CRC. According to Masroor Mohsin Gillani of the Non-Government Society for the Protection of the Child (SPARC), it does not break new grounds as it is merely an attempt to bring some uniformity in the way child offenders are dealt with in Pakistan’s four provinces. The provinces of Balochistan and north west frontier, for instance, do not even have any laws pertaining to child rights. But as SPARC noted in a report last week, "even now, no steps have been taken either to enforce JJSO and the four provincial Governments, which are expected to implement the law are totally unaware of the law’s existence." Some observers think part of the problem is that many people still consider laws such as the JJSO as going "too easy" on children who get in conflict with the law, and letting young offenders get away with crimes. In fact, this was partly why the JJSO remained pending for five years in Parliament. Child rights activists, though, say the JJSO already makes serious compromises that could be detrimental to children. For example, Gillani points out, the ordinance tries to make things easier for provinces to set up juvenile courts by giving local chief justices the option of conferring a regular court with the powers of a juvenile court. "This is far from the ideal that a separate juvenile justice system is devised, which emphasises rehabilitation and leniency rather than retribution and other punitive measures," he says. Yet even this has not been done. The JJSO is also not retroactive, which means children whose cases took place before the ordinance was passed are not covered by it. This is why there are still some 50 children in death row and why there are minors serving rigorous sentences, including whipping in public. Activist Sheherbano Khan also says that among the main hurdles in cases where a child offender is facing a death sentence are the islamic qisas and diyat laws, under which the sentenced person’s only hope for a pardon depends upon the victim’s family and its acceptance of blood money. This bars the President from commuting death sentences of children. Ips (IPS) |
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Fiji coup leader to stand trial for treason SUVA, July 11: Fiji coup leader George Speight and 12 associates were committed to stand trial on treason charges today for overthrowing Fiji’s first ethnic Indian Prime Minister and his multi-racial Government in May 2000. Treason carries the death penalty in the south pacific nation but capital sentences are generally commuted to life. Fiji’s Chief Magistrate referred the case to the High Court for August 31 — in the closing stages of the country’s first post-coup election. The decision comes after Speight’s defence and the prosecution agreed to abandon an often delayed committal hearing and go straight to trial. "I am going to defend my client to the best of my ability and this is where the real ball game starts," said Speight’s lawyer Marc Michel Gumbert, from Australia. Speight has not denied toppling Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry in the name of indigenous Fijians, but says he should not be prosecuted under an immunity deal with the military. The immunity deal was reached in order to free Chaudhry and most of his multi-racial cabinet, who were held for 56 days by Speight, but the military says the failure of Speight and his men to surrender all their weapons voided the immunity deal. The coup brought to the surface simmering racial tensions between indigenous Fijians and Fiji’s ethnic Indians. The descendants of Indian indentured labourers make up about 44 percent of the 800,000 population and dominate local business, but their economic clout has not been matched by political power. Fiji’s general election remained on track for August after the High Court today dismissed an appeal to bring back the Parliament toppled in last year’s racially-inspired coup. Justice Michael Scott found that President Ratu Josefa Iloilo acted "on the grounds of necessity" when he dissolved Parliament, dismissed Chaudhry and installed a caretaker Government. "I don’t believe it would be reasonable to turn back the clock to pre-May 19, 2000," Scott said in his ruling. "I therefore rule that elections go ahead as planned in august." Scott’s decision contrasted with a court of appeal decision in march which stated that the military-backed Government was illegal, that the pre-coup Parliament had not been dismissed and that the 1997 multi-racial constitution remained valid. Chaudhry reacted angrily. "In any democratic, self-respecting society, the first duty of the courts is to uphold the rule of law and not justify extra constitutional actions on the grounds of necessity where it does not apply," Chaudhry said in a statement. But the High Court ruling meant writs were expected to be issued for the August 25 ballot, with voting across Fiji’s far-flung islands expected to take a week. More than 20 political parties have been registered. Chaudhry is still leading the mostly ethnic-Indian labour party and faces a challenge from caretaker prime minister laisenia qarase, an indigenous Fijian, who has built up significant support since being installed by the military. Chaudhry also faces a split with his own former deputy, Tupeni Baba, an indigenous Fijian held hostage by the rebels but who set up a rival new labour party earlier this year. Former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who led two racially inspired coups in 1987, may also run again for office. (REUTERS) |
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Dubai Police arrest British man dressed as woman DUBAI, July 11: A British man disguised as an Arab woman and allegedly carrying an air pistol and a fake bomb was arrested in a Dubai market, newspapers said. The unnamed Briton was veiled and dressed in traditional Islamic women’s clothing when he was stopped by police on Sunday in the Dubai gold market, according to the Gulf news daily yesterday. A police official told the paper the man was carrying an air pistol, pieces of cardboard rolled up to resemble dynamite and a remote control. The 55-year-old claimed he had bought the costume and worn it as a surprise for his wife. Men are not allowed to dress in women’s clothing in Dubai, one of seven emirates that makes up the United Arab Emirates. He gave no reason for carrying the fake bomb or air pistol. An investigation is under way. (REUTERS) |
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Global warming to hit poor states’ food output: Study AMSTERDAM, July 11: Global warming is likely to boost the world’s food production but 40 of the poorest nations will show sharp drops, according to a study. "Developing countries have so far contributed relatively little to the causes of global warming. Yet many of these countries will bear the brunt of climate change through loss of food production," said Mahendra Shah, one of the authors yesterday. The research, issued by the Austria-based International Institute of Applied Systems analysis at a climate conference in Amsterdam, showed a widening gap between rich and poor nations in food production. It was published ahead of a key United Nations conference to combat global warming next week in Bonn. In general, countries near the equator — in which most of the world’s poor live — will suffer most as the temperature rises, whilst cold lands nearer the poles grow more fertile —though damper ones will face increasing problems. Higher temperatures and dwindling water supplies are likely to hurt crop yields in poorer countries. The countries hardest hit have a combined population of about two billion, Shah said, and about 450 million of those people are currently undernourished. But while India, Bangladesh, Brazil and several sub-Saharan nations could see their output of cereal crops drop by as much as a quarter by 2080, other states, such as China, will probably show an increase, he said. India in particular will lose some 30 million tonnes of cereal grain production, further exacerbating its current food shortfall of six million tonnes. Much of Europe and the United States are likely to show increases of five to 20 percent, according to the study, although more northern states such as Canada and Russia could post gains of more than 50 percent in cereal production. However, some European countries, including Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium, could see declines as increased rainfall levels boost insect and disease damage. A UN panel of scientists has said global warming, caused partially by carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels, will boost global temperatures by 1.4-5.8 degree centigrade (2.5-10.4 degrees fahrenheit) from 1990 levels by 2100. Some 180 states will meet in Bonn next week to try to reach agreement on implementing the Kyoto Protocol, which calls on industrialised nations to trim the output of carbon dioxide but which the united states, the world’s worst polluter, rejects. (REUTERS) |
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No Indian PoWs in Pak prisons: Pak Minister ISLAMABAD, July 11: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider has said there were no Indian Prisoners of War (PoWs) in Pakistani jails and added his Government would take appropriate action if any such prisoners were found. Haider, currently in New York attending a UN conference, told the Pakistani media that he heard some Indians have sought the release of their kin who were believed to have been taken prisoner by the Pakistan Army and imprisoned as PoWs. "But a verification check by my department found there were no Indian PoWs in Pakistani prisons", he said. "If such prisoners are found, the Government would take appropriate action. I think there are no such Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails", said Haider. Haider, who is leading a Pakistani delegation at the UN conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, also met Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Kemal Kharrazi yesterday and discussed the Indo-Iran gas pipeline project. Kharrazi expressed the hope that the proposed pipeline to India through Pakistan would soon become a reality and serve as the pipeline of peace, a New York-datelined report in the Pakistan daily ‘Dawn’ said today. (PTI) |
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Vajpayee-Musharraf summit very
important WASHINGTON, July 11: The outcome of the summit between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is ‘very important’ not only to New Delhi and Islamabad but also to Washington, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher has said. "The questions of India and Pakistan and the issues that they are going to deal with are very important to them and to the United States," Boucher told a daily briefing of the department yesterday. "We look forward to them for establishing a base of cooperation to produce a more peaceful and stable situation in the region, and it is our hope that they will do that," he said. Asked whether US is making any specific recommendation to the two countries, Boucher said "I think I will leave that to our representatives in the field". When reminded of Secretary of State Colin Powell’s statement that he looked forward to visiting the region, Boucher said "there is no particular trip or timing scheduled". (PTI) |
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2 stabbed, 120 police officers injured in anti-racist riot LONDON, July 8: Two persons were stabbed and 120 police officers injured last night when an anti-racist rally in Bradford predominantly inhabited by people of Pakistan-origin exploded into "the worst violence the city has seen". Cars were overturned and set ablaze and petrol bombs hurled at police as more than 500 Asians youths, mostly of Pakistan origin, ran riot, police said today. The clashes began after a group of white youths coming out of a pub shouted racial insults at a crowd of Asian men, who were protesting against the right extreme national front. As the violence escalated and spread from the city centre, two men were stabbed, pub windows shattered, cars set alight and petrol bombs hurled at police. In one of the two reported stabbing incidents, about a dozen Asian youths surrounded a white man, according to a witness. A police spokesperson told PTI that the situation has been brought under control "after hours of senseless criminality." At least 28 people have been arrested. The rioting marked a serious escalation of tension that has been growing in towns including Bradford, Oldham, Burnley and Accrington over the past three months. Many have blamed the trouble on the national front and the British National Party for fomenting racial divisions among deprived communities. Tension was building up in the worst-hit Manningham district area right from yesterday morning. For several hours during the afternoon 200 police had faced peaceful protesters as a planned visit by far-right national front sympathisers failed to materialise - the few supporters who arrived to face the anti-Nazi League were turned back at the railway station. But violence erupted when some national front supporters, wearing their trademark bomber jackets and sunglasses, began shouting racial abuse. A group of mainly asians youths charged up one of the main city centre roads and a fight broke out which spilled into neighbouring streets. As the night wore on the violence got worse - "Wanton and pointless violence, the worst bradford has seen," said Chief Superintendent Stuart Hyde. The Asians, one carrying a Pakistani flag and some chanting ‘Allah Akbar (god is great) went on the rampage. Shoppers, buses, cars and taxis were caught in the crossfire and a pregnant woman had to be led to safety by riot police. Shoppers dashed for cover as bricks and rocks rained down on police lines. Much of the centre of the city was sealed off as Asian youths ran from street to street attacking police, shops and pubs. Mounted police were used against the mobs and two horses were hurt, one of them stabbed. Community leader Mohammed Riaz appealed for calm. "There’s no logic to this," he said. "I cannot believe these scenes." Tahir Hussein, 28, of Bradford, which has an asian population of 10,000, said "some white lads were calling us Pakis and it all went off from there. The police seem "to have lost control." (PTI) |
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WASHINGTON, July 11: The United States will stay away from the the Indo-Pak summit due to take place on July 15, but US diplomats in the region still have to decide whether to offer specific recommendations to both the countries to resolve their dispute. Replying to questions in the State Department’s regular briefing, spokesperson Richard Boucher said the question of India and Pakistan, and the issues that they are going to be dealing with are very important to them and the US. "We look forward to their establishing a base of cooperation for them to produce a more peaceful and stable situation in the region. And it is our hope that they will do that," the spokesperson said. Asked whether the US is offering any specific recommendations, Mr boucher said, "I think I will leave that to our representatives in the field." To another question, Mr Boucher said Secretary of State Colin L Powell’s trip to India and Pakistan has not been finalised but it would be after the summit. Mr Powell will visit some Asian countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia next week. (UNI) |
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