All articles tagged with #impunity
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition condemns sexual assaults by Israeli forces against flotilla participants and highlights systemic sexual violence and torture against Palestinians, calling for international accountability and an end to impunity for these crimes.
The article highlights the ongoing violence and impunity faced by Palestinians in the West Bank, where Israeli settlers often commit acts of violence against Palestinians and soldiers without repercussions, exposing a system of ethnonationalist segregation and policy of territorial expansion that has persisted for decades.
Human Rights Watch is calling on all International Criminal Court (ICC) member countries to voice their support for the court's role in investigating alleged war crimes committed in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Despite clear evidence of war crimes in Israel and Gaza, only a few ICC member countries have made statements referring to the ICC and the current hostilities. The ICC prosecutor has not issued a public statement reminding both sides of their obligations under international law. The lack of support for the ICC's role in this conflict highlights double standards in victims' access to accountability.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has failed to deliver on his promise to uncover the truth behind the 2014 disappearance of 43 student teachers in Iguala, Guerrero. Instead, he has allowed the investigation to stall, seemingly to protect his allies in the military. This inaction highlights López Obrador's unwillingness to address the deep-rooted issues of cartel violence, government corruption, and impunity that have plagued Mexico for decades. The international community, including the Organization of American States, should pressure the president to fulfill his commitment to justice and hold the military accountable for their role in the disappearances.
According to a report by Global Witness, at least 177 environmental activists were killed worldwide in 2021, with Colombia being the deadliest country for environmental defenders, accounting for 60 of the killings. The report highlights the lack of justice for the perpetrators, fueling further violence. Brazil, Mexico, and Honduras also recorded significant numbers of killings. The Amazon region saw 39 killings, with indigenous communities being particularly vulnerable due to activities like gold mining and logging. The report calls for urgent action from governments to address the issue and protect environmental defenders.
International investigators have given up the search for 43 missing college students in Mexico after eight years of trying to uncover the truth. The case of the students, who disappeared in 2014, has become symbolic of the epidemic of disappearances in Mexico, with the government repeatedly lying about what happened. The group of international investigators found evidence implicating the government and military in the crime, but their final report concludes that this is as far as they can go. The families of the missing students continue to suffer, knowing that the state was responsible but with no one being held accountable.
Another journalist, Nelson Matus, has been killed in Mexico, adding to the growing number of reporters who have lost their lives in the country's intensifying drug war. Matus, the director of a local news organization, had previously survived an assassination attempt in 2019. His death highlights the concerning increase in journalist murders in Mexico and the toll the drug war has taken on local newsrooms. Acapulco, once known for its beach resorts, has become a hub for narco violence. Mexico has been one of the deadliest places for journalists, with at least 52 killings documented in the past five years.
The Israeli military has taken no accountability for killing at least 20 journalists, 18 of whom were Palestinian, over the past 20 years, severely undermining press freedom, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Palestinians make up 80% of journalists and media workers killed by the Israeli military. The report also highlights that Israeli officials discount evidence and witness claims, often appearing to clear soldiers for the killings while inquiries are still in progress.