JURIST - Paper Chase: Sunday, March 25, 2012

[JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] reported on Sunday that Syrian government officials are rounding up civilians [press release] and forcing them to walk in front of the army during arrests, troop movements and attacks on villages in order to shield the army from opposition forces. The report details accounts from civilians and opposition fighters, who say the government has been doing this since January. The opposition fighters said government officials knock on doors, and whoever answers is taken and forced to walk in front of the army until it reaches its destination. The report also links to two videos posted on YouTube by an opposition fighter. One shows civilians walking in front of soldiers, and the other shows civilians walking in front of army vehicles [videos]. The officials use anyone they find, including women and children.

Last week, the UN condemned Syrian authorities [JURIST report] for human rights violations and violence against protestors and journalists in a resolution passed by the Human Rights Council [official website]. The resolution recommends that the government stop these actions, and says the UN will take appropriate action to bring those responsible to justice. Also last week, HRW condemned the opposition forces [JURIST report] in Syria for torturing and executing government supporters. Last month, Syrian officials reported that over 80 percent of voters approved a new constitution [JURIST report], which gives the president term limits and allows for a multi-party system. It also provides citizens with fundamental rights [JURIST report] such as freedom of speech, press, assembly and association. While some said approval of the constitution was a step in the right direction, other Western leaders dismissed it as a sham that will do little to stop violence in the country.

[JURIST] Chinese Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu said on Thursday that China will stop taking organs from executed prisoners in the next three to five years. The Ministry of Health [official website, in Chinese] and the Red Cross Society of China [advocacy website] have been working together since 2009 [press release] to put in place a more efficient and less corrupt organ donation system, and trial systems have been put in place [Xinhua report] in different areas of the country, to encourage voluntary donations from the public. Due to the inefficiency of the current system, the majority of China's organ transplants now come from executed prisoners. The new system will put in place a national registry and set new standards and regulations for donations. If successful, officials hope it will reduce the country's reliance on donations from prisoners.

In 2009, it was reported that 65 percent of China's organ donations [JURIST report] came from executed prisoners. China pledged in 2007 at a World Medical Association [profession website] meeting to end the practice [JURIST report] of harvesting prisoners' organs, except for donations to relatives. This decision came after criticism by the British Transplantation Society [advocacy website], which accused China [JURIST report] of selling organs harvested from executed prisoners. China denied these and other allegations [JURIST report], saying that all donors must give consent before their organs are used.

[JURIST] The US government has paid compensation to the families of the victims of a shooting spree [JURIST report] allegedly committed by a US soldier, according to statements made by an Afghan elder. The families of the victims killed [AP report] in the incident received $50,000 and the families of wounded victims received $11,000. A US official confirmed that payments were made [CNN report], but refused to comment on the specific amounts. The amounts paid for victims of the shooting spree are significantly larger than what is normally paid to civilian victims of military operations. Civilian victims and their families are typically paid $2,000 for each civilian death and $1,000 for each wounded civilian. The 17 victims, including women and children, were killed in a Kandahar village two weeks ago. The alleged shooter, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, has been charged with 17 counts of murder [JURIST report], and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Bales will not be the first US soldier prosecuted in relation to deaths of civilians in Afghanistan. In February, the US Army dropped charges [JURIST report] against Army Specialist Michael Wagnon, the last of five soldiers to be charged in connection with the killing of three Afghan civilians. In November, US Sgt. Calvin Gibbs was convicted on 15 charges [JURIST report] of murder, assault and conspiracy in the same case. This will also not be the first time larger amounts of compensation have been given in relation to high profile incidents. In July of 2006, the US government paid a significantly larger than normal amount of compensation to victims after an accident sparked an anti-American riot [JURIST report].

[JURIST] The Russian legislature on Friday passed a bill [bill profile, in Russian] that will make it easier for political parties to register with the government. The bill was introduced in response to widely disputed [France 24 report] and heavily protested [RIA Novosti] elections, which were held in December, and is part of a group of bills aimed at calming opposition groups. Specifically, the bill rolls back some of the more stringent restrictions. It reduces the number of members required for registration from 40,000 to 500, lessens the restrictions on party activities, and shortens the registration process itself. Supporters of the bill maintain that the bill represents a drastic liberalization [NYT report] of the country's election laws. Opponents of the bill argue that it will have the effect of splintering opposition groups, and that the provision allowing the registration of multiple groups with the same name will confuse voters [Financial Times report]. The Russian Duma [official website, in Russian] passed the bill on its third reading with overwhelming support, which allowed the bill to move to the upper house for approval. Before the bill can become law it will need to be signed by outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev [official website, in Russian; JURIST news archive]. Medvedev is expected to sign the bill, which will go into effect with his signature, allowing newly recognized parties to participate in elections that are scheduled to be held in the fall.

Medvedev ordered an investigation [JURIST report] into allegations of fraud in the parliamentary elections, which were held in December. The investigation was ordered one week after an election fraud monitor issued preliminary findings [JURIST report] of potential widespread voter fraud. There were allegations of voting fraud in both the 2007 and 2008 Russia elections as well. In 2008, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) [official website] expressed concerns [JURIST report] about Russia's presidential elections due to alleged media restrictions and polling irregularities. In 2007, election monitoring groups Transparency International [advocacy website] and Golos stated that Russia's parliamentary elections were rife with fraud and corruption [JURIST report].