March 31
NIGERIA:
Oil Theft: Mulling A Death Sentence For The Poor
If you are caught and convicted for oil theft in Nigeria, you should be killed.
Well, those are the wishes of Nigeria's Senate President. EDEGBE ODEMWINGIE
with Agency Reports, writes on the implications.
Decades of oil production have poisoned the waters of the Niger Delta, driving
fishermen and farmers deeper into poverty and leaving some with few options for
making a living. While many senior militants have received lavish payouts to
end rebellions aimed at securing a fairer sharing of the delta's oil wealth,
many youths face long-term unemployment and poverty.
Inhabitants have found a ready escape route. Oil "bunkering" - hacking into
pipelines to steal crude then refining it or selling it abroad - has become a
major cost to Nigeria's treasury, which depends on oil for 80 % of its
earnings. Executed by powerful cartels and their backers, most of the stolen
crude is shipped offshore, with the remaining 10 % is refined locally by poor
inhabitants.
Death Penalty For Oil Thieves
As typical with laws in Nigeria, there are 2 types of enforcements; 1 for the
rich and powerful, another for the poor. Sadly the proposed death sentence for
oil thieves will only address the latter.
The Senate President, David Mark while inaugurating the Senate Joint Committee
on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) on Wednesday, recommended death penalty
for crude oil thieves in the country.
Tagged broadly as economic sabotage, the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a
report cited findings that "oil bunkering, or theft, costs the government an
estimated $7 billion in lost revenue per year." By comparison, Nigeria's annual
total budget is around $31 billion.
Mark lamented that the frequent and brazen incidence of oil theft have given
Nigeria a "bad name" internationally. Mark said he will back legislative
proposal to provide for death penalty for convicted oil thieves. He said the
PIB must ensure a drastic reduction in incidence of illegal bunkering.
He said, "The PIB must also ensure that the current rate of oil theft in the
country is minimised to the barest minimum. We are having a bad name
internationally because of the rate of oil theft in the country. Oil theft
deserves capital punishment. The law must have a huge punishment on those that
steal our oil to serve as a deterrent to other people who plan on stealing our
oil. If it is the public wish I will endorse a death penalty for oil thieves if
it will stop oil theft and bunkering. It is an unusual situation, so it
deserves an unusual remedy and drastic punishment."
International News Agency, Reuters paints a vivid picture of the illicit local
trade and refining of stolen crude oil.
"The wooden fishing boat navigating Nigeria's mangrove swamps is powered by a
generator balanced above its volatile cargo. Shimmering crude oil fills its
hull, almost indistinguishable from the polluted water in the creek.
"Here and there on the banks, people coated in oil wade through greasy mud in
patches of landscape blackened and stripped of the thick vegetation that makes
Nigeria's oil-producing delta so hard to police.
"Plumes of grey or yellow smoke fill the air as men who will give only their
1st names go to work in an illegal industry that the government says steals 1/5
of the Nigeria's output of 2 million barrels a day."
Major General Johnson Ochoga, who leads a military campaign against bunkering
that was stepped up last year under orders from President Goodluck Jonathan,
told Reuters nearly 2,000 suspects had been arrested and 4,000 refineries,
30,000 drums of products and hundreds of bunkering boats destroyed in 2012.
Yet the complicity of security officials and politicians who profit from the
practice, and the lack of alternatives for those who undertake it, cast doubt
on the likelihood of success.
40-year-old Goodluck, who shares his name and tribe with the president, says he
would much rather have got a respectable job, except that, despite the billions
of petrodollars coursing through the region's creeks over decades, there isn't
any.
"This refinery is the only thing I know that can ensure my survival, at least
for now," he told Reuters, sitting under a small makeshift iron roof shelter
from the boiling sun, his hands sticky with crude.
"Doing this you can make up to $60 in a day," he said, gesturing with a nod
towards oil drums full of homemade diesel shaded by smoke-blackened palm trees.
Nigeria's legal refineries have been left largely defunct by decades of
mismanagement and corruption, with the result that fuel stations in the world's
12th largest oil producing country often run out of supplies.
An amnesty for some 26,000 militants in the Niger Delta in 2009 ended an overt
campaign of violence and sabotage against the oil industry that at one stage
shut down nearly 1/2 of its production. But attacks on pipelines for theft have
increased.
Oil companies like Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron, all major producers in
Nigeria, are increasingly moving production offshore into deeper water, away
from the hazards of the Delta. Only about 25 % of Nigerian production now comes
from onshore fields, sharply down from around 70 % in the 1970s, according to a
report in November by Bernstein.
A PIB To The Rescue
With future crude oil output in question over a number of factors, including a
long-stalled overhaul of Nigeria's oil industry that has created uncertainty
among energy firms, freezing investment, as well as theft, a boost in
production in the United States - the IEA believes the US will become the
world's top oil producer by 2020 - is also expected to force Nigeria to hunt
for new markets. The United States has been a major buyer of Nigerian oil
exports.
Nigeria's government has been seeking for years to pass sweeping legislation to
overhaul its oil industry, widely seen as riddled with corruption. President
Goodluck Jonathan sent a fresh version of the PIB to parliament in July, but
lawmakers are still reviewing the draft legislation.
Uncertainty over new fiscal terms in the industry has led to a slowdown in new
investments, which could threaten future production growth if not resolved.
Senator Mark on Wednesday allayed fears of International Oil Companies (IOCs)
on the workings of the PIB when passed into law. He said the legislation will
bring about a "win-win" arrangement for Nigeria and international investors in
the oil sector. He said the PIB must ensure as a matter of necessity to pursue
new oil finds in other regions of the country aside the Niger Delta.
Mark said, "We are taking this Bill seriously, the world is changing so fast.
This is not a new bill but a review of the bill to meet with international best
practices. Nigerians are patriotic enough to know that what we are doing is in
the best interest of all Nigerians. We have to update the Bill so that we can
encourage investors. The Bill is a win- win situation for all the parties
involved. We are aware of the competition involved in the oil industry in the
world. I want to assure you that all the members of this committee are
patriotic Nigerians and the report of this committee will be true reflections
of the public views. No member of the committee has a fixed position, this is
the first time we are putting 4 committees together and make the Bill that all
Nigerians will be happy with.
"This Bill must show transparency in the oil industry so that investors will
come and get a return on their investment. We also want to explore oil in some
other parts of the country and not only in the Niger Delta as we are doing now.
There is no reason why we can't find oil in the northern part of the
country....The PIB bill is a bill to unite the country and not divide it. It
will open up the industry so that we can attract new investors."
Senate Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources Upstream; Downstream; Gas and
Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters are to carry out a Public Hearing on
the PIB and report to Senate at plenary in 6 weeks. The Joint Committees is
chaired by Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Upstream).
(source: Leadership.ng)
SAUDI ARABIA:
Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia: The maid issue
The treatment of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia especially domestic workers or
maids has been a long standing issue. More migrant workers are executed in
Saudi Arabia than in any other country. According to human rights groups, more
than 45 Indonesian women are on death row.
Several NGOs believe that the exact number of foreign domestic workers on death
row is almost certainly higher since the Saudi authorities do not publish
official figures. Although the majority of the women are Indonesian, there are
also Filipina, Indian, Ethiopian and Thai maids facing the death penalty.
Furthermore, they are also subjected to arrests on sham charges of theft,
assault and even witchcraft. Often victims of rape and sexual violence are
accused of adultery and fornication. Indonesian Association for Migrant Workers
sovereignty, a human rights group recorded over 5, 560 reports of physical and
sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia in 2010 alone.
A weak legal infrastructure combined with a lack of legal rights has made
access to justice remote. Many foreign workers have no way of defending
themselves due to the lack of access to lawyers and translators. Entire trials
are conducted in Arabic and many are prevented from contacting their embassies.
Lack of proper investigations and legal proceedings allow abusers to escape
justice.
Saudi labour laws exclude domestic workers denying them rights guaranteed to
other workers such as overtime pay and days off. A sponsorship (kafala) system
ties the workers to their employers meaning the employer has complete control
over the workers' ability to change occupation or to even leave the country.
Their passports are confiscated to prevent any attempts to escape.
Repeated requests from Indonesia for improved working conditions have been
ignored by the Saudi government. Saudi Arabia has fallen out of favour with
several Asian nations including Thailand and Sri Lanka.
The execution of Sri Lankan maid Rizana Nafeek caused international outcry
despite numerous appeals for clemency by the Sri Lankan government, Rizana was
beheaded on 9th January 2013. The maid agency altered Rizana's birth date in
order to allow her to work in the Gulf. Rizana who was only a minor when she
arrived in Saudi Arabia was assaulted and coerced into signing a confession
admitting she strangled the infant under her care. Sri Lanka no longer permits
anyone under the age of 25 to work abroad.
In June 2011, Indonesia banned domestic workers from travelling to the Kingdom
for work following Riyadh's failure to notify the Indonesian embassy of the
execution of Ruyati binti Saputi, who was convicted for beating her employer's
wife to death with a meat cleaver. Saudi Arabia retaliated by enforcing its own
ban on the recruitment of domestic workers from Indonesia. At the time of the
ban, there were still over 1.5 million Indonesian workers in Saudi Arabia.
The Indonesian government has called on Saudi Arabia to sign an agreement which
will protect the rights of migrant workers. Terms of the new agreement include
work and health insurance, a minimum pay of 4.5 million Rupiah (305 pounds) per
month, receive sick pay and adequate time off. If the Saudis refuse, Indonesia
will continue with the ban and the Saudis say they will refuse to sign the deal
if Indonesia continues to interfere in court cases involving Indonesian
citizens.
The only resolution to this issue is that Saudi Arabia signs the new agreement
with Indonesia and ensures workers' basic rights are protected. It needs to
implement mechanisms that regular monitor employers and employment conditions
and create shelters for abused maids. Jakarta has stipulated that special
courts should be established to address disputes involving Indonesians. Even
Lebanon, the UAE and Kuwait have taken steps to improve labour laws and working
conditions.
Prominent Cases
Satinah binti Jumadi was convicted of killing her employer, Noura al-Gharib
during an argument. Satinah was only allowed to inform her family about her
conviction 3 years after she had been sentenced to death.
Despite ample medical evidence and a confession, Nour Miyati's employer was
never charged. Nour had her toes and fingers amputated as a result of
starvation and daily beatings.
Tuti Tursilawati binto Warjuki murdered her employer when he attempted to rape
her.
In 2010, Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa was hospitalised with broken bones and
burns to her face and body. Despite the Indonesian President's demand for
justice, Sumiati's employer was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The body of Kikim Komalasari was found dumped by a roadside in 2010. Her neck
had been slashed and her body was covered in cuts. Her employers were arrested
and investigations are still on-going.
Relations have been strained between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, however it is
expected that the Kingdom will eventually sign the agreement and resume
recruitment. Prince Khalid Bin Saud Bin Khalid has pledged to "protect the
rights of both Saudi employers and foreign workers." Talks are still continuing
between the 2 countries and are optimistic an agreement will be reached.
(source: World Outline)
***********************
Wahhabi clerics prop up Saudi regime, deceive Sunni majority: Analyst
A political analyst says the Sunni majority of Saudi Arabia has been deceived
by a Wahhabi monarchy that rules by fueling sectarian divisions, Press TV
reports.
Zayd Al-Isa, a London-based Middle East expert, said in an interview with Press
TV that a "Wahabi Salafist establishment" gives religious legitimacy to the Al
Saud regime, while a majority of Saudis are Sunni Muslims.
"And those people have been deceived for a long time by the Saudi regime's
claims that it is the guardian and the defender of Sunnis," Isa said.
The analyst added that the popular uprising in the Arab world "shows that the
Saudi regime is supportive of dictatorship; supportive of tyrants against the
world of Sunni Muslims who are the dominant force in those regions."
Isa described spreading sectarian divisions as the Al Saud regime's defense to
quell the Arab uprising.
He made the remarks days after a Saudi prosecutor demanded the death penalty
for prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on charges of 'aiding terrorists'
and 'instigating unrest' in the kingdom.
Sheikh Nimr was attacked, injured and arrested by Saudi security forces en
route to his house in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on
July 8, 2012.
Isa described the charges as "groundless", saying, "The evidence is always
fabricated and it is extracted using the worst types of torture."
"Those who are accused, particularly the Imam, have been denied any access to a
lawyer or indeed to any legal representation," the analyst added.
Since February 2011, demonstrators have held anti-regime protests on an almost
regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in Qatif and the town of Awamiyah in
Eastern Province, primarily calling for the release of all political prisoners,
freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.
(source: Press TV)
***********************************
The Important Declaration of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) World Assembly on the death
penalty sentence for 'Sheikh Al-Nimr'----The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly urges
all its representatives and members as well as all international bodies and
human rights organizations around the world to take prompt and effective
actions to save the lives of 'Sheikh Al-Nimr', 'Allamah al-Amer' and all
political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, and to pressure the Al Saud regime to meet
the basic human rights and freedom of Shiites and grant them the right to
participate in their own fate.
On the death penalty sentence for 'Sheikh Al-Nimr' the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) World
Assembly issued an important statement.
The Assembly condemning the unjust sentence of the death penalty and expresses
its deep concern about the fate of 'Sheikh Al-Nimr' and other Saudi political
activists.
The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly also calling them Muharib (somebody who engage
in war with Allah) to underlying suppression of other religions scholars and
people's fundamental rights, and added: "For decades, Saudi people have
demanded the restoration of their trampled rights, the right to vote, political
freedom, freedom of expression and social and religious activities, all of
which ignored and suppressed by the Saudi regime."
Full text of the statement is as follows:
Those who have believed, emigrated and striven in the cause of Allah with their
wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah; and it is
those who are the achievers [of success].
The Public Prosecutor's Office in Saudi Arabia, in an unprecedented and
dangerous action, has demanded the death penalty for prominent Cleric
"Hujjatul-Islam Sheikh Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr" for so-called 'waging war on Allah'
(Muharibah), 'instigating unrest' in Qatif and 'acting against national
security'.
The allegations are made against Sheikh Al-Nimr and other religious scholars
and political activists while they had just demanded the restoration of
people's rights in 'Al-Sharqiyah region' as well as establishment of freedom,
justice, equality and a democratic government.
The Saudi regime, in another illegal act, has jailed 18 Shiah people accused of
spying for a foreign country, which was denied by detainees as well as other
organizations and associations.
After Saudi Prosecutor's comments, a wave of protests came up by people and
human rights organizations in Saudi Arabia and other countries, who have
expressed concern about the fate of Sheikh Al-Nimr.
The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly, while condemning the unjust demand of Saudi
Prosecutor, expresses its deep concern about the fate of the Mujahid scholar
Sheikh Al-Nimr and other political activists and innocent people; as the court
has been set up without the presence of any lawyer, lawsuit, or the right of
defense for the accused persons.
The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly holds the charge of 'Muharibah' against Sheikh
Al-Nimr as preparing the ground for suppression of other religious clerics and
activists who cry the fundamental rights of people who, for decades, have
demanded the restoration of their trampled rights, the right to vote, political
freedom, freedom of expression and social and religious activities, all of
which ignored and suppressed by the Saudi regime.
The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly urges all its representatives and members as
well as all international bodies and human rights organizations around the
world to take prompt and effective actions to save the lives of 'Sheikh
Al-Nimr', 'Allamah al-Amer' and all political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, and to
pressure the Al Saud regime to meet the basic human rights and freedom of
Shiites and grant them the right to participate in their own fate.
The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly also appeals to Grand Ayatollahs, distinguished
scholars, Islamic seminaries, and all political personalities all over the
Muslim world to issue statements and put the Saudi regime under pressure in
order to safeguard the dignity of religious and political leaders and clerics
and to call for release of Sheikh Al-Nimr and other political activists.
The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly asks the mass media around the world to break
their silence concerning such important events and broadcast the facts in order
to enlighten the minds of people.
(source: Ahlul Bayt News Agency)
GREECE:
Golden Dawn Seeks Death For Violent Migrants
Greece's neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party that has 18 seats in Parliament and has an
openly anti-immigrant agenda is calling for restoration of the death penalty -
for immigrants found guilty of violent crimes, although it didn't distinguish
if that meant only capital offenses such as murder.
With criminals using heavy arms such as Kalashnikov's to battle outgunned
police, the party also wants authorities to issue more firepower to the police.
A 25-year-old woman was killed in a crossfire between police and
Kalashnikov-wielding criminals in Korinthos over the weekend.
In as statement, the extremists said that "immigrant assassins" had turned the
country into a "jungle" and that the state was unable to handle them. They
didn't want whether Greeks convicted of murder should face the death penalty.
Military weapons were essential in order to combat the "heavily armed gangs of
immigrant criminals," Golden Dawn's statement read. Greece officially abolished
the death penalty in 1993 though the last state execution was carried out in
1972.
(source: Greek Reporter)
BANGLADESH:
10 million sign on for death to war criminals
The demand for death penalty to war criminals and a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami has
attracted almost 10 million signatures as a mark of solidarity with the
Gonojagoron Mancha.
Imran H Sarker, spokesperson for the Gonojagoron Mancha, disclosed the
information at a press briefing at the Shahbagh Projonmo Chattar on Saturday.
He said the Gonojagoron Mancha would submit a memorandum along with the mass
signatures to the parliament Speaker on Sunday.
"We hope that the honourable parliament will show due respect to the people's
verdict delivered through the mass signatures and come forward to implement the
six-point demand of the Gonojagoron Mancha," he stated.
The month-long signature campaign continued till March 22.
Meanwhile, the protesters of Rumi Squad continued their fast-unto-death,
demanding effective action in initiating the process of banning Jamaat. The
participants completed 98 hours at midnight.
So far the government has made no steps to initiate the banning process, nor
has it made any comments regarding the protestors on hunger strike, said the
protesters.
The hunger strike, which began Tuesday night with seven participants, now has a
total of 20 participants.
(source: The Daily Star)
JAPAN:
3 Aum death-row inmates to testify at Hirata's trial
In an unusual move, prosecutors will call 3 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo
religious cult to testify in the trial of another former Aum member, Makoto
Hirata, in a lay judge trial expected to begin at the Tokyo District Court
later this year.
It will be the 1st time that death-row inmates have been called to tesify as
witnesses, Sankei Shimbun reported Saturday.
The 3 are Tomomasa Nakagawa, 50, Yasuo Hayashi, 55, and Yoshihiro Inoue, 43.
They are among 13 former Aum Shinrikyo members, including cult founder Shoko
Asahara, who were sentenced to death for the 1995 Tokyo subway nerve gas
attack, and several other crimes, including murder and kidnapping.
Hirata, 48, has been indicted for his role in the kidnapping and murder of a
relative of a cult member in 1995. A few weeks later, on March 20, 1995, cult
members used sarin gas on the Tokyo subway, leaving 13 people dead and about
6,300 injured. The coordinated attacks at stations near the center of Japan's
seat of government sowed panic throughout the city.
Among the thousands of injuries, some were injured permanently by inhaling or
coming into contact with the gas, which cripples the nervous system.
Hirata turned himself in at a police station on New Year's eve 2011 after at
first being turned away by another police officer who didn't recognize him.
The cult remains legal in Japan, where the constitution guarantees freedom of
religion, but it has renamed itself Aleph - after the 1st letter in the Hebrew
alphabet. Authorities keep it under close surveillance, saying hardcore
followers still revere Asahara.
The cult is believed to have some 1,500 followers in Japan and 200 others in
Russia, police officials say.
(source: Japan Today)
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