Spring 2021 First Light Against the Evil of War

A Biannual Publication of The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) Accredited member of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)

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First Light, which is published semi-annually, is in- tended to provide solid information to the interested readers about the scourge of torture, war, , against humanity and human trafficking and In This Issue their effects and what we can do in aiding survivors to overcome the after-effects of their horrible experienc- es. The CCVT views itself as part of a larger global com- munity and is committed to the struggle for , peace, justice and the end of the practice of 4 Letter of an Ethiopian Refugee torture, war, genocide, and Claimant to the Editor human trafficking. By Rigbe Tsige Editor: Ezat Mossallanejad, Counsellor and Policy Analyst and Researcher

Layout Design: Ezat Mossallanejad 5 Feel the War

Cover: Youth clients of the CC VT at the Toronto BY: Elena Solokhina Centre Island, photo by Nadia Umadat 6 War in Tigray and Crimes of In- Public Education Committee ternational Law Mulugeta Abai, Executive Director Teresa Dremetsikas, Manager Ezat Mossallanejad, Settlement Counsellor and Policy By Mulugeta Abai Analyst 27 Mbalu Lumor, Senior Manager, Program and New- The Hanging of Angélique comer Services (poem)

Published By: 29 Nadia Murad The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture 194 Jarvis St. 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M5B 2B7

Canada Tel: 416-363-1066; Fax: 416-363-2122 The of Rape and Sexual Vio- Email: [email protected] and [email protected]; 30 lence in Tigray Website: www.ccvt.org

Mandate: The Canadian Centre for Victims of Tor- By Mulugeta Abai ture (CCVT) aids survivors of torture, war, genocide and crimes against humanity to overcome the lasting effects of torture and war. Working with the communi- ty, the Centre supports survivors in the process of suc- Internal Displacement: The Invisible cessful integration into Canadian society, works for 36 Cost of War their protection and integrity, and raises awareness of the continuing effects of torture and war on survivors and their families. The CCVT gives hope after By Cal Furlong the horror.

Editor’s Note: The information provided in this 38 An Investigation into Uighur Geno- publication is not controlled by the CCVT and there- cide in XinJiang, and the long-term fore may not reflect the Centre's views. impact of “Re-education” camps on Uighur Children © Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. All rights reserved. This publication may not be repro- duced without permission from the publisher. By Gabrielle Allohverdi Acknowledgement of the source is appreciated. 43 March 25/26: Global Action Days to End War in Yemen

By Anne Khan

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In This Issue (continued) In This Issue (continued)

60 46 A Trilogy by Anthony Frolov Canada and Ukrainian Plane Crash in Iran

46 Wronged and Invaded CCVT Letter to the Right honorable Jus- tin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada 47 Feelings of a Captured Soul 62 After-effects of Armed conflict Between 47 New Life on New Soil Azerbaijan and Armenia

CCVT letter to the Honourable 48 Sri Lanka – The Fight for Justice François-Philippe Champagne Minister of Foreign Affairs By Lotus Sahana Alphonsus & No- elle Alphonsus 64 Journalists at Risk

CCVT Letter to the Right honorable Jus- 51 Reflections of A Youth Counsellor: tin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Supporting Refugee Survivors of Sexual Violence

by Nadia Umadat 65 Resettlement of Tigrayan Refugees

CCVT Letter to the Right honorable Jus- 54 Success story tin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

By Mona Kalil

67 The Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on ’s Military 56 Eduardo Galeano against War Sexual Slavery

57 A Reflection: Supporting Separat- By: Ezat Mossallanejad ed Refugee Youth

By Leah MacDonald 70 CCVT Programs and Services

A short explanation of ten current pro- 58 Rohingya Genocide in Myanmar grams offered by the Canadian Centre for

Victims of Torture (CCVT)

CCVT letter to the Canadian Minis- ter of Foreign Affairs 72 A quote

From Mahmoud Darwish

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Letter of an Ethiopian Refugee Claimant to the Editor By Rigbe Tsige

been abducted; regional leaders were execut- ed. The country has witnessed ethnic-based mass murders and internal displacements - a day-to-day observation in , Amhara, Southern and Tigray regional states. A week before, the prime minister declared war against the Tigray regional state, in the northern part of and home of about seven million . In recent days, air bombardments used against the capi- tal city of Tigray regional state and some other parts of the region. The purpose of this attack is to Isolate the people of Tigray from the rest of the world. Mr. Ahmed has cut of the power supply, internet connection, telephone ser- vice, air, and land transport and all means of communication. In addition to this, the central government has declared in Tigray and Oromia regional states. Be- cause of this, people have become frustrated. Due to their fear and frustration, people have November 11, 2020 been unable to run their day-to-day activities. Despite, the international community efforts in Dear Editor, encouraging both sides to come to the negoti- ation table, the federal government is putting As a woman of Ethiopian origin and an asy- pressure against its own people with a geno- lum seeker in Canada I am extremely con- cidal policy. cerned about the violence and aggression by As a result of the black out of communication the federal in collab- in Tigray, I personally could not communicate oration with the Eritrean government towards with my family (sister, brother, cousins, auntes its own people. I would like to bring it to your and uncles). I do not know where they are. attention that Ethiopia is currently on the Currently. The federal troops are engaged in verge of a catastrophic civil war. fierce fighting against the people of Tigray in Since the current prime minister took power, all fronts. They have blocked all roads pre- thousands of people have been internally venting food and humanitarian aid entering displaced; many government officials includ- Tigray. The prime minister of Ethiopia, in col- ing the chief of staff have been mysteriously laboration with the Eritrean president Isaias

murdered; female university students have Afwerki, the notorious tyrant, is now attacking

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his own people from Eritrean side. People of Tigrayan origin residing in other parts of Ethiopia are being removed from their Feel the War jobs only because they are Tigrayans. They include civil servants, private business owners, By Elena Solokhina commercial aircraft “pilots’’. All Tigrayan mem- bers of the defense force and security guards were expelled from their duties and put under house arrest. On social media and other gov- ernment outlets, the prime minister is inciting Don't talk about war, don't talk! ethnic cleansing policy against the people of But live it through with feelings all un- Tigray living in the other parts of Ethiopia by locked! encouraging people to be vigilant of “individuals Tigrayans.” You are a baby, all alone and hungry. Furthermore, Mr. Ahmed has imposed travel You are a child whose mother nobody restrictions, particularly against individuals of can find. Tigran ethnicity. You are teenager in the world, that's Ethiopia is about to enter a dangerous ethnic- armed and angry, based civil war, and I believe that you may be Preparing to kill yourself to calm your able to expose the dangerous situation to dif- tired mind. ferent concerned bodies: You are a soldier after war returning, Demanding for the immediate cessa- Of living tired, hungry, very sick. tion of hostilities and war against Without father, daughter - no childhood, the Tigrayan people. Without son, a mother, walking with a Demanding an immediate cessation of stick. killings and ethnic based violence and displacement of people in all This is the face of war - heart wrenching parts of Ethiopia. image. Facilitating or initiating a national World leaders, headsmen and complicit peace and reconciliation dialogue folks for the establishment of an all- Don't talk about war, don't talk! inclusive transitional government in It screams before your eyes without Ethiopia. words. Pressuring the prime minister of Ethio- pia to stop the atrocities through Elena Solokhina imposing travel and other sanc- Employment Services and Skills Training CCVT tions.

I am hopeful that you will make a great contri- bution to be a voice for the voiceless innocent people. Thank you

Rigbie Tsige

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War in Tigray and Crimes of By Mulugeta Abai

ture in Tigray by relying on the availa- ble sources, testimonies by witnesses and official statements.

Root Causes of the Conflict

War should neither be judged by its spontaneous outbreak nor by propa- ganda of the parties involved in the conflict. According to the German gen- eral and military theorist, Karl von Clausewitz: “War is not an independ- ent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by Almost all wars are intertwined with different means. Conse- cover-ups and keeping people in dark- quently, the main lines of ness by the ruling cliques and war- every major strategic plan mongering forces. The extent of war are largely political in na- crimes and crimes against humanity, ture, and their political therefore, may come to the fore years character increases the after the initial outbreak of the war. more the plan encom- This is particularly true about the pre- passes the entire war and sent war in Tigray, Ethiopia, specifical- the entire state. The plan ly when we consider that Ethiopia’s for the war results directly government has openly rejected fre- from the political condi- quent calls for independent investiga- tions of the two belliger- tions into the deadly and devastative ent states as well as from conflict in Tigray, by mentioning that it their relations to other “doesn’t need a babysitter”. This es- powers.” (1). say is a modest attempt to investigate On November 4, 2020, Ethiopian Prime

the heinous crimes of international na- Minister, Mr. Ali, formally

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declared war on the Tigray National Re- peace accord with the Eritrean tyrant, gional State (TNRS) calling his action a Mr. , who had been ruling “law enforcement operation” in order to the with an iron fist since 1993. “protect the constitution and restore the This persuaded the Nobel Prize Com- rule of the law.” The roots of this war, how- mittee to grant Mr. Ahmed the 2019 No- ever, can be traced back to few months bel Prize on Peace on October 11, after his sudden ascendance to power. 2019. In April 2018, the ruling Ethiopian People’s Mr. Ahmed’s peace agreement with Mr. Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) Afwerki, was considered by many, in selected Mr. Ah- those days, as med to be the inter- shaking hand with im Prime Minister the devil due to the with the mission of latter’s human bringing peace and rights records. harmony to the eth- Since its independ- nically fragmented ence, Eritrea has Ethiopia. He was been notorious as a mandated to lead closed, military and the country through totalitarian society a national free and referred to by hu- fair election by May man rights advo- 2020. Before Mr. cates as “an open- Ahmed’s coming to air prison” or the power, Ethiopia “ of Af- was ruled by rica”. The regime EPRDF, a coalition has maintained full of four parties, in- control of every as- cluding Tigray Peo- pect of people’s life. ple’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that ruled the Despite neighbourhood between Tigray regional and autonomous Tigray National and Eritrea and their ethnic similarity, Regional State (TNRS). It should be Mr. Ahmed did not involve Tigray and its acknowledged that the TPLF’s representa- leader Mr. in tion in the cabinet and parliament has al- peace negotiations. The lack of trans- ways been minimal and it had not held parency and denial of Tigrayan partici- prime minister’s office for the past eight pation, suspected the latter to consider years. The TPLF, however, had a great the pact as a conspiracy between Ah- influence over the EPRDF and Tigrayans med and Afwerki to eliminate the TPLF. dominated the Ethiopian security agencies (2) due to their historical struggles against the Hopes soon turned into the despair in regime of terror and the secessionist Ethipia, as the Prime Minister, Abiy Ah- move by Mr. Afwerki of Eritrea. med failed to control army, police and During the first few months of his rule, Mr. militia from brutal suppression of ethnic Ahmed introduced some far reaching civil movements in different part of the coun- liberty reforms and released political pris- try. Mr. Ahmed failed to acknowledge

oners. In July 9, 2018, he concluded a

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ment has failed to make sustainable ef- that Ethiopia, like many African na- forts to protect displaced people and sus- tions, is a diverse multi-ethnic society. tain inter-ethnic violence. This has led to Ethiopian population is composed of further displacement in ethnically diverse more than 70 ethnic groups: Oro- Ethiopia. More often than not Mr. Ahmed mo (34.49%), Amhara (26.89%), So- has forced displaced people to return to mali (6,20%), Tigrayans (6.07%), their homes without any guarantee for Sidama (4.1%), Gurage (2.53%), We- their safety and security. layta (2.31%), Hadiya (1.74%), In response to inter-communal conflicts, Afar (1.73%), …. (3). The Ethiopian Mr. Ahmed provided the military, police constitution of 8 December 1994, has and local militia with free hands to sup- provided for a far-reaching decentrali- press any vestige of the opposition. Ac- zation based on ethnic diversity. It cording to the , on a guarantees “free cooperation be- single day in December 2018, soldiers tween equal Ethiopian peo- from the federal military killed 13 people

Timkat celebration in Mekele January 19, 2014

in the town of Finchawa in West Guji. ples.” (Beken, C.v.d., 2012, p. 146) One of those killed was an old woman

selling milk on the street. Some 10,000 More than 2 million people in Ethiopia people, suspected of supporting the Oro- are internally displaced due to inter- mo Liberation Army (OLA), were detained communal conflicts and violence. and tortured by security forces in an oper- Among them is the displacement of ation started in January 2019. Families over a million Somalis from their were evicted from their homes. Houses homes in Oromia into the desert of were destroyed and burnt. At least 39

the Ogaden. Mr. Ahmed’s govern- people were extra-judicially executed in

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Oromia’s East Guji and West Guji zones. suppressed opposition through impris- In January 2019, the security forces at- onment of their leaders and shutting tacked a Qemant settlement in Metema down the internet. and killed fifty-eight people within 24 Mr. Ahmed’s term of office was up to hours. This brutal attack resulted in the October 5, 2020. He suspended the na- displacement of hundreds of people. (4) tional election in August in the pretext of According to (May 29, Covid-19 and postponed it for nine to 2020), in Oromia’s Guji district the unrest twelve months. had driven 80,000 people from their The TNRS and the TPLF considered homes by the start of the year 2020. (5) this as unconstitutional and conducted The 34-year-old Oromo-language pop their regional elections as was sched- singer and song writer, Haacaaluu Hun- uled for September 9, 2020, based on deessa, was shot dead by unknown as- the constitutional provision that national sailants in in the night of and regional elections must be held June 29, 2020. His music gave voice to every five years. TPLF won 98% of the who are desperate for votes, duly established its own state economic well being and self-rule. De- government. Mr. Ahmed spared no time spite being an Oromo himself, Prime to reveal his hostilities by rejecting the Minister Ahmed, have paid little attention election and even forbidding internation- to the plight of Oromo people and their al reporters from flying to Tigray, at the call for self-determination. Hundessa's Bole International Airport, to witness the murder sparked demonstration across elections. Oromia region with police intervention. The federal and regional governments The death toll was at least 166 people, did not recognise each other and re- injuries 167 and 1,084 arrests, including garded the other party as illegal. On No- the arrest of high-ranking opposition vember 4, 2020, Mr. Ahmed con- leaders such as the media magnate and demned the TPLF as a terrorist group, activist Jawar Mohammed. Officials re- labelled its leaders as a gang of crimi- peatedly pointed to the involvement of nals and declared war against Tigray. and TPLF. (6) The war, among others, rooted in op- Mr. Ahmed’s records made him so un- posing visions about future direction of popular that within several months “Abiy Ethiopia. While, Mr. Ahmed advocates, must go” became a new slogan. Intoxi- a centralized state with power at the cated with power, he chose not to go. He hands of the prime minister, the TPLF concentrated power in his own hands, supports a multinational federal policy filled government’s positions with his al- with cultural, linguistic, and economic lies and repeatedly overruled Parlia- autonomy for the states, as explicitly ment. He charged Tigrayans with corrup- expressed in the Ethiopian constitution. tion and purged them from the govern- The government’s establishment of the ment, security services and state-owned Administrative Boundaries and Identity corporations. In December 2019, he dis- Issues Commission on 20 December banded the EPRDF and merged several 2020 can be considered as a manifesta- ethnically based regional parties into a tion of this difference. The Commission single party named the ,

was directly responsible to the prime

in which the TPLF was excluded. He

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minister who was mandated to look into ployed the Ethiopian National Defence the reasons behind identity and border Force (the army), mobilized the Special conflicts and suggest solutions to par- Forces, the State Police, the militia, and liament. This was criticized by TPLF civilian volunteers from Amhara Nation- and others as an anti-democratic move al Regional State (ANRS) in an on- with the intention of restriction the au- slaught against Tigray. Mr. Ahmed uti- thority of regional states in this matter. lized full support from Eritrea in this op- (7) eration. On Nov. 8th, the Ethiopian army Before Mr. Ahmed, Ethiopia was one of announced that there would be "no mer- the most economic growth success in cy" for Mekelle's residents when its sol- Africa for 15 years. This was mainly diers "encircle" the city. (9) due to the rejection of the neo-liberal Mr. Ahmed refused scores of calls from model of economic growth. Unlike outside for the peaceful settlement of

On November 4, 2020, the Ethiopian PM, Mr. Abiy Ahmed, deployed army against

EPRDF, Abiy Ahmed has frequently the dispute and pressed on with the of- shown his intension to introduce his fensive. On November 22, 2020, military own open and liberal economy: “The spokesman Colonel Dejene Tsegaye dramatic change brought by Prime Min- told state-run Ethiopia Broadcasting ister Abiy Ahmed in 2018 repudiated Corporation that “the next phases are the authoritarian economic model that the decisive part of the operation, which was previously seen as an important is to encircle Mekelle using tanks”. He aspect of Ethiopia’s positive develop- warned the residents of this city of half a ment story.” (8) million populations as follows: “We want to send a message to the public in The War Mekelle to save yourselves from any artillery attacks and free yourselves

On November 4, 2020, Mr. Ahmed de- from the junta ... After that, there will be

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no mercy.” This was followed by the Among the first docu- message of Mr. Ahmed: “We urge you ment dealing with crime of international to surrender peacefully within 72 hours, nature is the Convention on Prevention recognising that you are at the point of and Punishment of the Crime of Geno- no return.” (10) cide, adopted by the United Nations The Ministry of Defence and the Prime General Assembly, 9 December 1948. Minister announced that Ethiopian Air According to Article II of this convention, Force planes had carried out multiple air “genocide means… acts committed with strikes against TPLF military installa- intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a tions. national, The army took ethnical, control of Tig- racial or ray’s capital of religious Mekelle on 28th group.” of November. The TPLF leadership re- treated to the mountains. Lo- cal resistance has reportedly been continu- ing. Tigray re- mained sealed off from the Tigray Leader, Debretsion Gebremichael, called for peace and world during asked the to intervene. and even after the military op- erations. Thousands of people, includ- Throughout human history, attempts ing civilians and four aid workers, were have been made to regulate the way killed and nearly a million fled their states can wage war. These include at a homes during air strikes and ground bat- minimum standard that belligerent par- tles in Tigray. An estimated 55,000 peo- ties should observe during the war (jus ple have so far fled to neighboring Su- in bello) and after the conflict (jus post dan. More than half of those uprooted bellum). The aim of such attempts has as a result of war are children. Mekelle, been to alleviate the suffering of all and other cities, are left with the short- sides. It was not until 1864 that the rules age of food, fuel, running water and in- of war were enshrined in the First Gene- adequate medical care. Eritrean refu- va Convention adopted by twelve gov- gees are facing the threats of life and ernments. This ground-breaking docu- starvation. ment laid the foundation for the Interna- tional Humanitarian Law (the four Gene- Crimes of International nature va Conventions of August 12, 1949) to

limit the impacts of war on non-

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combatants. It protects those who are a State, of an act of aggres- wounded during the war or shipwrecks, sion which, by its character, captives and the civilian population. In- gravity and scale, constitutes ternational Humanitarian Law (IHL) is a manifest violation of the also known as the or the law Charter of the United Na- of armed conflict. tions… act of aggression means the use of armed force Torture is also considered a crime by a State against the sover- against the family of nations under com- eignty, territorial integrity or mon article 3 of the IHL and article 6 of political independence of an- the UN Convention against Torture and other State…. Any of the fol- Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading lowing acts, regardless of a Treatment or Punishment, adopted by , …. shall General Assembly of the United Nations qualify as an act of aggres- on 10 December 1984. This was reiter- sion: (a) The invasion or at- ated by the Rome Statute for Interna- tack by the armed forces of a tional Criminal Court (ICC) State of the territory of anoth- er State, or any military occu- The Rome Statute of ICC established pation, however temporary, the International Criminal Court as a resulting from such invasion permanent institution with jurisdiction or attack, or any annexation over “persons for the most serious by the use of force of the terri- crimes of international concern” which tory of another State or part “shall be complementary to national thereof; (b) Bombardment by criminal jurisdictions.” (Rome Statute, the armed forces of a State Art. 1) The court has jurisdiction with re- against the territory of another spect to: (a) The crime of genocide; (b) State or the use of any weap- Crimes against humanity; (c) War ons by a State against the ter- crimes; and (d) The . ritory of another State….” (11) (Art. 5) The states parties to the Rome Statute The definition of the crime of genocide in of ICC defined the crime of aggression Rome Statute is similar to the definition giv- in their amendment to the Statute adopt- en in Article 2 of the 1948 Genocide Con- ed by consensus on 11 June 2010 at vention mentioned above. the Kampala Review Conference. Ac- cording to Article 8 bis of this amend- The concept of “crime against humanity" ment: that was introduced by the Nuremberg Tri- bunal, is well defined in Article 7 of the “crime of aggression” Rome Statute. It states that the following means the planning, prep- acts constitute crimes against humanity, aration, initiation or execu- when they are committed as part of a wide- tion, by a person in a posi- spread or systematic attack directed tion effectively to exercise against any civilian population, with control over or to direct the knowledge of the attack: (a) Murder;

political or military action of (b) Extermination; (c) Enslavement;

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(d) Deportation or forcible transfer of pop- crimes are systematic and widespread ulation; (e) Imprisonment or other severe and carried out against an identifiable deprivation of physical liberty in violation group irrespective of the make up of of fundamental rules of international law; that particular group. (f) Torture; (g) Rape, sexual slavery, en-

forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, en- The Rome Statute for International forced sterilization, or any other form of Criminal Court is based upon the princi- sexual violence of comparable gravity; ple of “complementarity”. The ICC in- (h) Persecution against any identifiable tervenes only when national courts are group… on political, racial, national, eth- unwilling or unable to prosecute and its nic, cultural, religious, gender grounds jurisdiction is not retroactive. It can on- …; (i) Enforced disappearance of per- ly investigate and prosecute crimes sons; (j) The crime of ; and committed after 1 July 2002. It is diffi- (k) Other inhumane acts of a similar char- cult for the ICC to act in a country that acter. has not ratified the Rome Statute un-

less the state where the crime has The definition of war crimes in the Rome been committed accepts its jurisdiction. Statute is based on the provisions of the When a crime constitutes a threat to International Humanitarian Law. Accord- international peace and security, the ing to these provisions, war crimes con- UN Security Council can refer the case sist of willful killing, torture, wilfully caus- situation to the ICC. The Council also ing great suffering, or serious injury to has the authority to postpone any in- body or health, extensive destruction and vestigation. appropriation of property, compelling a

prisoner of war or other protected person In its actual practice, the ICC is not to serve in the forces of a hostile Power, mandated to prosecute authorities in wilfully depriving a prisoner of war or oth- power. Such prosecutions can be tak- er protected person of the rights of fair en as violation of the principle of na- and regular trial, unlawful deportation or tional sovereignty. Given today’s sys- transfer or unlawful confinement, taking tem of international relations and the of hostages. (Article 8) UN structure, it is hard to expect the

UN Security Council to activate the ICC It is important to note the difference be- for prosecution of ruling tyrants. Such tween war crimes, genocide and crimes decisions can be vetoed by a perma- against humanity. Though they partly nent member of the Security Council overlap, crimes against humanity may due to its close military, economic and occur in war or peaceful times; also, un- political ties with the offending ruling like genocide, crimes against humanity power. are not intended to fully or partially de-

stroy a group of people. A Crime Against Application of International Law Humanity means any act, as listed by the

Rome Statue, committed as part of a Due to the lack transparency, it is very widespread or systematic attack directed difficult to examine the perpetration of against any civilian population, with

some categories of crime of internation-

knowledge of the attack. Also, these

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al nature in Tigray’s conflict: the crime of Article 95 (1-a) of the Ethiopian Constitu- torture, treatment of wounded soldiers, tion allows deployment of army in excep- violation of the rights of prisoners of war, tional circumstances: sexual violence, etc. This is due to the “The Council of Ministers of shutdown of internet, severing telephone the Federal Government communications, strict censorship and may declare a state of blocking journalist and independent ob- emergency in the event of servers from access to Tigray. It is, how- external aggression or ever, easier to examine the crimes of in- where conditions arise ternational nature in the following areas: which endanger the consti- tutional order and cannot The be brought under control by means of normal law en- In early June 2018, the Prime Minister, forcement measures, or in Abiy Ahmed revealed his intension of mil- the cases of natural disas- itarization of the country. During a meet- ter or epidemic endanger- ing with senior military officers, he said: ing public health.” (14) “Following the efforts made to build ca- Article 33 of the United Nations Charter pacity of our national defense, we built has provided for the peaceful settlement one of the strongest ground and air force of the most serious conflicts before con- in Africa…. We should build sidering armed our naval force capacity in interverntion: the future.” (12) He added “The parties to that the military reforms any dispute, the should "take into account continuance of current fast changing world, which is likely to socio-economic and political endanger the situation in Ethiopia." (13) maintenance of He exposed his ambition, international despite the fact that the peace and se- landlocked Ethiopia had dis- curity, shall, first banded its navy following of all, seek a the secession of Eritrea in solution by ne- War of aggression against the people of Tigray 1993 and the army was rela- gotiation, en- tively a small one. quiry, media- Before waging war against Tigray, Mr. tion, conciliation, arbitration, judicial set- Ahmed had used army against Oromia, tlement, resort to regional agencies or the conflict against the Sidama nation arrangements, or other peaceful means ahead of the referendum for statehood in of their own choice.” November 2019, and the suppression Mr. Ahmed deliberately ignored these na- against the Wolaita and Konso involving tional and international provisions and fighter planes, missile and rocket attacks, began his war propaganda against Tig- artillery shelling, drones, and infantry rayan people, while there was no condi-

units.

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tion whatsoever to “endanger the consti- the involved parties to end the escalating tutional order.” He declared war on the violence and to solve disagreements and most stable and peaceful state govern- conflicts by peaceful means.” (16) Mr. ment that had been legally elected by Ahmed ignored all these appeals and re- 98% of Tigrayans’ votes. There was no iterated his position that “Ethiopia is be- emergency situation to compel him re- ing run by a strong functional govern- spond by militarily power. ment. It doesn’t need a babysitter.” (17) Mr. Ahmed rejected peaceful negotia- Mr. Ahmed followed the foot-prints of his tions and refused all appeals for media- predecessors, more vehemently, in not tion by independent people and agen- looking for a multi-lateral solution to the cies. The African Union (AU) made an Ethiopian disputes. According to Human abortive attempt for mediation and Tig- Rights Watch, in a report entitled ray’s President Mr. Debretsion Gebremi- “Ethiopia Events of 2018”: chael, wrote to the South African Presi- “Despite its role as a mem- dent, Mr. , requesting ber of both the UN Security for an “all-inclusive and comprehensive Council and, until the end of dialogue [to] avert an all-out civil war in 2018, the UN Human the country”. An AU delegation was sent Rights Council, Ethiopia to Addis Ababa, but Mr. Ahmed refused maintains its history of non- any mediation or dialogue with the cooperation with UN mech- “criminal” TPLF, as he had rejected ap- anisms. Other than the UN peals by the , the UN special rapporteur on Eri- and the US. (15) trea, no special rapporteur The Canadian Foreign Minister, Mr. has been permitted to visit Champagne, called for a peaceful solu- since 2006. The rappor- tion and protection of civilians. The Brit- teurs on torture, freedom of ish , , opinion and expression, spoke with Mr. Ahmed called for “de- and peaceful assembly, escalation of the Tigray conflict". The US among others, all have out- government also called for immediate standing requests to visit action to restore peace and protect civil- the country.” (18) ian. Human rights and humanitarian Mr. Ahmed’s war against people of Tig- agencies across the globe requested im- ray is devoid of any legal basis. It is an mediate ceasefire and access to Tigray unjust war of fratricide with the sinister for humanitarian assistance. Anti-war capacity of setting ethnic groups in Ethio- Ethiopians in diaspora demonstrated in pia against one another. It is, therefore, a many countries including USA, South war against all nations in the country, not Africa, Belgium, Netherlands, and Nor- just Tigray. It is a war against democracy way demanding immediate end to hostili- and fundamental rights of humankind. It ties. The Noble Committee, which rarely can easily spread to the Horn of Africa expresses views about the actions of and threaten peace and security of the past Nobel laureates, issued the follow- world. It is also a crime against peace, ing statement on November 17, 2020: “It that was defined by the principle of the repeats today what it has stated before, Nuremberg Trial that was later (in 1950)

namely that it is the responsibility of all

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enshrined in international law: "planning, war after the carnage. preparation, initiation, or waging of wars War is the epitome of of aggression, or a war in violation of in- hell for all involved. I ternational treaties, agreements or as- know because I have surances, or participation in a common been there and back. I plan or conspiracy for the accomplish- have seen brothers ment of any of the foregoing". (19) In the slaughtering brothers on course of the Nuremberg Trial the war of the battlefield. I have aggression was considered as a su- seen older men, women, preme crime: and children trembling in terror under the deadly “The charges in the indict- shower of bullets and ment that the defendants artillery shells. You see, planned and waged an ag- I was not only a combat- gressive war are charges ant in war. I was also a of utmost gravity. War is witness to its cruelty and essentially an evil thing. Its what it can do to people. consequences are not con- War makes for bitter fined to the belligerent men. Heartless and sav- states alone but affects the age men.” (21) whole world. To initiate a war of aggression, there- Hypocrisy, double-standard and greed fore, is not only an interna- for staying in power without electoral tional crime; it is the su- mandate prompted Mr. Ahmed to un- preme international crime leash the beasts of hatred and hubris differing only from other and wage a devastative war of ag- war crimes in that it con- gression without cause against the tains within itself the accu- most vulnerable people of his country. mulated evil of the The aggressive war in Tigray has all whole.” (20) the characteristics of the “war of ag- gression” specified in the article 8bis As an ex-soldier, Mr. Ahmed was well of Rome Statute of ICC, except the aware of the impacts of war on the most fact that the parties to the aggression vulnerable people. While receiving Nobel are not two sovereign states. This is Peace Prize in Oslo, he made the follow- the flaw in the Kampala amendment ing remarks: of June 11, 2020 to the Rome Statute “There are those who have that has not included aggression of never seen war but glorify non-state parties on the one hand and and romanticize it. They that of a federal government against have not seen the fear, an autonomous regional state on the They have not seen the fa- other. These loopholes may be recti- tigue, They have not seen fied during the future people’s tribu- the destruction and heart- nals against war-mongering elements break, Nor they have felt like Mr. Ahmed.

the mournful emptiness of

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Murder and Extermination according to Amnesty International, at- tackers, affiliated with TPLF, armed with Murder, according to the international machetes and knives, stabbed resi- law, involves “a deliberate taking of a dents to death. The bloodshed contin- person’s life” and represents “the core ued persistently for almost 24 hours. crimes against humanity.” (Endnote 22, Some 600 civilians, mainly from Amha- p. 71) According to an ICC document, ra group, are thought to be exterminat- for the crime of murder to exist, “the per- ed. An eye-witness has told the Amnes- petrator must kill one or more persons. ty International: “Police and TPLF youth His conduct must be committed as part militias went all over town searching for of a widespread or systematic attack di- non-Tigrayans to kill. Men turned into rected against a civilian population”. bloodthirsty beasts that day.” (23) (Endnote 22, p. 72) Extermination refers While Mr. Abiy Ahmed blamed the mas- to the mass murder of a demographic sacre on forces loyal to the Tigray re- group. According to Article 7-2-b of the gional government, the TPLF denied Rome Statute for ICC, "Extermination" the accusation. Due to the complete includes the intentional infliction of con- shutdown of Tigray’s communication ditions of life, inter alia the deprivation of and strict prohibition of the journalists’ access to food and medicine, calculated freedom, it is difficult to verify each to bring about the destruction of part of a side’s claims. The United Nations High population.” There is no demarcation Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. line between murder and extermination: Michelle Bachelet, has called for further “The require- investigation: “It ments of murder is essential that are also applica- there are investi- ble to extermi- gations into alle- nation”. gations of human (Endnote 22, p. rights violations 72) there against The military ag- gression against Tigray resulted in the murder and extermina- tion of thou- sands of people, including civilian population. Hate propaganda and incitement to violence, both Amharans and Tig- fueled the fire of ethnic conflicts. A horri- rayans.” Criminals always hide their ble massacre happened in Mai Kadra, a shocking crime through the use of the town in the north western part of Tigray darkness. (24) with the population of 45000 people in- It is beyond any doubt that federal gov- cluding Tigrayans, Amhara and other ernment forces or their allied ethnic mili-

ethnic groups. On November 9, 2020,

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tias have also committed murder and to unverified allegations that Eritrean extermination in Tigray. Tigrayan refu- troops were present in Tigray and had gees in the Sudanese refugee camps, been involved in the hostilities and seri- have recounted about the massacre of ous violations of international law. She Tigrayan civilians in Mai Kadra by Ethio- has raised concerns about violation of pian federal forces and members of an international law in Tigray: Amhara militia: “Some said they had “We have received seen hundreds of bodies and described allegations con- scenes of ethnically motivated attacks, cerning violations of including killings with knives and beat- international hu- ings.” (25) According to the ’s manitarian law and correspondence, Mohamed Vall, report- human rights law, ing from Um Rakuba refugee camp near including artillery the Sudanese border, refugees coming strikes on populat- from Ethiopia were recounting instances ed areas, the delib- of looting, as well as witnessing “two erate targeting of rounds of violence: the first being the civilians, extrajudi- military coming in to chase the rebels cial killings and [away], and the second [being] members widespread loot- of local militia, particularly Amhara militia ing” (29) called Fano, who come after the defeat Ethiopia’s government has always re- of the rebels to loot inside the homes jected calls for independent investiga- and expel civilians from their places”. tions into the possibility of the perpetra- (26) tion of international crimes in Tigray. An- The Guardian has reported that a other instance of Mr. Ahmed’s policy of “refugee, who gave his name only as extermination is his deliberate attempt Abraham, saw corpses in civilian clothes of not to grant access to war-torn areas as he fled the Tigrayan town of to provide people with much-needed towards the border with . ‘Nobody humanitarian aid food and medicine. can bury them, they were outside on the This a blatant violation of the aforemen- road,’ he recounted from Hamdayet, a tioned Article 7-2-b of the Rome Statute Sudanese border transit point.” (27) And of the ICC. this is the testimony of a doctor in a Tig- ray hospital who has recently moved to Crimes against Civilians Addis Ababa: “Along the way, I saw nine burned tanks, ruined houses and dam- Parties to the war in Tigray are the Ethi- aged power grids. I also saw at least 15 opian federal government, Amhara re- makeshift graves in the town of gional forces and militia, plus the Eritre- Mehoni.” (28) an government on the one side, and The UN High Commissioner for Human TPLF special forces and regional mili- Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, has point- tias on the other. It is a type of non- ed to “multiple reports that the Amhara international armed conflict governed by “Fano” militia had committed human the common Article 3 the Con- rights abuses, including killing civilians ventions (International Humanitarian

and looting, in addition

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Law) of 12 August 1949, when one or of airstrikes around Mekelle. On Novem- more non-state armed groups are in- ber 7, shelling along the border of the volved. The Convention governs con- Amhara and Tigray region killed 6 and flicts between non-state groups as well. reportedly wounded over 60 combatants. Ethiopia ratified all 4 Geneva Conven- The warning of the Ethiopian army to res- tions in 1969 and is also a party to Pro- idents was ineffective, as airstrikes and tocol II to the Conventions that guaran- heavy bombardments in populated urban tees further protections for combatants areas did not allow them to escape to and civilians during non-international more secure zones. (30) armed conflicts. The IHL has prohibited On December 3, 2020, the New York attacks against civilian objects (by artil- Times reached out doctors in Tigray re- Fighter jets, tanks and heavy artillery were used against civilians in Tigray regions

lery or other means), indiscriminate or porting “iindiscriminate artillery barrages disproportionate civilian harm, the use of on civilian areas, looting by armed men heavy artillery (weapons with a wide and the deaths of at least 27 civilians and blast range) and incidental harm to civil- injuries of more than 100.” A physician ians. who moved to Addis Ababa from Tigray, At the beginning of the war, the Ethiopi- has shared his observations about re- an Air Force (EAF) started its attacks by ported civilian casualties in Mekelle on bombing Mekelle, partially destroying a November 28, 2020: “I witnessed 16 civil- hotel in the inner city. Eritrean forces, ian deaths. Comparing it to other towns, reportedly, supported the operation by people were relieved about the figure. On drones provided to them by the United that day, there were artilleries on the out- Arab Emirates (UAE). The TPLF forces skirts of the city, their sound so heavy have also used missiles against Amhara that it shook windows… there was still and other locations in Eritrea. According widespread fear, uncertainty and confu- to , on November sion among many.” (31)

6, the Ethiopian army conducted a round

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Since the beginning of the conflict, the ment of living conditions.” Tigray regions have remained largely cut Ethiopia is a party to core human rights off from the rest of the world with food, treaties, including the International Cove- medicine, clean water, fuel and other nant on Civil and Political Rights basic necessities desperately needed for (ICCPR), the International Covenant on war-affected and displaced population. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights The aid trucks remained waiting at the (ICESCR), and the Convention border of Tigray for weeks, but the Ethio- against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhu- pian government repeatedly objected to man or Degrading Treatment or Punish- allowing a humanitarian corridor in what it ment. Ethiopia is also party to regional called external “interference”. This hap- human rights treaties, including the Afri- pened despite repeated warning from hu- can Charter on Human and Peoples’ manitarian agencies about the com- Rights and the African Union Convention pounding risk of life and suffering to the Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee most vulnerable population. It was not Problems in Africa. until December 12, 2020 that that the first The complete shutdown of internet and international aid convoy carrying medi- phone communications to around six mil- cines and relief supplies arrived in lion people in Tigray have acted as col- Mekelle. This deliberate delay caused lective punishment to the civilian people. sufferings and casualties for civilians and It violates multiple rights guaranteed un- death for patients who were in desperate der the international and regional human need of life-saving medications. rights instruments Ethiopia has acceded The article 23 of the 4th Geneva Conven- to, including the rights to freedom of opin- tions Relative to the Protection of Civilian ion, expression, information and the right Person provides that state parties “shall to free assembly. According to the Hu- allow the free passage of all consign- man Rights Watch: ments of medical and hospital stores” Internet and phone shut- and it should be done “as rapidly as pos- downs can cause consider- sible”. This is reiterated in the Rule 55 of able harm to the civilian the International Committee of the Red population, including lead- Cross: “parties to a conflict must allow ing to possible injury and and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded death by preventing civil- passage of impartially distributed human- ians from communicating itarian relief for civilians in need.” (32) with each other about safe- This necessitates the freedom of move- ty considerations, access to ment of humanitarian workers to perform medical facilities, and their duties effectively. Similarly, article sources of food and shelter. 11 of the International Covenant on Eco- They also hinder the work nomic, Social and Cultural Rights (ratified of journalists and human by Ethiopia on 11th of June 1993) pro- rights monitors who can vides that the states parties “recognize provide information on the the right of everyone to an adequate situation on the ground, in- standard of living for himself and his fam- cluding the reporting of pos- ily, including adequate food, clothing and sible laws-of-war violations.

housing, and to the continuous improve- (33)

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There are between 1 to 2 million Internally Displaced People in Ethiopia. The invasion against Tigray didplaced 100,000 people

The invasion of Tigray has delivered its come as supplies of food, in- most destructive blow on children. The cluding ready-to-use therapeu- United Nations International Children’s tic food for the treatment of Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates child malnutrition, medicines, that despite an agreement on access, water, fuel and other essen- some 2.3 million children in the region tials run low”. (34) are cut off from humanitarian assistance This deprivation is against customary inter- amid the violence. The agency’s Execu- national law including the UN Convention of tive Director, Ms. Henrietta Fore, has the Right of the Child (CRC), Ethiopia is a raised her serious concern in this re- party to. Article 24 of the CRC obligate the spect: state parties to guarantee “right of the child “We are extremely con- to the enjoyment of the highest attainable cerned that the longer ac- standard of health” and the article 27 stipu- cess to them is delayed, the lates that “States Parties recognize the right

worse their situation will be- of every child to a standard of living ade-

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quate for the child's physical, mental, [pro-government] militia said they would spiritual, moral and social development.” kill us because we are from Tigray. They told us, ‘You have 24 hours to leave’, Forcible Transfer of Population and they began to loot our animals and property.” (35) According to Article 7 (d) of the Rome Before crossing the border, refugees Statute for ICC, "Deportation or forcible spent days on the run, facing starvation, transfer of population means forced dis- being stopped by armed groups who placement of the persons concerned by robbed their belongings. Many hid for expulsion or other coercive acts from the long hours in bushes to avoid being spot- area in which they are lawfully present”. ted. They entered Sudan with nothing Heavy casualties and destruction, mass but clothes in their back. 50% of refu- More than 65,000 Tigrayan refugees live under awkward conditions in Sudan

displacement of 100,000 people from gees in Sudan are children with inade- Tigray, 55,000 refugees in Sudan: this is quate means to survive. Tigrayan refu- the sheer balance sheet of the war of gees in Sudan are unable to restock aggression against Tigray. What will fol- food, medical and other emergency sup- low is the testimony of Shimei Abra Adi- plies. Local communities, with their little

ko, an Ethiopian refugee in Sudan: “The

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resources, cannot be of much help to “alarming” and mentioned that “any re- them. A great number of refugees have foulement would be absolutely unac- starved for days. They suffer from physi- ceptable.” (37) The International Organi- cal and mental health complications. zation for Migration said it was Children suffer from flashbacks and fre- “extremely concerned” about the refu- quent nightmares about dead bodies. gees’ “forced” return and denied its col- Families have been torn apart by the laboration with the government of Ethio- conflict. Hundreds of refugees have lost pia in this respect. (38) contact with their loved ones. The forcible relocation of Eritrean refu- The condition of around 100,000 Eritrean gees, masterminded by Mr. Ahmed, is a refugees in four refugee camps in Tigray blatant violation of the principle of non- is not better. They had escaped Eritrea refoulement enshrined in the article 33 of due the gross human rights violations of the Geneva Convention relating to the Mr. Afwerki’s tyrannical regime including Status of Refugees as well as the non- compulsory and indefinite military service degrogable right of every human person and daily surveillance. With the outbreak not to be return to torture (article 3 of the of war, they caught in a conflict that put UN Convention against Torture) their safety and survival at great risk. Ac- cording to the reports received by the Massive Discriminations United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a great number of Since taking office in 2018, the Prime them have been killed, recruited, kid- Minister Abiy Ahmed has pursued a poli- napped and forcibly returned to Eritrea by cy of massive discriminations against the Eritrean forces in Tigray with the con- oppositional ethnic groups including and sent or acquiesce of the Ethiopian army. specifically Tigrayans and their leader- The UNHCR and other aid agencies ship. He removed many Tigrayans from have not had access to the four main government and security posts and ar- camps hosting Eritrean refugees - rested many in the pretext of rights Shimelba, Hitsats, Mai-Ayni and Adi Ha- abuse and corruption. In a further move, rush. Food has run out for Eritrean refu- Ethiopia’s parliament stripped 39 mem- gees in Tigray camps. (36) bers of TPLF, including regional presi- Following the intensification of conflict in dent Gebremichael, of immunity from Tigray, a number of Eritrean refugees prosecution. Police arrested 242 Tig- managed to escape Tigray to Addis Aba- rayans charging them of conspiracy ba and other parts of Ethiopia. Following against the government. (39) the occupation of Mekelle on November Elsewhere in the country, ethnic profiling 28, 2020, Ethiopian government spared of Tigrayans has reached an alarming no time to forcibly return them to the Tig- point. The Ethiopian police is seeking the ray camps, deliberately neglecting the list of ethic Tigrayans all over the country risk to their life and security. The govern- in an attempt to arrest and persecute ment did not inform the UNHCR of its re- them as “traitors”. The government’s location plan and put refugees on buses newly formed State of Emergency Task back to the risky border area with Eritrea. Force for Tigray has systematically at- Mr. Babar Baloch, the UNHCR spokes- tempted to hunt people, Tigrayans and

man, called the reports about relocation

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others, suspicious of working for the not free from blemish. The occupation of TPLF in the capital Addis Ababa and Mekelle by the federal government does elsewhere. There are fears of reprisals not mean the end of the armed conflict. against Tigrayans living around Ethio- The TPLF has an effective force of pia. According to Ezekiel Gebissa trained, dedicated and experienced President of the Ethio Multinational guerrilla combatants and the support of Federalist Support Force: Tigrayan people who had sacrifice their “They are illegally dis- lives for 16 years to save Ethiopia from missed from jobs, their the nightmare of the Derg. properties destroyed, With the suppression of the Tigrayan’s their assets frozen and people movement for autonomy, Tigray travels restricted. Mass may choose to secede from Ethiopia and arrest, arbitrary detention, pave the way for balkanization of the and enforced disappear- country. There is also a possibility that ance of Tigrayans in Ad- the TPLF makes a unity with the Eritrean dis Ababa and in other rebels who are struggling against the ty- towns have intensified, rannical regime of Afwerki with the pro- aggravating the precari- spect of the unification of Tigrigna ousness of their life in speaking people in both sides of the bor- Ethiopia.” (40) der. In the meantime, the possibility of a Article 7 (h) of the Rome Statute for military coup should not be ruled out. ICC has classified “persecution against There is hardly any doubt that there is any identifiable group or collectivity on no military solution to the ethnic prob- political, racial, national, ethnic, cultur- lems in Ethiopia and elsewhere. War is al, religious, gender” as a crime against the cruelest absurdity of the entire hu- humanity. According to article 4 (a) of man existence. The only ray of hope is the International Convention on the the triumph of federalism in Ethiopia and Elimination of All Forms of Racial Deci- recognition the human rights of all ethnic mation (ratified by Ethiopia on 23 June and religious communities to participate 1976), it is “an offence punishable by voluntarily, meaningfully and effectively law… all acts of violence or incitement in all aspects of the Ethiopian life. to such acts against any race or group of persons of another colour or ethnic Endnotes origin”. Clausewitz, K.V. (1985). Paret, P. & Conclusion Moran, D. (trans.). Two Letters on Strategy. Kansas: Army College The invasion of Tigray by Mr. Abily Ah- Foundation, Inc. P. 21. med and his allies is a and Reisen, M.V., Mirjam, Mawere, M., crime against humanity and peace with Munyaradzi, Stokmans, M., Ge- the sinister potential of disintegration bre-Egziabher, K.A. (Eds.). the multi-ethnic country of Ethiopia. Roaming Africa: Migration, Resili- Multiple crimes of international nature ence and Social Protection. have been committed by the Ethiopian Mankon: Langaa Research and

government, although the TPLF is also Publishing CIG, p. 483.

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Beken, C.v.d. (2012). Unity in Diversi- Ethiopian_Constitution.html ty: Federalism as a Mechanism to https://www.newframe.com/the- Accommodate Ethnic Diversity: looming-long-civil-war-that-could- The Case of Ethiopia. Berlin: LIT break-ethiopia/ VERLAG Dr. W. Hopf, pp. 17-19. https://www.reuters.com/article/us- https://www.aljazeera.com/ ethiopia-conflict-nobel- news/2020/5/29/ethiopian-security idUSKBN27X0WZ -forces-accused-of-grave-human- TheGuardian, December 8, 2020 and rights-abuses retrieved from: https:// The Guardian in “Ethiopia's security www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/ forces accused of torture, evic- world/ethiopia-says-there-are- tions and killings – report.” See tigrayan-fighters-not-yet-defeated- https://www.theguardian.com/ after-conflict-528694/ global-development/2020/may/29/ https://www.hrw.org/world- ethiopias-security-forces-accused- report/2019/country-chapters/ of-torture-evictions-and-killings- ethiopia report Caron, J.F.(2019). Disobedience in https://www.bbc.com/news/world- the Military: Legal and Ethical Im- africa-53298845 plications. Cham: Palgrave Mac- Griffiths, A., Chattopadhyay, R., millan, P. 40. Light, J., Stieren, C. (EDs.). Boot, M. (2002). Genocide, Crimes (2020). The Forum of Federations against Humanity, War Crimes: Handbook of Federal Countries Nullum Crimen Sine Lege and the 2020. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, Subject Matter Jurisdiction of the p. 144. International Criminal Court. Mills, G, Obasanjo, O., Biti, T. & Utrecht: School of Human Rights Herbst, J. (2019). Democracy Research, p. 192. Works: Turning Politics to Africa's Kerrigan, H. (Ed.). (2020). Historic Advantage. : Hurst and Document of 2019. New Delhi: Company, P. 60. Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd., https://news.un.org/en/ P. 712 story/2020/11/1077592 Ntoubandi, F.Z. (2007). Amnesty for https://www.reuters.com/article/us- Crimes against Humanity Under ethiopia-conflict-idUSKBN28206X International Law. Leiden: Marti- International Criminal Court. Rome nus Nijhoff Publishers. Statute for International Criminal HTTPS://WWW.ALJAZEERA.COM/ Court. PDF., p. 9, as retrieved NEWS/2020/12/12/SURVIVORS- from: https://www.icc-cpi.int/nr/ RECOUNT-HORRIFIC-DETAILS- rdonlyres/add16852-aee9-4757- OF-MAI-KADRA-MASSACRE abe7-9cdc7cf02886/283503/ UN News, December 22, 2020, re- romestatuteng1.pdf trieved from: https://news.un.org/ https://fr.reuters.com/article/us- en/story/2020/12/1080622 ethiopia-military-idUSKCN1IZ0ML Ibid. https://www.bbc.com/news/world- https://www.aljazeera.com/ africa-44369382 news/2020/12/6/stories-of-

https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Hornet/

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separation-and-violence-as- https://www.hrw.org/ more-ethiopians-reach-sudan news/2020/11/25/qa-conflict- The Guardian, December 3, 2020, ethiopia-and-international-law as retrieved from: https:// Tigray crisis: Humanitarian aid for www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/ children must be a priority, world/ethiopias-war-still-churns- UNICEF says | | UN News but-relief-aid-coming-527035/ https://www.aljazeera.com/ https://www.aljazeera.com/ news/2020/12/7/ethiopias-abiy- news/2020/12/14/ethiopias- tigray-war-a-doctors-account-of- denies--emerging-in- mekelles-plight tigray UN News, December 22, 2020, re- https://www.bbc.com/news/world- trieved from: https:// africa-55277843

news.un.org/en/ https://www.reuters.com/article/uk- story/2020/12/1080622 ethiopia-conflict/ethiopia- https://www.hrw.org/ government-denies-war-impeding- news/2020/11/25/qa-conflict- aid-agencies-report-staff-deaths- ethiopia-and-international-law idUKKBN28L0X8 https://www.aljazeera.com/ https://www.startribune.com/alarm-as- news/2020/12/14/ethiopias- ethiopia-returns-refugees-who-fled tigray-war-a-doctors-account-of- -tigray-fighting/600000733/ mekelles-pligh https://www.reuters.com/article/ https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/ ethiopia-conflict/ethiopia-claims- files/other/customary-law- victory-in-west-tigray-suffering- rules.pdf. worsens-idINKBN27S0OJ?edition- redirect=ca http://www.tigraionline.com/hibr-

statement-final-11-30-2020.pdf

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otherwise. Jury and Lawyers were The Hanging of banned from practicing in French colo- nies, including New France (today’s Quebec). Angélique During her six-week tribunal, Angélique denied her accusation and insisted on her innocence. It was under severe tor- ture that Angélique broke and “confessed”. On the morning of 21 June 1734, Angélique experienced abhorrent Marie-Joseph Angélique (1705-1734) was techniques of medieval torture in her jail. an Black woman, born in Madeira, Portugal They placed her broken body in garbage and enslaved there. She was transported to cart with a burning torch in her hand (the North America and in 1725, at the age of 20, symbol of arson). She was then taken to the French businessman François Poulin de the Notre-Dame Basilica church and Francheville bought her to do domestic work made confess to her crime, and beg par- in his house in Montréal. After his death in don of god, the king and the people. She 1733, her ownership went to his widow was then hanged. After exhibiting her madam Thérèse de Couagne. Throughout body on a scaffold for two hours, they these years, Angélique remained rebellious placed it on a pyre and burnt. The ashes against her enslave- scattered in the wind. ment. In December Angélique is respected 1733, she made an today as a symbol of abortive attempt to buy Black resistance and her freedom from Mad- freedom. In February ame de Francheville. In 2012, a public square, early 1934, she fled facing City Hall in with the assistance of Montreal, was named her lover, Claude Thi- Place Marie-Josèphe bault, a bonded worker Angélique to her hon- from France. They our. The following po- were caught by police em is taken from Afua after 2 weeks. An- Cooper. (2007). The gélique was returned to Hanging of Angélique: her owner and Claude The Untold Story of ended up in jail. Canadian Slavery and On the evening of Sat- the Burning of Old urday 10 April 1734, a Montreal. Athens: The huge fire engulfed a big University of Georgia Press. Our special section of Montreal in which 46 buildings thanks to the CCVT volunteer Dr. Ari were burnt. Angélique was accused of start- Barbalat for sharing the poem. ing the fire and was arrested by police on th April 11 and was charged with arson. In the I buried the twins that evening French legal system of the 18th century, the they died of smallpox

accused was presumed guilty unless proved

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were only 8 months old Madame came too to the funeral and confessor Father Labadie and said to me by way of consolation ‘I’m going to sell that negress, she’s ‘c’est la vie, getting too much I too have lost my own.’ for me, she’s getting too uppity I went back to work And furthermore since François died I went back to work in Madame’s house just can’t seem to manage too well, that same evening and at supper she perhaps the church is interested?’ yelled at me I bring in the food and pretend like ah and box me full in the face because neva hear I overturned the gravy bowl in her lap and I serve the food good and proper was on my best behaviour roll back mi lip and skin mi teeth I remember my journey from my island roll back my yai and show the white to this island den I went back to mi room in the cel- From Rhode Island to Montreal lar Lived in Rhode Island all my life ’till and mek mi plan monsieur came from Montreal on one of his business trips he bought me because he said I looked Smoke, smoke, too much smoke like a healthy wench. only intend fi one house fi burn Monsieur died soon after and madame fire, fire, too much fire never forgave me but it done go so already but I had nothing to do with it, he died of and I running consumption my feet unshackled, unbound, free running pass di city limits The twins died too. while behind me di fire rage After we buried them that evening and my raging heart change back into my heart changed position in my chest its rightful position and I was seized with one desire and one desire only and that was to leave the prison of this He was running too island an apprentice, from France But where could I go I gave him all my food to take me or because throughout the whole world show me in all the continents people who look like the way to New England but he tek the me food were bound and leave me while I was sleeping But still, all I could see was an the constables caught me my feet running, no chains, no rope, no shackles I don’t utter a word as I sit here in the free jailhouse Father Labadie come to confess me Madame talking to her best friend but I refuse

their god is not my god

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‘Arson is one of the worst crime in New France Marie,’ he say to me, ‘confess now and save your soul.’ Nadia Murad But I don’t hear him outside, the mob want to rip me from limb to limb but I not afraid, a strange calm fill my body and I at peace, peace, perfect peace

Guilty, the judge pronounce Nadia Murad Basee Taha, a Yazidi girl, was born and the sentence: to be tortured, my in 1993, in the mountainous Kurdish village of hands cut off Kocho in Northern Iraq. The forces if the Islamic my body burned and the ashes scattered State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) attacked her village on15 August 2014. They separated the men from to the four corners of the earth the women and children and took the entire popu- I break down, my body crumple in a lation (more than 1800 people) to the school of the heap village. They decapitated 600 Yazidi men, shot some and burned others alive. They abducted 1,000 and before my eyes I see the twins women and children, took boys to their base to turn and they look so alive as if they waiting them into child soldiers. They held women and girls for me to come nurse them in their captivity as sexual slaves and subjected The sentence is reduced them to rape and sordid sexual violence. Nadia lost six brothers during this ghoulish opera- Now I am to be hanged only and my tion. She was taken to the city of Mosul as a slave, body burned experienced notorious techniques of torture and Father Labadie come back for di confes- gender-related persecutions including beating, burning and frequent rapes. She took a rare oppor- sion tunity and escaped successfully and ended up in a And I confess refugee camp in November 2014. Germany accept- is I Marie who set the fire ed her as a refugee in 2015. Nadia began a brave struggle for human rights and dignity with special I say yes focus on women’s rights and anti-genocide cam- I start it in madame’s house by the river paigns. Her memoir published in November 2017, 50 building destroy under the title of The Last Girl: My Story of Cap- tivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State. In the hospital, the cathedral 2018, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her I confess “efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a is I Marie who burn this city weapon of war and armed conflict" Following are some quotes from Nadia: so write that down Father Labadie “I still think that being forced to leave your write down my story so it can be known home out of fear is one of the worst in- in history justices a human being can face.” “My story, told honestly and matter-of-factly, with my heart burning I take the sacra- is the best weapon I have against terror- ment ism, and I plan on using it until those and accept the final rites terrorists are put on trial.” outside the guard is waiting “I do not seek more sympathy; I want to translate those feelings into actions on to take me to the hangman’s noose the ground.” Soon I will be free from the prison of this “Deciding to be honest was one of the hardest island decisions I have ever made, and also the

most important.”

and I will fly and fly and fly.

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The Crimes of Rape and Sexual Violence in Tigray By Mulugeta Abai

Almost two months have passed since ties, while medical centres the occupation of Tigray by the Ethiopian have indicated an in- army with the order of the Prime Minster, crease in the demand for Abiy Ahmed Ali. Despite strict censorship emergency contraception and lack of accessibility by independent and testing for sexually observers, cases of war crimes and transmitted infections crimes against humanity come to the fore (STIs) which is often an one after another. Among these crimes indicator of sexual vio- are shocking news about rape, sexual lence in conflict. In addi- violence and enforced prostitutions per- tion, there are increasing petrated by the occupying forces of Ethi- reports of sexual violence opia and Eritrea. In a press statement against women and girls issued in New York on January 21, 2021, in a number of refugee Ms. Pramila Patten, the United Nations camps.” (1) Special Representative on Sexual Vio- The U.N. humanitarian chief for lence in Conflict and the UN Under- East and southern Africa, Ms. Secretary-General, made the following Gemma Connell, made the follow- remarks: ing remarks on January 22, 2021: “I am greatly concerned by “We are horrified by serious allegations of sexu- the reports and alle- al violence in the Tigray re- gations we have re- gion of Ethiopia, including a ceived of sexual vio- high number of alleged lence during the con- rapes in the capital, flict in Tigray. The Mekelle. There are also dis- survivors of these al- turbing reports of individu- leged attacks must als allegedly forced to rape not be seen as statis- members of their own fami- tics but as individual ly, under threats of immi- women and girls nent violence. Some wom- whose lives have en have also reportedly been profoundly al- been forced by military ele- tered by the violations ments to have sex in ex- committed against

change for basic commodi-

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them.” (2) Reuters has been unable to verify the In early January 2021, the Ethiopian accounts of rape, due to the lack of me- state TV broadcast footage of the meet- dia access and communications ban in ing of the Ethiopian security officials in Tigray regions. (4) Mekelle. During this meeting an unidenti- The Reuters news agency has received fied military official raised his concern more reports about the perpetration of about rapes in Mekelle: the crime of rape in Tigray. Five aid “Why are women being workers have told Reuters about other raped in Mekelle city? It women survivors of rape identifying their wouldn’t be shocking had it victimizers as militia fighters from Ethio- been happening during the pia's or Eritrean soldiers.

Military personnel forces men to rape family members

war, because it is not man- A physician in a refugee camp, named ageable so it could be ex- Tewadrous, has reported about two cas- pected. But at this moment es of rape he had handled. A woman while federal police and lo- survivor, who had escaped from Rawyan cal police are back in town, town in Tigray, has told the doctor of it is still happening.” (3) three soldiers who broke in her house A 25-year-old woman at the Hamdayet and assaulted her. A husband was refugee camp in Sudan, where she had forced to kneel and watch while his wife fled from Tigray, has testified to Reuters was raped by soldiers they identified as that a man in Ethiopian federal army uni- Eritrean. A medical worker in has form threatened her at the gun point: told the Reuter about the treatment of six

“Choose, either I kill you or rape you". (3) women who had been raped by a group

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of soldiers and told not to seek help after- and even in times of peace. The world ward. According to a medical worker who has witnessed the widespread perpetra- had treated both survivors, in Mekelle, tion of these ghoulish crimes in many one man was beaten up after begging war-trodden regions of the world includ- soldiers to stop raping a 19-year-old. ing Rwanda, former Yugoslavia, Sierra Mekelle charity Elshadai has prepared 50 Leone, Uganda and Sudan. As a weapon beds for rape victims. (5) of war, the crime of rape has been per- Ms. Patten has urgently called for access petrated to traumatize and to terrorize to the region: women and make them unable to sup- “While noting the volatile port the rebels. Armed forces have sys- security situation in the Tig- tematically targeted civilians by raping ray region, the hampered women with the intent of punishing, and physical access in many humiliating the entire community. parts of Tigray, and the dire In the course of 1994, genocide in Rwan- situation of civilians espe- da, rape was systematically used as one cially refugees, it remains of the weapons of genocide: “In almost critical that humanitarian every case, these crimes were inflicted actors and independent hu- upon women after they had witnessed man rights monitors be the torture and killings of their relatives, granted immediate, uncon- and the destruction and looting of their ditional and sustained ac- houses. Some women were forced to kill cess to the entirety of the their own children before or after being Tigray region, including IDP raped.” (8) Many women were raped and and refugee camps where killed immediately and many survivors new arrivals have allegedly chose to hide their stories rather than be- reported cases of sexual ing detested by their community. Apart violence.” (6) She has invited the government of Ethio- pia “to promptly allow for an independent inquiry into all allegations of sexual and other forms of violence, to establish the facts and hold perpetrators accountable, provide redress to victims, and prevent further grave violations.” (7) Ms. Patten’s call upon the authorities for an independ- ent inquiry has remain unheeded. It should be acknowledged that conflict- related rape, enforced prostitution and sexual violence are global evils. The hor- The Ethiopian government confirmed the crime ror of unarmed women facing sexual vio- of reape in Tigray lence by armed men is historical and from the symptoms of Post Traumatic worldwide. Sexual crimes against women Stress Disorders and severe re- like gang rapes, forced prostitution and traumatization, hundreds of survivors sexual enslavement have always hap- gave birth to the babies of their cruel rap-

pened in the course of , wars

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ists. Many more received life-long suffer- were between 215,000 and 257,000 ing from infections and diseases caused women victims of rape and sexual vio- by rape, including AIDS. lence during the conflict. According to another estimate, one out of eight Rape was also used as a weapon of war households had been subjected to sexu- during genocide in former Yugoslavia. al violence. Victims' families were left Serbian forces raped women publicly in destitute, with emotional wounds that the presence of friends, relatives and would never heal: “The emotional and family members “in a pattern of intimida- physical trauma suffered by these vic- tion and abuse focused on forcing the tims will continue for a lifetime.” (11) Croatian or Bosnian population to In Sudan, large numbers of militia and flee.” (9) government forces killed civilians and In Sierra Leone, gender-related violence abducted and raped dozens of women including rape, gang-rapes, sexual slav- and girls due to their ethnic origin calling ery, and enforced prostitution were per- them “slaves” as they “beat them with . petrated by belligerent forces, specifical- whips, gun butts or fists ” (12) ly the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), who was responsible for 93 per cent of Rape leaves durable impacts on survi- sexual crimes in the course of the civil vors. often results in sexually transmit- war. (10) According to one report, there ted infections. In Sierra Leonean con-

Rape is a war crime and crime against humanity

according to the international law

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flict, for example, between 70 to 90 per rape on survivors, make tremendously cent of rape survivors tested positive for difficult the investigation and prosecution sexually transmitted diseases. (13) Apart of gender-related international crimes. from physical complications, like infec- Survivors of sexual tortures are suffering from ostracism and stigmatization and tions or HIV/AIDS, rape’s psychological are normally reluctant to share their horri- scars are also devastating. Many survi- ble experiences – especially with male vors have developed a sense of guilt investigators. It is also difficult to find wit- and lack of self-worth. Instead of blam- nesses to crimes of this type. This is why ing their victimizers, they blame them- Investigations in international tribunals selves. Internalization, as such, is highly have been performed with utmost care and vigilance given the risk of retraumati- detrimental to the recovery of the survi- zation for survivors during the process of vors. investigation. The need for debriefing Rape is one of the least reported tech- services has occasionally become an ut- niques of torture and weapons of war. most necessity during this process. For a long time, it was not even recog- In 1994, the International Tribunal for

Systemic rapes and sexual violence have acted as a hidden war against civilian population in Tigray Rwanda and former Yugoslavia recog- nized as a torture or war crime. Various nized sexual violence against women reasons including shame, danger of ex- (rape, sexual enslavement, forced prosti- communication, lack of a safe environ- tution, etc.) as a form of genocide, war ment to speak, etc. have contributed to crimes and crimes against humanity: the denial and secrecy around rape. “Rape and other forms of sexual violence

The multiple negative impacts of the can constitute a war crime, a crime

34 F i r s t L i g h t Spring 2021

against humanity and a constitutive act ment of peace and security, with its long- with respect to genocide.” (14) This ruling term and catastrophic outcomes. If not set a precedence that was used in other properly addressed, this type of sordid vi- cases as well. olence will continue for year after the ter- This was confirmed by Articles 7 and 8 of mination of the war. While impunity for the Rome Statute for International Criminal perpetrators of most heinous (adopted in July 1998) according to crimes is a global obstacle, impunity for which rape, sexual slavery, enforced pros- perpetrators of rape and sexual violence titution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterili- is more widespread. Prevention is impos- zation are specified as crimes against hu- sible without addressing this impunity. manity and war crimes. This was one of the greatest achievements of the 20th cen- Finally, it should be emphasized that sur- tury, as before that little international atten- vivors must be empowered with the holis- tion had been paid to this abhorrent human tic rehabilitation support along with com- tragedy. Rape was considered a compo- pensation, reparation and restitution. They nent of every war and not a form of interna- must raise their voices against the impuni- tional crime. For a long time, national sys- ty of their victimizers. The full participation tems and international tribunals failed to of women in peace process and in ad- investigate or prosecute crimes of sexual dressing the awkward problem of impunity or gender torture. must be guaranteed. Responsibility for these heinous crimes in Tigray goes to both the state and the indi- Endnotes: vidual perpetrators. The state is responsi- https://www.un.org/ ble, because it waged a war of aggression sexualviolenceinconflict/ with predictable consequences on the one press-release/united-nations- hand and it has failed to protect civilians special-representative-of-the- due to its consent or acquiescence of the secretary-general-on-sexual- crimes committed by military forces. Indi- violence-in-conflict-ms- vidual perpetrators and commanders can- pramila-patten-urges-all- not avoid their responsibilities with the ex- parties-to-prohibit-the-use-of- cuse of exceptional or unmanageable cir- sexual-violence-and-cease- cumstances or subordination to their supe- hostilities-in-the/ riors. The international community must not https://www.seattletimes.com/ close its eyes on the war crimes and seattle-news/health/un-warns crimes against humanity perpetrated by the -of-serious-rape-charges-in- Ethiopian government and military forces ethiopias-tigray/ of Ethiopia and Eritrea in Tigray, as it did https://www.aljazeera.com/ not in Rwanda, former Yugoslavia, Sierra news/2021/1/22/disturbing-rape- Leone and Sudan. The crimes of rape and allegations-in-ethiopias-tigray- sexual violence in Tigray have specifically conflict-un been committed against vulnerable groups https://www.reuters.com/article/uk- such as refugee and displaced women in ethiopia-conflict-rape- refugee camps and in war-ravaged areas, idUSKBN29S0BG due to their total lack of protection. https://www.voanews.com/africa/ When rape is a systemic component of po- ethiopia-tigray/choose-i-kill-you-or

litical coercion, it endangers the achieve- -rape-you-abuse-accusations-

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surge-ethiopias-war Internal Displacement: The As quoted in footnote No. 1. Invisible Cost of War Ibid.

Nowrojee, B. (1996). Shattered Lives: By Cal Furlong Sexual Violence During the Rwan- dan Genocide and Its Aftermath. New York: Human Rights Watch, P. 39.

Bames, A. (Ed.) (2005). Handbook of Women, Psychology, and the Law. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, p. 300

Mustapha, M. ; Bangura, J.J. (2010). Sierra Leone Beyond In 1998, then Secretary-General of the United Na- the Lomé Peace Accord. New tions, Kofi Annan, wrote that “internal displacement York: Palgrave Macmillan, p. has emerged as one of the great human tragedies of our time.” That same year, the Internal Displacement 42. Monitoring Centre (IDMC) was founded under a UN Oosterveld, V. (2012). Gender and the mandate to provide data and analysis on the largely Charles Taylor Case at the Special unseen humanitarian catastrophe that Mr. Annan was Court for Sierra Leone. William & calling attention to people who have been forced to Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and flee their homes by conflict or disasters, but have been unable or unwilling to leave their country. Their Social Justice. Vol. 19, Issue 1, Arti- findings have been staggering. cle 3, p. 8. Internal displacement, already a massive global phe- Human Rights Watch. (2007)., Vol. 19, nomenon at the turn of the century, has risen at an No. 15 (A). New York: Human alarming rate. According to IDMC reports, the num- Rights Watch, p. 38. ber of internally displaced persons, or IDPs, has more UNICEF. (2004). The State of World’s than doubled in the last decade, from approximately 25 million in 2010 to more than 50 million last year. Children 2005: Childhood under The precarious, fluid nature of displacement means Threat, New York: The United Na- that over the time, millions may cease to be catego- tions Children Fund, p. 43. rized as IDPs, either by returning to their community Oosthuizen, T.H. (2009). Review of origin or fleeing across an international border. of Sexual Violence Elements of Unfortunately, new rounds of expulsion more than Judgement of the International compensate for any reduction in the numbers, adding to the grave tally - 2019 saw 33.3 million novel dis- Criminal Tribunal for former Yu- placements alone. The fact that these are only con- goslavia, the International servative estimates makes the figures even more so- Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, bering. and the Special Court for Sierra “The key driver of internal displacement is conflict Leone in the Light of Security and violence,” says Louisa Yasukawa, a research Council Resolution 1820. New associate with the Centre. Although in any given year, acute crises stemming from natural disasters York: United Nations Depart- may account for the majority of displacements, those ment of Opera- resulting from conflict are often longer-term and tions, p. 20. more persistent. “Particularly in the case of violence,

[IDPs often endure] multiple displacements,” she

36 F i r s t L i g h t Spring 2021

adds. prevent it.” A large part of IDMC’s mission is to collect data Despite the scale of the problem, internal displace- on the quantity and nature of displacements across ment continues to be direly underappreciated and the globe, summarized in an annual report - their insufficiently addressed. “It remains such an invisible 2020 findings are set to be released in May of this issue,” Ms. Yasukawa states, a hint of frustration year. But Ms. Yasukawa is part of a team that focus- colouring her professional tone, “particularly on the es on investigating the impacts and consequences global stage, when there are far more people who are that result from the problem. “Displacement poses displaced within their countries than people who are significant disruptions to people’s individual cir- refugees.” Unlike those who seek safety across bor- cumstances, be it their housing conditions, liveli- ders, the internally displaced usually lack even nomi- hoods, health, education, and part of our work nal legal protections. Part of the tragedy of the situa- looks at trying to measure these impacts on the tion, she argues, is that, with the exception of the individuals.” IDMC’s case studies, she says, re- UN’s non-binding set of guiding principles, “there’s peatedly show people trapped in a double bind. not an international scheme of the sense of the [1951] Displacement first results in a loss of income and Refugee Convention to address the needs of IDPs… there’s still such a gap…even just the term ‘internal property, particularly for rural-to-urban migrants displacement,’ it’s not as common in terms of the who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. At language [used] when we talk about forced migra- the same time, the situation itself imposes signifi- tion.” cant costs. The additional expenses of travel, shel- But Ms. Yasukawa and her colleagues continue striv- ter, food, water, sanitation, and medical care put ing to bring the issue to light. “When we’re writing people already in financial crisis under impossible the information that we’re collecting, we’re hoping strain. These burdens disproportionately fall on that it can inform humanitarian actors and policymak- women and girls who, in addition to being ers at government level.” The findings of location and overrepresented in the statistics, are often vulnera- context-specific case studies, she says, are used by ble to gender-based violence during displacement. NGOs and other humanitarian actors on the ground to And this is just the short-term picture. “There are shape and direct their interventions, while the big longer-term costs that we haven’t been able to picture data is aimed at raising awareness on the part measure at an individual level, for instance disrup- of the general public and, more importantly, state tions to children’s education can have a longer- officials. “I think that this work is a way of highlight- term impact on their livelihood and opportunities,” ing another aspect of internal displacement…the fact says Ms. Yasukawa. that the impacts aren’t only humanitarian risks, which In addition to being crushed at the micro-level, in themselves are significant risks that should see these costs radiate outwards, creating massive prompt action, but we feel that actually showing the knock-on effects. One of Ms. Yasukawa’s most economic impacts can be a useful way of showing the recent projects, a report from last year entitled “the value of investing in prevention methods, and also addressing it as quickly as possible to reduce the Ripple Effect,” estimates that in 2019 alone, the costs.” global economic losses resulting from internal dis- Mitigation efforts, she adds, require a balance of hu- placement added up to, at minimum, 20 billion manitarian and development-based approaches, both USD. “There’s a huge human toll to internal dis- immediate relief and long-term investment. Effective placement that is not just on the individuals dis- interventions range from medical and food aid to in- placed,” she says, “but it can flow onto the host frastructure projects, early warning systems, and edu- communities, governments, humanitarian agen- cational programs to increase IDPs’ employment op- cies…the economic cost in the long term can have portunities. But Ms. Yasukawa is quick to point out a significant impact in terms of GDP and longer- that, when it comes to war, the only durable solution term growth.” For developing countries with econ- to displacement is peacebuilding. “We can talk about omies already shattered by war, the burden is stul- different ways to reduce displacement or even reduce tifying—for example, IDMC’s calculations show the effects, but at the end of the day, in countries af- that displacement costs measure as high as 21% of fected by armed conflict, it’s going to be the cessa- GDP in , and 14% in Syria. In an age of tion of hostilities that’s really key.” globalization, these effects have far-reaching im- plications. “If you’re not motivated from a purely Cal Furlong is a freelance writer, researcher, and humanitarian perspective, then at least a financial CCVT volunteer. He leads a honky-tonk band in To- perspective should motivate actors to seek to ad- ronto, Ontario.

dress [displacement] as quickly as possible, and

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An Investigation into Uighur Genocide in XinJiang, and the long-term impact of “Re-education” camps on Uighur Children

By Gabrielle Allohverdi

Han migration to the region was heavily promoted and assimilation encouraged through spread of Confucian education. Later, under the Maoist regime in the 1950’s, many ethnic minority leaders were weakened or eradicated to ensure allegiance to the newly formed com- munist government. Ethnic minorities were subsequently removed from politi- cal positions and silenced from larger conversations (Raza,2019). As of 2019, the Chinese government has detained at least 1.5 million individuals, primarily of Turkic Muslim and Uighur descent, with- in such camps that are branded as schools offering employment training to assist in settlement within mainstream Uighur Past and Present society (Lipes, 2019). Video evidence and testimony, however, paint a different In early 2017, several mainstream news scene, where individuals are imprisoned reports emerged revealing the mass de- on the sole basis of studying their reli- tainment of Chinese-Muslims into Re- gion abroad, writing books on the topic education Camps established by the of Uighur culture or criticizing govern- Chinese Communist Party. The large- ment officials (Raza, 2019). Imprisoned scale imprisonment of Uighur people, individuals are subsequently forced to ethnic Turkic Muslims in western , study communist party literature and were taking place in response to recent many escapees report enduring physical policies aimed at eliminating the threat beatings, torture, rape, and involuntary of religious terrorism (Raza, 2019) sterilization (Raza,2019) (Rakhima & (Davis,2019). Nearly 10 million Uighurs Satyawati, 2019). reside in Xinjiang province, and the Ui- ghur people have had a contentious his- Amid the blatant silencing and abuse, tory with the Han Chinese population. lies a more insidious attack on the com-

During the 18th century Qing dynasty, munity with longer lasting effects. After

38 F i r s t L i g h t Spring 2021

imprisonment, Uighur children often un- tion is voluntary or involuntary. Moreo- dergo forced separation from their fami- ver, a cross-sectional longitudinal study lies into state-controlled kindergartens for looking at immigrant adaption status indefinite periods of time, away from their among 282 adolescents, found that chil- communities. Parents speak of their chil- dren that had been separated from their dren being forcibly taken and experienc- mothers for 4 years or more reported ing curriculum designed to strip them of higher levels of anxiety and depression any remnants of their Muslim identity and symptoms compared to those that had Uighur culture (Yi, 2019). To support never been separated (Suárez-Orozco, these efforts, numerous “pre-schools” Bang & Kim, 2011). have popped up within Xinjiang in the past few years and suggesting an in- In a more recent example, the crack- creasing number of children are being down by the Trump administration on institutionalized. Living a life away from illegal border crossing between the one’s family can pose long term threats Mexico-US border resulted in the dis- to the healthy development of a child that placement of many children. The prose- is likely to hinder the child well into adult cution of adult migrants, regardless of life, supported by both psychological liter- whether they were travelling with minors ature and testimony of the effects of colo- or not, meant many children were forci- nial re-education schools implemented in bly removed from their family Western society. (Waddoups, Yoshikawa & Strouf, 2019). This resulted in up to 3000 children be- The psychology of saying goodbye ing separated. While research on the behavioural effects of such separation Parents play an important role in mitigat- are sparse, preliminary reports suggest ing the effects of environmental stress on mostly negative outcomes, with greater children. During times of war, political tur- displays of depressive affect and school moil or persecution, parents present a absenteeism (Chaudry et al., 2010). stabilising factor in a child’s life. Early While the government has since re- parent-child separation research con- versed this policy, the damage has un- ducted during WW2, for instance, found fortunately still been done. Children can- that children sent away from their families not regain the crucial developmental in evacuation reported more psychologi- time necessary to lead healthy and sta- cal distress than children who remained ble lives. These children will be thrust with their families experiencing environ- into American society with the lingering mental stressors (Freud & Birlig- effects of this separation and struggle to mane,1943). The institutionalization of be healthy members of their society and abandoned or orphaned children is a communities. common practice around the world in both developed and developing coun- Uighur Children and Forced Separa- tries. A meta-review conducted by Wad- tion doups et al., (2019) found that separated children are at an increased likelihood for The forced separation of Uighur children developmental impairments such as hy- into state sponsored kindergartens is on peractivity, inattention, and disinhibition a different scale of severity, given the

and these effects occur whether separa-

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decreased possibility of reunification tively and actively reducing terrorism, with their families and the active at- none-the-wiser. tempts to suppress their Muslim and Ui- ghur culture. The forced Sinicization of Canadian Residential Schools and In- Uighur children is motived in part by the ter-Generational Impact outdated and misinformed idea that all cultures have the capacity to “civilize” if Much of this follows an eerily similar nar- they undertake the culture of an already rative to what has occurred on Canadian civilized society (Davis, 2019). Reports soil, and is, arguably, equally dismissed paint a grim picture for the detained chil- by the general population. Church run dren, with schools having increased sur- residential schools in Canada were in- veillance and playgrounds surrounded stantiated between the 1870s to the by barbed wire (Sudworth, 2019). Clas- 1990s, with the last residential school ses are exclusively taught in Chinese, closing in 1996 (Moon-Riley, Copeland, and students are required to sing and Metz & Currie, 2019). The aim of such dance to propagandistic songs schools was to remove Indigenous chil- (HRW,2020). Government publications dren from their families and assimilate attempt to tout the them into European benefits of such settler life. Children schooling, such as were forbidden from the removal of any speaking or practic- tendencies to- ing their native cul- wards “extreme ture, exposed to ne- thought” and the glect and starvation, opportunity to and endured frequent learn basic hy- physical, emotional, giene and man- and sexual abuse ners (HRW,2020). that was not admitted One former teach- by the government er from a XInJiang boarding school, until 2008 (Chief-Moon Riley et al., however, reports that students are not 2017). As is to be expected, numerous necessarily thriving educationally, stat- reports provide evidence for the lasting ing “Students in boarding schools have psychological impacts of this schooling more time to study, but this doesn’t on indigenous children and that has car- mean that they get better grades. On the ried onto further generations. Individuals contrary, their academic performance who attended residential schools are at becomes worse…They live in fear and risk for higher rates of post-traumatic are in no mood to study” (Yi, 2019). Chil- stress disorder and substance abuse dren live in fear and sadness from the (Wilk, Maltby & Cooke, 2017). Having a separation from their parents and are parent that attended a residential school clearly not flourishing. Despite it all, wide is also associated with an increased risk -spread seizure of Uighur children per- of suicidal ideation and attempts among sists as the Han population are reas- indigenous youth (Bombay et al., 2018).

sured that the measures taken are effec- In considering all this evidence, it is not

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difficult to see the future of many Uighur care about this, because most people children through the eyes of their indige- don’t think that it will happen to them… nous counterparts in Canada. It is trou- when you mention Islam, people only re- bling to anticipate the long-term effects of call the terrorist attacks and it’s seen as state-sponsored boarding schools and this negative thing…I feel very sad that the effect this separation will have on fu- they group all Uighur people in this terri- ture Uighur generations if action is not ble depiction”. taken immediately to stop it. Canadian Some attempts have been made to place residential schools have undeniably not more economic pressure and distance helped indigenous children in any capac- ties with China. While companies Nike ity to live better lives, and the Chinese and H&M have stated they will no longer ones will likely not help Uighur children source any products from XinJiang, they either. It is imperative we do not repeat were subsequently met with boycotting the mistakes of the past. from Chinese retailers expressing anger what was deemed as spreading rumours Moving forward (Reuters, 2021). We do not stand for such behaviour in the west and should The forced separation of Uighur children not remain silent in its repetition in the and the imprisonment of Uighur adults is east. As the Canadian government a serious human rights transgression knows only too well what lies ahead for that will likely result in long-term mental these children and adults, it is morally health effects on Uighur generations to imperative that Canada encourages the come. The propagandistic and unwaver- world powers persist in placing pressure ing conformity demanded of Uighur soci- on the Chinese government to cease the ety by the Chinese government leaves kidnapping of Uighur children and mass no room for ethnic minorities to live and genocide of the Uighur population. It is continue living peacefully in their native only through this, that Uighur children land. What is being offered to the general may possibly have a future of reunifica- population as protection against terror- tion at home. ism, is in reality the abuse and ethnic cleansing of a long-established commu- *Name changed to maintain anonymity nity. It is important to recognize the ca- pacity for institutionalized racism and References ethnic cleansing among all cultures and that must be overcome on a personal Bombay, A., Mcquaid, R. J., Schwartz, and societal level through tolerant ac- F., Thomas, A., Anisman, H., & Mathe- ceptance of ethnic minorities. son, K. (2018). Suicidal thoughts and attempts in First Nations “I think the most confusing thing we’re communities: Links to paren- taught is that we have one ruling class, tal Indian residential school attendance and no dominated classes…. that we across development. Journal of don’t have people who are dominated Developmental Origins of Health and Dis- over” says Lena*, a close friend and ease, 10(1), 123-131. doi:10.1017/ University of Toronto psychology gradu- s2040174418000405 ate from China “I don’t think that many Chief-Moon Riley, K. (2017). The biologi-

[Chinese] people know about this, or

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cal impacts of residential schooling on Reuters Staff (2021, March 24). Old the development of intergenerational H&M comment on forced labour in Chi- trauma among Indigenous peo- nas Xinjiang raises online storm. ple. ProQuest Dissertations Pub- Retrieved March 24, 2021, from lishing, 1-117. https://www.reuters.com/article/ China: Xinjiang Children Separated from china- xinjiang-cotton-h-m/old-hm- Families. (2020, October 28). Retrieved comment- on-forced-labour-in-chinas- from https://www.hrw.org/ xinjiang-raises-online- storm- news/2019/09/15/china-xinjiang-children- idINKBN2BG1UD separated-families Suárez-Orozco C, Bang HJ, Kim HY. Davis, B. (2019). Being uighur.. with 2011. I felt like my heart was staying be- "chinese characteristics": Analyzing chi- hind: psychological implications na's legal crusade against uighur of family separations & reunifications for identity. American Indian Law Review, 44 immigrant youth. J. (1), 81-116. Adolesc. Res. 26(2):222–57 Human Rights Watch, ‘Eradicating Ideo- Sudworth, J. (2019, July 04). China Mus- logical Viruses: China’s Campaign of lims: Xinjiang schools used to separate Repression Against children from families. Re- Xinjiang’s Muslims’, September 8, trieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/ 2018. world-asia- china-48825090 Lipes, J. (2019, November 24). Expert Waddoups, A. B., Yoshikawa, H., & Says 1.8 Million Uyghurs, Muslim Minori- Strouf, K. (2019). Developmental Effects ties Held in Xinjiang's Intern- of Parent– Child Separa- ment Camps. Retrieved from https:// tion. Annual Review of Developmental www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ Psychology, 1(1), 387-410. detainees-11232019223242.html doi:10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121318- Moon-Riley, K. C., Copeland, J. L., Metz, 085142 G. A., & Currie, C. L. (2019). The biologi- Wilk, P., Maltby, A., & Cooke, M. (2017). cal impacts of Indigenous resi- Residential schools and the effects on dential school attendance on the next Indigenous health and generation. SSM - Population well-being in Canada—a scoping re- Health, 7, 100343 view. Public Health Reviews, 38 doi:10.1016/ (1). doi:10.1186/s40985-017-0055-6 j.ssmph.2018.100343 Yi, X. (2020, March 7). True Colors of Rakhima, A. S., & Satyawati, N. G. China’s Boarding Schools for Uyghur (2019). Gross Violations of Human Children. Bitter Winter. Rights Veiled within Xin- doi:https://bitterwinter.org/chinas- jiang Political Reeducation boarding-schools- for-uyghur-children/ Camps. Kertha Patrika, 41(1), 1. doi:10.24843/kp.2019.v41.i01.p01 Gabrielle Allohversi is a young research ana- Raza, Z (2019) China’s ‘political re- lyst studying learning abnormalities in schizo- education’ camps of xinjiang’s Uy- phrenia and major depressive disorder. She has strong interest in mental health and hu- ghur muslims, Asian Affairs, man rights, and issues at their points of inter- 50:4, 488-501, section. She is a graduate of Western Univer-

DOI:10.1080/03068374.2019.1672433 sity (BSc) and enjoy playing the electric guitar

42 F i r s t L i g h t Spring 2021

March 25/26: Global Action Days to End War in Yemen

By: Anne Khan

anti-war activist, I am actively participat- ing, volunteering and leading with fellow activists at the Canada Peace Network and various organizations on the humani- tarian crisis in Yemen. We are putting call to action to the Canadian government and Canadian public to take action on Canada’s role in this war, and diplomatic action to end the war in Yemen altogeth- er. There is urgency for Canada and for all, to advocate and take action on the unrestricted access for humanitarian as- sistance in Yemen, in accordance with international humanitarian law. Yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis, as de- clared by the UN. Yemen was one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, be- fore the onset of the war on March 25, 2015. The situation in Yemen is getting dire and may severely worsen quickly if coordinat- ed humanitarian community response is hauled. The (WFP) has already faced serious chal- lenges with regards to access and vari- ous constraints to deliver humanitarian crisis assistance and intervention to the vulnerable and war-torn people of the country. The COIVD-19 pandemic now As an educator, community leader, so- has worsened the catastrophe of the cial worker, human rights, women rights, Yemeni people, along with a shadow

children rights, equity, justice, peace and pandemic of extreme crisis of famine, vi-

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olence, poverty and of human life and Quick facts dignity. The malnutrition rates of women and children are among the worst in the Since the start of the conflict in 2015, world. According to World Food Pro- Canada has provided over $295 million gramme (WFP), 1.2 million women, and in humanitarian funding to support food 2-3 million children are in need of acute assistance, clean water and sanitation, malnutrition treatment, of which 400,000 shelter, protection and health care, in- of these children are at the risk of dying cluding reproductive and sexual health (CNN, WFP, 2020). On March 16, 2021, services. United Nations Security Council in its briefing warned on Yemen “speeding” In addition to humanitarian support, towards massive famine (UN Security Canada is investing in peace and stabil- Council, 2021). ity in Yemen. Since December 2018, Can- On March 1, 2021, ada has provided over Global Affairs Cana- $22 million in peace da announced, and security assis- $69.9 million in tance in Yemen to funding in continued support the UN-led response to the hu- peace process (Global manitarian needs of Affairs Canada, 2021). the vulnerable and war-torn people in Yet more Critical Ac- Yemen in 2021. tion needs to be This new funding, done… in line with Cana- Canada Peace Net- da’s Feminist Inter- work’s CALL TO AC- national Assistance TION Policy, will support “Join the Global Day of UN agencies, the Action to End the War Red Cross, and on Yemen other non- governmental or- March 25/26 2021 ganizations. This will provide life- March 25/26 marks 6 saving food, sup- years of a brutal U.S.- port health care, backed, Canada-armed clean water and Saudi-led war in Yem- sanitation, with a focus on the urgent en. Alongside an indiscriminate and on- needs of women and girls, who are dis- going bombing campaign, Saudi Arabia proportionately affected by the COVID- and the (UAE), 19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict backed by the United States, have im- and humanitarian crisis in Yemen posed an air, land and sea blockade on (Global Affairs Canada, 2021). Yemen. The blockade has caused critical

fuel and food shortages, resulting in

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400,000 children at risk of dying in Yem- en, as reported by CNN. Even before the Deliver a letter: 68 organizations across Covid-19 pandemic, the United Nations Canada have signed a letter to demand had declared Yemen the worst humani- that Canada Stop Arming Saudi and to tarian crisis in the world. Now Yemen is highlight 28 companies in Canada com- facing famine along with the Covid-19 plicit in this arms deal. The letter has pandemic, with an overwhelmed medical been delivered in person to Prime Minis- system devastated by war and blockade. ter Justin Trudeau’s office, as well as a number of other MPs and companies Alongside the U.S. and U.K., Canada listed in it. We encourage others to also also has blood on its hands, as it also deliver the letter to government officials continues to profit from selling arms to and named companies in their areas. If Saudi Arabia and other countries in the you take this action, remember to take a military coalition. On September 28, photo of the delivery and post it on social 2020, the UN Human Rights Council media using the hashtags named Canada as one of the parties #CanadaStopArmingSaudi and fueling the ongoing war in Yemen by #YemenCantWait. Photos of letter deliv- continuing arms sales to Saudi Arabia. eries are being collected and posted Canada exported nearly $2.9 billion here: https://peaceandjusticenetwork.ca/ worth of military equipment to Saudi Ara- takingactiontostoparmingsaudi/ bia in 2019. Residents of Canada are invited to sign The war on Yemen must stop! these two parliamentary petitions: Petition 3122, sponsored by MP Matthew Antiwar and peace activists and organi- Green zations are marking 6 years of the war Petition 3075, sponsored by MP Jenica on Yemen with days of action on March Atwin 25 and 26. As fellow activists across Canada, we encourage you to continue Use a protest poster for your protests or holding actions in your towns and cities. to post on social media. Post the image Actions can include street actions, car or take a selfie with it! caravans, webinars, letter writing, and social media campaigns, considering To Justin Trudeau at https://docdro.id/ your local situation. Bt8cqdD To Joseph Biden at https:// Action Ideas & Resources www.docdroid.net/AVSipmK To Boris Johnson at https:// Share your action or posts against war www.docdroid.net/2neSzm0 on Yemen on social media using the General posters: https:// hashtag #YemenCantWait and www.docdroid.net/olIxldV or https:// #CanadaStopArmingSaudi. There is also www.docdroid.net/elEtw5z/ sample social media messaging at https://tinyurl.com/y7d45aar and Whatever action you decide to shareable graphics at https:// take, remember to reflect your action on

tinyurl.com/5rpjvvnz social media with the hashtag

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#CanadaStopArmingSaudi and #YemenCantWait. Activists and organizations across Canada can amplify one another’s ac- tions! (Canada Peace Network, 2021) A Trilogy By Antony Frolov Reference Sources:

Global Affairs Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/ news/2021/03/canada-announces-new- funding-in-continued-response-to- WRONGED AND humanitarian-crisis-in-yemen.html INVADED WHO – World Health Organization https://www.who.int/hac/crises/yem/releases/ I am Abdul. My life became a bottomless Hell at en/ only twenty-three. http://www.emro.who.int/yemen/news/ Let me relate my grisly and ghastly, ghastly and index.html grisly story to thee... https://www.who.int/health-cluster/countries/ yemen/en/ Those dreadful, deranged demons thought they https://www.who.int/emergencies/crises/yem/ were Kings. en/ They stormed in uninvited and seized all our https://www.who.int/news/item/12-02-2021- things. acute-malnutrition-threatens-half-of-children- under-five-in-yemen-in-2021-un They did not want to compromise or talk, Rather they preferred to sneer and mock. World Food Programme https://www.wfp.org/countries/Yemen? They never looked at our real faces, utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_ Choosing to judge us by colour and no other basis. cam- paign=71700000080051769&gclid=Cj0KCQjwj They said we were a waste of space PaCBhDkARIsAISZN7Qi5HzwRiCDFXbyq_8v And wished us gone from every Earthly place. fl8PuR4H- 22FNdI8YHifZjqDVtrQ6mBGKAIaAj- One pitch-dark perilous night, they burst through lIEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds our fence, Yelling, raging, and to us, making no sense. UNHCR Canada https://give.unhcr.ca/page/52680/donate/1? Many a good man's blood was spilled that night. ea.tracking.id=SEM21_Yemen&utm_campaig No human words can describe the gruesome sight. n=CA_PS_EN_YE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjPaCBhD kARIsAISZN7QBCvNqCu6rdj5FqGGNknGbN We fought and we fought for our cherished lands nExpUVyDtQmx8WXfXBkD2NmzOCbEccaAh to the last, Trying to protect our future, our present, our past. NMEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

But there were too few of our brave men: Canada Peace Network We were outnumbered one to ten. https://peaceandjusticenetwork.ca/ Our fair, humble homes were razed to the ground. Anne Khan is a peace, human rights and Most were killed, many were bound. women rights activist. She is community lead- er, educator, mental health and disability man- Those few that somehow managed to flee agement specialist, counsellor and a volun- Took solemn refuge on the jagged rocks near the

teer with the CCVT. foaming sea.

46 F i r s t L i g h t Spring 2021

. But I was wounded in the ruthless, ravaging war NEW LIFE ON NEW And taken prisoner bleeding, aching and sore. SOIL

FEELINGS OF A CAP- Under cover of dense darkness, I landed on new soil TURED SOUL last night. Then, through a giant Canadian airport made turns left and right. I was captured Desperately defending my birth soil Wretchedly reduced now to two pieces of luggage in a On that very day corner of my tiny room. When I turned twenty-four. And worse -- in my head, I carry years of war, years of gloom. My life in my homeland turned into A life of rushing by bullets and torture. Here, in this unknown to me place, I have not a soli- What did I feel? tary friend, Who was I? Was I at all? And if I need some help, who will lend a graceful hand? Stressing, Falling, They say there is opportunity to be found in this land. Melting But for someone who has just come out of a life of into Nothing. debris, dust and sand??

Struggling, But wait! I am a human: a human with a burning, pas- Straining, sionate soul! Pressure rising, Perhaps, I can yet make my life be whole! Overloaded. I want to make something of my life! Maybe even raise a couple playful kids... and find a Hardly breathing, loving wife! Gasping, Suffocating, Alas, but I have not more education than grade eight, Breathless. How could I earn enough and pull my weight??

Slipping, And then my age of forty-four: my beard is grey at Tumbling, best, if not completely white, Bending, Who will want to see me in the day or sleep by me at Disfigured. night?

Puncturing, But I have come too far, and to surrender now... Bursting, That I cannot, will not allow! Flooding, Sunk. There, there! I see the majestic sun disk rising up in this new sky! Becoming lost, I shall, I shall just go forth and keep my spirits high! Getting left out, Wasting, I try today, I try tomorrow, Decayed. Perhaps one day I'll have much joy and not just sor- row....

Drained away, Colourless, Anthony Frolov is a volunteer with the CCVT: “I Blank, am Antony. I love writing. I also like to read and

Void discuss short stories.”

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Sri Lanka - Fight for Justice

By Lotus Sahana Alphonsus, HBSc, MD Candidate & Noelle Alphonsus, BA, HBScN Candidate

Introduction tearfully explained that her daughter was a ball of energy, loved kids and had dreams of becoming a When we started our journey to the war-ravaged teacher. Sadly, Mariyama had no other immediate areas in Northern Sri Lanka, we prepared our- family left, as her husband had died of selves to see overwhelming signs of destruction “depression” from constantly wondering what and physical trauma. What we were not prepared had happened to their only child. Unfortunately, for was the immense amount of insufferable grief Mariyama’s story would not be unique, and we and psychological trauma that survivors were met many families experiencing similar fates. The struggling with. As medical and nursing students, United Nations (UN) has found Sri-Lanka home people often came to us for advice on minor ail- to the one of the highest numbers of enforced dis- ments and wounds, but mental health is what was appearances in the world, where it is estimated up truly affecting their well-being. Even though the to 100,000 people were disappeared by the state war ended more than a decade ago, people ex- (Amnesty International, 2020). The majority of plained that they continued to feel threatened the disappeared are Tamil and over 10 years later, and retraumatized by post-war policies and the families continue to cling on to hope while the inability to get answers for what they experi- government refuses to provide adequate answers enced. It is a common assumption that once war as to what happened. is over, the worst is over, and the country can now rebuild. But close attention must be paid to The 30-year long civil war how it rebuilds itself and if it continues to set the occurred between the Sin- stage for further discrimination and marginaliza- halese-dominated Sri tion of a people. Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Sri Lanka: The war is over but the fight for Tamil Eelam (LTTE). justice remains The LTTE was fighting for a separate independent As we stood waiting in the sweltering heat for state for the country’s the next bus to take us to our native village in Sri Tamil minority after decades of rising ethnic ten- Lanka, we noticed a frail, elderly woman silently sions and deepening discrimination against mi- sobbing a few spots down from us. We helped norities (Spencer, 2002). Looking further back her up into the bus, and soon learned her name the reasons for the conflict are multifactorial with was Mariyama, and this was a trip she’s been many stemming from the passing of laws disen- making a few times a month for the past 10 years franchising Tamils and Sri-Lanka’s colonial his- in search of her daughter. Mariyama pulled out tory which is rooted in the legacy of British impe- many pictures of her daughter from her purse and rialism (Spencer, 2002). Regardless of how the explained that she had disappeared after the war. conflict began, what cannot be contested is how it Witnesses had vividly remembered seeing her ended. The final stages of the war were described daughter being forcefully taken by the infamous as a “bloodbath”, where tens of thousands of white vans, which were used by politically affili- trapped Tamil civilians were killed, and war ated groups to abduct, torture and disappear indi- crimes were committed by both involved parties viduals under the guise of national safety (Macrae, 2013). The LTTE has been eliminated.

(International Truth & Justice Project, 2021). She However, Sri Lankan security forces and in-

48 F i r s t L i g h t Spring 2021

volved government This is Killi, one of many mothers that we met that continues to officials remain free, Lankan government hold on to hope that her missing daughter will one day return. dismissively com- and they must an- “I will never stop waiting for my daughter, I know she is out swer for crimes that mented that they did were committed. there somewhere, I wish they would have taken me not want foreign Among the gross instead” forces interfering human rights viola- with their domestic tions, sufficient cred- affairs and they con- ible evidence shows tinue to resist inter- intentional shelling national investiga- of civilians, hospitals tions of alleged war and humanitarian crimes (Human operations as well as Rights Watch, 2021). the execution of sur- Concerningly last rendering LTTE re- year, for the first bels (International time President Ra- Crisis Group, 2010). japaksa commented on the missing, ad- When Sri-Lanka’s mitting that they civil war came to an were all dead (“Sri end in May 2009 Lanka Civil War”, (UNHRC, 2021), we 2020). However, for remember colleagues the resilient family who were unfamiliar members who have with the war com- been holding contin- menting that this is uous protests for the great news, and the missing, this just led country can now to more questions start to rebuild. and resurfaced feel- Many assume that ings of betrayal. once a conflict is There cannot be clo- over, the rest of it is sure, no way to move simple. However, forward, without what people fail to acknowledgement, consider is that mov- accountability and ing forward requires justice for what they genuine reconciliation that is conducive to the have endured. rebuilding of trust and healing; none of these are simple in Sri-Lanka. For instance, government Unfortunately, the policies and actions of the cur- authorities continue to deny their role in enforced rent government are further retraumatizing mar- disappearances and war crimes even in the pres- ginalized communities and are a major cause for ence of compelling video evidence (Macrae, concern. In early 2021, the annual report by the 2013). Furthermore, military personnel who were United Nations High Commissioner highlighted incriminated in alleged war crimes by the United concerning red flags stating that “Sri Lanka is on Nations have even been pardoned and appointed an alarming path towards recurrence of grave hu- to senior government positions (Amnesty Interna- man rights violations” (UNHRC, 2021). There is tional, 2020). In 2020, newly elected President increased militarization, a rise of ethno- Gotabaya Rajapaksa withdrew from a 2015 Unit- nationalistic ideology and ongoing surveillance in ed Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) the war affected regions; many families protest- “Resolution 30/1” that was looking to end impu- ing for their missing loved ones have been intimi-

nity and promote reconciliation. Instead, the Sri dated and threatened to cease their efforts

(UNHRC, 2021). There are credible allegations

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of ongoing violations, including torture and sexu- accountability and justice. Families of the disap- al violence by Sri Lankan security forces of peared who have felt abandoned by the Sri mainly Tamils suspected of any links to the Lankan state now have renewed hope that the LTTE or anti-government activities (International UNHRC will bring them the answers they des- Truth & Justice Project, 2021). In a shocking and perately need. appalling move, the Sri Lankan authorities re- ceived international backlash in January 2021 for Yes, the war is over, but the scars of war cannot bulldozing the Mullivaikkal memorial (Human be healed if they continue to be reopened. Alt- Rights Watch, 2021). The Mullivaikkal memorial hough it has been over a decade since the war was a monument built to commemorate thou- ended, survivors continue to endure trauma and sands of innocent Tamil civilian men, women and live in the fear of harm and death. There have children who were massacred during the final been no real attempts to form bridges and current phase of the war which claimed an estimated policies are moving in the opposite direction of 70,000 - 140,000 lives (Jeyasundaram, 2019). reconciliation. If there is impunity and no at- The destruction of this memorial highlights the tempts at reforming structures that facilitated hu- Sri Lankan regimes' attempt to erase history and man rights violations, then there always remains the denial of Tamils' right to mourn and honour a threat that the past will be repeated. Additional- the death of their loved ones. Being able to un- ly, without international inquiry other countries derstand what happened to the missing and grieve in conflict may be motivated to follow Sri- the ones that have died is a basic right and inflict- Lankas method of eliminating conflict by model- ing this pain to minority communities further ing their pattern of unrestrained military actions adds to the collective trauma and stress they ex- and the disregard of humanitarian issues perience. (International Crisis Group, 2010). The survivors of war and torture, even against all they face, But even amongst intimidation and threats to show unbelievable and fearless determination. A safety, survivors continue to stand up for justice. substantial amount of evidence including eyewit- In February 2021, twelve years after the war, the ness accounts, satellite images and videos have minority Tamils and Muslims took part in a five been collected; it is now up to the international day “P2P” protest where they marched over 400 community, who once turned a blind eye, to fi- kilometers from Pottuvil to Polikandy (“From nally do what is right and offer the survivors the Pottuvil to Polikandy”, 2021). This was the larg- justice that is owed to them. Sadly, many parents est protest since the ending of the war and aimed who were campaigning relentlessly for over a to bring international attention to the ongoing decade have died without ever knowing what issues faced by minorities. People marched happened to their missing loved ones. Mari- against forced cremations, the detention of politi- yama’s spirit remains strong, “the day my daugh- cal prisoners without trial and denial of war ter is truly gone is the day I stop fighting for her”. crimes among many other reasons (“From Pottu- vil to Polikandy”, 2021). In this remarkable show References of resilience and unity among minorities, were also many mothers like Mariyama holding up a Amnesty International. (2020, February 14). Sri sea of photographs of their loved ones. During Lanka: Fulfil the demands of the families of the disap- the protest, many were anxiously waiting for the peared. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/02/ upcoming United Nations meeting that would sldisappearedfeb142020/ decide if a resolution seeking accountability and international oversight in Sri Lanka would be From Pottuvil to Polikandy: Why are Tamils march- adopted; this resolution was vehemently opposed ing? (2021, February 08). Tamil Guardian. Retrieved by the Sri Lankan government. On March 23, this from https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/pottuvil- resolution termed “Resolution 46/1” was success- polikandy-why-are-tamils-marching fully passed and it allows the UN to collect and assess evidence of international crimes commit- Human Rights Watch. (2021, February 1). Open ted by Sri Lankan authorities so that the interna- wounds and mounting dangers: blocking accountabil-

tional community can take the proper actions for ity for grave abuses in Sri Lanka. Retrieved from:

https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/02/01/open-wounds-

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and-mounting-dangers/blocking-accountability-grave -abuses-sri-lanka Reflections of A Youth Counsellor: International Crisis Group. (2010, May 17). War Crimes in Sri Lanka. 191. Retrieved from: https:// Supporting Refugee Survivors of www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/war- crimes-sri-lanka Sexual Violence International Truth & Justice Project. (2021, Febru- ary). Sri Lanka: Ongoing violations - torture, arbi- trary arrests, deaths in custody. Retrieved from: By Nadia Umadat https://itjpsl.com/assets/ITJP_briefing_note2- ENGLISH-FINAL.pdf

Jeyasundaram, B. (2019, November 25). In Sri Lanka’s Ethnocracy, Tamils Will Always Lose. Jaco- bin. Retrieved from https://jacobinmag.com/2019/11/ sri-lanka-tamils-gotabaya-rajapaksa-election? fbclid=IwAR2N- ocqd_t8D4joyfKSOcsTGuGrvavwSdgIYP8DWjBu DDMlPRSlg6fUCco

Macrae, C. (2013, September 3). Sri Lanka: Slaugh- ter in the no fire zone. The Guardian, Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/03/sri- lanka-slaughter-no-fire-zone

Spencer, J. (Ed.). (2002). Sri Lanka: History and the roots of conflict. Routledge.

Sri Lanka civil war: Rajapaksa says thousands miss- ing are dead. (2020, January 20). BBC News. Re- trieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia- 51184085 I have worked extensively with young people United Nations Human Rights Council. Promotion through my years at CCVT. I am always reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in startled with the realization that while we Sri Lanka. UNHRC, 46th Sess, UN Doc A/ HRC/46/20 (19 March, 2021) Retrieved from https:// might be close in age our life experiences www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/ could not be further apart. The hardships RegularSessions/Session46/Documents/ faced by refugees during the pre, peri and A_HRC_46_20_AEV.docx post periods of their migration journeys have always seemed a million miles away from United Nations General Assembly. 2021. Promo- my sheltered North American upbringing. tion reconciliation, accountability, and human When I am asked to describe my work at the rights in Sri Lanka. UNHRC, 46th Sess, UN Doc Centre, I often compare it to something out A/HRC/46/L.1 (15 April, 2021). Retrieved from https://undocs.org/A/HRC/46/L.1/Rev.1 of a movie. Prior to my employment here, these stories only existed for me on the big screen. Now, my daily work affords me the Lotus and Noelle Alphonsus are medical and privilege of knowing and supporting brave nursing students very passionate about health asylum seekers and bearing witness to their equity and helping newcomer populations navi- stories. gate the healthcare system. They have both My caseload is predominately compromised worked closely with survivors of sexual assault, of individuals who are female identified. To human trafficking and refugee populations.

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date, I have enjoyed it immensely. Although session and they have tangible and practical our life circumstances may seem like polar needs such as medical attention or docu- opposites, I often find myself reflecting on mentation for their upcoming hearings. They our noticeable commonalities. I enjoy most disclose out of necessity. Or they want to of my clients as people and in another uni- provide explanations for certain behaviors verse that would allow it, we might even be they have developed. Sometimes it comes friends. I would like to think this spirit of com- out randomly, at the end of a session many radery spills over into my work and helps to months down the road because they feel it is solidify our therapeutic alliance and rapport. the right time to reveal more of their difficul- ties. Sometimes they never do say it out Based on the community support, the CCVT loud. I may read it on their basis of claim or a provides its holistic services to survivors of doctor’s letter and make referrals with that torture, war, crimes against humanity, geno- experience in mind. But, when they do open cide and human trafficking. As you can imag- up, their pain is palpable. ine, dear reader, the stories many of these Here in Canada and the western world we folks share are horrific; especially, the disclo- are going through a time when the plight of sure of sexual violence. I know this is a trig- women is on the forefront of gender-based gering topic, but it is important to the work discourse. Spurred on by the rise of the Me- that we do. It well documented that these Too movement and social media, culture and types of violence, particularly the act of rape sentiment are slowly turning in an empow- are systemic and deliberate tools that are ered direction. However, there is so much used to employ cruel, inhuman and degrad- work to be done on the grassroots. Funding, ing treatment in times of conflict situations, mental health treatment and other resources with military objectives. The intent is to have cannot meet the demand needed in the To- long-lasting destabilizing effects on its tar- ronto area. Stigma towards survivors of rape gets, which it does. (1) and sexual violence are still pervasive. And if When I worked as a placement student at we, as a developed society fall short, it is the CCVT prior to my current role as Youth magnified for my clients coming from less Mental Health Counsellor, one of the first privileged parts of the globe. clients I interacted with had escaped a war in They often say they have told very few peo- her country. She was a newlywed at the time ple, or no one at all. Some have omitted it the conflict began. She had been raped by a from their initial refugee claims because they solider which resulted in pregnancy. Not only could not bear the thought of a court room did she experience mental and physical full of people evaluating its credibility despite health challenges, she endured relationship its relevance to their case. In addition to the difficulties; all of which hindered her ability to many tears that are shed, that border on hys- care for her child. She recognized the physi- teria, my clients always look down or look ological impacts and displayed immense away. They are too embarrassed to make courage in her journey to wellness, while she eye contact with me in a safe space. As if continued to fight for her right to stay in Can- they are no longer worthy of the respect they ada. All these years later, I find myself think- may have otherwise been entitled to. Others ing of her from time to time. Appallingly, I discuss feeling unclean, as if they can’t wash have learned that her story is a common off the traces of their assailant. Some share enough occurrence, although not everyone their feelings of shame. Shame of loved ones is in a position to seek remedy. finding out, or their communities and families Now as a counsellor, I have observed of my thinking they encouraged and enticed their clients who are survivors of rape and sexual attacker. There are the individuals who worry violence share at various stages of our jour- they will never be able to marry, forever to be

ney. Sometimes it is within our first intake classified as ‘used’ goods. To me, it should

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seem obvious to these beautiful souls that sion making process. The new task force these thoughts and fears have no merit. But provided mandatory training for its adjudicat- indoctrination and internalization of these ing members with a focus on the effects of narratives of people who have experienced trauma on memory. Additionally, survivors will rape and sexual violence have been in- no longer be required to recount their sexual grained in all of us, to a degree. The only dif- assault experiences, a triumph heralded by ference is that here in Canada we have lawyers and human rights advocates. While counter narratives that continue to gain wider this is a good start, what happens after the traction. hearing? What other avenues can offer support I do my best to dispel all of the distorted to survivors of rape and sexual violence? And thoughts that come up in session. I attempt what can we do to ensure these avenues get to reassure my brave clients that their experi- implemented? ences will not lessen their personhood and We all have a role to play in supporting survi- they can still be successful in their goals and vors of sexual violence, including asylum seek- dreams. I convey messages of healing and ers. I encourage you to be intentional in your restoration. But, I often fear my words do not voting strategies. Ensure that your desired can- make the desired impact. Through our con- didate has a platform and plan to improve so- versations I gain a sense that most people cial services favorable to womxn and refugees. Hold your elected officials accountable and believe in Canada, an unburdening will oc- contact your city councilors and MPs to high- cur. Open dialogue and plentiful assistance light this as an issue of concern and demand will be the norm. On arrival there is surprise funding allocation for counselling, community and disappointment discovering dismissive health initiatives and specialized training. I also misogyny still permeates our society, dispel- ask you consider donating your time, resources ling some of the hope. and other talents to agencies with programs Our service users hail from areas where cul- supporting sexual assault survivors and female tural attitudes supersede psycho-education identified asylum seekers. Finally, be cognizant on how to properly support survivors and of the power of speech. We can make a differ- eliminate stigmatization. In Canada, survi- ence by openly encouraging survivors to come vors encounter diasporic groups with tradi- forward and access care in safe places. The tional mentalities and feel the sting of main- narratives at play around us can be formidable, stream micro aggressions. Officially sanc- but not permanent. Our attitudes, thoughts, tioned campaigns work towards denouncing actions and words can one day change a soci- silence and promoting sharing. However, ety for the better. funding cuts, program cancellations and out- rageous wait times implicitly relay the (un) 1. Rape in War: Challenging the Tradition of importance of the matter in today’s agenda. Impunity by Dorothy Q. Thomas, and Regan E. Ralph. SAIS Review (Vol) (1994), 82-99. For asylum seekers, there has been recent Johns Hopkins University Press. progression. The Immigration and Refugee 2. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Board (2020) has taken a much-needed initi- (2020). Gender related task force. https://irb- ative with the creation of a Gender Related cisr.gc.ca/en/refugee-claims/Pages/gender- Task Force. (2) For refugee claimants who related-task-force-rpd.aspx have experienced rape and sexual violence, Nadia Umadat is a graduate of York University. it can be re-traumatizing to have them re- She has been working as a Child and Youth count their experiences. Previously, intimate Counsellor since 2016 with CCVT. Prior to that, details were examined and pulled apart by she was both a CCVT student placement and members with little experiences or under- volunteer. She works in the realms of case man- standing on the issue, allowing biases and agement, counselling and group facilitation in the

assumptions to reign in this high stakes deci- CCVT Scarborough location.

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Success story By Mona Kalil

asked a question, which upset the repre- sentative of the Maoist Party. He left and threatened her that as a supporter of the NDP, she would face the consequences. On November 23, 2015, she finished her work around 9 p.m. and departed for her resi- dence by bus and got off in a stop that was 15 minutes walk to her residence. She had to cross a rice patty field. She was terrified when she found that two men were following her. They called her and identified them- selves as members of the Maoist Party. She remembers that they snatched her bag and took out her phone.

When she came to her consciousness around 11 p.m., she realized that she had been hit on the head and her dresses were moved from her body. She had been raped. Instead of going to her residence, she took a taxi to her family home that was 1.5 hours away from the residence. The following day she went to the hospital, where she was kept I have had the privilege of serving the CCVT for three days. Doctors told her that she had young client, Bidhya Bhattarai, since 2019. been mentally shocked and should return She had joined CCVT in January 2017. She every week for a total of a month. used to work as a full-time radio journalist in Nepal, and simultaneously as a second-year Bidhya reported the horrible crime to the po- student of Master of Educational English. As lice who promised to look into the matter, a dedicated journalist, she was interviewing with no outcome. Life became so horrible various members of political parties. She was that she was left with no choice but to leave a supporter of the National Democratic Party everybody and everything behind and es- (NDP) of Nepal, along with his family mem- cape her homeland. She arrived in Canada bers. She was professionally allowed to ask on December 20th, 2015. When she came to party members questions that were submit- know about the CCVT and its holistic ser- ted by the audience with total freedom. vices, she knocked our door and we accept- ed her with all our heart and referred her to During a panel discussion with members of the CCVT mentorship program, as per her

the NDP and the ruling Maoist Party, Bidhya request. When she moved to Mississauga in

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2019, we continued offering her our services panic shattered all my hopes. I lost my tele- through the CCVT Mississauga branch. phone contact with Bidhya. Dr, Funmi had to

postpone her appointment due to the pan- I came to know, with great sadness, that her demic. I arranged a virtual meeting between refugee claim had been rejected and she Bidhya and Dr. Funmi with tremendous diffi- had exhausted all local remedies except ap- culties. It happened on March 30, 2020 at plying to stay in Canada on Humanitarian 1:00 p.m. It was a step forward, but I was and Compassionate (H & C) grounds that is terribly concerned about Bidhya’s protection not an effective remedy. She was desper- vis-à-vis Crona-19. I spent quite some time ately looking for a fresh psychiatric report and provided her with information to that ef- that should have been provided by the fect. I encouraged her to email me if she CCVT in-house psychiatrist Dr. Funmi, be- needed any help or advice. cause the latter had already seen her. It took

me lots of time and efforts to book her an Another great challenge was Bidhya’s finan- appointment, mainly because of unavailabil- cial condition that was deteriorating on a dai- ity of the doctor or the patient. At this time, ly basis and she was not eligible for Employ- Bidhya received the shocking news of her ment Insurance. I provided her with the link only brother’s death in Nepal. She was una- for financial support. Living under awful con- ble to go for his funeral due to her well- dition of abject poverty affected Bidhya’s founded fear of persecution there. The hori- mental health. Dr. Funmi met with Bidhya zon for staying in Canada was blur. This again on April 14th and prescribed medica- made Bidhya extremely sad and emotional, tions. crying most of the time. I paid special atten-

tion to her, providing her with my regular set- Life became so intolerable for Bidhya that she tlement and trauma counselling on the one found all doors closed to her. A gloomy day hand and looking for a remedy on the other. came when my talented client did not have . enough money to cover her living expenses. I doubled my efforts and finally got an ap- This made her so frustrated that she could not point with Dr. Funmi for December 2019. respond to my frequent telephone and email Bidhya visited Dr. Funmi and received her messages. I could not even leave her a tele- psychiatrist report after some time. I also phone message, as she did not have an an- provided her with the CCVT letter of support swering machine. I was also worried about the in January 2020. I tried my best to promote outcome of her H & C application. her coping capacity and encouraged her to work tirelessly towards the success of her I called Bidhya again and she finally answered. case. Bidhya was working at Italian Bakery, I found her in a dire condition, due to the lack and she was very satisfied with her job. of any income and her ineligibility for receiving any assistance. For a long time, she did not As Bidhya’s mental health was important, I have a work permit and it was not until a few requested Dr. Funmi for the continuation of days before the COVID-19 that she received it. treatment. Bidhya visited Dr. Funmi for fol- She had not paid her rent for the 2 months and low up on Monday Jan 20. I gave Bidhya I gave her food bank lists and some resources one bag of the donation packages that made to apply for financial support. They gave her only $70 and she used it for food. I encouraged her very happy. her to continue with her job search and try to

find a job related to her career.

The spread of Covid-19 and its consequent

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The good day came when Bidhya got a job Eduardo Galeano and began working, but she still had to pay $1700 for rent. She was living between hope against War and despair, as her Humanitarian & Com- passionate application was still in process and that made her ineligible for any kind of government assistance. This made my cli- ent so upset that she stopped answering my calls. I helped her to get the special fund from the Ontario Council for Agencies Serv- ing Immigrants (OCASI) and we delivered the money to her house.

After a relatively long and tormenting silence, Bidhya answered my call. I was thrilled by find- ing her happy and learning that she had finally received Personal Support Worker (PSW) Cer- tificate and was working with Erin Meadows Long Term Care. She was so busy at work that she could not talk a lot. She indicated that she had updated Immigration about her current position. Finally, a day came when I called Bidhya and learned that she had been ap- proved to become a Permanent Resident. Tears of joy ran from my eyes when she The celebrated Uruguayan writer, novelist and thanked me for my “patience, understanding human rights advocate, Eduardo Hughes Ga- and ongoing supports” during the awkward leano (1940 - 2015), is the author of masterpiec- time and the great challenges she was endur- es such as Open Veins of Latin America, Memory of Fire Trilogy (1982–1986), The Book of Embrac- ing. I congratulated her from the bottom of my es, and Upside-down. He is among the most emi- heart and wished her a blessed future in Cana- nent literary figures of Latin American. Following da. are some of his reflections against the war:

Bidhya’s approval came, because she sent the Almost all wars, perhaps all, are trade wars application for refugee status based on the fact connected with some material interest. They that she was working in Canada's heath care are always disguised as sacred wars, made sector during Covid-19 (since July 2020) and in the name of God, or civilization or pro- had covered the minimum number of hours. gress. But all of them, or almost all of the She was lucky, as it took her only a month to wars, have been trade wars. complete the whole process including her med- ical examination. She emailed me a copy of Each time a new war is disclosed in the the letter of approval and I assured her of our name of the fight of the good against evil, ongoing support. those who are killed are all poor. It's always the same story repeating once and again and again. Mona Kalil is working with the CCVT as a Set- Most of wars or military coups or invasions tlement and Mental Health Counsellor are done in the name of democracy against

democracy.

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A Reflection: Supporting Separated Refugee Youth

By Leah MacDonald

unaccompanied youth.

When refugee youth arrive in Canada most are bearing the loss of many precious things. Whether it be the loss of family, cul- ture, language, friends, and support net- works. Separated youth leave not by choice but for the protection of their lives. Whether fleeing religious persecution, war, violence, or discrimination, youth leave behind im- portant experiences unfinished, such as re- lationships, completing their education and moving out of the family home, to name a few. The experiences of refugee youth are not just complex but intersecting. Trauma radiates through pre and post migration in- cluding the stressors of moving to a new country and the barriers that are prevalent once they settle in Canada. As well, through migration, there can be exposure to violence and the loss of homes, family, friends, and usual comforts. Following arrival in Canada, an unaccompanied youth may face the chal- lenges of navigating numerous barriers alone such as housing, education, precari- ous immigration status, racism and lan- As the Child and Youth Settlement Counsel- guage. Many of the youth, I have worked lor at CCVT, I have had the privilege of sup- with, have experienced complex traumas porting unaccompanied refugee youth from with symptoms ranging from nightmares, all over the world. At the CCVT, my role in- guilt, loss of appetite, anxiety, depression cludes providing settlement services and and suicidal ideation. At the CCVT, I work to support to children and youth ages 6-29 provide a space where the youth feel validat- years old who have experienced persecu- ed and heard. I listen to their narratives with tion, war and/or genocide. I support the ser- deep empathy and let the youth know that vice-users through their integration process they are not alone. Through a holistic frame- in Canada. The CCVT also works towards work, with other internal supports at the the protection of refugee survivors nationally CCVT, such as the child and youth psychia- and internationally. In this article, I hope to trist, youth are ensured that there is always highlight my experiences supporting a vul- someone to talk to.

nerable and complex population of refugees,

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A big sense of support and hope for many of the youth is communicating with family Rohingya members back home knowing that they will Genocide one day be reunited. However, when com- plications in their country of origin such as in Myanmar war occurs, this can leave youth unable to communicate with their family, thus leading to an increase in existing symptoms and/or an onslaught of new ones. I have had youth The Honourable François-Philippe who have lost total communication with their Champagne family in the middle of a war and youth who Minister of Foreign Affairs th could not locate a sibling in a refugee camp. Lester B. Pearson, Tower A, 10 Floor These are the realities that the CCVT youth 125 Sussex Drive face. We work hard to build the youths resil- Ottawa ON K1A 0G2 iency and maintain hope. 27 January 2020 One major aspect I focus on when support- ing unaccompanied youth is building their Dear honorable Champagne, social supports in Canada. Whether it be connecting with other newcomer youth through youth programs, bonding with a We learned with great pleasure that fol- mentor through CCVT’s youth mentorship lowing two years of extensive investiga- program or connecting with peers through tions, the United Nations International educational programs, volunteering or job Court of Justice (ICJ), on Tuesday 21st of placements. I have found building up the January 2020, ordered the government of youth’s social networks extremely impera- Myanmar (Burma) to take urgent tive to the healing process. There are, of measures in protection of its Rohingya course, challenges that they encounter population from the crime of genocide. through the healing and integration process As is well know to you, the ICJ case such as the difficulty of securing permanent against Myanmar had been filed by the housing, lack of mental health resources, the rigorous and long refugee claim process government of the west African nation and extreme isolation. However, I do my of Gambia following the ethnic cleansing very best as a counsellor to support the of Rohingya community by the Myanmar youth navigate these processes and ensure army's in 2017. This tragic act of geno- they never feel alone. cide forced 740,000 Rohingya to leave everything behind and escape to the My hopes as a child and youth settlement neighbouring country of Bangladesh. In counsellor, are to have specific mental its submission to the this top-most inter- health resources available for refugee chil- national court, the government of Gambia dren and youth, to expedite children and stated that Myanmar's actions against youth refugee hearings, for all levels of gov- the Rohingya population of this country ernment to provide greater funding for refu- gee children and youth specific programs, "include killing, causing serious bodily and for our education systems to be trauma- and mental harm, inflicting conditions that informed and culturally competent. are calculated to bring about physical de- struction, imposing measures to prevent Leah MacDonald is the Child and Youth births are intended to destroy the Rohing- Settlement Counsellor at the Canadian Cen- ya group in whole or in part".

tre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) .

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government of Myanmar. It is up to dem- It is unfortunate that the Nobel Prize lau- ocratic countries like Canada to use their reate Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto moral authorities and other means to- president of Myanmar, attended the ICJ’s wards the implementation of the ICJ’s session denying the crime of genocide in verdict. We expect you, honorable minis- her country and extending her practical ter, to utilize the ICJ’s order in pressuring support to the Myanmar’s military. Fortu- the government of Myanmar to change nately, the ICJ rejected her excuses and its policy of ethnic cleansing against Roh- based its ruling on objective facts. ingya community there. The remaining Rohingya population in Myanmar must The ICJ’s ruling is a breakthrough and a be granted full citizenship and state pro- great moral tection. We victory for expect you to the family work with the of nations, United Na- as it ad- tions High dresses the Commissioner global for Refugees problem of (UNHCR) to- impunity wards repatri- and serves ation of over the ideal of one million justice to Rohingya ref- thousands ugees who of victims live under and survi- awkward con- vors. It is a ditions in thirty very signifi- six camps in cant ruling, Bangladesh. In our opinion, the influential as it is a global confirmation that the neighbouring countries like China and monstrous crimes had been perpetrated India can paly a positive role in convinc- against a totally innocent minority Mos- ing the government of Myanmar to coop- lem community in Myanmar. erate. In the meantime, we appeal to you, honorable minister, to work towards pro- The ICJ’s verdict has promoted the mo- tection and relief of Rohingya’s refugees rale of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in Bangladesh. and has created new hopes for them to be repatriated to their country in peace, Thank you for your consideration and I safety and dignity. We strongly feel that am looking forward to hearing from you. Canada is in a unique position to make With warm regards and in the hope of this genuine aspiration happen. more collaborations in the future.

As is well known to you, honorable minis- Yours sincerely, ter, there is no mechanism within the Mulugeta Abai

ICJ’s system to enforce its ruling on the Executive Director

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Canada and Ukrainian Plane Crash in Iran

The Right honorable Justin Trudeau, ter, for taking positive steps in support P.C., M.P. of Canadian families affected by this Prime Minister of Canada horrible tragedy. Thank you for send- Office of the Prime Minister ing Canadian experts to Iran on a fact Langevin Block, 80 Wellington Street, finding mission and for extending Ca- Ottawa, ON. K1A 0A2 nadian further support for the affected families. We admire your efforts in dis- 13 January 2020 patching consular and immigration of- ficials across Canada to extend their Dear Right Honourable Trudeau, help to the bereaved families. Your personal involvements including at- We, at the Canadian Centre for Vic- tending the vigil in Toronto and memo- tims of Torture (CCVT), were shocked rial services in Edmonton are highly and distressed by the news about the meaningful to each and every Canadi- crash of the Ukraine International Air- an. Availability of a direct line for line, Flight number PS752 on emergency and consular assistance is Wednesday Janu- also a great help to ary 8, 2020. You the bereaved fami- were among the lies. first global leaders who mentioned Mr. Prime Minister, about the possibil- since its inception in ity of a missile at- 1977, the CCVT has tack. As is well served hundreds of known to you, the Iranian clients who right honorable have been denied jus- Prime Minister, af- tice and have experi- ter three days of denial the Iranian enced abhorrent techniques of torture government admitted that its military such as mock executions and rape - forces had “unintentionally” shot down which according to our records is being the Ukrainian jetliner, killing all 176 used as a form of political torture. We aboard, including 57 Canadians. carefully monitor the escalation of vio- lence in Iran and would like to share our

We are proud of you, Mr. Prime Minis- concerns with you. The government’s

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missiles attack against the Ukrainian commercial plane, in our opinion, is a cluding affected families, the manifestation of a deep-rooted tyranny in Ukrainian and Canadian people. Iran that is endangering global peace and Freedom of speech and protest security. We reiterate the content of our with regards to this tragic event letter of January 06, 2020 and appeal to must be guaranteed in Iran. It is you to rely on the moral authority of the unfortunate that the Iranian gov- Canadian society and utilize all unilateral, ernment has already taken bilateral and multilateral means to stop the steps to suppress peaceful present hostilities and bring the long-term demonstrations of people in stability to the Middle Eastern region. connection with this event. The Iranian government must re- In the meantime, we request that you spect its obligations under inter- continue with your good efforts and work national human rights instru- towards the following objectives with re- ments and guarantees that it gards to the shooting down of Ukrainian would prevent similar tragedies plane in Iran: in the future. It is of utmost significance that your Please utilize all possible means esteemed government provide and pressure the Iranian gov- full support to agencies such as ernment to accept full investiga- the CCVT in facilitating debrief- tions by an independent interna- ing sessions for the affected tional team with the involvement families, the Iranian community of Canada, Ukraine and other and the community at large. countries. We agree with you, Mr. Prime Min- We wish you the best of luck in your great ister, that the Iranian regime endeavours, beloved Prime Minister, and must accept full responsibility assure you of the continuation of our col- for shooting down the plane. laboration in the future. We will be pleased Justice must be served; perpe- to offer our expertise, specifically with re- trators must be prosecuted. This gards to providing mental health support to may need the intervention of an the affected families and debriefing ses- international judicial team. sions for the Canadian people. We also Affected families must fully be look forward to working with you on global compensated financially. Finan- peace and human rights both in Canada cial compensation should be ex- and overseas. tended to Ukrainian government for its irreparable damage. With best wishes and in the hope of more The bereaved families in Iran must co-operations in future, be given full freedom to organ- ize mourning services in their Yours sincerely, own traditions. The Iranian government must pub- licly and unequivocally apolo- Mulugeta Abai

gize to all parties concerned in- Executive Director

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After-effects of Armed Conflict Between Azerbaijan and Armenia

The Honourable François-Philippe this six-week armed conflict. Report Champagne about blatant violation of the International Minister of Foreign Affairs Humanitarian Law is based on the AI’s Lester B. Pearson, Tower A, 10th Floor verification of 22 videos depicting extraju- 125 Sussex Drive dicial executions, the ill-treatment of pris- Ottawa ON K1A 0G2 oners of war, the decapitation of captives and the desecration of the corpses of February 9, 2021 hostile forces.

Dear Honourable Champagne, Based on the reports of the Human Rights Watch, Azerbaijan and Armenia We at the Canadian Centre for Victims hold scores of Prisoners of War (POWs), of Torture (CCVT) are highly concerned who live under awful conditions including about the aftermath of the armed conflict lack of safety, forced confession, physical between Azerbaijan and Armenia. As is abuse and constant humiliation. The Hu- well known to you, the Turkish-back of- man Rights Watch has reported about fensive of the Azerbaijani army against the Armenian POWs being subjected to Armenian-supported forces in the Nagor- torture and other cruel, inhuman or de- no-Karabakh region erupted on Septem- grading treatment by the Azerbaijani mili- ber 27, 2020. The fighting ended on No- tary forces. The videos received by this vember 9, 2020, with a joint statement of prestigious human rights agency show Armenia, Azerbaijan and . It was “Azerbaijani captors variously slapping, followed by a trilateral ceasefire agree- kicking, and prodding Armenian POWs, ment signed between these countries and compelling them, under obvious du- (November 10., 2020) and the deploy- ress and with the apparent intent to hu- ment of several thousand Russian miliate, to kiss the Azerbaijani flag, praise peacekeeping forces to the border are- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, swear as. The war resulted in thousands of at Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pash- casualties and a deep humanitarian cri- inyan, and declare that Nagorno- sis with over 100,000 displaced Armeni- Karabakh is Azerbaijan.” ans. They are living an awkward life of displacement in the middle of a global The maltreatment of POWs and other pandemic and a severe winter condition. captives is strictly prohibited under Inter- national Humanitarian Law (IHL) and arti- According to the Amnesty International cle 8 of the Rome Statute for Internation- (AI), both Azerbaijani and Armenian mili- al Criminal Court. According to Article 13

tary forces committed war crimes during

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of the Geneva Convention III, relative to turned to their families according the Treatment of Prisoners of War: to the article 8 of the tripartite “Prisoners of war must at all times be hu- agreement that calls for the manely treated. Any unlawful act or omis- “exchange of prisoners of war, sion by the Detaining Power causing hostages and other detainees as death or seriously endangering the health well as the remains of the fatali- of a prisoner of war in its custody is pro- ties.” hibited, and will be regarded as a serious The governments of Azerbaijan and breach of the present Convention.” Armenia must be urged to allow external and independent investi- We, at the CCVT, are highly concerned gations, preferably from the Office about the precarious ceasefire in Nagor- of the UN Human Rights Commis- no-Karabakh. We urge the Canadian sioner, about the violation of inter- government to utilize all bilateral, regional national law by their military forc- and multilateral means with regards to es. Authorities of the belligerent the aftermath of this conflict and work to- countries must identify and prose- wards a durable peace, respect for inter- cute all those responsible for viola- national human rights instruments, hu- tion of International Humanitarian manitarian relief, immediate release of Law, including commanders who POWs and an end to impunity. The out- ordered or consented to these hei- break of a new war will produce more nous crimes. casualties, more displacements, more The governments of Armenia and destruction, more poverty, more depriva- Azerbaijan must engage in an on- tion and all sorts of epidemic diseases. going dialogue about durable We specifically demand the following peace, security of people, stability measures by your esteemed govern- of the region and prosperity of ment: people based on mutual coopera- Please call upon all relevant actors to tion. provide full access for humanitari- an relief to reach the civilian popu- Canada has a history of accepting the lation in the affected areas. There greatest challenges in global human is a need for collaboration with the rights leadership. We expect your gov- United Nations entities to provide ernment to protect Canadian values and assistance to war-affected survi- play a leading role in bringing an ever- vors. lasting peace in this sensitive region of Torture and other cruel, inhuman or the world. degrading treatment or punish- ment against the POWs and other With best wishes and in the hope of more captives must immediately be co-operations in the future, stopped and they must be protect- ed according to the international Yours sincerely, humanitarian and human rights instruments. Mulugeta Abai POWs and other captives must imme- Executive Director

diately be released and be re-

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Journalists at Risk

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., in Northern Tigray, journalists have faced sys- M.P. tematic detention, widespread threats and in- Prime Minister of Canada timidation – and even physical attacks, torture, Office of the Prime Minister risk of life and house being ransacked. Langevin Block, 80 Wellington Street, Journalists face physical, psychological, judicial Ottawa, ON. K1A 0A2 and economic threats at the hands of state ac- tors and politicians in the course of exercising February 20, 2021 their professional job. Despite all these difficul- ties, journalists continue doing their job with Dear Right Honourable Trudeau, heroic resiliency and dedication in hostile envi- ronments. History will remember the corona- We at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture virus campaign through reports by journalists (CCVT) are highly concerned about the safety across the world, many of whom are putting and security of writers, artists, journalists, human their health and even their lives at risk in order rights supporters and relief workers around the to cover the pandemic from the frontlines. globe. We strongly believe that with her brilliant Once again, we, at the Canadian Centre for record as a global human rights leader and with Victims of Torture, appeal to you, the right hon- her longstanding position as a peace-loving orable Prime Minister of Canada, to utilize all country and supporter of the civil and political possible means to: rights, Canada is in a unique position to contrib- Ensure the safety and security of journal- ute towards protection of this category of intellec- ists around the world in a way that they tual and vulnerable section of our human family. can continue with their professional We are particularly concerned about journalists, missions in a peaceful atmosphere. who are at great risk and have been remained Take effective measures to protect the unprotected around the world. They are at risk, safety of journalists at risk and release because they oppose human rights violations, those who languish in jails and deten- expose corruption, cover conflicts and report tion centers. about injustice and violence. We appeal to you Address the impunity of perpetrators and to rely on the moral authority of the Canadian prosecute those responsible for mur- society and utilize all unilateral, bilateral and mul- der, disappearance and imprisonment tilateral means to protect them on the one hand of journalists. and provide them with a safe refuge in Canada Create a favorable environment for free, on the other. independent and diverse media at the We are disturbed by the recent report of the Ca- global level in line with provisions of the nadian Journalists for Free Expression about Universal Declaration of Human Right the brutal murder of more than fifty journalists and the International Covenant on Civil across the world in 2019. Scores of others and Political Rights. have experienced imprisonment, severe torture We strongly support the suggestion of the and disappearace without a trace. There are Canadian Journalists for Free Expres- quite a few journalists who have escaped their sion that the Canadian government countries of origin looking for protection. Over adopts a fast-track program for the re- the past 10 years, a journalist or media worker settlement of “Journalists at Risk,” in- has been killed every four days. In Ethiopia, for cluding those who are unable to leave

instance, before and after the outbreak of War their countries of origin seeking protec-

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tion in a third country. By establishing the “Journalists at Risk” cate- Resettlement of Tig- gory within the Canadian refugee protection program, Canada will set an example for other rayan Refugees democratic countries to come up with similar programs in protection of journalists at risk. I assure you, Mr. Prime Minister, that the Cana- dian Centre for Victims of Torture will extend its deep-rooted expertise in addressing the The Right honorable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. settlement, resettlement and integration needs Prime Minister of Canada of this category of refugees as well as their Office of the Prime Minister past traumas and mental health issues. Langevin Block, 80 Wellington Street, Ottawa, ON. K1A 0A2 As you may be aware, the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) is the first of its kind April 14, 2021 to be established in North America and the sec- ond oldest in the world. We are called upon by Dear Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, other agencies, locally and internationally, to share our expertise with them on a regular ba- We, at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture sis. Last year alone, we provided our holistic (CCVT), along with hundreds of sister agencies services to 2816 survivors of torture, genocide, across the globe, are highly concerned about the war and crimes against humanity coming from aggravating humanitarian crisis resulting from the 94 countries including 1669 women, 1142 men occupation of Tigray region by the Ethiopian and and 5 transgender (76.84% adults, 12.53% Eritrean forces. Heavy casualties and destruc- tion, mass displacement of 100,000 people from youth, 6.64% seniors and 4% children). CCVT Tigray, 65,000 Tigrayan refugees in Sudan: this is aids torture survivors to overcome the lasting the sheer balance sheet of the war. effects of torture and war. Working with the We are extremely concerned about the awkward community, the Centre supports survivors in the condition of refugees and internally displaced ci- process of successful integration into Canadian vilians who have fled war-ravaged areas trying to society and raises awareness of the continuing live in overcrowded camps facing the risks of effects of torture and war on survivors and their starvation, extermination, rape and sexual vio- families. lence. They continue to face acute shortages of food, drinking water, fuel, shelter, and sanitation. Canada has a history of accepting the great- Children suffer from flashbacks and frequent est challenges in global human rights leader- nightmares about dead bodies. Families have ship. We expect your government to protect been torn apart by the conflict. Hundreds of refu- Canadian values and play a leading role in gees have lost contact with their loved ones. Situ- protection of journalists at risk. Please help us ation is not much better for internally displaced to continue adhering to these basic principles people. The Ethiopian government has restricted that make Canada admired and respected. their access to essential humanitarian relief sup- plies. This widespread disaster has resulted in With best wishes and in the hope of more co- the tragic death of hundreds of refugees and dis- operations in the future, placed civilians.

The Tigrayan refugees and displaced people suf- Yours sincerely, fer from the risk of life and security on a daily ba- sis. The sinister process of full intimidation is at work, as the Ethiopian police is active in targeting ethic Tigrayans for reprisal all over the country. Mulugeta Abai We have received authentic reports about the

Executive Director Ethiopian and Eritrean armies, along with para-

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military forces, penetrating camps killing, looting and raping vulnerable population. They have sys- people. The process of resettlement for those tematically perpetrated the heinous crimes of with family connections in Canada should be rape and sexual violence in Tigray regions and expedited. The CCVT will be pleased to contrib- the camps. ute towards this great task.

Mr. Prime Minister, Canada is respected all over Mr. Prime Minister, we also request you to ask the globe for her brilliant history of refugee pro- the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank tection. In the spring of 1999, Canada initiated and other international financial corporations as the program of resettlement of 5,000 Kosovar well as friendly countries like the USA to stop refugees, as part of an international emergency granting loans and financial assistance to the evacuation organized by the United Nations. Ethiopian government until and unless it takes Your own announcement, Mr. Prime Minister, effective measures for peace, the protection and about the resettlement of the Syrian and Iraqi relief of refugees and displaced civilians as well refugees in Canada was praised all over the as repatriation of Tigrayan refugees under inter- world. Your es- national supervi- teemed government sion. We also resettled more than More than 65000 Tigrayan refugees live in Sudan appeal to you, 25,000 Syrian refu- Mr. Prime Minis- gees between No- ter, to contribute vember 2015 and to the internation- February 29, 2016 al efforts in find- and the program ing a political so- continued through- lution based on out 2016. In both full rights for all cases, the Canadi- Ethiopian citi- an Centre for Vic- zens. tims of Torture Mr. Prime Min- (CCVT) collaborat- ster, please act ed with the govern- before it is too ment towards effec- late. The Canadi- tive settlement and an Centre for Vic- resettlement of tims of Torture (CCVT) along with many other these highly vulnerable refugees, addressing agencies in Canada are willing to help you in ad- their mental health problems as well. dressing the present crisis in Ethiopia and in find-

ing a durable solution. I am sure you agree with me Mr. Prime Minister,

that there is an urgent need for the resettlement Canada has accepted the greatest challenges in of most venerable sections of Tigrayan refugees global human rights leadership. We expect your and displaced people in Canada, specifically re- government to protect Canadian values and play settlement of women and children at risk plus a leading role in resettlement of uprooted Ethio- those with family connections in this great coun- pians and finding an effective solution for the try. present humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia. Please help us to continue adhering to the basic Mr. Prime Minister! Canada is respected all over principles that make Canada admired and re- the world as a global human rights leader and as a spected. prestigious peace-loving nation. We are, therefore, in a unique position to contribute towards ameliora- With best wishes and in the hope of more co- tion of the appalling conditions of refugees and operations in the future, displaced people in Ethiopia. We urgently appeal to you to collaborate with the United Nations High Yours sincerely, Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) towards immediate resettlement of the most vulnerable Mulugeta Abai

sections of Ethiopian refugees and displaced Executive Director

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The Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Mili- tary Sexual Slavery By Ezat Mossallanejad

The horrific bombardments of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 remain in the collective memory of the Japa- As was mentioned earlier, at the end of the World War nese people who have received global sympathy as II, the Allied Forces established the International Mili- victims of war. However, Japan’s colonial history is tary Tribunal for the Far East, in which many Japanese largely disregarded and there is little talk about Japa- military and political leaders were found guilty of nese occupation of large parts of Asia and the Pacific crimes against humanity and other war related crimes. Islands from the 1930s through to the end of World This tribunal, unfortunately, suffered from gender blind- War II. ness and never addressed the crimes of sexual slavery It wasn’t until the year 1990, when this colonial against the so-called “comfort women”. As far as Ja- memory was vividly revived and a handful of women pan is concerned, there has hardly existed the tradition started talking about their experiences as “comfort of prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes, genocide women” after decades of silence. These “comfort and crimes again humanity there. The international women” or “Ianfu” were forced into sexual servitude to community perceived wartime rape as an inevitable Japanese Imperial Armed Forces before and during consequence of hostilities and, therefore, hardly raised the World War II. Although estimates vary, a number its voice. of historians estimate that around 200,000 women experienced sexual slavery in 2000 comfort stations. As over 80 per cent of the ‘comfort women’ were Kore- They were from 19 countries including Korea, China, an, the issue was initially addressed by the Korean the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Council for the Women that had been founded in 1990. the Dutch East Indies, Indonesia, and Japan. Girls, as The Council publicized the plight of “comfort women” young as 12, were taken from their homes through through demonstrations, TV programs and by taking coercion, intimidation and deception. Most came from the issue to the United Nations and various internation- poor rural backgrounds. As a result of multiple rapes, al women’s conferences. The council successfully or- many of the women were later unable to bear children ganized regular Wednesday Demonstrations. It lobbied and were never able to marry. the Korean government and asked the Japanese gov- Scholars and women human rights activists have con- ernment for the public admission of the crime, an offi- sidered this institutionalized system of enforced prosti- cial apology, a serious fact-finding attempt, building tution by the Japanese government and military as, monuments for victims, compensation and re-rewriting “unprecedented in its cruelty and magnitude included the history. In August 1991, the Korean human rights gang rapes, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual activist and survivor of Japanese sexual slavery, Ms. violence resulting in mutilation, death, or eventual sui- Kim Hak-sun, broke the silence and publicized her cide in one of the largest cases of human trafficking in horrified experiences. In December 1991, she filed a the 20th century.” (Hata, I., 2018, p. 231) class-action lawsuit against the Japanese government The Japanese Imperial Armed Forces justified this with a court in Tokyo along with two other Korean barbaric controlled system by claiming that it reduced “comfort women”. This was followed by eight more law- the number of rapes in areas where its forces were suits. Women survivors became frustrated, as all their stationed; that it prevented sexually transmitted dis- attempts did not bring them justice. eases; that it countered the threat of espionage and provided a recreation facility for soldiers; that sex The endeavors were not totally in vain, as the Japa- would improve soldiers’ morale and relieve them of nese government acknowledged “moral responsibility” “combat stress”. The celebrated Japanese historian in 1993 and made several formal and informal apolo- and a founding member of the Center for Research gies. In 1995, it established the semi-official Asian and Documentation on Japan's War Responsibility, Women’s Fund to distribute “atonement money”, made Professor Yoshimi Yoshiaki, is one of the first scholars up of private donations rather than government fund- who unearthed documentary evidence proving the role ing. With all intents and purposes, this charity fund was of the Japanese government and military in creating a gesture by the Japanese authorities to conceal the this sinister human tragedy: “The observation that state’s legal obligations. In the meantime, Japan con- there were commanders who silently condoned rape, tinued to deny legal responsibility arguing that the considering it good for ‘building troop moral’; that the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty and other bilateral vast majority of military leaders did not intervene; and agreements had protected it from any kind of legal that commissioned officers took the lead in going to commitment. comfort stations are bitter indications of the conditions of the time. The fact that military comfort stations were At this time, struggle of “comfort women” got a new not effective in preventing rapes is clearly demonstrat- momentum and the Japanese women activists showed

ed.” (Yoshiaki. Y., 1893, .68) their solidarity with other survivors. Korean and Japa-

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nese feminists rallied together and mobilized others to go beyond a narrow national approach. They viewed During the tribunal, “four judges from four countries, the problem with an international human rights per- eight prosecuting teams from eight regions, three con- spective learning from the experience of Bertrand Rus- veners from three countries, and members of support- sell of 1966-67. The broader crime of sexual violence ing NGOs from all over the world, also showed the had already been addressed by various international ‘international solidarity’ of people behind the Tribu- tribunals and the Rome Statute for International Crimi- nal.” (Rumi, 2001, p. 50) An interesting point was that nal Court, was adopted in July 1998. both South and North Korea collaborated as a united team for the prosecution. (Kratoska, P.H., 2006, p. 319) At this point, I would like to commemorate an eloquent The tribunal heard testimonies from 64 survivors of the Japanese woman who played a major role in seeking “comfort women” system from China, South and North justice for “comfort women”. Matsui Yayori (1934-2002) Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia as well was a Japanese journalist, author of several books as one Dutch survivor and a woman from East Timor. and a brilliant activist for the human rights of women. In Four Japanese scholars, a researcher from Nether- 1977, she founded the Asian Women Association with lands and an activist form former Yugoslavia spoke at the goal of strengthening solidarity between Japanese the tribunal and provided insights about Emperor’s re- women and women in the rest of Asia. In 1981, while sponsibilities. (Szczepanska, K., 2014). Eight regional working as a reporter in Singapore, she met some teams of prosecutors presented cases on behalf of the “comfort women” who shared their hair-raising stories victims. The tribunal also took testimonies from two with her. She shared their stories with the participants former soldiers, Kaneko Yasuji (b. 1920) and Suzuki at the New York 1988 Conference on International Yoshio (b. 1920). Three Japanese lawyers acted as Trafficking in Women. (Theodore de Bary, Wm., 2008, amici curiae (independent advisers) and elaborated on pp. 901-3) In 1998, Matsui contributed towards the the position of the Japanese government who had re- establishment of Japanese branch of Violence Against fused to participate in the tribunal. (https:// Women in War Network (VAWW-NET). journals.openedition.org/cliowgh/508#tocto2n5)

The goal of VAWW-NET-Japan was “the protection of The tribunal found Emperor and the other 9 defendants women from violence, especially sexual violence.” The guilty of war crimes and crime against humanity. first aim was “promoting the cause of ‘comfort women’ (Johns, F, Joyce, R. & Pahuja, S., 2011, p. 151) It siding with other movements, Japanese and other- found General Iwane Matsui guilty of facilitating the wise.” (Dian, 2017, M, p. 97). It was this prestigious system of women’s sexual slavery. It should be noted agency that mobilized women’s groups across the that Matsui was the commander of the expeditionary globe towards the organization of an international tribu- force that was sent to China in 1937. He was convicted nal against the Japanese government. of war crimes by the Tokyo Tribunal and had been exe- cuted in 1948. His post mortem condemnation was in The Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on fact the condemnation of the Japanese army, as the Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery (WIWCT) was held in verdict against the Emperor spoke to the responsibility in the main auditorium of Kudan Kaikan Hall in Tokyo of the Japanese state. Moreover, the verdict against for four days December 8-12, 2000 with an active me- the Emperor was of great symbolic significance be- dia presence and a Japanese and international audi- cause “it highlighted the indelible link between the Em- ence of more than 1300 people each day. The Tribunal peror’s impunity from prosecution and that of the Japa- took place after two and a half years of intense prepar- nese government and high-ranking Japanese offi- atory work including finalizing the tribunal’s charter. cials.” (Savery, L., 2007, p. 176) Besides, it challenged the myth about divine origin of the emperor and the The tribunal was presided over by Gabrielle McDonald, taboo of his infallibility. the American jurist and former head of the International War Crimes Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). On December 4th 2001, the tribunal released its 200- Patricia Viseur-Sellers (Legal Adviser for Gender- page verdict in Hague. Following are the last two para- Related Crimes in the Office of the Prosecutor for the graphs of the final judgement: ITCY and the Rwanda Tribunal) acted as chief prose- “The Crimes committed against these survivors remain cutor. Other prominent members of the tribunal were one of the greatest unacknowledged and unremedied as follows: Carmen Argibay, member of the Supreme injustices of the Second World War. There are no mu- Court of Argentina and President of the International seums, no graves for the unknown "comfort woman", Association of Women Judges; Christine Chinkin, Pro- no education of future generations, and there have fessor of International Law in London and participant in been no judgement days for the victims of Japan's mili- many UN Observer Missions; and Willy Mu- tary sexual slavery and the rampant sexual violence tunga, president of the Kenyan Bar Association and of and brutality that characterized its aggressive war.

the Human Rights Commission. (https:// “Accordingly, through this Judgment, this Tribunal in-

journals.openedition.org/cliowgh/508#tocto2n5)

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tends to honor all the women victimized by Japan's mili- of the civil society. tary sexual slavery system. The Judges recognize the great fortitude and dignity of the survivors who have More than twenty years have passed since the verdict of toiled to survive and reconstruct their shattered lives WIWCT. The government of Japan has failed to respect its and who have faced down fear and shame to tell their judgement and recommendations. In March 2007, the then stories to the world and testify before us. Many of the Prime Minster of Japan, Shinzo Abe, outraged former “comfort women who have come forward to fight for justice have women” and the international community by saying that "there died unsung heroes. While the names inscribed in histo- was no evidence to prove there was coercion as initially sug- ry's page have been, at best, those of the men who gested.” (As quoted in DiFilippo, A., 2012, p. 208) This type of continuing denial from the Japanese government not only commit the crimes or who prosecute them, rather than deepens the wounds of former “comfort women” but also fur- the women who suffer them, this Judgement bears the thers the lack of accountability. Now most survivors are over names of the survivors who took the stand to tell their 90 years old. They do not have much time left to heal. Denial stories, and thereby, for four days at least, put wrong on as such is an insult to their dignity and harmful to their healing. the scaffold and truth on the throne.” (As quoted in Rid- Despite Japanese government’s ineffective actions, the tribu- dle, R.I., 2010, pp. 19-20) nal’s legacy contributed to the resolution of an unresolved Following are the main demands and recommendations historical problem. It has, for sure, strengthened feminist of the WIWCT: movements all over the globe. There has been plenty of civil Japan should respect its moral and legal responsi- society initiatives with regards to the issue since the release of bilities and, thereby, offer apology, compensa- the tribunal’s verdicts in 2001. The VAWW NET has published tion and reparation to the survivors; books, videos and pamphlets to that effect. In May 2002, the organizers of the tribunal along with VAWW NET activists The Japanese government must establish a mech- organized a solidarity conference in which they urged the anism for further investigation of the crimes Japanese authorities to implement the recommendation of the and the punishment of the perpetrators; WIWCT. As a result of a tireless efforts of the feminist and civil The government must contribute towards the es- society groups, the Women’s Active Museum on War and tablishment of a memorial, museum and li- Peace was built in Tokyo in 2005 and the 1992 House of brary, to the honor of victims and survivors; Sharing was expanded in Seoul in 2017. The organizers of Japanese public must be educated about the reality WIWCT rallied together in an international symposium in De- of the “comfort women’ and the role of the Jap- cember 2010 and evaluated the outcome of the tribunal. De- spite all these achievements, there is a long spiral way to- anese army and the government; wards restoring the rights and dignity of so called “comfort As the tribunal lacked any kind of enforcement au- women” due to the prevalence of racism, sexism and xeno- thority, it called upon the United Nations and phobia in Japanese society and elsewhere. all countries to push the Japanese government to respect its legal and moral obligations to- References wards victims and survivors. Dian, M. (2017). Contested Memories in Chinese and Japa- nese Foreign Policy. Cambridge MA: Elsevier (CP Chandos The tribunal went beyond the demand for apology, reparation Publishing. and compensation to urge for the punishment that is typical of DiFilippo, A. (2012). US-Japan-North Korea Security Rela- a feminist approach, viewing sexual slavery as a legal crime tions: Irrepressible Interests. New York: Routledge. that must be punished with no statute of limitation. Punishment Hata, I., Morgan, J.M. (Trans.). (2018). Comfort Women and is instrumental in healing the survivors by promoting their cop- Sex in the Battle Zone. Lanham: The Rowman & Littlefield ing capacity and challenging the problem of their internaliza- Publishing Group Inc. tion. It helps restoring their stolen dignity, sensitizing the socie- Johns, F, Joyce, R. & Pahuja, S. (Eds.). (2011). The Force of ty in providing support and deterring similar crimes in the fu- International Law. Oxen: Routledge.\ ture. Besides, the call for punishment should also be regarded Kratoska, P.H. (Ed.). (2006). Asian Labour in a Wartime Japa- as a means of challenging the prevailing apathy of Japanese nese Empire. Singapore: Singapore University Press. people and the collective forgetfulness of the new generation. Riddle, R.I. (2010). Positive Harmlessness in Practice: The tribunal made a strong focus on the Japanese govern- Enough for Us All, Volume Two. Bloomington: Author House. ment’s legal responsibility rather that its thus called moral obli- Sakamoto, R. (June 2001). The Women’s International War gations. Therefore, state funds should be replaced with the Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery: A Legal Asian Women’s Fund, as a means of reparation and recovery and Feminist Approach to the ‘Comfort Women’ Issue, New of survivors. Zealand Journal of Asian Studies. 3, 1: 49-58. The tribunal raised the voices of the voiceless women, made a Savery, L. (2007). Engendering the State: The International strong unity among survivors and their supporter and consoli- Diffusion of Women's Human Rights. New York: Routledge. dated the global solidarity of women’s movements for emanci- Szczepanska, K. (2014). The Politics of War Memory in Ja- pation. The tribunal made frequent references about the pan: Progressive Civil Society Groups and Contestation of ‘voices of global civil society’, the discourse of ‘international Memory of the Asia-Pacific War. Oxen: Routledge. common sense’, ‘international justice’ and Japan’s accountabil- Theodore de Bary, Wm. (2008). Sources of East Asian Tradi- ity to the ‘peoples of the world.’ (Sakamoto, R, 2001 p. 56) tions, Volume 2: The Modern Period. New York: Columbia The Tribunal contributed to the further development of the University Press. international humanitarian law and the rights of individuals to Yoshiaki. Y. (Trs: O’Brien. S). (1893). Comfort Women: Sexu- seek justice in international bodies. It introduced a new ap- al Slavery in the Japanese Military During World War II. Co-

proach to the rules of morality and it led to the empowerment lumbia University Press.

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CCVT Programs and Services

1. Mental Health  Escorting and Interpreting for survivors at  Counselling different appointments (medical, legal, social).  Individual and Group Therapy, Mutual Sup- 5. Public Education port Groups  responds to numerous requests for information,  Crisis Intervention: suicide attempts, break- assistance and consultations on torture and the downs, family problems, etc. effects of torture as well as regularly producing  Art Therapy resource materials  Coordinated Professional Services: doctors, 6. Refugees in Limbo lawyers, social service workers provide treat-  Providing services to refugees in limbo that in- ment, documentation and legal support. clude counselling, assisting in sponsorships, fam- 2. Settlement Services ily reunification and other immigration-related  Includes information/orientation, interpretation/ issues. translation, counselling, employment-related 7. Language Instruction and Training issues, and referrals to resources relating to the  LINC/ESL classes specially designed to address economic, social, cultural, educational and rec- the needs and realities of the survivor of torture reational facilities that could contribute to the (concentration, memory, depression, triggers) initial settlement of the client.  Computer training: basic and intermediate levels 3. Children/Youth Program: 8. International Projects: CCVT is associated  Intake/assessment, settlement services, mental with a coalition of Centres, which support victims health services and recreational and empower- of violence, repression and torture, in exile or in ment activities that incorporate conflict resolu- their own countries. tion, mentoring, homework club, mentorship, 9. Legal Support: CCVT has provided expert peer support and story-telling. testimony and interventions in Federal and Su- 4. Community Engagement preme Court of Canada in cases involving refugee  Befriending to assist survivors in rebuilding issues. We have addressed legal problems of our their connections to others as well as to the clients through our legal committee and network. greater community. 10. Human Trafficking: CCVT has expanded its  ESL Tutoring and Conversation Circles to mandate to provide its holistic supports to victims help students learn and practice their English. of human trafficking.

Any comments or thoughts about First Light? We warmly welcome letters to the editor!

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and we’ll do our best to publish them in the next issue. We reserve the right to shorten any letters

due to space requirements.

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Refugees and the Emotional Trauma of their Children “A person can only be bornBy Fatanehin Naghavione place. However, he may die sever- al times elsewhere: in the exiles and prisons, and in a homeland transformed by the occupation and oppression into a night- mare.”

Mahmoud Darwish

(1941-2008)

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