Category: News

{{On 10 July 2012, a Sudanese Judge Imad Shamoun sentenced Laila Ibrahim Issa Jamool, 23, to death by stoning for adultery at Al-Nasir Criminal Court under Article 146 of the Sudanese Penal Code 1991.}}

Jamool is allegedly detained, shackled at the ankles with her six-month old baby at her side.

Her child is reportedly in poor health and the distressed mother in need of psycho-social support.

This is the second case of its kind this year. In April, Intisar Sharif Abdullah confessed to adultery after being beaten by her own brother and was sentenced to death by stoning.

However, in both cases the women did not have access to a lawyer and were nursing children of breast feeding age, which is illegal under Sudanese and international law.

Article 36(3) of the 2005 Interim Constitution of Sudan states: ‘No death penalty shall be executed upon pregnant or lactating women, save after two years of lactation.’

Mrs. Abdullah was eventually released after an appeal with the retrial court finding a “lack of evidence” against her.

Responding to Jamool’s sentence SIHA – the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa – issued a statement demanding her immediate and unconditional release and the end to the criminalisation of women for adultery in Sudan.

The group asked the Ministry of Justice and other relevant institutions to investigate and overturn the judgment.

SIHA’s statement outlined that the case was “problematic” under both Sudanese and international law, calling on the “human rights community, The African Union, The Arab League, and United Nations and to oppose this practice and leverage its influence to prevent this act of brutality.”

Under the United Nations Convention on Torture (1984) stoning is classed as cruel, inhuman and degrading. International human rights legislation that Sudan has signed prohibits stoning as a method of execution, according to SIHA’s statement.

Critically, the human rights group said, “this has been taking place in absence of legal representation for Jamool and after only three court sessions, inclusive of a referral to a higher court than that of first instance, Jamool was sentenced to death by stoning.”

Sudan is one of the few countries which retains the death penalty for adultery. However, its application has not been recorded in recent years.

Many of Sudan’s Public Order Laws (based on the government’s interpretation of Islamic Shari’a Law) are inconsistently applied.

President Omar al-Bashir said recently that Sudan’s new constitution would be “100% Islamic” following the secession of the largely Christian South of the country last year.

The legal procedures in Mrs. Jamool’s case, SIHA said, are in clear violation of due process and Sudan’s interim constitution:
Article 34 (6) states that:

“any accused person has the right to defend himself/herself in person or through a lawyer of his/her own choice and to have legal aid assigned to him/her by the State where he/she is unable to defend himself/herself in serious offences,”

SIHA also observe that Article 135 of Sudan’s Criminal procedure code has been violated.

This stipulates that defendants are entitled to legal representation in criminal cases carrying a sentence of 10 years or more, imprisonment, amputation or death.

Jamool married her husband in 2008 but after 18 months she returned to her family and they have been estranged ever since. For over a year they have been going through divorce procedures.

However, when she gave birth to a child six months ago her husband launched adultery charges – known as Zina in Islamic Shari’a Law – against her and filed a case for her to be returned to his home.

Jamool’s husband has also asked her family to return some or all of the the dowry he paid them as part of traditional Sudanese wedding procedures four years ago.

SIHA’s Director, Hala Alkarib, said her organisation “condemns all forms of corporal punishment”, especially those involving the criminalisation of personal behaviour.

“The victimization of women as the result of complex socio-economic and cultural relationships must be stopped and Sudan must urgently adopt measure and laws that protect and respect the dignity and the human rights of Sudanese women”.

“The criminalization of Sudanese women within the current legal framework subjects women to systematic and severe forms of violence and ultimately undermines their humanity and that of the society at large.”

{{The Government of Ethiopian has directed the confiscation of all copies of Feteh newspaper accused of publishing details of the health of ailing President Meles Zenawi.}}

Feteh is a privately owned weekly newspaper. It has been ordered to stop publishing stories on President Zenawi’s ill health saying it would jeopadise National security.

According to newspaper’s Chief Editor, the government confiscated the 30,000 copies for the last weekend’s edition.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Ethiopian government to reverse its decision.

“Confiscation on Feteh’s latest issue illustrates the depth of repression in Ethiopia today, and authorities’ determination to suppress independent coverage of the prime minister,” CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes said.

Speculation over Zenawi’s health grew after he failed to attend the African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa last week for the first time since he came into power in 1991.

The Ethiopian government recently dismissed reports claiming that Zenawi was critically ill. Governement officials say he was on sick leave and will soon be returning to office.

According to CPJ, the paper had prepared articles citing reports from the BBC and the exiled opposition group, Ethiopian National Transitional Council.

However, the state owned printing company, Birhanena Selam, told Feteh early on Sunday morning that the government had ordered that week’s edition of the paper to be blocked.

{{Rwanda National Police in partnership with Rwanda defense Forces, Rubavu District authorities and Unit club, have built twenty houses for orphans.}}

The activity is one of several others that Rwanda National Police actively participates in to ensure welfare of Rwandans particularly the most vulnerable ones.

The project is set to accommodate 63 orphans from Noel orphanage. Founded by Monsieur Alloys Bigirumwami, Noel de Nyundo orphanage opened its doors back in 1954. It currently accommodates and cares for about 553 orphans.

According to the orphanage source, 63 out of the 553 orphans don’t have families and still some of them say they have no idea of their family background.

One of the officials from the orphanage said that, the 63 orphans who are set to benefit from the project have attained the age of eighteen.

Chief Superintendent JB Seminega, the western Regional Police Commander, commended other partners for joining security organs in the activity of helping the vulnerable children have good houses.

Referring it to as a benevolent activity, Seminega observed that, such examples should be emulated by residents in other areas of the country.

He reminded that orphans have the same rights just like anyone else. “We have therefore to get close to them and support them,” Seminega said.

Other speakers at the event also lauded the collective activity towards welfare of the needy children. They (speakers) pointed out to a need for such home grown solution approach to be embraced by citizens even in other areas of the country.

Source: RNP

{{Eujene Barikana, the Director General in the office of the Prime Minister has urged Ministries and Public institutions in the country that mismanaged public funds to borrow funds management lessons from institutions that were considered clean in the Auditor General’s report.}}

Barikana offered the advise during a meeting of directors of finance and administration (DAFs) from different ministries and public agencies.

The meeting was aimed at assessing mistakes made in the management of public funds in the institutions, and coming up with solutions to address those irregularities.

“If there are ministries with clean audit reports, why can’t other institutions have the same?”

He added, “We summoned you to a meeting, so that those institutions which did well can teach those institutions (on good management of funds practices).

We are talking about Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Natural Resources. We want to see at least in the next audit report some progress”.

The 2010-2011 Auditor General’s report revealed that Frw 627 Million was embezzled, while about Frw 590 Billion have no accompanying documents showing how they were spent and over Frw11Billion was taken out of government coffers contrary to the law.

Lack of efficient handover process among staff, and poor archiving have been cited as major causes of mismanagement of funds.

{{Police is holding a man in connection with the murder of his own brother at Mwiyanike village, Kadahenda cell, Karago sector, in Nyabihu district.}}

Hakizimana Jean Claude 27 on the night of 23 July killed his brother identified as Nsengiyumva Prince, 18 years who has been studying in form 3 at Karago Primary school.

Hakizimana admitted to murdering his brother saying that he did it because his brother has been habitually stealing from him.

Hakizimana said he killed his brother by stabbing him with a knife.

This is not the first time such a crime is committed in Nyabihu district.

Nyabihu district Vice mayor in charge social welfare, Sahunkuye Alexandre said that such crimes are rampant in his area.

Sahunkuye revealed that in the last 2 months, many similar cases had been reported.

Source: ORINFOR

{{The East African Community Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation Dr. Julius Rotich has urged photographers in the Partner States to scale up the visual visibility of the regional integration process.}}

“Photography can create a lasting impression on regional integration issues…Your products should be able to promote debate, understanding and sensitization of the integration process among the East African citizens,” he said Tuesday when opening a three-day EAC-GIZ-organized Master Class Photographers Training Workshop in Arusha, Tanzania.

The training is attended by two professional photographers each from the five Partner States selected on merit by an independent panel.

Dr. Rotich said that photography as a concept was meant to educate and inform, to record and preserve moments in time for generations to come.

“Your role in educating and informing the EA citizens on the milestones being achieved in the regional integration is very critical,” said Dr. Rotich, adding that every moment of the historic EAC integration must be recorded and relayed positively to step up the integration process and in our common desire for a prosperous East Africa.

He also wanted the photographers to portray the region as investment-friendly and peaceful. “Often times Africa has been portrayed as a dark continent full of disease, hunger, famine and conflicts. Time has come when we have to change this,” he underscored.

The EAC official challenged the participants to publish pictorial books showcasing a region full of hope.

On the subject of ethics, Dr. Rotich urged the photographers to lead the way by demonstrating high professional values and objectivity.

“Picture manipulations or disseminating false or misleading captions all tend to negatively impact on your profession,” he counseled.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General lauded the efforts of the German International Development Agency (GIZ) for heeding to the call for support to develop and nurture media in the Community on the regional integration issues.

GIZ last year supported three trainings for journalists on regional integration issues.

The acting Head of EAC-GIZ Programme Miriam Heidtmann said that the training was a realization of one year of planning.

She hoped that the training would help to polish up the skills of the photographers, especially in the EAC integration. “It’s our utmost desire to see an increased visual coverage of the fast-growing EAC integration,” she said.

The Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Richard Owora Othieno said that the trainings are going to be continuous with view to improving media coverage of EAC issues in the region.

“These trainings have already scaled up visibility of EAC .We are committed to have more such trainings in future in diverse areas of integration process,” he said.

The training is conducted by a renowned German photographer, Hartmut Fiebig, who also has worked and captured outstanding pictures in East Africa.

{{The World Bank Group Wednesday released its ambitious new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategy aimed at helping developing countries use ICT to transform delivery of basic services, drive innovations and productivity gains, and improve competitiveness.}}

The strategy reflects rapid changes in the ICT sector over the last decade, including a dramatic increase in use of mobile phones and the Internet, plunging prices of computing and mobile internet devices, and the increasing prevalence of social media.

“Information and communication technologies can help reduce poverty, boost economic growth, and improve accountability and governance,” said World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development Rachel Kyte.

“The World Bank Group’s new strategy will help our client countries take advantage of the opportunities that ICT offers across all sectors of the economy, drawing on our unique expertise in public-private partnerships in the ICT sector.”

The new strategy for 2012-2015 builds on the Bank Group’s experience working with client countries on ICT sector reforms, infrastructure development, and electronic government.

Since 2000, Bank support for ICT sector reforms helped attract an estimated $30 billion in private investment for mobile network infrastructure in the least developed countries.

The IFC’s US$2.3Billion in telecommunications infrastructure investments and MIGA’s US$550Million in political risk guarantees also supported private investment in mobile service providers in difficult and high-risk environments.

Bank Group support for ICT applications has grown rapidly over the last decade, and over 70% of the 1,700 projects in the Bank’s active portfolio now have ICT components.

Since 2007, the Bank Group has intensified its support for public-private partnerships for broadband and high-speed Internet, helping bring down retail prices and increasing the take-up of services, in some instances by a factor of 10.

“The Strategy recognizes the vital role of the private sector in improving access to information infrastructure and services in developing countries,” said Rashad-Rudolf Kaldany, IFC Vice President for Global Industries.

He adds, “IFC works with the private sector as an advisor, financier, and standard setter, to help unlock the potential of ICT for development.”

Bank Group support will be directed to three priority areas;

{{Transformation:}} Making development more open and accountable, and improving service delivery– for instance, by facilitating citizen feedback to governments and service providers.

{{Connectivity}}: Scaling up affordable access to broadband – including for women, disabled citizens, disadvantaged communities, and people living in remote and rural areas.

{{Innovation:}} Developing competitive IT-based service industries and fostering ICT innovation across the economy – with a focus on job creation, especially for women and youth.

{{Wednesday afternoon, a coaster bus registration number RAB 084 Y was involved in an accident though nobody was hurt.

The bus belonging to Royal Transport Company was carrying passengers from the city center when its axle suddenly broke letting off a pair of rear wheels.

The incident happened at Kanogo just close to a roundabout few meters away from SOPETRAD petrol station.

Maniraguha Ildephonse the bus driver said he was driving at a low speed of 12km per hour and this enabled him to safely bring the bus to a halt.}}

{{Lt.Col. Rugigana Ngabo has been sentenced to 9 years in Prison Today. Court has also orderd Lt.Col. Rugigana to pay a fine of Frw100,000 and acruing court case expenses.

However, Lt.Col. Rugigana immidiately appealed the sentencing.}}

However, when contacted, the RDF and Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Joseph Nzabamwita told IGIHE that prosecution will appeal saying the sentence was lighter compared to the gravity of the crime committed.

{{North Korea state television announced today (Wednesday) that the country’s young leader Kim Jong Un has married.}}

This announces confirms weeks of speculation and gossip that president Kim Jong Un and an unidentified woman(photo Above) had visited the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang.

However, State television announced the marriage although his new bride was not shown with him during the broadcast.

The woman shown in the photo above accompanied president Kim Jong Un at a recent concert and public tours.The North Korean announcer said Kim toured an amusement park with his wife, “comrade Ri Sol Ju.”

Kim Jong Un ascended to power in Pyongyang in December 2011.

He is the third in his family to rule the country, which was led by his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, subsequently ruled North Korea until his death in 2011.

Kim Il Sung is still revered as North Korea’s eternal president.