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7 Dec 2011 - NPWJ News Digest on International Criminal Justice
Articles
ICC Prosecutor: Those responsible for violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must face justice
ICC News, 06 Dec 2011
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"As the election process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo unfolds, let me reiterate what I already stated on November 11: we are closely watching the situation on the ground, and recourse to violence will not be accepted.
We continue to receive multiple reports of violent attacks against civilians, of fighting between rival factions, as well as attacks by armed groups and the national security forces.
We are urgently requesting information from the DRC authorities on the allegations that security forces fired at demonstrators. We welcome and are closely following the initiatives taken by national authorities to investigate and prosecute those responsible for such attacks against the civilian population.
I am also aware of reports of violence by armed groups apparently associated with different political parties, politicians and party officials against demonstrators from opposing parties.
Leaders from all sides must understand this: my Office is watching the situation in the DRC very closely. As we have shown in both Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire, planning and executing attacks on civilians for electoral gain will not be tolerated. This Court can investigate and prosecute you if you are responsible for committing ICC crimes, irrespective of position, and irrespective of political affiliation.
“I urge leaders, commanders, and politicians on all sides to calm your supporters. Electoral violence is no longer a ticket to power, I assure you. It is a ticket to The Hague”
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Ratko Mladic Bosnia charges cut to speed ICTY trial
BBC, 06 Dec 2011
The International Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia accepted the prosecutor's request to cut the number of crimes in the indictment from 196 to 106 against the former commander of Bosnian Serb forces, Gen Ratko Mladic, because of fears about his health.Gen Mladic was arrested in Serbia in May after 16 years on the run.He is charged with genocide at Srebrenica, where 7,500 Muslim men and boys were killed in July 1995.He also faces charges over the 43-month siege of Sarajevo, from May 1992 to November 1995.
Judge Bakone Justice Moloto said the decision was made "in the interest of a fair and expeditious trial".
Former top Khmer Rouge figure denies charges before UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia
UN News Center, 05 Dec 2011
Nuon Chea, 85, the former deputy secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea and “Brother Number Two,”, who is facing charges of of genocide, crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Convention, told the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh that Viet Nam, not the Khmer Rouge, is responsible for the genocide that led to the deaths of as many as two million Cambodians during the late 1970s. He said that Viet Nam “controlled everything” during the period that led to the rule of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.
“These war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide were not committed by the Cambodian people,” he said on the opening day of testimony in his trial. “It was the Vietnamese who killed Cambodians. The charges against me are not right.”
Prosecutors have alleged that Mr. Nuon, Mr. Ieng and Mr. Khieu carried out a series of crimes, including killings, enslavement, the use of violence to “smash” enemies, forced marriage, religious persecution and the forced movements of people from urban to rural areas. Mr. Nuon said he joined the local leftist resistance movement during the French colonial era with the hope of building an independent nation based on social justice.
Sudan: AU Opposes Kenyan Ruling in Favour of Bashir's ICC Prosecution
Al Africa, Toby Collins , 05 Dec 2011
The African Union (AU) have reiterated their opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecution of the president of Sudan, Omer al-Bashir, in light of the political furor surrounding an opposing ruling from a Kenyan court.
The AU released a statement on 4 December calling for a cessation of hostilities which began when a Kenyan court called for Bashir's arrest on 28 November.
Despite the Kenyan Foreign Minister describing the court's ruling as a "judgement in error", Sudan recalled its ambassador from Nairobi and called for the expulsion of his Kenyan counterpart from Khartoum.
ICTY trains Balkan experts to investigate, prosecute war crimes cases
Set Times, Interview with Nerma Jelacic, 05 Dec 2011
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has seen its role evolve as its mandate winds down in 2012.The creation of the War Crimes Justice Project (WCJP) in July 2010 shifted focus to making available and transparent how the tribunal's handling of war crimes cases assists both the Balkans and other global regions facing similar challenges.
In the second part of her interview with SETimes, ICTY Registry and Chambers Spokesperson Nerma Jelacic talks about equipping Balkan courts to handle war crimes cases, implementation problems and the impact as a global resource for investigating and prosecuting instances of war atrocities.
Security Council challenged to find host countries for ICTR acquitted persons
Hirondelle News Agency , 02 Dec 2011
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) made a special appeal to the United Nations Security Council to find a lasting solution of getting host countries to acquitted persons who remain in safe houses under the Tribunal's protection.
‘'The Tribunal has had no other choice but to call upon the assistance of the Security Council to find a sustainable solution to this issue,'' stated ICTR President, Judge Khalida Rachid Khan in a letter to the President of the Council.She explained that efforts to find host countries for the five acquitted persons proved unsuccessful due to the absence of a formal mechanism to secure the support of the member states to accept those persons in their countries.
Three persons whose acquittals have been confirmed on appeal are still trying to find a host country. They are former Rwandan Transport Minister André Ntagerura, General Gratien Kabiligi and Protais Zigiranyirazo, brother-in-law of the late former president Juvénal Habyarimana.
ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Sudanese minister for Darfur crimes
UN News Center, 02 Dec 2011
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested an arrest warrant against Sudanese Defence Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur. The evidence led the prosecutor to conclude that Mr. Hussein is one of those who bears the greatest criminal responsibility for the same crimes and incidents presented in previous warrants of arrest for government minister Ahmed Harun and Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb, both of whom have been indicted by the court.
The alleged crimes that Mr. Hussein is allegedly responsible for were perpetrated during attacks on the towns and villages of Kodoom, Bindisi, Mukjar and Arawala in the Wadi Salih and Mukjar localities of West Darfur from August 2003 to March 2004.
The attacks followed a common pattern: Sudanese Government forces surrounded the villages, the Air Force dropped bombs indiscriminately and foot soldiers, including militia or Janjaweed, killed, raped and looted the entire village, forcing the displacement of four million inhabitants.
