David Crane Interview on Charles Taylor Trial

David Crane Interview on Charles Taylor Trial

By Impunity Watch Africa

Professor David Crane, former chief prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, will be attending the Charles Taylor trial at The Hague scheduled to begin June 4.   Crane issued the indictment for Charles Taylor and was invited by the current prosecutor to attend the opening statements.

For the full article and interview, please see:

VOA News

Ugandan Rebel Group Threatens War Over Indictments

By Impunity Watch Africa

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group in Uganda has threatened a return to war if the International Criminal Court’s indictments against the top leaders are not withdrawn by the end of peace talks.  This has been a long controversy between the government of Uganda and the rebel leaders, who have been in hiding in the DR Congo since the indictments were issued.    The LRA waged a lengthy and savage campaign against the government and civilians in northern Uganda for two decades, resulting in the displacement of almost two million civilians and the deaths of thousands.  The ICC has indicted the top five LRA leaders for crimes against humanity, but none have so far been arrested.   One of the leaders was killed by the Ugandan army in battle, however the remaining four continue to hide.

The government has agreed to issue pardons to LRA members who surrender, however they have continued to refuse to do so for high-ranking officers.   The government has indicted a willingness to persuade the ICC to drop the indictments if the leaders take full responsibility for the crimes committed against civilians through traditional justice.  However, the rebels continue to refuse to accept anything less than lifting the indictments beforehand.

For more information, please see:

All Africa – Otti Threatens War Over Warrants – 26 May 2007

Reuters –http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/a08a28c1c879b4da6de68dbc5e0 – May 2007

IRIN – Museveni Gives Rebels Ultimatum Over Northern War – 17 May 2006

New exchange of violence in Gaza

        New Internal fighting between Hamas and Fatah broke out Sunday, May 13, killing 50 Palestinians in Gaza.  In addition, military exchanges between Hamas and Israel occurred throughout the week.  In total, 38 Palestinians died this past week as a result of Israeli air strikes; 25 were militants and 13 were civilians.  In contrast, one Israeli has died this week as a result of the Qassam rocket attacks. 

       On Monday, May 21, a rocket killed an Israeli woman in the town of Sderot in southern Israel.  She was the first Israeli death from a rocket since November 2006.  In addition to the death, 16 Israelis have been injured this past week as a result of rocket attacks.  Many of Sderot’s residents have left the town and sought refuge in Jerusalem.

        In addition to trading missile fire, both Israel and Hamas have traded harsh words and threats.  Both parties have refused to negotiate a cease fire.  Hamas rejected Abbas’ call to stop firing rockets and return ti the cease-fire agreement in place prior to the recent outbreak in fighting; as Israeli air strikes continue.  In addition to continuing military action, Israel has vowed to widen their list of targets to include Hamas’ poltical leaders, such as Palestinian Prime Minister Haniya.  On Wednesday, May 23, senior Israeli officials stated tha hte military will target terrorist infrastructure within Gaza, effectively rejecting the notion that a unilateral cease-fire by Hama will divert any increase in military action in Gaza. 

        During an Israeli security cabinet meeting on Sunday, May 20, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert authorized the military to take action against Hamas leaders in the West Bank, as well as Gaza.  Then late-Wednesday and early Thursday, May 23 and 24, raids occurred throughout the Westbank, where over 30 Hamas officials were arrested/  Chief among the arrested was the Palestinian Education Minister, Naser el-Deen al Shaer.  Also arrested were three parliament members, a top official in the PA Interior Ministery, and hte mayors of Nablus, Kalkilya, Bidya, and El-Bireh.  In addition to the arrest, the IDF also shut down 10 Hamas offices in towns throughout the West Bank, including Jenin, Ramallah, Nablus, and Bethlehem. 

        While a fragile cease-fice exists between Hamas and Fatah since last Sunday, no resolution to this new violence between Israel and Hamas is in sight.  By the actions and words of the parties, neither seem willing to negotiate and it appears as though both parties are set to destroy the other. 

 

For more information, please see:

BBC:  “Israel hits Hamas politician home”   21 May 2007.

BBC:  “Israel strikes at Hamas in Gaza”    23 May 2007.

BBC:  “Militants reject Gaza truce call”   24 May 2007.

ME Times:  “Abbas calls for truce, Israel seizes Hamas officials”  24 May 2007.

Al-Jazeera:  “Israel arrests 30 Hamas officials”  24 May 2007.

CNN:  “More wounded as Israel steps up strikes against Hamas”  24 May 2007.

Jerusalem Post:  “500 Sderot residents find temporary peace in Jerusalem”  24 May 2007. 

Jerusalem Post:  “Hamas threatens to up resistence”  24 May 2007.

Jerusalem Post:  “IDF arrests Hamas education minister”  24 May 2007.

Landmark Trial for the ICC in Democratic Republic of Congo

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch, Africa

The ICC is a permanent court created in 2002 to provide for international justice. The ICC is independent from the United Nations and has international jurisdiction. Since 2002, the ICC has investigated the conflict in northern Uganda, “resource-fueled” battles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Moreover, the ICC recently announced a new investigation into the violence occuring in the Central African Republic.

The Congolese government asked the ICC in 2004, to investigate the atrocities that took place during the Second Congolese War, the five year conflict that ended in 2003, and killed four million people. In Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, a Congolose warlord named Thomas Lubanga, became ICC’s prime suspect. He is responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers to fight in his militia. In January 2006, the ICC submitted an arrest warrant for Lubanga, and within two months the Democratic Republic of Congo handed Lubanga over to the court. Lubanga’s arrest marks ICC’s first prosecutorial trial.

The ICC faces certain logistic and security battles to obtain suspects for trial. Since the ICC has no enforcement or marshall service, it is often powerless to act on its warrants. For example, in 2005, the ICC charged five Ugandan rebel commanders with crimes against humanity but have since been unable to arrest the men. Furthermore, the ICC has many international critics, who believe that ICC warrants undermine peace efforts in hostile regions. Others believe that concerns of poor infrastructure and poverty present grave problems in the region and should be concurrently addressed with the court’s actions.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo – ICC Path to Justice Tested in Congo – May 2007

Amnesty International – Amnesty Report Says Rights Situation in Africa Remains Dire – May 2007

Ban on Rallies

By Myriam Clerge
Impunity Watch, Africa

The Zimbabwe police have placed a ban on opposition rally in an effort to halt a series of “disturbances”. The government claims the ban is in effect to protect the people and officers form looting and bombing. Recent crackdown has been focused on the chief political opposition group, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, has termed the group, puppets of the British monarchy.

The rise in rallies and violence were led by renewed criticism from West concerning the present state of the country’s economy and claims of human rights violations. Zimbabwe has an inflation rate at more than 3,700 percent, unemployment at 80 percent, and a shortening and scarce food supply.

Initially the government placed the ban prohibiting political rallies and demonstration in parts of the capital Harare for three month due to the country’s state of emergency, that ban expired on May 20. However, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has reported that the government has elected to extend the ban for another month for the city of Mbare, where a police camp was bombed.

The MDC has filed a court petition against the first ban; however the court has yet to review the claim.

For more information please see:

Yahoo – Zimbabwe extends ban on protests, rallies in Harare – 24 May 2007

Yahoo – Zimbabwe police slap new ban on opposition rallies – 24 May 2007