Judges Uphold 50-Year Sentence for Charles Taylor

By: Dan Krupinsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Judges at the Special Court for Sierra Leone denied the appeal of former Liberian president Charles Taylor on Thursday, confirming his 50-year sentence for war crimes.

Judges found no reason to overturn or reduce the 50-year sentence for Taylor.
Original Chief Prosecutor David Crane (center), with his successor, Sir Desmond DeSilva (left) and current Prosecutor Brenda Hollis (right) at Taylor’s appeal.

Taylor was found guilty of 11 counts of war crimes, including murder, rape, torture and the enslavement of child soldiers, on April 26, 2012. The atrocities in Sierra Leone were carried out by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a guerrilla army. Taylor supplied them with guns, training and recruits in return for diamonds, actions that the Court determined amounted to “aiding and abetting” the crimes.

In addition to aiding and abetting, Taylor also planed some of the attacks carried out by the guerrillas.

“Their primary purpose was to spread terror. Brutal violence was purposefully unleashed against civilians with the purpose of making them afraid, afraid that there would be more violence if they continued to resist,” said Presiding Judge George Gelaga King.

Taylor is the first head of state to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders after World War Two.

“This verdict shows no person, no matter how powerful, is above the law,” said the court’s prosecutor, Brenda Hollis.

The reaction in Sierra Leone was understandably positive.

“It’s a victory for me against tyranny,” said Edward Conteh, whose hand was cut off by rebels, according to Reuters. “I’m happy Charles Taylor is behind bars for 50 years because I’m a victim of the war.”

The ruling means that Taylor, 65, will more than likely spend the rest of his life in a high security prison cell. A final decision will be made next week on where we will serve his sentence, but the UK is currently the only country that has publicly offered to accommodate him.

“The sentence is fair in the light of the totality of the crimes committed,” said Judge King. “The defense failed to demonstrate any discernible errors in the trial chamber’s sentencing.”

Taylor’s lead defense attorney, Morris Anyah, said Taylor took the verdict with great stoicism and also added that Taylor would not have been convicted if he had had a powerful ally.

“If Charles Taylor had had a friend among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, this case would not have had the traction it has had,” he said.

Thursday’s ruling is the final judgment at the court, which indicted 13 of the main facilitators of the violence in Sierra Leone. Two died before trial and one more remains unaccounted for and possibly dead. Another died before hearing a verdict. All of the others were tried and convicted.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera – Judges uphold Charles Taylor’s jail sentence – 26 September 2013

The Guardian – Charles Taylor’s 50-year sentence upheld at war crimes tribunal – 26 September 2013

Reuters – Liberia’s Charles Taylor loses appeal against war crimes conviction – 26 September 2013

The Telegraph – Charles Taylor to spend rest of life in British jail for Sierra Leone war crimes – 26 September 2013

 

Blue Ribbon Panel of Experts to Unveil Draft Statute for Syrian Tribunal on October 3, 8:30-9:30 AM, at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.

Event open to the Press and Public

The government of Syria has admitted possessing chemical weapons; the United Nations has confirmed that their use killed more than 1,400 people in the outskirts of Damascus last month; and an international process for ridding the country of such weapons has just commenced. But what about holding the perpetrators accountable for violating the Geneva Conventions and the 1925 Chemical Weapons Treaty?

A blue ribbon panel of former international tribunal chief prosecutors, international judges, and leading experts has prepared a Draft Statute for a Syrian Extraordinary Tribunal to Prosecute Atrocity Crimes.  It’s being called the “Chautauqua Blueprint” because it was finalized on the margins of a recent conference of several of the chief prosecutors of the various international criminal tribunals at the Chautauqua Institution. The initiative was organized by Case Western Reserve Law Professor Michael Scharf, who is Managing Director of the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG); and David Crane, former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, who is a member of PILPG’s Board.

The members of the blue ribbon panel believe the time is particularly ripe for this initiative.  According to Scharf: “It can help the Syrian opposition demonstrate its commitment to the rule of law, ensure that accountability plays an appropriate role in peace negotiations, put Syrian officials and military commanders on all sides on notice of potential criminal liability, and lay the groundwork for justice rather than revenge in the immediate aftermath of transition.”  Crane adds, “It is a useful framework for not only the Syrians but regional and international organizations to assist in the creation of an appropriate justice mechanism.”

The Chautauqua Blueprint will be publicly unveiled and discussed at a special event at the National Press Club, 8:30-9:30 AM, on October 3.  A preview copy of the document is available at http://publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Chautauqua-Blueprint1.pdf.  Speakers will include Scharf, Crane, members of congress, and other experts.  Paul Williams, President of the Public International Law & Policy Group, will chair the event, which is open to the press and public.  Breakfast will be provided.

The National Press Club breakfast event precedes Congressional hearings scheduled to consider Congressman Chris Smith’s Concurrent Resolution #51 on establishing accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria.   Congressman Smith’s resolution recommends establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute top figures.  The Chautauqua Blueprint recommends an “internationalized domestic tribunal” as a complement or alternative to an international tribunal.

The Chautauqua Blueprint reflects insights gained from a series of meetings and workshops over the past two years led by the Public International Law & Policy Group, which brought together Syrian lawyers, jurists, and civil society leaders with international experts to discuss an approach to transitional justice uniquely tailored to Syria.  It also reflects comments received from the distinguished members of the Blue Ribbon expert drafting committee whose names and affiliations are listed below.

The Blue Ribbon Panel consists of:

 

  • M. Cherif Bassiouni, Emeritus Professor of Law at DePaul University, who chaired the Drafting Committee at the United Nations Diplomatic Conference on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court
  • David Crane, Professor, Syracuse University College of Law, who was the first Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
  • Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
  • Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association
  • Justice Richard Goldstone, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda
  • Larry Johnson, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Law School, former U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs who drafted the Statutes for the Yugoslavia Tribunal, the Cambodia Tribunal, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
  • Gregory Noone, Director of the Fairmont State University National Security and Intelligence Program and Assistant Professor of Political Science and Law, and former head of the International Law Branch in the International and Operational Law Division at the Pentagon  
  • Michael Newton, Professor, Vanderbilt University Law School, and former Deputy to the Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues, U.S. Department of State
  • William Schabas, Professor, Middlesex University Faculty of Law, and former Member of the International Truth Commission for Sierra Leone
  • Michael Scharf, Associate Dean, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Managing Director of the Public International Law & Policy Group, and former Attorney-Adviser for United Nations Affairs, U.S. Department of State
  • Paul Williams, President of the Public International Law & Policy Group and Rebecca Grazier Professor of Law and International Relations, American University

 

In addition the following experts provided comments on the draft Statute but have asked to be listed as “contributors” rather than members because of their official positions:

 

  • David Scheffer, Director of the Center for International Human Rights at Northwestern University School of Law, U.N. Special Expert on United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials, and former US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues.
  • Judge Patricia Wald, former Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
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President Putin States Activists Who Protested on Russian Oil Rig Are Not Pirates

by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

SALEKHARD, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that thirty activists who were arrested for protesting on Russia’s first Arctic offshore oil platform in Prirazlomnaya violated international law, but indicated that he did not believe they should be charged with piracy.

The Activists were set to be questioned on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of The Moscow Times)

Thirty activists from Greenpeace, a non-governmental environmental organization, were towed aboard their ship to shore after two of the individuals aboard attempted to climb aboard the Russian oil rig to protest Russia’s plans to conduct Arctic oil drilling.

Russian authorities seized their ship, the Arctic Sunrise, and led the activists to detention centers in Murmansk.

“All thirty people were sent to different investigative detention facilities in Murmansk and the Murmansk region. Today questioning continues, but lawyers and diplomatic representatives are not allowed to visit the activists,” Greenpeace-Russia spokeswoman Tatyana Vasilyeva said.

The activists were to be questioned on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Russian investigators stated they had opened a criminal investigation on suspicion of piracy, which is punishable by up to fifteen years in jail.

“It is absolutely evident that they are, of course, not pirates,” stated President Putin.

Greenpeace is concerned with Russia’s plan to conduct Arctic oil drilling, as they contend it poses a threat to the fragile eco-system. They stated that scientific evidence shows any oil spill from Prirazlomnaya would affect more than 3,000 miles of Russia’s coastline

The Russian Federal Investigative Committee called the protest an “attack” and said it violated Russian sovereignty.

Russian authorities believe that protests like this one at the Prirazlomnaya platform, owned by state-controlled energy giant Gazprom, would soil efforts to draw foreign investment and tap rich Arctic resources.

President Putin further stated “Our law enforcement institutions, our border guards didn’t know who was trying to seize this platform under the guise of Greenpeace. It would have been better if representatives of this organization had sat in this room and voiced their attitude to the issues we are discussing.” Putin was coincidently attending the Arctic Forum in Salekhard in western Siberia, with the presidents of Finland and Iceland, as well as officials from other Arctic nations.

The Investigative Committee stated it had questioned three activists on Tuesday and planned on questioning more pending the arrival of translators and lawyers.

Greenpeace said the boarding of the oil rig by Russian authorities was illegal as they were conducting a peaceful protest, and denied the piracy allegations.

For more information, please see:

The Moscow Times – Putin Says Greenpeace Activists Aren’t Pirates But Broke The Law – 26 September 2013

BBC News – Greenpeace Activists Broke The Law, Says Putin – 25 September 2013

The Independent – President Putin: Greenpeace Activists Were ‘Obviously’ Not Pirates – 25 September 2013

The New York Times – Putin Defends Seizure of Activists’ Ship But Questions Piracy Charges – 25 September 2013

Four Police Mexico City Police Implicated in Heaven Bar Mass Killings

by Michael Yoakum
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Mexican authorities have arrested a total of 18 people in connection with the kidnapping and murder of 12 young men and women from the Heaven after-hours bar late last May.  Arrests made Tuesday brought the number of Mexico City police officers implicated in these crimes to four.

Relatives of the 12 kidnapped youths protested in front of the Mexican Attorney General’s office, asserting that Mexican authorities were covering up police involvement in the crimes. (Photo courtesy of CNN)

The 12 youths went missing from the after-hours bar in the Zona Rosa district of Mexico City on May 26.  Their bodies were discovered in a mass grave in August, where evidence implicated a local gang in the murders.

However, on September 19, prosecutors arrested Edgar Ernesto Gutierrez Vera, a patrolman from the Zona Rosa district, for “active and direct participation” in the mass kidnapping and murder.  Authorities had been looking into Gutierrez Vera on suspicions of protecting the gang implicated in the mass killings, which eventually led prosecutors to evidence of police involvement in the crimes.

Security Chief Jesus Rodriguez Almeida said the arrests of his four officers reflected poorly on Zona Rosa police department’s reputation, a force that had one of the better reputations in a city rife with allegations of police corruption.  Almeida said all four officers had passed department vetting processes but refused to comment on specific procedures for security reasons.

Mexican authorities investigating the four officers still urge that the kidnappings were likely the result of clashes between rival drug cartels, asserting that the 12 youths were linked by involvement in drug trafficking.

Ricardo Martinez, attorney for the victims’ families, believes there to be elements to truth on both sides.  “There are both criminals and public servants involved,” Martinez said.

That the Heaven kidnappings occurred in Zona Rosa, widely regarded as a safe district, and not in a border town, has shaken beliefs that the area is safe from drug related crimes.  The kidnappings occurred in broad daylight and just a block from the US embassy.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Mexico Heaven bar murders: Three police officers arrested – 24 September 2013

CNN – Fourth officer arrested in Mexico mass kidnapping case – 25 September 2013

ABC News – 4th Mexico City Officer Arrested in Bar Kidnapping – 24 September 2013

Fox News – Alleged involvement of police in mass kidnap, killing of 12 a blow for Mexico City’s image – 25 September 2013

Latin Times – Three More Police Officers Arrested In Connection With Mexico Heaven Bar Kidnapping And Murders – 24 September 2013