FREDERICK K. COX
INTERNATIONAL LAW CENTERFounder/Advisor
Michael P. ScharfWar Crimes Prosecution Watch Volume 11 – Issue 18
November 14, 2016Editor-in-Chief
Kevin J. VogelTechnical Editor-in-Chief
Jeradon Z. MuraManaging Editors
Dustin Narcisse
Victoria SarantWar Crimes Prosecution Watch is a bi-weekly e-newsletter that compiles official documents and articles from major news sources detailing and analyzing salient issues pertaining to the investigation and prosecution of war crimes throughout the world. To subscribe, please email warcrimeswatch@pilpg.org and type “subscribe” in the subject line.
Opinions expressed in the articles herein represent the views of their authors and are not necessarily those of the War Crimes Prosecution Watch staff, the Case Western Reserve University School of Law or Public International Law & Policy Group.
CENTRAL AFRICA
- BBC News: Central African Republic: Clashes leave 25 dead – UN
- BBC News: France ends Sangaris military operation in CAR
- International Justice Monitor: Prosecutor Asks ICC Judges to Give Bemba Longer Prison Sentence
- UN News Centre: South Sudan: Ban to Put in Place Measures to Improve UN Mission’s Ability to Protect Civilians
- The New York Times: South Sudan Says 17 Accused in Attack Targeting Americans
- UN News Centre: Some 3,500 People Fleeing South Sudan Each Day Due to Ongoing Conflict – UN Refugee Agency
- Yahoo News: Sudan Arrests More Opposition Activists over Fuel Prices
- Sudan Tribune: Kenya Starts Pulling out Troops from South Sudan
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The New York Times: As 3 African Nations Vow to Exit, International Court Faces Its Own Trial
- International Justice Monitor: ICC Makes Progress on Reparations for Victims in Lubanga Case
- International Justice Monitor: Prosecutor Asks ICC Judges to Give Bemba Longer Prison Sentence
WEST AFRICA
- World Bulletin: Police Break Up Abidjan Demo Ahead Of Constitution Vote
- Daily Mail: Alassane Ouattara, Ivory Coast’s Iron-Willed President
- Daily Mail: Simone Gbagbo Trial Adjourned Again Over Witness Row
- Andolu Ajansi: Ivory Coast: Blowout Win For New Constitution
- Daily Mail: Ivory Coast’s Divisive New Constitution Sworn Into Law
Lake Chad Region — Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon
- Fox News: Boko Haram Blamed For Nigeria Car Bomb Blast That Killed 9
- The Washington Post: Bombs, Bribes, Mud As Nigeria’s Boko Haram Refugees Go Home
- Reuters: Violence And Political Pressure Anger Nigeria’s Shi’ites
- World Bulletin : Boko Haram Razes Village Near Chibok
- NPR: After Scathing Report, Nigeria Deploys Female Police To Protect Displaced Women
- Global Voices: Timbuktu, Where There’s ‘Justice for Monuments, but Not for Victims of Rape’
- AllAfrica: Mali: France Calls On Mali to Act for Peace As UN Troops Killed
- Relief Web: Despite Mali Peace Accord, More Flee Persistent Violence
EAST AFRICA
- Xinhua: Spotlight: Africa gears up for ICC withdrawal exodus, alternatives unclear
- Worldbulletin News: Uganda: President orders nation’s top university shut
- Reuters: In Uganda, gay men say police use torturous method to ‘prove’ homosexuality
- HRW – International Business Times: Uganda has damning human rights record as torture and state oppression is rife says
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: Uganda: Government Asked to Investigate Royal Guards
- MassLive: Supporters of ‘crimes against humanity’ lawsuit against Springfield pastor Scott Lively gather at federal courthouse
- ABC News: ICC Gets Support After 3 Withdrawals, but Kenya Is Critical
- The New York Times: Kenya Pulling U.N. Peacekeepers From South Sudan in Protest
- Press TV: Kenyan police clash with anti-government protesters
- Aljazeera: Fears after Kenya deports South Sudan rebel spokesman
- Standard Digital: DP Ruto challenges activist Mwangi to prove graft claims
Rwanda (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)
- Africa News: S. Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, Tunisia voted to UN human rights commission
- Human Rights Watch: Stop Abuses against Street Vendors in Rwanda
- Seattle Times: Somalia’s al-Shabab in comeback as Ethiopia pulls troops
- Sudan Tribute: Ethiopia says pullout of troops from Somalia not linked to unrest
- VOA News: Somali Troops Recapture Village from al-Shabab
- Garowe Online: Somalia: Scores dead as rival Somali troops clash in Southern Somalia
- Garowe Online: Somalia: Allied forces kill more than 100 militants in Southern Somalia
- Quartz Africa : Somalia remains the global capital of unsolved murders of journalists
- Aljazeera World: Somalia: The Forgotten Story
- Reuters: Somali militants intensify attacks, death count doubles: experts
- Reuters: Ceasefire between Somalia’s Puntland and Galmudug collapses, 20 killed
- The Wire: Twenty Killed As Ceasefire Between Somalia’s Puntland and Galmudug Collapses
- United Nations News Centre: INTERVIEW: Architecture around Somalia’s electoral process is infinitely more robust than in 2012 – UN envoy
NORTH AFRICA
EUROPE
Court of Bosnia & Herzegovina, War Crimes Chamber
- Balkan Insight: Bosniak Fighter Jailed for Crimes Against Serb Civilians
- Balkan Insight: Bosnia-Croatia Relations Hit by Arrest of Croats
- B92: “War in Bosnia started with murder of Serb wedding guest”
- Balkan Insight: Radovan Karadzic’s Ex-Adviser Charged with Wartime Crimes
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Suspects in the case v. Đuro Matuzović et al. ordered into custody
- Balkan Insight: Bosnian Serb Troops Jailed for Killing Civilians, Children
- Balkan Insight: Bosnia Awards Iraqi War Crimes Convict €36,600
MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA
- The New York Times: Yemen Rebels Deny Their Missile Targeted Holy City of Mecca
- The New York Times: Airstrikes by Saudi-Led Coalition Kill Dozens in Western Yemen
- Middle East Monitor: EXCLUSIVE: Notorious Bahraini judge appointed to investigate alleged war crimes in Yemen
- Time: What You Need to Know About the Crisis in Yemen
- Bristol Herald Courier: Yemeni rebels release American man
- Huffington Post: Yemen’s Man-Made Famine
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
- The Cambodia Daily: Khmer Rouge Witness Escaped Pol Pot; Detained by Vietnamese
- The Cambodia Daily: Former Medic Plotted Against Regime, Khmer Rouge Tribunal Hears
- The Phnom Penh Post: Miniseries to examine forced marriage, Khmer Rouge Tribunal
- The Daily Star: Salam meets with Special Tribunal head
- The Daily Star: Sparks fly over purpose of cell evidence at STL
- The Daily Star: STL has role in Lebanon’s future: court president
- The Daily Star: STL: Defense contests ‘political context’
Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal
- Bdnews24.com: War crimes verdict on Idris Ali of Shariatpur any day
- Swarajya Read India Right : Attack On Hindus In Bangladesh: Country’s Human Rights Commission Says Motive Was To Grab Land
- The Times of India City: Bangladesh blast suspect hunted down in Thane
- The Daily Star: Tangail man sent to jail in war crimes case
- Dhakatribune : ICT team visits Feni to probe war-time crimes of new Jamaat chief
- The Financial Express: Bangladesh believes in global cooperation to fight terrorism: Rabbi
War Crimes Investigations in Burma
- Reuters: Myanmar police to arm, train non-Muslims in conflict-torn region
- Anadolu Agency: More arrests in Myanmar’s Rakhine amid calls for probe
- Aljazeera: Myanmar’s Rohingya brace for more attacks in Rakine
- The Independent: Israel breaching Palestinians’ right to development amid ‘epic’ unemployment and poverty, UN report says
- The National: Lives in ruins: the human tragedy unfolding in Gaza
- The World Post: Creating a legal precedent: Palestine considers suing Israel in international sports court
- Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council: Deconstruction Zone: Settlements and Ethnic Cleansing
- ABC News: Japan, US, S Korea Agree to Step up Pressure on N Korea
- The Japan Times: Experts baffled after top U.S. official utters hard truth about North Korean nukes
- International Business Times: Invincible Shield Military Drill Against North Korean Threat: US, UK, South Korea To Begin Trilateral Exercise
- Reuters: Iraqi army aims to reach site of IS executions south of Mosul
- UN News Centre: Nearly 8,000 families abducted by ISIL from Mosul vicinity – UN rights office
- Al Jazeera: Chemical dangers in the battle for Mosul
- ARA News: Mosul: US airstrike that killed Iraqi family deepens fears for civilians
- BBC News: Iraq suicide attacks: Ambulances used in Tikrit and Samarra
- USA Today: Iraqi military: Mass grave with 100 decapitated bodies found south of Mosul
- Reuters: Islamic State abducts more than 200 near Mosul, retreats with thousands: U.N.
AMERICAS
TOPICS
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- IOL: ‘We are still victims of apartheid’
- Rocky Mountain Outlook: Culture at the crossroads of truth and reconciliation
- The Himalayan Times: ‘Resource crunch affecting probe into conflict-era cases’
- The Washington Post: Arizona man gets 8 years in prison on terrorism convictions
- Reuters: Erdogan says Europe aiding terrorism with support for Kurdish militants
- The Wall Street Journal: Kurdish Militants Claim Responsibility for Friday’s Car Bomb Attack in Turkey
- Reuters: Trial begins of Islamic State suspects in Turkey’s worst suicide bombing
- Fox News: Suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels terror attacks identified
- Associated Press: APNewsBreak: Abu Sayyaf got $7.3 million from kidnappings
- Maritime Executive: Somali Pirates Strike for First Time in Two Years
- Maritime Executive: Yachting Couple Attacked by Abu Sayyaf in Sulu Sea
- Maritime Executive/Reuters: EU NAVFOR Warns of Renewed Somali Piracy Risk
- Maritime Executive: Pirates Get Life for Attacking USS Ashland
- The Daily Observer: Delegates at major conference on women strongly condemn gender violence in the Caribbean
- DW: Gays in Bosnia still living life in the closet
- Stabroek News: Confronting the crisis of gender-based violence
- Stabroek News: Guyanese women continue to be subjected to widespread violence
- Institute for War and Peace Reporting: Gender Violence Rampant in Lawless Afghan Province
Mass Grave with Approximately 100 Bodies Found Near Mosul
by Yesim Usluca
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi investigators are examining a mass grave discovered by Iraqi soldiers advancing on the Islamic State-held city of Mosul.
On Monday, November 7th, Iraqi troops noticed a pungent smell while approaching the town of Mosul. The mass grave was discovered behind an “earthen embankment” near an agricultural college. Upon bulldozing, the land revealed bones poking out from beneath the surface, along with scraps of clothing, garbage bags, and “human remains swarming with flies.” An Iraqi cabinet official in charge of mass grave inspections stated that investigators are on their way to the grave site to conduct examinations and determine the cause of death.
The first officials at the site noted that the grave likely holds approximately 100 bodies, most of which are decapitated. Although the victims’ identities are currently unclear, authorities believe that the bodies are likely those of Iraqi security forces members and their relatives. There is rising concern, however, that children may be among the deceased due to a child’s stuffed animal that had been pulled from the grave by a soldier.
The U.N. Office of Human Rights indicated that it is investigating into whether the mass grave is connected to reports of police officers being killed in the same area. The spokeswoman for the Office of Human Rights stated that it had received reports of 50 former Iraqi police officers killed in a building outside Mosul. She further noted that the building cited in these reports was the same as the agricultural college near which the mass grave was found.
On Tuesday, November 8th, authorities discovered two additional mass graves containing 23 bodies, including the remains of women and children. Officials are concerned that these mass graves could be just the “tip of the iceberg.” It appears to be the latest of several mass graves found in territory that has been retaken from the Islamic State, which is known for massacring hundreds of individuals across northern and central Iraq.
For more information, please see:
Northwest Herald—Investigators probe mass grave found near Mosul, Iraq—09 November 2016
Wall Street Journal—Remains in Mass Grave Near Mosul Identified—08 November 2016
Fox News—Iraqis investigate decapitated bodies in mass grave near ISIS-held Mosul—08 November 2016
BBC News—Mass graves in Iraq reveal Islamic State horrors—08 November 2016
Syria Deeply Weekly Update: The Battle for Raqqa Begins
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Women in France Stage Walkout to Protest Unequal Pay
By Sarah Lafen
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe
PARIS, France — This past Monday, at 4:34pm, women across France staged a walk-out from their jobs in order to protest the disparity in salaries and wages between women and men. Women’s rights group Les Glorieuses called for the protest, deciding that the issue of wage disparity finally needs to be addressed in France. 200 women were gathered in Place de la Republique by 5pm on Monday, and there were protests staged in other cities across France as well. Thousands of women were seen on social media leaving their jobs on Monday afternoon. The movement became known as “7 november 16h34.”
Les Glorieuses was inspired by a similar and successful protest in Iceland last month. For the past 11 years, women in Iceland have been walking out on the same day and time that they should leave if they were to be paid the same hourly wage as men. Iceland’s pay gap between men and women’s hourly wages is 14%.
In France, women were urged to leave at exactly 4:34pm because according to their calculations, after this point women will have been essentially working voluntarily. In 2010, the gap between men and women’s average hourly wage was 15.5%, which means that a woman in France must work 38.2 days more than a male counterpart in order to be awarded the same salary. Rebecca Amsellem, founder of Les Glorieuses, “thought the difference would maybe be 10 working days, not a month-and-a-half.”
Amsellem urged that at exactly 4:34pm on Monday, “women essentially stop being paid.” Osez le Feminisme, another women’s rights group, is supporting the movement as well and has called on French companies to be fined if they do not respect equal pay laws. Les Glorieuses also claims that factored in to the percentage of pay difference between men and women is the notion that women do 1.5 more hours of unpaid housework every day than men.
In recognition of the movement, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo suspended the city council for the afternoon. French minister for women’s rights, Laurence Rossignol, voiced her support for any women from her office who wished to take part in the protest. Rossignol told reports that “[w]hen women protest, they make visible what is invisible, when they speak their outrage and raise collective indignation even higher, I support it.”
For more information, please see:
BBC — Why did some French Women Walk out of Work Early? — 7 November 2016
The Local — Women in France Urged to Walk out of Work Early — 7 November 2016
RT — French Women Stage Mass Walkout in Protest Against Wage Gap — 7 November 2016
Zuma Under Fire Amid Reports of Corruption
By Samantha Netzband
Impunity Watch, Africa Desk Reporter
CAPE TOWN, South Africa– President Jacob Zuma is under intense scrutiny after being accused of corruption. Zuma has been under fire before for misuse of government funds. A new 355 page report called the ‘State of Capture’ claims that Zuma had an improper relationship with the Gupta Brothers. The report claims that the Gupta brothers helped Zuma pick key cabinet members.
Zuma giving a speech. (Photo Courtesy of BBC)
Zuma is a member of the African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela that has been ruling South Africa since the end of apartheid. The party has enjoyed uninterrupted rule despite Zuma’s past issues with corruption. However, the release of the ‘State of Capture’ is worrying other party members who are calling for a full investigation of Zuma.
Opposition party members are calling for Zuma’s resignation. Zuma is defiant and says that he has done nothing wrong.
For further information, please see:
BBC – South Africa’s Zuma ‘Not Afraid of Jail’ Amid Corruption Allegations – 5 November 2016
CNN – South Africa corruption report released amid anti-Zuma protests – 2 November 2016
Gulf News – Zuma’s Truly Overwhelming Problems – 5 November 2016
Press TV – South Africa’s Zuma Censures Judiciary Amid Corruption Probe – 5 November 2016