By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko are all working towards another meeting in Minsk, Belarus to discuss peace. The first such meeting led to a cease-fire, but that agreement has since broken down as fighting has dramatically increased in Eastern Ukraine once again.

 

One point that Ukraine is pushing for is monitored security on the border between Ukraine and Russia. This is due to evidence that has come in at several points over the past year that suggests Russia has sent weapons, troops, and vehicles to Eastern Ukraine for the rebels to use in their fight against Kiev. Regardless, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko is eager to bring back peace to their neighboring country.

While these talks may not include the United States, the US is nonetheless considering sending lethal force to Ukraine to assist in fighting the pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine. Poroshenko says Ukraine would welcome more non-lethal aid such as “counter-barrage radar …, communications and radio jamming technology,” night-vision goggles, and radios. Further, Obama is set to meet with Merkel before she goes to Minsk for the new round of peace talks, likely to discuss and coordinate the United States’s plan and Europe’s plan.

Pro-Russian rebels in Eastern Ukraine, along with Russia, have been pushing for Eastern Ukraine to gain independence as their own nation – “New Russia.” Recently, rebels in the Donetsk region and the Luhansk region have been discussing working together in making this goal a reality, and Putin has pushed for international recognizance of independence. Kiev agreed in the original Minsk agreement to back off from Eastern Ukraine and grant more autonomy to the rebel-held territory, but given the recent violence and shifting of the front, Kiev is less willing to do so now and it will likely effect Kiev’s willingness to grant this again in the new Minsk talks.

For more information, please see:

Fox – Cruz pushes for US to arm Ukraine, as European leaders push for cease-fire – 8 February 2015

The Guardian – Ukraine conflict: four-nation peace talks in Minsk aim to end crisis – 8 February 2015

Yahoo – Putin-backed rebels just made a huge move right under Europe’s nose – 6 February 2015

BBC – Ukraine crisis: Pentagon ‘chief’ inclined to send weapons – 4 February 2015

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany – At least one German is facing charges for his involvement in the Holocaust, and another German woman may face charges for separate involvement in the Holocaust.

 

Oskar Groening, the “accountant / bookkeeper of Auschwitz,” is being tried by prosecutors in Luneburg for his role in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The former Waffen-SS member has already acknowledged being a guard at the camp, but claims he did not commit any atrocities. Groening states that he counted money and cleared luggage from Jews who came into the camp, and has expressed guilt for taking part in the “killing machine that eliminated millions of innocent people.” Around 1.1 million people are estimated to have died within Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Groening’s charges are for accessory to murder for at least 300,000 of the deaths.

Hilde Michnia, also 93-years-old, is now being investigated by prosecutors in Hamburg following a complaint by a private citizen. She is alleged to have been an SS guard in the Bergen-Belsen and Gross-Rosen concentration camps, and also alleged to have been part of evacuating Gross-Rosen and forcing the prisoners to march to the Guben labor camp. An estimated 1,400 women died in the march to the Guben labor camp.

Michnia denies such claims, stating that she merely worked in the kitchen in Bergen-Belsen, where at least 52,000 died. She further claims that she did not see “gaunt, starving and diseased prisoners,” stating she worked elsewhere in the camp. British occupying forces in Luneburg tried Michnia in 1945, particularly for beating two men who stole turnips from the kitchen. 44 other camp guards and SS members were also tried alongside her for cruelty towards prisoners, and she was sentenced to one year in prison.

For more information, please see:

AP – Germany investigates woman suspected of being SS guard – 2 February 2015

JTA – German woman, 93, under investigation for role as SS guard – 2 February 2015

The Guardian – 93-year-old German woman suspected of being Belsen SS guard – 2 February 2015

The Independent – 93-year-old woman investigated over claims she was Nazi SS guard who helped march 1,400 people to their deaths – 2 February 2015

BBC – Trial date set for ‘Auschwitz bookkeeper’ Groening – 2 February 2015

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Five convicted in the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica have had their sentences upheld by a judge at the UN Yugoslav tribunal in The Hague.

In just three days in Srebrenica, around 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were killed in what was the worst atrocity on European soil since World War Two. Towards the end of the conflict, around 20,000 refugees fled to Srebrenica to escape the Serbian forces, and UN Dutch forces subsequently protected the area. However, Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic led his troops to take Srebrenica from the Dutch, and word of the massacre soon followed the occupation by Mladic. The European Parliament has since decided to recognize July 11 as a day of remembrance for the victims.

Not all of those responsible have received their sentences yet, as evidenced by former Bosnian political leader Radovan Karadzic remaining on trial and Mladic as well, both facing charges such as genocide. However, the five appeals finalized today kept the men in prison, and four of the five kept their sentences. Former Bosnian Serb army security chief Drago Nikolic and brigade commander Vinko Pandurevic retained 35 and 13 year sentences, while Vujadin Popovic and Ljubisa Beara had their life sentences affirmed. Only Radivoge Miletic received a lesser sentence, having his imprisonment reduced from 19 to 18 years.

Altogether, the UN Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has charged 19 people. 315 witnesses have testified in trials for those charged, and some remains on trial. There have already been 141 proceedings, and another 15 are still ongoing for crimes stemming from the conflict, but the trials for those responsible for the Srebrenica massacre seems to stand out particularly.

For more information, please see:

The Daily Star – Verdicts upheld at UN tribunal – 31 January 2015

BBC – Srebrenica massacre verdicts upheld at war crimes tribunal – 30 January 2015

The New York Times – The Hague: Srebrenica Massacre Verdicts Are Upheld – 30 January 2015

Die Deutsche Welle – Srebrenica perpetrators lose appeals – 30 January 2015

By Kyle Herda

Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine – Rebel shelling of the Ukrainian city Mariupol has reportedly killed at least 30 and injured over 100. Rebels have been recently increasing number and intensity of attacks, although this appears to have been the peak of the recent attacks. 

Ukrainian Prisdent Petro Poroshenko says that Kiev has confirmed the shelling came from Russian-backed separatists. Uragan and Grad rockets that pounded the city came from rebel-held territory within Eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said the Ukrainian military has destroyed four of the six Grad systems that were used to carry out the attack on Mariupol. President Poroshenko went as far as to call the attack “a crime against humanity,” and he subsequently sent more military men into the region.

Following the attack, both sides were once again quick to blame the other for escalating the conflict. The truce sworn to by all involved parties in Belarus last year seemingly has lost most of its weight and neither Eastern Ukraine, Western Ukraine, nor Russia is willing to take the blame for the breakdown. Last week, President Poroshenko accused Russia of having 10,000 Russian troops and 500 Russian tanks in Eastern Ukraine aiding the rebels, with as many as 2,000 of those troops and 200 of those tanks having recently entered.

In addition to Mariupol, four Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 17 injured over the past day at the hands of the rebels, and Debaltseve has seen strong rebel fighting. Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the rebels, says they aim to surround the town. This would come in addition to increased fighting in Donetsk, particularly at the airport where shelling has once again become quite regular and casualties continue to rise. Altogether, the United Nations reports over 5,000 people have been killed in the Ukrainian conflict.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Rebels launch ‘intense’ attacks on Ukraine government troops: Kiev military – 25 January 2015

ABC – Ukraine Says Calls Prove Rebels Attacked City, Killed 30 – 25 January 2015

BBC – Ukraine conflict: Poroshenko vows to ‘calm’ Mariupol fighting – 25 January 2015

LA Times – 30 killed, 102 injured in missile attack on Ukraine port city – 25 January 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Deadly Rebel Attack in Ukraine Signals Escalation – 25 January 2015

Reuters – Pro-Russian rebels attack key port; Ukraine says at least 30 dead – 24 January 2015

The New York Times – War Is Exploding Anew in Ukraine; Rebels Vow More – 23 January 2015