ICTJ World Report
August 2016

In Focus

ICTJ Welcomes Historic Peace Agreement Between Colombian Government and FARC RebelsThe agreement represents “an historic opportunity for Colombian society to build a peaceful future on foundations of respect for human rights and the rule of law,” said David Tolbert, president of ICTJ. “We have for years worked in support of victims’ rights in Colombia and will continue to do so with renewed energy and hope.”

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World Report

AFRICAIn The Democratic Republic of Congo at least 36 people have been killed in the eastern part of the country by the Islamic armed group Allied Democratic Forces. Patrick Sabimana, security chief of warlord Sylvestre Mudacumura, was arrested in eastern DRC this month. Mudacumura has been wanted under an international arrest warrant since July 2012. In Côte d’Ivoire the trial of former first lady Simone Gbagbo for crimes against humanity was put on hold until October 10, after the former first lady complained she was too tired to proceed. Tens of thousands of people have fled a fresh outbreak of violence in South Sudan, reporting mass killings, looting and forced recruitment of child soldiers. On July 11, South Sudanese troops attacked aid workers, shooting a local journalist and raping several foreign women while UN peacekeepers stationed nearby did not respond to calls for help. In Mali, Ahmad al-Mahdi became the first defendant to plead guilty at the International Criminal Court. Al-Mahdi faces up to 11 years in prison for his destruction of monuments of great religious and cultural significance. The UN condemned attacks on peacekeepers in Mali earlier this month. In Nigeria 20 soldiers of the Nigerian Army have been arraigned over charges ranging from human rights abuse, murder and the sale of firearms in counter-insurgency warfare in Borno state. The United Nations urgedEthiopia to allow international observers into parts of the country hit by deadly clashes between security forces and protesters. These clashes resulted in the death of at least 49 people as authorities cracked down on anti-government unrest. Chad’s dictator Hissene Habré, sentenced to life in May for war crimes and crimes against humanity, was ordered by a court in Senegal on Friday to pay up to 30,000 euros to each of his victims. The UN Security council authorized the deployment of 228 police toBurundi to try to quell violence and human rights abuses in the country.

AMERICASColombia’s government and FARC invited 5 institutions and personalities – including ICTJ, the Pope and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon – to participate in the selection of magistrates for their Special Jurisdiction for Peace. A recent poll found that 67.5% of Colombians would approve the peace deal. If the peace deal was to be vetoed in the plebiscite, individual elements of a peace deal with the FARCwould not be renegotiated according to the chief government negotiator. The US deportedGuatemala’s Santos Lopez Alonzo, a former soldier suspected of helping carry out a massacre in 1982 during the country’s civil war. Women’s rights campaigners and human rights groups in Peru havevowed to appeal a ruling that clears jailed former president Alberto Fujimori and his health ministers of criminal responsibility for a nationwide family planning program that resulted in thousands of forced sterilizations in the late 1990s. In Argentina, United States Secretary of State John Kerry said he willdeliver the first batch of declassified documents related to America’s role in Argentina’s 1976-83 military dictatorship, a seven-year period in which thousands of leftwing activists were murdered.

ASIAIn Nepal, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) closed complaint registration this month, with over 60,000 cases collected in the last four months. Myanmar activists called for release of all political prisoners currently behind bars following the announcement that hundreds of people accused of “political” crimes would no longer face prosecution. In the Philippines more than 1,800 people have been killed in extrajudicial killings under new president Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte pledged to kill alleged drug dealers in his campaign. In Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan offered a formal apology to aboriginal peoples for centuries of “pain and mistreatment,” and she promised to take concrete steps to rectify a history of injustice. She later reiterated her government’s commitment to transitional justice for indigenous people. In Bangladesh, a special tribunal for war crimes during the country’s independence war in 1971 sentenced a former lawmaker to death and seven others to life in prison on charges of murder and other crimes.

EUROPEIn Nepal, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) closed complaint registration this month, with over 60,000 cases collected in the last four months. Myanmar activists called for release of all political prisoners currently behind bars following the announcement that hundreds of people accused of “political” crimes would no longer face prosecution. In the Philippines more than 1,800 people have been killed in extrajudicial killings under new president Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte pledged to kill alleged drug dealers in his campaign. In Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan offered a formal apology to aboriginal peoples for centuries of “pain and mistreatment,” and she promised to take concrete steps to rectify a history of injustice. She later reiterated her government’s commitment to transitional justice for indigenous people. In Bangladesh, a special tribunal for war crimes during the country’s independence war in 1971 sentenced a former lawmaker to death and seven others to life in prison on charges of murder and other crimes.

MENAIn Tunisia, parliament passed a vote of no confidence in prime minister Habib Essid, who faced criticism from across the political spectrum. Youssef Chahed has been named as Essid’s successor, and recently named his cabinet. In Syria a new report from Amnesty International exposes horrific torture practices. In Iraq, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern about the safety of people who remain in ISIS’ captivity, particularly the thousands of Yezidi women and children, on the second anniversary of the seizure of Sinjar by the group. In Lebanon, a once-residential building-turned snipers’ lair will be transformed once more – this time into the country’s first publicly funded museum documenting the civil war— when it opens in September. On August 6, the Chouf regionmarked the 15th anniversary of the mountain reconciliation between Christians and Druze. Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea also marked the anniversary of the reconciliation, saying all parties must do everything in their power to avoid the recurrence of violence. In Yemen, a UN report concluded that the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen deliberately bombed a house, killing four children, and that Houthi rebels used civilians as shields to avoid attacks. Yemeni government negotiators left peace talks in Kuwait after Houthi militia foes rejected a United Nations proposal aimed to ending their country’s war.

Publications

Recommendations for Victim Reparations in Côte d’IvoireCôte d’Ivoire is obligated to provide reparations to victims of both the political violence that shook the country following the 2010 presidential elections and the different episodes of political violence and armed conflict since 1990.

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Handbook on ComplementarityWhere should justice for some of the world’s worst crimes be done? In national courts or at the International Criminal Court in The Hague? Our new Handbook on Complementarity explores those questions, laying out the interconnected relationship between the ICC and national court systems in the global fight against impunity.

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September 11 – 14, 2016

A Conflict? Genocide and Resistance in Guatemala Location:University of Southern California, USC Ray Stark Theatre View Details

October 01, 2016

70th Anniversary of the Verdicts of the International Military Tribunal Location:Nuremberg, Germany View Details

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