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Syria Justice and Accountability Centre: Race to the Ballot Box – UN Must Learn from Past Mistakes, Avoid Pre-Mature Elections in Syria
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War Crimes Prosecution Watch: Volume 12, Issue 20 – December 11, 2017
FREDERICK K. COX INTERNATIONAL LAW CENTER Founder/Advisor |
War Crimes Prosecution Watch
Volume 12 – Issue 20 |
Editor-in-Chief James Prowse Technical Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors |
War 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.
Contents
AFRICA
CENTRAL AFRICA
- The Jerusalem Post: Militants kill Egyptian UN Peacekeeper in Central African Republic
- Relief Web: The world’s most dangerous peacekeeping mission?
- Frederisksburg: 1 peacekeeper killed, 3 wounded in Central African Republic
- Relief Web: Batangafo: “People are afraid for their lives. It’s the only thing they have left.”
- Aljazeera: What is behind Sudan’s ‘rapprochement’ with Russia?
- ABC News: South Sudan wants thousands sheltering in UN camps to leave
- AllAfrica: Sudan Security Stops Three Newspapers Again
- Sudan Tribune: Dinka Council of Elders Deny Negative Role in South Sudan War
- Source: Title
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Eyewitness News: Amnesty International Calls for Investigation Into DRC Police Conduct
- Human Rights Watch: DR Congo: Rebels Were Recruited to Crush Protests
- Human Rights Watch: Not the Time to Look Away on Burundi
- Reuters: Burundi opposition platform boycotts new round of peace talks in Tanzania
- ABC News: Burundi’s government enforcers now killed for their silence
WEST AFRICA
Lake Chad Region — Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon
- Amnesty International: Investigate Shell for complicity in murder, rape and torture
- Amnesty International: UN Committee Tells Cameroon to put an end to torture by security forces in the fight against Boko Haram
- Reuters: Mali’s regional elections delayed by security concerns
- The New York Times: UN says 4 attacks against peacekeepers in Mali
- Reuters: Mali’s president contradicts French account of military strike
- CNBC: Worsening Mali security situation is damaging human rights, UN expert finds after visit
EAST AFRICA
- New Vision: Court rules Kwoyelo trial must proceed
- XinhuaNet: Uganda beefs up security at refugee settlements over alleged rebel recruitments
- BBC News: Kenya election: Kenyatta vows to overcome divisions
- Bloomberg: Kenyan Opposition Accuses Police of Killing 215 Since August
- Reuters: Kenya frees Odinga adviser arrested on suspicion of inciting violence
- The Telegraph: Opposition campaigner David Ndii arrested in Kenya as political crises deepens
- Daily Nation: US pushes for dialogue amid political tension in Kenya
- IOL: US urges Kenya’s Odinga to call off alternative inauguration
- Standard Digital: NASA insists Raila’s swearing in lawful
- News 24: US warns Kenya’s opposition against Odinga ‘inauguration’
Rwanda (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)
- The New Zealand Herald: Green MP Golriz Ghahraman defended senior Rwandan Hutu man in extradition case
- The New Times: Civil society to assess implementation of UN human rights recommendations
- XinhuaNet: Somalia Mulls Swift Actions to Prevent Use of Children in Armed Conflicts
- Eyewitness News: “Somalia’s Peacekeeping Mission Could Be Hurt by Cut in Force Size”
NORTH AFRICA
- Reuters: Nigeria flies migrants home from Libya after slavery scare
- Aljazeera: ‘Slavery is an outrageous reality in Libya’
- The Libya Observer: Libyan human rights body condemns attempts to murder injured people at Misrata Hospital
EUROPE
Court of Bosnia & Herzegovina, War Crimes Chamber
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Indictment in the case of Sretko Pavić confirmed
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Alminko Islamović ordered into custody
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Indictment confirmed in Gvozden Lukić case
- Balkan Insight: Bosnia Charges Serb Ex-Soldiers with 28 Civilians’ Murders
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Trial Judgment Upheld in Mitar Vlasenko et al.
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Esad Ramić et al. ordered into pre-trial custody
- Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Trial Judgment upheld in the case of Stevo Jovanović et al.
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- Balkan Insight: Minister Denies Croatia’s Role in Bosnian War
- Balkan Insight: Bosnian Croat Dies after ‘Taking Poison’ at UN Court
- HINA: Defense lawyers say chances of Prlic et al. verdict review slim
- Balkan Insight: Hague Tribunal Probes Slobodan Praljak’s Courtroom Death
- Balkan Insight: ‘Scorpions’ Ex-Fighter Says Belgrade Controlled Paramilitaries
- The Voice of Croatia: Justice Minister says legal experts are reviewing ICTY verdict
- ICTY Press Release: President Agius delivers final address to UN Security Council
- MICT Press Release: President Meron Updates UN Security Council on Progress of Work
- MICT Press Release: Prosecutor Serge Brammertz Addresses the United Nations Security Council
- The Voice of Croatia: President: Croatians refute collective guilt; no one was charged for Vukovar
Domestic Prosecutions In The Former Yugoslavia
MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA
- US News and World Report: Exclusive: Yemen Rebel Missiles Fired at Saudi Arabia Appear Iranian – U.N.
- The Economist: How Yemen became the most wretched place on earth
- The Council on Foreign Relations: How the Saudi Blockade Threatens Famine in Yemen
- The Los Angeles Times: Yemen’s deposed strongman says he is open to talks with Saudi coalition
- The New York Times: Yemen’s Ex-President Killed as Mayhem Convulses Capital
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal
- Dawn: Pakistan concerned as Bangladesh hands six JI leaders death penalty
- The Daily Star: 7 war crimes suspects sued in Jessore
War Crimes Investigations in Burma
- The Atlantic: The Pope’s Impossible Choice in Burma
- The New York Times: ‘No Such Thing as Rohingya’: Myanmar Erases a History
- The New European: Eyewitness to a Masacre
- The Washington Post: Israel responds to mortar fire from Gaza with airstrikes
- Newsweek: ISRAEL MUST STOP PLANS TO DEMOLISH PALESTINIAN VILLAGES, SENATE DEMOCRATS SAY
- Independent: Israel accused of being about to ‘commit war crime’ over demolition that will leave 50 Palestinian children homeless
- The Palestine Chronicle: ICC ‘Made Significant Progress’ in Prosecuting Israel For War Crimes
- International Solidarity Movement: Hundreds of Israeli Soldiers Violently Suppress Demonstration in Hebron
- Al Jazeera: Documents reveal how ISIL ran areas under its control
- Al Jazeera: Iraq after ISIL: ‘It was like a ghost town’
- Iraqi News: Iraq to announce final victory against Islamic State, next week
- Middle East Eye: ‘Reasonable basis’ to believe UK soldiers committed war crimes in Iraq: ICC
- Reuters: Iraq accused of violating due process for Islamic State suspects
- Human Rights Watch: Why Iraq Should Limit Islamic State Trials
- CBS News: When Hospitals Become Targets
- Time: Airstrikes Have Killed at Least 23 Civilians in Syria Ahead of U.N. Peace Talks
- News Herald: Amnesty: Syrian war crimes on ‘an epic scale’
- Daily Mail: Body parts stashed in fridges, horrific accounts of torture and mystery disappearances: Full horror of President Assad’s regime laid bare as smuggled documents held in secret location are opened for the first time
- CBC News: Former MP to ask International Criminal Court to investigate Canada’s Afghan war conduct
- The Diplomat: What Does the ICC Investigation Mean for Peace in Afghanistan?
- The Telegraph: British Iraq veterans could face war crimes trial, Hague chief prosecutor suggests despite end of ‘witch-hunt’ inquiry
AMERICAS
- The Independent: Mayor murdered in Mexico’s violent Veracruz state
- InSight Crime: Colombia Trafficker Links Costa Rica Business, Officials to Drug Trade
- BBC News: Salvadorean war crimes suspect Montano extradited to Spain
- New York Times: Did America Commit War Crimes in Vietnam?
- Daily Beast: Cartel Hitmen Force ‘Confessions’ From Victims Before ISIS-Style Beheadings In Mexico
- European Commission: The EU supports Central America in the fight against organised crime
- BBC: Honduras election: Army given more powers to quash unrest
- The Washington Post: No, a coup isn’t likely in Venezuela. And if one happens, it’s unlikely to bring democracy.
- BBC: Honduras presidential election: Curfew lifted in some areas after OAS call
TOPICS
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Denver Post: The world must act on Syrian war crimes
- Los Angeles Times: AP Interview: Zimbabwe’s president has ‘small window’ to act
- PR Newswire: Legislation on the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Coalition urges Canada to stand by commitment to implement UN Declaration
- ll Africa: Nigeria: South African Constitutional Court to Decide On ‘Freedom Fighter’ Exception Under the Terrorism Act
- Reuters: Iraq Accused of Violating Due Process for Islamic State Suspects
- Philippine Star: ARMM security sector backs call for ‘special’ courts for terrorism, drug cases
- allAfrica: East Africa: EU Naval Official Offers Appreciation for Seychelles’ Role in Piracy Fight
- allAfrica: Somalia: Iran Naval Forces Repel Pirate Attack On Merchant Vessel in Gulf of Aden
- Daily Times: OP-ED: Indian false flag maritime operations
- MarineLink: Somalia Signs on to Combat Piracy
- Medical Xpress: Why we need to end impunity for sexual violence in armed conflict
- News Deeply: 20 Years After Bosnian War, Rape Survivors Still Live With Trauma
- The Guardian: ual violence in war zones at ‘worst ever’ as drive to protect women falters
- The Globe and Mail: Children of war: Carrying on with babies born of rape
- Haaretz: Israel Must Extradite Teodoro Gauto, Wanted for Crimes in Argentina’s ‘Dirty War’
- Associated Press: Yugoslav war crimes court wins praise from many – not Russia
WORTH READING
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Syria Deeply: Diplomacy and deadlock in Syria; Moscow declares end of ISIS and partial withdrawal of Russian forces
Dec. 12th, 2017
Welcome to Syria Deeply’s weekly summary of the top coverage of the crisis in Syria.
As part of our Deeply Talks series, Syria Deeply will host a live 30-minute conversation with Rami Khouri, senior public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut, and Maxim Suchkov, editor of Al-Monitor’s Russia-Mideast coverage, about the recent flurry of diplomatic discussions that aims to set the stage for a settlement to the near seven-year conflict. To RSVP and to receive dial-in instructions, click here. To submit questions for our editors or guests, email our community editor Kim Bode (kim@newsdeeply.com) or tweet us @SyriaDeeply with the hashtag #DEEPLYTALKS.
Peace Talks: The Syrian government’s delegation returned to Geneva on Sunday to rejoin United Nations-sponsored peace talks, just a day before Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry announced that a new round of negotiations in Astana is scheduled to start next week.
Two-day talks in the Kazakh capital are expected to begin December 21, days after U.N.-sponsored discussions in Geneva are expected to end. The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, previously said talks in the Swiss city would run until December 15, but as of Tuesday it remained unclear how long negotiations will continue.
The lead negotiator in the government’s delegation to Geneva, Bashar al-Jaafari, quit negotiations more than a week ago, and said that there would “be no progress” as long as the opposition did not reverse its call for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad before the start of a political transition.
As they have in previous rounds of Astana negotiations, representatives from Russia, Iran and Turkey are expected to attend the talks later this month. However, Iraq’s ambassador to Russia, Haidar Mansour Hadi, said on Tuesday that Baghdad would also like an invitation to Astana, according to Russian TASS news.
“I want to ask the Russian leadership to invite Iraq to attend the talks in Astana,” Hadi said in a meeting with Russian politician Konstantin Kosachev.
Putin’s Promises: President Vladimir Putin said he ordered a “significant part” of Moscow’s troops to begin their withdrawal from Syria on Monday, during a surprise visit to Russia’s Hmeimim air base near the coastal Syrian province of Latakia.
“The conditions for a political solution under the auspices of the United Nations have been created,” Putin said, according to Reuters. “Friends, the Motherland is waiting for you. You are coming back home with victory,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
Russia’s commander in Syria, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, said Moscow will withdraw “23 warplanes, two helicopter gunships, special forces units, military police and field engineers.” He did not specify how many soldiers and weapons would remain, but said it would be enough to “successfully fulfill the tasks” of stabilizing the situation in Syria, according to the Associated Press.
Putin has previously made similar statements but they did not result in a major or permanent withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria.
Moscow’s decision comes days after it declared the complete defeat of the so-called Islamic State in Syria. “There is not a single village or district in Syria under the control of [ISIS]. The territory of Syria has been completely liberated from fighters of this terrorist organization,” senior military officer Sergei Rudskoi told reporters.
Syria Deeply has not been able to independently confirm the absence of ISIS in every “single village or district” in the country.
Read our Daily Executive Summaries
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Syrian women at home and abroad are leading efforts to safeguard Syria’s cultural heritage and ensure that traditions are preserved in the wake of years of conflict and widespread displacement.
Eyes on Damascus: Exchange Rates, Financial Restrictions and Subsidized Fuel
As the Syrian government and foreign powers look to wind down the war in Syria, we are closely monitoring developments on the ground in the capital for our monthly report from Damascus.
Escaping Europe: Why Some Syrian Refugees Have Chosen to Leave
The route from Turkey to Greece was once crowded with Syrian asylum seekers fleeing to Europe. But in recent months some refugees have begun to move in the opposite direction because of what they describe as a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in host countries.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Community Insight
Conversations: Life as a Paramedic During ISIS’ Rule of Raqqa
Youmna al-Dimashqi, Independent Syrian Freelance Journalist
For medical professionals in ISIS’ former stronghold of Raqqa, trying to save lives meant risking shelling, airstrikes and arrest.
OPPOSITION GROUPS & REBEL FORCES
Syria’s Largest Militant Alliance Steps Further Away From al-Qaida
Mona Alami, Nonresident Fellow, Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Alliance is distancing itself from hard-line al-Qaida loyalists in its latest attempt to reinvent itself as a pragmatic local player among the opposition, writes Levant researcher and journalist Mona Alami.
A Nation in Pieces: Views From Syrians in Exile
Sima Ghaddar, Contributor, The Century Foundation
Syrians living in Lebanon, Europe and the U.S. reveal a common conviction that national unity and a common sense of identity are necessary to rebuild the country, but most say that both seem distant in a country divided along ethnic-sectarian lines.
FIRST LOOK
Upcoming coverage
We are always looking for new writers, experts and journalists who are covering the crisis in Syria and are interested in writing about a variety of topics. Please send us your ideas, story pitches and any other thoughts about our coverage via email, Twitter or Facebook.
Miami Herald Publishes Investigation into Abuses of Florida Juvenile Justice System
By: Karina Johnson
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
MIAMI, Florida — On Tuesday, October 10, the Miami Herald published a series of the results of a 2-year long investigation into the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s history of abuses toward juveniles in their care.
This investigation was launched following the death of 17-year-old Elord Revolte, who was beaten to death by fellow detainees on August 30, 2015, and was at least the twelfth questionable juvenile detainee death since 2000. The investigation examined a 10-year span of records ranging from incident reports, investigations, court cases, archived surveillance tapes and interviews with former inmates, their families, guards, and other staff members.
Allegations range from fights between the detainees set up by staffers for their entertainment (Palm Beach Juvenile Correctional Facility), to multiple counts of confirmed sexual relationships between staff and detainees, to a severe medical neglect of detainees.
Elord Revolte’s death was an instance of a ‘honey-bun hit’, where a staffer would offer a honey-bun—or some other kind of sweets, fast food, etc.—as a bounty in exchange for beating up the targeted inmate. This food bounty would allow the staffers to avoid Abuse Hotline charges by turning detainees into enforcers in order to outsource discipline. The DJJ investigation estimates between 12 and 16 other detainees participated in the assault upon Elord.
According to the DJJ’s Investigation Report into the matter, Elord was placed on medical confinement for a “24-hour concussion precaution” following the August 30 assault. On the morning of August 31, he complained of a “crackling” chest pain and told a nurse that he needed to go to the hospital. Around 4:45 p.m., Elord was taken by a nurse to the hospital in a state vehicle. He was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s emergency room at 5:17 p.m. Elord Revolte died at 11:05 p.m., 30 hours after the assault as a result of a heart attack caused by his extensive internal bleeding.
Five juvenile justice officers were fired by the DJJ as a result of the investigation for poor performance, negligence, and failure to perform duties as assigned.
Following the publication of the Miami Herald series ‘Fight Club’, the Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice Christina Daly, issued a press release stating:
“DJJ has not, does not and will not ever tolerate or condone mistreatment of children in our care. Staff who are not well intentioned to help transform the lives of our children have no place within this agency. Anyone who is found to have encouraged, enticed, or ordered youth to engage in fights or assault other youth is, and will be, held accountable to the full extent of the law, including criminal prosecution. We consistently work to identify, investigate and hold fully accountable any staff member who does not meet our high standards – both within DJJ facilities and with our contracted providers.”
According to the DJJ, one of their biggest problems is a 60% turnover rate for entry-level officers due to low pay. Other issues include inadequate background checks that result in the hiring of personnel with a history of violent and sexual abuses, as well as a tolerance for cover-ups. However, in a presentation to the Senate Criminal Justice committee, Secretary Daly stated that the “crime rate among Florida youth has dropped by 37 percent since 2010, and the state has also seen a sharp drop in the number of children arrested or placed in DJJ custody,” and that the arrest rate for girls dropped by more than half.
The Miami Herald reports that over the past 10 years, “DJJ has investigated 1,455 allegations of youth officers or other staffers failing to report abusive treatment of detainees— or, if they did report an incident, lying about the circumstances. That’s nearly three times a week.”
For more information, please see:
Miami Herald – Despite challenges, Florida’s juvenile justice system continues to improve – 10 November 2017
Florida Politics – Juvenile Justice Secretary talks ‘Fight Club’ during Senate presentation – 23 October 2017
Miami Herald – Juvenile justice chief defends agency, calling abuses ‘isolated events’ – 23 October 2017
Tampa Bay Times – Fight Club: Dark secrets of Florida juvenile justice – 11 October 2017
Florida Department of Juvenile Justice – Setting the Record Straight: Miami Herald Omits Facts, Ignores Reforms in Series Targeting DJJ – 10 October 2017
Miami Herald – Dark secrets of Florida’s juvenile justice system: A Miami Herald investigation – 10 October 2017
Miami New Times – After Herald Catches Prison Guards Running Child “Fight Clubs,” State Attacks Reporters – 10 October 2017
Miami Herald – 5 fired at Miami-Dade lockup where teen died in beat-down – 30 September 2015