By Meryl White

Impunity Watch, Africa

The ICC is a permanent court created in 2002 to provide for international justice. The ICC is independent from the United Nations and has international jurisdiction. Since 2002, the ICC has investigated the conflict in northern Uganda, “resource-fueled” battles in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. Moreover, the ICC recently announced a new investigation into the violence occuring in the Central African Republic.

The Congolese government asked the ICC in 2004, to investigate the atrocities that took place during the Second Congolese War, the five year conflict that ended in 2003, and killed four million people. In Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, a Congolose warlord named Thomas Lubanga, became ICC’s prime suspect. He is responsible for the recruitment of child soldiers to fight in his militia. In January 2006, the ICC submitted an arrest warrant for Lubanga, and within two months the Democratic Republic of Congo handed Lubanga over to the court. Lubanga’s arrest marks ICC’s first prosecutorial trial.

The ICC faces certain logistic and security battles to obtain suspects for trial. Since the ICC has no enforcement or marshall service, it is often powerless to act on its warrants. For example, in 2005, the ICC charged five Ugandan rebel commanders with crimes against humanity but have since been unable to arrest the men. Furthermore, the ICC has many international critics, who believe that ICC warrants undermine peace efforts in hostile regions. Others believe that concerns of poor infrastructure and poverty present grave problems in the region and should be concurrently addressed with the court’s actions.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo – ICC Path to Justice Tested in Congo – May 2007

Amnesty International – Amnesty Report Says Rights Situation in Africa Remains Dire – May 2007

By Myriam Clerge

Impunity Watch, Africa

The Zimbabwe police have placed a ban on opposition rally in an effort to halt a series of “disturbances”. The government claims the ban is in effect to protect the people and officers form looting and bombing. Recent crackdown has been focused on the chief political opposition group, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), who Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe, has termed the group, puppets of the British monarchy.

The rise in rallies and violence were led by renewed criticism from West concerning the present state of the country’s economy and claims of human rights violations. Zimbabwe has an inflation rate at more than 3,700 percent, unemployment at 80 percent, and a shortening and scarce food supply.

Initially the government placed the ban prohibiting political rallies and demonstration in parts of the capital Harare for three month due to the country’s state of emergency, that ban expired on May 20. However, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has reported that the government has elected to extend the ban for another month for the city of Mbare, where a police camp was bombed.

The MDC has filed a court petition against the first ban; however the court has yet to review the claim.

For more information please see:

Yahoo – Zimbabwe extends ban on protests, rallies in Harare – 24 May 2007

Yahoo – Zimbabwe police slap new ban on opposition rallies – 24 May 2007

By Impunity Watch Africa

Amnesty International has recently released their 2007 report on Africa.  Amnesty reports that the human rights situation remained precarious throughout the region in 2006.  Armed conflict, under-development, extreme poverty, widespread corruption, inequitable distribution of resources, political repression, marginalization, ethnic and civil violence, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic have all contributed to the undermining of human rights throughout the region.  While armed conflict on the whole decreased, many countries continue to be affected by it and as a result there are millions of refugees and internally displaced people.  Extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, torture and other ill-treatment is still occurring across the region.

Amnesty’s report provides further detailed information on armed conflicts, economic, social, and cultural rights, repression of dissenters, the death penalty, impunity, violence against women and girls, and regional institutions and human rights.

For the full report, please see:

Amnesty International – Amnesty International Report – May 2007

By Impunity Watch Africa

Charles Taylor, the former leader of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, is currently awaiting trial for 11 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law including mass murder, mutilations, rape, sexual slavery, and the use of child soldiers.  All counts stem from his role in the Sierra Leone civil war.   He was indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone in March 2003 and arrested in Nigeria in March 2006.  The Special Court will conduct the trial, however they requested permission in June 2006 for it to take place in the International Criminal Court in The Hague.  The United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed and Taylor was subsequently transferred to the Netherlands where he is currently awaiting his June 4 trial.

Taylor played a large role in the Sierra Leone civil war, trading diamonds for guns with rebel leader Foday Sankoh and providing support and advice to Sam Bockarie. Taylor’s administration is also charged with harboring members of Al-Qaeda sought in connection with the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Charles Taylor- Preacher, Warlord, President – 13 July 2009

AllAfrica – UN-Backed Court in Sierra Leone Unveils Start Date for Trial of Former Leader – 08 May 2007

Trial Watch – Charles Taylor – May 2007

Human Rights Watch – Charles Taylor Hague Trial Must Be Accessible – 19 June 2006

BBC – Taylor Trial to Be Out of Africa – 16 June 2006

By Meryl White

Impunity Watch, Africa

On Monday, May 21, 2007, more than 20 suspected Islamic militants went on trial in Mauritania. The militants include young Mauritanians and religious teachers who received terrorist training from the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) in Algeria. The Algerian GSPC is linked to the al-Qaeda network. Currently, the GSPC is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations. In June 2005, the GSPC attacked a Mauritanian army garrison and killed 17 soldiers. Moreover, the GSPC claimed responsibility for the triple suicide bombings in Algeria that took place in April, 2007.

This trial marks the first prosecution in Mauritania since civilian president, Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, took office in April, 2007. State officials believe that the new civilian government will give the suspects a fair and speedy trial. “The government is obliged to respect the dictates of the constitution and the laws … this is not just a security issue,” said an unnamed official.

President Abdallahi has indicated that the government of Mauritania will continue to cooperate with the United States to uncover militant training camps in the desert borders. Mauritania will join the Washington’s Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership, and share military cooperation and intelligence with U.S. Special Forces stationed in the region.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Suspected Islamic militants on trial in Mauritania – 21 May 2007

BBC – Mass terror trial in Mauritania – 21 May 2007