by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

KIEV, Ukraine–

Protests and violence broke out on August 31^st, as the Ukrainian Parliament approved a measure to give more autonomy to local governments in Eastern Ukraine. Although the measures approved constitutional changes to curb violence and add stability in the war torn regions of Ukraine, protesters saw the legislation as “anti-Ukraine” and “pro-Russian,” and believed it would give Russia concessions in exchange for peace.

A yet-unnamed man, who was later identified to be a member of a far-right nationalist party, threw grenades at police lines, immediately killing one member of the National Guard. Two other officers later died while hospitalized for their injuries. 130 other officers were injured in the attack, along with 10 protestors who were standing nearby. 11 of those injured are in critical condition.

Monday’s vote was the first step in changing the status of the Eastern regions from a troubled region to one of stability. Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted upon these changes during peace talks in Minsk, Belarus last winter. Many Ukrainian nationalists oppose the measures because the Russian government, which is seen as the impetus behind the civil war that has claimed the lives of at least 6,500 lives, stipulated them.

The terms, in order to go into effect, involves a constitutional amendment, which requires a supermajority of 300 out of a possible 450 votes. The first reading of the measure passed with 265 votes, which will allow additional changes to be made to the legislation before a final vote is cast.

Ukrainian President Petro O. Poroshenko had previously approved the constitutional change, as was required in the Minsk agreement made last winter. This concession, however, came at a steep price, as Russian-backed rebel soldiers surrounded thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the East. Opinion polls show that most Ukrainians disagree with this decision, but have no desire to continue on with the war. The three coalition parties that typically side with Mr. Poroshenko oppose the constitutional changes, and it is unclear whether he will ultimately win the approval he needs to implement the legislation.

For more information, please see–

BBC– Ukraine crisis: Deadly anti-autonomy protest outside parliament— 31 August 2015

International Business Times– Ukraine crisis: National guard killed with 90 injured in deadly protests outside parliament— 31 August 2015

Newsweek–Photos: Violence and Protests at Ukraine’s Parliament in Kiev— 31 August 2015

New York Times– 2 More Officers Die in Violent Protest Over Autonomy for East Ukraine— 31 August 2015

Reuters–Ukraine guardsman killed in nationalist protest outside parliament-– 31 August 2015

by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

VIENNA, Austria–

UN has called on European nations to collectively improve efforts to solve the growing migrant crisis, including prosecuting human traffickers preying on refugees. This mandate has come after 71 migrants were found dead in an abandoned truck this past week in Austria. The refugees were likely fleeing Syria and suffocated in the back, after the truck was abandoned on the side of the road.

The truck was found on August 27^th, after traveling from Hungary to Austria. The partly decomposed bodies were found inside, piled on top of each other. Damage to the inside of the truck suggests that the refugees had attempted to get out before suffocating to death. Those dead include 59 men, 8 women, and 4 children, including one small infant. Papers from Syria suggest that many came to escape war-torn Syria, but Bangladeshi authorities have also claimed that some of the refugees came from there.

Though their identities are unknown as of yet, at least four people in Austria have been arrested in connection with the deaths. “We are talking about human trafficking, homicide, even murder,” said Johann Fuchs, state prosecutor of Eisenstadt. Autopsies are currently being conducted, with charges of human smuggling, danger to public safety leading to death, or murder being contemplated for those arrested.

The deaths are in connection with the biggest rise in migrants to Europe since the end of the Second World War. A UN report states that migration by boat alone has risen by 40% compared to 2014; the total number of refugees that had crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe had increased from 219,000 in 2014, to 310,000 as of August 2015. More than 2,500 people have died at sea attempting to cross the Mediterranean, not including the 150 people that died crossing from Libya on Thursday. The cause of the deaths, officials say, is due to overcrowding of boats and the way people are packed into those boats.

Melissa Fleming, a UN spokeswoman, said the deaths of the refugees found in Austria clearly demonstrate “the desperation of people seeking protection or a new life in Europe….We believe this [event] underscores the ruthlessness of people-smugglers who have expanded their business from the Mediterranean Sea to the highways of Europe. It shows they have absolutely no regard for human life.”

For more information, please see–

Al-Jazeera–Arrests made after 71 dead refugees found in Austria— 28 August 2015

CNN–Italy arrests 10 in migrant deaths at sea; Austrian officials sort out deaths on land— 28 August 2015

The Guardian–A week in Europe’s migrant crisis – a visual guide— 28 August 2015

Miami Herald–Austrian officials: 71 migrants likely suffocated in truck— 28 August 2015

Miami Herald– Europe’s migrant crisis brings tragedy by land and sea— 28 August 2015

The New York Times-Europe Reels From More Migrant Deaths on Land and Sea— 28 August 2015

BBC–Migrant deaths: UN warns of ‘crisis of solidarity’— 29 August 2015

by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

PRISTINA, Kosovo–

On August 3^rd, the Kosovo Parliament will vote on a constitutional amendment that will create an ad hoc war crimes court to try former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army that allegedly committed crimes during the Kosovo War.  After facing escalating pressure from the United States and the European Union, officials believe that there is enough support to pass the amendments necessary for the court’s creation, after a failure to pass the amendments last month.

No changes have been made to the amendments that were brought before Parliament last month, but President Isa Mustafa is confident that the amendments will pass.  At a recent cabinet meeting, Mustafa commented, “we have to be aware that we cannot build and develop this country if we are isolated by friendly countries. Voting for these changes in parliament will bring long-term benefit for Kosovo.”  The amendments, he believes, will be good for Kosovo and maintain powerful allies and ties the country has managed to obtain.

Veterans associations are opposed to the new amendments and the creation of the courts, as they find it insulting to the struggle for freedom against Serbian control of the region.  Many major parties are also opposed, as the creation of the courts would open investigations into party members.  However, members that were previously against the amendments are expected to vote in favor of the measures as international pressure mounts.

The court structure would entail the creation of special chambers to deal with specific allegations of atrocities committed by members of the KLA.  KLA members are accused of murdering, abducting, and illegally detaining Serbs, Roma and Kosovo Albanians who were believed to collaborate with the previous Serbian regime.  New allegations of atrocities are still coming to light, as more information is being uncovered.

US diplomats have warned the Kosovo government that the UN Security Council will set up the courts if Parliament fails to ratify the amendments.  Russia, Serbia’s ally and member of the Security Council, proposed the measure to the Council to protect Serbia’s interests in the region.

For more information, please see–

Balkan International Justice– Kosovo Govt Prepares New War Crimes Court Vote— 30 July 2015

Politico– Kosovo needs to show no one is above the law— 31 July 2015

B92– Kosovo: Draft resolution on genocide submitted to assembly— 31 July 2015

Balkan International Justice– Kosovo Sets Date for War Crimes Court Vote— 31 July 2015

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty– Kosovo’s Government Urges Parliament To Set Up War Crimes Court— 31 July 2015

Reuters– Under Western pressure, Kosovo to put war crimes court to new vote— 31 July 2015

 

by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

BERLIN, Germany–

A German court sentenced Oskar Gröening, a 94-year-old former guard at Auschwitz concentration camp, to four years in prison on July 15^th on 300,000 accounts of accessory to murder from May to July 1944. A judge in the city of Luenenburg convicted the “Bookkeeper of Auschwitz” for his role in collecting and cataloguing money and the belongings of Jewish prisoners as they entered the camp. Gröening’s trial is expected to be one of the last trials of surviving Nazis for their atrocities in the camps.

Due to Gröening’s age, it is unclear how he will serve his sentence. However, his age was a factor in determining the length of his sentence, as the judge stated “he must still have the chance to spend part of his life in freedom after serving imprisonment.” The four years exceeds the three-and-a-half year sentence wanted by the prosecution.

Although Gröening did not dispute the charges against him, he admitted “moral guilt” for the murders that took place at the camp. He stated his belief that he was a “cog” in a Nazi killing machine, but was not directly responsible for the mass murders that took place. During testimony, Gröening commented, “Auschwitz was a place where you could not simply take part. I agree with that. I sincerely regret that I did not recognize that earlier. I am truly sorry.”

Throughout the trial, Gröening was brutally honest about the horrors he witnessed during his tenure at Auschwitz. He detailed how prison guards decided which prisoners would be killed immediately and which would be selected for work. During the two month period Gröening was convicted for, at least 137 cattle car trains rolled through Auschwitz. Of the 425,000 people that those trains carried, Gröning said 300,000 were immediately chosen for the gas chambers.

The 2011 conviction of concentration camp guard John Demjanjuk as an accessory to mass murder allowed German prosecutors to seek out charges against other former Nazis. Previously, a prison guard had to be convicted of a specific murder in order to be considered for charges. With the conviction of Demjanjuk, the pathway for more Nazi convictions opened, and allowed German prosecutors to seek charges against former officials even if a crime against a specific individual could not be proved. Gröening had faced similar charges in 1985, but the case was dropped due to a lack of evidence.

For more information, please see–

CBS– Auschwitz “accountant” jailed over Nazi killings— 15 July 2015

The Guardian– Former Auschwitz guard Oskar Gröening jailed over mass murder— 15 July 2015

Newsweek–Former Auschwitz Guard Convicted of 300,000 Counts of Accessory to Murder— 15 July 2015

USA Today– Ex-Auschwitz guard, 94, is sentenced to prison— 15 July 2015

Wall Street Journal– Former Auschwitz Guard Oskar Gröning Convicted on 300,000 Counts of Accessory to Murder— 15 July 2015

Washington Post– “Accountant of Auschwitz” sentenced to four years in prison for 300,000 deaths— 15 July 2015

 

 

 

by Shelby Vcelka

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

UNITED NATIONS–

UN Security Council held a session last Wednesday on a resolution that would have condemned the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 as a “crime of genocide.” The text of the resolution stated that the “acceptance of the tragic events at Srebrenica as genocide is a prerequisite for reconciliation.” Of the fifteen members of the Security Council, four members abstained from the vote, while ten voted in favor. Only Russia voted against the resolution. The resolution’s failure to pass marks a new low in international politics and relations among the Western powers.

This week marks the 20^th anniversary of the killing of 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb troops in the worst massacre since the Second Word War. The victims were shot and buried in a mass grave after Serbian forces overran a safe zone watched by Dutch United Nations peacekeepers during the final months of the Bosnian War.

The Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, described the resolution as “counter productive, confrontational and politically motivated.” He claimed that the resolution blamed the Bosnian Serbs for atrocities that were committed by all parties involved in the conflict. The resolution would further “doom the region to tension,” Mr. Churkin claimed, as Serbia was opposed to the motion. Russia and Serbia have close political ties.

Prior to the vote, the United States, Russia, and Britain attempted to come to a compromise on the language of the text. The American ambassador, Samantha Power, stated that the writers of the draft attempted to tackle many of Russia’s concerns, but Russia spurned the definition of genocide offered by the resolution. The vote had been pushed back a day to address other issues Russia had, but to no avail.

Serbia, who does not have a seat on the Security Council, has denied the allegations that the massacre was a “genocide,” and asked ally Russia to block the resolution. The denial is in spite of a UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague and other international courts recognizing the event as a genocide. Serbia admits that a “grave crime” was committed as it created closer ties with the West, but refuses to call acknowledge the legal definition of genocide.

For more information, please see–

BBC– Russia vetoes UN move to call Srebrenica ‘genocide’— 08 July 2015

Business Insider–Russia blocks U.N. condemnation of Srebrenica as a genocide— 08 July 2015

DW.com– Russia blocks UN resolution condemning Srebrenica ‘genocide’— 08 July 2015

New York Times– Russia Vetoes U.N. Resolution Calling Srebrenica Massacre ‘Crime of Genocide’— 08 July 2015

The Telegraph– Russia blocks UN resolution condemning Srebrenica massacre as genocide— 08 July 2015