|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Special Features
ICTJ: In Focus: Education in a Context of State-Imposed Amnesia
ICTJ In Focus 61 October 2016 |
|
IHL Dialogs: Declaration of the Tenth IHL Dialogs at Nuremberg
War Crimes Prosecution Watch: Volume 11, Issue 15 – October 2, 2016
![]() Founder/Advisor
Michael P. Scharf |
War Crimes Prosecution Watch
Volume 11 – Issue 15
October 2, 2016 |
Editor-in-Chief
Kevin J. Vogel Technical Editor-in-Chief
Jeradon Z. Mura |
- International Justice Monitor: Verdict in ICC’s First Witness Tampering Trial Scheduled for October 19
- UN News Centre: UN humanitarian wing condemns attacks on relief workers in Central African Republic
- Reuters: Occupying schools, gunmen deny education to thousands of children in Central African Republic: U.N.RT
- International New York Times: TVP Says South Sudan Isn’t a ‘Dumping Place’ for Peacekeepers
- CNN News18: Sudan Says Africa Wants Out of War Crimes Court
- ReliefWeb: UNHCR welcomes South Sudan’s accession to the African refugee convention
- The Wall Street Journal: U.N. Says South Sudan Thwarted Peacekeepers
- International Justice Monitor: Judge Rejects Prosecution Bid to Have Costs of Bemba’s ICC Trial Revealed
- U.S. Department of State: Alarm Over Protests and Harassment of the U.S. Special Envoy in the DRC
- Yahoo News: DR Congo warlord ends hunger strike at ICC
- International Justice Monitor : Verdict in ICC’s First Witness Tampering Trial Scheduled for October 19
- UN Dispatch:The ICC’s First Hunger-Striking Defendant Poses a Courtroom Conundrum
- Yahoo News: DR Congo’s Bemba appeals ICC war crimes conviction
- The Washington Post:Boko Haram Insurgents Launch Attacks In Northeast Nigeria
- War on the Rocks: Charting Boko Haram’s Rapid Decline
- CNN: Boko Haram Leader Mocks Nigerian Army, Parents Of Missing Girls
- The New York Times: Nigeria Military: 8 Soldiers Killed in Attacks by Extremists
- Aljazeera: Boko Haram Refugees In Niger Find Safety, But Lack Aid
- allAfrica: Mali: Politics of Death – France in CAR and Mali
- UN News Centre: At UN Debate, Leaders From Africa’s Sahel Region Spotlight Efforts To Keep Peace, Combat Terrorism
- Amnesty International: Landmark ICC Verdict Against Al-Mahdi Must Be First Step To Broader Justice In Mali Conflict
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: Uganda: State Granted Time to Complete Gulu Attack Investigations
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: Uganda: Women Activists Call for Tough Penalties for Domestic Violence
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: Uganda: Kwoyelo’s Lawyers Question Legality of Presiding Judge
- Chicago Daily Herald: Uganda: Police stop gay pride parade deemed illegal
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: East Africa: Tight Security As SPLA Launches Attack On Militia
- ICC Website: ICC Trial Chamber V(B) Refers Non-Cooperation of the Kenyan Government to the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute
- AP: ICC Judges Call Out Kenya for Failure to Cooperate
- All Africa: Kenya: Al-Shabaab Parade Bodies of Kenyan Policemen in Somalia
- Yale News: Rwandan president addresses critics in Yale lecture
- The New Times: EU MPs discuss women’s rights with Rwandan counterparts
- The New Times: Rwanda: Relations with Civil Society Must Be Frank, Says Justice Minister
- Garowe Online: Separate landmine blasts in Southern Somalia
- Garowe Online: Somalia: Over a dozen killed after Al Shabaab attacked a military base
- The Cipher Brief: Al Shabaab: A Persistent Threat
- VOA News: Somali Militants Attack Kenyan Police Station
- All Africa: Somalia: Three Arraigned Over Mombasa Attack
- Africa Times: Journalist deaths in Somalia, South Sudan reflect Africa’s free press crisis
- SRN News: U.S. accused of killing 22 in misdirected Somalia air strike
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Indictment confirmed in the case v. Ljuban Babić et al.
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Appeals Verdict to be handed down in the case v. Jasmin Čoloman
- Balkan Insight: Bosnian Army Soldier Jailed for Croat Civilians’ Murders
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dragan Glogovac sentenced to 4 years in prison
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Ilija Jurić sentenced to 6 years in prison
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Indictment confirmed in the case v. Brane Planojević
- The Cambodia Daily: Wife of Suspected Traitor Tells Tribunal of Wedding, Suffering
- The Cambodia Daily: Tribunal Hears of Secret Medical Experiments
- The Cambodia Daily: Bodyguard Tells Tribunal of Trip to Border to Collect Uniforms
- BBC News: British troops condemned over Iraqi boy’s death in 2003
- Reuters: Islamic State digs in behind Mosul moat as battle for city looms
- Reuters: U.S. tests for mustard agent after rocket attack near Iraq base
- The Washington Post : U.S. forces are using white phosphorus munitions in Iraq but it’s unclear exactly how
- Hurriyet Daily News: NATO’s concerns over upcoming Mosul operation
- Reuters: Syrian combatants yet to withdraw from Aleppo road
- NY Times: Syria Is Delaying Aid Deliveries in Violation of Cease-Fire, U.N. Says
- CNN: Syrian airstrikes kill 23; Russia, US allege violations
- Foreign Policy: Chemical Weapons Watchdog Continues Hunt for Syria’s Elusive Nerve Agent
- United States Mission to the United Nations: Remarks Before UN Security Council Consultations on Syria
- NY Times: U.S. Admits Airstrike in Syria, Meant to Hit ISIS, Killed Syrian Troops
- ABC: Australian jets involved in US-led air strike which killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, Defence confirms
- U.S. Department of State: On the Current Situation in Syria
- U.S. Department of State: Strike on Humanitarian Aid Convoy in Syria
- Reuters: U.N. seeks access to Syrian refugees to probe war crimes
- The Guardian: RAF Reaper drones used in airstrike that killed Syrian troops, MoD says
- NY Times: UN War Crimes Investigators Seeking Expanded Access to Syrian Refugees
- Business Insider: International aid trucks were hit by airstrikes as Syria declares the ceasefire over
- The Big Story: The Latest: UN says many killed in Syria aid convoy attack
- Big Story: Aid convoy attacked as Syria says cease-fire failed
- BBC News: Syria conflict: UN suspends all aid after convoy hit
- BBC News: Syria conflict: Air strike kills five medical workers
- BD Live: Aleppo battered after Russia accused of ‘war crimes’
- The Daily Star: Hezbollah denied access to witnesses: STL investigator
- The Daily Star: STL prosecutors introduce ‘atlas’ of cellular coverage
- Gulf Times: 15 appeals in war crimes cases pending with court in Bangladesh
- Dhaka Tribune: Charges pressed against 8 war crimes suspects
- Bdnews24: War crimes tribunal to hear charges on Nov 30 against six men from Netrokona
- Bdnews24: Bangladesh boycotts SAARC summit in Islamabad amid India-Pakistan row
- Time: Muslim Structures are Being Threatened with Demolition in Burma’s Arakan State
- The Irrawaddy: Arakan Lawmaker’s Bid to Restrict Muslim Birth Rate Rejected
- The Washington Post: Saudi Arabia appears to be using U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in its war in Yemen
- The New York Times: Rising Toll on Civilians in Yemen Raises Alarm
- Human Rights Watch: Urgent Need for International Inquiry on Yemen
- CNN: No legitimate reason for attacks on Yemen hospitals, says aid group
- The Guardian: Guatemalan rights prosecutor arrested over alleged hit-and-run
- The Washington Post: Saudi Arabia appears to be using U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in its war in Yemen
- Boston Globe: White House support for war crimes tribunal is lacking
- Times Colonist: Colombia, FARC sign historic peace deal ending long conflict
- Colombia Reports: Colombia peace deal seeks to ‘put me in prison’: Uribe
- Eurasia Review: Peru: Justice For Accomarca – Analysis
- The Daily Caller: Jailed Ex-Peruvian Intel Chief Burned The Bodies Of A Professor And His Students In An Oven
- The Kathmandu Post: CIEDP prepares for detailed probe
- Mehr News Agency: Saudi Arabia fears formation of Mina Tragedy Fact Finding Committee: Iran’s Hajj chief
- AllAfrica.com: Liberia: Ellen Throws Monkey Wrench Into 2017 Endorsement Play, TRC Recommendation
- P.M. News: Military commander advocates Truth and Reconciliation Commission for North-East
- AllAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: TRC Proposed for Zim Genocide Victims
- The Himalayan Times: Conflict victims concerned about TRC Act bill amendment
- The Indian Express: A ‘chance’ meeting in Delhi, may stall political settlement of Madhesi issue in Kathmandu
- The Manitoban: Facing Canada’s Residential School History
- CNN: Soldiers killed in army base attack in Indian-administered Kashmir
- The Washington Post: US terror attacks’ common denominator: Anwar al-Awlaki
- The Telegraph: Washington state mall shooting: FBI ‘not ruling out terrorism’ as Turkish man arrested over five killed in Macy’s
- ABC News 13: How Experts Define Terrorism In Shooting Attacks
- CBS News: Senators Press FBI Director on Response to Terrorism Threat
- UN News Centre: Security Council adopts resolution on countering terrorist threats to civil aviation
- International Business Times UK: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan pull out of Saarc summit in Islamabad
- The Washington Post: FBI head: Extremism apparent influence in Minnesota attack
- The Telegraph: Man charged with terrorism offences linked to Ukraine conflict
- The Jakarta Post: Indonesia called on to join ReCAAP in combating piracy
- BBC News: Yachters fight back against real-life pirates of the Caribbean
- The New York Times: Southeast Asia Replaces Africa as the World’s Hotbed of Piracy
- CNBC: Want to talk like a pirate? Learn Indonesian
- Straits Times: Drop in piracy in regional waters
- Maritime Executive: Pirates Loot Container Ship off Guinea
- ForeignPolicy.com: Why Is It So Hard to Stop West Africa’s Vicious Pirates?
- Asean Economist: Summit aims to bust piracy
- The Nation: Why Domestic Violence Is an Economic Issue: Economic abuse is present in 98 percent of abusive relationships, and 60 percent of survivors report losing their jobs.
- Myanmar Times: Counsellors combat gender-based violence in Kachin IDP camps
- The University Record: U-M shapes sexual violence prevention program in Ghana
- EconoTimes: Sexual and domestic violence: the hidden reasons why Mexican women flee their homes
- Just Security: Does the Int’l Criminal Court Have Jurisdiction over Alleged War Crimes by Saudi-Led Coalition in Yemen?
- Counterpunch: Our Terrorists in Colombia: Death Squads as “Freedom Fighters”
- The New York Times: Boko Haram Rages in Nigeria, but the World’s Eyes Are Elsewhere
- The Economist: The United States tries to win friends by revealing past misdeeds
- Deutsche Welle: Opinion: The Timbuktu destruction trial was groundbreaking
- Harry M. Rhea and Ryan C. Meldrum: United States Public Support for the International Criminal Court: A Multivariate Analysis of Attitudes and Attributes
- Yoshinori H.T. Himel: Americans’ Misuse of ‘Internment’
- David Jenkins: Habeas Corpus and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction after Boumediene: Towards a Doctrine of ‘Effective Control’ in the United States
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect: Atrocity Alert: Syria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi
Atrocity Alert, No. 23
No Images? Click here

Atrocity Alert is a weekly publication by the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect highlighting and updating situations where populations are at risk of, or are enduring, mass atrocity crimes.
Syria
The temporary cessation of hostilities was declared to be over by the Syrian government on 19 September, one week after it started, following an escalation in clashes between government forces and armed rebels across the country. The fighting culminated on Monday in a horrific air strike on a UN humanitarian convoy in transit to opposition-held areas of Aleppo. At least 12 humanitarian workers were killed, including the Syrian Arab Red Crescent director Omar Barakat, and 18 aid trucks were destroyed.
Deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers is a war crime. The UN and other relief agencies have suspended all humanitarian convoys across combat lines in Syria. The United States government, which negotiated the ceasefire with Russia, has declared that it considers Russia responsible for the convoy bombing, based upon the terms of the cessation of hostilities agreement. Russia has stated that there is no evidence that the convoy was destroyed in an airstrike and has suggested that the trucks may have caught fire.
As world leaders meet this week for the opening of the 71st UN General Assembly, the conflict in Syria has featured prominently in speeches and side events, and will be highlighted in a UN Security Council meeting today, 21 September.
It is imperative that words of condemnation and horror finally translate into action. The Security Council must pressure all parties to the conflict to re-establish and respect the ceasefire, safely facilitate the delivery of unrestricted humanitarian aid, and recommit to negotiations for a political solution. The Security Council must investigate and hold the perpetrators of Monday’s airstrike and all other mass atrocity crimes in Syria accountable under international law.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
On 19 September political demonstrations throughout the DRC resulted in violent clashes between protestors and security forces. According to reports from Kinshasa, more than 17 people were killed, hundreds were detained by police, and five opposition headquarters were burnt down as violence continued overnight. The UN Secretary-General and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have condemned the violence. As discontent regarding the presidential election process grows, there is a risk of increasing state violence targeting perceived opposition supporters. Given DRC’s long history of civil war, mass atrocities and political instability, it is essential that all political leaders urge their supporters to refrain from further violence. The government should ensure that security forces exercise maximum restraint in response to protests. The UN Mission in the DRC must be prepared to protect populations at risk of further violence.
Burundi
On 20 September 2016 the UN Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) issued its final report to the Human Rights Council. The report detailed gross human rights abuses, attributing responsibility for the vast majority of violations to the government. Although it acknowledged that relative levels of violence in Burundi have decreased since December 2015, UNIIB asserted that this has come largely as a result of increased oppression. UNIIB concluded that some incidents may amount to crimes against humanity and that, “given the country’s history, the danger of the crime of genocide looms large.” It is essential for the government of Burundi to immediately end its assault on organized dissent, strengthen the rule of law and end impunity for crimes and abuses committed since April 2015. In light of the UNIIB report, the UN Security Council and African Union should urgently reassess options for human rights monitoring and an enhanced UN policing mission in Burundi.
Connect With Us