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Taiwan Court Recognizes Same-Sex Marriage
By: Brian Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
TAIPEI, Taiwan – On May 24, 2017, Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled in favor of same-sex couples and declared that the couples have the legal right to marry. The first such ruling in Asia, the court struck down the Civil Code’s legal definition of marriage as being only between a man and a woman.
The court declared that the Civil Code’s definition of marriage violated articles of the constitution and allowed the legislatures two years to change existing marriage laws. If the body fails to pass a legislation in the next two years, the court wrote that the same-sex couples “shall be allowed to have their marriage registration effectuated to the authorities in charge of household registration.”
The court made its ruling in response to two petitions to review the existing law. One was brought by a longtime gay rights campaigner, Mr. Chi Chia-wei. Mr. Chi was in favor of changing the Civil Code’s definition of marriage. The other petition was brought by the city government of Taipei after being sued for rejecting same-sex couple’s marriage applications.
The decision was celebrated by many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activists. Hundreds of supporters gathered to celebrate the decision in Taipei, the nation’s capital.
Democratic Progressive Party that overwhelmingly swept national elections last year supported this change and a bill to enforce the court’s ruling has been presented.
For more information, please see:
Reuters – Taiwan court rules in favor of same-sex marriage, first in Asia – 24 May, 2017
NYT – Court Ruling Could Make Taiwan First Place in Asia to Legalize Gay Marriage – 24 May, 2017
War Crimes Prosecution Watch: Volume 12, Issue 6 – May 30, 2017
FREDERICK K. COX INTERNATIONAL LAW CENTER Founder/Advisor |
War Crimes Prosecution Watch
Volume 12 – Issue 6 |
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
- ABC News : Red Cross finds 115 dead in Central African Republic town
- Human Rights Watch: Namibia Can Help Protect Schools in War Zones
- The Guardian: ICC prosecutor says Central Africa bloodshed ‘must stop now’
- Reuters: Western envoys shun Qatar event attended by Sudan’s Bashir
- Newsweek: South Sudan’s Army May Have Committed War Crimes: U.N.
- The Guardian: Kiir opens South Sudan dialogue with unilateral ceasefire
Democratic Republic of the Congo
- International Justice Monitor: Ntaganda to Testify For Weeks in His Own Defense
- Reuters : Two men to face trial in Congo murder of U.N. investigators
WEST AFRICA
Lake Chad Region — Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon
- eNews Channel Africa: Boko Haram kills six farmers in NE Nigeria
- Business Insider: Boko Haram released 82 kidnapped girls to their families
- Al-Jazeera: Mali’s Keita Vows to Keep Fighting ‘Terrorist Groups’
- CAJ News Africa: Thousands More Uprooted in Mali Conflict
EAST AFRICA
- Newsweek: Ugandan Troops Hunting Joseph Kony ‘Sexually Eexploited’ Women And Girls: HRW
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: Uganda: Torture of Kaweesi Murder Suspects Is Crime Against Humanity, Says Kadaga
- Daily Mail: Mission unaccomplished: Uganda halts hunt for LRA warlord
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: Uganda: Police Torture – President Must Do More Than Writing Letters
- AllAfrica: The Monitor: East Africa: Army Hands Over LRA Area to CAR Govt Forces
- The Washington Times: In restless Kenya, 70% worry about another round of heavy bloodshed with presidential elections
- The Star : Entrenched poll violence a danger to Kenya’s young democracy
- All Africa: Kenya: Two Terror Suspects Arrested in Northern Kenya
Rwanda (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)
- New Zealand Herald : Dane wanted in Rwanda for war crimes gets 4 weeks in jail
- The New Times: Rwanda: Genocide Archives Facility Takes Shape
- The New Times: Rwanda: Hatred Is Never Justified – Kagame
- Times Live: Latest bid to have refugee Rwandan general Nyamwasa booted out of SA
- WPXI : Somali suicide bomber kills 4 at Puntland checkpoint
- ABC News: Somalia car bomb kills at least 8 in capital, police say
- Garowe Online : Somalia: A delegate involved in the electoral process shot dead in Mogadishu
NORTH AFRICA
- KSL: Death toll in attack on south Libya army base rises to 141
- ABC, Associated Press: 3 more arrested in Manchester: attacker’s Libya ties probed
- NPR: Manchester Bombing Suspect’s Father, Brother Arrested in Libya
- New York Times: Hunt for Manchester Bombing Accomplices Extends to Libya
EUROPE
Court of Bosnia & Herzegovina, War Crimes Chamber
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Trial Verdict upheld in relation to the Accused Novica Tripković
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Indictment confirmed in the case v. Dragan Lubarda et al.
- Balkan Insight: Bosnian Courts Urged to Disperse War Crime Trials
- The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Judgment delivered in the case of Goran Mrða et al.
- The New York Times: Suspect in ’95 Bosnian Mass Killings Returned to Serbia
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- Balkan Insight : Russia Slams ICTY Decision Not to Release Mladic
- Reuters : War crimes suspect Mladic appeals for release on medical grounds
- InSerbia News: ICTY Orders Stanisic and Simatovic Back to Jail Before Retrial
- Balkan Insight : Trial of Stanisic and Simatovic Begins on June 13
Domestic Prosecutions In The Former Yugoslavia
- Balkan Insight: Serbia Failing to Prosecute War Crimes, HLC Says
- B92: Pristina drops probe into suspected killers of 14 Serbs
- Balkan Insight: Lora Witnesses ‘Don’t Recall’ Crimes Against Serbs
MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA
- ARA News: HRW accuses Iraqi army of forcefully returning IDPs to West Mosul
- Human Rights Watch: Iraq: Scores of Men Imprisoned in Schoolhouse
- The New Arab: Crimes against humanity in Iraqi Kurdistan are rigorously documented
- TIME: ISIS Kills at Least 52 People in Syria Attacks
- Newsweek: ISIS Creating Elite ‘Chemical Weapons Cell’ in Syria
- PressTV: German court puts on trial Syrian militant leader for ‘war crimes’
- The Independent: Past month ‘deadliest on record’ for Syrian civilians killed in US-led air strikes
- Al Jazeera: Syria: Suicide car bombs hit Homs city, Damascus suburb
- Just Security: Hundreds of foreigners are fighting for UAE in Yemen—How war crimes trials may deter them Just Security
- The Hill: Why is Trump rewarding Saudi war crimes with more weapons?
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
- The Cambodia Daily: Khmer Rouge Massacres Relived in Victims’ Brief
- The Phnom Penh Post: Khieu Samphan defence calls for acquittal at Khmer Rouge tribunal
Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal
- Bdnews24.com: Court dismisses review appeals: Sayedee to remain in jail for the rest of his life
- Bdnews24.com: Bangladesh to press on with global anti-genocide campaign
- Dhaka Tribune: War crimes charges brought against freedom fighter commander in Barguna
War Crimes Investigations in Burma
- BBC: Myanmar army rejects UN Rohingya abuse claims
- Karen News: Thousands of displaced Karen villagers call for Burma army to get off their land
- Aljazeera: Israel arrests Palestinian writer Ahmad Qatamesh
- Redress Information — Analysis: Israeli human rights lawyer in detention without defence or trial, a victim of judicial abuse
- Amnesty International: Israel Must Release Palestinian Prisoner of Conscience Detained without Charge or Trial
AMERICAS
- Buenos Aires Herald: International rejection of Supreme Court 2×1 ruling
- The New York Times: Venezuela Tries Protesters in Military Court ‘Like We Are in a War’
- The New York Times: Argentines Fight Court’s Leniency for Human Rights Crimes
- The New York Times: The Promises of Peace in Colombia
- BBC News: Venezuela protests: Man set alight as death toll rises
- Harvard Law Today: Human Rights Clinic calls on ICC to investigate Chiquita Brands for complicity in crimes against humanity
TOPICS
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Fox News: Israeli group to appeal Facebook Palestinian violence case
- The Irish Times: Irishman charged with funding terrorism tells court he has changed
- BBC News: Egypt refers 48 to court over Coptic church bombings
- Chicago Tribune: Manchester bomber’s father arrested, brothers aware of attack plan, Libya says
- Maritime Executive: Last Two Abu Sayyaf Fighters Killed on Bohol
- VOA News: Cameroon, Nigeria Collaborate Against Piracy
- Reuters: Somali pirates hijack Iranian fishing vessel: Somali official
- Balkan Insight: Bosnian Wartime Aid Convoy Attackers Evade Justice
- Just Security: Jared Kushner, the Arms Deal, and Alleged Saudi War Crimes
- International Justice Monitor: Low Turnout at the Lukodi Memorial Prayers as Victims Express Dissatisfaction with the Slow Pace of Ongwen’s Trial
WORTH READING
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United Kingdom’s terror threat level lowered to “severe” in wake of Manchester terror attack
By: Sara Adams
Impunity Watch News Reporter, Europe
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom – Five days after the devastating events of May 22 in Manchester, England, British Prime Minister Teresa May lowers the terror threat level from “critical” to “severe”. Wounded survivors are treated by medical staff in hospitals in the city. Families begin the grieving process after losing their loved ones.
It is the aftermath of another terror attack that has shaken the world. This time, during the closing set of American pop star Ariana Grande’s concert at the Manchester Arena in the United Kingdom.
Late Monday night, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive in the space between the Manchester Arena and the Victoria train station.
The blast led to the deaths of 22 people, with reports of 59 others left wounded, some critically.
Reports suggest that this is the worst attack in the United Kingdom since the London Underground bombing of 2005.
The concert venue was filled to capacity with Ms. Grande’s fans. The majority of the concertgoers were young women and teenagers. In the aftermath, a nearby hotel opened up its doors for those who were looking for family members.
Though the Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack, this has not been verified. The British authorities continue to investigate and make arrests on those they find were involved in the planning of the attack. As of May 27, 11 people are currently detained in connection with the events.
Terrorism is used as a way to threaten the rights of others through violence and fear. Some have seen this attack as an attack on young women, who were the predominant patrons of the concert. Some find it as a general threat against democracy and individual freedoms.
Yet others are using the events to fuel hate crimes against others as they affiliate terrorism with a specific religion. The Greater Manchester Police told the BBC News on Wednesday that reports on hate crimes doubled from 28 to 56 after Monday’s attack. These included a bomb threat to a school after students were asked if they were Muslim.
Mohammed Ullah, Muslim chaplain of Manchester’s Metropolitan University told the BBC, he “encourage[s] the people to remain undivided.”
Ms. Grande would likely echo this sentiment. Upon her return to the United States, she sent a message out on her Instagram.
“Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and live more kindly and generously than we did before,” she writes.
“We will continue to honor the ones we lost.”
For more information, please see:
BBC News – Manchester attack: Hate crime ‘doubles’ after incident – 27 May 2017
CBC News – U.K. lowers threat level as 2 more bomb suspects arrested – 27 May 2017
The New York Times – The Latest on the Manchester Bombing Investigation – 24 May 2017
Reuters – Twenty in critical condition after Monday’s Manchester bombing – 24 May 2017
CNBC – Manchester Arena suicide bombing: 22 die at Ariana Grande concert – 23 May 2017
CNN – 22 dead after blast at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester – 23 May 2017
NPR – Why I Think The Manchester Attack Was Aimed At Women And Girls – 24 May 2017