| war crimes
Daily update ⋅ September 18, 2015
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A Reckoning on Sri Lanka War Crimes
International New York Times
The United Nations Human Rights Council released its report Wednesday on possible war crimes committed during the last years of the Sri Lankan …
UN calls for war crimes court in Sri Lanka – WPTZ The Champlain Valley
UN officials outraged at accounts of Sri Lanka war crimes, stress need for accountability – UN News Centre
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Sri Lanka offers domestic probe into war–crimes report
Fulton News
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka says is to establish a local mechanism to investigate accusations of human rights abuses stemming from the …
Sri Lankans vow to punish war criminals – Gulf Times
Sri Lankans Disabled By War, Forgotten In Peace – CounterCurrents.org
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Bosnian Croat Military Policeman Cleared of War Crimes
Balkan Insight
Former Croatian Defence Council military policeman Mato Condric was acquitted of sexually abusing a female prisoner and physically abusing a man …
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| Revised (US) law made Rome (war crimes) Statute inapplicable in US
Asian Tribune
Congress passed the War Crimes Act of 1996, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, with “overwhelming bipartisan support.” The War Crimes Act …
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| War crimes report
The Hindu
Many countries and human rights organisations have been demanding a probe into the war crimes for sometime now (“Sri Lankan war crimes horrific: …
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UN officials outraged at accounts of Sri Lanka war crimes, stress need for accountability
Big News Network.com
17 September 2015 — Two senior United Nations officials today expressed outrage at the very serious accounts of war crimes and crimes against …
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Rejected! Parliament refuses to debate war criminalNetanyahu arrest petition
RINF Alternative News
Parliament has declined to debate a petition calling for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested for allegedwar crimes.
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| Sri Lanka to set up domestic mechanism to probe war crimes | ||||||||
| Hindu American Foundation calls for international investigation into Sri Lanka civil war crimes
San Jose Mercury News
This year’s event called for an international investigation into war crimescommitted during Sri Lanka’s civil war, in preparation for the U.N. Human …
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Yemen’s Forgotten War
BBC News
Human rights organisations say the strikes often target civilians and may amount to war crimes. Gabriel Gatehouse has been to Yemen to investigate.
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British Arms Fair Invites Countries with Child Soldiers
By Tyler Campbell
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
ALGIERS, Algeria – This Tuesday marked the opening day of the Defence and Security Equipment Industry (DSEI) show. This is one of the world’s largest arms and securities fairs in world and it is held every two years in London. This is a massive event were more than 1,500 companies show off their best and latest weapons of war. On the guest list to the event are some of the biggest repeat offenders in human and civil rights violations.
There were 61 countries officially invited to the event. Out of these 61 countries 14 of them have authoritarian leadership. More troubling is that the UN has flagged 23 of these 61 countries for serious child rights violations, including the use of child soldiers. Notable African countries with questionable human rights records on the list were Egypt, Angola and Algeria.
These invitations come in stark and almost ironic contrast to the message the European parliament was trying to send some of these countries only four days earlier. In debates about the British arms industry parliament talked about Azerbaijan and Angola, two countries with an invitation to the DSEI. The deteriorating situation of human rights in Angola was one topic that got touched upon.
This type of hypocrisy is not a new trend for the British arms industry. Britain has been selling arms to the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2010. This is one nation that has a long record of recruiting and using child soldiers. Another country, Saudi Arabia, has had its own problems with civil rights and continues to be Britain’s leading arms customer. In past years at the DSEI, devices clearly against British law have even been offered up for sale.
These problems have not gone unnoticed by London protesters. Human rights activist protested and attempted to block the set up of the event. They also have a protest schedule for each day the event is going on. Advertisements on the sides of buses around London have been replaced with “These visitors make huge amounts of money from weapons and equipment that kill people all over the world.”
The other side of the debate continues to say that this event and the British arms industry are important sections of the economy and are essential to jobs and a growing GDP. This is most likely not an understatement. The UK has continued to be the world’s second largest defense exporter, behind only the United States. For this to change it will take aggressive action and legislation by parliament.
For more information, please see:
EurActive – Nations using child soldiers are invited to British arms fair – 14 September 2015
Yahoo News – Mega arms fair met with protest in Britain – 15 September 2015
Defense One – UK Invites ‘Countries of Concern’ To Shop for Weapons in London – 15 September 2015
Cuba’s Human Rights to be a Spotlight for Papal Visit
By Samuel Miller
Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, North America and Oceania
HAVANA, Cuba — Democracy activists have been scrambling to get the Pope’s attention: they want him to know that Cuban authorities have been arresting peaceful protesters and violating basic human rights. Laura Labrada Pollan, leader of a Havana group called Ladies in White said, “we are asking for a meeting, a few minutes with Pope Francis, so he can hear it from us, to show him that yes, there are political prisoners in Cuba.”
However, members of Cuba’s fractured and officially illegal opposition party said they see little chance that the trip will bring significant change.
“Pope Francis wants his visit to have a major impact, but he won’t be able to work any miracles, because change depends on the Cuban government’s political will. And it has none,” said Elizardo Sanchez, president of the Cuban Commission on Human Rights.
“Cuba is at a human rights crossroads, with important advances such as the recent release of prisoners of conscience and other activists and a number of positive reforms to its migration laws overshadowed by the government’s determination to deploy new methods to stifle dissent,” said Amnesty International ahead of a state visit by Pope Francis.
Historically, Cuba has had a tenuous relationship with the Holy See.
In 1998, John Paul II called for greater respect for human rights during the first papal visit to Cuba, a historic trip that symbolized a nascent rapprochement between the Church and the one-time atheist state. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI criticized Marxism and spoke of the need for “new models,” considered by some to be a veiled message of disdain for the troubled country’s policies.
Amnesty International and other international organizations have not been allowed to enter Cuba since 1988, when a delegation from Amnesty International went to document the situation of prisoners of conscience and other individuals who were detained for political reasons across the country.
Although the country has been hesitant to allow these organizations to enter its country, Amnesty International claims advances have been made there, including a 2013 reform loosening travel restrictions and the release of political prisoners.
“However, the country still needs to make progress when it comes to allowing people to peacefully express their views without fear of being harassed, detained or attacked,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, the rights group’s director for the Americas.
Over the past few years, authorities in Cuba have switched from a strategy of incarcerating people viewed as political dissidents for long periods of time, to consecutive short term arrests and public smear campaigns.
In an act of goodwill before the visit, Cuban authorities released more than 3,500 prisoners last week, amplifying a gesture also undertaken for the previous papal trips. Cuba is sensitive to criticism of its human rights record, saying it needs to restrain critics it describes as “mercenaries bent on destabilizing the government.”
For more information, please see:
LA Times — Pope Francis heading for Havana in first leg of reconciliation tour – 18 September 2015
NBC News — In Cuba, Democracy Activists and Dissidents Hope to Meet with Pope – 18 September 2015
Reuters UK — Pope’s visit to Cuba raises prospect of human rights friction – 18 September 2015
Yahoo! News — Cuban dissidents not expecting miracles from pope visit – 18 September 2015
China Releases Activists as Xi Jinping’s U.S. Visit Approaches
By Christine Khamis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
BEIJING, China –
Guo Yushan, a Chinese scholar who aided blind activist Chen Guangcheng in his 2012 house arrest escape, has been conditionally released by Chinese authorities. Mr. Guo was released along with a former colleague, He Zhengjun.
Mr. Guo was the head of the Transition Institute, a Chinese research institution, before Beijing authorities shut it down in 2013. The organization was pro-democracy and researched social and economic issues in China. Mr. He was the Transition Institute’s administrator.
Li Jin, Mr. Guo’s lawyer, has confirmed that Mr. Guo was released on bail on Tuesday. Li Jinxing, Mr. He’s lawyer, also confirmed his release. The reason for their release is still unclear. Because the release of Mr. Guo and Mr. He is conditional, the charges against them are still in effect and both men could be taken back into police custody.
Mr. Guo and Mr. He were detained at the same time that the Occupy Central protests were occurring in Beijing. Both men were arrested on suspicion of illegal business activity, which included the unlawful printing of books and other publications.
In 2012, Mr. Guo assisted Chen Guangcheng in his escape from China by helping him travel to the United States Embassy in Beijing. Mr. Chen then traveled to the United States, where then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton advocated on his behalf so that he could stay in the United States as a visiting student.
Mr. Guo could have been detained for his role in Mr. Chen’s escape from China. Initially, Mr. Guo was put on house arrest for 81 days, after which he stated in an interview that Chinese police had warned him of more severe consequences for his involvement in the escape. About a year later, Mr. Guo was taken into custody after police raided his apartment in Beijing.
Critics have accused the Chinese government of carefully timing the release of the activists with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming United States’s visit, which is scheduled for later this month. It will be President Xi’s first state visit to the United States since he became president in 2012. Throughout his presidency, President Xi has cracked down on lawyers, human rights activists, and others.
Many critics believe that the release of the activists was a symbolic measure taken to prevent the United States’ criticism of China’s human rights record. Sophie Richardson, the China Director at Human Rights Watch, told The Guardian that the Chinese government has made a series of small concessions in an effort to “keep human rights issues out of the summit”.
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – China releases scholar ahead of its leader’s visit to US – 15 September 2015
The Guardian – Beijing releases activist on eve of Chinese president’s visit to US – 15 September 2015
The New York Times – China Releases Scholar Who Helped Activist Gain Asylum in U.S. – 15 September 2015
Radio Free Asia – China Releases Two NGO Activists ‘On Bail’ Ahead of President’s US Trip – 15 September 2015
U.N. Calls for Sri Lankan War Crimes Court
By Christine Khamis
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka—
The United Nations has released a report calling for a special court to try war crimes that occurred during the 26 year long conflict between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tiger rebels. The U.N.’s report calls for a court that is comprised of international judges, local Sri Lankan judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and investigators.
The U.N. report charges both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels with committing atrocities against civilians during the war, which ended in 2009. Around 100,000 people were killed during the war, and estimates indicate that an additional 40,000 people were killed during the final stage of the war. Additionally, tens of thousands of civilians went missing during the war and were never seen or heard from again.
The crimes listed in the U.N. report, committed by both the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers, include indiscriminate shelling in “no shell zones”, extrajudicial murders, enforced disappearances of tens of thousands of people, forced recruitment of adults and children, and acts of torture and sexual violence.
The U.N.’s report states that if forced recruitment by the Tamil Tigers is proven in court, it will be classified as a war crime. The Sri Lankan government’s denial of humanitarian assistance during the war will also be classified as a war crime if that denial is proven in court.
Sri Lanka’s previous government, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, resisted international calls to investigate the war crimes. Sri Lanka’s new government, which came into power under President Maithripala Sirisena early this year, promised that it would cooperate with U.N. directives.
However, now that the U.N.’s report has come out, Senior Sri Lankan minister Rajitha Senaratne has stated that the country will implement its own process for addressing the atrocities committed during the war. Mr. Senaratne also said that Sri Lanka is not ready to agree with international inquiries.
Earlier this week, Sri Lanka’s government released plans for a truth and reconciliation commission that will consider war crime allegations. While the court will accept advice from international entities such as the U.N., it will employ a Sri Lankan process to try the war crimes.
The U.N.’s report states that Sri Lanka’s courts lack the necessary credibility to try the war crimes. The U.N. report also highlights the need for Sri Lanka to reform its criminal justice system. Currently, Sri Lanka does not criminalize war crimes, crimes against humanity, or enforced disappearances.
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights, has stated that only a court made up of international judges and investigators will be able to handle the many alleged war atrocities that occurred during the war.
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – UN Urges Sri Lanka War Crimes Court – 17 September 2015
BBC – UN Human Rights Council Urges Sri Lanka War Crimes Court – 16 September 2015
New York Times – U.N. Urges Sri Lanka to Establish Court to Investigate War Abuses – 16 September 2015
The Wall Street Journal – U.N. Report Urges Sri Lanka to Set Up War Crimes Tribunal – 16 September 2015