FREDERICK K. COX INTERNATIONAL LAW CENTER Founder/Advisor Michael P. Scharf

War Crimes Prosecution Watch Volume 11 – Issue 17 October 31, 2016

Editor-in-Chief Kevin J. Vogel Technical Editor-in-Chief Jeradon Z. Mura Managing Editors Dustin Narcisse Victoria Sarant

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

Central African Republic

• VOA News: At Least 23 Killed in Fighting in Central African Republic
• CCTV-Africa: U.S welcomes ICC verdict on Jean-Pierre Bemba
• DW: Deaths reported in violent Central African Republic protests

Sudan & South Sudan

• NPR: As South Sudan Fights, Refugees Flow Into Uganda
• AllAfrica Global Media: Sudan: Govt Sues, Threatens Amnesty International
• UN News Centre: South Sudan: UN Human Rights Chief Warns of ‘Alarming Rise’ in Ethnic Hate Speech
• Deutsche Welle: Armed Groups Free 145 Child Soldiers in South Sudan

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Reuters: Inter-ethnic violence kills over a dozen in southeastern Congo
• Voice of America: World Court Convicts Congolese Warlord of Witness Tampering
• Daily Nation: DR Congo arrests top Rwandan rebel, says army
• BBC News: DR Congo arrests Rwanda FDLR rebel commander
• Reuters: U.N. chief seeks Security Council help with South Sudan rebels in Congo

WEST AFRICA

The Gambia

• Al Jazeera: Gambia withdraws from International Criminal Court

Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

• Daily Mail: Ivorian Opposition Calls For Constitution Vote Boycott
• Gulf Times: Ivory Coast Campaigns For Constitutional Referendum
• Yahoo Sports: Simone Gbagbo And Her Lawyers Snub Ivory Coast Trial

Lake Chad Region — Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon

• Voice of America: Malnutrition Spikes in North Cameroon Amid Boko Haram Conflict
• USA Today: Chibok Leader: 100-Plus Girls Unwilling To Leave Boko Haram
• PBS NewsHour: Surviving Boko Haram: Kidnapped Girls Tell Their Stories
• Fox News: Widows Of Victims Of Nigeria’s Boko Haram Say Aid Overdue
• Associated Press: Officers: 83 Nigerian Soldiers Missing In Boko Haram Attack

Mali

• Anadolu Agency News: Nigeria, Mali, Somalia Listed ‘Epicenters’ Of Terrorism
• Global Policy Forum: The ICC Convicts Al Mahdi For The Destruction Of Cultural Heritage In Mali
• Reuters Africa: France Says Ready To Keep Troops In W.Africa For As Long As Needed

EAST AFRICA

Burundi

• U.S. Department of State: On the Government of Burundi’s Banning of Human Rights NGOs
• ENCA: Burundi notifies UN of ICC pullout

Uganda

• AllAfrica: The Monitor: Uganda: Two More Charged Over Gulu Attack, Hearing Set for November
• Newsweek: After Burundi, Which Other African States Could Abandon the ICC?
• Global Times (China): Uganda to extend stay of troops in CAR to help fight rebel group
• Anadolu Agency: S. Sudan, Uganda set up task force to stop abductions

Kenya

• The Daily Mail: Spokesman: Kenya’s ICC withdrawal to be decided by cabinet
• Human Rights Watch: Kenya Rights Body Begins Inquiry Into Security Forces Abuses
• Anadalou Ajansi: Kenyan police head list of torturers

Rwanda (International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda)

• VOA News : AMISOM Troops Struggle to Counter IED Threat in Somalia
• New York Times: In Somalia, U.S. Escalates a Shadow War
• The Conversation: Has Shabaab been weakened for good? The answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’
• The Guardian : ‘We had to eat rats,’ say sailors held by Somali pirates for four years
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Somalia: Violence in Gaalkacyo displaces 75,000 people

Somalia

• The New Times: Rwanda: Records of Teenage Pregnancy, GBV Cases Remain a Challenge – Activists
• Daily Nation: DR Congo arrests top Rwandan rebel, says army

NORTH AFRICA

Libya

• Gulf Times: Libya forces free 13 foreigners from IS
• The New York Times: German Group: Migrants Die Amid Libya ‘Coast Guard’ Attack

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa

• Al Jazeera: South Africa to quit International Criminal Court
• Associated Press: South Africa’s move on ICC raises concerns of African exodus

EUROPE

Court of Bosnia & Herzegovina, War Crimes Chamber

• Balkan Insight: Belgrade Acquits Bosnian Serb Soldier of Killing Croat
• Balkan Insight: UN Presses Bosnia on Missing Persons
• Balkan Insight: Bosnian Prosecutor’s Disciplinary Charge ‘Not Political Revenge’
• Balkan Insight: Bosniak Commander Naser Oric ‘Bragged About Murder’
• Balkan Insight: Bosnian Serb Ex-Soldier Arrested for Foca Crimes
• Balkan Insight: Bosnia Finds Remains of Seven War Victims
• Balkan Insight: Multi-Ethnic Bosnian War Memorial Faces Removal
• Yahoo News: Bosnian Serbs criticised for awarding war criminals

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

Domestic Prosecutions In The Former Yugoslavia

• Balkan Insight: Croatia Indicts Yugoslav General for War Crimes Again
• Balkan Insight: First Witnesses Testify Against Serb Paramilitary ‘Captain Dragan’
• Balkan Insight: Serbian Interior Minister ‘Knew Who Killed Journalist’
• Balkan Insight: Kosovo ‘Drenica Group’ Fighters’ Convictions Upheld
• Balkan Insight: ‘Croatian Spy’ Could be Yugoslav General Trial Witness

MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA

• The Irish Times: Mosul offensive: Amnesty accuses Iraqi forces of war crimes
• Reuters: Turkish military says it killed 18 Kurdish militants in Iraq and southeast
• ARA News: ISIS attacks Kirkuk in attempt to delay Hawija operation, distract Mosul campaign
• RT News: Sulphur cloud from torched plant kills two Iraqis
• Haaretz: Russia: U.S. Airstrike in Mosul Campaign Constitutes ‘War Crime’
• New York Times: Mosul Fight Unleashes New Horrors on Civilians

Syria

• NY Times: Assault on Aleppo Will Halt for 8 Hours, Russia Says
• UN News Centre: ‘Aleppo will not be there’ in two months if diplomatic stalemate continues, warns UN envoy
• Middle East Monitor: UN rights boss: Aleppo siege and airstrikes are war crimes
• CBS News: U.N.: Syria school attack a potential war crime

Yemen

• The Huffington Post: U.S. Likely Aiding War Crimes In Yemen, Congressman Says
• The Hill: Report: US-made bomb used in ‘apparent war crime’ in Yemen
• U.S. Department of State: Arab Coalition Investigation into Airstrike on a Funeral Hall in Yemen
• The Wall Street Journal: Yemen to Start 72-Hour Ceas-Fire
• The Al Monitor: Is US reconsidering its support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen war?

Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

• The Cambodia Daily: In New Exhibition on Khmer Rouge, Devil is in the Details
• The Huffington Post: Survivors of Rape and Forced Marriage Seek Justice in Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Trials
• Phnom Penh Post: Expert says Vietnam Tried, Failed to Control Khmer Rouge

Special Tribunal for Lebanon

• Special Tribunal for Lebanon Press Release: Visit of the Head of Defence Office to Lebanon from 17 to 20 October 2016

Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal

• Human Rights Watch: Bangladesh: End Arbitrary and Secret Arrests
• The Daily Star: War crimes: ICT probes allegations against Jamaat chief Maqbul Ahmad
• Daily Times: Bangladesh trials politically motivated, Senate committee told
• Bdnews24.com: War crimes accused Moulana Solaiman dies at DMCH

War Crimes Investigations in Burma

• The Irrawaddy: Burma Army Blocks Food Supplies to Kachin IDPs
• BBC: Rakhine: Myanmar urged to allow aid into restive state
• Aljazeera: Myanmar army forces hundreds of Rohingya from homes
• The Irrawaddy: President’s Office Rejects UN Call for Action on Alleged Rights Abuses in Arakan State

Israel and Palestine

• Ma’an News Agency: Report: Settlers continue building new illegal outpost despite stop-work orders
• Daily Mail: Israel’s next Gaza war will be ‘last’ one: Lieberman
• Aljazeera: UNESCO approves new Jerusalem resolution
• The Times of Israel: Charges dropped in shooting of Palestinian siblings at checkpoint

North Korea

• The New York Times: US, S. Korea Say Latest N. Korea Missile Launch Fails
• The Washington Post: Did North Korea just test missiles capable of hitting the U.S.? Maybe.

AMERICAS

North & Central America

• TeleSur: Guatemala Indicts Top Ex-Military Men for War Crimes and Rape
• Southeast Asia Globe: Makers of Agent Orange to be tried for ‘war crimes’ by a people’s tribunal
• ABC News: Appeals Court Revives Lawsuit by Abu Ghraib Inmates
• MintPress News: Amnesty International: US Coalition Guilty Of War Crimes In Syria

South America

• The Guardian: Vatican’s Argentina archives ready to be shown to victims of dictatorship crimes
• The Washington Post: Colombia’s opposition wants to modify peace deal – with a scalpel, not a hammer
• Colombia Reports: Santos and Uribe deadlocked over Colombia peace process

TOPICS

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

• The Chronicle: ‘Gukurahundi the focus of reconciliation commission’
• The Himalayan Times: 18 types of reparation schemes proposed for war-era crimes
• CBC News: What does reconciliation mean to you?
• CBC News: State of crisis’ in northern Sask. highlights Truth and Reconciliation calls to action

Terrorism

• BBC News: Kabul shrine attack kills Shia Muslims during Ashura
• The Guardian: Narendra Modi labels Pakistan ‘mothership of terrorism’
• The Guardian: Kansas men face life in prison for alleged terrorist plot against Somali immigrants
• The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Targets Would-Be Terrorists Overseas With New Ad Campaign
• The New York Times: German Terrorism Case Highlights Europe’s Security Challenges
• Bloomberg: Mayor of Turkey’s Largest Kurdish City Detained on Terrorism
• Bloomberg: NATO to Putin: Focus on Common Enemies to Defeat Terrorism

Piracy

• PressTV: Iran Navy foils pirate attacks on vessels in Gulf of Aden
• CNN: Somali pirates free 26 hostages after nearly 5 years in captivity, group says
• Maritime Executive: Nigerian Military Thwarts Pirate Attack
• Maritime Executive: LNG Tanker Comes Under Attack Off Yemen

Gender-Based Violence

• Humanosphere: Violence against women: Sri Lanka’s next human rights challenge
• Jurist: UN reports high incidences of rape, impunity in Liberia
• Global Voices: Myanmar’s Laws and Societal Attitudes Make Girls Vulnerable to Abuse
• The Guardian: Tackling gender-based violence in Nigerian institutions
• The Guardian: Argentina: hundreds of thousands of women set to protest against violence

Commentary and Perspectives

• The Wire: The Story of an Argentine Torturer’s Son
• Human Rights Watch: Peace and Justice in Colombia
• The Washington Times: U.S. ‘Animal Farm’ war crimes in Syria
• The Guardian: The Guardian view on international law: we need enforcement and example
• Reuters: New Rwanda genocide film should spur action on IS crimes: Prosecutor
• The Star: Thorn in the side of war criminals, ayatollahs and dictators
• Consortium News: US Impunity Erodes World Justice
• Mail & Guardian Africa: The International Criminal Court is a bully, and other popular myths
• Brown Political Review: Cultural Destruction: A Crime Against Humanity

WORTH READING

• Frank Dame: The Effect of International Criminal Tribunals on Local Judicial Culture: The Superiority of the Hybrid Tribunal

Author: Impunity Watch Archive