Biljana Plavsic is responsible for the Srebrenica massacre (over eight thousand Muslim have been massacred) and for the creation of internment camps. But she will be release on October 27th.
So, once again, the International Criminal Court is showing its limitations.Biljana Plavsic is responsible for the Srebrenica massacre (over eight thousand Muslim... more
"Every captain has certain targets in mind, mine is that we must win either of these two major ICC events until I am captain," Younis said during Pakistan's conditioning camp in Karachi. "We also go to Australia later this year and we have never won a Test series there. I think we have the best chance of achieving this first time feat in the coming series.""Every captain has certain targets in mind, mine is that we must win either of these... more
Jean Pierre Bemba Gombo, former vice-president of Congo accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, could be free wainting for the beginning of the process. "His detention is not necessary to ensure his appearance at trial".
Victims and witnesses are starting to be afraid: he could find a way to escape in a country which had not ratified the Treaty of Rome and will not cooperate with the ICC.Jean Pierre Bemba Gombo, former vice-president of Congo accused of war crimes and... more
At the Arab League summit Monday, the UN secretary general condemned Sudan's expulsion of humanitarian aid groups in response to the ICC arrest warrant for Bashir.At the Arab League summit Monday, the UN secretary general condemned Sudan's expulsion... more
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have appealed against a decision by the body's tribunal not to charge Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, with conducting genocide in the country's western Darfur region.
The court in The Hague charged Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity in March for allegedly orchestrating a campaign of murder and torture in Darfur.
But it said in a ruling on Tuesday that there was insufficient evidence to prove he was also guilty of waging genocide.
Prosecutors said on Tuesday the judges who rejected the charges were wrong in applying "an evidentiary burden that is inappropriate for this procedural stage".
They said the tribunal only needed to prove that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" al-Bashir was responsible for genocide.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor at the ICC, also called for the case to be sent back to the ICC's pre-trial chamber.Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have appealed against a decision... more
The African Union's decision not to co-operate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it ordered the arrest of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, has been heavily criticised by human rights groups.
Amnesty International said on Saturday that the move showed "disdain" for the victims of violence in Sudan's western Darfur region, where al-Bashir is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"This decision by the African Union member states shows a disdain for those in Darfur who suffered gross human rights violation and makes a mockery of the AU as an international body," Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty's Africa director, said.
"By supporting a wanted person accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, it undermines the credibility of states who are party to the Rome statute and the AU as a whole."
At a summit on Friday, the pan-African body adopted a motion effectively ruling out the arrest of al-Bashir on the territory of any of its members and urged the United Nations to intervene to delay the case.The African Union's decision not to co-operate with the International Criminal Court... more
Washington police arrested five US lawmakers Monday during a protest outside the Sudanese embassy over the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
Organizers said the five, who included Democratic representative John Lewis, a leading veteran of the US civil rights movement, were detained for civil disobedience after refusing a police order to disperse.
The protestors called on the government of Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to reverse a recent decision to expel international humanitarian groups from Darfur and end what they called his use of starvation as a weapon of war in the region.
"President Beshir has a choice," said another Democratic lawmaker, Jim McGovern, before the group was arrested.
"He can choose to let the humanitarian groups return, he can choose to end the violence and the killing, and he can choose serious negotiations for a just and lasting peace, or he can continue to commit crimes against humanity," he said.
The other detained lawmakers were Donna Edwards, Keith Ellison and Lynn Woolsey, all members of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party.
Police also arrested three organizers of the protest, including Jerry Fowler of the Save Darfur Coalition and John Prendergast, a former State Department advisor.
Obama's administration has vowed renewed efforts to end the conflict in Darfur, where some 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million been made homeless since fighting erupted between rebels and the government in 2003.
The International Criminal Court has charged Beshir with war crimes and crimes against humanity over the conflict.
During Monday's demonstration, protestors urged Obama to increase the pressure on Khartoum.Washington police arrested five US lawmakers Monday during a protest outside the... more
This is an update on the the current situation in Darfur. We also take a look at the social media activism about Darfur, including an interview with vlogger activist, Gabriel Stauring from Stop Genocide Now, who visits the refugee camps in Chad and uploads daily vlogs for a series called "iAct".This is an update on the the current situation in Darfur. We also take a look at the... more
The African Union has appointed former South African President Thabo Mbeki to chair a committee to investigate human rights violations in Darfur. South Africa's Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said Mr Mbeki's role was to intercede between the International Criminal Court and Sudan. The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir over atrocities committed in Darfur. Mr Bashir has rejected the charges and accused the ICC of colonialism. The African Union has asked the ICC to delay the charges for a year, warning that attempts to arrest Mr Bashir could further destabilise the situation in Darfur.The African Union has appointed former South African President Thabo Mbeki to chair a... more
UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council deadlocked on Friday over taking any action on the tempest that erupted over the indictment of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan on war crimes charges and his subsequent expulsion of 13 aid organizations.
Mr. Bashir’s supporters, led by Libya and China, insisted that any official statement issued by the Council simultaneously address the potential humanitarian crisis and a possible deferral of the charges, while Western nations blasted the idea of linking the two issues and warned of a potential humanitarian catastrophe that could affect millions.
Aid organizations reached Friday said they had already suspended most deliveries to Darfur, the region that is home to the conflict that led to war crimes charges against Mr. Bashir, and much of the country. Expatriate staff members had their work permits revoked and were leaving, the organizations said.
End of Excerpt
Source: the New York Times Online
What do you think the United Nations should do?UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council deadlocked on Friday over taking any action on... more
Ethiopian media this week highlighted ongoing negotiations to resolve a border dispute between the country and Sudan this week, following speculations in the Sudanese media that Addis Ababa had ceded its territory to Sudan.
In its anchor article of the week, state-run daily, the Ethiopian Herald highlighted Ethiopia's growing trade relations with Sudan and noted that a simmering border dispute that arose from the non-demarcation of the common border was not a threat to relations.
"Infrequent misunderstanding occurring between the countries (Ethiopia-Sudan) has not given way to hinder their age-long relations," the newspaper stated in an article, headlined: "Ethio-Sudanties, border issues."
The paper said although the border issue, arising from an agreement reached between the two states in 1906 in which a British military official clearly marked the border between Ethiopia and Sudan, disagreements have arisen from tribal groupings around the region, who frequently utilised land belonging to the other state on both sides of the border.
"There are numerous territorial claims that can surface at any time, though not as precarious as the border issues with Somalia and Eritrea," a columnist wrote in the 15 January edition, which featured Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's comments on the issue.
The newspaper said large areas around the border remained "stateless" as a result of lack of government presence on either side, which makes it more porous.
"As we know it, inter-state rivalries are the causes of the neighbouring uprisings that have their roots in shared economic and political problems," the Herald wrote.
These border wars, the newspaper noted, arise from pastoralist communities using the resources on either side of the border and often claiming land ownership.
According to the paper, an agreement has been reached between Ethiopia and Sudan to resolve such disagreements, allowing those who had settled along the border between the two countries to occupy the land undisturbed by the new agreement.
"When we say we have reached an agreement that we have agreed that the Sudanese people can till land, we are referring to the land on the Sudanese border which is clearly demarcated by Guyen line," Meles was quoted as saying on the issue.
Major Guyen is the British military officer who demarcated the border and whose decision the Ethiopian government says must be respected by both sides.
The newspaper explained that Ethiopians who used the land around the border after the Ethiopian troops gained control of the region would be allowed to continue owning the land they have and cannot be displaced by the Sudanese forces from the area.
The agreement signed by the two sides allows citizens on both sides to keep their land even after fresh demarcation is done on the border.
NAIROBI, March 6 (Reuters) - Eritrea has arrested up to 54 journalists in a crackdown on media in the Red Sea state, the press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Friday.
The Paris-based body also asked the European Union not to hand over 122 million euros worth of aid due to worsening conditions for political prisoners.
"The authorities on 22 February 2009 ordered a raid on the premises of Radio Bana, a small station in the heart of the capital that puts out educational programmes under the sponsorship of the Education Ministry. Its entire staff of around 50 journalists were arrested," RSF said.
Asmara routinely denies claims by foreign rights groups, accusing them of working for foreign intelligence services to undermine the government of President Isaias Afwerki.
"Once again the EU is preparing to support the Eritrean regime when the country has shown no progress in respect for freedoms, quite the contrary," the press freedom group said.
The media body said some of the journalists had been released without specifying how many. It did not say where it had received the information on the arrests and no independent confirmation was available.
The Paris-based group said that Asmara had arrested four other journalists in another incident. "It is not known where they are being held."
The organisation has listed Eritrea below North Korea as the world's worst violator of press freedom.
Dozens of journalists have been arrested and newspapers closed down since a crackdown on media and opposition in 2001, following a 1998-2000 border war with neighbouring Ethiopia.
Eritrea's Ministry of Information says foreign media are pawns of western powers and lauds what it says is the fairness of its own government-controlled press. (Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Philippa Fletcher)NAIROBI, March 6 (Reuters) - Eritrea has arrested up to 54 journalists in a crackdown... more
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The International Criminal Court's decision to pursue a sitting head of state on war crimes charges puts others around the world on notice, but it's also raising questions about which leaders are being targeted.
African and Arab nations say they will support Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, fearing the warrant issued against him Wednesday will bring even more conflict in Darfur, where up to 300,000 people have died since 2003, and further destabilize Sudan.
And they question why only Africans have been charged since the ICC — branded "the white man's court" by Sudan's information ministry — began its work six years ago. A temporary court, the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, indicted Slobodan Milosevic in 1999 while he was still president of Yugoslavia.
The chairman of the 52-state African Union has accused the court of "double standards," asking why no cases have emerged from conflicts in the Caucasus, Iraq or Gaza.
"The African states were the strongest supporters of establishing the ICC. It wouldn't have been possible without them. But there has been a significant shift in the past year," said Christopher Hall, senior legal adviser to Amnesty International.
Outside Africa, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo is investigating possible cases in Colombia, Georgia and Afghanistan as well as a Palestinian request for charges against Israel for its actions in Gaza.
In Africa, those considered possible targets of the court are leaders in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Ivory Coast, Rwanda and Central African Republic.JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The International Criminal Court's decision to pursue a sitting... more
MICHELLE FAULJOHANNESBURG (AP) — The International Criminal Court’s decision to pursue a sitting head of state on war crimes charges puts others around the world on notice, but it’s also raising questions about which leaders are being targeted.
African and Arab nations say they will support Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, fearing the warrant issued against him Wednesday will bring even more conflict in Darfur, where up to 300,000 people have died since 2003, and further destabilize Sudan.
And they question why only Africans have been charged since the ICC — branded “the white man’s court” by Sudan’s information ministry — began its work six years ago. A temporary court, the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, indicted Slobodan Milosevic in 1999 while he was still president of Yugoslavia.
The chairman of the 52-state African Union has accused the court of “double standards,” asking why no cases have emerged from conflicts in the Caucasus, Iraq or Gaza.
“The African states were the strongest supporters of establishing the ICC. It wouldn’t have been possible without them. But there has been a significant shift in the past year,” said Christopher Hall, senior legal adviser to Amnesty International.
Outside Africa, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo is investigating possible cases in Colombia, Georgia and Afghanistan as well as a Palestinian request for charges against Israel for its actions in Gaza.
In Africa, those considered possible targets of the court are leaders in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Ivory Coast, Rwanda and Central African Republic.
Sudan's president told thousands of cheering supporters on Thursday, March 05, an international call for his arrest on war crimes charges was a colonialist ploy and announced the expulsion of 10 foreign aid agencies.Sudan's president told thousands of cheering supporters on Thursday, March 05, an... more
For all the charity and humanitarian aid that's been poured into the Darfur region, and all of the celebrities pleading for change -- it seems nothing has changed. People are still dying, atrocities continue, and the war worsens. This sense of futility is what makes the project we're sharing with you today so interesting.
The ultra-low-budget documentary "Christmas in Darfur?" follows the challenges two amateur filmmakers (and their limited crew) face as they attempt to make a film about what it was like for aid workers to spend their holiday season in this war-torn African desert. Boing Boing Video guest correspondent Sean Bonner interviewed the film's director Jason Mojica about that experience, and we bring you that conversation today, along with clips from the finished film.
Driven by the desire to understand the gap between all the global attention to Darfur and the worsening conditions there -- and with no experience in filmmaking, or any connections in Africa -- the filmmakers' guileless approach takes them deep into the refugee camps of Chad.For all the charity and humanitarian aid that's been poured into the Darfur region,... more
Mr Bashir told thousands of cheering supporters in the capital that Sudan would not "kneel" to colonialists. He said he defied outsiders to come to Sudan and talk about human rights. Mr Bashir, 65, told a rally in the city's Martyrs Square: "We are telling the colonialists we are not succumbing; we are not submitting; we will not kneel; we are targeted because we refuse to submit." Sudan reacted to Wednesday's ICC indictment by expelling 10 foreign aid agencies, including Oxfam, Care, Save the Children and Medecins Sans Frontieres from Darfur.
Between them they supply food and water to some 1.5 million people who have fled their homes during the six-year conflict. The BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Khartoum says pro-Bashir supporters, some in cars with loud-speakers, shouted slogans denouncing the West. Mr Bashir said the ICC, together with the UN Security Council and the International Monetary Fund, were trying to "colonise people anew and steal their resources".Mr Bashir told thousands of cheering supporters in the capital that Sudan would not... more
The international criminal court is considering whether the Palestinian Authority is "enough like a state" for it to bring a case alleging that Israeli troops committed war crimes in the recent assault on Gaza.
The deliberations would potentially open the way to putting Israeli military commanders in the dock at The Hague over the campaign, which claimed more than 1,300 lives, and set an important precedent for the court over what cases it can hear.
The latest moves in The Hague come amid mounting international pressure on Israel and a growing recognition in Israeli government circles that it may eventually have to defend itself against war crimes allegations. The Guardian has also learned that a confidential inquiry by the International Committee of the Red Cross into the actions of Israel and Hamas during the recent conflict in Gaza is expected to accuse Israel of using "excessive force" - prohibited under the fourth Geneva convention.The international criminal court is considering whether the Palestinian Authority is... more
A Sudanese man, Mohammed Alsary Ibrahim has been convicted of spying, criminal conspiracy and passing on confidential military documents about a Sudanese minister.
Mr Ibrahim, now serving 17 years, was found with papers linking the Sudanese government officials and the Janjaweed together in allowing / causing the Darfur atrocities.
One of the Sudanese government officials linked with the document is Ahmed Haroun. He is wanted by the ICC who issued an arrest warrant for him on 51 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity including rape and murder of civilians, but Sudan have refused to hand him over.
It is thought that the evidence would be enough to get him handed over to the global court.
To add to the tensions, the ICC are currently considering whether to indict President Bashir on 10 counts of genocide and other charges in Darfur, after prosecutors asked for an arrest warrant in July 2008.
The UN estimates that up to 2.7 million people have been forced from their homes in Darfur and some 300,000 have died during nearly six years of conflict.
How can we help? And why does the process of negotiations take so long when atrocities are happening right now?A Sudanese man, Mohammed Alsary Ibrahim has been convicted of spying, criminal... more
A Sudanese man has been jailed for 17 years for passing on sensitive files about a Darfur war crimes suspect to the ICC.
Mohammed Alsary Ibrahim was found guilty at a trial in the capital Khartoum, of spying, criminal conspiracy and passing on confidential military documents about a Sudanese minister.
The suspect in question, Ahmed Haroun is wanted by the ICCfor alleged war crimes in the region.A Sudanese man has been jailed for 17 years for passing on sensitive files about a... more
