Burmese president, Thein Sein, has appointed opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi to head a commission to investigate the brutal crushing of a protest by police forces,that left several people injured last week. In a statement on the presidential website, President Thein outlined that the purpose of the commission was to “investigate the truth” behind the police raid. Commenting on the violent crackdown, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, Phil Robertson, said “If excessive force was used, and it seems it was, then it needs to be established who authorised it and people need to be...
A tribunal at The Hague has cleared former Kosovan Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj of war crimes for a second time, along with two commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. All three men were first acquitted of charges of torturing and murdering prisoners at KLA camps in 2008, before a partial retrial was announce by the tribunal two years later. Haradinaj's lawyer, Ben Emmerson QC, said after the verdict, "This verdict, coming after the longest and most exhaustive criminal process ever undertaken in the history of international criminal law, is a complete vindication of Mr Haradinaj's...
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticised moves by Israel to allow the building of 3,000 settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Talking at a forum in Washington, in front of Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Clinton said that negotiations with Israel are the only way to a separate state for the Palestinians. She added that the UN vote, granting Palestine non-member observer status, “should give all of us pause. All sides need to consider carefully the path ahead". The UK also expressed “extreme concern” at the decision. Foreign...
Amidst strong protests, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has announced a snap referendum on the new constitution drafted by the, Muslim brotherhood dominated, constituent assembly. Morsi, who recently triggered a crisis by granting himself sweeping powers over the judiciary and allowing the constitution to be tailored by an islamist-dominated assembly, attempted to make amends by calling for a referendum on the 15th December. Commenting on the referendum announced by the assembly, protestor Sayed el-Erian said, “We fundamentally reject the referendum and constituent assembly because the...
The legendary singer Stevie Wonder cancelled a concert for the Friends of the Israel Defence Forces (FIDF) in response to numerous complaints from organisations condemning Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. In a statement, Wonder said : “Given the current and very delicate situation in the Middle East, and with a heart that has always cried out for world unity, I will not be performing at the FIDF Gala." The cancellation comes after the Israeli government announced further settlements, in response to the Palestinians being recognised as a non-member observer state at the UN...
A man accused of partaking in the Srebrenica massacre has lost his appeal against an extradition to Bosnia, the first time a genocide suspect has been liable for eviction in Israel. Aleksandar Cvetkovic, an Israeli citizen, was arrested in January 2011 after an international arrest warrant was issued. Bosnia and Herzegovina have since called for his extradition, which the suspect was fighting. In his ruling Justice Salim Joubran said , "the appellant, along with other soldiers, participated in the murders of hundreds of Muslim civilians, some of whom had their hands bound and their eyes...
The Israeli government has approved the building of 3,000 homes for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The move comes less than a day after a vote at the UN General Assembly granted Palestine non-member observer status. "It is an act of Israeli aggression against a state, and the world needs to take up its responsibilities," a senior Palestinian official told AFP. The US also criticised the decision to expand settlements in the occupied territory. "We reiterate our longstanding opposition to settlements and East Jerusalem construction and announcements," White House...
The UK has stopped £21m worth of aid to Rwanda, over its alleged support for rebels fighting the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo. International Development Secretary Justine Greening said she stopped the payment to Kigali because President Paul Kagame has broken agreements. Greening said that the evidence gathered by DfID "constitutes a breach of the partnership principles set out in the memorandum of understanding [between Britain and Rwanda], and as a result I have decided not to release the next payment of budget support to Rwanda". "We are committed to finding lasting solutions...
The nephew of Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has been jailed for three years for assaulting a police officer. Chen Kegui was detained by police during a scuffle when police raided homes of Gunagcheng’s relatives. Guangcheng escaped from house arrest and fled to the US , but has since expressed concern about the safety of his relatives remaining in China. Chen Kegui is accused of hacking and wounding police officers. His father Chen Guangfu told BBC Chinese that the sentencing was unfair. "I don't think that the verdict is fair. What my son did at the time is for self-defence, but for that...
The UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said that the UN could authorise a 3,300 strong African Union mission to support Mali’s military against rebels in the north of the country. He said it could "restore the unity and territorial integrity of Mali and reduce the threats posed by terrorist and affiliated groups and transnational organised crime". Mr Ban warned of the “pitfalls” of such a move, saying that "the focus must be on initiating a broad-based and inclusive political dialogue". "Fundamental questions on how the force would be led, sustained, trained, equipped and financed remain...