The Nepali government's decision to promote an army colonel accused of war crimes has come under criticism by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists earlier this week. Raju Basnet is accused of commanding troops who used systematic torture and enforced disappearances in 2003, with evidence compiled by the UN and Nepali National Human Rights Commission. This included allegations that Basnet himself was personally involved in acts of torture. Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said , “Nepal’s cabinet has thrown the entire idea of...
Russia has signed an agreement with Tajikistan that allows it to keep its military base in the Central Asian country for another 30 years. Around 7,000 Russian soldiers are based on the border to Afghanistan. The country’s border with Afghanistan is thought to be a major transit point for drugs trafficking and the forthcoming withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan has raised fears of an influx of militants into Tajikistan.
Catalonians are preparing to use a football match - Barcelona v. Real Madrid - to assert the call for independence reports The Times. As an estimated 400 million viewers watch the match worldwide, Barcelona football fans are planning to recreate an enormous Catalan flag, holding up red or yellow cards to form the stripes of the flag. After that display, at 17 minues and 14 seconds in the match, a time which marks the year that Catalonia was conquered by Spain, the fans are planning to simultaneously hold up the Catalan flag of independence which carries a white star for independence. Fans...
The US and Peru decided to discuss and renew a 60-year-old defence cooperation agreement, on Saturday. The US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said the updated agreement would "improve our ability to conduct joint activities, to do training and other exchanges." He added , "Ultimately that will help us deal with shared security challenges in the future" "The principle thrust of our ... new defense strategy is aimed at reaching out and developing partnerships and alliances throughout the world and particularly in this region." "We have agreed to begin this process with the aim of improving and...
The UN Security Council has condemned the Syrian attack of a Turkish village on Thursday, which killed five civilians, all of whom were women and children. A UN statement said that the attack “underscored that this incident highlighted the grave impact the crisis in Syria has on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and stability.” An earlier draft mentioned that the attack posed "a threat to international peace and security" , however this was blocked by Russia. Turkey’s parliament has authorised attacks against Syria and is shelling their southern neighbour for a second day...
Outcry has erupted in the Philippines over a recently passed internet freedom law that exposes users to prosecution related to libel. The new law deems that even posts on social networking sites that have been deemed libellous can be taken to court, curbing freedom of expression. Harry S. Roque, president of Media Defense South East Asiaamd law professor at the University of Philippines commented, “It exposes Internet users to prosecution ... You can be sued. You can be forced to post a bond. You will need to get a lawyer. You can imagine the mayhem this can cause.” “The Philippines has been...
The high court in London has ruled that three Kenyans can proceed in their legal claims against the UK government for alleged torture during the Mau Mau uprising in 1950s. In his ruling, the judge Justice McCoombe said: "A fair trial for the Kenyans on this part of the case does remain possible and the evidence on both sides does remain significantly cogent for the court to complete its task satisfactorily." The UK government has said although it acknowledges that detainees were tortured under the colonial administration, it does not accept liability and will appeal.
Peace talks between the Colombian government and Farc will commence in Oslo on 15th October, with a joint news conference on 17th October. Last week, the Colombian President Juan Manueal Santos, said he was "cautiously optimistic" that a peace deal could be reached.
Four Nigerian peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in Darfur. Eight more soldiers, from the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission Unamid, were injured when their convoy was attacked on Tuesday. "They were providing administrative and logistic support and they were moving from one of our camps to the other," said the spokesperson for Unamid, Chris Cycmanick. "From what I can remember I think this is probably one of the deadliest days that we've had in terms of losing peacekeepers." The US has condemned the attack and said it was “appalled” by the violence. "The United States is deeply...
Muslims from the town of Srebrenica have warned that the upcoming local elections could represent the “final step of a genocide” if Bosnian Serb candidates were to win. The town, infamous for its massacre of 8,000 young Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in 1995, has seen many Muslims stripped of their voting rights this year after complex voting laws were enforced. The move has sparked fears that a Serb majority would allow a Bosnian Serb candidate to succeed, reported Radio Netherlands Worldwide . Kada Hotic, representing an organization of Srebrenica mothers who lost family members...