UN war crimes investigators vow action on Syria

War crimes investigators from the United Nations have vowed to take action over crimes in the country and to bring perpetrators to justice, according to the UN’s former war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte. Del Ponte, who has joined a UN team investigating and compiling evidence of human rights abuses and war crimes in Syria, told reporters, "My main task will be to continue the inquiry in the direction of determining the high-ranking political and military authorities responsible for these crimes." "We don't know yet whether it will be an international court or a national court or what. Our...

British Kurds campaign for Genocide recognition

Iraqi Kurds from the UK have started a campaign for recognition of the mass-killing of Kurds in the 1980s and before as genocide. Saddam Hussein’s regime killed over 180,000 Kurds in the northern region of Kurdistan, but the killing of Kurds by Arabs has occurred in the region since the 1960s. The campaign, called Justice4Genocide, is petitioning the British Government to declare the atrocities as genocide and is calling on the EU and UN to do the same. The calls for genocide recognition are supported by several British MPs and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). "Different people were...

EU delegation cancel Iran trip

An European delegation cancelled a planned trip to Iran, after their request to meeting two jailed activists was refused. Iran's ambassador told the EU that it was 'impossible to guarantee that the members of the European Parliament could meet jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and filmmaker Jafar Panahi', reported Reuters. In a written statement, Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, said: "I deeply regret that permission to meet the Sakharov laureates was withheld. The European Parliament is nevertheless determined to continue its support for and involvement with...

UK rejects US for use of British bases

The UK government has rejected requests by the US to use British bases to support an eventual attack on Iran. The Guardian reported on Thursday that the US also lobbied for the use of British bases in Cyprus, Diego Garcia and Ascension Island, but British authorities said that legal advice suggested that any pre-emptive strike on Iran could be illegal. Officials said a secret document, drafted by the attorney general’s office, says that Iran does not represent “a clear and present threat”, which means, assisting forces that are attacking Iran would be a clear breach of international law. “The...

China blocks New York Times

The Chinese foreign ministry has blocked The New York Times' English and Chinese language websites, whilst also banning searches for “New York Times” on search engines and micro blogs. The New York Times was accused of smearing the country’s reputation after releasing a report that outlined appropriation of wealth by the Chinese Head of government, Wen Jiabao, who had distributed assets worth $2.7 within his extended family. The New York Times report, that posed questions around Jiabao’s ‘modest background’ , was also referred to in a BBC news report which was then also blocked by Beijing. A...

New violence against Muslims in Burma – HRW

Human Rights Watch (HRW) have demanded that the Burmese government take immediate action to stop sectarian violence against the Rohingya Muslim population in the Arakan state. HRW has obtained satellite imagery which shows extensive destruction of homes and properties in a predominantly Rohingya Muslim populated coastal town. The Burmese government needs to ensure aid and protection for Rohingyas and Arakanese in the Western state, HRW said. Deputy Asia director at HRW, Phil Robertson said: “Burma’s government urgently needs to provide security for the Rohingya in Arakan State, who are under...

Syria ‘cease fire’ unravels with car bomb

At least 47 people were reported killed as a fragile ceasefire observed during the Eid al-Adha holiday in Syria began to unravel. The most serious incident was that of a car bomb explosion in Damascus, blamed by rebels on government forces. Speaking to the Telegraph , a Free Syrian Army rebel said, "Everyone in this area is with the revolution," "The people hurt are children from this area. I don't think people would try to kill their own children. So I think it was very clear who did this. It is unacceptable." The Syrian government and rebel forces declared a ceasefire for the Muslim...

Sudan complains to UN over ‘Israeli airstrike’

The Sudanese government has said it will report Israel to the United Nations, over explosions in an arms factory, which Khartoum claims was caused by Israel. Israel has not commented on the claims, but the Sudanese envoy to the UN, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, said Israel had entered Sudanese air space three times in the last few years. Sources from Sudan told the BBC that the factory is thought to have been operated by Iranians. Leaked US documents also suggest that weapons manufactured on Sudan were being smuggled into Gaza through Egypt, which would be seen by Israel as a legitimate cause...

UK discusses EU membership with Kosovo

The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, met with Kosovo's Prime Minister Thaci Pristina on Thursday, to discuss the country's progress towards EU membership. Speaking after the event Hague said: "As I have discussed with Prime Minister Thaci, a new chapter in EU/Kosovo relations is opening. This is enormously positive for Kosovo. But Kosovo will now need to make progress against the same conditions and be treated the same as any other country in the Western Balkans. Progress towards EU membership will benefit all of Kosovo’s citizens. But it will require hard work and fundamental reforms in areas such as the economy, rule of law, the fight against corruption, electoral reform and public administration. I am pleased to have discussed some of the plans for these reforms during my meetings and welcome Kosovo’s commitment to the reform process.

Egypt's chance for military accountability – HRW

The appointment of a civilian judge to investigate the responsibility of three prominent former Egyptian generals for the abuse of protesters is an opportunity for President Morsi to push for accountability for abuses committed under military rule, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday. According to HRW, military courts which have sole jurisdiction over any acts committed by military personnel have failed time and again to properly investigate military abuses against protesters. Only two cases were referred for trial, in which prosecutors did not examine senior responsibility in giving...

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