Pillay - No amnesty for 'serious crimes' in Syria

The UN High Commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, said that amnesty could not be granted for "serious crimes" in Syria. Rejecting the possibility of President Assad being granted amnesty in a safe haven, in exchange for relinquishing power, Pillay said that whilst international leaders may be drawn into "politically expedient solutions which may involve amnesty or undertakings not to prosecute," it would be wrong under international law. In an interview with The Associated Press, Pillay said, " You cannot have amnesty for very serious crimes. " " So my message is very clear -- there has...

Syrian diaspora activists face intimidation

As Syrian diplomats are expelled around the world, reports emerge of Syrian diaspora opposition activists being subject to threats and intimidation by Syrian officials. According to a story by Paul Daley in the Sydney Morning Herald, a Syrian business owner living in Australia, recounted the intimidation he faced. See here . Speaking anonymously, the diaspora activist described how he had received a call from the Syrian embassy while he was organising an international conference of young peaceful Syrian dissidents in Tunisia, and an embassy representative told him that “ he could not guarantee [his] safety in Syria .” The activist said, "This was October last year. He said I should not go, and that foreigners should stay out of Syria's internal problems . I told him that I had no plans to go to Syria. He responded … that 'we know you do'. He told me that I would be putting the young Syrians who would attend the conference 'in danger' and that they should be 'very careful '. I do not know how he found out about the conference.” " I was told that 'people like you represent the problem in Syria' . I was told that the government 'will shut your fraud of a business down' . "A week later, the premises of my business [in Syria] was trashed by thugs . Nearing the conference, the calls got more frequent and more aggressive ." "Gradually these calls came less from the embassy but also from Syrian government officials in Damascus, directly to my mobile . A mix of Arabic and English was used.” "While a good deal of the Syrian diaspora in Australia supported Assad until very recently, there was a vocal minority of Syrians working with a number of peaceful opposition groups. I know they have been threatened - worse yet, they have had their families back in Syria threatened ."

Protesters disrupt parliament over reconciliation bill - Thailand

Over 2500 anti-government protesters disrupted Thailand's parliament on Friday, as they surrounded the building and blocked cars from entering the premises. Dressed in yellow, protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), forced the speaker to postpone a debate on a reconciliation bill that could allow theformer Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra to return. Shinawatra was ousted from power by a military coup in 2006, and is currently in self-imposed exile. Protesters assert that the proposed reconciliation bill would grant Shinawatra effective amnesty from a conviction for...

UNHRC advocates international probe into Syria

The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Syria, during an emergency session on Friday. Condemning the violence and atrocities committed, the US and Arab led resolution specified that there should be an " international, transparent, independent and prompt investigation ". Forty-one member states voted in favour of the resolution, including India, whilst Uganda and Ecuador abstained, and three member states voted against it - Russia, China and Cuba. The Phillipines was absent during the vote. Addressing the UNHRC, the representative of the UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay, said: "I reiterate my call to the government of Syria to grant the Commission of Inquiry, full and un-impeded access to the country, to carry out investigations into all human rights violations including the Houla event." " These acts may amount to crimes against humanity and other international crimes , and may be indicative of a pattern of widespread or systematic attack s against civilian populations that have been perpetrated with impunity," "I reiterate that those who order, assist or fail to stop attacks on civilians, are individually criminally liable for their actions ." " Other states have a duty to do all they can to prevent and prosecute perpetrators of international crimes." "Once again I urge the Security Council to consider referring the case of Syria to the International Criminal Court ."

Mubarak sentenced to life as protests erupt over son’s acquittal

Egypt’s ousted president Hosni Mubarak, along with his former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, have been handed lifetime prison sentences for their complicity in the killing of protesters in 2011’s uprising. Judge Ahmed Rifaat referred to Mubarak’s rule as “30 years of darkness” , stating that both Mubarak and Adly were complicit in a crackdown on protesters in the 18 days of demonstrations in Cairo and other major cities nationwide. Human Rights Watch’s Joe Stork welcomed the conviction of Mubarak, calling it a “landmark conviction” , stating , "It sends a powerful message to Egypt's future...

Egyptian emergency law expires

Egypt’s decades-long state of emergency expired on Thursday, marking the first time in more than 30 years that the law has not been renewed. The ruling military Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has stated that they will continue to “protect” the country “taking into account that the state of emergency has ended”, until power is officially handed over to the winner of the presidential elections in late June. The country has been in a constant state of emergency since 1981, with the law last being renewed in 2010 when ousted President Hosni Mubarak was still in power, before pro-...

China detains hundreds as another self-immolation takes place

Chinese authorities have detained hundreds of people in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, as a young woman died setting herself alight protesting Chinese rule. The crackdown follows two men self immolating in the capital earlier this week , marking the first time such an act of protest has occurred in the city. Radio Free Asia reported that almost 600 people had been arrested so far, with those from outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region having been expelled. The arrests come as a woman, identified as a 33-year old mother of three, died after she set herself alight in front of a monastery in...

Suu Kyi urges caution over Burma reforms

Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for “healthy scepticism” over Burma’s recent drastic reforms, in her first major speech outside of the country in more than two decades. Speaking at the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok, she called on investors to "think deeply" saying, "We do not want investment to mean more possibilities for corruption. We do not want investment to mean greater inequality. And we do not want investment to mean greater privileges for those already privileged." “These days I am coming across what I call reckless optimism.” “A little bit of...

New killings confirmed in Syria

UN observers have confirmed the discovery of 13 bodies near the eastern city of Deir al-Zour. The men were found with their hands behind their back and some had gunshot wounds in their heads. The head of the UN observers, Major General Robert Mood, said he was ‘deeply disturbed’ by the ‘appalling and inexcusable act’. "All the bodies had their hands tied behind their backs and some appear to have been shot in the head from a short distance," he said in a statement released on Wednesday. He called on all parties to the Syrian conflict to "exercise restraint and end the cycle of violence for...

Former minister sentenced for life for Rwandan genocide

The former Rwandan minister, Callixte Nzabonimana, was sentenced to life in prison by the International Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Thursday, for his part in the 1994 genocide. In particular, the case focused on a meeting held on 18th April 1994, in Murambi, where Nzabonimana and other ministers formed an aggreement " to encourage the killing of Tutsis... with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Tutsi population as such in Gitarama prefecture ," the AFP reported. In a statement, the ICTR said , "The trial chamber found that ... Nzabonimana instigated the killing...

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