The United States has extradited a Rwandan convicted in absentia for her role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. In 2009, she was sentenced for 19 years, the complicity in the murder of several children. The woman, Marie-Claire Mukeshimana, was extradited to Kigali on Wednesday. Rwanda's chief prosecutor, Martin Ngoga said, "But we have a number of more identified persons who stand accused of genocide committed in the most brutal manner and claiming so many lives, who remain on US territory," "We have a strong feeling that action against them is very slow.
The UN Tribunal for Rwanda has handed life sentences to two senior members of the ruling political party in the country at the time of the 1994 genocide. The sentences were imposed upon Matthieu Ngirumpatse and Edouard Karemera, for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Ngirumpatse was the chairman of Rwanda's then-ruling National Revolutionary Movement for Development (NRMD) party and Karemera was his deputy when the genocide took place. They were also charged for not having prevented or denounced crimes committed in 1994 by the party's youth wing militia, the Interahamwe. The...
New leader of North Korea and military mourn the death of late leader, his father, Kim Jong-il. Photograph Reuters Reports from North Korea indicated that the country's new leader, late Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, will share power with his uncle and the military. Sources in the reclusive state have added that the military pledged its allegiance to Kim Jong-un and dismissed rumours of a military coup. Some reports state that the new leader had begun issuing orders to the military before his father's death. Power will also be shared by Jang Song-thaek, brother-in-law of the late...
The United States extradited a former Bosnian soldier to face charges of war crimes in Bosnia. Edin Dzeko, now a naturalised US citizen, is accused of taking part in the mass murder of Croatian civilians in the South of Bosnia, in 1993. In a statement, the Bosnian prosecutor's office said, "Defendant Edin Dzeko was deported from the United States and handed over to Bosnia-Herzegovina authorities on December 20." See US citizen agrees to face war crimes trial in Bosnia (17 Nov 2011)
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has warned France of ‘grave consequence if the proposed legislation to outlaw the Armenian Genocide is passed by the French lower house of parliament on Thursday. "It is impossible for us to accept a draft law directed toward eliminating the freedom to reject unjust and groundless accusations against our country and our people," the Turkish president said in a statement issued on Tuesday. "I hope that France will soon abandon the initiative which will put France in a position of a country that does not respect freedom of expression and does not allow objective...
A former Rwanadan rebel leader who faced charges of war crimes, has been freed by the International Criminal Court due to a lack of evidence. Callixte Mbarushimana, leader of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (known by their French acronym, FDLR) stood accused of 13 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2009. The judges at the ICC said that "there was not sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds" that Mbarushimana was criminally responsible for the crimes. The ICC Chief Prosecutor’s office...
A Parisian court has begun proceedings against a Rwandan doctor who has been living in the country, over his alleged role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The doctor, Sosthene Munyemana, had an arrest warrant issued by Interpol, and was wanted for charges including genocide and crimes against humanity. He had lived and worked in a hospital located in south-west France for the last 10 years. Having applied for asylum in 2008, it was rejected and Rwanda requested to extradite Munyemana. However, French authorities turned it down in 2010 claiming he would not be given a fair trial and instead...
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a worldwide press freedom group, called on the Egyptian military to end the violence against journalists and the censoring of media outlets. See CPJ statement - 'In Egypt, press freedom abuses must be investigated' (19/12/11) CPJ's Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator, Mohamed Abdel Dayem, said, "Military authorities must stop using violence as a form of censoring the press who are exposing their violent suppression of protests in the streets of Cairo," "The Egyptian government must ensure that additional attacks on the media are...
Addressing the UN Secruity Council, chief ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, continued the court's call to end impunity in Sudan and bring those responsible for crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur, to justice. Ocampo said, “ The execution of the arrest warrants will end the crimes in Darfur ." “The individuals sought by the court are still allegedly committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur ." “The world knows where the fugitives of the court are. They are in official positions, controlling the Government of the Sudan, commanding military operations in different...
A former member of the Waffen SS has begun a life-sentence for the murder of three civilians during World War II. Wheelchair bound Heinrich Boere, who is now 90 years old, was taken from his nursing home to the prison where he will serve his sentence. An appeal on medical grounds was rejected, as a medical expert testified he was well enough to serve his sentence at a suitable facility. Boere argued he had to shoot members of the Dutch resistance as he was ordered to do so by his commanding officers and risked being sent to a concentration camp himself if he didn’t comply. "At no time in 1944...