A British soldier has been jailed for 18 months and dismissed from the army for stabbing a 10-year old Afghan boy for “no reason”, the Guardian has revealed. The soldier, Grenadier Guardsman Daniel Crook, was hung-over after consuming a bottle of vodka the night before the attack and could not explain the reason behind it, a military tribunal was told in June. The Guardian reported details of the case after piecing together an account from the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA), an independent body conducting prosecutions against military personnel, and the wounded boy’s father. The...
Myanmar's president, Thein Sein, approved a bill to allow citizens to protest peacefully if granted permission on Saturday. Protesters will be required to inform authorities of the location, timing and reason for protest, five days in advance. Protesting without permission carries a sentence of upto one year in jail, while disturbing a peaceful gathering carries a penalty of two years' imprisonment. The move comes in the wake of a visit by Hiliary Clinton, US Secretary of State - the first senior US official to visit Myanmar in over 50 years. During her visit, Clinton stated in response to...
The International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of the Sudanese defence minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussain. Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has requested the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur from 2003 to 2004. In a statement released on Friday, Mr Ocampo’s office said Mr Hussein was one of the individuals to "bear greatest criminal responsibility" for atrocities in Darfur. Mr Hussain was Minster for the Interior at the time, with all responsibilities and powers of President Bashir. Some of his...
Gambian lawyer, Fatou Bensouda, has emerged as the consensus canditate for the International Criminal Court's next Chief Prosecutor. Bensouda, who has been the Deputy Prosecutor of the ICC since 2004 and a former minister of justice in Gambia, also served at the UN tribunal on Rwanda's 1994 genocide. In a statement, Bensouda said, "I am deeply grateful for the nomination and remain committed to the goals of the court to end impunity for those responsible for the gravest offences, bring justice to their victims and prevent future crimes ." “ Those who are trying to bring unspeakable atrocities, suffering to civilians anywhere in the world will be held accountable .”
The European Union agreed to impose fresh economic sanctions on Iran, on Thursday. In a statement , EU ministers said, "The council agreed to broaden existing sanctions by examining, in close co-ordination with international partners, additional measures including measures aimed at severely affecting the Iranian financial system, in the transport sector, in the energy sector." Over 180 Iranian officials and entities were added to a blacklist that imposes the freezing of assets, as well as travel bans on all those involved in developing nuclear systems. No decision was made regarding a...
Indonesian security forces are reported to have attacked a rally marking Papua’s 50th anniversary of its declaration of independence. Activists across Papua rallied in traditional dresses and protested against the continued occupation of the restive province by Indonesia. Police officials denied that any protestors were injured but reports indicate several Papuans were shot and many more were arrested. Footage , broadcast on local television stations, shows police violently arresting activists and confiscating the Papuan national flag, which is banned in Indonesia. The recently elected leader...
The Secretary General of the Arab league has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that the imposition of sanctions was a ‘very serious’ message that they were sending, and urged him to cease the ongoing violence in the country immediately. Speaking to the BBC , the Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said that the decision was taken “with a heavy heart” but, " We have sent a very serious political messag e" "You (Syria) have to behave, you have to stop what is going on, it's not business as usual. Something has to happen." He went on to say that " time was running out " for President Bashar...
Turkey has announced tough economic and financial sanctions against Syria on Wednesday. The move by Syria’s largest trading partner comes after similar sanctions were imposed by the Arab League, the European Union and the US. The Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced 9 sanctions, including a freezing of Syrian assets, a travel ban for senior leaders and the suspending of ties with the Syrian central bank. “Every bullet fired, every bombed mosque has eliminated the legitimacy of the Syrian leadership and has widened the gap between us,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu...
Protesters in Tehran burn British flag - Getty images The Iranian embassy in London was shut down as Britain expelled all its staff on Wednesday, in response to the violent attacks on British diplomats in Tehran. Violence broke out on Tuesday, with large crowds vandalising and attacking the British embassy in Tehran. Offices were ransacked and windows broken. The British flag was burnt outside with protesters chanting "death to Britain". UK staff were trapped inside for several hours before the Tehran security forces brought the situation under control and evacuated the staff to safety...
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Burma, becoming the first senior US official in more than 50 years to visit the country. During the landmark visit, Mrs Clinton is scheduled to hold a meeting lasting several hours with Burma's president Thein Sein. She is also due to fly to Rangoon for her first meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi , the Nobel-prize winning democracy movement leader she has described as "an inspiration". Speaking to reporters before her arrival, Clinton said , "I am obviously looking to determine ... what is the intention of the current government with respect to...