A former Somali colonel living in Ohio is to be prosecuted for torturing a human rights activist in 1988. Abdi Aden Magan sought to have the case dismissed by a federal court by arguing it was filed in the wrong country and too long after the alleged abuse occurred. Plaintiff Abukar Hassan Ahmed filed a case against Magain in 2010, alleging the colonel was responsible for his detention and torture. US District Court Judge George Smith ruled Ahmed could sue Magan in the United States, relying in part on a motion passed by the US Department of State, saying Magan should not be able to claim...
The international prosecutor for the UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Cambodia, has stated that he is confident of prosecutions against four former leaders of the Khmer Rouge, as the case goes to trial later this month. Speaking to Voice of America Khmer , Andrew Cayley said, “I think that the case is a very strong one against these individuals because of the size and scope of the crimes that were committed. There is documentary evidence that links them with the crimes on the ground, including publications of the Khmer Rouge, and including other documentary evidence.” His position was backed...
A former military general has been elected president of Guatemala. Otto Perez Molina, of the conservative Patriotic Party, won 56% of the vote, with an election campaign centred on his “iron-fist” approach to rampant crime. Perez is the first ex-military leader to be chosen to lead the country since the end of military rule in 1986. During the 36 year long conflict, which ended in 1996, more than 200,000 people, mostly Mayan, were thought to have been killed. Perez is accused by human rights groups and survivors of being complicit in acts of genocide during his time with the Guatemalan army...
Outlining the UK's vision as the Council of Europe's new chair, the UK foreign minister, William Hague, addressed delegates at the official handover ceremony in Strasbourg on Monday. Excerpts of Hague's speech are reproduced below: " Human rights, democracy and rule of law are central to the policy of the United Kingdom in every area of government . " We are committed to working through the international system to strengthen the implementation of these principles. They underpin our collective security and prosperity ." “We will make the promotion and protection of human rights the overarching...
South Sudan denied allegations it was arming rebels in two regions on its borders with Sudan. Sudan reported South Sudan to the UN Security Council about violations, including the continued assistance to insurgents in the west and the south-east. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by both countries in 2005 stipulates that neither side should encourage rebellion against the other. Sudan accused its neighbours of providing rebels with weapons and expertise in fighting the Sudanese army. South Sudan however rejected the allegations, in turn accusing Khartoum of supporting rebels in the...
The Arab League has called for emergency talks after 13 people were killed in an assault by Syrian troops on the city of Homs. The deaths come at the start of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s holiest days, and bring the numbers of civilians killed to 60, since Assad officially accepted an Arab league peace plan. General Nabil al-Arabi, Arab League Secretary, called on Assad to implement the plan, and warned that failure to do so would result in "catastrophic consequences for the situation in Syria and the region". The Arab League has now called an emergency meeting for to...
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has spoken out against China’s rigid control over Tibet, blaming the desperate conditions Tibetans live in for the recent spate of self-immolations that have taken place. Speaking in Tokyo after meeting an adviser to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda , the 76-year-old Nobel peace prize laureate said , "Chinese communist propaganda creates (a) very rosy picture. But actually, including many Chinese from mainland China who visit Tibet, they all have the impression things are terrible." "Some kind of policy, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place...
A former Khmer Rouge member's plea against the charge of genocide, citing a royal pardon and the granting of amnesty, has been rejected by a UN-backed war crimes tribunal, examining allegations of genocide, torture and war crimes during the Khmer Rouge's rule of Cambodia. Ieng Sary, 86, was the foreign minister of the Khmer Rouge regime. Sary argued that he was immune from charges of genocide after receiving a royal pardon 15 years ago and amnesty upon surrendering to the government. Rejecting his plea, the tribunal released a statement on Monday, saying, "the scope of application of the...
Colombia’s defence ministry has announced it has killed the leader of Farc, Alfonso Cano. Cano was killed when security forces surrounded his hideout, after aerial strikes hit his camp in the remote region of Cauca in southwest Colombia. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has hailed the Cano’s death as "the most resounding blow to this organisation in its entire history" The death is seen as a severe blow to Farc who have been suffering continous setbacks since a military campaign backed by the US started in 2002. After the death of one of its founders and then leader Manuel Marulanda...
Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has stated that Croatia will not be dropping charges of genocide levelled against Serbia, in a case filed before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The case, was put forward in 1999 against Serbia under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In response, Serbia filed their own genocide case against Croatia in 2010, focusing on the persecution of Serbs during World War II. While Serbia has said it would be in favour of both countries withdrawing their mutual genocide lawsuits, Croatia has stood firm and...