The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has stated that pro-Gaddafi forces, the NTC and NATO will all be investigated in an independent war crimes inquiry in Libya. Speaking to the UN Security Council, Moreno-Ocampo said , “There are allegations of crimes committed by Nato forces, allegations of crimes committed by NTC-related forces … as well as allegations of additional crimes committed by pro-Gaddafi forces. These allegations will be examined impartially and independently by the prosecution.” His statement was supported by the Indian representative at...
A member of the Serbian Jackals (Šakali) paramilitary group was reported to have been arrested in a Belgrade suburb, after spending years on the run. The former fighter, Sinisa Misic, was wanted for the killing of 11 ethnic Albanians, during the infamous Cuska massacre in May 1999. 48 young men and boys were killed by the paramilitary forces, which allegedly targeted the village as it was the Agim Çeku, a Kosovo Liberation Army Commander and current Minister of Security Forces in Kosovo. Both his father and brother were killed in the massacre. A further nine members of the “Jackals” are on...
Expressing concern regarding threats to media freedom, governance, human rights abuses and the “shrinking political space”, the UN resident representative in Malawi, Richard Dictus, said, "[Malawi] definitely have to brace ourselves for a difficult period ahead. “You [Malawi] need to follow a new line, go back to a number of policy tenets that made Malawi very successful between 2004 and 2009. Re-establish that macroeconomic stability and if I can put it bluntly, Malawi needs to take its medicine and it will be painful .” Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of war...
Families of those killed during anti-Sikh riots in 1984, held vigils on Tuesday, demanding justice for the victims. Over 5000 Sikhs were killed during riots, following the assassination of then Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi, by her Sikh bodyguard on 31st October 1984. Vigils of remembrance were held at India Gate , in New Delhi, and outisde the Canadian Parliament , where diaspora Sikh families remembered those who had been killed. The call for justice has been endorsed by numerous human rights organisations including Lok Raj Sangathan, Sikh Forum, People's Union for Democratic Rights and the People's Union for Civil Liberties.
Still on the run, Saif al-Islam is reported to be heading towards Niger with the help of heavily armed Tuareg tribesmen, leaving the West African nation with the possibility of facing local anger if they were to hand him over to the International Criminal Court. Muammar Gaddafi hosted talks between Niger, Mali and Tuareg rebels resulting in a shaky peace deal in the decades-long insurgency. The Niger government are now faced with the prospect of more violence if they were to hand Saif to the ICC. Speaking to Reuters, Habi Mahamadou Salissou, vice-president of the Nigerien Democratic Movement...
The former Interior Minister of Croatia, Josip Boljkovac, has been arrested over his involvement in war crimes committed during and after the Second World War. Croatian Police arrested the 89 year old in the central town of Karlovac on Wednesday. 89 year old Boljkovac fought alongside communist partisan resistance fighters, when the country was ruled by the pro-Nazi Ustasha movement. After the war, he was part of the secret police of the new communist government. It is in this capacity he is thought to have been involved in the killings of fascist Ustasha supporters. Over 30,000 pro-Ustasha...
Photograph - Times.am Officials from the Indian foreign affairs ministry, currently visiting Armenia to hold discussions with their Armenian counterparts, visited the Armenian Genocide Museum and memorial on Tuesday. The Indian delegation, led by Sanjay Singh, the Secretary for Eastern affairs, lay flowers in memory of the victims of genocide at the Tsitsernakaberd memorial. Earlier this year, China's foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, paid tribute to the victims of the genocide, laying a wreath at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial and visiting the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, accompanied by its director, Hayk Demoyan. Over the past year there has been increasing international pressure on Turkey to recognise the atrocities as a genocide.
The United States have cut funding to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as Palestine was awarded a seat in the 194 member body. A vote at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris saw 107 member states supporting the resolution admitting Palestine to the organisation, despite strong protest by the US and Israel. The US, Canada, Israel and Germany voted against the resolution while the UK abstained. France, Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India all voted for the resolution, which saw Palestine join the first UN agency since their bid for recognition in September. US State...
In an apparent reaction to Palestine gaining a seat at UNESCO, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the construction of 2,000 new housing units for Israelis, in occupied areas of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. 1,650 new units, which are deemed illegal under international law, would be built in East Jerusalem, an area the Palestinians claim as the capital of their future state. In addition, Israel has decided to withhold the transfer of tax revenues that it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and a decision is pending on whether this will become permanent...
A Korean court sentenced an US soldier for 10 years in jail for the rape of an 18 year old girl. Kevin Lee Flippin, from the US Army’s 2nd Infantry Division was found guilty of breaking into the house of his 18 year old victim and raping her repeatedly, in September this year. The US Arm’s 2nd Infantry Division has issued an apology to the victim and her family and has confirmed its cooperation with the Korean police in regards to this case. America has more than 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea, with protests against the continued military presence occurring frequently. Read the BBC's...