WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

A former senior UK Special Forces officer has told a public inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan that the SAS had a "golden pass allowing them to get away with murder" In evidence given to a public inquiry into suspected war crimes in Afghanistan, the soldier said an allegedly rogue special forces unit had targeted all males of fighting age, including under 16s, even if they…

NTC denies accusations of war crimes

Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) has denied accusation it is targeting black immigrants and dark-skinned Libyans in its hunt for Gaddafi loyalists.

Gaddafi is thought to have hired mercenaries from Sub-Saharan countries, including Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan to fight the Libyan rebels.

The rebels have been accused of committing war crimes, after summary arrests and executions of black migrants and Libyans were detailed in a report by Amnesty International.

France slams UN for silence on Syria

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has spoken out against the UN Security Council for failing to take a strong stand on the ongoing unrest in Syria.

Cluster bomb companies ejected from London arms fair

Two Pakistani companies have been expelled from the 2011 Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) in London, after it was found that they were promoting the use of cluster munitions.

Cluster bombs have been banned by the UK since the ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions treaty in 2008, which has been signed by over 100 countries.

The DSEI stated that,

Britain amends universal jurisdiction law

Britain has amended a law that allowed ordinary citizens to press charges against suspected foreign war criminals or torturers.

Under universal jurisdiction, British courts were able to prosecute foreign citizens accused of war crimes or crimes against humanity, although the crimes were committed in another country.

Dutch state responsible for 1947 Indonesian massacre

A court in the Netherlands has ruled that the Dutch state is responsible for a massacre in Indonesia committed by its troops in 1947.

The Hague court had decided that the Dutch state was liable for compensation to be paid to relatives of victims despite the act having taken place more than 60 years ago.

The massacre took place in the Java village of Rawagede, where an estimated 150-400 men and boys were shot dead by Dutch troops. The events took place as Indonesia fought for independence from colonial rule, which was recognized in 1949.

ICC not doing enough on government accountability for atrocities - HRW

Human Rights Watch released a report Thursday calling for the International Criminal Court to do more to hold senior government officials accountable for atrocities and improve its credibility.

The 50-page report stated that the ICC had not gone far enough in prosecuting war criminals and ensuring justice was delivered, calling for additional cases to be opened.

UN prosecutor seeks to punish Serbian fugitive aides

The Chief UN Prosecutor for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia called for an investigation into how war crimes fugitives managed to evade justice for so long.

Speaking with Serbian President Boris Tadic in Belgrade, Serge Brammertz praised Serbia on capturing all war crimes suspects, particularly Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic and the last fugitive Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic who was captured in July.

New Libyan regime pledges to investigate war crimes

The National Transitional Council of Libya has said that they would investigate allegations of “serious abuses” conducted by their forces.

The statement comes after Amnesty International released a report Tuesday that claimed both sides in the Libyan conflict had committed war crimes.

Arab League urges Syria to end repression

The Arab League demanded Syria end its brutal crackdown of peaceful protest on Tuesday.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Syria could descend into "civil war" and criticised Assad's regime for failing to "listen to the voice of the people."

The Turkish Prime Minister recently embarked on a tour of Arab Spring states emerging from the shadow of repressive dictators. Currently in Egypt, Erdogan is due to visit Tunisia and Libya shortly.

The UN estimate on the number of protesters killed was raised to 2600 on Monday at the UNHRC.

Navi Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, “the situation in Syria is still dire.”

Amid such casualty figures and harrowing tails of torture and abuse by Syrian security forces, the appointment a three member panel to investigate the allegations was announced on Monday.

However it remains uncertain how the investigation will take place, as President Assad has not granted the panel permission to visit the country.

Liam Fox: UK "most rigorous" on arms exports

Speaking at the world's largest arms fair, held in London, the British Defence Secretary Liam Fox defended the UK's export licensing procedures as "amongst the most rigorous in the world"

Fox added,

"Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are mandatory considerations for all export licence applications, which we consider on a case-by-case basis.