WORLD NEWS

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Latest news from and about the homeland

Rwandan genocide memorial in Nyamata (Fanny Schertzer) German prosecutors have arrested a German-Rwandan national on suspicion of complicity in genocide and 25 counts of murder during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda. The suspect, identified only as Innocent S. under German privacy rules, was arrested in the central German state of Hesse on Wednesday. According to Reuters,…

Kenyatta decision marks a 'dark day' for justice says ICC prosecutor

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has labelled the decision to withdraw charges against Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta a “dark day for international criminal justice.”

In an interview with Voice of America, Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said,
“There are several reasons why we had to withdraw the charges in this case and one of them is lack of cooperation of the government of Kenya, [and] another one is intimidation of witnesses for them not to be able to come forward to give us their evidence.”
She went on to add,
“The fact that we are confronted with these challenges is really the reason why the charges are being withdrawn and no other reason. Not because we do not want to do justice in this case.”
Bensouda pledged that the court would continue to strive towards justice for those killed, saying,
“We will not forget the victims. We will keep trying. I will be receiving information, we will be assessing that information, and we will know what further steps we are going to try based on the information that we will receive.”
Human Rights Watch also reacted to the court's decision, saying it “sets back efforts to end the country’s entrenched culture of impunity.”

UN experts express concerns over 'pattern of impunity' in US

UN human rights experts have expressed “legitimate concerns” over US juries failing to charge policemen involved in the deaths of two black civilians Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

Highlighting concerns over the jury decisions that saw policemen, the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Rita Izsak, said,

“The decisions leave many with legitimate concerns relating to a pattern of impunity when victims of excessive use of force come from African-American or other minority communities.”

“There are numerous complaints stating that African-Americans are disproportionally affected by such practices of racial profiling and the use of disproportionate and often lethal force,” the UN Special Rapporteur on racism, Mutuma Ruteere, said in a press release on Friday.

The UN expert heading the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, added,

“The Michael Brown and Eric Garner’s cases have added to our existing concerns over the longstanding prevalence of racial discrimination faced by African-Americans, particularly in relation to access to justice and discriminatory police practices.”

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France agrees US compensation package for Holocaust victims

France and the US have agreed a  $60m compensation fund to be paid out to families of those transported by the French state rail company SNCF to Nazi concentration camps during World War 2, reports the BBC.

The French government confirmed on Friday that it would pay a lump sum of $60m to the US so that eligible claimants in the US can receive payments their payments.

The US negotiator, Stuart Eizenstat, said that survivors could receive over $100,000 each, with relatives and heirs receiving tens of thousands of dollars.

Arrests over war crimes during Bosnian war

Bosnian and Serb police have made 15 arrests suspected of committing a war crime in 1993.

The incident during the Bosnian war saw Bosnian Serbs attack a train in the town of Strpci, near the Serbian border, killing 19 people, including 18 Bosniaks. The victims are reported to have been hauled of the train, tortured and shot, before their bodies were thrown into a river.

Indian army camp attacked in Kashmir ahead of Modi visit

An Indiam army camp was attacked in Kashmir on Friday, killing 8 army personnel and 5 police officers, ahead of a visit by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in two days and elections on December 9.

Four militants launched a pre-dawn attack on the army camp, which is situated in Uri, within the Baramulla district, Kashmir, resulting in a gun battle between the two sides, reports Reuters.

Five militants were killed by Indian troops during the battle, according to Indian news reports.

"Six terrorists entered the Mahura Army camp in Rampur area of Uri at 3 in the morning. We have killed all six of them, and in the encounter eight of our soldiers and five policemen lost their lives too," a spokesperson of the Indian army told The Hindu.

ICC drops case against Kenyatta

The International Criminal Court has withdrawn charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta, due to a lack of evidence against the Kenyan leader.

A statement by the prosecutors said the evidence had "not improved to such an extent that Mr Kenyatta's alleged criminal responsibility can be proven beyond reasonable doubt".

On Wednesday the ICC gave prosecutors a deadline of one week to provide the court with evidence against Kenyatta, or drop the charges.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda previously accused the Kenyan government of withholding evidence, including items such as Kenyatta's bank statement. At least seven witnesses have also dropped out amidst allegations of bribery and intimidation.

US Congress passes 'No social security for Nazis Act'

The United States Congress has passed a bill stopping all social benefits to former Nazi soldiers now residing in the US, reports CNN.

"While the number of Nazis receiving Social Security is few, allowing payments to continue is an insult to those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis," the Republican Rep for Texas, Sam Johnson, was quoted as saying.

The bill, named the 'No Social Security for Nazis Act', was passed unanimously by the House on Tuesday.

Commenting on the unity of the House regarding the bill, the Democratic Rep of New York, Carolyn Maloney told CNN: "If we can't agree on this, my goodness what can we agree on?"

Scottish soldier to face war crimes probe over Iraqi death

A Scottish soldier is to face a war crimes inquiry into the shooting of an Iraqi civilian eleven years ago at a checkpoint in Basra.

Sergeant Barry Singleton was cleared of committing a war crime by the British army in 2005, however, the case was reopened by the Iraq Historic Allegations Team last month.

Sergeant Singleton is accused of firing 12 gunshots at a civilian when he served as a lance corporal in 2003. According to the Daily Record, he administered first aid to the dying civilian immediately after firing.

Ireland takes Britain to task over torture during Troubles

The Irish government has decided to ask the European Court of Human Rights to revise its judgment over one of the most harrowing torture cases during the Troubles.

Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan, will make the request in light of a recent RTÉ documentary which unearthed military documents that appear to show Britain accepted that interrogation techniques used on the men amounted to torture.

Fourteen Irish men were detained in 1971 after the introduction of internment without trial, and were subjected to torture at the Ballykelly army base. Many of the men were hooded and flown to the location, before being thrown from hovering helicopters. Testimonials suggest the men were told they were hundreds of feet in the air, despite being only a few feet from the ground

The ECHR admonished the UK in 1978 for its inhuman and degrading treatment of the detainees, but fell short of finding Britain guilty of torture.

Deadly attack in Grozny

A deadly attack on the Chechen capital Grozny has left at least 16 people dead.

Gunmen breached heavy security in the fortified town, driving and firing at a police checkpoint, a school and a publishing house, reported the BBC.

Video footage showed the publishing house in flames and there were heavy clashes before the gunmen were killed, with nine of the dead thought to be militants.