A former commander with the Guatemalan Army has been stripped of his US citizenship and been handed a 10-year jail sentence after he was found to have lied about his role in massacres that took place in 1982, during the country’s brutal civil war.

54-year-old Jorge Sosa is accused of leading a counter-insurgency force of the Guatemalan military in 1982 known as the “Kabiles”. He is alleged to have overseen a massacre of over 200 civilians whilst leading a patrol in 1982, with members of the patrol also raping women and girls before killing them.

In a statement following the sentencing, Tamil American lawyer and the current acting Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice's Criminal Division Mythili Raman said,

"Jorge Sosa helped orchestrate the ruthless massacre of innocent villagers, including dozens of young children, and then lied about his past to obtain refuge in the United States."

"This prosecution demonstrates our resolve to deny safe haven to human rights violators and to ensure that these criminals are held accountable."

Sosa though, was only found guilty of failing to mention his role as a commander in the Guatemalan army on his US citizenship application papers. He was not charged over the massacre.

Responding to the sentencing Sebastian Elgueta, Guatemala researcher at Amnesty International, said,

“In addition to immigration violations, Sosa Orantes has a case to answer for war crimes. The US authorities must extradite him to Guatemala or prosecute him in the USA for crimes against international law.”

“Governments across the world have a responsibility to ensure those suspected of having committed human rights abuses face justice, wherever they are.”

9 former Serbian paramilitaries have been handed down jail sentences for their role in the massacre of over 120 ethnic Albanians in 1999.

The 9 members, part of the Serbian Jackals (Šakali) paramilitary group, were found to have murdered, raped and looted 4 villages in Western Kosovo, then a province of Serbia.

Judge Snezana Nikolic Garotic ruled in her verdict,

A United Nations spokesman confirmed the death of 11 people in Homs over the weekend, as hundreds more civilians were evacuated from the besieged city.

450 civilians were reported to have left Homs on Monday, as a truce between both parties was extended beyond the third day, a move welcomed by UN aid chief Valerie Amos.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel has claimed that German authorities have material suggesting that the Turkish secret service MIT was involved in the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris last year.

A document discussing the “termination” of one of the 3 women, which reportedly surfaced last month, bears the MIT watermark.

The report by Der Spiegel adds that the German authorities are rumoured to have curtailed its cooperation with the MIT, since suspicions arose.

The European Union has agreed to hold talks with Cuba to discuss restoring full relations with the Communist country.

Catherine Ashton, head of EU foreign policy, said that human rights remained "at the core" of relations with Cuba.

"These negotiations will help consolidate our engagement with Cuba. I hope Cuba will take up this offer," she said.

A pre-trial hearing to decide if there is enough evidence to convict Bosco Ntaganda of crimes against humanity, commenced at the International Criminal Court earlier today.
Ntaganda, a former commander with the M23 rebel organisation, faces 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor at the ICC told the hearing,

Relief convoys carrying humanitarian aid into the rebel-held area of Homs, today experienced military fire for the second consecutive day, despite appeals from the United Nations urging the Syrian government and rebels to respect a ceasefire.

Congolese war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda is set to face the International Criminal Court on Monday, facing 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Nicknamed ‘The Terminator’, Ntaganda was a commander with the M23 rebel organisation, before crossing into Rwanda and surrendering to the US Embassy, stating he wanted to give himself up to the ICC.

Ida Sawyer of Human Rights Watch said that more than 900 victims may come forward to take part in the hearing, adding,