A German judge has resigned from his role working in an UN-backed war crimes tribunal in Cambodia, citing interference from the Government of Cambodia.

The judge, Siegfried Blunk, described "repeated statements which will be perceived as attempted interference by government officials".

Whilst stating that he would not by swayed by such opposition, he said his "ability to withstand such pressure by government officials and to perform his duties independently could always be called in doubt."

Pressure has been placed on the tribunal to halt proceedings by current Cambodian Prime Minister and former Khmer Rouge commander Hun Sen, who left the movement before its collapse. He allegedly said further trials, beyond what was currently taking place “was not allowed”.

Blunk also quoted the Cambodian information minister, who he claimed said that judges who wanted to pursue further cases should “pack their bags and leave.”

The move comes a week after criticism from Human Rights Watch for failing "to conduct genuine, impartial and effective investigations" into what are known as Case 003 and 004.

Afghan intelligence services and national police are accused of “a compelling pattern and practice of systematic torture and ill-treatment”  of detainees in an UN report released on Monday.

The report detailed the “use of interrogation methods, including suspension, beatings, electric shock, stress positions and threatened sexual assault", highlighted that such practices are "unacceptable by any standard of international human rights law.”

Two US lawmakers have introduced resolutions into both houses of Congress preventing the sale of weapons to Bahrain, "until meaningful steps are taken to improve human rights".

US Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and US Representative James McGovern of Massachusetts, both Democrats, both urged the US to halt any sale of weapons to Bahrain, stating that it was “antiethical”.

On a statement posted on his website, Wyden said,

Syria has threatened countries who recognise the recently formed opposition council with ‘tough measures’.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem did not elaborate what those measures may constitute, but speaking at a press conference in Damascus, he warned that foreign embassies in Syria may be targeted.

Leaders from Sudan and the newly formed South Sudan have set deadlines to resolve outstanding issues of tensions between the two and have committed to resolving their problems peacefully.

On his first official visit to Sudan, South Sudan President Salva Kiir met with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, to discuss problems between the two nations, including the future of the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei and how to share the much needed oil revenue between the two nations.

Kiir told reporters in a joint news conference that,

The US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell, publicly apologised for the rape of a South Korean woman by a US soldier.

The soldier was handed over to South Korean authorities by the US Second Infantry Divsion, deployed by the border with North Korea.

The US military have introduced a curfew on all its soldiers deployed in the country for one month in response to the incident.

In a statement Campbell said,

Human Rights Watch have accused both parties to Ivory Coast’s unrest after elections of war crimes.
Military leaders, including those under the command of President Alassane Ouattara, are said to have executed civilians and raped women during the violence.

The government’s failure to charge those loyal to Ouattara over the crimes set the stage for ‘victor’s justice’, said HRW.

The four military leaders loyal to Ouattara are still in active service and one has been promoted by the President as second-in-command for presidential security.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has blocked an attempt made to arrest Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Lvini for war crimes, after the Foreign Office declared that she had special temporary immunity.

An unidentified private individual had applied to the DPP for an arrest warrant for allaged war crimes committed by Lvini during Israel’s offensive on Gaza in 2008, when she served as Israeli Foreign Minister.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called on Turkey to recognise the killings of over 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks as Genocide.

Speaking during his visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan, President Sarkozy threatened Turkey that continued refusal to accept the killings as Genocide, may force France to outlaw such denials.