Posts filed under 'International Criminal Law'
January 3rd, 2008 at 09:42am
The ICTY has terminated the provisional release of Mladen MarkaÄ, the former Commander of the Croatian Special Police. MarkaÄ, who is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, was granted provisional release on 2 December 2004. The order terminating his provisional release was made after MarkaÄ was photographed participating in a hunting trip outside his designated residence in violation of his provisional release order. The photographs were published in the local Bilogora media. The Tribunal’s press release can be found here.
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November 21st, 2007 at 12:13pm
Extraordinary Chambers, Courts of Cambodia
The first courtroom hearing in the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a joint United Nations/Cambodia tribunal for the prosecution of war crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge, concluded today. The defendant in these proceedings, Kaing Guek Eav, commonly known as Duch, headed the Tuol Sleng prison, where more than 14,000 perceived enemies of the regime were tortured and killed during the Khmer Rouge’s brief four-and-a-half year reign.
At the hearing, Duch appealed his detention, arguing that holding him in captivity without trial for a period of eight years had violated international and Cambodian law, as well as his human rights. The latter contention drew laughter from spectators. Arguing against the grant of bail, prosecutors claimed that Duch posed a flight risk, and that his release could engender public disorder. The Tribunal reserved judgment on the issue, stating that the ruling would be given at a later date.
The hearing began one day after the arrest of Khieu Samphan, former President of the Khmer Rouge. Samphan is the last of five defendants initially targeted by ECCC prosecutors.
The full story can be found here.
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November 14th, 2007 at 07:38am
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The Defence has now closed its case in the trial of Mr. Simon Bikindi, a famous Rwandan singer whose anti-Tutsi songs were used by the government-controlled Radio Station, Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, during the 1994 conflict. Mr. Bikindi faces a range of charges relating to genocide, including conspiracy to commit genocide and direct and public incitement to commit genocide. He is also charged with murder and persecution as crimes against humanity. The trial took place over a period of sixty-one days, during which the trial Chamber heard from twenty Prosecution witnesses and thirty-seven Defence witnesses, including the Accused. Closing arguments from the Prosecution and Defence will be heard at a later date.
The Tribunal’s press release can be found here.
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November 14th, 2007 at 07:28am
Special Court for Sierra Leone Justice Jon Kamanda has been sworn in as Justice of the Appeals Chamber, replacing Geoffrey Robertson QC, who resigned in August. He was appointed by the Government of Sierra Leone, pursuant to the Statute of the Special Court, under which two of the five Appeals Chamber Judges are appointed by the Government. Until his appointment, Justice Kamanda was a Judge of the Appeals Court. He began his career in London, where he trained as a Barrister at the Inns of Court, and was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple. He worked as a State prosecutor and in private practice as a criminal lawyer before being elected to Parliament and serving as Minister of Health.
The Special Court’s press release can be found here.
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November 14th, 2007 at 07:27am
Ieng Sary, former Foreign Minister and Deputy-Prime Minister of the Khmer Rouge, and his wife, former Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith, were arrested Monday by Cambodian police on charges of crimes against humanity. Sary was also charged with war crimes.Sary is alleged to have promoted policies of forcible transfer, forced labor, and unlawful killings while a member of the Khmer Rouge’s ruling inner circle. Ieng Thirith, Pol Pot’s sister-in-law, is accused of planning, directing, coordinating, and ordering widespread purges and of unlawfully killing members of the ministry that she once ran.
An estimated 1.7 million people died as a result of the regime’s 1975-1978 reign.
The pair will be tried by a special war crimes tribunal convened by the Cambodian government and the United Nations. The panel will consists of five judges, two foreign and three Cambodian.
The Tribunal’s press release can be found here.
The full story can be found here
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March 23rd, 2007 at 08:41am
The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has adopted a report regarding legislation that would impose criminal sanctions for the infringement of intellectual property rights. The proposed directive will next go before the April plenary session. A press release is here; the report can be found here.
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March 19th, 2007 at 07:44pm
The International Criminal Court announced today the resignation of Judge Karl T. Hudson-Phillips for personal reasons. The Assembly of States Parties will elect a judge to fill the resulting vacancy.
http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/236.html
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March 19th, 2007 at 11:19am
Responding to accusations by the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor that Sudanese officials were connected to war crimes in Darfur, the Sudanese government has announced that it is suspending all cooperation with the court.
The International Herald Tribune covers the story here:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/18/africa/AF-GEN-Sudan-ICC.php
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February 9th, 2007 at 06:55pm
After the Austrian police’s recent discovery of a child pornography network on the internet, Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis called on all member states to ratify the Council’s Cybercrime Convention. To date, 18 of 46 states have done so, including the United States.
For the text of the statement, see here. The complete text of the convention can be found here.
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January 29th, 2007 at 02:16pm
On January 29th, Presiding Judge Claude Jorda announced the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I to refer the charges against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for a trial before an ICC Trial Chamber. The Chamber found sufficient evidence for all three charges brought against Dyilo by the Prosecutor. These charges include criminal responsibility as co-perpetrator for the enlistment and conscription of children under the age of fifteen years into military training for the FPLC and, subsequently, frontline combat in Ituri (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The Chamber found sufficient evidence to support the reasonable belief that Thomas Lubanga Dyilo assumed an essential general coordinating role in the implementation of these crimes. For more details, see here.
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