Sierra Leone Special Court Defendant Dies in Custody

Sam Hinga Norman, former Sierra Leone Internal Affairs Minister and former head of the Civil Defense Forces militia during the conflict in Sierra Leone, died on 22 February. A detainee of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Mr. Norman was flown to Dakar earlier this month for routine medical procedures. His death appears to be the result of heart failure during post-operative care. The verdict in the Mr. Norman’s case, where he was charged with 8 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, is pending. The President of the Special Court has ordered an inquiry into Mr. Norman’s death.

See here and here for more information.

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Nations Commit to Ending the Use of Child Soldiers

At a conference in Paris, representatives of 58 countries have committed themselves to ending the use of children in armed conflicts. Several UN resolutions and international legal standards with regard to the issue have already been agreed upon. However, conference participants observed, more needs to be done. The conference produced a set of guidelines for helping to further protect children from military recruitment.
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38231.html
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38218.html

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U.S. District Court Rules on Military Commissions Act

U.S. District Judge James Robertson has dismissed the petition of Salim Ahmed Hamdan for a writ of habeas corpus. Judge Robertson’s December 13 decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld found that the Military Commissions Act of 2006 had effectively stripped the court of jurisdiction over habeas petitions. The full decision is here.

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UN Report Condemns Israel’s Actions in Lebanon

A report mandated by the Human Rights Council on Israel’s summer war with Hizbollah in Lebanon was presented in Geneva on Friday. The report states that Israel’s actions were excessive, not justified by military necessity and went beyond the arguments of proportionality. The report claims that Israel violated obligations of international and humanitarian law. Israel spoke out against the report, saying the report ignored the obligations of the Lebanese Government to prevent the use of its territory for hostile acts, and to disarm and disband Hizbollah.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20832&Cr=lebanon&Cr1=council

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Desmond Tutu to Head UN Probe of Beit Hanoun Killings

Desmond Tutu will head the UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission into the attack on Beit Hanoun that killed 19 Palestinian civilians. Part of the mission is to make recommendations on ways and means to protect Palestinian civilians against further Israeli assaults. Israel claims the attack, caused by Israeli military operations in Gaza, was the result of a technical error. Israel has apologized. A progress report is due no later than mid-December.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20776&Cr=palestin&Cr1=

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The European Court of Human Rights Considers the Legality of KFOR and UNMIK Actions in Kosovo

On November 15, the European Court of Human Rights began hearings in the case of Saramati v. France, Germany and Norway. Between April 2001 and October 2002, Mr. Saramati, a Kosovar of Albanian origin, was detained by orders of UNMIK and KFOR officers who were of French, German or Norwegian nationality. He was convicted of attempted murder but his conviction was later quashed by the Supreme Court of Kosovo and a re-trial was ordered. Mr. Saramati claims that France, Germany and Norway violated several provisions of the European Convention of Human Rights related to life and security on one hand and to fair trial on the other. More information is available here.

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