Mladic Defense witness questions veracity of Tomasica evidence: Defense witness and pathologist Zoran Stankovic testified before the ICTY on Tuesday 19 April 2016 and questioned the evaluations carried out on the bodies exhumed from the mass grave in a mine in Tomasica. Stankovic stated that he had seen ten discrepancies in the findings of reports prepared by pathologists in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the findings by Prosecution pathologist John Clark. Stankovic stated that a large number of victims were shot in the head or chest, which could indicate they were in a firefight. He continued that the victims who were shot in the neck or back could indicate an execution, or could be evidence that they were killed in “a combat environment”. (Balkan Insight)
UN hears proposal for international children’s court: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the UN on Monday, 18 April 2016 that an international court should be set up to punish those responsible for child labor and other forms of abuse against children. Brown stated that a court to investigate cases of child labor, child slavery and child marriage is urgently needed with the current refugee crisis. He said that “We need, in a sense, a civil rights struggle by and on behalf of children because their rights have been neglected in the international community.” The proposal was among several recommendations that Brown made as head of the Global Citizenship Commission. (Reuters Africa)
ECCC hears testimony of Tuol Sleng survivor: Chum Mey, one of only two remaining survivors of the few that escaped Tuol Sleng, or S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, testified Tuesday, 19 April 2016 before the ECCC about his time in the prison. Mey testified that he was questioned about ties to the “CIA” and “KGB” and that after 12 days of torture, including being beaten with a stick, having two toenails extracted, having a finger broken, and being electrocuted twice, to the point of losing consciousness, he signed a document, purporting that he belonged to both agencies. Mey testified that “At the time I was considered a traitor, I was regarded as an animal.” He also testified that although he once caught a glimpse of Khieu Samphan, he “did not dare to talk to him, I did not even dare to approach him.” Mey also testified in the court’s Case 001 against S-21 prison director Kaing Guek Eav also known as Duch. (Phnom Penh Post)
ICC requests extradition of three accused of witness tampering; Kenyatta declines: The ICC has requested the extradition of three Kenyans accused of witness tampering in the case that was recently terminated against Ruto and Sang. The ICC had previously issued arrest warrants for former journalist Walter Barasa in 2013, lawyer Paul Gicheru and Philip Bett in October 2015. On Saturday, Uhuru Kenyatta stated that Kenya’s judicial system would deal with the three men wanted by the ICC. Kenyatta told supporters “I will not allow any other Kenyan to be tried in a foreign court. As a county, we have closed the ICC chapter.” ICC Spokesman Fadi El Abdallah stated that “In case of non-cooperation, the legal procedure before the ICC is for the Judges to make a finding of non-compliance and to refer it to the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute for the Assembly to take any measures it deems appropriate” in response. (The Star)
The post 19 April 2016 – NEWS ABOUT THE COURTS- Mladic witness Tomasica evidence, Int’l Children’s Court proposed, Tuol Sleng survivor testifies ECCC, ICC requests, Kenya refuses extradition of accused appeared first on ICL Media Review.