Hisséne Habrè found guilty of war crimes, CAH and Torture, sentenced to life in prison: On 30 May 2016, the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC) in Dakar sentenced former Chadian leader Hisséne Habrè to life imprisonment. The 73-year-old stood trial for crimes committed under his rule in Chad from 1982 to 1990, and was found guilty of war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity including rape and sexual slavery. The charges against him including allegations of ordering the killing of 40,000 people, responsibility for crimes committed by his secret police and torture committed at a detention centre in N’Djamena. The case was heard by the EAC, a special court established in 2013 by the African Union within the Senegalese court system. The landmark trial constitutes the first time a former head-of-state is prosecuted by the courts of another country and the first exercise of universal jurisdiction within the African continent. Hundreds of victims and relatives of those killed attended the hearing, and cheered as the verdict was read out. “This verdict sends a powerful message that the days when tyrants could brutalise their people, pillage their treasury and escape abroad to a life of luxury are coming to an end,” said Reed Brody, a Human Rights Watch counsel who has been working alongside the victims since 2000. (Al Jazeera, BBC, DW, ABC News)
ICC Prosecution rejects request to initiate investigations into alleged crimes in Bangladesh: The ICC Office of the Prosecutor will not initiate a formal investigation into the situation in Bangladesh, according to the country’s Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali. In February 2014, British lawyer Toby Cadman filed an Article 15 Communication requesting the opening of a preliminary examination into crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the government in 2013, on behalf of the International Coalition for Freedoms and Rights. The alleged crimes targeted members of opposition political parties and their supporters, against the background of widespread anti-government protests. The Foreign Minister claimed the Bangladeshi government recently received a letter from the ICC Prosecutor stating that there was “no legal basis of such allegations”. (TheDailyStar)
Testimony of refugees sought on crimes committed in Syria and Iraq: European authorities are compiling testimony from hundreds of refugees fleeing from Syria and Iraq to build evidence for impending and possible future war crimes trials. Both victims and possible perpetrators of international crimes are among the millions who have sought refuge abroad from the Syrian conflict. Under the principle of universal jurisdiction, countries such as Germany, Sweden and France have already sought the prosecution of individuals for international crimes committed in Syria. The national accountability efforts come amidst an ongoing UN Security Council deadlock over the conflict in Syria. (TruNews)
Former ICTY accused questioned in Kosovo over war crimes: On 12 May, former KLA Commander Fatmir Litaj, current leader of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), confirmed that domestic prosecutors in Kosovo questioned him for a crime that allegedly occurred during the Kosovo war. The prosecutors have yet to disclose any details regarding the case or Litaj’s alleged involvement, fearing interference with the ongoing investigations. The ICTY indicted Litaj in 2003 for crimes against humanity and war crimes against Serbs and Albanians during the Kosovo war, and acquitted him of all charges in 2005; confirming the acquittal on appeal in 2007. (BalkanInsight)
Argentinian court sentences former leader, Reynaldo Bignone, to 20 years over death squads: On 27 May 2016, a court in Buenos Aires sentenced Argentina’s former military dictator Reynaldo Bignone to 20 years in prison for his involvement in Operation Condor in the 1970s and 80s. The landmark ruling is the first in-court acknowledgment of the existence of the operation, which saw cross-border coordination of death squads by South American dictatorships to kidnap, torture and kill political opponents who had fled across their borders. The 88-year-old former general is already serving life sentences for multiple human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed during his dictatorship. (Jurist)
Post by: Beatrice Tesconi
The post 30 May 2016 – NEWS ABOUT THE COURTS – Habre sentenced to life for WC, CAH and torture, ICC rejects investigation into Bangladesh, former ICTY accused questioned and more appeared first on ICL Media Review.