ECCC witness testifies that Samphan present at airport worksite:
The final witness concerning the Kampong Chhnang airport website, Khin Vat, gave her testimony at the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, yesterday 29 July 2015. Vat, sitting before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, confirmed that Case 002/02 defendant Khieu Samphan was known as a member of the regime’s upper echelon to her unit chiefs, surveyed the airbase along with general Ta Mok. Vat, age 65, worked as a part of Division 502’s women’s unit when she was told that senior leaders of the Communist Party of Kampuchea were inspecting the airfield — then known as one of the largest forced labour sites during the Democratic Kampuchea era. On 15 September 2010, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan (along with leng Sary and leng Thirith) were indicted on charges against humanity, genocide and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 in what is referred as case 002 before the ECCC. As leng Thirith was found unfit to stand trial and leng Sary died on 14 March 2013, the two remaining defendants in Case 002 are Samphan and Chea. In September 2011, the Trial Chamber decided to sever the charges in the Case 002 Closing Order into a series of small trials with the first being Case 002/01 and the second being Case 002/02. Nuon and Samphan were found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment on 7 August 2014 in Case 002/01. (Phnom Penh Post)
Amnesty releases report says ‘strong evidence’ of war crimes during “Black Friday” offensive: Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International said in a statement that, “there is strong evidence that Israeli forces committed war crimes in their relentless and massive bombardment of residential areas of Rafah in order to foil the capture of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, displaying a shocking disregard for civilian lives.” In a report released on Wednesday 29 July 2015, Amnesty International said that at least 135 civilians, including 75 children, were killed by the Israeli military in the southern Gaza border town of Rafah in the first week of August last year. Amnesty International analyzed hundreds of videos, photos and satellite images and interviewed many eyewitnesses of the “Black Friday” in Rafah. The war in the Gaza Strip began on 8 July 2015 and lasted for 50 days; killing over 2,200 Palestinians, including 1,400 civilians and on the Israeli side 67 soldiers and 7 civilians died in rocket fire form the enclave. The conflict ended in a truce. (IB Times, BBC) (For additional information please click here)
Ukraine says MH17 Tribunal best method of accountability after Russian veto: On Wednesday, 29 July 2015, Russia struck down a draft resolution intended to establish an international tribunal to try those responsible for the crash of the MH17 last year. On 30 July 2015, Ukrainian envoy said that an ad hoc criminal international tribunal to try those responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 would be the most simple and effective solution to bring the perpetrators to justice. Ukraine ambassador to Malaysia, Ihor V. Humennyi, said establishing the tribunal is important to move forward after the Dutch-led team completed its investigation in October 2014. Humennyi said that as an independent body, such a tribunal could avoid political pressure from any country, thus ensuring a fair result for all affected by the tragedy. Hummennyi also asserted that Ukraine would continue to support Malaysia to pursue accountability for the perpetrators and to ensure justice for all innocent victims on board MH17 last year. (The Malaysian Insider)
Kosovo to call another vote on War Crimes court: The Kosovo government announced on Thursday 30 July 2015 that it will call another vote on setting up a special war crimes court to try former Kosovo Liberation Army guerrillas. The initiative failed to gain approval in parliament last month because of opposition from many MPs. The government will meet tomorrow 31 July 2015 and reinitiate the process, which requires parliament to approve constitutional amendments to allow the court to be established. The move signified there is a greater majority now to pass the amendments. Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci failed to persuade a number of MPs from his Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to vote for the court. MPs from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, who opposed the KLA and its actions in the 90s, have voted strongly in favor of the court. US diplomats have warned that a failure to vote for the court could lead it to being set up by the UN Security Council – as has been proposed by Russia. The so called ‘specialised chambers’ will be created at each level of the Kosovo judiciary to deal with allegations that Kosovo Liberation Army fighters were involved in the killings, abductions, illegal detentions and persecutions of Serbs, Roma and Kosovo Albanians believed to be collaborators with the Serbian regime. (Balkan Transitional Justice)
Guantanamo war crimes trial further delayed: Accused war criminal Abd al Hadi al Iraqi’s July commission hearings in the Guantanamo Navy Base, Cuba, halted abruptly this week after the defendant decided he did not trust his assigned Pentagon Lawyers. Hadi’s change of heart stemmed from a revelation in court that his original lawyer, Marine Lt. Col. Sean Gleason, was never properly released from representing Hadi. Gleason also represents Sept. 11 defendant, Mustafa al Hawsawi, meaning that on paper he is representing two men in the military commissions. In addition to representing both men, Col. Thomas Jasper said in court that a part of the evidence being used against Hadi was a conversation between Gleason’s two defendants while they were in the Guantanamo detention camps. Hadi said he never approved of Gleason being taken off of his case, stating “I was insisting that he stay with me.” The hearings were planned for 20-31 July 2015, but were delayed two days. According to the defense, the prosecution turned over new discovery only two hours before the first scheduled session, forcing the delay. Hadi faces charges of a host of war crimes and is allegedly responsible for the deaths of at least eight military services members, punishable by life in prison. (UPI)
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