War Crimes

The International Criminal Court is to investigate war crimes allegedly committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002 and 2003. (BBC) The Hague court's prosecutor said his investigation would mainly focus on the large number of alleged rapes. The period covers the aftermath of a failed coup by current President Francois Bozize against the […]

Salvatore Mancuso, a top military commander in Columbia testified that the government there was tied to the murder of civilians and cocaine trafficking, stating "paramilitarism was state policy."  According to the Washington Post, 14 members of Columbia's Congress, 7 former lawmakers, the head of the secret police, and many others have been implicated in cooperating […]

The Lebanese Prime Minister, Fuad Siniora, has sent a formal request to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling for the ratification of an international court for Lebanon. The tribunal will be used to try suspects involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a massive explosion there in […]

Sun May 20, 2007 3:22AM EDT By Marie McInerney ADELAIDE (Reuters) – The first Guantanamo Bay inmate convicted of supporting terrorism by a U.S. military court returned to Australia on Sunday under a veil of secrecy, but “elated” to serve out his remaining sentence at home.

The DC Circuit Court released the transcripts for two cases involving detainees at the naval detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  The cases are Bismullah v. Gates (06-1197) and Parhat v. Gates (06-1397).

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) today issued a report highlighting government complicity in attacks on civilians in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan.  The UNHCR called for an "immediate and independent investigation" into atrocities committed by Sudanese intelligence officers.  The report highlights violence over a land dispute between two ethnic groups […]

On this date in 1967, President Abdul Nasser of Egypt orders the UN Emergency Force (UNEF) in Egypt to disband. In 1957, Egypt had decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, imposing severe economic complications on Israel and her allies. Mounting circumstances resulted in the eventual invasion of the Sinai Peninsula by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). […]

A military hotel was raided yesterday in downtown Belgrade yesterday evening as part of a search for Ratko Mladic who is sought in connection with the Srebrenica massacre in 1995. Police officials said they were tipped off that Mladic was in the area, though the search turned up empty handed. Serbia has been developing a […]

The transitional government in Somalia has agreed to allow the United Nations to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, disappearances, and illegal detentions, among other war crimes. The UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, John Holmes, said the Somali government did not accept allegations it was implicated in the atrocities, but said it would allow investigations […]

Opening statements will be heard in Miami today in the case involving Jose Padilla, a US citizen and former gang member who converted to Islam while in prison. Padilla, 36, has been accused of material support of a terrorist organization and conspiracy to "murder, kidnap and maim" people overseas. Among the key documents expected to […]

Sat May 12, 2007 8:05PM EDT By Marty Graham CAMP PENDLETON, California (Reuters) – U.S. commanders rejected a local council's request for an investigation days after Marines in Iraq killed 24 civilians in the town of Haditha in November 2005, according to testimony on Saturday at a military tribunal. The councilors’ concerns were dismissed because […]

The Pentagon yesterday formally charged Salim Ahmed Hamdan for war crimes before a military commission at the naval detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hamdan, who served as Usamma bin Laden's personal driver and bodyguard for more than five years, has been detained without charge since 2001. According to the charge sheet released by the […]