News roundup: Croatia, GITMO, and LRA trials develop.

CROATIAN TRIAL DELAYED

A decision by a U.N. war crimes tribunal delays the proceedings for three Croatian military and police officials on trial for atrocities. The appeals court for the U.N. system upheld the disqualification of the defendants lawyers for conflicts of interest. The defendants are alleged to have run a joint criminal operation with the intent to eliminate the Serbian population by force. One of the suspects, General Ante Gotovina, was the last Croatian wanted for war crimes to be handed over to the international forum. The trials are expected to proceed in six months.
Reuters

JUDGES REFUSE TO OVERTURN CANADIAN's DISMISSAL FROM GITMO

U.S. military judges refused to overturn the dismissal of charges brought against Omar Khadr following Friday's ruling by the Supreme Court to review Guantanamo cases. Eariler this Spring, tribunal judges dismissed murder and conspiracy charges against Khadr because he was charged as an “enemy combatant”; not as an “unlawful enemy combatant.” Military judges ruled the lack of the “unlawful” qualifier denied the tribunal jurisdiction, though the U.S. claims the term is a matter of semantics. Tribunal judges, however, state that the rules in place to examine “enemy combatants” differ from the rules in place at the military tribunal system in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which may only examine “unlawful” combatants. Khadr is convicted of the murder of a U.S. soldier and conspiracy to commit terrorist acts. He was 15 at the time of his detention.

AP

UGANDA AND LRA OFFICIALS AGREE ON WAR CRIMES PROCEEDINGS

Members from Uganda's goverment and leaders of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) have agreed on the final stages of a peace agreement. The agreement paves the way toward an agreement on war crimes prosecutions. The agreement places jurisdiction within Ugandan law and officials there hope this will satisfy the international community. LRA leader, Joseph Kony, and three of his officials are wanted by the International Criminal Court, but have sworn to remain on the run until the court drops the charges.

Reuters