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10 May 2023 - NPWJ News Digest on International Criminal Justice
Articles
Armed groups in North Kivu attack more than 150 schools since the start of the year, affecting over 62,000 children
OCHA ReliefWeb, 09 May 2023
More than 150 schools in North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been attacked by armed groups in escalating violence since the beginning of January, affecting the education of over 62,000 children, Save the Children said. Armed groups have targeted schools, often burning desks and chairs as firewood, leaving children without a safe space to learn. Over 150 schools out of a total of around 6,800 schools – according to the State Education Office – in the province have been attacked. Eighteen schools are currently occupied by armed groups and 113 schools are being used as temporary shelter for internally displaced people, according to data from the DRC’s education cluster, which is led by the Ministry of Education, Save the Children and UNICEF.
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Iraq: Compensation for ISIS Victims Too Little, Too Late
Human Rights Watch, 09 May 2023
Iraqi authorities have failed to pay financial compensation that thousands of Yazidis and others from the Sinjar district are entitled to under Iraqi law for destruction of and damage to their property both by the Islamic State (ISIS) and the Iraqi and US-led coalition military battles against them. Without compensation, many people lack the financial means to rebuild their homes and businesses, so returning home is not an option. Many are stuck in displaced people’s camps. The Iraqi government should address bottlenecks in the compensation process that hinder the timely payment of funds to applicants and provide other services people need to return home.
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Putin may not outrun the warrant for his arrest – history shows that several leaders on the run eventually face charges in court
The Conversation, 09 May 2023
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court announced the warrant for Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, because they allegedly directed the abduction of Ukrainian children. The court says that these charges amount to war crimes. While Biden said the arrest warrant was “justified,” he also noted that the International Criminal Court “is not recognized by us either.” The skeptics have a point – the ICC, based in the Hague, Netherlands, does not have its own police force to execute its orders and must rely on other countries’ police to arrest the people it indicts. Indeed, there are a number of barriers potentially preventing Putin’s arrest.
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Israel's military killed 20 journalists in 22 years, but 'no one has been held accountable'
MIddle East Eye, 09 May 2023
Israel has failed to hold any person accountable for the killing of 18 Palestinian and two foreign journalists over the past 22 years, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In its report, "Deadly Pattern," CPJ reveals that since the death of Muhammad al-Bishawi, a journalist from the city of Nablus, in an Israeli air strike in July 2001, Israeli forces have not held anyone accountable for killing a journalist. The report was commissioned for the first anniversary of the killing of the Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, while on assignment covering a raid on the city.
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Myanmar’s CRPH urges international action over junta war crimes
Mizzima, 09 May 2023
The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) organized a special meeting online on 8 May to call for international action against the Myanmar military over its crimes against humanity, massacres and war crimes over the past two years after it illegally seized power in February 2021. The meeting was chaired by CRPH Chairman Aung Kyi Nyunt, Acting President of the National Unity Government Duwa Lashi La, and its Prime Minister Mahn Win Khaing Than who delivered opening remarks. Daw Aye Aye Mu (aka Daw Shar Mee), the MP for Kalay Township constituency in Sagaing Region, tabled a proposal to urge the international community including the UN Security Council to take immediate and serious action against the Myanmar military to prevent more civilian casualties.
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Tunisia: Authorities add human rights lawyers to trumped-up conspiracy case
Amnesty International, 09 May 2023
The Tunisian authorities’ decision to broaden a criminal investigation based on unfounded accusations of “conspiracy” by adding four dissidents to the list of accused is a deeply worrying sign of growing repression, Amnesty International said today. The newly accused include prominent human rights lawyer Ayachi Hammami, feminist lawyer Bochra Belhaj Hamida and two opposition political figures Nejib Chebbi and Noureddine Bhriri. In February 2023, the Tunisian authorities opened a criminal investigation against 17 suspects and arrested 12 of them. A judge later released at least one suspect pending investigation.
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ICC should consider indicting Sudan Generals – Makau Mutua
The Star, 08 May 2023
Lawyer Makau Mutua has asked the International Criminal Court to intervene and end the ongoing conflict in Sudan by charging the warring Generals. Mutua warned that the fight between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group might drive the country into a failed state. Sudanese are hopeful that talks between envoys of the warring Generals being held in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah will result in a ceasefire and end bloodshed. There is, however, little hope that the talks, which started on Saturday, will result into meaningful progress after the army said discussions will strictly be on opening aid corridor and not finding a political solution to the conflict.
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