12 Sept 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on International Criminal Justice

Articles

U.N.'s Bachelet presses for new body on crimes against Myanmar Rohingya
Reuters, 10 Sep 2018

United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Monday for a new quasi-judicial body to collect evidence with a view to future prosecution of crimes against Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar including murder and torture. An independent U.N. team of investigators said in a report last month that there was evidence indicating “genocidal intent” by the military against Rohingya and that crimes against humanity and war crimes appear to have been committed.
 

Read More

Trump administration takes aim at International Criminal Court, PLO
Reuters, 10 Sep 2018

The Trump administration on Monday threatened tough action against the International Criminal Court should it try to prosecute Americans for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan and said the PLO’s office in Washington would be closed for seeking to punish Israel through the court. “The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court,” national security adviser John Bolton told the Federalist Society, a conservative group, in his first major address since joining President Donald Trump’s White House in April.

Read More

UN teams to assess migrant treatment in Austria, Italy
The Washington Post, 10 Sep 2018

The new U.N. human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on Monday announced plans to send teams to Italy and Austria to examine the treatment of migrants, drawing a quick retort from Vienna and Rome after her first big appearance in the job. Both governments take a hard line on migration. The rebuttals from two key Europe Union states — Austria now holds the rotating EU presidency — suggested Bachelet is already ruffling governmental feathers after becoming High Commissioner for Human Rights on September 1st.
 

Read More

Myanmar says International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction in Rohingya crisis
Reuters, 07 Sep 2018

Myanmar’s government said on Friday it “resolutely rejects” a ruling from the International Criminal Court (ICC) that said the body has jurisdiction over alleged deportations of Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh as a possible crime against humanity. A statement from the office of Myanmar’s President Win Myint dismissed Thursday’s ICC ruling as “the result of faulty procedure and is of dubious legal merit”.
 

Read More

Africa: Two Court Disputes Test SA's Commitment to Rule of Law
allAfrica, 06 Sep 2018

Are the planets aligning for South Africa to make a significant contribution to reforming the International Criminal Court (ICC) - just as it is planning to leave it? Strong views were expressed at a seminar on South Africa and the ICC in Cape Town last week that South Africa should remain in the court. This is to both bolster international justice when it is under threat and to prove to the world - after the Zuma era - that South Africa remains committed to the rule of law. The seminar was organised by the Wayamo Foundation and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability. 

Read More