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15 November 2017 - NPWJ News Digest on international criminal justice
Articles
Legislator Proposes Blanket Amnesty for Grave Human Rights Violations in Guatemala
By International Justice Monitor , 14 Nov 2017
A bill was presented in the Guatemalan congress last week that would effectively establish a blanket amnesty for military officials accused of international crimes related to the internal armed conflict, in which an estimated 200,000 lives were lost. The bill seeks to alter the Law of National Reconciliation, which the Guatemalan congress passed in December 1996 in the context of the United Nations-brokered peace accords. That law provides for amnesty for political crimes, but not for international crimes such as genocide, torture, and other crimes against humanity.
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The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture to assist the ICC in the monitoring of the conditions of sentenced persons
By International Criminal Court, 13 Nov 2017
The International Criminal Court and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture have concluded an agreement by exchange of letters of 2 November 2017 and 9 November 2017 for the monitoring of conditions of detention of persons sentenced by the Court. Pursuant to the exchange of letters, States Parties which conclude bilateral agreements with the Court on enforcement of sentences, and which are also parties to the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, may indicate the Committee as the competent body to assist the ICC to monitor the conditions of detention and treatment of sentenced persons. The exchange of letters entered into force on 9 November 2017.
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Guinea: Judges Conclude 2009 Massacre Inquiry
By Human Rights Watch, 10 Nov 2017
The panel of Guinean judges investigating the September 28, 2009 massacre of more than 150 protesters and rape of 100 women by the security forces during a peaceful protest concluded their investigation on November 9 2017, Human Rights Watch said today. The development is a major, much-awaited step in ensuring justice for the victims.
Burundi rejects International Criminal Court war crimes investigation
By Reuters, 10 Nov 2017
Burundi said on Friday it will refuse to cooperate with an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into war crimes prosecutors suspect were committed by forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government against their political opponents. The court ordered a formal investigation on Thursday into crimes committed between April 2015 to October 2017. But experts say it will be hard for ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to gather evidence without support from Burundi’s government, which last month became the first to withdraw from the Hague-based court amid waning support from African nations.