24 May 2023 - NPWJ News Digest on International Criminal Justice

Articles

Congo files new complaint to ICC against Rwanda's military and M23 rebels
Reuters, 23 May 2023

Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday made another formal referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure the court will focus on what it calls the systematic pillaging of its natural resources in eastern Congo by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) and the M23 rebel group. The ICC already has an ongoing investigation into eastern Congo since 2004 and it is not clear if the new referral would shift the court's focus.
 

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ICC prosecutors say Malian rebel was 'enthusiastic' war crimes perpetrator
Reuters, 23 May 2023

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday told the trial of a Malian Islamist rebel he was a key figure in the "blatant persecution" of the residents of Timbuktu and was an enthusiastic participant in war crimes. Prosecutors say Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz was a central figure in the Ansar Dine Islamist group which controlled every aspect of daily life in Timbuktu after its 2012 takeover.

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NATO Body Recognizes Russia's Crimes Against Ukraine as 'Genocide'
VOA News, 22 May 2023

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Monday unanimously recognized Russia's crimes against Ukraine as genocide, striking "a diplomatic victory [for Ukraine with] far-reaching political consequences," said Yehor Cherniev, the head of Ukraine's delegation at the assembly in Luxembourg. "This is our diplomatic victory. All of our key wishes regarding the final text of the declaration have been taken into account."

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ICC war crimes prosecutor ‘wanted’ in Russia over Putin warrant
Al Jazeera, 20 May 2023

International Criminal Court member states ‘deeply concerned’ by Russian decision to put Karim Khan on a wanted list. Moscow has issued an arrest warrant for the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor who in March prepared a warrant for the arrest of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges, Russian media reported on Friday. Karim Khan, the prosecutor at the Hague-based war crimes court, was added to the Interior Ministry’s wanted list, Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency reported on Friday, citing the ministry’s database.

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Global: French government tries to weaken new treaty in way that could allow war criminals to escape justice
Amnesty International , 20 May 2023

Responding to a proposal by the French government to weaken a proposed new treaty on international legal cooperation in matters of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, which is in final negotiations at a conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia this week, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: “Diplomatic moves by the French government fly in the face of established human rights principles and call into question the very essence of universal jurisdiction.”

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Zelensky accuses some Arab leaders of ‘turning a blind eye’ to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
The Independent, 20 May 2023

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused some Arab leaders of “turning a blind eye” to Russia’s invasion of his country. The Ukrainian president on Friday attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia in an effort to seek support in the region for his war effort. Appearing to evoke the Arab world’s own history of occupation, he said the leaders in the hall would understand that Ukraine “will never submit to any foreigners or colonisers”, adding: “That’s why we fight.”

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UN official criticised after meeting Russian sought by ICC
Reuters, 20 May 2023

Human rights groups and the top U.S. justice envoy on Saturday criticised a meeting between a leading United Nations official for children and Russia's ombudsman for children's rights, who is wanted by the world's permanent war crimes court. Rights groups and the top U.S. official for global justice denounced the meeting.

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