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26 April 2023 - NPWJ News Digest on International Criminal Justice
Articles
Tangaraju Suppiah: Singapore executes man for supplying cannabis
BBC, 26 Apr 2023
Singapore has executed a man for conspiring to traffic cannabis despite pleas for clemency from his family, activists and the United Nations. Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged at dawn on Wednesday over a plot to smuggle 1kg (35oz) of cannabis. Activists said he had been convicted on weak evidence and received limited legal access during his prosecution. But Singapore authorities said he had been given a fair trial and criticised those who questioned the courts. Singapore has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws. It argues these are a necessary deterrent to drug crime which is a major issue elsewhere across South-East Asia.
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Sudan crisis: War crimes suspect free amid chaos
BBC, 26 Apr 2023
A former Sudanese politician, wanted for alleged crimes against humanity, has said that he and other former officials are no longer in jail - following reports of a break-out. Ahmed Haroun was among those being held in Kober prison in the capital Khartoum who are facing charges by the International Criminal Court (ICC). A ceasefire between fighting military factions largely appears to be holding. But there are doubts about both parties' commitment to a lasting peace. The conflict - which began on 15 April - arose from a bitter power struggle between the leaders of Sudan's regular army and a rival paramilitary group.
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South Africa’s Ramaphosa says governing party wants ICC exit
Al Jazeera, 25 Apr 2023
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the governing African National Congress (ANC) party had resolved that South Africa should quit the International Criminal Court, which last month issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The warrant against Putin in March means Pretoria, due to host the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) bloc summit this year, would have to detain him on arrival. Ramaphosa said the decision, which follows a weekend meeting of the ANC, was reached “largely” because of what is perceived as the court’s unfair treatment of certain countries.
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Russia’s foreign minister comes to the United Nations as Moscow faces war crimes accusations
CNBC, 25 Apr 2023
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov takes the helm of the United Nations Security Council this week on Monday – the last time Russia held the presidency was a little over a year ago, when Moscow ordered its troops to invade Ukraine – against a backdrop of mounting allegations of Russian war crimes reported across Ukraine. A report commissioned by the United Nations last month found Russian forces in Ukraine committed more than 80,000 Russian war crimes since Moscow’s conflict began nearly a year ago, including an array of war crimes, including summary executions, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence against Ukrainian civilians.
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ICC confirms receiving Azimio letter to probe killings
The Star, 23 Apr 2023
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally received a request by Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition to investigate the “killing and maiming” of its supporters by police. The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) told the Sunday Nation that it has the letter detailing individuals the opposition says were killed or wounded by security officers. The office neither confirmed nor denied if the grounds cited meet the threshold for the pre-trial chamber to authorise investigations.
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Families of victims await justice as the ICC reopens Philippines drug war probe
NPR, 22 Apr 2023
Last month, the International Criminal Court denied an appeal by the Philippine government for the court to suspend collecting evidence for its investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed during the seven-year war on drugs. The denial came two months after the ICC declared that the Philippines' own investigation into the drug war — a tactic by Duterte to slow down the ICC investigation — was not sufficient and that the court would resume the probe it attempted to launch in 2021. The denial of this appeal, analysts say, will inevitably bring government officials into the scope of the investigation.
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