24 October 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on International Criminal Justice

Articles

Human Rights Watch: Palestinians Crush Dissent with Torture
Voa, 23 Oct 2018

Security forces of the rival Palestinian governments routinely use torture and arbitrary arrests, among other tactics, to quash dissent by peaceful activists and political opponents, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.
The charges came in a new report released by the New York-based watchdog, following a two-year investigation that included interviews with nearly 150 people, many of them ex-detainees. It accused both the Western-backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Islamic militant Hamas in Gaza of using “machineries of repression” to stifle criticism.
 

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Liberia: The Quest for War Crimes Court - Who Are the International Players?
AllAfrica, 23 Oct 2018

The call for a Liberian war and economic crimes court has reached new heights since President George Weah became head of state. Campaigners see the ex-football superstar as the best person to muster the political will for a court because he has no known connections to the war.
However, as the call intensifies in different parts of the country, opponents of a court are questioning the motives behind the push. Some say it will further divide the nation. Others believe there is no international interest in a court. At local intellectual centers some openly challenge the idea that there is any international support for a court in Liberia.

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Here’s how the Saudi crown prince could face international justice
The Washington Post, 22 Oct 2018

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his henchmen might believe they are outside the reach of international justice following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But they shouldn’t be so sure. There are a range of ways the Saudi leader and the other perpetrators could be punished for their alleged crimes, in both civil and criminal courts all over the world.
“If the reports are accurate, the acts against Mr. Khashoggi are serious violations of international human rights law, including the law to protect the individual from torture and forced disappearance,” said Stephen Rapp, the former U.S. State Department ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues.

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UN Accuses Machar’s South Sudan Rebel Group of Crimes against Humanity
Asharq Al-Awsat, 21 Oct 2018

The United Nations has accused South Sudan armed opposition group, led by Riek Machar, of committing crimes against humanity in the Western Equatoria region. The accusations are the first-ever charges by the UN against Machar’s movement.
According to the UN, in April 2018 before the peace agreement signed in August, Sudan People’s Liberation Army- in Opposition (SPLA-IO) forcefully took 900 people including children and women.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it has facilitated the release of 24 persons detained in relation to the conflict in South Sudan, including 16 detainees released earlier on Friday.

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Swedish oil executives face charges over complicity in war crimes
The Local, 19 Oct 2018

Sweden on Thursday gave its green light for the indictment of the chief executive and chairman of Swedish group Lundin Oil, accused of being complicit in war crimes in the 2000s.
The Swedish government authorized the prosecution authority to proceed with an indictment against Alex Schneiter, a Swiss national currently serving as chief executive of Lundin Oil (now known as Lundin Petroleum), and Ian Lundin, the company's Swedish chairman of the board.

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