28 July 2021 - NPWJ News Digest on international criminal justice

Articles

Ivory Coast president and rival in first meeting since civil war
BBC, 28 Jul 2021

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara and bitter rival Laurent Gbagbo have embraced in their first meeting since the civil war 10 years ago. The conflict was sparked by Mr Gbagbo's refusal to admit defeat in an election, and 3,000 people were killed. Mr Gbagbo returned to Ivory Coast last month after the International Criminal Court (ICC) acquitted him over charges of crimes against humanity.

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HRW accuses Israel, Palestinians of ‘apparent war crimes’ in Gaza
Al Jazeera, 27 Jul 2021

Human Rights Watch has accused the Israeli military of carrying out attacks that “apparently amount to war crimes” during an 11-day offensive on the Gaza Strip that began on May 10. The international human rights organisation issued its conclusions on Tuesday after investigating three Israeli air raids that it said killed 62 Palestinian civilians.

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Bosnia criminal code amendments outlaw denial of genocide, glorification of war criminals
Jurist, 26 Jul 2021

The Office of the High Representative (OHR) for Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday introduced amendments to the Bosnia-Herzegovina Criminal Code sanctioning the glorification of war crimes or war criminals and denial of the Bosnian genocide that resulted from the Srebrenica massacre between 1992 and 1996. The OHR is an international institution created under the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

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Philippines' Duterte taunts ICC, saying war on drugs far from over
Reuters, 26 Jul 2021

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday the battle against narcotics is far from over, more than five years after he began a brutal war on drugs that has killed thousands and prompted an accusation of possible crimes against humanity. Duterte, in his last State of the Nation address, defended the campaign, saying it had brought down crime and improved peace and order.

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Sierra Leone parliament votes to abolish death penalty
Reuters, 24 Jul 2021

Sierra Leone's parliament voted unanimously on Friday to repeal the death penalty more than two decades after the West African country carried out its last execution. President Julius Maada Bio is expected to soon sign the bill into law, which will make Sierra Leone the 23rd African country to abolish capital punishment.

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Venezuela, the International Criminal Court, and Impunity
Human Rights Watch, 21 Jul 2021

The situation in Venezuela, an International Criminal Court (ICC) member country, has been under preliminary examination by the court’s Office of the Prosecutor since February 2018. The Office of the Prosecutor carries out preliminary examinations to determine whether a formal investigation by the court is warranted.

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