6 Mar 2019 - NPWJ News Digest on international criminal justice

Articles

Malaysia joins the International Criminal Court
The Interpreter, 05 Mar 2019

On Monday, Malaysia ratified the Rome Statute, making it the 124th State party to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The decision to join the ICC after 20 years of resistance is not only a welcome development but highlights the importance of long-term persistence in the pursuit of human rights protections. Established by the Rome Statute in 1998, the ICC is a permanent international court with jurisdiction over those most responsible for committing the most serious human rights crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Conceived as complementing rather than replacing domestic judicial systems, the court’s jurisdiction is limited to cases in which states are unable or unwilling to pursue justice themselves.

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It Is Time to Indict Israel: Norman Finkelstein on Growing Push for ICC to File War Crimes Charges
Democracy Now, 04 Mar 2019

Israeli forces have killed 183 Palestinians since weekly Great March of Return demonstrations began in Gaza nearly a year ago targeting Israel’s heavily militarized separation barrier. That’s according to a new United Nations inquiry that found Israeli forces may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by targeting unarmed children, journalists and the disabled in Gaza. The report was released by the U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday. We speak with Norman Finkelstein, scholar and author of “Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom,” and Sara Hossain, a member of the U.N. independent commission that led the Gaza investigation.

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Inviting ICC, UNHRC true sign of statesmanship
Zambia Daily Mail, 01 Mar 2019

In this article, I want us to reflect on two important quotations from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a globally renowned Indian activist, freedom fighter and statesman who was the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule and successfully led India to independence by employing non-violent civil disobedience which inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. …. “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty”… …. “To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer”…. Last week, President Edgar Lungu made a rare mark of true statesmanship at regional and continental level when he directed Justice Minister Hon. Given Lubinda to officially invite the International Criminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) to come to Zambia at their convenience and independently probe political allegations by the United Party for National Development (UPND) led opposition alliance that he and some political aides are directly funding a militia group which is at the centre of spinning political violence and bloodshed with potential to cause political instability and national civil unrest.

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Israel should face justice for unlawful Gaza protest killings
Middle East Monitor, 28 Feb 2019

Israeli security forces may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in killing 189 Palestinians and wounding more than 6,100 at weekly protests in Gaza last year, United Nations investigators said on Thursday, reports Reuters. The independent panel said it had confidential information about those it believes to be responsible for the unlawful killings, including Israeli army snipers and commanders. It called on Israel to prosecute them.

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