11 January 2023 – International Criminal Justice

11 Jan, 2023 | News Digests

Former Liberian rebel seeks to overturn Swiss war crimes ruling

Reuters, 11 Jan 2023

A Liberian man convicted of 22 counts of war crimes including rape, murder and an act of cannibalism is seeking to overturn the judgment at an appeal trial opening in Switzerland on Wednesday where he also faces new allegations of crimes against humanity. 

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Genocide investigation opened against Peru president after protest deaths

The Guardian, 11 Jan 2023

Peru’s top prosecutor’s office said it has launched an inquiry into new president Dina Boluarte and members of her cabinet to investigate allegations of genocide after violent clashes that have seen at least 40 killed and hundreds injured since early December. 

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Kyiv argues Russian cyberattacks could be war crimes

Politico, 09 Jan 2023

One of Ukraine’s top cyber officials said some cyberattacks on Ukrainian critical and civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes. Victor Zhora, chief digital transformation officer at the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection (SSSCIP) of Ukraine, said Russia has launched cyberattacks in coordination with kinetic military attacks as part of its invasion of Ukraine, arguing the digital warfare is part of what Kyiv considers war crimes committed against its citizens. 

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Patrick Kroker: “They Saw Injuries Nobody Could Have Survived”

Justice Info, 09 Jan 2023

In Berlin, a former militia member from Syria is accused of war crimes for firing a grenade into a group of civilians in Damascus in 2014. The trial is the third in Germany to prosecute crimes of the Bashar al-Assad regime. Lawyer Patrick Kroker, from the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) represents one of the joint plaintiffs in the case. He tells Justice Info about the developments in court since the start of the trial in August, and why the charges should be extended to crimes against humanity. 

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London to host international meeting on alleged war crimes in Ukraine

Reuters, 07 Jan 2023

Justice ministers from around the world will gather in London to scale up the support being offered to the International Criminal Court in its investigations of alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the British government said on Saturday. 

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Is War Crimes Prosecution in Serbia Just “Ticking Boxes”?

Justice Info, 06 Jan 2023

The prosecution of war crimes in Serbia for the conflicts of the 1990s mirrors the political developments of Serbian society in the last 10 years. The strategy designed in 2016 was considered a necessary step towards the country’s accession to the European Union. But it has failed to bring significant changes. Now the war in Ukraine and tensions in Kosovo further exacerbate nationalist feelings. 

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