12 October 2022 – International Criminal Justice

12 Oct, 2022 | News Digests

Concluding Debate on Crimes against Humanity, Sixth Committee Speakers Highlight Divergent Views on Codifying Draft Articles, Stress Core Issues Still Unresolved

UN News, 11 Oct 2022

The thorny nature of developing new international law amongst diverging State views again came to the fore in the Sixth Committee (Legal) today, as delegates concluded their debate on the future of the International Law Commission’s draft articles on crimes against humanity. 

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First Liberia civil war trial for crimes against humanity opens in France

France24, 10 Oct 2022

France’s first trial of a participant in Liberia’s bloody civil wars began on Monday, with former rebel commander Kunti Kamara facing charges of crimes against humanity, including torture. The allegations before the Paris criminal court against Kamara, 47, date back to 1993 and 1994, early years in the back-to-back conflicts that would ultimately kill 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003.

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Russian attacks on Kyiv and cities across Ukraine are an escalation of aggression and apparent violations of laws of war

Amnesty International, 10 Oct 2022

Reacting to reported Russian mass strikes on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: “This is yet another day of petrifying news from Ukraine, with Russia launching multiple strikes that hit residential areas, city centres and civilian infrastructure. The crater left by a Russian missile in the middle of children’s playground in central Kyiv is a stark symbol of the complete disregard for human life that has characterized Russia’s invasion.”

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Venezuela: UN Rights Council Renews Experts’ Mandate

Human Rights Watch, 07 Oct 2022

On October 7, 2022, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (FFM) for two years. The FFM has published four damning reports documenting evidence of crimes against humanity, judicial complicity, chain of command responsibility including abuses by intelligence services, and human rights violations in mining areas.

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Alice Zago: «Non sono magistrata ma indago sui crimini contro l’umanità»

Corriere della Sera, 07 Oct 2022

È l’unica italiana a svolgere funzioni da pm nella Corte penale internazionale dell’Aia: «Putin? Non si può processarlo in contumacia» «Ho pianto con i bambini soldato del Congo» «La giustizia? È fatta di sfumature»

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ICC Judges amend Code of Judicial Ethics

ICC News, 07 Oct 2022

Today, on 7 October 2022, a revised version of the Code of Judicial Ethics of the International Criminal Court (ICC) enters into force. The judges have agreed to specify in the Code of Judicial Ethics that the Court’s recent Administrative Instruction on Investigations of Unsatisfactory Conduct and the Administrative Instruction on Addressing Discrimination, Harassment, Including Sexual Harassment, and Abuse of Authority also apply to the judges of the Court.

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Civil society organisations briefed on guidelines for documenting core international crimes

Eurojust, 07 Oct 2022

Over a hundred experts from various civil society organisations (CSOs) have discussed the recently published guidelines on documenting core international crimes, during a dedicated briefing, hosted by Eurojust. One of the main points of discussion was the role CSOs can play as first responders, for instance on taking first accounts from witnesses or victims and how to prevent over-documentation and re-traumatisation.

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Rwanda genocide witness says Félicien Kabuga was responsible for propaganda

Africa News, 06 Oct 2022

A witness testifying at the trial of Félicien Kabuga for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which got underway last week at a United Nations tribunal in The Hague, said on Wednesday that he should have stopped the propaganda broadcast on his radio station calling for the killing of Tutsis.

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