The
www.ictj.org
December
15, 2006
HEADLINES
The
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ambitious “Action Plan
for Justice” Launched
December 12, 2006
President Hamid Karzai
announced the launch of his three-year "Action Plan on Peace,
Reconciliation and Justice in
See, Reuters,
Action
plan for justice launched
Reuters, Justice
for War Criminals Essential to Peace
People’s Daily Online, Afghan
president launches action plan on peace, justice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Former Dictator Pinochet Dies
December
10, 2006
Former Chilean dictator
Augusto Pinochet died of a heart attack following a recent decline in health.
The nonagenarian had been placed under house arrest just weeks before his
death, as a result of an investigation into his role in two murders that took
place in the early days of his regime. Pinochet was accused of commanding his
secret police in the killing of hundreds of supporters of the previous regime
as well the torture and murder of several thousand dissidents. Though he was
stripped of his presidential immunity in 2000, Pinochet had not stood trial for
his past crimes. During his 91st birthday celebration in November, he made a
public statement accepting full political responsibility for what had happened
under his regime.
See, Reuters, Chile’s
Pinochet Dies at 91: doctor
BBC,
Pinochet was
‘evil’, says victim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Former President Mengistu
Convicted of Genocide
December 12, 2006
An Ethiopian court has found
ex-dictator Mengistu Haile Miriam guilty of genocide for crimes committed
during his rule, which lasted from 1974 to 1991. The former president, who
lives in exile in
See, CNN, Ex-Ethiopian
dictator convicted of genocide
BBC, Mengistu found guilty of
genocide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Constitutional
Court Strikes Down Flawed TRC law
December
7, 2006
Following
months of deliberation,
See,
AP, Indonesia
Truth Commission Ruled Illegal
Voice
of
IHT,
Indonesian
court rules truth commission illegal, casts doubt on justice for Suharto abuses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Supreme Court Overturns
Controversial Intifada Law
December 13, 2006
See, Reuters, Court
overturns Israel's intifada law
Israel Insider, Judicial
Tsunami: High Court strikes law against "intifada suits"
IHT, Israeli court
clears way for Palestinians to seek redress
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cabinet and President Clash
over Hariri Tribunal
December 12, 2006
Amid political controversy,
and following several pivotal resignations, the Lebanese Cabinet submitted a
draft law to Parliament unanimously calling for the establishment of a Special
International Tribunal for
See, AFP, Cabinet
Sends International Tribunal Text to Parliament
Daily Star, Lahoud
refuses to endorse Hariri tribunal, calls government illegal
Naharnet, Suspects
Identified in U.N. Probe into Hariri Assassination
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charles
Taylor’s Son Indicted for War Crimes in the
December
7, 2006
Charles McArthur
Emmanuel—better known as “Chuckie”
See,
AP, Taylor
son pleads not guilty to torture, gets 11 months on fraud
US
Newswire, Amnesty
International USA Statement on Indictment of Charles 'Chuckie' Taylor Jr.
Miami
Herald, Son of
ex-Liberian president indicted in Miami on torture charges
Reuters, Victims
recount torture by Taylor's son
TRC Denies Reports of Stalled
Activities
December 1, 2006
The Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
has denied the rumors about the suspension of its operations, following a
string of conflicting media reports in November. According to a December 1st
press release issued by the Commission, the TRC is currently reviewing those
statements already collected by its statement takers in the field, in advance
of launching the Commission’s testimony and hearings phase, slated to
begin in early 2007. The TRC was formally launched in June 2006 and has a
two-year mandate to complete its truth-seeking work.
See, TRC Website, Truth & Reconciliation
Commission Press Release
All
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE
Seselj Ends Hunger Strike
December 8, 2006
Former Serbian Radical Party
leader and nationalist, Vojislav Seselj, has ended a month-long hunger strike
while awaiting trial on charges that he committed crimes against humanity
during the Croatian and Bosnian wars in the early 1990s. Seselj, who has
remained an active leader in his party from behind bars, began his hunger
strike to demand the Court’s permission to defend himself during trial at
the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and to
press for unrestricted spousal visits while he is in detention. He ended the
strike when the Court restored his right to self-defense.
See, CNN, Serb suspect ends
hunger strike
UPI, Serb
Seselj taking food in detention cell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First Prisoner Released after
Serving Genocide Term
December 6, 2006
On December 6th, the International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda (ICTR) released its first prisoner to have served a prison sentence
since the Tribunal started its work in 1996. Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, an
82-year-old former Adventist pastor, was sentenced to ten years in prison in
2003, after being found guilty of assisting in the 1994 genocide in
See, All
People’s Daily Online, ICTR
frees first Rwanda genocide convict
Jurist, Rwanda
genocide convict released after serving ICTR sentence
ICTR Finds Catholic Priest
Guilty of Genocide
December 14, 2006
A former Catholic priest,
Athanase Seromba, was sentenced by the ICTR to 15 years in prison for his role
in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity
for luring approximately 2,000 displaced Tutsis into his church for
“refuge” and then ordering armed Hutu forces to set the building on
fire and bulldoze, killing everyone inside. Seromba is the first Catholic priest
to be sentenced by the Tribunal, though several lower-ranked members of the
clergy have already been found guilty.
See, Reuters, Rwandan priest guilty of
genocide
AP, Rwandan
priest guilty in genocide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Parliament Considers Reparations
Bill
December 14, 2006
A reparations bill
known as the “Historic Memory Law” is being debated in Spanish
Parliament. If approved, it promises to provide financial compensation to
victims of the 1936-39 Civil War and of Franco’s 1939-75 dictatorship. The
proposed law would give victims a year to apply for reparations from an ad hoc
commission that was created to draw up the bill, with a total of $26.4 million
available for disbursement. It would also ban symbols
and references to the Franco regime in public buildings; require local and
regional governments to rename streets and plazas named after Franco or which
refer to his regime; and prohibit any political events at the Valley of the
Fallen, a large monument near Madrid that includes Franco's tomb and remains the
most potent symbol of his regime.
See, IHT, Spain
debates law on reparations for victims of Civil War and Franco dictatorship
BBC, Spain debates Franco
reparations
Guardian, Spain
Debates Victims' Reparations Law
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LRA
Appoints Technical Advisor for
December
7, 2006
The
Ugandan rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)—which has led a
20-year insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people and internally
displaced 1.7 million—has appointed a new member to its peace negotiation
team. Dr. James Obita, a Ugandan member of the group, will serve as the
technical advisor for the ongoing talks in the southern Sudanese town of
See, All Africa, LRA Appoint New Member to
Juba Team
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