The
www.ictj.org
August 1, 2006
HEADLINES
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Former King Questions
Khmer Rouge Tribunal
July 19, 2006
See, People’s Daily Online, Cambodian
retired king opposes DK tribunal, calling on saving money for poor
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC)
Rebels Lay Down Arms in Exchange for Amnesty Prior to Election
July 27, 2006
A coalition of three rebel groups,
known as the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (MRC), agreed to lay down their
arms and help facilitate the free movement of people on election day on the
condition that they be granted amnesty from future prosecution and eventually
integrated into the Congolese army. The groups, operating in the war-ravaged
eastern
See, BBC News, DR Congo militias lay down arms
Independent Online, Bloody violence erupts as DRC militia disarm
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Saddam Hussein Trial Adjourned until October Verdict
July 27, 2006
Following more than nine months of testimony, the trial of
Saddam Hussein and seven others for their alleged roles in the 1982 killings in
the town of
See, New York Times, Hussein
Trial Adjourns until October Verdict
Guardian, Saddam
Trial Adjourns After 9 Months
CBS News, Saddam
trial adjourns until verdict
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Federal Officials
Close Investigation into Border Killings
July 26, 2006
Federal officials closed the office of the special prosecutor tasked with
investigating the violent murders of 14 women and teenagers in the border town
of Juarez, ending their three-year investigation without providing answers to
the victims’ families. The
crimes under investigation represented only a few of more than 100 rape-murders
of women and teenagers committed in similar fashion in
See, Associated
Associated Press, Victims still seek
justice in border deaths
Washington Post, Mexico closes probe of 14 border
killings
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Government Body Recommends Commission to Investigate “Disappearances”
July 27, 2006
See, Kantipur, 602 Still Missing: Govt Report
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July 27, 2006
In a landmark
decision, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russian military forces
were responsible for the disappearance and presumed death of Khadzhi-Murat Yandiev,
a Chechen university student. The Court found that Russian authorities failed
to abide by the European Convention on Human Rights by unlawfully detaining the
young man during a takeover of a Chechen village by Russian troops in 2000 and by
subsequently failing to investigate the incident. Yandiev’s mother was
awarded more than $40,000 for damages and legal fees. It was the Court’s
first ruling on disappearances resulting from the Chechen conflict. There are
currently more than 200 similar cases pending review by the Court.
See, Reuters, Chechen mothers want answers about the "disappeared," not money
The Australian, Russia Condemned in Chechen Case
International Herald Tribune, European court blames Russia for missing Chechen
Mosnews, European Court Orders Russia to Compensate Chechen Mother for Loss of Son
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ICTR to Transfer Genocide Suspects to Rwandan Courts
July 27, 2006
One of the top prosecutors at the International Criminal
Court for Rwanda (ICTR), Hassan Jallow, declared that an agreement has been
made to transfer the cases of several suspected genocide perpetrators to
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Government Presents
Action Plan to Catch War Crimes Suspects
July 17, 2006
See, BBC News, EU welcomes Mladic hunt plan
Voice of
MSN, Serbians propose 'Mladic plan' in plea to EU
For more detailed weekly updates on the ICTY, please see Tribunal Update by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, the U.N. Public Information Services' ICTY Weekly Update, and the International Center for Transitional Justice/Bard College's audio/video archive of the Milosevic trial.
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Government Approves Reparations Bill for Civil War Victims
July 29, 2006
The Spanish government has drafted a “Historical Memory Law” that will benefit victims of the Spanish civil war and General Francisco Franco’s dictatorial regime. In addition to offering compensation to victims and their families, the bill will urge government authorities to help victims’ families by exhuming and identifying those still buried in mass graves. It will also restrict references to the Franco regime in public buildings and will require public places currently named after that period to be renamed. The bill is expected to gain majority approval in the Spanish Parliament once it is presented for review. Once approved by Parliament and published, victims will have one year to file claims for monetary reparations.
See, JURIST, Spain government presents bill to compensate Franco victims
CNN, Spain approves reparations bill
El Pais
(Spanish), Un
consejo elegido por el Congreso rehabilitará a las víctimas de la
Guerra Civil y el franquismo
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Sudan Asks International Criminal Court (ICC) to Stay Warrant for Kony’s Arrest
July 27, 2006
The Sudanese government
requested that the ICC issue a stay of its arrest warrant for Joseph Kony,
leader of
See,
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ICC Endorses Peace Talks; Key Rebel Leaders Attend
July 31, 2006
A member of the delegation negotiating a peace deal with the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA) announced at a press conference in
See, Associated Press, Rebels, Uganda officials hold peace talks
Sudan Tribune, Key rebel leader attends Uganda peace talks
People’s Daily Online, International Criminal Court endorses Ugandan peace talks
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ADVISORY: The ICTJ
As of June 12, 2006, the new mailing address and main telephone number of the ICTJ New York office are:
Phone: + 1.917.637.3800
Our email addresses remain the same.
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Editors:
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