30 May Weekday News Wrap: Wednesday, May 30, 2012
30.05.12
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- The Special Court for Sierra Leone sentenced Charles Taylor to 50 years today following his conviction for 11 counts of war crimes. He will get six-years’ credit for the time he has served since being in custody in The Hague.
- The ICC Appeals Chamber has unanimously rejected the Prosecution’s appeal on the Pre-Trial Chamber I’s decision declining to confirm the charges in the Mbarushimana case.
- In follow-up news about the Pakistani doctor recently sentenced to 33 years in prison for treason who aided the CIA in finding Osama bin Laden in Pakistan allegedly rejected a deal with the US to leave the country and be resettled along with his family. Reuters reports today that a Pakistani court document shows that he was convicted of a militant link rather than aiding the CIA, as previously reported. This is the latest twist in the doctor’s conviction, a subject on which our own Kevin Jon Heller has posted.
- Many Western countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, the UK, Australia, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain and The Netherlands have declared their Syrian ambassadors personae non grata. Interestingly, Belgium can’t expel the Syrian ambassador, because he is also ambassador to the EU and there is no agreement on diplomatic sanctions against Syria within the EU. Foreign Policy has more on what expelling a diplomat entails and the five worst atrocities of the Syrian uprising.
- Two Danish brothers of Somali origin have been arrested in Denmark connected with allegedly planning an al-Shebab terrorist plot.
- A former Rwandan school teacher living in Canada pleaded not guilty yesterday to involvement in the Rwandan Genocide; his charges are one count of genocide by murder and one count of crimes against humanity by murder.
- The UN is going to release a warning about the Flame computer virus. Lawfare offers more insight about the virus, as does Foreign Policy. And with more context of viruses, generally, Homeland Security Watch urges everyone to stop calling all cyber somethings “cyber attacks.”
- After yesterday’s New York Times story about Obama and targeted killings pointed out by our own Deborah Pearlstein, Foreign Policy mapped where the drones are.
- Talks are underway in Addis Ababa to end the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan.
- A Turkish criminal court has issued indictments for four Israeli military leaders under suspicion of involvement with the 2010 flotilla incident, in which nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed.
- Not long after his recent arrival in the US, Chen Guangcheng has penned an op-ed in the NY Times about the rule of law in China. The opinion piece is also available in Chinese.
- Julian Assange has lost his appeal against extradition from the UK to Sweden to stand trial on sexual allegations.
- French President Hollande will meet Russian President Putin on Friday and try to convince him to back UN Security Council sanctions against Syria. However, China has reiterated its opposition against forced regime change in Syria.
- Dutch lawmakers have passed a motion urging the government not to ratify the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
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