In association with the International Commission of Jurists

Search: kony 2012

10 Jul

The International Criminal Court handed down the sentence for Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, who received 14 years’ imprisonment for conscripting, enlisting and using children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities. The time since March 16, 2006 that he has spent in detention will be deducted from his sentence. Judge Odio Benito wrote a separate and dissenting decision as in her view, the majority decision disregards the damage to victims and their families, especially with regard to sexual violence-related crimes not focused upon in the...
10.07.12 | |

14 Sep

As turmoil continues to spread in the Middle East, Google has temporarily blocked access in Libya and Egypt to the inflammatory anti-Muslim video, invoking exceptional circumstances but not relying on its guidelines prohibiting hate speech. It will not come as a surprise to frequent readers of our blog that our own Peter Spiro is quoted as approving of Google’s decision, even though it raises questions about its role as gatekeeper to information. The ECCC has ruled that Ieng Thirith, the Khmer Rouge’s “First Lady” is unfit to...
14.09.12 | |

13 Sep

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has begun his first European tour as president and will visit Brussels to discuss economic support, agriculture, job creation and investment in the Egyptian private sector, among other topics. Despite President Mursi’s call for calm, dozens are still protesting the film “Innocence of Muslims” outside the US Embassy in Cairo. Turmoil has reportedly spread to the US Embassy in Yemen and the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents US interests in Iran. President Obama has vowed to “bring to justice” those responsible for...
13.09.12 | |

15 Apr

Those of you who, like me, missed this year’s Federalist Society Symposium on National Security can now watch all of the events on-line here. The event was held April 5 in DC and included a morning panel on terrorist-related detentions, interrogations and trials, a lunchtime address by former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and an afternoon panel on potential cybersecurity legislation. Participants included Vincent J. Vitkowsky, Nathan A. Sales, Charles D. Stimson, Stephen I. Vladeck, Benjamin Wittes, Glenn M. Sulmasy, Jamil N. Jaffer, Sharon Bradford Franklin, Matthew J....
15.04.12 | |

31 May

BBC has a video report of another poison attack in Afghanistan girls’ school rooms, allegedly carried out by the Taliban. A Yemeni Nobel laureate claims the US drone strikes in her country are ineffective as they are hitting mainly civilians rather than militants. The Washington Post also reported that the drone strikes were sparking anger and creating more sympathy for al-Qaeda in the region. The European Parliament is set to carry out a series of votes on the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement today. Syria News: Shelling in...
31.05.12 | |

25 Jul

Ghana’s President John Atta Mills has died, though details are unclear as to the cause of death. Foreign Policy has more here. Vice-President John Dramani Mahama has succeeded him, taking the oath of offices a few hours after the announcement of Mills’ death. Fighting has intensified in Syria’s Aleppo. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has joined the chorus of warning Syria against the use of chemical weapons. Israel’s foreign minister has stated that it will get involved in the Syrian conflict if the Syrian army loses control...
25.07.12 | |

29 Mar

North Korea has reportedly started fuelling a rocket for launch next month In a surprise move, Myanmar has invited foreign observers to monitor Sunday’s elections For the first time since 2010, Japan has executed three multiple murderers. The Guardian has live updates of the Arab-League Summit in Baghdad. Syrian President Assad has rejected any Arab-League initiatives to come out of the summit and the violence continued on Wednesday despite Assad’s acceptance of the six points plan. Israel has reportedly bought an airfield in Azerbaijan just north of...
29.03.12 | |

28 Apr

Kevin Jon Heller kicked us off this week with posts about the ICC’s report regarding Gaddafi’s situation in Libya and the infighting at the ICC between the Prosecutor and Libyan authorities. He also added a post about the OPCD report outlining Saif Gaddafi’s attitude about the ICC. Peter Spiro previewed the Arizona SB-1070 immigration case before the Supreme Court, discussing why the court should have ducked and also expanded upon his NY Times op-ed before giving a recap of Wednesday’s oral arguments. Julian Ku also pondered the end...
28.04.12 | |

20 Mar

Amnesty International says that NATO failed in its obligation to investigate or provide compensation for deaths in Lybia during its seven-month operation last year. A court in Zimbabwe convicted six activists of trying to unseat Robert Mugabe through Arab Spring-like protests. The convicted men face up to 10 years in prison. India may follow China’s example and ask its airlines not to participate in the EU carbon scheme. New calls for the end of US drone strikes came from a Pakistani parliamentary committee, the latest in a...
20.03.12 | |

27 Sep

Japan has promised that it will not compromise on the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, calling them an integral part to the country’s territory. It did not take very long for China to react. The High Court of England and Wales issued an injunction against the extradition to the United States of Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri and Saudi-born Khaled al-Fawwaz despite a recent ruling from the European Court of Human Rights approving their extradition. UN members seemed deeply divided yesterday on what to do about the...
27.09.12 | |

16 May

Plenty to report on international criminal law tribunals today: Ratko Mladic’s trial began yesterday at the ICTY, where he said he was proud of his Bosnian “legacy;” Charles Taylor’s sentencing hearing is today at the SCSL, where he will reject calls for the 80-year sentence the prosecution is seeking; and at the ICC, closing statements began yesterday in the Katanga and Ngudjolo case. In other tribunal news, the ECHR will begin hearings on an extraordinary rendition case today, Al Masri v. Macedonia, for violations of Articles 3...
16.05.12 | |

11 Aug

It may be summer break in the US, but in Australia the academic year is in full swing with Kevin keeping the spotlight on Libya. First, he linked to his new essay on SSRN, entitled “The International Commission of Inquiry on Libya: A Critical Analysis.” Kevin also posted Saif Gaddafi’s unsigned statement about the fairness of his trial in Libya, discussed the OPCD’s response to Libya’s admissibility challenge and particularly the argument that Libya is unable to obtain custody of Saif. Kevin also questioned Libya’s integrity in its...
11.08.12 | |