International Legal News
1. Appeals Chamber Acquits and Orders Release of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, composed of Judges Theodor Meron, presiding, Carmel Agius, Patrick Robinson, Mehmet Güney, and Fausto Pocar, today reversed by majority, Judges Agius and Pocar dissenting, Ante Gotovina’s and Mladen Markač’s convictions for crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war and entered verdicts of acquittal. For more information please check- http://www.icty.org/sid/11145 2. Uruguay lawmakers consider legalization of marijuana with goal of outselling pot dealers Uruguay came one step closer to turning the government into the country’s leading pot dealer on Thursday, as lawmakers formally introduced to Congress a framework for regulating the production, sale and consumption of marijuana. For more information please check- wapo.st/RWOGSb 3. Myanmar announces release of 452 prisoners A Myanmar prisoner, center, is welcomed by her relative outside Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar after the political prisoners were released Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. Myanmar reformist government ordered more than 450 prisoners freed Thursday in an amnesty apparently intended as a goodwill gesture ahead of an historic visit by President Barack Obama next week. For more information please check- bit.ly/Q3ek8a 4. UN experts raise concerns over ‘landmark’ Southeast Asian human rights declaration The largest body of independent experts in the United Nations human rights system today highlighted their concerns about a draft for Southeast Asia’s first ever regional document on human rights protections, which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is set to consider on Sunday for adoption. For more information please check- bit.ly/Wf5Icw _________________________________________________ 1. UNESCO chief urges investigation into murder of Pakistani reporters 19 October 2012 – The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today called on Pakistani authorities to investigate the killing of two journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice. “I condemn the murder of Adbul Kahliq and Mushtaq Khand,” said the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova. “I am deeply concerned about attacks on journalists and media workers in Pakistan and call on the authorities to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.” On 29 September, Abdul Khaliq, also known as Abdul Haq Baluch, was shot by unidentified gunmen in Khuzdar, in the south-western province of Balochistan, according to UNESCO. Mr. Khaliq had worked as a reporter for ARY News TV and two newspapers, the Daily Awan and Tawar. For more information, log on to the official United Nations page at http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43330 2. UN Secretary-General calls for Syria ceasefire for Muslim holiday UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and League of Arab States Secretary-General Nabil El Araby on Friday called on warring parties in Syria to stop violence and order a ceasefire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and urged international leaders to join their appeal. The secretaries-general directed their statement at all parties involved, but in particular called on the Syrian government to "show wisdom and vision and stop the killing and destruction so that all the issues, however complex, can be addressed through peaceful means." The call for a ceasefire come on the same day that UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui expressed concern over the killing of children in the conflict, especially on the part of the Syrian government. Zerrougui called on "all parties to the conflict in Syria to refrain from acts against the civilian population, including children" and encouraged all sides to also heed Ki-Moon and El Araby's request for a ceasefire. The UN reports that more than 20,000 people have been killed in Syria over the past 19 months, most of them civilians. The Syrian government has been in conflict with the Free Syrian Army since 2011, and the international community has become increasingly concerned about the violence. On Thursday UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called on the international community to work to bring an end to the Syrian conflict. Her statement came after Human Rights Watch reported earlier this month that the Syrian government was using cluster bombs against the opposition forces. Last month UN investigators reported that the number and frequency of human rights violations committed by both sides of the conflict were increasing rapidly. 3. UN should urge Israel to stop violating international law: NAM TEHRAN – In a statement read out at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday, Iran and other members of the Non-Aligned Movement called on the UN Security Council to act and demand that Israel immediately stop violating international law. The statement was read out by the Iranian ambassador to the UN, Mohammad Khazaee, on behalf of the NAM member states, during an open debate about the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. Iran assumed the rotating presidency of NAM for a three-year term on August 30. The Non-Aligned Movement remains firm in its conviction of the urgent need for the international community to act resolutely and collectively to fulfill its longstanding commitment to, and responsibility for, the realization of a just solution to the question of Palestine in all its aspects on the basis of international law and the terms of reference of the peace process, including the resolutions of the council. For more information please log on to the original website source of the news report: http://tehrantimes.com/politics/102475-un-should-urge-israel-to-stop-violating-international-law-nam 4. Texas execution 'violated international law', UN says The US breached international law when the state of Texas executed a Mexican citizen convicted of raping and killing an American girl, the UN's senior human rights official has said. Navi Pillay cited "particular legal concerns" whether Humberto Leal Garcia, 38, had access to consular officials and a fair trial. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also said she was "disappointed" that Texas carried out the lethal injection. Leal was executed late on Thursday. He was not told he could have access to Mexican consular officials, in violation of the Vienna Convention. "US compliance with Vienna convention terms is absolutely critical to ensuring our own consular access and our own ability to protect Americans detained abroad," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. For more information, please refer to the original news source at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14089246 |
Human Rights around the World
1. Open Violation of Human Rights in Gaza
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said that Israeli air strikes on Gaza were an open violation of international law and Pakistan strongly condemned them. For more information please check- http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=75783 2. Tragedy in Ireland should not happen again Observing that the tragic death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar illustrates a gap in Irish law, rights group Amnesty International on Saturday asked Ireland to ensure that its domestic policy on access to abortion is in line with international human rights law. Amnesty International has written to Irish minister for health James Reilly over the issue expressing its concern. For more information please check- bit.ly/S4LtOW 3. France explores possibility of lifting EU arms embargo to give Syrian rebels defensive weapons France raised the possibility Thursday of sending "defensive weapons" to Syria's rebels, but Russia warned that such a move would violate international law. For more information please check-bit.ly/U4diY7 4. Israel ready to 'expand' Gaza operation Civilians killed and media centres hit in Palestinian territory as Israel keeps up bombardment for fifth straight day. For more information please check- aje.me/WegW19 5. Battle lines blurred in Syria, ICRC says The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was "concerned" about the sanctity of international law during the civil war in Syria as violence spirals. For more information please check- bit.ly/Q3iHQx ________________________________________________ 1. Amnesty International Condemns Indiscriminate Bomb Attack in Busy Beirut Residential District Amnesty International today condemned the indiscriminate attack, reportedly from a car bomb, that killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more in the busy Ashrafiya residential district in downtown Beirut. Among those reportedly killed was Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan, the head of the information branch at Lebanon’s internal security – but numerous bystanders are also believed to be among the dead and wounded. Ann Harrison, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa program at Amnesty International, said: “Today’s attack that killed at least eight people and injured scores of residents in a bustling area of downtown Beirut and was an indiscriminate attack that should be condemned in the strongest terms. That it happened during rush hour in a busy residential area meant it put the lives of many people, including children, in danger.” Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that the government was trying to identify the perpetrators and that they would be punished. For more information and for the original news source, please log on to: http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-condemns-indiscriminate-bomb-attack-in-busy-beirut-residential-district 2. UK risks undermining human rights legislation, Europe's top judge warns Europe's most senior judge has warned that the government is in danger of undermining human rights legislation and thrown back accusations that the Strasbourg court is responsible for lengthy delays in extradition cases. In an interview with the Guardian before stepping down as president of the European court of human rights (ECHR) at the end of the month, Sir Nicolas Bratza also says that the government's reluctance to grant prisoners voting rights is "damaging". His comments are a robust response to criticism directed at Strasbourg and the ECHR by the home secretary, Theresa May, and the lord chief justice, Lord Judge. In the wake of protracted appeals involving the terror suspects Abu Hamza and Abu Qatada, as well as the alleged computer hacker Gary McKinnon, concern has mounted about cases lasting as long as eight or 10 years. For more detail regarding this news, please log on to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/oct/21/uk-undermining-human-rights-legislation 3. Adolescents in Grown-Up Jails The practice of confining young people to adult jails and prisons is both counterproductive and inhumane. Adolescents who are locked up with adults are more likely to be raped, battered or driven to suicide than young people who are handled through the juvenile justice system. After the trauma of doing hard, adult time, young people often return home as damaged individuals who are more likely to commit violent crimes and end up back inside. The prudent approach would be for the states to keep children out of adult jails and channel them through the juvenile justice systems, where they could get the counseling and mental health services that so many of them clearly need. But, as it stands today, tens of thousands of young people each year are charged as adults, even for nonviolent offenses and property crimes that do not warrant adult time. A new study issued earlier this month by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union shows the degree to which extended isolation — which is hard going for mature adults — can easily lead to mental illness and other damage among emotionally immature young people. The report, Growing Up Locked Down, is based on interviews and correspondence in 2011 and 2012 with more than 125 individuals who were sent to jail or prison in 20 states while under the age of 18. For more information regarding this news, please log on to: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/opinion/adolescents-in-grown-up-jails.html?ref=humanrightswatch&_r=1& |