ICTJ World Report: Charles Taylor Verdict and West Africa: Not Even Half the Story

ICTJ World Report Issue 12 May 2012

In Focus Charles Taylor Verdict and West Africa: Not Even Half the Story The conviction of former Liberian president Charles Taylor for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in neighboring Sierra Leone finds both West African countries and the region grappling with his terrible legacy. And while the people, and especially Taylor’s victims, in Sierra Leone welcome it as an important step in the country’s effort to overcome the consequences of the brutal civil war, Liberians are still a long way from seeing accountability for the suffering they endured. Read More... Subscribe Forward to a Friend Do you know someone that may be interested in the ICTJ newsletter? View Newsletter Archive World Report Africa The Special Court for Sierra Leone convicted former Liberian president Charles Taylor on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the 1991–2002 civil war in Sierra Leone. Joseph Kabila, president of the DRC, announced his government’s commitment to arrest serving army general Bosco Ntaganda, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, and try him within the country. Meanwhile a group of international and local NGOs criticized the DRC government for failing to reform the national army, thus perpetuating instability and poverty. Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki stated the government was pursuing the establishment of local mechanisms to try the four suspects indicted by the ICC for crimes committed during the 2007–08 post-election violence. The ICC announced it was considering investigating allegations of war crimes, including rapes, killings, and the conscription of child soldiers committed in Mali since January. Tens of thousands of refugees fled the border regions between Sudan and South Sudan as violence between the two countries escalated; air raids intentionally targeted civilians, reports alleged. Read More... Americas Colombia commemorated its millions of victims in its first ever day of remembrance, established in the Victims’ Law. Guatemala became the 121st state to join the Rome Statute of the ICC, which will enter into force for the country on July 1, 2012. A historic verdict in Brazil recognized for the first time that tortures were committed during the dictatorship (1964–85). Also, the Brazilian Federal Prosecution Office opened a case against the former chief of police during the dictatorship for forced disappearances and torture. The state of El Salvador admitted responsibility for the 1982 massacre of El Mozote, currently under investigation by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In Chile, members of the Association of Relatives of Disappeared Persons filed a criminal complaint against a list of former members of Chile’s National Intelligence Directorate, which acted as secret police during the dictatorship. Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla admitted to ordering the killing and disappearance of thousands of government opponents during the country’s Dirty War. Suriname passed a law under which the president has immunity for alleged violations committed under his earlier military rule. The congress of Bolivia passed a bill modifying the existing law on reparations for victims of political violence under the dictatorship, cutting the funds to $3.6 million, 20 percent of the initially proposed sum. Read More... Asia The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh indicted a second suspect accused of crimes against humanity during the 1971 war; the officer investigating war crimes charges in the first case testified before the tribunal that a number of records relevant to the case had been destroyed by regimes post-1971. After initially refusing to join Burma/Myanmar’s parliament in a dispute over the wording of the oath, the National League for Democracy has taken the 43 seats it on in April's by-election. Indonesia’s government announced it would formally acknowledge and apologize for past human rights abuses; activists called for concrete action to follow this symbolic gesture. Malaysia’s government introduced legislation to replace the Internal Security Act, a law allowing indefinite detention without trial for political belief or activity, but rejected calls for a commission to investigate claims of past abuse under the law. The national army of Nepal took control of the 15 remaining Maoist cantonments, a major step in the ongoing army integration process post-civil war. Meanwhile, rights groups urged Nepali officials to amend a proposed bill on truth-seeking that could provide amnesty for serious human rights violations committed during the conflict. Calls for the UN to investigate suspected prison camps in North Korea surged following the publication of a memoir detailing the life of a former inmate born into a camp and describing torture, executions, and other crimes. Read More... Europe Ceremonies throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the 20 year anniversary of the siege of Sarajevo and start of Bosnia’s 1992–1995 conflict. Rasema Handanovic, a Bosnian Muslim woman, was sentenced in a plea bargain to 5.5 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to the murders of civilians and prisoners of war during the war. Under the principle of universal jurisdiction, Argentina advanced a case prosecuting human rights crimes committed during Spain’s 1936–39 civil war and the Franco dictatorship of 1939–75. Read More... Mena A Bahraini court ordered a retrial for jailed hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and 20 other men convicted in a military court of leading last year's pro-democracy uprising, but ruled they would remain in jail until new verdicts are reached. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay urged Egyptian authorities to withdraw a draft law on regulation of NGOs, saying it could deal a serious blow to human rights and freedoms in the country. Iraq's fugitive vice-president Tariq al-Hashemi, accused of running death squads, was charged with several murders, including those of six judges. Jordan’s King Abdullah II ordered the release of 19 political activists charged with insulting him during pro-reform demonstrations last month. The ICC rejected an appeal filed by Libya against the transfer of Seif al-Islam to The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity following the fall of the Qaddafi regime. Upon his arrival in Syria, the head of the UN observer mission, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood called on President Bashar Assad and the opposition to stop fighting and allow a cease-fire to take hold. Tunisia held a National Conference to Launch a Dialogue on Transitional Justice in Tunisia, initiating a process to a comprehensive law on transitional justice by the country’s National Constituent Assembly. Read More... Publications Strengthening Indigenous Rights through Truth Commissions: A Practitioner's Resource This resource book focuses on truth commissions mandated to look at a period of human rights violations that particularly affected indigenous communities, such as those in Guatemala, Peru, Paraguay, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, and Nepal. It is an initial effort to systematically organize lessons learned and make further progress by designing truth processes that are fully compliant with the rights of indigenous peoples. View Report More Publications Upcoming Events May 10, 2012 Our Legacy Our Hope: UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Side Event Location: New York, USA View Details May 15, 2012 Truth Commissions and Indigenous Peoples: Lessons Learned, Future Challenges Location: New York, USA View Details More Events

Copyright 2012 International Center for Transitional Justice

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