Latest News on the ICC
Thinking Outside the Box
Submitted by rlarosa on February 3, 2012 - 4:58pm
Last night I attended a great event titled In Search of Accountability: Justice after Nuremberg. The panel discussion, organized by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, focused on international justice and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Michael Abramowitz, director of the Committee on Conscience at the museum, guided the discussion so that the three panelists would focus on the questions most significant to global justice: Are the mechanisms established in the first war crimes tribunals enough to deliver justice to perpetrators today? Since the Nuremberg trials, what new strategies have emerged?
Gaddafi's Son Creates a New Conflict, ICC vs Libya
Submitted by rlarosa on January 30, 2012 - 6:06pm
Although the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for him, Court judges have not yet decided whether the trial of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi will take place in The Hague or Libya. UN Security Council referred the case to ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, followed by the warrant for Saif in June 2011. After months of violence and the death of Moammar Gaddafi (Saif's father), Libyan officials are pushing to hold Saif's trial in their own country and refuse to hand over Gaddafi to the Court or even inform prosecutors of his location. This is causing confusion in the media and showcasing the lack of cooperation between non-member nations and the ICC.
ICC to Try Four Suspects in Kenya Post-Election Violence
Submitted by mkaplan on January 25, 2012 - 5:21pm
The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced this week that it will try four defendants from Kenya in connection with the post-election violence which broke out in the country in late 2007.
William Samoei Ruto, Joshua Arap Sang, Francis Muthaura and Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta will be tried by the Court for crimes against humanity. Kenyatta and Ruto were both presidential candidates and holders of high-level positions in Kenya. The ICC declined to confirm charges against two other Kenyans who had been investigated.
Following elections in late 2007, violence broke out in Kenya which resulted in 1,2000 deaths and the displacement of 600,000 people, many of whom still have not returned home.
My Adventures at the Assembly of States Parties
Submitted by mkaplan on December 16, 2011 - 11:43am
I have just arrived back in D.C. after spending three days at the Assembly of States Parties meeting of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in New York City. For some highlights and my reflections on this extraordinary experience, read on....
Highlights
Day One at the Assembly of States Parties
Submitted by mkaplan on December 12, 2011 - 10:28pm
Today, I attended the opening session of the Tenth Assembly of States Parties meeting of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in New York City. As I walked into the United Nations building this morning to collect my badge, I was excited to see what the day would bring at my first ASP meeting. It turned out to be quite an interesting and eventful morning. Some highlights:
--Ambassador Tiina Intelmann of Estonia was elected as President of the Assembly of States Parties, and presided over the day's session;
--The President of Botswana gave an outstanding speech urging African state parties to cooperate with the ICC, for the mutual benefit of the Court and Africa, and called out UN Security Council members who have vetoed important resolutions due to "politics;"
ICC Issues New Arrest Warrant in Darfur
Submitted by mkaplan on December 5, 2011 - 5:37pm
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein, stemming from the Court's investigation of crimes committed in the Darfur region. This follows the arrest warrant issued previously for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who remains wanted by the ICC.
Hussein is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. He is a close ally of Bashir and leader of a campaign against rebels in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile southern border states of Sudan.
ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo noted that "Mr. Hussein played a central role in coordinating ...crimes, including in recruiting, mobilizing, funding, arming, training and the deployment of the militia/Janjaweed as part of the government of the Sudan forces, with the knowledge that these forces would commit the crimes."
Update: Cote D'Ivoire's Gbagbo turned over to ICC
Submitted by jbunting on November 30, 2011 - 3:53pm
Cote D'Ivoire's ex-president Laurent Gbagbo was transferred to The Hague last night just hours after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. Gbagbo was indicted for crimes against humanity he committed during violence resulting from his refusal to cede power after losing the presidential election last year. More than 3,000 civilians died and many more were injured or assaulted in the post-election conflict between supporters of Gbagbo and the newly elected president Alassane Ouattara .
CEO Don Kraus Talks About Gbagbo's Arrest and the International Criminal Court
Submitted by abowen on November 30, 2011 - 3:25pm
Citizens for Global Solutions CEO Don Kraus was interviewed today about the arrest of Laurent Gbagbo of Cote D'Ivoire who was transferred to the International Criminal Court today on charges of committing crimes against humanity and the state of international justice for WORT radio in Madison, Wisconsin.
Libyan Government Agrees to Work with ICC on Saif Gaddafi Case
Submitted by mkaplan on November 29, 2011 - 6:11pm
International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has said that Libya’s transitional government has agreed to work with the ICC and the United Nations to investigate alleged crimes committed by Saif Gaddafi, the recently captured son of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Cote D'Ivoire's Gbagbo
Submitted by mkaplan on November 29, 2011 - 3:57pm
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Laurent Gbagbo, former leader of Cote D'Ivoire, and he may be turned over to the Hague as soon as today.
Gbagbo was deposed from power last April after refusing to leave office following his loss in the country's 2010 election to now-President Alassane Ouattara. Three thousand people were killed and more than a million displaced during the post-election violence.
The ICC began an investigation into the situation in Cote D'Ivoire in October. Although Cote D'Ivoire has not ratified the Rome Statute, the Court says that the country accepted its jurisdiction in 2005.
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