Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor’s appeal against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been rejected. Last Thursday, the Special Court for Sierra Leon (SCSL), an independent tribunal established jointly by Sierra Leon and the United Nations, unanimously upheld Taylor’s convictions and 50-year sentence. [SCSL] The UN Security Council released a statement calling the decision “an important step
Read moreCategory: internationalized criminal tribunals
Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia: UN-Appointed Prosecutor Resigns and Staff Strikes Due to Unpaid Salaries
Andrew Cayley, the UN-appointed co-prosecutor for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), will resign from his position after four years of service, citing personal reasons. “I wish the court well, and I certainly hope that some of the immediate financial issues the court faces can be resolved to allow the caseload to be completed in an orderly and timely
Read moreBangladesh Faces Violence, Controversy Over International Crimes Tribunal Convictions
Bangladesh has been marked by riots and violence, with more than 80 killed since January 21, 2013 due to conflict surrounding the International Crimes Tribunal’s recent convictions of members of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami political party on charges stemming from the its collaboration with Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War, through which Bangladesh won independence. [The International] Since it began
Read moreExtraordinary African Chambers: Hybrid Court to Try Former Chad Dictator Hissène Habré
The Extraordinary African Chambers, a special criminal court, opened on February 8, 2013 in the West African nation of Senegal to prepare a case against former Chadian president Hissène Habré. [NY Times] Habré has been accused of responsibility for the deaths of more than 40,000 people and the torture of more than 20,000 during his eight-year rule of Chad, from 1982
Read moreSpecial Court for Sierra Leone's Annual Report Focuses on Legacy as Mandate Nears End
Last week, the Special Court for Sierra Leone released its Ninth Annual Report on its activities. Article 25 of the Statute of the Special Court requires the President to release an annual report to the Government of Sierra Leone and the Secretary General of the United Nations. The Ninth Annual Report focused on activities carried out by the Special Court
Read moreThe Khmer Rouge Tribunal: Cambodia’s Pursuit of Justice Has Value and Merit, Despite Flaws
Christopher “Kip” Hale contributes this guest post, the second in a two-part look at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Mr. Hale is Senior Counsel at the American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Human Rights. Previously, he was a prosecuting attorney in the Office of the Co-Prosecutors at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and has
Read moreVictims’ Justice: Promises Broken on the Road to Trying the Khmer Rouge
James Bair contributes this guest post, the first in a two-part feature sharing differing perspectives on the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. James Bair is an attorney in Washington, D.C. and a contributor to Enough: the Project to End Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. ______________________________________________ By James Bair In 2008, as part of an internship with Northeastern University
Read moreKhmer Rouge Tribunal Trial Underway in Case 002
This week, the Trial Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), commonly referred to as the “Khmer Rouge tribunal” began hearing opening statements by the prosecution in Case 002, in which Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan are accused of crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, and genocide in connection with
Read moreECCC Judge Resigns Amid Complaints of Inactivity, Outside Influence in Khmer Rouge Trials
German national, Judge Siegfried Blunk has resigned from his post at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the U.N.-backed internationalized criminal tribunal charged with investigating and trying perpetrators of crimes committed during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia the 1970s. His resignation comes one week after Human Rights Watch criticized ECCC judges Blunk and You for
Read moreNews Clips – October 3, 2010
In Ecuador, a state of emergency remains in place following last week’s uprising of members of the military against President Correa’s government, prompting human rights defenders to call for a quick restoration of full civil liberties. [CEJIL] The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemned the attack against Correa. [IACHR] Germany today commemorates 20 years of reunification and will use its
Read more