A former Bosnian Serb General has been found guilty of genocide and sentenced to life at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Zdravko Tolimir, who is said to have been the ‘right hand’ of Ratko Mladic, who used to be the head of intelligence, was convicted for his involvement in the Srebrenica killing, where over 7,000 Bosniak men and boys were massacred by Serb forces. "The accused not only had knowledge of genocidal intent of others but also possessed it himself," said Presiding Judge Christoph Fluegge. "He is therefore responsible for the crime of genocide." Gen Tolimir was reporting...
The United Nations Security Council roundly condemned the launch of a long-range rocket by North Korea, following global criticism of the move by Pyongyang. A statement by the Security Council said , "Members of the Security Council condemned this launch, which is a clear violation of the Security Council resolutions 1718 and 1874." U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Susan E. Rice commented , "The statement that was issued today, that was an initial statement out of the Council, is one of the swiftest and strongest, if not the swiftest and strongest, that this...
The government of El Salvador has been ordered to investigate a massacre which left around a thousand people dead during its civil war. The current government apologised for the massacre in January, with President Mauricio Funes weeping while asking for forgiveness. However the Costa Rica based Inter-American Human Rights Court ruled that the killings by government soldiers in and around El Mozote have to be investigated. A general amnesty, agreed in 1992, protected those accused of committing crimes during the country's civil war from 1980 to 1992. But the court has now ordered the...
The United States announced it would now recognise the Syrian opposition coalition as "legitimate representative of the Syrian people". In an interview with ABC News, US President Barack Obama said, "We've made a decision that the Syrian Opposition Coalition is now inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the Syrian population, that we consider them the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in opposition to the Assad regime."
An investigation has been launched to shed light on how new Swedish-made weapons entered Burma despite European Union sanctions on arms sales to Burma. The Swedish Agency for Non-Proliferation and Export Controls (ISP) announced that an investigation had been launched after it received information about several weapons recovered by Kachin rebels from Burmese troops in the on-going conflict. The weapons are produced by Saab Bofors Dynamics, one of the world’s top 30 producers of arms. The company spokesman, Sebastian Carlsson announced that the company would co-operate with the inquiry. “We...
Violence between supporters of opposing Syrian groups has killed 6 people and injured 40 in the Lebanese capital Tripoli. Existing sectarian tensions in Lebanon have increased since the escalation of the conflict in Syria. Groups of young men were seen firing machine guns and rocket propelled grenades at each other in the Bab al-Tabbana area. The BBC reported that a group of 14 Lebanese and Palestinian men from the area, who appear to have joined the rebellion, were recently killed by the Syrian army in a Syrian border town.
The opening of Sweden's first genocide trial, where a 54-year-old man faces charges over his role in the Rwandan genocide, has been lauded by Amnesty International. The trial will see the accused, face charges over alleged involvment in leading a Hutu militia in murdering Tutsi civilians. In an interview with Swedish radio, Elisabeth Löfgren from Amnesty International Sweden commented , "The trial demonstrates Sweden's international responsibility... the crimes haven't occurred here but if someone is in Sweden it is important to show that there is no sanctuary here, that justice will catch up...
Representatives of rebels attending peace talks with the Congolese government dodged a crucial meeting, in which the government was to respond to criticism that it was facing. The Ugandan official Cripis Kiyonha, who was chosen to mediate the talks, after speaking to the rebel representatives, said that the M23 had no interest in hearing what the Congolese delegation had to say. The rebel delegation’s absence from the meeting came after, on the first day of talks, the leader of the M23 Rebel delegation, Francois Rucogoza, accused the Congolese government of lacking “visionary leadership” and...
The Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi announced that he would annul his decree that gave him sweeping powers, late on Saturday following days of mass protests and talks at the presidential palace. However, the referendum on the draft constitution, due to be held on 15th December will go on as planned, despite opposition demands to postpone it. Many liberals walked out of the talks at this point, stating that their voices were not being heard.
The South Sudanese army has shot and killed 10 protestors in the northwest of the country. Protestors blocked roads in the town of Wau after local government officials said they would move their offices to another location. A UN spokesperson is reported by the BBC as saying that security personnel had demonstrated “excessive use of force”, whilst breaking up the protest on Saturday, killing four people. Another six died when troops fired on another demonstration on Sunday.