WORLD NEWS

World News

Latest news from and about the homeland

  Three United Nations (UN) experts called for a full and independent investigation into the killing of three Lebanese journalists by Israel last week, which they described as ‘another attack on press freedom by Israeli forces.’ On March 28, Israeli forces killed Al Mayadeen reporter Fatima Ftouni, her brother and cameraman Mohamed Ftouni, and Al Manar TV reporter Ali Shoeib as they were…

Rwandan priest in UK accused of role in genocide

A Rwandan priest living in the United Kingdom is being investigated by the Church of England, over allegations that he was a propagandist for the Rwandan government during the 1994 genocide.

Jonathan Ruhumuliza, who had been appointed by St Mary and All Saints church in Hampton Lovett, Worcestershire in 2005, is also accused of collaborating with another Anglican bishop in sending Tutsis to their deaths.

Ruhumuliza’s appointee Peter Selby, the former bishop of Worcester, called the allegations "deeply shocking", adding,

Katanga judgement may prove an ’important milestone’

As judges from the International Criminal Court prepare to deliver their ruling on the case of Germain Katanga, a man accused of crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the judgement may prove a milestone for international law and have a profound impact on future cases, reports Al Jazeera.

Anniversary of Bahrain uprising marked by clashes

The third anniversary of the Bahraini anti-government protests has seen clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

Troops attacked protestors with birdshot and teargas, with several left wounded.

Amnesty International on Thursday condemned Bahrain's "relentless repression" of dissent and said it feared a violent crackdown.

A bomb went off near the village of Dair, injuring several police men of which one later died.

UN panel finds crimes against humanity in N Korea

A UN HRC Commission of Inquiry report will state that crimes against humanity have been committed in North Korea and will call for the International Criminal Court to open an investigation, says the Associated Press having seen a leaked report.

A Commission of Inquiry, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2013, gives,

"reasonable grounds … to merit a criminal investigation by a competent national or international organ of justice".

Rwandan acquittals anger genocide survivors

The acquittal of two high ranking Rwandan officials this week, who were convicted over their roles in the 1994 genocide, has angered Rwandan genocide survivors who have labelled the decision “outrageous”.

The former chief of staff for the paramilitary police force Augustin Ndindiliyimana and François-Xavier Nzuwonemeye, the former commander of a reconnaissance battalion were both acquitted on appeal of charges relating to the genocide.

Israel bars patients over ‘State of Palestine’ letterhead

Israeli authorities have stopped the transfer of patients from the Gaza Strip to Israel and East Jerusalem, after they objected to their hospital transfer request forms bearing the letterhead which read “State of Palestine”.

A spokesman for COGAT, the Israeli military authority that deals with entry permits told Reuters,

Former Guatemalan commander sentenced to 10 years

A former commander with the Guatemalan Army has been stripped of his US citizenship and been handed a 10-year jail sentence after he was found to have lied about his role in massacres that took place in 1982, during the country’s brutal civil war.

54-year-old Jorge Sosa is accused of leading a counter-insurgency force of the Guatemalan military in 1982 known as the “Kabiles”. He is alleged to have overseen a massacre of over 200 civilians whilst leading a patrol in 1982, with members of the patrol also raping women and girls before killing them.

In a statement following the sentencing, Tamil American lawyer and the current acting Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice's Criminal Division Mythili Raman said,

"Jorge Sosa helped orchestrate the ruthless massacre of innocent villagers, including dozens of young children, and then lied about his past to obtain refuge in the United States."

"This prosecution demonstrates our resolve to deny safe haven to human rights violators and to ensure that these criminals are held accountable."

Sosa though, was only found guilty of failing to mention his role as a commander in the Guatemalan army on his US citizenship application papers. He was not charged over the massacre.

Responding to the sentencing Sebastian Elgueta, Guatemala researcher at Amnesty International, said,

“In addition to immigration violations, Sosa Orantes has a case to answer for war crimes. The US authorities must extradite him to Guatemala or prosecute him in the USA for crimes against international law.”

“Governments across the world have a responsibility to ensure those suspected of having committed human rights abuses face justice, wherever they are.”

Serbian paramilitaries found guilty of war crimes

9 former Serbian paramilitaries have been handed down jail sentences for their role in the massacre of over 120 ethnic Albanians in 1999.

The 9 members, part of the Serbian Jackals (Šakali) paramilitary group, were found to have murdered, raped and looted 4 villages in Western Kosovo, then a province of Serbia.

Judge Snezana Nikolic Garotic ruled in her verdict,

11 killed in Homs as evacuations continue

A United Nations spokesman confirmed the death of 11 people in Homs over the weekend, as hundreds more civilians were evacuated from the besieged city.

450 civilians were reported to have left Homs on Monday, as a truce between both parties was extended beyond the third day, a move welcomed by UN aid chief Valerie Amos.

Turkish authorities involved in Kurdish activists’ murders in Paris – Der Spiegel

The German news magazine Der Spiegel has claimed that German authorities have material suggesting that the Turkish secret service MIT was involved in the murder of three Kurdish activists in Paris last year.

A document discussing the “termination” of one of the 3 women, which reportedly surfaced last month, bears the MIT watermark.

The report by Der Spiegel adds that the German authorities are rumoured to have curtailed its cooperation with the MIT, since suspicions arose.