Foreign Policy Blogs

War Crimes

Al-Bashir Arrest Warrant Issued

The ICC just handed down an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but not genocide. We’ll have more on this later today.

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One non-Darfur note

The biggest piece of news this morning, of course, will be the ICC’s announcement as to whether they will finally hand down an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. You can watch live at 7:45 AM EST at this link, courtesy of the Genocide Intervention Network. There’s plenty of useful background available, and Michelle […]

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"Enemy combatant," al-Marri, to face civilian courts

Federal authorities Friday moved alleged al-Qaida operative Ali al-Marri to the civilian court system following six years of solitary confinement in a Navy brig in South Carolina. U.S. officials announced al-Marri would be transferred to Illinois to face in the civilian courts  charges of providing material support to al-Qaida and for conspiracy.  Each count carries […]

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Mumbai Shooter Charged

The only surviving attacker from the Mumbai attack last November was charged in Indian court today. Ajmal Kasab faces more than 11,000 pages of criminal charges. 35 other Pakistani nationals were charged with conspiring to support the attacks; according to the Hindustan Times, they include two officers in the Pakistani army and three top-level leaders […]

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Taylor Trial In Jeopardy?

As we wait for the last verdicts from the domestic court in Sierra Leone, Reuters reports that the Charles Taylor trial is in financial jeopardy. Money quote: The U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, which is pursuing those held most responsible for atrocities during the country’s 1991-2002 civil war, faces a budget shortfall of more […]

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UPDATED: Sierra Leone verdicts due Wednesday

A U.N.-backed war crimes court in Sierra Leone is expected to deliver its verdict Wednesday for three rebel commanders charged with crimes against humanity. “There is a great need for the activities of the Special Court, which is a chapter of the war, to be quickly concluded so that the nation can move on,” said […]

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Fresh Optimism in the Pursuit of Mladic

Since last summer’s arrest of Radovan Karadzic, General Ratko Mladic is the top remaining fugitive from the war in Bosnia. Mladic served as commander in chief of the army of the Serb Republic in Bosnia during the war, and the indictment against him handed down by ICTY accuses him of genocide, crimes against humanity, and […]

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Darfur Again

We noted the preliminary agreement between the Sudanese government and Darfuri rebels concluded yesterday in Doha, Qatar. A day after the preliminary agreement – which was, by its plain terms, merely an agreement to continue discussing whether to come to an agreement – hostilities have re-ignited. Agence-France reports that the Sudanese government has bombed positions […]

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Sudan and JEM Sign Preliminary Accord

Sudan and the largest rebel group in Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement, signed a preliminary deal today. As the New York Times notes, the agreement commits the parties only to continue peace talks in Doha, Qatar, with the goal of developing a final status agreement. Because the current preliminary agreement requires so little, Voice […]

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Duch begs forgiveness on eve of Khmer Rouge trial

Kaing Guek Eav – known simply as Duch – begged for forgiveness Monday on the eve of his war crimes tribunal for atrocities committed under the Khmer Rouge. “He said to the victims, I ask your forgiveness, I ask your forgiveness,” said his lawyer, Francois Roux. Duch, who faces charges for crimes against humanity, had […]

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The Al-Bashir Indictment

As you’ve probably read elsewhere, it wasn’t handed down today – in fact, the ICC’s only announcement was that no decision has been made. Michelle at Stop Genocide has some analysis of what may be going on here. Assuming the indictment and concomitant arrest warrant are eventually handed down, the Enough Project has this must-read […]

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ICC Issues Warrant for Al-Bashir

The International Criminal Court approved the indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir today. The indictment is the first against a sitting head of state. There’s been a great deal of commentary on the case recently – Wes Rist criticized the African Union for rallying around al-Bashir, and Alex de Waal summarizes the arguments on genocidal […]

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U.N. appeals court upholds Rwandan sentence

An appeals court for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda upheld a life sentence handed down in 2007 for a provincial leader implicated in attacks against Tutsis. The Appeals Chamber of the United Nations upheld the December 2007 ICTR ruling that convicted Francois Karera to a life sentence for three counts of genocide and crimes […]

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India: ISI aided Mumbai Attack

In a recent post on terrorism and extremism in Pakistan, I noted a Pakistani diplomat had claimed India's evidence of Pakistani involvement in the Mumbai attack was fabricated, and the Pakistani government had issued a report concluding the government was not involved in planning the attack, nor was the attack planned on Pakistani territory. Perhaps […]

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CSIS: Israel Obeyed The Law of War in Gaza

The Jerusalem Post describes the Center for Security & International Studies’ report, drafted by Anthony Cordesman, here. The report concludes Israel used lawful force in pursuit of legitimate military ends, but expresses skepticism that Israel will achieve any lasting strategic benefit.

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