Current Bulletin - 85
17 July 2008
Sudanese president charged with Darfur war crimes
The international criminal court (ICC) today filed 10 charges of war crimes against Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, for allegedly masterminding a campaign of murder, rape and mass deportation in Darfur.Evidence presented by prosecutors showed Bashir "masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part" three tribal groups in Darfur because of their ethnicity, ICC said in a statement.The court's prosecutor for Darfur, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, will ask a panel of ICC judges to issue an arrest warrant for the Sudanese president, who has repeatedly refused to recognise the court's jurisdiction, a process which could take some months. The ICC statement said Bashir faced three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder. More than 200,000 people have been killed and nearly 2.5 million have been made homeless since a revolt broke out in Darfur, a vast, mainly arid province in western Sudan, 2003. Bashir's regime is accused of deliberately organising Arab Janjaweed militias to attack Darfur's black African civilian population, something it denies. The ICC statement of charges says Bashir's policy amounted to genocide because those forced into refugee camps had suffered both regular attacks from militias and a deliberate policy of persecution and hunger. "Bashir organised the destitution, insecurity and harassment of the survivors. He did not need bullets. He used other weapons: rapes, hunger, and fear. As efficient, but silent," Moreno- Ocampo said in the ICC statement. The creation of the International Criminal Court represents one of the biggest milestones of international law, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday as he marked the tenth anniversary of the ICC’s founding. The two United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sudan have reported that the situation there is calm, following yesterday’s announcement by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that he is seeking an indictment against President Omar Al- Bashir for war crimes.
Ethiopians target refugees in Somalia
US-backed Ethiopian troops in Somalia have killed and tortured displaced Somalis living in the refugee camps of the capital, Mogadishu. At least 10 civilians have been killed and 15 badly beaten as part of a campaign by Ethiopian troops to root out militants in the Daynille and Bangala refugee camps. According to reports, Ethiopian soldiers burst into the camps accusing residents of involvement with the armed wing of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) movement. Witnesses say a number of local traders were among the dead and that Ethiopian soldiers had stolen money, Press TV correspondent reports. Elsewhere in Mogadishu, two civilians were killed when a group of unidentified armed men opened fire on Somali government soldiers in the Gen Daud district
Sri Lanka: A torture victim's life is in danger at Moratuwa Police Station:
“The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding illegal arrest and detention of a person named Mr. Sarath Kumara Naitos. The Moratuwa police arrested him on 5 July from his work place and charged him with theft. He was beaten at the time of arrest and while in detention. The police have not yet produced him before any Magistrate. Urgent action is needed as the person may die in custody unless he is provided medical treatment and released. Mr. Sarath Kumara Naitos, aged 38 years, was arrested on 5 July 2008 around 12.30pm while he was working at Kesalwatta in a house, in Panadura, Sri Lanka. The arrest was carried out by officers from Moratuwa Police Station. The officers came in a three wheeler and at the moment of arrest started assaulting Sarath. The place from where Sarath was arrested is under the jurisdiction of Panadura South (Kesalwatha) Police Station, which is outside the jurisdiction of the Moratuwa police. However, the arresting officers were from the Moratuwa police and Sarath is being held at that station. Sarath, who is a mason by profession is married and lives with his wife and child. The allegation against Sarath is that of theft, which he has denied. Representations have been made to the Moratuwa police and to other superior police officers, however, Sarath has neither been produced before the court nor has he been released. Due to repeated assaults Sarath has lost control of his bowl movements and he is now in serious physical condition.
UN issues call for $33 million to help earthquake survivors in China
The United Nations launched an appeal today for $33.5 million to help victims of May’s devastating earthquake in China, which claimed nearly 70,000 lives, injured hundreds of thousands of people and left more than 5 million homeless. “It is the hope of the United Nations and the international community that China will quickly recover from this enormous tragedy and through this Appeal we extend all our support and assistance,” said Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator in China. Aside from the havoc it wreaked on lives and livelihoods, the tremors also demolished services and infrastructure. In Sichuan province, where the 8.0 magnitude quake had its epicentre, and neighbouring Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, some 5 million buildings collapsed and a further 21 million were damaged. These three provinces are among the poorest in China, and the Ministry of Commerce said that an additional 10 million people fell below the poverty line after the earthquake. This appeal targets the needs of the poor and vulnerable who have received basic assistance but require more aid as reconstruction efforts get under way and before the start of winter.