The trial of the former Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone’s armed conflict was a largely well-run proceeding, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The trial benefitted from a high-quality defense, sound handling of witnesses, and dynamic outreach to communities affected by the crimes. At the same time, Human Rights Watch’s analysis identified areas in which practice should be improved for future trials of the highest-level suspects before domestic, international, and hybrid war crimes tribunals.

 

Senegal’s agreement on July 24, 2012, to establish a special court to try the former dictator of Chad, Hissène Habré, if swiftly implemented, could mark a turning point in the long campaign to bring him to justice, a coalition of human rights groups said today.
 

The ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 20, 2012, that Senegal must prosecute “without further delay” or extradite Chad’s former dictator Hissène Habré is a great victory for his victims, a coalition of human rights groups said today. The ruling reinforces the obligation on all countries to bring to account people in their jurisdiction who are allegedly responsible for torture.

 

Accountability for serious abuses and human rights monitoring should be central to any transition plan in Syria, ahead of an international meeting on Syria in Geneva on June 30, 2012. Priorities should include the immediate end of gross human rights violations, the release of political prisoners, unrestricted access for human rights monitors to detention facilities, unhindered humanitarian assistance, and a concrete road map to rein in Syria’s security services. 

Governments and companies around the world should stop signing new contracts with arms suppliers such as the Russian firm Rosoboronexport that are providing weapons to the Syrian government. In light of compelling evidence that the Syrian army is responsible for crimes against humanity against Syria’s people, the Russian state-owned arms trading company’s continued dealings with Syria place the company at risk of complicity in these crimes.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should urgently submit information sought by the court in the case against a Rwandan rebel leader whose forces are still committing atrocities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 31, 2012, the ICC judges unanimously found that the request for an arrest warrant against Sylvestre Mudacumura lacked clarity and specificity, but did not rule on the merits of the case.

The opening of the trial of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb wartime military commander, is a salient reminder that justice catches up with those accused of atrocity crimes. Mladic’s trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide is scheduled to begin on May 16, 2012, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) should immediately amend a new law that protects from prosecution people who committed crimes if their actions were aimed at “promoting or protecting the revolution” against Muammar Gaddafi. The law also allows authorities to detain people for up to two months if they are considered “threats to security.”

Syrian government forces killed at least 95 civilians and burned or destroyed hundreds of houses during a two-week offensive in northern Idlib governorate shortly before the ceasefire. The attacks happened in late March and early April, as United Nations special envoy Kofi Annan was negotiating with the Syrian government to end the fighting.

The conviction on April 26, 2012, of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, for serious international crimes during Sierra Leone’s brutal armed conflict provides justice for victims and shows that no one is above the law. Taylor was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone on charges that stemmed from his support for rebel groups there.

President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately order the arrest of Gen. Bosco Ntaganda and promptly transfer him to The Hague for a fair trial. Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes.
 

Syrian security forces summarily executed over 100 – and possibly many more – civilians and wounded or captured opposition fighters during recent attacks on cities and towns, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The leaders of the Libyan city of Misrata could be held criminally responsible for ongoing serious crimes by forces under their command, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the city’s military and civilian leaders. They could be held responsible by authorities that include the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said.

The League of Arab States should at its summit in Baghdad that began on March 27, 2012, commit to carrying out and monitoring the implementation of the targeted sanctions against the Syrian leadership it agreed to in November 2011.

Syrian government forces have endangered local residents by forcing them to march in front of the army during recent arrest operations, troop movements, and attacks on towns and villages in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch said today.