Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Issues
On July 26, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) issued its first verdict, finding Kaing Guek Eav (“Duch”) guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his operation of the Toul Sleng detention center in Phnom Penh. The Court did not find Duch liable of physical perpetration of crimes, or culpable [Read More...]
By Ri Yoo In April 2010, Australia imposed a blanket suspension on new asylum claims by Sri Lankans and Afghans, contending that the security situations in those countries have improved. In response, human rights groups have criticized Australia for not examining each asylum claim individually and for treating refugees in a discriminatory manner. Although Australia [Read More...]
By the Peace Law Academy Class of 2010 The Burma Lawyers’ Council (BLC) is an independent organization of Burmese lawyers on the Thai-Burma border that fights oppression and human rights abuses in Burma (Myanmar) and advocates for the restoration of the rule of law. The BLC runs a two-year capacity-building law school known as the [Read More...]
By Ashly Hinmon A panel of experts on domestic violence in Indian Country addressed the Washington College of Law community on February 3, 2010. The panel included Michelle Begay, Program Analyst with Indian Health Services, Christopher Chaney, Deputy Director at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice, Dawn Sturdevant Baum, Staff Attorney at [Read More...]
By Bhavani Raveendran In March 2010, almost forty years after the 1971 fight for independence from Pakistan, the Bangladeshi government created a war crimes tribunal to prosecute those who committed atrocities during the bloody nine-month conflict. The Bangladeshi government estimates three million people were killed during the war by Pakistani soldiers and Bangladeshi collaborators. Two [Read More...]
By Shubra Ohri On April 11, Sudanese went to the polls for the first time in more than twenty years in a highly anticipated election. The activity leading up to the vote has been arguably more controversial than the election itself. In early April Yasir Arman, the presidential candidate for the Sudan People Liberation Movement [Read More...]
By Anna Maitland On Thursday, April 8, 2010, the trial of Radovan Karadzic resumed after the International Criminal Court of Yugoslavia rejected Karadzic’s plea stating that “[t]he chamber is not satisfied that there has been any violation of the accused’s right to a fair trial which would justify a stay of the proceedings.” The trial [Read More...]
By Tracey Begley A suit against Chiquita Brands International filed by families of Americans kidnapped and killed by the FARC guerrilla force of Colombia will continue in federal courts after U.S. Judge Kenneth Marra of the Southern District of Florida rejected Chiquita’s motion to dismiss on February 4, 2010. The plaintiffs are family members of [Read More...]
By Annamaria Racota Nearly 30 years after the end of the Franco regime, a lawyer visited 90-year old Teofila Gonzalez at her retirement home in 2008 and told her that one of the eleven bodies found after the exhumation of a mass grave, ordered by Judge Baltasar Garzón, was identified as her brother, Severiano. Severiano [Read More...]
By Christopher Valvardi On March 31, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II authorized the Prosecutor’s investigation into the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya that resulted in over 1,100 deaths, hundreds of rapes, and the displacement of at least 350,000 people. Though the Kenyan government chose not to refer the situation to the ICC, the Prosecutor has [Read More...]
