The world's first trial of a senior member of the Syrian military for war crimes is underway in Germany despite ongoing restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because both the accused are in custody, German law says it is important to proceed with the case quickly in the interests of justice and an efficient legal system, a spokesperson from the Higher Regional Court in the southwestern German city of Koblenz […]
At least 232 civilians were killed and 120 women and girls raped in attacks by South Sudan government troops and aligned forces in opposition-held villages, the U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday. A United Nations investigation identified three commanders suspected of bearing the “greatest responsibility” in the violence in Unity State between April 16 and May 24 that may amount to war crimes, it said in a statement. “The […]
Two South African groups want Indian prime minister Narenda Modi to be arrested for war crimes should he set foot in South Africa for the Brics Summit later this month. The Muslim Lawyer Association and the South Africa Kashmir Action Group (SAKAG) have jointly lodged a complaint and request for National Prosecuting Authority to issue a warrant of arrest for Modi for “gross human right violations” in Indian occupied Kashmir. […]
Nigeria’s military has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity including torture, rape and killing civilians during its fight against Islamist insurgency Boko Haram, human rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday. The crimes were perpetrated for years and have continued despite a presidential inquiry established last August whose findings have not been made public, said the watchdog. In a statement, the Nigerian military described Amnesty’s findings as “a false […]
Four Palestinian human rights organizations submitted a 700-page communication to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday, alleging that Israeli officials have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. According to a statement released by Palestinian NGO al-Haq, one of the groups behind the submission -- along with Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Aldameer Association for Human Rights, and the al-Mezan […]
OPINION by Anna Neistat Seventeen years ago, Kofi Annan stood before the United Nations and apologized. The then-secretary-general acknowledged that the UN had failed the people of Rwanda during the 100-day genocide in which almost a million people were killed, and pledged to ensure that the UN would "never again" fail to protect a civilian population from genocide or mass slaughter. In Aleppo today, Annan's promise is inaudible beneath the […]
The US may have committed war crimes of torture, cruel treatment and rape, when it interrogated dozens of people in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2014, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said. The International Criminal Court's preliminary probe of the US armed forces and CIA activities in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2004 shows there to be a “reasonable basis to believe that, in the course of interrogating these detainees … members […]
Human Rights Watch has warned that the Islamic State (IS) group is using chemical weapons as it retreats in the face of an operation by Iraqi forces to retake the city of Mosul. According to the organisation, IS launched at least three chemical attacks on the town of Qayyarah, 60km south of Mosul, in September and October after the town was captured by Iraqi forces in August. The attacks, which […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
