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Justice for a Lawless World? Rights and reconciliation in a new era of international law

Could the increasing power of global mass media and international criminal courts mean this is the beginning of a new era of human rights and international justice? To answer this question, IRIN looks at the development of international justice since World War II, interviews top human rights and political frontiners and academics such as Noam Chomsky, Samantha Power and Juan Mendez, presents articles from the frontlines of countries experiencing impunity, and provides links to further information. (IRIN, June 2006)

http://www.irinnews.org/webspecials/RightsAndReconciliation/default.asp

(Added: Thu Aug 17 2006   Hits: 112)

No Safe Place: Burma's Army and the Rape of Ethnic Women [pdf]

"I have waited many years to tell you this story," one Karenni woman lamented as she told of witnessing her thirteen-yearold sister's rape and then described how the Burmese soldiers beat and attempted to rape her. She is just one of countless women from Burma's ethnic minority groups, sometimes known as ethnic nationalities, with a chilling tale of abuse at the hands of her country's army. (Refugeees International, 2003)

http://www.refugeesinternational.org/files/3023_file_no_safe_place.pdf

(Added: Wed Sep 13 2006   Modified: Thu Jan 18 2007   Hits: 187)

Politics as War

In this report Human Rights Watch maintain that the Nigerian government's failure to hold accountable politicians and gang leaders responsible for a deadly wave of post-election violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta threatens to bring further bloodshed(Human Rights Watch, March 2008).

http://hrw.org/reports/2008/nigeria0308/

(Added: Fri Mar 28 2008   Hits: 23)

Post-9/11 Security Laws Hampering U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program

The application of laws put in place to protect the United States from terrorist activity is preventing refugees from being resettled here. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and the REAL ID Act of 2005 expanded the definition of terrorist activity and the categories of terrorist organizations, with the result that staff of the Department of Homeland Security are screening out refugees who provided incidental support under extreme duress to armed groups on the grounds that they provided "material support" to terrorists. This interpretation of U.S. law is resulting in a perverse outcome: victims of terrorism are being designated terrorist supporters and blocked from receiving sanctuary and a chance to start a new life in the United States. (Regugees International, August 2, 2006)

http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/7938

(Added: Wed Sep 13 2006   Hits: 91)

Questions and Answers on Hostilities Between Israel and Hezbollah

The following questions and answers set out some of the legal rules governing the various actions taken by Israel and Hezbollah to date in this recent conflict. The purpose is to provide analytic guidance for those who are examining the fighting, as well as for the parties to the conflict and those with the capacity to influence them. They address only the rules of international humanitarian law, known as jus in bello, which govern the way each party to the armed conflict must conduct itself in the course of the hostilities. It does not address matters concerning the legitimacy of resorting to war. Human Rights Watch maintains a position of strict neutrality on these issues. (Updated as necessary)

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/17/lebano13748.htm

(Added: Wed Aug 02 2006   Hits: 126)

Refugee Law Project (RLP)

The RLP works to ensure the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons within Uganda. One of their focus areas is education and training on human rights and refugee law for people involved in the protection of forced migrants. RLP has trained over 3000 officials, service providers and other stakeholders in Uganda.

http://www.refugeelawproject.org/

(Added: Mon Dec 10 2007   Hits: 25)

Sexual violence, an 'invisible war crime'

Statements submitted to Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission showed that during Sierra Leone's war sexual violence was used in a widespread and systematic way as a weapon, and women were raped in extraordinarily brutal ways. Until recently little attention was devoted to abuses directed specifically against women, and even now persuading women to speak out is difficult because of the stigmitisation women may face from their communities. (Nirit Ben-Ari and Ernest Harsch, United Nations African Renewal, Janeuary 2005)

http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol18no4/184sierraleone.htm

(Added: Fri Jun 23 2006   Modified: Wed Jul 12 2006   Hits: 228)

Study on customary international humanitarian law: A contribution to the understanding and respect for the rule of law in armed conflict [PDF 470 kb]

14-03-2005, ICRC, by Jean-Marie Henckaerts. This article explains the rationale behind a study on customary international humanitarian law recently undertaken by the ICRC at the request of the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. It describes the methodology used and how the study was organized and summarizes some major findings. It does not, however, purport to provide a complete overview or analysis of these findings.

http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList263/98B3F32049131715C1256FF1002B1D59

(Added: Thu Apr 07 2005   Modified: Fri Sep 22 2006   Hits: 237)

Sudan: National Courts Have Done Nothing on Darfur: ICC Prosecution Needed; Government Must Hand Over Indicted Suspects

Khartoum's continuing failure to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes in Darfur in Sudanese national courts underscores why Sudan should fulfill its obligation to hand over indicted suspects to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said today. The Security Council is expected to visit Khartoum on June 17 (Human Rights Watch, 11 June 2007).

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/06/11/sudan16110_txt.htm

(Added: Wed Jun 13 2007   Hits: 48)

The rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict societies.

United Nations Security Council. Report of the Secretary-General, August 2004. The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggests that in helping war-torn societies re-establish the rule of law and come to terms with large-scale past abuses and conflict, the United Nations must reject any amnesty for genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity. The report also says that Security Council mandates should ensure that no such amnesty previously granted bar prosecution before a UN-created or assisted court. Mr Annan calls for recognising the need to ensure gender sensitivity in restoring rule of law as well as ensuring full participation of women. He states success will depend on some critical factors such as the need to ensure a common basis in international norms and standards and to mobilize the necessary resources for sustainable investment in justice.

http://ods-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/395/29/PDF/N0439529.pdf?OpenElement

(Added: Fri Nov 05 2004   Modified: Wed Jul 12 2006   Hits: 183)