Digest – Page 73 – Harvard International Law Journal

ICC Hearing Begins in The Prosecutor vs. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo

November 19, 2006

The ICC commenced the public hearing for the confirmation of charges against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo on November 9, scheduled to end on November 28. If the Pre-Trial Chamber confirms the charges brought against Dyilo, then there will be subsequent proceedings. Dyilo is being charged for war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the conscription of children under the age of fifteen. Legal representatives of the victims will make opening statements at the hearing, which notably marks the â€œfirst time in international criminal law that victims have been able to participate in the proceedings.â€

See http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/202.html

Digest

NATO’s Chiefs of Defense Conclude Meetings in Brussels

November 19, 2006

On November 16th, NATO’s highest military body concluded meetings in Brussels in anticipation of the Riga Summit. The meetings were intended to build consensus-based advice that will inform the military discussion at the upcoming summit.
For more, see http://www.nato.int/ims/news/2006/n061116e.htm

Digest

UN to Deliver Supplies to Somali Refugees

November 17, 2006

Massive flooding in Kenya has uprooted more than 78,000 Somali refugees. The UN will begin airlifting critical supplies to the stranded refugees over the weekend. The UN hopes to deliver emergency health kits, fuel, and 25,000 tarpaulins for constructing shelters.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20632&Cr=kenya&Cr1=

Digest

Sudan Agrees to UN Peacekeepers in Darfur

November 17, 2006

The Sudanese Government has agreed to allow UN peacekeepers into Darfur, pending clarification of the size of the force. At least 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Darfur as a result of conflict between Government forces, allied militia and rebels seeking greater autonomy.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20631&Cr=sudan&Cr1=

Digest

Darfur Violence Affecting Chad

November 17, 2006

The violence in Darfur is increasingly spilling over to neighboring Chad. Attacks in Chad have killed around 200 people over the past week. It is estimated that 12,000 Chadians have been displaced since November 4th. Survivors describe their attackers as Arab nomad tribes, both Chadian and Sudanese. Many victims were burned alive in their homes.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20641&Cr=sudan&Cr1=

Digest

Indictee Transferred From The ICTY Found Guilty of Crimes Against Humanity

November 17, 2006

On Tuesday, November 14, Radovan StankoviÄ‡ was sentenced by the Court of Bosnia Herzegovina to 16 years’ imprisonment for rapes and other crimes against humanity. The Court found that StankoviÄ‡ held a number of Bosnian women and girls captive so that Serb soldiers and other Serb men could sexually assault them. This case was the first to have been transferred to a national court from the International Criminal Tribunal of Yugoslavia as part of the Tribunalâ€™s completion strategy where cases and expertise are transferred to the judiciaries in the region.

See here and here for more information.