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Kosovo Police made arrests after an explosion on the Ibar-Lepenc canal caused significant damage to infrastructure essential for the country’s water and energy supplies, as Kosovo officials accused Serbia of staging a terrorist attack. Ardita Zeqiri, November 30, 2024 Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the site of the explosion that damaged the Ibar-Lepenc canal. Photo: Albin Kurti/Facebook. Kosovo Police on Saturday said they have arrested an unspecified number of individuals in raids at various locations after an explosion the previous evening caused significant damage to the Ibar-Lepenc water canal in the northern municipality of Zubin Potok. The canal supplies several towns through the Ujman/Gazivoda Lake, as well as the Kosovo Energy Corporation for cooling its power plants, Kosova A and Kosova B. “Police are investigating [the case]. There have been raids and arrests, [there is] material evidence and all those criminals and terrorists will face justice,” Prime Minister Albin Kurti said during a visit to the scene of the blast on Saturday. After the explosion, Kurti late Friday accused Serbia of staging a “criminal and terrorist attack” aimed at damaging critical infrastructure. He said it was “undoubtedly an attempt to jeopardise the supply of electricity and water in our country”. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic denied his country was involved. In a statement on Instagram, published in English, Vucic said that “the baseless accusations levelled against Serbia, made hastily and without any supporting evidence, are deeply irresponsible and concerning”. “Such unfounded claims are aimed to tarnish Serbia’s reputation, as well as to undermine efforts to promote peace and stability in the region,” he added, calling for an international investigation. The Kosovo Security Council on Saturday approved emergency measures to step up security around “critical facilities and services such as bridges, substations, antennas, lakes, canals, etc”, a government statement said. “The Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Security Force will be activated in the field for this purpose,” it added. The blast was the third explosion within 72 hours in the northern, Serb-majority part of Kosovo, following blasts at a police station and the municipal building in the city of Zvecan. The incident happened a few hours after the Kosovo Police announced that they had stepped up security measures all over the country following security incidents in the north. On Saturday morning, Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli said that six provisional pipes have been laid at the site of the explosion to secure regular energy and water supply as “there is no risk of the power plants being left without water.” “At the same time, we have coordinated with the Albanian Energy Corporation to secure additional energy to avoid potential reductions,” Rizvanolli continued. Diplomatic missions condemned the apparent attack and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. “We are monitoring the situation closely, will support a comprehensive investigation, and have offered our full support to the Government of Kosovo to ensure that those responsible for this criminal attack are identified and held accountable,” the US embassy in Pristina stated. Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama claimed the explosion was sabotage and described it as a “serious crime against Kosovo.” “This criminal act must be investigated and punished as soon as possible with the support of international partners,” Rama wrote on X. Copyright BIRN 2007

Venezuelan Assembly passes law that would ban officials who support international sanctions from holding office for up to 60 years. Al Jazeera and news agencies, 28 NOV 2024. A person covered with Venezuela's national flag with a picture of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, holds a candle during a vigil in a tribute to citizens who were detained, following disputed election results, in Caracas, Venezuela, on August 8, 2024 [Maxwell Briceno/Reuters]. Venezuelan lawmakers have approved a measure that would implement steeper penalties for those who support US sanctions against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. On Thursday, the country’s National Assembly passed the so-called Simon Bolivar Liberator law, which bans officials who approve US sanctions against Venezuela from holding office for up to 60 years. “Anyone who promotes, instigates, requests, invokes, favours, facilitates, supports or participates in the adoption of coercive measures … will be punished with imprisonment of 25 to 30 years,” the law also states. The law also allows broadcast media to be shut down if they support sanctions, while text-based media may be hit with fines of up to $51.7m. The bill is the latest effort by the Maduro government to crack down on the country’s political opposition, who maintain that they were the true winners of the July presidential election, in which many cast doubt on Maduro’s claims of victory. The opposition has released precinct data that they say shows a convincing win over Maduro, who has resisted calls by regional governments to release data that could validate his claims of victory. In the time since, protests against the government have been met with a harsh crackdown by police and a series of laws that human rights groups say are aimed at stifling dissent . The Venezuelan National Assembly – dominated by the pro-Maduro governing party – voted in favour of the law after the United States House of Representatives passed the Bolivar Act, which would ban US government bodies from working with anyone who has ties to the Maduro government. The US Senate has yet to approve that bill, which Maduro himself has denounced as “trash”. The US has stepped up pressure on the Maduro government in the last two weeks, recognising opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez as the country’s rightful leader and announcing a new round of sanctions targeting figures allegedly involved in the post-election crackdown. Gonzalez, who fled to Spain during the post-election crackdown, has said that he intends to return to Venezuela in early January when the winner of the election is set to assume office. Gonzalez has said that he is “morally prepared” to be detained if he returns to the country. © 2024 Al Jazeera Media Network.

Srdjan Lazovic, a Kosovo Serb arrested in June, is accused of taking part in the mass detention and torture of hundreds of civilians at a village in the Malisheve/Malisevo area in 1999. Laurant Berisha, November 19, 2024 Kosovo’s Special Prosecution in Pristina. Photo: BIRN Kosovo’s Special Prosecution on Tuesday said it has indicted a former reservist member of the Yugoslav Army for war crimes against civilians in Panorc, a village in Kosovo’s central municipality of Malisheve/Malisevo during the 1998-99 war. The Special Prosecution provided only the initials of the suspect, but BIRN has seen the indictment, which names Srdjan Lazovic, a 48-year-old from Kosovo’s northern municipality of Leposavic. He is suspected, in collaboration with other members of Serbia’s police and military, of violating the rules of international law by illegally arresting, physically and psychologically torturing around 500 people who were not involved in the war, of mass deportation of Albanians, destruction of property and looting. The indictment says that residents of villages in Malisheve/Malisevo and Kline/Klina who were ordered to leave their homes were heading toward Panorc when they reached a police checkpoint and were stopped. “Initially they separated the men and women with the latter ordered to leave, while around 500 men were arrested and headed toward the village school, where they were subjected to beating and torture,” it says. The suspect has been under arrest since June and has denied the charges. The indictment includes a statement from the suspect given on November 7 in which he said that “he was not part of any police or military force until April 1999, when he joined the Yugoslav Army reserve forces”. “Lazovic admitted that during this period he was armed with a semi-automatic weapon and was wearing a uniform with a Yugoslav Army emblem but he said he stayed in Zerovnice [in the north of Kosovo] and was not part of any fighting operation,” the indictment says. “When asked about events in Panorc village, about the crimes committed in September 1998, Lazovic denied any involvement or knowledge about the abovementioned events,” it adds. It says the suspect denied knowing where Panorc is and was “informed about this event only after the arrest by Kosovo Police”. The indictment says that a compact disc with a video recording from the scene shows “the suspect Srdjan Lazovic together with two uniformed members of Serbian police forces… directing AK-47s at Albanian civilian men who were kneeling with their hands behind their heads”. The indictment says when the photographs were presented to Lazovic during the interview, he denied he knew the two men in uniform and did not recognise himself in the images. Copyright BIRN 2015

Ethnic Albanians in Serbia and Kosovo accused Serbia of discrimination after the Constitutional Court dismissed a man’s appeal against the marking of his address as ‘inactive’ in official records, meaning he cannot renew his identity documents. Xhorxhina Bami, November 21, 2024 Medvedja municipality in southern Serbia. Photo courtesy of Nevzad Lutfiu. A Serbian Constitutional Court ruling has outraged ethnic Albanians in the country who claim they are being discriminated against over the issue of what’s being called ‘address passivisation’ – the marking of people’s addresses as ‘inactive’ in a police database, meaning they cannot renew identity documents. The November 14 Constitutional Court ruling dismissed an ethnic Albanian man called Safet Demirovic’s complaint against a lower-instance court verdict confirming the ‘passivisation’ of his address in 2019. Demirovic is from Sijarinska Banja in Medvedja municipality in the south of Serbia, where many of the country’s ethnic Albanians live. “They treated me like a foreign citizen, like I didn’t have properties there for generations. I’ve even had a business there since 2017 but the Constitutional Court did not mention it,” Demirovic told BIRN by telephone on Thursday. Thousands of ethnic Albanians from three municipalities in southern Serbia, Medvedja, Bujanovac, and Presevo, have had their addresses marked ‘inactive’ by the Serbian authorities. This means they cannot renew their Serbian identification documents, or exercise basic human rights that require IDs, such as voting. The issue has sparked a series of street protests in the area. In July 2021, Demirovic filed his appeal to the Constitutional Court against the initial verdict of the Administrative Court in Nis, claiming it violated Serbia’s obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights to ensure fair legal proceedings and to prohibit discrimination. The Constitutional Court verdict seen by BIRN determined that the Nis court had correctly followed Serbia’s Law on Residence and Residence of Citizens because the address that Demirovic wanted to register in Sijarinska Banja is not the “the centre of his everyday activities and professional, economic, social and other ties that prove a permanent connection with the place”. According to the court, Demirovic was not found at the address he had applied to register on August 23, 2019, and “neighbours and parents said he was in Austria, where he is employed, and in Sijarinska Banja [only] during vacations”. The verdict added that on September 6, 2019, “when he was found at the address”, he had confirmed that he had a job in Austria and that “on October 3, 2019 and October 23, 2019, he was not found at the address again”. Demirovic insisted that he does not only go to the Sijarinska Banja property for holidays. He also said that since 2017 he has been the owner of a company that provides internet access to remote villages in the municipality of Medvedja. BIRN was able to independently confirm that Demirovic is the owner and director of the company. He added that in 2020 he inherited his family home in Sijarinska Banja, and has meanwhile purchased other properties. This was confirmed by cadastre and property certificates seen by BIRN. Demirovic said he will now send the case to the European Court of Human Rights. “This is discrimination,” he said. Ana Pisonero, the European Commission’s enlargement spokesperson, spoke about the ‘address passivisation’ issue while addressing media on Thursday . “We have made clear there is a need for Serbian authorities to better explain to the public how the checks of residence status are being conducted resulting to passivisation and whether south Serbia is being specifically targeted,” Pisonero said. Serbia is currently in EU accession negotiations, and Pisonero said that the concerns of ethnic Albanians are being “addressed in the enlargement process”. Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, also raised the issue this week. Bislimi wrote on X on Wednesday that the Constitutional Court’s verdict “legitimises the systematic discriminatory practice of address passivation targeting Albanians”. “It violates fundamental human rights, and proves why Albanians don’t trust the system and are reluctant to start judicial processes. These citations from the Constitutional Court decision are a perfect example of how Albanians’ rights are eroded through unfair and discriminatory interpretation, which prove the lack of democracy, basic human rights and minority rights in Serbia,” Bislimi added. In December 2020, BIRN had reported the case of another ethnic Albanian, Teuta Fazliu, from Bujanovac, who had taken her case to Serbia’s Administrative Court. Fazliu told BIRN on Thursday that the Administrative Court ruled against her as well, and last year she sent the case to the Constitutional Court, to determine whether there had been human rights violations. She is awaiting a verdict but after reading about Demirovic’s case, said she is “not hopeful”. Earlier this month, ethnic Albanians staged a protest in the municipality of Medvedja, the third in recent months, following rallies held in two other municipalities in the majority-Albanian Presevo Valley in the south of Serbia, demanding an end discrimination. Flora Ferati-Sachsenmaier, a lecturer on Society, Politics and Culture at the University of Gottingen, has  calculated that between 2012 and 2019, the number of registered voters in Medvedja fell from 10,102 to 6,602. She believes ‘address passivisation’ is a key factor in this. Ferati-Sachsenmaier said pressure from the international community was needed to obtain “symmetry in ethnic minority rights in the Western Balkans”. Serbia’s Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue told BIRN that the 2011 law on residence is applied equally to all citizens, whatever their ethnic background. It denied any discriminatory targeting of ethnic Albanians. Copyright BIRN 2007

Seventy-ninth Session, 54th & 55th Meetings (AM & PM) GA/SHC/4432 20 November 2024 © UN Photo/Rick Bajornas The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved five draft resolutions addressing the human rights situations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Syria and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and forwarded them to the General Assembly for adoption. All texts sparked controversy.  The draft, “Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea”  (document  A/C.3/79/L.34 ), approved without a vote, would have the Assembly condemn in the strongest terms the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross violations of human rights in and by that country, including offenses that may amount to crimes against humanity.  The Assembly would also express very serious concern about persistent reports of torture, enforced or involuntary disappearances, and the forcible transfer of populations.   Introducing the draft, the representative of Hungary, speaking on behalf of the European Union, noted that the annual draft has been approved for the past 20 years, and highlighted updates to the text, including links between the human rights situation in the country and the peace and security landscape. The speaker for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea rejected the draft as a “political plot,” stating that this “anti-DPRK draft resolution on human rights, tabled by the European Union every year at the instigation of the United States, is a false paper”.  Washington, D.C. has overthrown Governments and “systems of their dislike” since the cold war to increase their influence in the world, he said, adding that the text’s main sponsors are the worst human rights violators in history, calling on the international community to cease using the United Nations to interfere with States’ internal affairs. Several delegates disassociated from the draft, echoing concerns over States’ sovereignty.  The politicized nature of country-specific resolutions and mechanisms run counter to the principles of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity enshrined in the UN Charter, many noted.  One delegate observed that such resolutions are only imposed on developing countries, often leading to unilateral coercive measures — which fuel conflict between States. Another said that the resolution aims to “rubber stamp Western false narratives on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with the UN seal of approval”.  Meanwhile, many speakers voiced alarm over the worsening human rights situation in the country, spotlighting the practices of forced abortions and the punishment of children for simply “watching South Korean dramas”. Some condemned Pyongyang’s deployment of troops and transfer of missiles to aid in the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine and use of forced labour to fuel weapons development, with a delegate urging the “oppressive regime” to “focus its resources on the critical needs of its own people who continue to suffer” and to cease its support for Moscow’s war crimes in Ukraine.  The Committee approved by consensus the draft resolution, “Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar”  (document  A/C.3/79/L.46/Rev.1 ), which would have the Assembly demand an immediate end to hostilities, and all forms of violence and attacks against civilians — including Rohingya Muslims — in compliance with Security Council resolution 2669 (2022). By the text, the Assembly would decide to hold a high-level conference in 2025 on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar. This annual resolution was first introduced six years ago in response to the atrocities against the Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar. A delegate said that the situation has since dramatically deteriorated, owing to the Myanmar military’s unjustified, illegal and unconstitutional coup against the democratically elected Government on February 1, 2021, and the repression that has followed.  Many agreed and said the international community cannot stand by and watch as the atrocities continue. Yet the representative of Myanmar said his delegation deeply regrets that “the draft resolution fails to include, among others, stronger language on the cessation of transfer of arms and jet fuel to the military junta”.  Noting that such language was included in Human Rights Council resolution 55/20, he said, “lack of coherence within the UN system can be observed”.  The situation on the ground is “far more dire than we could see and expect,” he stressed, referring to aerial bombings on civilian populations, the torching of villages, forced conscriptions, daily atrocities and transnational organized crimes, “fuelled by the military junta in the complete absence of the rule of law”. His delegation was also troubled that it was not consulted extensively during the negotiation process and now questions whether Member States are abandoning innocent civilians and supporting the vicious motives of the perpetrating military junta in Myanmar. The draft resolution, “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran”  (document  A/C.3/79/L.41 ), approved by a recorded vote of 77 in favour to 28 against, with 66 abstentions, would have the Assembly condemn the alarming increase in the application of the death penalty by Iran, in violation of its international obligations, including on the basis of forced confessions, and without fair trial and due process. The 193-member organ would also express concern over Iran’s continued imposition of the death penalty against minors and urge the country to cease the widespread and systematic use of arbitrary arrests and detention.  “The respect for human rights has deteriorated in Iran,” including through the increasing application of the death penalty for other than most serious crimes, said Canada’s delegate who introduced the draft.  In “blatant disregard for human life,” Tehran uses the death penalty against people exercising their right to freedom of expression, opinion and peaceful assembly.  Moreover, ethnic minorities and women are increasingly being handed down the death penalty, he cautioned, asserting: “This can no longer continue”. Amid systemic impunity in Iran, this draft reaffirms the UN human rights mechanism's integral role in improving that country’s human rights record.  Iran’s representative rejected “the unjust and politically motivated resolution,” citing its selective, biased and hypocritical nature.  She pointed to Canada’s human rights record, including “the slaughter of innocent Iranian children and women” and said its genocide, committed against Indigenous children, is staggering hypocrisy. Many delegates echoed the draft’s concern over the dire human rights situation in Iran and highlighted the use of harassment and intimidation to silence human rights defenders who call out Tehran’s violations.  Accordingly, they called on Tehran to grant access to the Special Rapporteur and the Fact-Finding Mission to provide transparency and facilitate accountability.  However, others rejected double standards, voicing their growing concern over the proliferation of mechanisms and procedures that “claim to exercise supposedly impartial judgments” over the situations in concerned countries.  Such arrangements should neither be politicized nor be selective, but rather remain impartial, transparent and objective. The draft titled “Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol” (document  A/C.3/79/L.44 ) was approved by a vote of 78 in favour, 16 against, with 78 abstentions.  By its terms, the Assembly would condemn the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine and the use of temporarily occupied Crimea for that purpose, and support the attempted illegal annexation of the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, demanding that the Russian Federation immediately cease its war and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.  Introducing the draft, the representative of Ukraine noted that it has been 1,000 days since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of his country, but their aggression against Ukraine has endured for over a decade. Voicing alarm that zones under Russian Federation occupation have been turned into “zones of lawlessness,” rife with well-documented human rights violations, including the summary executions and torture, he said that the draft empowers the UN to document abuses in the occupied areas, providing a crucial mechanism for accountability. Meanwhile the speaker for the Russian Federation said that every year, the draft “multiplies the fallacious accusations against my country,” stressing that the people in Crimea exercised their right to determination and now “enjoy the protection of the Russian constitution and legal system”. The draft has nothing to do with human rights, she said.  Several countries rejected the draft, citing the selective nature of country-specific texts, while others supported Ukraine’s calls, with one speaker emphasizing country-specific resolutions “complement the work of the Human Rights Council.” The Committee also approved a draft resolution, “ Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic”  (document  A/C.3/79/L.45 ) by a recorded vote of 85 in favour to 17 against, with 71 abstentions. By its terms, the Assembly would strongly condemn the systematic, widespread and gross violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law committed in Syria, and the indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks against the civilian population and infrastructure.  In particular, it would strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons in the country.  Further, it would urge States to create conditions for continued negotiations for a political solution to the Syrian conflict — under the auspices of the United Nations — recalling the importance of advancing the work of the Constitutional Committee. Copyright © United Nations

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Multiple gangs attacked several communities in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on Friday, setting fire to homes and a church as bullets whizzed through the area. At least one woman was killed as gangs opened fire in Solino, St. Michel, Tabarre 27 and other neighborhoods, with panicked residents calling radio stations since late Thursday pleading for help. A police union also called for help Thursday on X, saying it had information that multiple gunmen were preparing to invade Solino. “Immediate action is required!” it wrote. A spokesman for Haiti’s National Police didn’t immediately respond to a message for comment. Radio Télé Métronome reported that the swearing in of Haiti’s provisional electoral council scheduled for Friday in downtown Port-au-Prince was moved to a safer area. As the attacks continued, six officials from the Bahamas arrived in Haiti Friday to join a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help quell gang violence. The officials are the first of a contingent of 150 soldiers from the Bahamas expected in upcoming months. It wasn’t clear what prompted the latest attack, which comes just days after Haitian and Kenyan police launched an operation killed at least 20 suspected gang members in an area controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang that operates mainly in Tabarre. Gangs control 80% of Port-au-Prince , although communities like Solino have been fighting attempts by gunmen to control it. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

UN Sanctions Sudanese RSF Commanders Human Rights Watch November 14, 2024 Security Council’s First Sanctions on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) manager of Operations directorate Maj. Gen.Osman Mohamed Hamid holds a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan on November 28, 2021. On November 8, 2024, he was sanctioned by the UN Security Council. © Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu Agency (New York) – The United Nations Security Council’s November 8, 2024 sanctions designations for two commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are a positive first step in ensuring consequences for abuses by the force, Human Rights Watch said today. The Security Council imposed an international travel ban and asset freeze on the Rapid Support Forces’ head of operations, Major Gen. Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, and the West Darfur RSF commander, Gen. Abdel Rahman Joma’a Barakallah. It was the first time the Security Council has added names to its sanctions list on Darfur since 2006, the first time it has listed members of the Rapid Support Forces RSF, and the first time sanctions were imposed explicitly in response to human rights abuses. “The Security Council’s action is an important signal that it’s willing to impose consequences on those who bear responsibility for atrocities against Sudan’s civilians,” said Louis Charbonneau, United Nations director at Human Rights Watch. “This move should be the first, but not the last, of such accountability measures.” Conflict over control of Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, then spread to other parts of the country. Eighteen months on, the conflict has left 11 million people internally displaced, the largest internal displacement crisis in the world, with parts of Darfur in famine. In West Darfur, the RSF has committed crimes against humanity and widespread war crimes in the context of an “ethnic cleansing” campaign against the city’s ethnic Massalit and other non-Arab populations. In North Darfur’s city of El Fasher, both parties and their allies have killed hundreds of civilians and destroyed civilian infrastructure. The RSF continues to attack civilian infrastructure in El Fasher. [Genocide Watch comment: the term “ethnic cleansing” is not outlawed by any international treaty. It has no status in international law. HRW should expunge it from its lexicon. “Ethnic cleansing” is a term invented by Slobodan Milosevic to deny charges of forced deportation and genocide. HRW should call a genocide GENOCIDE. Why does HRW always avoid using the G- word?] The United States proposed the sanctions in August to the Security Council's Sudan Sanctions Committee, which operates by consensus. The two men were added to the designation list on November 8 following discussions among member states. In a May report about abuses in the city of El Geneina, the capital of the West Darfur state, Human Rights Watch identified and called for sanctions against Barakallah as one of those with command responsibility over the forces that carried out war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN Security Council Panel of Experts on the Sudan had similarly documented in a January report that Barakallah was in El Geneina during the critical period of abuses in the city, between April and June 2023. He was also in Ardamata, a suburb of the city, in November, when RSF forces rampaged the internal displacement camp there, killing and unlawfully detaining civilians. The US had imposed visa restrictions on Barakallah in September 2023, but the UN Security Council sanctions were the first instance of financial consequences being imposed on Barakallah. Since then, the US has also imposed financial sanctions on him. The US had also sanctioned Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed in May 2024 for crimes committed in the context of fighting in El Fasher. The UN sanctions on commanders who bear responsibility for the RSF’s war crimes and crimes against humanity are a positive move to address the impunity surrounding those who have committed atrocities in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch reported that forces of Sudan’s warring parties feel so immune to punishment that they have repeatedly filmed themselves executing, torturing, and dehumanizing detainees and mutilating dead bodies. The Security Council should continue to sanction those responsible for grave abuses and take action against individuals and entities that are violating the existing Darfur arms embargo with impunity, Human Rights Watch said. In September, Human Rights Watch reported that apparently newly acquired equipment produced by companies registered in China, Iran, Russia, Serbia, and the UAE had landed in the hands of the RSF and the SAF. “The building blocks for accountability put in place through these new sanctions should reinvigorate the Security Council to fulfil its mandate to prevent further atrocities in Darfur,” Charbonneau said. “The Security Council’s decision should form part of a broader strategy to end widespread abuses in Sudan, including by sanctioning others responsible for violations and expanding the Darfur arms embargo to the whole of Sudan to curb the flow of arms likely to be used in further abuses.” [Genocide Watch comment: A draft UN Security Council Resolution proposed by the International Religious Freedom/ Alliance Against Genocide Genocide Working Group in July-November 2024 would authorize re-establishment of the joint UN/AU Mission in Sudan with 10,000 troops and 715 police officers with a primary mandate to protect civilians and with authority to arrest Sudanese commanders charged by the ICC. Genocide Watch sent the draft resolution to every member state in the UN Security Council and met with the UN Missions of Switzerland, Slovenia, France, etc. The UK and US could not find time to meet with us. The UNSC Resolution proposed by the UK and Sierra Leone was so weak it would have done nothing but scold the perpetrators. Nevertheless14 members of the Security Council voted for it on November 18, but Russia vetoed it. That's what happens when a member of the Perm-5 that is committing genocide itself in Ukraine has a veto in the UN Security Council .] Copyright 2024 Human Rights Watch

Arrest warrant sought for Myanmar Commander-in-Chief for Rohingya crimes Rohingya refugees cross the border near a village in southern Bangladesh. (9 October 2017) ©UNHCR/Roger Arnold UN News  27 November 2024   By Vibhu Mishra Law and Crime Prevention The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has filed an application for an arrest warrant against Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar’s armed forces and Acting President, alleging his involvement in crimes against humanity targeting the Rohingya population. The move,  announced  on Wednesday, follows a comprehensive investigation by the ICC into the 2016 and 2017 waves of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine province targeting the minority Muslim Rohingya community. “My Office has concluded that  there are reasonable grounds to believe that Senior General and Acting President Min Aung Hlaing bears criminal responsibility for the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya , committed in Myanmar, and in part in Bangladesh,” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said in a  statement . The charges stem from alleged crimes committed between 25 August and 31 December 2017 by Myanmar’s armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, in coordination with police forces, border guards and some non-Rohingya civilians. China's President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services General Min Aung Hlaing in Beijing – DVB Creator: CHINA DAILY | Credit: REUTERS Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has been in power since February 2021, when the  military overthrew the elected government  in Myanmar arresting hundreds of officials, political leaders and activists. Countless accounts of atrocities In addition to driving over one million Rohingya to flee their homes and seek refuge in Bangladesh, there were  countless accounts of atrocities , including systematic killings of some 10,000 Rohingya men, women, children and newborns. There were also  horrific reports of gender-based violence  against women and girls, including rape and sexual violence, and more than 300 villages were burnt to the ground. The then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, called the brutal campaign a “ textbook example of ethnic cleansing .” [Genocide Watch comment: Genocide Watch rejects the term “ethnic cleansing”, which is not outlawed by any international treaty. The correct term is forced deportation, which is a crime against humanity under the ICC Statute.] First application, more to follow “This is the first application for an arrest warrant against a high-level Myanmar government official that my Office is filing. More will follow,” Mr. Khan stated. The Prosecutor’s case is built on extensive evidence, including testimonies from insider witnesses, documentary proof and scientific and visual materials, gathered with support from states, civil society, and international organizations. Mr. Khan expressed his appreciation for the “confidence and the steadfast commitment” from the Rohingya community for their cooperation. He also noted that the support of Government of Bangladesh, and the cooperation of the UN  Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar  (IIMM) has been essential to advancing the investigation. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan speaking from the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, southern Bangladesh. Rohingya voices at the centre He also highlighted his visits to refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, southern Bangladesh, where he engaged with survivors, youth activists and elders who shared their stories and demanded justice. “ Our work, the work of the  International Criminal Court , seeks to vindicate their resilience and their hope in the power of the law ,” he said. During his first visit to Cox’s Bazar in February 2022, Mr. Khan announced plans to accelerate investigations and provide additional resources. He emphasized that today’s developments reflected that renewed focus. Next steps The decision to issue the arrest warrant now rests with the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I judges, who will determine if the evidence meets the threshold for action. If approved, the Prosecutor will work with the ICC Registrar to coordinate efforts for Min Aung Hlaing’s arrest. Mr. Khan reiterated his commitment to justice for the Rohingya, vowing to submit additional applications in the coming months. “We will be demonstrating, together with all of our partners, that the  Rohingya have not been forgotten. That they, like all people around the world, are entitled to the protection of the law. ” Rohingya refugees setting up temporary shelters among rice fields in southern Bangladesh, after fleeing brutal violence in Myanmar. (September 2017) IOM/Saikat Biswas About the ICC The International Criminal Court (ICC) is not part of the United Nations, but they have a cooperative and complementary relationship. The ICC is an independent judicial body established by the  Rome Statute , which was adopted in 1998 and  came into force  in 2002. The Court was established to address serious international crimes and ensure accountability when national justice systems are unable or unwilling to act.

Photo Credit : (Ahmad Gharabli / Getty). The Armenian car park in the Old City of Jerusalem in December 2023. In July 2021, the Armenian Patriarchate   signed  a deal with Israeli real-estate company Xana Gardens to build a hotel on 25% of the land that comprises Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter. This portion of land is known as   Goverou Bardez , or, the Cow’s Garden. It has historically served as a sanctuary for Armenian   refugees  following the Armenian Genocide. The Cow’s Garden is also home to an Armenian church and five family residences.   Following backlash from the Armenian community, the Patriarchate   canceled  the land deal on October 26, 2023. Since then, Xana Gardens has sent bulldozers and   aggressive  company representatives to illegally seize the Cow’s Garden.   Armenians have lived in the Armenian Quarter since the fourth century. It is also the   oldest  Armenian diaspora community in the world. For over 1,600 years, the community has   persisted  against the construction of Jewish-only settlements in Jerusalem. Armenians, as well as other Jerusalemite Christians, have faced decades of verbal and physical   harassment  in the city. Extremists regularly vandalize the Armenian Quarter with hateful   graffiti , such as, “Death to Arabs and their Armenian Friends” and they also attack   Armenian families.   Jerusalemite Armenians are fighting for their personal and cultural survival. Kegham Balian, born and raised in the Armenian Quarter, is the communications director for an organization called   Save the ARQ  that protests for the right to keep the Armenian Quarter in Armenian hands. Balian, as well as other members of the community, created a   base  in a demolished parking lot in the Cow’s Garden where they host protests against Israeli encroachment. Kerkonian Dajani LLP , a law firm in Illinois, USA, represents the Armenian Quarter in its battle against Xana Gardens. Save the ARQ’s   supporters  include Muslim and Jewish community members.   Xana Gardens is allegedly connected   to far-right Israeli activists who help Jewish Israelis buy property in East Jerusalem and the Old City, which is where a majority of the city’s Muslims and Christians live. Armenians in Jerusalem are guardians of Christian history. Applying pressure to the already miniscule community could be disastrous to the future of Jerusalemite Christians; their fate hinges  on the outcome of this legal battle. The deal could result in Armenian community members’ displacement   from the Quarter as the homes surrounding Cow’s Garden are at risk in the land grab. Despite the ongoing court case, armed settlers, the police, and company representatives have tried to force bulldozing efforts.   After facing a   genocide  in September 2023 and continued   cultural erasure  at the hands of Azerbaijan, it is imperative that world leaders prioritize Armenian survival. Allowing Xana Gardens to seize the Cow’s Garden sets a precedent for continued land encroachment that   threatens  the wider Christian community in Jerusalem and the city’s multicultural history.   Recommendations: Support Save the ARQ and community members on the ground by donating   to their Legal Defense Fund and following their social media   updates Israeli courts must ensure that members of the Armenian Quarter are protected from outside harassment , including from law enforcement, for the duration of the legal battle Israel must cease all efforts to expand settlements at the expense of non-Jews and commit to protecting all peoples of all faiths

Over four years after al-Kaniat armed group was ousted from the Libyan city of Tarhouna leaving mass graves in its wake, justice and adequate reparations remain elusive for survivors and relatives of victims of its merciless reign of terror involving mass unlawful killings, torture and enforced disappearances, Amnesty International said in a new report published today. “Every day we die a thousand times”: Impunity for crimes against humanity in Tarhouna, Libya finds there to be reasonable grounds to believe that al-Kaniat committed the crimes against humanity of murder, torture, enforced disappearance and unlawful imprisonment,  as part of their planned, systematic and large-scale attack against the civilian population of Tarhouna between 2015 and 2020, in the aim of maintaining their control over the area.  In an important step towards justice, in October 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced arrest warrants against six people for their alleged responsibility in war crimes in Tarhouna, but they remain at large and/or yet to be surrendered to the court. “Four years after the ousting of al-Kaniat from Tarhouna, people are still reeling from the armed group’s campaign of terror. Survivors know such crimes could not have been committed without the complicity of successive governments, de facto authorities, powerful militias and armed groups in Libya,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “The Libyan government and Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) must publicly apologize to survivors and victims’ relatives and ensure that all receive full reparations, including financial compensation, without discrimination, and cooperate in the arrest and handover of suspects to the ICC. Members of the international community should press the Libyan authorities to stop integrating members of armed groups or militias into state institutions without individualized vetting to exclude those reasonably suspected of crimes under international law, pending criminal investigations, and ensure that horrific crimes like those committed in Tarhouna will not be repeated.” Survivors know such crimes could not have been committed without the complicity of successive governments, de facto authorities, powerful militias and armed groups in Libya. -Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International Al-Kaniat’s crimes were enabled, first by the then internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), and subsequently by its rival, the self-proclaimed LAAF, both of which provided them support, legitimacy and funding. Between February 2022 and October 2024, Amnesty International interviewed 74 individuals, including former detainees, victims’ relatives and forensic experts. Based on their testimonies and other evidence collected during visits to Tarhouna and Tripoli, the organization documented the cases of 159 individuals from 23 extended families, who were abducted by al-Kaniat between 2012 and 2020, and later unlawfully killed or remain forcibly disappeared. Families Torn apart through murder, enforced disappearances, and forced displacement Al-Kaniat maintained their brutal stranglehold over Tarhouna by eliminating any actual or potential rivals and critics, and targeting their entire extended families. Al-Kaniat would abduct and unlawfully kill all the men in a family. Then, at gunpoint, order the rest of their extended families to leave Tarhouna, an abusive practice amounting to forced displacement. Al-Kaniat would then seize all their property and assets. The majority of abductions were carried out between April 2019 and June 2020 when al-Kaniat were operating under the LAAF. According to the General Authority for Search and Identification of Missing Persons(GASIMP) most of the 343 bodies recovered and examined after al-Kaniat’s defeat bore gunshot wounds, mainly to the head or upper body, and most had their hands tied behind their back and/or were hooded or blindfolded. Zahra Abdel Aal Farjani, whose brother was unlawfully killed a few days after his abduction by al-Kaniat in 2017 The evidence available to Amnesty International also suggests that, in addition to crimes against humanity, many of the acts perpetrated by al-Kaniat, including murder, seizure of property without military necessity and forced displacement, also violate international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes. The fate and whereabouts of at least 68 people seized by al-Kaniat remain unknown to date, according to the Tarhouna Victims Association (TVA). The suffering of families of victims has been compounded by the failure of the Libya authorities to grant them adequate reparation. Only 37 families received financial support from a state body mandated to support “martyrs”. Other families told Amnesty International that their efforts to secure compensation were met with bureaucratic obstacles, delays or refusals. Women and Children Not Spared Most of those abducted and unlawfully killed were civilians, including at least four women and three children. Al-Kaniat abducted Abdelali al-Fellus and his four sons from their home on 3 April 2020, unlawfully killing him and three of the boys – Mohammed, 10; Abdelmalik, 14; and Abdelrahman, 15. Their mother, Ghazal Miftah, learned of the killings from her surviving child, then eight-year-old Mouadh: “They [al-Kaniat] put them against the fence and shot them dead, all four of them, and little Mouadh was forced to watch… He remains traumatized to this day.” On 5 April 2020, al-Kaniat abducted three sisters from the Harouda family: Hawa (known as Rahma), 46; Leila (known as Salma), 45; and Reem, 37, a mother of four who was pregnant at the time. Their relatives believe they were targeted due to their brother’s involvement with anti-Kaniat militias. The sisters’ bodies were found together on 22 January 2021 in a mass grave. The family did not receive any financial compensation, despite winning a court case ordering the Tripoli-based government to pay the family LYD 1.5 million (USD 310,623). Torture Al-Kaniat subjected those they abducted to torture and other inhumane acts, including beatings with water pipes, whips and rifle butts; sexual violence; and electric shocks. In February 2022, Amnesty International visited “Boxat”, an agricultural compound that was used as a makeshift detention facility. Detainees were forcibly placed inside small, box-like structures without access to toilets and enough food. Al-Kaniat fighters lit fires on top of the structures, exposing detainees to extreme heat and suffocation from fumes. “Malek”, who was detained at the Judicial Police prison in Tahouna, said that al-Kaniat fighters used a torture method known as “balanco” which involved hanging him by the wrists before violently dropping him to the ground: “They started giving me electric shocks, to my body, to my genitals… I told them everything they wanted to hear.” Hala Harouda, whose brothers Hisham and Hani Harouda were abducted by al-Kaniat in 2016, never to be seen again Justice Since the capture of Tarhouna by GNA forces in June 2020, the Tripoli-based prosecution announced investigations and the issuing of 400 arrest warrants. However these investigations did not examine the role, complicity and command responsibility of officials and militia leaders who remain in power. At least 29 individuals, only five of whom are detained, have been convicted and sentenced to death or prison terms following unfair trials by civilian and military courts in western Libya for a range of crimes related to al-Kaniat’s reign. The notorious Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime militia, which has a well-documented record of involvement in torture and other serious violations, has been involved in evidence collection and the detention of suspects, including of Abdelbari Al Shaqaqi, wanted by the ICC, which risks perverting the course of justice.  © 2024 Amnesty International

Responding to the Ethiopian authorities’ suspension of three prominent human rights organizations — Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE), Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) — Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said: “Amnesty International condemns the suspension of AHRE, CARD and LHR based on vague and unsubstantiated allegations of ‘lack of political neutrality’ and ‘engaging against the national interest’. Such allegations have long been used by the Ethiopian authorities as tools to suppress civil society organizations. The federal government should immediately reverse these suspensions, which are in violation of the human rights to association and freedom of expression and should never have happened in the first place. Amnesty International condemns the suspension of AHRE, CARD and LHR based on vague and unsubstantiated allegations of ‘lack of political neutrality’ and ‘engaging against the national interest’. Such allegations have long been used by the Ethiopian authorities as tools to suppress civil society organizations. -Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa “Amid reports of escalating conflict, mass arbitrary detentions and forced evictions, the role of civil society and media is more critical in Ethiopia than ever. The suspension of these three prominent human rights organizations highlights a growing crackdown on civic space, compounded by the lack of accountability for recent targeting of human rights defenders. The UN Human Rights Council must urgently revisit its approach on Ethiopia and take steps towards establishing a mechanism to investigate, document and preserve evidence of human rights violations committed in the Amhara, Oromia and Tigray armed conflicts -Tigere Chagutah “The international community must act decisively. Ethiopia’s development partners should abandon their ‘policy of no policy’ stance following the expiration of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia’s mandate and prioritize human rights in their engagement with the government. The UN Human Rights Council must urgently revisit its approach on Ethiopia and take steps towards establishing a mechanism to investigate, document and preserve evidence of human rights violations committed in the Amhara, Oromia and Tigray armed conflicts.” Background On 14 November 2024, the Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) suspended CARD, citing alleged political bias and activities contrary to national interests. The use of these vaguely worded restrictions to curtail freedom of association is contrary to Ethiopia’s regional and international human rights law obligations. CARD denies the accusations, highlighting procedural irregularities and affirming its commitment to impartiality and human rights. On 21 November 2024, ACSO issued similar suspension notices to Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) and the Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE). Both organizations reject the claims and are pursuing legal remedies to resume their operations. © 2024 Amnesty International