#GlobalJustice Weekly – Kenya non-cooperation referred to ASP | Timbuktu destruction verdict due
Kenya non-cooperation referred to Assembly of States Parties
Civil society has called for stronger enforcement of cooperation in the international justice system following a key International Criminal Court (ICC) ruling last week in the now-dropped case against Uhuru Kenyatta, president of Kenya.
ICC judges decided that the Kenyan government had failed to cooperate with the ICC prosecutor’s investigation into Kenyatta’s role in post-election violence in Kenya in 2007-08. They referred the matter to the ICC’s governing body, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) for further action.
Ahead of the Assembly’s annual session this November, Human Rights Watch said the ASP must ensure a consistent and effective approach toward states who do not cooperate with the Court.
“The ICC has squarely called out Kenya’s breach of its obligations to the ICC […] ICC member countries should make sure the message is heard in Nairobi that they will not turn a blind eye to the government’s obstruction of justice,” said Human Rights Watch Associate International Justice Director Elizabeth Evenson.
Kenya referred to ASP for non-cooperation – but will states step up enforcement
Verdict due in ICC Timbuktu destruction trial
The verdict in the ICC trial of suspected Islamist Ahmad al-Mahdi is to be announced on Tuesday, with the defendant having pled guilty to the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion.
ICC investigations
Democratic Republic of Congo: Congolese militia leader Bosco Ntaganda breaks his near two-week hunger strike, with his ICC trial having proceeded in his absence
ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda warns DRC actors that she will not hesitate to prosecute anybody who commits grave crimes in context of election violence
Kenya: On Monday, the chamber said the prosecution had made a valid case to refer Kenya to the ASP. The action might now lead to Kenya being discussed at an open plenary session of the ASP, as well as the body making a resolution against the country.
ICC preliminary examinations
Afghanistan: UK unit investigating war crimes allegations receives around 600 complaints, as PM Theresa May says she will not allow an “industry of vexatious allegations” against British troops.
Burundi: A group of cross-regional human rights NGOs called for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate and advance accountability for serious human rights abuses committed by all parties in Burundi since the start of the current crisis in April 2015
Colombia: Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebel leader Timochenko are set to sign an agreement ending a half-century war.
Campaign for Global Justice
A coalition of human rights groups called on African Union leaders to abandon plans to withdraw from the ICC.
The Coalition for the ICC is calling on Côte d’Ivoire and Nauru to adopt national laws to implement the ICC Rome Statute.
Around the world
The UN warned that an attack on an aid convoy in Syria, attempting to relieve the city of Aleppo, could be a war crime. War crimes investigators call on European governments to ease access to Syrian refugees in Europe.
UNHCR welcomes the significant new support committed by governments to improve protection and solutions for refugees at the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees
Renewed calls were made for an inquiry into alleged human rights violations in Yemen.
With the 70th anniversary of the end of the Nuremburg Trials this week, RightsInfo considers what relevance this first step in international law has.
