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	In landmark ruling, ICC finds Congolese warlord guilty of recruiting child soldiers by International Criminal Court (ICC) & agencies   14 March 2012   The International Criminal Court (ICC) today found Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo guilty of recruiting child soldiers, in a landmark ruling hailed by United Nations officials as an important step in the fight against impunity.   The verdict is the first ever to be issued by the ICC, the first permanent international court set up to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression, since it was set up a decade ago.   The Court’s trial chamber found Mr. Lubanga Dyilo guilty of the war crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 into the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo, and using them to participate actively in hostilities in Ituri in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from September 2002 to August 2003.   “A common plan was agreed by Mr. Lubanga Dyilo and his co-perpetrators to build an army for the purpose of establishing and maintaining political and military control over Ituri. This resulted in boys and girls under the age of 15 being conscripted and enlisted, and used to participate actively in hostilities,” stated a news release issued by the Court, which is based in The Hague.   The verdict was hailed by senior UN officials as a victory for the protection of children in conflict and a major milestone in the fight against impunity.   “Today, impunity ends for Thomas Lubanga and those who recruit and use children in armed conflict,” said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy.   “In this age of global media, today’s verdict will reach warlords and commanders across the world and serve as a strong deterrent,” she added.   The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) applauded the decision, which makes Mr. Lubanga Dyilo the first warlord to face international justice for using children as weapons of war.   “This is a pivotal victory for the protection of children in conflict,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, adding that the conviction of Mr. Lubanga Dyilo “sends a clear message to all armed groups that enslave and brutalize children: impunity will not be tolerated.”   Noting that tens of thousands of children are still victims of these grave violations in at least 15 armed conflicts around the world, the agency said it will continue efforts to rescue these children and rehabilitate them.   In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized the need for the international community to continue with its efforts to put an end to impunity. He also urged the Congolese authorities to continue to strengthen their efforts to hold accountable all perpetrators of gross human rights violations.   UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the decision is “a great step forward” for international justice.   “For many years, and on a daily basis, we have been documenting gross violations of human rights of the sort perpetrated by Lubanga against the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” she said.   “The Lubanga verdict sends a strong signal against impunity for such grave breaches of international law that will reverberate well beyond the DRC.”   Also welcoming the decision was the head of the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO), who stressed that sends “a powerful message to the individuals responsible for grave human rights violations that they will be held accountable for their actions.”   Roger Meece, who is also the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in DRC, strongly urged national authorities to pursue actively investigations and hold to account all who have committed human rights violations.   A separate sentencing hearing for Mr. Lubanga Dyilo will be held at a date to be announced.   The ICC can try cases involving individuals charged with war crimes committed since July 2002. The DRC is one of seven situations under investigation by the Court, along with Central African Republic (CAR), Côte d’Ivoire, the Darfur region of western Sudan, Libya, Uganda and Kenya.   May 2012   Joint NGO Letter to Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders on Bosco Ntaganda.   We, the 142 undersigned Congolese and international civil society and human rights organizations, call on the government of Belgium to provide urgent diplomatic leadership and support to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to arrest Bosco Ntaganda.   Ntaganda’s brutal human rights abuses over many years have affected tens of thousands of Congolese citizens in eastern Congo. His position as a high-ranking officer in the Congolese army, together with his ability to continue to perpetrate abuses is the most flagrant case of Congo’s destructive culture of impunity.   http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/05/03/joint-ngo-letter-belgian-minister-foreign-affairs-didier-reynders-bosco-ntaganda Visit the related web page
	Ongoing Syria violence completely "unacceptable" by Reuters & agencies   April 8 (Reuters)   International mediator Kofi Annan said on Sunday an "unacceptable" escalation in violence in Syria violated guarantees made to him and called on Damascus to keep its promises to end the bloodshed.   The special envoy for the United Nations and Arab League urged both Syrian forces and opposition fighters to halt all forms of violence by 6 a.m Damascus time (0300 GMT) on April 12, in line with his six-point peace plan agreed on March 27.   "I am shocked by recent reports of a surge in violence and atrocities in several towns and villages in Syria, resulting in alarming levels of casualties, refugees and displaced persons, in violation of assurances given to me," Annan said in a statement issued by his Geneva office.   Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shelled an area in the province of Idlib near the border with Turkey on Sunday, killing and injuring dozens of people, opposition activists said.   A peace plan drawn up by Annan requires Assad to "begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centres" by April 10 for a truce to start 48 hours later. But that looks in doubt as the violence continues as the deadline approaches.   "I remind the Syrian government of the need for full implementation of its commitments and stress that the present escalation of violence is unacceptable," Annan said.   "This is a time when we must all urgently work towards a full cessation of hostilities, providing the space for humanitarian access and creating the conditions for a political process to address the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people," he said.   March 13, 2012   Call for action after women, children massacred in Homs.   Syria"s main opposition group has called for urgent foreign intervention following the discovery of dozens of women and children massacred in the city of Homs. Grim footage posted online shows what are said to be 47 bodies, many women and children.   Both the Syrian opposition says it was the work of the pro-government Shabiha militia. The bodies, some with their hands bound, were found in the Karm el Zeytoun district of Homs.   "Some of the children had been hit with blunt objects on their head, one little girl was mutilated, and some women were raped before being killed," Homs activist Hadi Abdallah said.   A Homs medical worker working in the neighbourhood of Khalidiya told the Reuters news agency: "I saw two females who were raped, one was around 12 or 13 years old," said the medic. "Some of the bodies I saw, the children, had their throats slit."   Opposition activist Sami Ibrahim said women and children were separated from men during the massacre."I don"t have words to describe what"s going on," he said. "They started killing the children and we have documented all of this by photo. Children are killed, in front of their mother"s eyes."   The opposition Syrian National Council has called for a no-fly zone over Syria. "We demand intervention by countries to protect civilians," council spokesman George Sabra told reporters at a news conference in Istanbul.   "We demand the establishment of secured humanitarian corridors and zones to protect the civilians. We demand implementation of a no-fly zone over entire Syria to prevent Assad forces from continuing massacres."   In a statement, the council said that allies of Syria"s president Bashar al-Assad shared responsibility for the crimes committed by his regime - a clear reference to Russia and China, which have vetoed UN Security Council resolutions on the crisis.   Special UN Envoy Mr Kofi Annan has called on world powers to unite to end the violence in Syria. "Killings of civilians must end now. The world must send a clear and united message that this is simply unacceptable," he said.   Russia and China have previously blocked attempts to pass a Security Council resolution condemning Damascus for its attempts to crush the rebellion.   Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Arab League members, expressed their grave concerns at the ongoing violence.   Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, gave her first public account of what she had witnessed in Syria, saying that "no building was untouched" in Baba Amr and "there was clear evidence of the use of heavy artillery and tanks".   The district was "deserted" and there was no sign of what had become of its 60-70,000 inhabitants, added Ms Amos. She called on the regime to urgently allow "unhindered access" for aid agencies.   The UN Human Rights Council said that the bombardment of Baba Amr had amounted to "collective punishment" of a civilian population. In a new report on Syria"s violence, it accused the regime of torturing its opponents inside hospitals, rendering many people too afraid to seek treatment for their wounds.   "The commission documented evidence that sections of Homs Military Hospital and al-Ladhiqiyah State Hospital had been transformed into torture centres," said the UN report. "Security agents, in some cases joined by medical staff, chained seriously injured patients to their beds, electrocuted them, beat wounded parts of their body or denied them medical attention and water."   March 2012   Syrian troops accused of using children as human shields.   Syrian troops have been accused of using children as human shields and using helicopters to fire on civilians during the ongoing violence in the country.   Army tanks are out in force in flashpoint areas including Homs, Hama and Idlib, as world powers continue to push for a peaceful solution to the conflict.   A Human Rights Watch report has accused soldiers of using civilians as human shields by forcing them to walk in front of them as they advance on rebel areas. The report says children have also been placed on army tanks, presumably to prevent soldiers from coming under fire.   Footage has also emerged that shows a Syrian helicopter using gunfire in attacks near the northern city of Azaz. Rights groups say at least 50 people have been killed across the country over the past two days.   Some of the worst fighting in recent days has been at Sermin, a small town in northern Idlib. Locals say around 2,000 Syrian troops backed by scores of tanks spent two days going from house to house, hunting down opposition supporters.   Residents of one house say soldiers dragged three people onto the street and shot them with machine guns before dousing them with petrol and setting them on fire for everyone to see. Visit the related web page
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