Law and Crime Prevention

Permanent headquarters of the International Criminal Court at The Hague. (file)
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

International Criminal Court oversight chief ‘deeply regrets’ US decision to target officials investigating Afghanistan war crimes

13 June 2020
Global

Responding to the decision of the United States Government to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials and their family members, O-Gon Kwon, President of the Assembly of States Parties, the body that oversees the ICC, denounced the measures which, he said, undermine the “endeavour to fight impunity and to ensure accountability for mass atrocities”.

Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), briefs Security Council members during the open video conference in connection with the International Criminal Court and Sudan.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Sudan: Indicted war crimes suspects must be brought to justice – ICC prosecutor

10 June 2020

Buoyed by the surrender of a key Darfur war crimes suspect, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is urging the Security Council to press Sudan to do more to bring other indicted persons – including ex-president Omar Al-Bashir – to justice.

A warrant for the arrest of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, was issued by the ICC in 2007.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson

Arrest of Sudanese war crimes suspect ‘extremely significant’: UN rights chief

9 June 2020

The arrest of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, commonly known as Ali Kushayb, an alleged former Janjaweed militia leader in the restive Darfur region of Sudan, has been hailed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as an “extremely significant development”.

Security Council members hold an open video conference in connection with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

‘Stand strong’ for justice over impunity, Security Council hears

8 June 2020

In tackling the myriad global challenges posed by COVID-19, the world must not ignore the perils of endemic hatred and division, and instead, “stand strong” in the face of those who favour impunity over justice, a senior UN judge told the Security Council on Monday.

Migrant workers in India cook a meal.
World Bank/Curt Carnemark

India must follow Supreme Court orders to protect 100 million migrant workers: UN rights experts 

4 June 2020
Asia Pacific

The Indian Government must urgently comply with a Supreme Court order to ensure the wellbeing of more than 100 million migrant workers, after coronavirus measures left them jobless, forcing them to travel long distances home, UN independent human rights experts said on Thursday.

Housing in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. (file)
Danilo Pinzon/World Bank

Philippines drug campaign directive seen as ‘permission to kill’: UN rights office

4 June 2020
Asia Pacific

A campaign to eradicate illegal drugs in the Philippines that began in 2016 has led to the killing of at least 8,600 people but the real figure could be three times that number, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Thursday. In a report citing “near-impunity” for the killings, which have continued along with other alleged abuses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN office noted that the High Commissioner for Human Rights stood ready to assist “credible efforts towards accountability”, both nationally and internationally.