Maina Sunawar was 15 years old when members of the Nepalese armed forces arbitrarily arrested her. Since that date – February 17, 2004 – she has disappeared. All the evidence indicates that she was tortured to death by members of the military, who have since sought to deny her arrest and cover up her death. It is thought that Maina was detained because the military were searching for her mother, Devi Sunuwar, who reportedly witnessed the killing of two young girls, one of whom ha... Read Full Story
The murder of Russian human rights activist Natalia Estemirova shows that life in Chechnya – although more peaceful than it was a decade ago – can still be brutal, says Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. Now Natalia herself has become a victim of the brutality she had worked so fearlessly to document
Most recently, Natalia had been investigating a killing by a government death squad in a small village in southern Chechnya. Natalia was the person they all came to, to tell of a missing son or ... Read Full Story
The toxic fallout of a grisly army scandal continues to spread in Colombia, as more soldiers are arrested over their alleged roles. In recent days another three colonels have been arrested, bringing the total number of military personnel captured to at least 22.
The “false positives” scandal has revealed that the army murdered civilians, who were then dressed in rebel uniforms or given guns. They were then presented as guerrillas or paramilitaries killed in combat.
These allowed u... Read Full Story
Zimbabwe human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko has been ordered back to jail for plotting to topple President Robert Mugabe, her lawyer said.
Ms Mukoko is among 18 leading activists to be detained just two months after they were released on bail. The activists say they were tortured into making false confessions. The party of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has warned that the move could threaten the future of Zimbabwe’s power-sharing government.
“Today’s ruling seriously ... Read Full Story
Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic is pressing Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt for information the suspected war criminal says will help prove he’d been promised immunity by the United States.
Karadzic wants both Sweden and the United States to be forced to provide evidence confirming the immunity deal he claims he was granted.
He requested the UN’s war crimes court to press the two countries for the evidence of the deal in a court submission Monday. “The information... Read Full Story
Bosco Ntaganda has been indicted for allegedly recruiting child soldiers
An indicted war criminal is playing a leading role in the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to documents seen by the BBC.
A Congolese army paper suggests ex-rebel leader Gen Bosco Ntaganda has a major part in the command chain, says a BBC correspondent in the country.
The UN-Congolese force is fighting Hutu rebels in the eastern DR Congo.
The force says Congolese authorities have given assurance... Read Full Story
Troops in the Central African Republic killed up to 30 civilians in February to deter rebels, a BBC investigation on both sides of the border has found.
Witnesses say government soldiers killed 21 people in the village of Sokumba, in the Ndele area, about 70km (44 miles) from the border with Chad. Some 18,000 refugees have crossed the border into Chad to escape the conflict, says the UN refugee agency. The Central African Republic (CAR) army declined to respond to the allegations.
Other human... Read Full Story
A United Nations employee was caught with child pornography as he entered the country last week at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
Jose Antonio Ortega Osona, 40, a Spanish citizen who lives in New York, pleaded guilty Friday in Dartmouth provincial court to a Criminal Code charge of possessing child pornography and a Customs Act charge of smuggling prohibited goods.
Associate Chief Judge Brian Gibson, after giving Mr. Ortega Osona double credit for the nine days he spent on remand, s... Read Full Story
Iran’s judiciary chief has ordered a “quick and fair” appeal for US-Iranian reporter Roxana Saberi, jailed last week for eight years for spying. Ayatollah Shahrudi said different aspects of the case “should be fairly, accurately and quickly considered”.
His order came after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the journalist must have the legal right to defend herself.
The journalist originally faced the less serious accusation of buying alcohol, and later of work... Read Full Story
