The video itself is far too grisly for us to post here without warning, as it appears to contain a horrifying instance of cannibalism by a commander within the Syrian opposition, the removal and eating of a dead opponent’s heart, while espousing sectarian insults towards Bashar al-Assad. Said Nadim Houry, the Middle East deputy director for Human Rights Watch: “It is not enough for Syria’s opposition to condemn such behavior or blame it on violence by the government,” Houry said. “The opposition forces need to act firmly to stop such abuses.”
U.N. human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria’s civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the lead investigators said on Sunday.
The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law, said commission member Carla Del Ponte.
“Our investigators have been in neighbouring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,” Del Ponte said in an interview with Swiss-Italian television.
A total of three possible chemical attacks have been reported thus far, and several U.S. officials apparently still maintain varying levels of certainty that the Assad regime is responsible for at least one attack. That said, it will be interesting to see how the Obama Administration reacts should incontrovertible proof emerge, particularly given previous declarations that such attacks from the Syrian government would cross a “red line.”
U.S. intelligence agencies now believe that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime has used chemical weapons in its struggle to hold onto power, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday.
Hagel said that the White House sent a letter to members of Congress on Thursday morning disclosing that intelligence agencies had made that assessment, which followed a series of similar conclusions reached by Britain, France and most recently Israel.
It is believed that the White House plans to increase pressure on the U.N. to get more involved in Syria, rather than involve the U.S. military; however, as Politico notes, the use of chemical weapons doesn’t appear to be the “red line” that the Obama administration once claimed.
I was informed of these crimes, but I plead not guilty. …I was a soldier in the Congo.Alleged Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda • Denying the horrific war crimes charges he faces, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Ntaganda has been wanted for nearly two decades, considered one of the most brutal rebellion commanders of the Democratic Republic of Congo — nicknamed “The Terminator,” no less. Ntaganda clearly sought to downplay that reputation, presenting himself as a mere “soldier” when questioned by the judge, but the charges against him and arguments of his prosecution run much deeper than that — he stands charged with murder, rape, sex slavery, and the use of child soldiers. source
We have been clear that the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people would be a serious and tragic mistake. The Assad regime must understand that they will be held accountable for the use of chemical weapons or their transfer to terrorists.President Barack Obama - Commenting on the alleged usage of chemical weapons in attacks which left 25 dead and dozens injured in the Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday. Both those loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian opposition forces have blamed their opponents for the attack; however, the perpetrators of Tuesday’s attack remain a mystery at this time. Many suspect the Assad regime, given previous reports about the Syrian government’s possession of such weapons, but calls for a formal investigation into the attack have gone unanswered thus far. source
Syrian leaders should be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face justice for murder and torture, UN investigators urged on Monday as the EU renewed its blanket arms embargo on both sides in Syria’s bloody conflict.
Britain, however, secured the agreement of its partners to make it easier to supply “non-lethal” equipment and training to maintain security in rebel-held areas, which was not previously possible. But it had not sought agreement to send weapons, Whitehall officials insisted, rejecting claims from Brussels that it had.
Unfortunately, efforts to bring justice to the Syrian leadership loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are unlikely to go anywhere, because they requires the full support of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members. Considering Russia and China’s previous reluctance to support Western intervention in Syria, it’s unlikely that either will suddenly be supportive of charging the Assad regime with war crimes.
Not to go to the UN would be suicidal for the Palestinian Authority. All these people [in Gaza] took the brunt of the attack and now we should chicken out because they [the US and Israel] will cut off some money? What we’re doing is not violent; it’s not military; it’s not illegal. The world should see that if they keep maintaining the status quo, it will get you nothing but more bloodshed. That’s the lesson from Gaza.Senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath - Assuring the Guardian’s Chris McGreal that Palestinians’ resolve to seek recognition of statehood from the United Nations would be broken by monetary threats. Several countries, most notably the US and UK, have been pressuring the Palestinian Authority to make various concessions ahead of its next attempt to gain international recognition on November 29. Much of the concern allegedly stems from the Israeli’s government’s fear that it will be dragged before the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges related to the Gaza offensive that took place four years ago. source
Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based opposition watchdog the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that four people in Aleppo had told him of the incident which happened on either Friday or Saturday.
“The soldiers were from the Aleppo district of Sekenat Hanano but they were killed in the district of Sabaa Baharat,” he said by telephone.
The videos showed rebel fighters holding assault rifles standing around the dead men, calling them “(President Bashar al-) Assad’s Dogs.”
“The Suleiman al-Farisi brigade … killed several members from the (state) security,” a man said off camera, filming a car with the name of the brigade written on the bonnet.
This isn’t the first time that war crimes have been reported, by either side of the Syrian conflict, though its never welcome news when new stories break. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that the total number of casualties in Syria has now topped 27,300, 19,500 of whom were civilians, during the 17-month-old uprising.
It is important in our view that those responsible for criminal misconduct on a massive scale are not given a volume discount.Prosecutor Brenda Hollis • Discussing why it was likely that she would appeal the decision by the Special Court for Sierra Leone to sentence former Liberian leader Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison for war crimes charges. (Hollis had wanted an 80-year sentence.) Taylor’s lawyers also plan to appeal. One point to be made here — Taylor is the first former head of state since World War II to be convicted of war crimes, and as a result, the court had no frame of reference in sentencing him. (edit for correction)
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Taylor was found guilty of aiding Sierra Leone rebels: Charles Taylor, a longtime Liberian leader who resigned in 2003 under heavy international pressure, was convicted by an international court Thursday of helping aid rebel fighters in Sierra Leone, providing them with weaponry and moral support in exchange for “blood diamonds.” While Taylor himself was not responsible for committing war crimes himself, his actions led to war crimes happening. ”The accused knew of atrocities being perpetrated against civlisans in Sierre Leone and of propensity to commit crimes,” said Judge Richard Lussick. “Notwithstanding such knowledge, the accused continued to provide support to the RUF during the period crimes were committed.” Taylor is the first African leader to be convicted in a war crimes trial. (Photo by Peter DeJong/AFP/Getty Images)
Libyan leader pledges respect for human rights: On Monday, Amnesty International released a report on Libya’s past six months of warfare. It found that while pro-Gaddafi forces committed widespread war crimes, there were also incidences of such crimes within the Libyan rebellion – torture, disappearances, and the mass killing of prisoners among them. The leader of Libya’s interim council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, has responded by vowing the new government will respect human rights (though it won’t be a secular one, as he says Libya will remain a moderate Islamic nation), and pledged to investigate claims of war crimes committed by his own fighters. source
[Dick Cheney]’s developed an angst and almost a protective cover, and now he fears being tried as a war criminal.Colin Powell’s former chief of staff, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson • He also contends that Cheney “was president for all practical purposes for the first term of the Bush administration,” something critics have long-alleged. source (via • follow)
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