Karadžić Genocide Trial Begins

The trial of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić began without him on October 26, the only one of the ‘big three’ from the Bosnian war of the 1990s that was captured. The main allegations against the former President of Republika Srpska relate to the 44-month “Siege of Sarajevo” - a sniping and shelling campaign designed to spread terror - that left over 10,000 dead, the July 1995 massacre of around 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, and the taking of UN personnel hostage to prevent NATO and international air strikes against Bosnian Serb military targets. He is also accused of having targeted Bosniak and Croat political leaders, intellectuals and professionals, unlawfully deporting and transferring civilians because of national or religious identity, and of having been responsible for the destruction of homes, businesses and sacred sites.

Afghan Amnesty Law

An amnesty law that prevents the prosecution of individuals responsible for large-scale human rights abuses has officially become law in Afghanistan. So the people that have been torchered for decades will never see their abusers behind bars where they should be. The blanket amnesty not only shields those involved in past violations, but seems to extend a similar reprieve to current armed groups engaging in acts of terrorism and hostility throughout the country, whom the law says will be granted immunity if they agree to reconciliation with the government. This is a huge set back for a country trying to rebuild itself. All the tererists are still running around being able to do what they want and will never get punished for it in Afghanastan.

Failure of Hummanity in Congo

Life is cheap in eastern Congo, one of Africa’s most dangerous areas, where humans are slaughtered like animals, women and girls are systematically raped, and children are commonly executed. The burning of villages, schools and churches a common occurrence. Sixty years since the end of the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations, events in Congo are a reminder that the system of collective security based around the UN is often still unable to save the lives of innocent civilians caught up in armed conflict. Even worse the United Nations itself is facing accusations of complicity in violations of international law.

Afgan War

2009 was the worst year since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 for civilians caught up in the armed conflict, with the number of Afghan civilians killed the highest of any year since the beginning of the war. The deaths of 1,630 innocent civilians, including at least 345 children were predominantly due to the insurgents and their indiscriminate use of roadside bombs and other terror tactics. NATO and Afghan troops were responsible for the 596 civilian deaths last year, which droped about 30 percent from 2008. There are fears that civilian deaths could increase as 30,000 US and NATO troops are due to surge Afganastan by the middle of 2010.