According to a U.N. investigator, the Taliban has weaponized the legal and judicial system to oppress women and girls, committing what amounts to crimes against humanity. The Taliban has suspended laws protecting women’s rights, dismissed female judges and replaced them with men lacking legal training, and assumed full control over law enforcement agencies. Women face a hostile environment within the court system, leading them to seek justice through male-dominated traditional mechanisms. As a result, women have virtually no rights, and international forums may offer the best hope for justice.
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A comprehensive report, compiled by Physicians for Human Rights and the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH), documents widespread sexual violence perpetrated by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers in Tigray. The research, based on medical records, health worker surveys, and interviews, reveals systematic attacks including mass rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, and sexual torture, targeting women and children. These atrocities were often intended to destroy the fertility of Tigrayan women. This report concludes that these acts constitute crimes against humanity and calls for international investigation into potential acts of genocide.
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Rodrigo Duterte won the Davao mayoral election by a landslide, securing over eight times more votes than his closest competitor, despite his ongoing ICC detention on charges of crimes against humanity. His victory, fueled by his reputation as a crime-fighter, underscores his enduring influence in Davao. This win comes amidst his arrest by Philippine police at the request of the ICC, sparking outrage among supporters. The Duterte family’s continued political dominance in Davao is significant, particularly given the impending impeachment trial facing his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
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Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in Manila on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for crimes against humanity related to his deadly anti-drug campaign. His daughter reported that he was forcibly taken onto a plane to The Hague, Netherlands, where the ICC is located. The warrant, confirmed by the ICC, charges Duterte with murder as a crime against humanity for actions allegedly committed between 2011 and 2019. Duterte’s arrest, following the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC, sparked both outrage from supporters and celebrations from victims’ families.
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Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 11th, pursuant to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. This arrest, stemming from an ICC crimes against humanity case related to Duterte’s drug war, makes him the first former head of state apprehended via an international tribunal order. The arrest followed an Interpol Red Notice and was facilitated through Interpol, despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC. The Marcos administration, while not directly cooperating with the ICC, fulfilled its Interpol obligations.
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A Swedish court sentenced 52-year-old Lina Ishaq to 12 years in prison for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed against the Yazidi minority in 2015. Ishaq, a Swedish citizen, held nine Yazidi victims, including six children, as slaves, restricting their movement and forcing them to perform labor. The court cited ISIL’s systematic enslavement of Yazidis as a crucial element in its sentencing, although the final sentence was reduced from 16 years to account for a prior conviction. This case marks Sweden’s first prosecution of ISIL-related crimes.
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, citing reasonable grounds to believe they bear criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the October 2023 conflict. The ICC found that Deif’s actions constituted crimes against humanity and war crimes, while Netanyahu and Gallant are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity as both co-perpetrators and superior commanders. Israel rejects the allegations, while the ICC’s decision now rests on member states for enforcement. The warrants stem from Hamas’s October attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military response.
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I cannot begin to express the disgust and disbelief I feel upon hearing about the case of Jennifer Wenisch, a German woman who recently lost her appeal of a 14-year sentence for allowing a 5-year-old Yazidi girl, whom she and her husband enslaved, to die of thirst in Iraq. The sheer inhumanity and cruelty displayed by this couple is beyond comprehension. This poor child, who had already suffered the trauma of having her family murdered and being sold as a slave, was left chained outside to perish simply because she wet the bed. It is a level of depravity that is difficult to fathom.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker