Will those responsible for atrocities in Syria finally face justice?
18/1/2025: Mandated by the UN, the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism has been amassing evidence of atrocities in Syria over recent years. Hopes are rising that the architects of the brutal former regime of Bashar al Assad will eventually be held accountable for their crimes.
Source: UN News
UNRWA chief welcomes Gaza ceasefire
17/1/2025: Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has warned that the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal is only the first step in addressing the region’s overwhelming humanitarian challenges. He is concerned about the dire consequences of Israeli legislation that would terminate UNRWA’s operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Source: UN News
Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has shaky foundation
16/1/2025: The power dynamics between Israel and Hamas are highly asymmetrical., given that Israel has the far superior military strength. However, from the first day of the agreement, large quantities of humanitarian aid, relief materials and fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza.
Source: The Conversation
Ceasefire will not repair lives shattered by Israel’s genocide in Gaza
15/1/2025: Reacting to the potential ceasefire agreement, Amnesty International regrets that the international community has failed to persuade Israel to comply with its legal obligations - and calls for immediate lifesaving supplies to reach all parts of the occupied Gaza Strip.
Source: Amnesty International
Call for European Commission to resist US sanctions on the ICC
15/1/2025: The inauguration of a new Trump Administration raises the possibility of US sanctions against the International Criminal Court, its officials, and those cooperating with it. Human Rights Watch is calling on the European Commission to defend and protect the Court, at a critical juncture for the rules-based international order.
Source: Human Rights Watch
We ignore Sudan at our peril
13/1/2025: Almost two years since the calamitous falling out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, Sudan is facing anarchy, famine, genocide – and ambivalence from the rest of the world. The UAE is the single biggest player in the war, providing the RSF with powerful weapons and drones.
Source: The Guardian
Rights investigators in Syria call for protection of evidence
20/12/2024: A team from the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria has called on caretaker authorities to take immediate measures to protect mass grave sites and preserve critical evidence. The Commission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Syria.
Source: UN News
Legal noose tightens on Myanmar junta
19/12/2024: Following numerous atrocities including alleged genocide against the Rohingya minority, the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor has lodged an application for an arrest warrant for Myanmar’s military junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing. But the practical impact of the potential arrest warrant remains to be seen.
Source: East Asia Forum
Israel’s crime of extermination and acts of genocide in Gaza
19/12/2024: A report by Human Rights Watch alleges that Israeli authorities have intentionally deprived Palestinian civilians in Gaza of adequate access to water since October 2023, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths and thus committing the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UN urges parties to re-engage on Iran nuclear deal
17/12/2024: The UN resolution that established the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, is due to expire in 2025. The UN is concerned at the diplomatic impasse on the breakdown caused by US withdrawal in 2018.
Source: UN News