Latest news
13 April 2012
The leader of the European Parliament’s delegation to the Rio de Janeiro summit on sustainable development has argued for the establishment of an International Court to enforce agreements on the natural environment. He submits that ‘like human rights, the right to a clean natural environment and the preservation of plants and animal life is universal. Only by enforcing these rights internationally can we transform those fine words on sustainability into deeds.’ The article does not clarify whether this plea reflects the Parliament’s institutional position.
Source: Trouw | 'Met een Milieugerechtshof kunnen we duurzaamheid afdwingen' (in Dutch only)
10 April 2012
An order of the Supreme Court of India has instructed the Indian government to proceed with a, long delayed, plan to link more than 30 rivers and divert the waters to areas that are water-stressed. If the project materializes it could have significant impact on Bangladesh, a downstream state. The project could benefit from the building of dams and reservoirs both in Nepal and/or Bhutan, two upstream states. Bangladeshi and Nepalese authorities claim that they have not been consulted with as yet while Bhutan claims that it has not appraised the project.
Source: BBC | Concerns over India rivers order
10 April 2012
In a special report entitled ‘Profit and Proliferation’ (Part I and II) in the New York Times’ At War blog, Belgium journalist Damien Spleeters reports how Belgium arms entered and were used during the conflict in Libya, and discusses the question ‘how much responsibility Belgium and other European countries may share in weapons proliferation in the region’.
Source: New York Times | Profit and Proliferation: A Special Report on Belgian Arms in the Arab Uprising, Part I
Source: New York Times | Profit and Proliferation, Part 2: Will Belgian Arms End Up in Syria?
10 April 2012
On 8 April 2012, Afghanistan and the United States concluded an agreement under which the US hands control of special operations missions to Afghan forces, including night raids, relegating American troops to a supporting role and bringing the raids under Afghan judicial authority.
Afghan forces can still call on American troops for help and authorize them to enter Afghan residences and private compounds. An interministry Afghan command center with representatives of the Defense and Interior Ministries, as well as the National Directorate of Security, would review or develop information about potential targets in consultation with Americans, who would continue to provide extensive intelligence support. The interministry group would then decide whether to go after a target and send Afghan special operations forces to carry out the raid. The Afghans can request American assistance at any point in the operation — for intelligence, for back-up military support, air support, medical evacuation and post-operation intelligence gathering.
The agreement covers all night raids carried out by special operations forces. However, a small number of night operations are conducted under other auspices, including special C.I.A.-trained units, that are not covered by the agreement.
Source: New York Times | U.S. Transfers Control of Night Raids to Afghanistan
10 April 2012
On 21 March 2012, the District Court of the Hague awarded €1 million ($1.33 million) in compensation to a Palestinian doctor tortured and jailed in Libya along with five Bulgarian nurses for purportedly infecting children with the AIDS virus, the doctor’s lawyer said Tuesday. The award is directed against 12 former Libyan government officials who were responsible for the torture.
Initially the claim was also directed at Gadaffi, but the Dutch government took the position that he had immunity and the complaint thus could not be served to him, after which his name was removed from the claim. As to the others, no issue of immunity was raised by either the government or the court, and the defendants did not appear. A parallel claim against Libya, that until now has refused to pay compensation, is pending before the Human Rights Committee (raising interesting questions of shared responsibility between states and individuals).
Source: Khaleej Times | Palestinian medic gets Libyan jail compensation
Source: The Guardian | Dutch court compensates Palestinian for Libya jail