The Netherlands: Security Services Fail: Bosnian Croat leader Slobodan Praljak dies after drinking poison in UN war crimes court in the Hague

Bosnian Croat ex-General Slobodan Praljak died Wednesday evening after drinking poison at a UN court hearing in The Hague.

"One of the six defendants ... passed away today in the HMC hospital in The Hague," said court spokesman Nenad Golcevski.

Earlier, judges part of the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)  had rejected the 72-year-old's appeal against his 20-year prison sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.

Upon hearing the verdict, Praljak yelled: "Judges, Slobodan Praljak is not a war criminal. I reject the verdict with contempt."

He then drank from a small glass bottle and told the courtroom: "What I drank was poison."

The presiding judge called for medical assistance and ordered the session to be closed to the public.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has described the verdict as "unjust" and offered his condolences to Praljak's family.

Note EU-Digest: the death of Slobodan Pralja by his own hand (drinking a potent poison) inside the International Court of Justice during the hearings, puts a major blemish on the Dutch security services, not only for the fact that this poison was smuggled into the prison where Mr. Slobodan Pralja was incarcerated, but also for allowing the defendant to take this poison into the courtroom. 

It was reported the Dutch Ministry of Justice has launched an immediate investigation into this tragic matter.
  
Read more: Bosnian Croat leader Slobodan Praljak dies after drinking poison in UN war crimes court | News | DW | 29.11.2017

Turkey: Fethullah Gülen and the United States - Fahrettin Altun

Why not extradite Gülen to the International Court of Justice in the Hague?

At the Vienna Airport, Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung published a controversial message to international travelers: "Going to Turkey on vacation supports Erdogan." This message, spread by one of the country's top selling media outlets, fuels hostility - not just against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom they openly hate, but the nation he leads.

In Turkey, ordinary citizens thwarted a coup attempt orchestrated by a terrorist organization that infiltrated the military. People have been camping out at public squares to stand guard against threats. Not only did the country's democracy collapse, but it also became consolidated as a paradigm shift took place on July 15. President Erdogan's opponents in Turkey, who resorted to anti-Erdoganism in the past, experienced serious setbacks. While the authorities bring coup plotters and their accomplices to justice, certain steps are being taken to strengthen the state apparatus. For the first time in history, there is genuine cooperation between various social and political groups that are united in their opposition to the coup attempt.

The West, however, does not share the Turkish people's enthusiasm. What they desperately want is for Turkey to stop acting independently and according to its national interests and instead assume a passive role in the international arena. To be clear, it is the United States, not Europe, that is the driving force behind the anti-Turkey rhetoric. The Europeans are merely acting according to signals from the U.S. If European leaders were able to devise a strategy of their own, they could understand that the July 15 coup attempt could have meant destruction for the continent. Sadly enough, Europe lost its sense of direction a long time ago.

And how does the American political leadership behave? By mounting pressure on the media, they bullied mainstream news outlets to ignore the basic principles of journalism and attack Turkey. Over the past two weeks, U.S. officials have tried to characterize the situation in Turkey as a power struggle between two rival groups - as if there were two legitimate powers engaging in some kind of civil war. At the same time, the United States has falsely portrayed the government's response to Fethullah Gülen's terrorist group, the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ), as a crackdown on dissent.

The U.S. has been defending the coup plotters so desperately that one cannot help but wonder why they will not stop supporting FETÖ. Why does Washington try to cover up Gülen's tracks? It would appear that they want to continue their cooperation with FETÖ to keep Turkey in line. Moreover, one could argue that FETÖ's access to information remains strong enough to make Gülen valuable for the U.S. government. Likewise, they might be concerned that a comprehensive crackdown on FETÖ could bring to light U.S. foul play in Turkey and elsewhere over the years.

As Turkey's official inquiry sheds light on FETÖ's crimes, Washington's relationship with Gülen will become a matter of domestic policy rather than a foreign one. While the involvement of a group in the United States in the failed coup attempt becomes clearer, the U.S. will have a lot more questions to answer. The very people who allowed Gülen into the country will be held accountable in the court of law and in the public eye. Knowing exactly where the current process leads, Gülen has started to beg his host country to allow him stay in the U.S. Let him get on his knees and beg - even though his words mean absolutely nothing

Note EU-Digest:  To support Turkey and possibly also help the US to get out of the mess they are in with Turkey, the EU should request the US to extradite Fethullah Gülen to the Netherlands and put him on trial at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.  

Read more: Fethullah Gülen and the United States - Fahrettin Altun - Daily Sabah

The Netherlands: Charles Taylor conviction warning sign for Suriname President Bouterse

The conviction of former Liberian President Charles Taylor by the Sierra Leone tribunal is a warning sign for anyone who has committed heinous crimes against humanity, including Desi Bouterse, says Ruth Wijdenbosch, chairperson of the organization Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and deputy Speaker of Suriname’s Parliament.

“For those who have seen such men go unpunished many times, it is a relief that Charles Taylor will be punished. Finally, his thousands of victims and survivors can see that their fight for justice has not been in vain,” Wijdenbosch tells de Ware Tijd in reaction to Taylor’s conviction late last week. Earlier this month, Parliament granted Bouterse amnesty for his alleged role in the murder of 15 opponents of his regime on 8 December 1982. The trial for these murders will resume in early May.

Wijdenbosch says that the conviction is not only a warning sign for the December murders, but for all human rights violations committed in Suriname and other parts of the world, adding, “Impunity is no longer an option, as you can run, but you cannot hide.” Charles Taylor was President, but did not enjoy immunity for crimes including the recruitment of child soldiers who were drugged and forced to commit the worst atrocities. He will be sentenced next month. With regard to granting amnesty in Suriname, Wijdenbosch says the PGA has paid attention to this through the human rights organizations joined in the Coalition on the International Criminal Court (CICC), and member organizations have all expressed their disapproval. Some have even sent official letters to Speaker Jenny Geerlings-Simons, but she has not replied to any. “Parliament’s correspondence does not show it has replied to the many letters by national and international organizations on this issue,” Wijdenbosch says.

Read more: Charles Taylor conviction warning sign for Suriname murders – Deputy Speaker - Stabroek News - Guyana

The Netherlands - International Court Of Justice: Charles Taylor convicted of Sierra Leone war crimes

A United Nations-backed court in The Hague has convicted former Liberian president Charles Taylor of war crimes.

The 64-year-old was found guilty of “aiding and abetting” rebel fighters who waged an 11-year civil war in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Taylor is the first head of state convicted by an international court since the post-World War II Nuremberg trials. He is likely to be sentenced by the end of May and will serve his prison term in Britain.

For More: Charles Taylor convicted of Sierra Leone war crimes | euronews, world news

Serbia: Mladic arrest opens new chapter for the Balkans

It is a good day for justice and the beginning of a new chapter in the story of the Balkans. Sixteen years after the end of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ratko Mladic, one of the key figures involved in the wartime atrocities against Bosnian Muslims and Croats has finally been caught. It took a long time, but for the relatives of the victims of the Srebrenica massacre, these 16 years are a mere blink of an eye.

The trauma of Srebrenica, where more than 8,000 men were murdered, runs deep. General Ratko Mladic is accused of these crimes and the three-and-a-half year long siege of Sarajevo. With his capture and the legal process to determine his guilt that will now begin, victims' relatives can finally feel satisfaction.

What are the reasons why the alleged war criminal was captured after so many years in hiding? Unofficially, it has long been common knowledge that the Serbian authorities knew of his whereabouts. The word from Sarajevo is that the government in Belgrade decided to take him into custody because the pressure from Brussels was growing ever stronger. Indeed, cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia is an important condition for Serbia's EU accession.

Opinion: Mladic arrest opens new chapter for the Balkans | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 26.05.2011

Libya: Gaddafi may find that all roads lead to Rome — by Henri J.Barkey

Col. Moammar Gadhafi and his family must be busily looking for a new abode, just like his neighbors Zine el-Abidine ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak had to do recently. Where can the colonel go? Over the years he has cultivated, funded, entertained and lavished presents and prizes on many world leaders. Someone will surely spare him a place to pitch the tent he always travels with.

Gadhafi may not be a terribly ex-acting person, but he does have some minimum requirements: a relatively cheap piece of land for his tent, access to water, electricity and free Wi-Fi. With the international community and his own people searching for his stashed funds, he cannot afford ex-pensive locations. And his benefactor must be trustworthy and unlikely to rescind his refuge by sending him packing back to Libya where the “cockroaches,” as he has called his opposition, can put him on trial.

So what are his options? Zimbabwe immediately comes to mind. The weather is perfect. President Robert Mugabe can be relied on to snub and stand up to the international commu-nity. But Mugabe is old and is un-popular at home. In fact, inspired by events in the Middle East, Zimbabwe-ans are also beginning to clamor for rights.

Note EU-Digest : Obviously another good place for Gaddafi to settle down would be at the prison of the International Court of Justice in the Hague?

For more: Gadhafi may find that all roads lead to Rome — Maine Opinion — Bangor Daily News