By Dr Palitha Kohona (Former) Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China and (former) Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, COLOMBO | 25 May 2024 (IDN) — Sri Lanka celebrated the Vesak day 2024 last week with much pomp and ceremony in historic Matale where the Buddha’s teachings were first formally […]
UN Expert Calls for Probe on Allegations of Torturing Palestinians
By Rodney Reynolds UNITED NATIONS | 24 May 2024 (IDN) — The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards, has urged the Government of Israel to investigate multiple allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against detained Palestinians since 7 October 2023. “Persons deprived of liberty must always be treated humanely,” […]
US Rejects ICC on Afghan War Crimes but Seeks Its Support Against Russia
By Mohammad Ali Salih* LONDON | 23 May 2024 (IDN) — The Americans’ deep anger, official and popular, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has been leading to: first, decisions to send heavy arms to Ukraine to liberate “every inch’ of its territory; second, increasing sanctions on Russia to make it “suffer forever;” and, […]
Why Is the ICC Prosecutor Seeking Arrest Warrants Against Israeli and Hamas Leaders?
By Rodney Reynolds UNITED NATIONS | May 21 2024 (IDN) — The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is seeking arrest warrants on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and leaders of Hamas, on charges of war crimes in the 7-month-old war in Gaza. While the request must be approved […]
Congolese Bishops Decry ‘Trails of Murders’ in the City Of Goma
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 20 May 2024 (IDN) — A despairing picture of the Democratic Republic of Congo was recently captured by a group of local bishops who condemned how “the dignity of the Congolese people is being undermined.” “The situation in and around (the capital city of) Goma is […]
Swiss Court Convicts a Former Gambian Minister for Crimes Against Humanity
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 17 May 2024 (IDN) — A former minister of the West African nation of The Gambia has been found guilty of multiple crimes against humanity during the brutal regime of President Yahya Jammeh. The verdict came from the top court of Switzerland whose law recognizes universal […]
Latin America and the Caribbean: Initiative to Empower Young People in Arms Control, Peacebuilding
By Rodney Reynolds NEW YORK | 15 May 24 (IDN) — The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has launched the first edition of GenerAcción Paz: building dreams, disarming violence (GenerAcción Paz: armando sueños, desarmando la violencia), which aspires to empower young people to create […]
US Declassified Documents Reveal How Concocted Lies Trigger Wars
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 15 May 2024 (IDN) — President Barack Obama once observed, “ISIS [Islamic State] is a direct outgrowth of Al Qaeda in Iraq that grew out of our invasion—which is an example of unintended consequences—which is why we should generally aim before we shoot”. Many of us, looking back at […]
U.S. Weapons to Israel are an Arsenal of Genocide
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 14 May 2024 (IDN) — On May 8, 2024, as Israel escalated its brutal assault on Rafah, President Biden announced that he had “paused” a delivery of 1,700 500-pound and 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, and threatened to withhold more shipments if Israel went ahead with its full-scale […]
Lawyer Defies President of Tunisia as He Cracks Down on Free Speech
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 12 May 2024 (IDN) — Authorities in Tunisia are tightening a noose around the necks of its citizens, persecuting those who criticize the government and jailing dozens of Tunisians on dubious and political charges. A slender country wedged between Libya and Algeria; Tunisia faces a severe […]