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At UN, Doubts Grow Of ICC's Moreno-Ocampo, on
Lubanga and Uganda Abuses
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
September 16, updated
Sept. 17 -- The UN system's
world of justice is in chaos, as the first prosecution by the the
International
Criminal Court is on hold for the prosecutor's errors, financial
sanctions are
thrown out by the courts, and the ICC prosecutor himself is surrounded
by
charges of retaliation and even rape.
On Tuesday in New York, Inner City Press
pursued these issues with a well-placed Ambassador, that of
Liechtenstein,
known among other things as the expert on the crime of aggression.
On the
freezing of ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo's case against Congo
militia leader
Thomas Lubanga, Ambassador Christian Wenaweser noted that this is being
cited by some as evidence that Moreno-Ocampo "is incompetent and
doesn't know how to write an indictment." On the finding of retaliation
by Moreno-Ocampo, he said that
"he should have said, you can't continue as my spokesman, but had him
shine someone's shoes, that was stupid" to fire the whistleblower.
Update of September 17:
Waneser's statement that "I
don't personally exclude that the judges will throw out the genocide
charge," it now seem clear, referred to the possibility of the ICC
judges not granting Moreno-Ocampo's request for an arrest warrant
against Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir on grounds of genocide. We
note for the record that Moreno-Ocampo did not indict Lubango for
genocide -- although Lubanga was so-charged in the DR Congo, click here
for document on the ICC's website to the effect.
Not
mentioned by Liechtenstein's Wenaweser but another irregularity, the
ICC's man
in Uganda has publicly exonerated the forces of Museveni, who also
caused havoc
in Northern Uganda. Now the peace talks have fallen apart.
Moreno-Ocampo, with Liechtenstein's Ambassador,
shame not shown
At the September
15
UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked
Inner City Press: there are
conflicting reports about the talks between Uganda and the Lord’s
Resistance
Army and Mr. [Joachim] Chissano. Some
say now they have totally fallen apart and Mr. Chissano is pulling out
of the
process. Others say he remains in
it. What is the status?
Associate Spokesperson: At
this point I don’t have any announcement
to make about the talks having ended. As
you know, Joseph Kony has not shown up for these talks.
Mr. Chissano has made himself available. If he has decided to end his participation,
we will let you know at that point, but we’re not at that stage yet.
But in the
midst of this delicate and perhaps dying negotiation, Moreno-Ocampo's
self-described
representative in Uganda Jimmy Otim gives up the ghost, and announces
that that
any investigation of the abuses by Museveni's military in
Northern Uganda is over, click here for that. Helpful - or incompetent? To be
continued.
Watch this site, and this (UN) debate.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
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Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
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2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request
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