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Basson: The State v. Wouter Basson
Judgment, 9 Sep 2005, Constitutional Court of South Africa, South Africa
Post-apartheid South Africa continues to be faced with the difficult question on how to deal with past human rights violations. From 1999 until 2005, the South Africa Prosecution Authority attempted to have Wouter Basson convicted. Basson was head of the secret chemical and biological warfare project during the apartheid era. He was charged with a variety of crimes, including murder, fraud and dealing drugs. After several charges were dismissed and Basson was acquitted of all other charges, the prosecutor sought permission to appeal. The Supreme Court of Appeal had denied this request, after which the prosecutor turned to the Constitutional Court.
The Constitutional Court granted leave to appeal, as it considered that the trial court had erred in dismissing charges against Basson regarding conspiracy to murder abroad. The trial court had held that since the conspired crimes were committed abroad, Basson could not be tried for conspiracy in South Africa. The Constitutional Court rejected that reasoning, stating that there was a close link between South Africa and the crimes committed.
Drljača: Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Mladen Drljača
Indictment, 19 Mar 2008, Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Preliminary Hearing Judge, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mladen Drljača was born on 5 March 1958 in Bosanska Krupa in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), he was a key official and held several offices in the municipality of Bosanska Krupa. Drljača was suspected of having committed crimes against humanity, war crimes against civilians, and war crimes against prisoners of war in the period between the beginning of April 1992 and 31 December 1992. In particular, Drljača was charged with participating in the detention of Bosnian Muslims in the Jasenica primary school and the Petar Kočić school, and in questioning the Jasenica detainees in the Provisional Military Court.
On 19 March 2008, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued an indictment.
On 7 May 2013, Drljača was acquitted by the Appeals Division of Section I for War Crimes of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina because it had not been proven that he committed the alleged crimes.
Golubović : Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Blagoje Golubović
Verdict, 10 Jul 2009, Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Section I for War Crimes, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Blagoje Golubović was born in Strganci, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 18 April 1965. He was charged with participating in the plan of the forces of the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (later known as Republika Srpska) to kill the non-Serb civilians of the municipality of Foča. Golubović was charged with crimes against humanity.
On 6 July 2009, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina dropped the charges against Golubović. On 10 July 2009, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina passed a verdict dismissing the charges against Golubović.
Kiobel v. Shell: Esther Kiobel et al. v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Company et al.
Decision, 17 Sep 2010, Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Unites States of America, United States
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited was involved in extracting and development of oil in the Ogoni region of Nigeria. Concerned over the devastating environmental impact that Shell’s activities were having on the region, a group of individuals known collectively as the Ogoni Nine, protested against Shell’s activities. The Ogoni Nine were detained by the Nigerian military junta on spurious charges, held without charge, tortured and hanged following a sham trial before a Special Tribunal in November 1995.
The present dispute is a class action filed by 12 Nigerian individuals, now US residents, seeking compensation from Shell for having aided and abetted the Nigerian government to summarily execute the activists in an effort to suppress protests against Shell’s oil operations. Specifically, they allege that Shell bribed and tampered with witnesses and paid Nigerian security forces that attacked Ogoni villages. In 2006, the District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the charges against the defendants for extrajudicial killing and violations of the right to life, security and association. On appeal by both parties, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that the Alien Tort Statute does not provide jurisdiction over claims for violations of international law committed by corporations and not individual persons. Accordingly, the suit against the defendants could not continue and all charges are to be dismissed.
Kalimanzira: Callixte Kalimanzira v. The Prosecutor
Judgement, 20 Oct 2010, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (Appeals Chamber), Tanzania
Callixte Kalimanzira was the directeur de cabinet in the Ministry of Interior, the ministry’s second most senior official, from September 1992 through the relevant events of 1994. On 22 June 2009, Trial Chamber III of the ICTR found Kalimanzira guilty of instigating and aiding and abetting genocide at the roadblock on Butare-Gisagara road around 22 April 1994, at Kabuye hill on 23 April 1994 and at the inauguration of Élie Ndayambaje as mayor of Muganza Community on 22 June 1994. In addition, Kalimanzira was convicted for committing direct and public incitement to commit genocide in Butare prefecture. He was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment.
Both the Accused and the Prosecution filed an appeal against the Trial judgment. On 20 October 2010, the Appeals Chamber affirmed the conviction for aiding and abetting genocide at Kabuye hill but overthrew the remaining convictions after finding several factual and legal errors in the Trial Chamber’s assessment. The Chamber dismissed the Prosecution’s appeal in its entirety and reduced Kalimanzira's sentence from 30 years to 25 years of imprisonment.
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