Story highlights Dominic Ongwen faces 70 charges involving war crimes and crimes against humanity Prosecutors say Ongwen was the "tip of the spear" of the African militia (CNN) A commander in African warlord Joseph Kony's militia has been accused before the International Criminal Court in The Hague of atrocities including torture, sexual slavery and forced cannibalism. Evidence presented Thursday against Dominic Ongwen, described as the "tip of the spear" of the Lord's Resistance Army, shed light on the ruthlessness of a group that took up arms against the Ugandan government in the 1980s. Ongwen, who for years was an LRA commander, faces 70 charges involving war crimes and crimes against humanity. Prosecutor Benjamin Gumpert told the court that witnesses will testify that Ongwen "instructed his personal escorts to administer dreadful beatings," forced prisoners to slaughter innocent people and, on at least one occasion, "to kill, cook and eat civilians who had been abducted in attacks." The proceedings are intended to confirm the charges against Ongwen before the international tribunal, where judges will determine whether there is sufficient evidence for him to stand trial. Read More Ongwen, who was born in 1975 in Uganda, was one of the highest-ranking commanders of the LRA, which initially operated in Uganda but later spread to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and the territory of what would become South Sudan. In radio communication intercepted by the Ugandan Army, Kony is heard praising Ongwen's tactics as an example for other commanders to follow, according to prosecutors. Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes. He is accused of recruiting underage boys as fighters and girls as sex slaves, and is the subject of a massive manhunt aided by U.S special forces. Prosecutors allege that between June 2003 and October 2004, Ongwen was directly involved in ...
Prisoners of war
China ‘at war with faith’ says US ambassador at large
Hong Kong (CNN) US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback has accused the Chinese Communist Party of being "at war with faith," and warned that its policies risk stoking extremism. Speaking at the Foreign Correspondent's Club in Hong Kong on Friday, the ambassador, a former US senator, said in recent years there had been increasing discrimination against Catholics, Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists across China. "What does the Chinese Communist Party have to fear from its faithful people? Why can't it trust its people with the Bible? Why can't Uyghur children be named Mohammad? Why can't the Tibetans choose and venerate their own religious leaders like they have for more than a thousand years?" Brownback said. China was registered along with 10 other nations as a "countries of particular concern" by the US in December 2018 under the International Religious Freedom Act, due to "systematic, ongoing (and) egregious violations of religious freedom." Brownback's speech joins a growing tide of international condemnation of Beijing following reports that more than a million Muslim majority Uyghur have been detained by authorities in massive camps in the western region of Xinjiang. Read More The Chinese government originally denied the existence of the camps but now says they are "vocational training centers" designed to combat Muslim extremism in the province. But former detainees and human rights activists have offered a different story, one of mass re-education inside the camps, physical torture and death. One former inmate told CNN she saw nine of her fellow detainees die due to the hostile conditions. Brownback said Friday the detentions of Uyghurs were "arbitrary" and based on their religious practices. "We need to call these camps what they are -- they're internment camps, created to wipe out the cultural and religious identity of minority communities," he said. ...
Group of 25 prominent nonprofits urge Congress to pull war powers
A group of 25 prominent nonprofit organizations on Wednesday urged Congress to end “forever wars” and rein in presidents' war-making authority. The groups, which range the political spectrum, ask lawmakers to join Rep. Barbara Lee Barbara Jean Lee The Hill's 12:30 Report: Mars rover prepares for landing The Hill's Morning Report - Democrats ready mammoth relief bill for 10-day sprint Group of 25 prominent nonprofits urge Congress to pull war powers MORE ’s (D-Calif.) effort to sunset the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), established in the days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They also ask Congress to repeal the 2002 Iraq AUMF, which authorized force against the Saddam Hussein regime. The authorizations have been used by both the Trump and Obama administrations as legal justification for counterterrorism operations around the globe, including against ISIS, al Qaeda and other extremist groups. Critics, however, say it has been inappropriately stretched beyond its original intent. ADVERTISEMENT “Nearly two decades of endless war has failed to make us safer and a new approach is necessary,” the groups write in a Feb. 17 letter . They argue that the law “failed to include any time limits, geographic constraints, specific objectives or an exit strategy,” and as a result, three successive administrations “have used the law to unilaterally expand the nation’s use of military force against individuals, groups, and even nation states never intended by Congress.” Congress in the past several years has attempted to repeal or replace the AUMFs, an effort led by Lee and Sen. Tim Kaine Timothy (Tim) Michael Kaine Overnight Health Care: Biden officials announce funding to track virus variants | Senate Dems unveil public option proposal | White House: Teacher vaccinations not required for schools to reopen Group of 25 prominent nonprofits urge Congress to pull war powers Senate Democrats unveil ...
A Closer Look At The Case Of A Convicted War Criminal Trump Might Pardon
President Trump is reportedly considering pardoning Nick Slatten, a former Blackwater guard who was accused of firing the shots that prompted the 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, Iraq. Slatten was convicted of first degree murder in December for his involvement in the shooting, which left 17 unarmed Iraqis dead, and 20 others wounded. Many hailed the conviction as justice for the innocent Iraqis who were slaughtered, and affirmed the larger message it sent to Blackwater, a private security contractor that has a reputation for operating with impunity because of its relationship with the State Department, and other U.S. actors abroad — the country won’t tolerate war crimes by its own. Blackwater has since been sold and renamed. And no doubt it’s the right message. But was a first degree murder charge for Slatten, a decorated combat veteran, the right vehicle? That’s the question Trump’s team will have to address if the president is serious about issuing a pardon. (RELATED: Trump Might Be Preparing Memorial Day Pardons) The Daily Caller reviewed a letter to the White House from Slatten’s lawyers, who are pleading his case on a pro-bono basis, as well as some of the exhibits presented to the court in the course of Slatten’s decade-long legal battle. The case is perhaps the most controversial of those Trump is considering (“Trump Is Using His Pardon Power To Reward Violence And Cruelty” is just one of the headlines preempting his potential announcement), and a healthy dose of skepticism in terms of questioning the verdict is certainly warranted. But the striking circumstances and evidence in this case make it worth a closer look. Slatten, a former Army sniper, and four other members of the Blackwater security team were originally charged with manslaughter in 2008 for the death of the driver of a white Kia that started the massacre. Those charges were dismissed by a district court on the grounds that prosecutors ...
The Obama administration’s war on whistleblowers
Last week marked the two-year anniversary of WikiLeaks’ publication of the Afghan War Diary. The anniversary is a reminder of the Obama administration’s systematic silencing and prosecution of whistleblowers and leakers who have pointed out the federal government’s failures. For those who may have forgotten, the Afghan War Diary is a collection of more than 91,000 U.S. military documents covering the War in Afghanistan from January 2004 to December of 2009 that offers a dark picture of the conflict, including evidence of civilian killings , incidents of friendly fire , and the hiring of child prostitutes by Defense Department contractors . Additionally, many documents suggest a robust insurgency whose opposition to coalition forces is proving more challenging than expected due to its use of advanced weaponry , sustained involvement by al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden , and varying levels of foreign support for the Taliban from Pakistan , Iran , and North Korea . The arrest of Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier suspected of leaking these and other documents, is just one example of the Obama administration’s war on whistleblowers. While the Bush presidency wasn’t whistleblower-friendly by any means , the current administration has been downright deceitful in its treatment of people trying to bring pressing issues to light. As president-elect, Obama outlined his plans in the “Ethics” section of his transition team’s website : Protect Whistleblowers: Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance. Barack Obama will strengthen whistleblower laws to protect federal workers who expose ...
