Albania Appeal for Support

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Albania Appeal for Support

Since Tuesday, 26 November 2019, Albania is constantly being hit by numerous and intense earthquakes causing ripples of damage and devastation.  

The most powerful earthquake, of magnitude 6.4, hit in at 03:54 AM  the two biggest cities, Durrës – costal city and Tirana – capital of Albania, as well as surrounding residential areas.  

50 people and counting are found dead, over 700 and counting injured, and thousands are homeless (not yet counted): this is so far, the balance of a day that will be long remembered as the tragedy of November 26, 2019 for Albania. 

At this point, emergency rescue teams are still working to find the survivors. Their work is made more difficult by continuous and frequent aftershocks, hitting with high level magnitudes. On a frequent manner, the ground in Tirana and Durres continues to still vibrate, as civil emergency units, state representatives, volunteers are scrambling to help those in need.

These aftershocks are also causing a new wave of homeless people, as damaged buildings receive aftershocks and become inhabitable. 

The government of Albania is organising provisional shelters in other areas of the country in close cooperation with the citizens and the private sector in Albania. Yet a lot of resources are needed to rebuild their lives. 

In the name of solidarity and assistance at this moment, a direct link is made available for those who wish to donate. The link is https://e-albania.al/donate/

On behalf of the numerous families of the victims and those affected by the earthquakes, the Embassy of Republic of Albania to The Kingdom of The Netherlands kindly asks you to distribute and circulate this Appeal for Support to a broad range of contacts and stakeholders, who can help these families during this very difficult time. 

Fatou Bensouda, issues Report

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Fatou Bensouda, issues Report

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, issues Report on Preliminary Examination Activities (2019).

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”), Mrs Fatou Bensouda, published during the first week of the month her annual Report on Preliminary Examination Activities. The report details the preliminary examination activities carried out by the Office of the Prosecutor (“OTP” or “Office”) during the period 1 December 2018 – 30 November 2019, in relation to nine situations under consideration for possible investigation.

During the reporting period, one preliminary examination – the situation in Bangladesh/Myanmar – was completed:  on 4 July 2019, the Office requested authorisation from Pre-Trial Chamber III to proceed with an investigation into the situation concerning the alleged deportation of the Rohingya people from the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (“Myanmar”) to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (“Bangladesh”). The authorisation to investigate was granted on 14 November 2019 and the preliminary examination was therefore closed.

The Office further appealed the decision by Pre-Trial Chamber II of 12 April 2019, rejecting the request of the Prosecutor to proceed with an investigation of the situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Additionally, the Prosecutor filed her reconsideration decision with respect to the referral brought by the Comoros, following the Appeals Chamber’s judgement.

During 2019, the Office has continued its preliminary examinations of the situations in Colombia, Guinea, Iraq/United Kingdom (“UK”), Nigeria, Palestine, the Philippines, and Ukraine, all of which are now at the admissibility stage (complementarity and gravity), and in Venezuela, where the Office has been working to finalise its assessment of subject-matter jurisdiction. 

Additionally, the Office received 795 communications pursuant to article 15 of the Statute. Of these, 617 were found to be manifestly outside the jurisdiction of the Court. Moreover, the Office responded to the senders of communications with respect to four situations that had been subject to further analysis and reached conclusion, summaries of which are included in this year’s report.

The report provides a summary of the status of each situation under preliminary examination, including the Office’s current analyses with regard to issues of jurisdiction and admissibility, as well as the activities carried out by the OTP in 2019 in order to further this work.

In so doing, the Office aims to promote public awareness and transparency regarding its preliminary examination process and related activities.

Portugal Contributes €40,000 to Future OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology

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Portugal Contributes €40,000 to Future OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology

THE HAGUE, Netherlands—11 December 2019 —The Government of Portugal has contributed €40,000 to a special Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund to support the project to upgrade the current OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store. This project will result in the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (“ChemTech Centre”).

The contribution was formalised during a ceremony at the OPCW Headquarters between OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Permanent Representative of Portugal to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Rosa Batoréu.

H.E. Ms. Rosa Batoréu, Ambassador of Portugal and H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, OPCW Director General during the ceremony.

The Director-General expressed: “I thank the Government of Portugal for this major contribution to the new OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology that will further build the capabilities of our Member States to achieve a world free of chemical weapons.”

Ambassador Batoréu stated: “The OPCW is an essential pillar of the international disarmament and security architecture, and Portugal remains strongly committed to supporting its mission to achieve a world free of chemical weapons and of the threat of their use.”

She further remarked: “Portugal trusts that the new ChemTech Centre will provide significant collective benefits, as it becomes a leader in research, analysis, training and capacity building. The Centre will also reinvigorate the Organisation’s ability to adapt to science and technology developments while giving a valuable thrust to its verification, detection and response activities as well as to enhancing international cooperation.” She also commented that Portugal highly appreciates the work of the OPCW and is honoured to be able to contribute to timely completion of this important project.

Director-General Arias appealed to all OPCW States Parties in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. He further emphasised the important role the new ChemTech Centre will play in strengthening the OPCW’s ability to address chemical weapon threats, boost its investigative capability, and enhance capacity building activities. He highlighted that “all contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated”.

So far, twenty-seven States Parties and the European Union have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the project, and a considerable amount has been raised to date.

Allocution du Procureur Serge Brammertz devant le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU

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Allocution du Procureur Serge Brammertz devant le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU

Arusha,le 11 décembre 2019 – Le Procureur du Mécanisme international appelé à exercer les fonctions résiduelles des Tribunaux pénaux (le « Mécanisme »), Serge Brammertz, a prononcé aujourd’hui une allocution devant le Conseil de sécurité de l’Organisation des Nations Unies. 

Il a commencé par faire un point sur les quelques procédures en cours devant le Mécanisme, à savoir l’appel dans l’affaire Mladić, le nouveau procès en première instance dans l’affaire Stanišić et Simatović, la mise en état de l’affaire d’outrage Turinabo et consorts, et la procédure en révision dans l’affaire Ngirabatware. 

Le Procureur a informé le Conseil de sécurité que le Bureau du Procureur du Mécanisme avait convaincu la Chambre d’appel de rejeter la demande en révision présentée par Augustin Ngirabatware, un ancien ministre rwandais qui, en 2014, a été déclaré coupable d’incitation à commettre le génocide et pour avoir incité au génocide et l’avoir aidé et encouragé. Il a expliqué que son Bureau avait mis au jour et présenté de multiples preuves d’un vaste projet criminel auquel de nombreuses personnes ont participé pendant trois ans, consistant à faire pression sur des témoins dans le but de faire infirmer les déclarations de culpabilité prononcées contre Ngirabatware.

Le Procureur a également informé le Conseil que six personnes étaient désormais mises en accusation par son Bureau pour ces infractions, dont Ngirabatware lui-même. Serge Brammertz a dit à ce propos : « Cet aboutissement prouve bien aux témoins qui ont déposé devant le TPIR, le TPIY ou le Mécanisme qu’ils continuent de bénéficier de la protection du Mécanisme. » 

Le Procureur a ensuite évoqué devant le Conseil de sécurité la recherche des huit personnes mises en accusation par le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda encore en fuite, en commençant par ces mots : « Je dois malheureusement vous dire aujourd’hui que nous n’obtenons pas de certains États Membres la coopération dont nous avons besoin. » Il a informé le Conseil que l’Afrique du Sud, qui a été avertie en août 2018 qu’un fugitif avait été localisé sur son territoire, n’a toujours pas arrêté ce fugitif.

S’il a salué l’annonce faite par l’Afrique du Sud la semaine dernière qu’elle allait finalement faire exécuter le mandat d’arrêt, le Procureur a néanmoins souligné qu’« [à] ce stade tardif, seule l’arrestation immédiate du fugitif pourra satisfaire les victimes et le Conseil de sécurité ».

Parlant d’autres fugitifs, il a fait remarquer que nombre de demandes importantes et ayant un caractère d’urgence faites à certains États Membres restent sans réponse, bien que son Bureau produise des renseignements précieux à même d’ouvrir des pistes, et que son Bureau n’a pas accès aux personnes et aux informations dont il a besoin.

Le Procureur a conclu en ces termes : « Le Conseil de sécurité a exhorté à maintes reprises les États Membres à apporter toute la coopération nécessaire dans la recherche des fugitifs. Hélas, ce message n’est pas entendu par certains États. » Il a demandé au Conseil d’envoyer un message clair et de rappeler à tous les États Membres que la recherche des fugitifs est toujours cruciale aujourd’hui. 

Le Procureur a terminé son allocution en abordant devant le Conseil de sécurité les efforts entrepris à l’échelle nationale, au Rwanda et dans les pays issus de la Yougoslavie, pour rendre justice au plus grand nombre de victimes. Il a fait observer qu’il restait encore beaucoup à faire, étant donné que les autorités rwandaises recherchent toujours plus de 500 fugitifs et que, dans les pays issus de la Yougoslavie, des milliers d’affaires doivent encore être jugées devant les juridictions nationales.

Le Procureur a de nouveau fait état devant le Conseil de la glorification des criminels de guerre et du déni des crimes qu’on observe au Rwanda et dans les pays issus de la Yougoslavie. Au sujet du Rwanda, il a signalé la persistance d’initiatives concertées visant au déni du génocide rwandais, qui s’appuient sur la propagation de récits révisionnistes et le déni de l’intention génocidaire des auteurs.

Au sujet de l’ex-Yougoslavie, il a rappelé que le déni des crimes et la glorification des criminels de guerre étaient des phénomènes généralisés dans toute la région. Le Procureur a expliqué que la manière d’agir des responsables politiques était révélatrice de la profondeur du problème : « Ce n’est pas en promettant la réconciliation, ni en jetant des ponts vers les autres communautés, qu’ils cherchent à acquérir des voix. Ils croient au contraire gagner les élections en niant les atrocités commises et en glorifiant ceux qui en sont responsables. Certains promeuvent des versions révisionnistes de l’histoire, tandis que d’autres essaient d’obtenir des voix en rendant hommage aux criminels de guerre plutôt qu’en les blâmant. » 
Allocution du Procureur

Rapport sur l’avancement des travaux

“Save Venice” Fundraising Campaign in the Netherlands

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“Save Venice” Fundraising Campaign in the Netherlands

The Embassy of Italy in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Dutch Association Poorters van Venetië (https://poortersvanvenetie.nl) and the Stichting Nederlands Venetië Comité have launched the Red Venetië (Save Venice) campaign to collect funds for the restoration of the damage caused by the recent floods that affected the city of Venice, whose cultural heritage belongs to the whole humanity.

Two main fundraising events will be the highlights of the campaign.
On Friday January 17 2020, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at the Italian Cultural Institute in Amsterdam, the Poorters van Venetië will host a buffet dinner and an evening seminar to discuss the current situation in Venice, possible solutions to the flood emergency and artistic projects carried out by the Poorters, with the participation of renowned Italian and Dutch speakers and an introduction by the Ambassador of Italy.

On Friday January 31 2020, from 7:00 PM, recorder player Inês d’Avena and harpsichordist Claudio Ribeiro will present at the Keizersgrachtkerk in Amsterdam their latest album, “Anonimo Venexian”, featuring world-premiere recordings of their recent baroque discoveries from Venetian archives. Among these findings is a new sonata attributed to Antonio Vivaldi. 


Registration to one or both the events is possible via the website www.redvenetie.nl.

Donations are also possible through the app https://www.doneeractie.nl/red-veneti-235/-40067?widget=1.

Proceeds from the campaign will be managed by the Poorters van Venetië, a cultural ANBI, and support restorations carried out by Italian conservators.

Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay

Prosecutor Tadić on co-operation in war crimes proceedings

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Prosecutor Tadić on co-operation in war crimes proceedings

Conclusions of the meeting of prosecutors on regional co-operation in war crimes proceedings, in Sarajevo 17-19 December 2019

The Hague,27 December 2019 – From 17 to 19 December, the Chief Prosecutor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gordana Tadić, hosted a high-level meeting of the prosecutors from the region on co-operation in war crimes proceedings.

The participants included the State Attorney of Croatia, Dražen Jelenić, the Chief War Crimes Prosecutor of Serbia, Snežana Stanojković, Prosecutor Serge Brammertz of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism, representatives of the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office of Montenegro, and of the Brčko District, district and cantonal prosecution offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This high-level conference, which follows the May 2019 conference in Belgrade, was convened and organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with support of the governments of the United Kingdom and Italy.

The discussion focused on regional cooperation between prosecutors in war crimes cases. At the conclusion of the meeting, the prosecution offices represented made the following joint statement reflecting their main conclusions and commitments. 

The participating offices agreed that there is still a backlog of pending war crimes cases and that more effective regional cooperation is vital to achieving more justice for the victims. The participating offices reconfirmed their strong commitment to bringing to justice all perpetrators of war crimes without regard to nationality. 

Reflecting on progress since the previous conference held in May 2019 in Belgrade, the participating offices committed to ensure that technical meetings are held prior to initiating the transfer of cases to resolve possible challenges and ensure that transferred cases can be successfully prosecuted by the office receiving the case. It was agreed that following the transfer of cases, there must be constant communication and mutual assistance throughout all phases of the proceedings between the prosecutors from the office that transfers the case and those from the office that receives it. The participating offices were informed of the beginning of the process of transfer of some cases from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbia and Croatia respectively. 

With the purpose of ensuring that war crimes cases are successfully prosecuted after transfer from one country to another, the participating offices are making a joint appeal to all victims and witnesses to support the transfer of cases and agree to testify in trial proceedings conducted in the neighbouring countries where the cases are transferred. The participating offices further committed to encourage witnesses in the transferred cases and to provide them with all support within their competence. They also called upon relevant national authorities to ensure that witnesses are provided all necessary protective measures and support. 

The participating offices also noted the challenges that have arisen in the transfer of cases to-date, and agreed to continue technical co-operation with the Mechanism Office of the Prosecutor as a means to analyze obstacles and problems and to resolve issues. 

The participating offices also discussed other areas where improvements can be made in regional cooperation, particularly in coordinating investigations, or conducting joint investigations where legally possible. It was agreed that better cooperation between prosecutors prior to the issuance of indictments would increase effectiveness and efficiency, and the likelihood of successful prosecutions in the country that conducted the investigation or in the state where the case was transferred to. It was also concluded that there are no barriers to the participating offices working together in a coordinated manner from earlier stages in proceedings, including through joint investigative teams where legally possible, and to jointly identifying concrete cases suitable for joint efforts and co-ordination. 

As hosts of the conference, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina noted that it has the largest number of pending war crimes cases in the region to process. It offered to exchange updated information on cases in which suspects or accused are not available with the other participating offices. In that regard, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina invited all the prosecution office in the region to bilateral discussions to determine the most appropriate jurisdiction for prosecuting concrete cases. 

Philippines’ President present for Christmas: Peace

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Philippines’ President present for Christmas: Peace

By Anton Lutter.

With the reestablishing of the Government of the Republic of The Philippines Negotiating Panel (GRP) president Rodrigo Duterte is set on peace as he always has done, in the long lasting conflict with the NDFP/NPA. As a sign of goodwill Duterte ordered a nationwide ceasefire from 23 December until 7 January 2020. Shortly after the president also announced the ending of the martial law in Southern Philippines imposed in 2017 in response to a rebellion by Islamic State militants in the city of Marawi.

To put the ceasefire in effect Duterte also ordered the Department of National Defense, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police “to issue an official declaration” to all armed units and agents for them to observe the truce, according to presidential spokesman Salvador Panela.

In a joint statement signed in Utrecht (The Netherlands) by the GRP representatives Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Hernani Braganza, and National Democratic Front of The Philippines (NDFP) represented by Luis G. Jalandoni, senior adviser NDFP negotiating panel and Fidel V. Agacaoili, chairman NDFP negotiating panel, both parties mention that “the ceasefires are intended to generate a positive environment conducive to be holding of informal talks preparatory to the formal meeting to resume peace negotiations”.

However in a interview with ABS-CBN senior consultant of the NDFP Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, who lives in The Netherlands, came up with several preconditions before the peace process could even start.

President Duterte who remains highly popular among the Philippines people, invited Joma Sison to a man-to-man talk in Manila, giving his guaranty he will not be arrested. This while the NPA (the armed wing of the NDFP) reportedly staged two separate attacks in Camarines Sur and Iloilo just hours after the holiday truce took effect, resulting in the death of a soldier.

The president’s is set on everlasting peace by again offering negotiations after ending the peacetalks in march 2019 following its collapse.


Migrant smuggling ring dismantled in France and Italy

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Migrant smuggling ring dismantled in France and Italy

A criminal organisation  smuggling  approximately  1 000 migrants from Pakistan and India into various EU-countries  was dismantled by the French and Italian  authorities in good cooperation, with the support of Eurojust and Europol.

One arrest was carried out in France and ten arrests in Italy, with two persons arrested on the basis of European Arrest Warrants.  Eight premises were searched and ten phones and various documents were seized in Italy.

Eurojust held three coordination meetings to support the investigations in France and  Italy  and to arrange for the arrests. Eurojust financed and facilitated the setting up of a joint investigation team  between the French Investigative Judge of the Specialised Jurisdiction of the Tribunal of Grand Instance of Lyon and the Prosecution Office of Torino. 

The operation was concluded with the support of the OCRIEST and BMR 73 and 74 Services of the French National Border Police and the Polizia di Stato – Squadra Mobile of the Questura of Turin. Eurojust also helped to resolve outstanding jurisdictional issues. Europol provided additional support during the operation. 

Authorities estimate that between 2018 and 2019,  the organised criminal group earned a profit of EUR 1 million. In two places in Italy, safehouses were found, in which 34 irregular migrants from Pakistan were hiding. They have been brought to safety and a procedure for their identification has been started.

Criminals blowing up German ATMs arrested after joint action

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Criminals blowing up German ATMs arrested after joint action

Authorities in Hungary and Germany, with the active support of Eurojust and Europol, have dismantled a criminal gang, suspected of blowing up three automated teller machines (ATMs) in the eastern part of the German State of Hesse.

In a coordinated joint action, approximately 20 premises were searched in Hungary and Germany and pieces of evidence, as well as assets originating from the crime, have been seized. Three out of eight suspects were arrested in Germany. Five more suspects have been interrogated, four in Hungary and one in Germany.

Photo © Polizeipräsidium Mittelhessen.

From 2016 onwards, the organised criminal group (OCG) has been suspected of blowing up or trying to explode cash machines in the State of Hesse, with an estimated illegal profit of EUR 285 000, and causing heavy damage to the surroundings of the ATMs. The OCG operated by breaking open the front part of the ATM and pouring explosive gas into the exit port of the machine, where the money usually comes out. With a pipe or a tube, the gas was subsequently passed into the safe of the machine and then ignited, with the explosion opening the vault of the ATM.

A Eurojust-supported joint investigation team was set up in the summer of this year between the Hungarian and German authorities. Eurojust further organised two coordination meetings, the second meeting to prepare for the joint action.

The operation was led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) of Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary and the German General Prosecutor’s Office of Frankfurt am Main, together with the National Bureau of Investigation of the Rapid Response and Special Police Services (KR NNI) and the police department of Mittelhessen in Gießen, Germany. Europol supported the Hungarian authorities on the ground in Hungary, with one officer, as well as two German investigators, taking part in the actions in Hungary.

H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan

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H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan

H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov is the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He began his term on December 26th, 2019.

Mr. Akhundov was born in the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku. This is where he attended the Azerbaijan State University of Languages under the Faculty of German and English languages. After pursuing higher education for seven years, he eventually obtained a Master’s degree in 1990.

After completing his education, Mr. Akhundov did not begin a career in foreign service straight away. He first served in the military from 1985 to 1987 as a soldier in the Border Troops. Having fulfilled his mandatory military service, he then worked in the private sector from 1990 to 1999 at the Azerbaijan Deposit Bank. During this time, he cooperated with Wirtgen and Coke consulting for the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) project.

Afterward, Mr. Akhundov finally started his career as a diplomat in 1999. He first served as Second Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and participated in the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission in the same year. From late 1999, he served in the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Austria and the Permanent Representation of Azerbaijan to international organizations in Vienna. Here, he held the positions of Second, then First Secretary until 2005.

After returning to his country, Mr. Akhundov was appointed Head of the Western Europe Department in the MFA. He maintained this role for four years until 2009 when he began another term abroad at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Germany. Here, he served as First Secretary until 2016. Having completed his term, he briefly returned to Baku for one year and was assigned Deputy Head of Department of the MFA’s Personnel Department. It was not long after that he embarked on another term outside of the country at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Bulgaria, serving as First Secretary and Counselor for two years.

When Mr. Akhundov returned home in early 2019, he took on the role of Advisor in the Eastern European Office of the MFA until he came to the Netherlands.

Aside from German and English, Mr. Akhundov also speaks Russian.

The diplomat community in The Hague sends a warm welcome to Ambassador Akhundov and wishes him all the best in his new term.

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