In the picture H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, Director General at the OPCW and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cypres, H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 11 October 2019 — The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, met today at OPCW headquarters in The Hague.
The Director-General and the Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed progress in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and the Organisation’s activities to address current challenges in achieving the total and permanent elimination of chemical weapons, while promoting scientific advances for peaceful purposes.
H.E. Mr. Elpidoforos Economou, Ambassador of Cyprus, H.E. the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, and Ms. Odette Melono, Deputy Minister OPCW.
Minister Christodoulides expressed: ”We remain committed to the mission and values of the OPCW and actively engaged in the Organisations activities; and we share the vision of a world free of chemical weapons.”
The Director-General stated: “Cyprus has my sincere gratitude for its commitment to the goals of the Convention and for its support of the Organisation. We look forward to our continued cooperation to ensure chemical weapons are eliminated and that chemicals are used for exclusively peaceful purposes.”
Today, 11 October 2019, the confirmation of charges hearing in the case The Prosecutor v. Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona concluded before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC), composed of Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua (Presiding Judge), Judge Tomoko Akane and Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala.
The purpose of the confirmation of charges hearing is for the judges to determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the suspects committed each of the crimes charged. If the charges are confirmed, in full or in part, the case will be transferred to a Trial Chamber, which will conduct the subsequent phase of the proceedings: the trial.
After hearing the oral submissions of the Prosecutor, the Legal Representatives of the Victims and the respective Defence teams for Mr Ngaïssona and Mr Yekatom from 19 to 25 September, the judges heard today their respective closing statements. The judges will now start their deliberations.
In accordance with Regulation 53 of the Regulations of the Court, the Pre-Trial Chamber shall deliver its written decision within 60 days of the date on which the confirmation hearing ends. The Pre-Trial Chamber may:
confirm those charges for which the Chamber has determined that there is sufficient evidence, and commit one or both of the suspects to a Trial Chamber for trial;
decline to confirm those charges for which it has determined that there is insufficient evidence and stop the proceedings against one or both of the suspects;
adjourn the hearing and request the Prosecutor to provide further evidence, to conduct further investigations or to amend any charge for which the evidence submitted appears to establish that a crime other than the one charged was committee, for one or two of the suspects.
The Defence and the Prosecutor cannot directly appeal this decision. However they can request authorisation from the Pre-Trial Chamber to appeal it.
The National Day of Chile or Fiestas Patrias is officially celebrated on September 18.
On the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of Chile, the Ambassador of Chile H.E. Ms. María Teresa de Jesus Infante organized a reception to celebrate her county’s 208th anniversary.
The celebrations took place on 20 September 2019.
Ambassador Infante Caffi and friends of Chile.
Many of ambassador MaríaTeresa Infante’ colleagues, members of the business community, the army, government persons, as well as friends of Chile, came to congratulate her.
Ambassador Infante during her speech.
The guests were cordially invited to part take of the drinks, food and the music performed by a Chilean band.
There was Chilean wine for wine lovers and also the mouth-watering Empanadas. Empanadas are very much associated with the Fiestas Patrias. Ambassador Infante took to the floor and gave a dance performance of the Cueca. Many followed her example.
20 September 2019 has been a fantastic Chilean day celebration at Ambassador MaríaTeresa Infante’ residence in Wassenaar.
The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, October second, delivered the keynote address at the opening of the OPCW and T.M.C. Asser Institute’s Tenth Annual Training Programme on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in The Hague.
The training course, taking place from 30 September to 4 October, provides early to mid-career professionals with a comprehensive overview of the legal, scientific, diplomatic, and geo-political issues involved in WMD non-proliferation and disarmament efforts.
In his keynote speech, OPCW Director-General Arias encouraged participants to embrace new perspectives and emerging technologies when addressing the challenges faced by the international community:
“The challenges that confront policy-makers, professionals, experts, and academics related to weapons of mass destruction are not new, but certainly require novel thinking and agility in action.”
After describing the OPCW’s activities to promote peaceful chemistry and achieve the total and permanent elimination of all chemical weapons, the Director-General reminded participants of the importance of “diplomacy, globally shared values, cooperation above competition, and respect for the rule of law,” to achieve continuous progress.
The keynote speech was followed by an interactive and insightful question and answer session during which the Director-General shared further views with the participants on these themes.
The week-long training programme will be delivered by experienced internationally renowned experts in the fields of diplomacy, international law, security, and related disciplines. OPCW specialists will elaborate on challenges related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW inspection and verification regime, the role of science in disarmament, and the growing threat of chemical terrorism.
Interactive exercises and field visits to the OPCW Laboratory in Rijswijk and to the nuclear research reactor at Delft University of Technology will offer participants insights into chemical, biological, and nuclear preparedness and demonstrate how WMD treaties are implemented.
The retreat provided an opportunity for judges to have a private exchange on topics related to the efficiency and functioning of the judiciary. In particular, the retreat focussed on identifying concrete areas in which the judges may best contribute to strengthening the Court and the Rome Statute system.
The ICC President, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, said: “The Court’s judges are fully committed to positive and proactive engagement to ensure that the ICC stands an example of best judicial practice in the field of international criminal law”. He continued “at this retreat, guided by a strong spirit of collegiality, we take tangible and concrete steps to that end”.
The retreat achieved a number of concrete outcomes.
The judges agreed on the adoption of a consistent set of internal guidelines regulating the timing of key decisions at the pre-trial, trial and appeals stages, thereby enhancing the efficiency and predictability of proceedings. The judges agreed on 5 specific sets of time frames for rendering various types of decisions or judgments, including that a written decision on conviction or acquittal under article 74 of the Rome Statute should be delivered within 10 months from the date of the end of the closing statements. These guidelines for the timing of key judicial decisions now introduce a coherent, consistent and predictable system of timeframes regulating the work of all three judicial divisions. Combined with the guidelines relating to judgment drafting discussed below, they aim to achieve a significant step forward in respect of the efficiency and expeditiousness of Court proceedings. The details of the adopted guidelines will shortly be reflected in the Chambers Practice Manual.
Recognising the importance of cohesive and consistent decision-making, the judges also adopted ‘Guidelines for ICC Judgement Drafting’ and ‘Guidelines for ICC Judgment Structure’. These guidelines aim at establishing a unified approach to the judgment drafting process and setting out a structure for judgments on conviction or acquittal rendered by the Court. Drawing upon best practices and lessons learned, the judges agreed on the adoption of a methodology to ensure that trial chambers commence the preparation of judgments at an early stage and follow a coherent and consistent structure, while still being appropriately adapted to the need of specific cases. The adopted guidelines will shortly be incorporated into the Chambers Practice Manual.
ICC judges during the retreat.
The judges further discussed the management of transitions in the judiciary, critically assessing the available options to address extensions of the mandate of judges of the Court beyond their regular term in office. The judges discussed a number of challenges and parameters in the context of this issue and will provide a detailed report on this topic to the Assembly of States Parties.
Apart from the judges’ private exchanges, the retreat also featured a segment involving the staff working in the ICC’s Judiciary. Tailored to address needs identified in the Court’s staff engagement survey in 2018, this part of the retreat allowed for fruitful discussions between the judges and staff on effective working methods and the work environment.
The President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, on Friday 20 September 2019 concluded a two-day working visit to Kigali, Rwanda, where he participated in a capacity building programme for the Rwandan judiciary on international criminal law as well as held bilateral meetings with officials to promote dialogue and closer relations between the ICC and Rwanda.
The ICC President encouraged Rwanda to become a party to the Court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, in order to enlarge its universality.
The training session in which President Eboe-Osuji participated forms part of a broader capacity building programme for the Rwandan judiciary organized by the International Development Law Organization in cooperation with the Supreme Court of Rwanda. The programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers working in the Rwandan judicial system to deal with complex cases of genocide or crimes against humanity transferred to Rwanda from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) or from other national jurisdictions.
During his visit to Kigali, President Eboe-Osuji paid courtesy calls to the Chief Justice of Rwanda, Prof Sam Rugege, as well as the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Hon. Johnston Busingye, and held very positive discussions with them on questions of common concern related to the fight against impunity for the gravest crimes under international law.
“I am delighted to have had this opportunity to share with Rwandan colleagues some of my personal professional experience as well as the practice of the ICC in the adjudication of international crimes. I was impressed by the level of commitment and professionalism shown by the judges, registrars and legal officers participating in the training, and I hope that my contribution has helped in some small way to strengthen the capacity of the Rwandan judiciary to address these crimes effectively through its domestic courts”, President Eboe-Osuji said.
The training session focused on practical lessons learned and the resolution of specific challenges frequently faced by the judicial bench in the management of international crimes trials. The ICC President’s participation was well received, and members of the national judiciary who participated in the programme expressed their desire for a continuation of such engagements.
During his visit to Kigali, President Eboe-Osuji paid courtesy calls to the Chief Justice of Rwanda, Prof Sam Rugege, as well as the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Hon. Johnston Busingye, and held very positive discussions with them on questions of common concern related to the fight against impunity for the gravest crimes under international law.
In these meetings, the ICC President expressed the view that Rwanda could make immense contributions to the global fight against impunity by joining the Rome Statute. “The world has a lot to learn from Rwanda, which has made amazing achievements in rebuilding the country following the 1994 genocide, including the reconstruction of the judicial system after the genocide had decimated the nation’s legal profession”, he said. During the bilateral discussions, there was general agreement between the President and his interlocutors on the importance of cooperation, exchange of best practices, continuing dialogue and enhancement of mutual understanding.
President Eboe-Osuji also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where he had a tour of the permanent exhibition regarding the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and laid a wreath in memory of the victims.
On September 12, 2019, the Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Martha Delgado Peralta, and the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, unveiled an artwork donation from the Government of Mexico to the ICC during a Ceremony held at the seat of the Court in The Hague, The Netherlands. The artwork realised by artist Jorge Marín is a statue in lost wax bronze titled “Wings of Mexico”.
“A parallel can be drawn between the Wings of Mexico and the search for Justice that is the leitmotif of the International Criminal Court,” said Mexican Vice Minister Martha Delgado Peralta during the Ceremony. “Just as these wings are only completed by the addition of a physical body, the Court serves as the body through which Justice is shaped and ultimately fulfilled.”
Thanking the Government of Mexico for this artwork donation, ICC President Eboe-Osuji stated: “Among the donations made to the ICC, the Wings of Mexico are unique in that they are an interactive piece of art. They are accessible to every person on the street. The same way justice and the rule of law should be accessible to everyone.”
This donation is a demonstration of Mexico’s support for the work and objectives of the Court. Since the move to its new permanent premises in December 2015, the ICC received artwork donations from the Governments of Belgium, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Senegal, Slovenia and Tunisia, representing their cultural heritage as well as reflecting the mandate of the Court.
ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirms charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity and commits suspect to trial
On 30 September 2019, the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC), unanimously, issued a confidential decision confirming the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity brought by the Prosecutor against Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud (« Al Hassan ») and committed him to trial before a Trial Chamber. A redacted version of this decision will be published later.
Pre-Trial Chamber I, composed of Judge Péter Kovács, Presiding Judge, Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou, based its decision on the evidence presented by the Prosecutor and the Defence during the hearing held from 8 to 17 July 2019.
The Chamber concluded that there are substantial grounds to believe that Mr Al Hassan is responsible for the following crimes:
· Crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Timbuktu, Mali, in the context of a widespread and systematic attack by armed groups Ansar Eddine / Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb against the civilian population of Timbuktu and its region, between 1 April 2012 and 28 January 2013: Torture, rape, sexual slavery, other inhumane acts, including, inter alia, forced marriages, persecution; and
· War crimes allegedly committed in Timbuktu, Mali, in the context of an armed conflict not of an international nature occurring in the same period between April 2012 and January 2013: Torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, passing of sentences without previous judgement pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all judicial guarantees which are generally recognized as indispensable, intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion and historic monuments, rape and sexual slavery.
The decision confirming the charges can be appealed only with the authorisation of Pre-Trial Chamber I.
In the picture His Excellency Venu Rajamony, Ambassador of India Admiring the Laxman’s work together with Dr. Dharmendra Bhandari.
By Catherine Dailey.
On Friday, October 4, His Excellency Venu Rajamony, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, inaugurated the “R.K. Laxman, The Uncommon Man” exhibition at the Gandhi Center in The Hague. The subjects on display include art, caricature, humor and political cartoons. Most have been included in Dr. Dharmendra Bhandari’s recently published book of the same title, a compilation features a collection of works since 1948.
Professor Nirmala Sharma, Director of the Gandhi Center, introduced the Ambassador, opened the evening program and welcomed distinguished international and Indian guests to the exhibition of Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman (b. 1921), “India’s best known and most revered political cartoonist.”
Ambassador Rajamony spoke briefly about R.K. Laxman’s work and alter ego, the “common man.” The “common man” cartoons appeared daily in “The Times of India” for more than fifty years, and the Ambassador stated that Laxman “was one of the greatest and most iconic cartoonists of India—a man who chronicled the history of post-independent era through art.”
Laxman’s work exhibited at The Hague Gandhi Center.
With a few simple brush strokes, Laxman drew his signature creation, the bespectacled “common man”, a symbol of “the quintessential Indian, ” which is considered to be among the most widely recognized and celebrated cartoon characters in the world.
Guests included Dr. Dharmendra Bhandari, who is to be largely credited for bringing the exhibition to The Hague. In his introductory presentation, Dr. Bhandari commented that, “international political figures including British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher and former US Presidents Richard Nixon, Barack Obama and others, were featured prominently in Laxman’s cartoons. He further mentioned that political figures, and other personalities, were often flattered by how they were depicted in Laxman’s beloved cartoons.
Candle Lighting Ceremony.
“Though Laxman’s cartoons are highly recognizable by India’s general public; very few people know “Laxman the artist,” as much of his work in this genre was unpublished, said Bhandari. From his beloved Lord Ganesha, to temples and landscapes, crows and other animals; Laxman employed watercolors, pastels and ink to tackle a variety of subjects. His oeuvre even included nudes, drawn when he was young and still relatively unknown,” he continued.
Laxman’s work, has even received praise by a former President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, who once remarked that, “Laxman’s works speak, more than a thousand words.”
Laxman recreated the personalities of political leaders, men of both peace and war, litterateurs, actors, musicians and famous sportsmen. As an artist, he relied upon memory, not photographs, to depict his well-known subjects. By means of humor, he gave life to his subjects on paper and chronicled his times as a political and social critic. From trade or technology to cricket, Laxman’s creations were unique. His used cartoon illustrations to capture the essence of political leaders–their characters, politics and egos and even their futures, day after day for decades.
Former Deputy Mayor of The Hague, Mr. Rabin Baldewsingh during his remarks.
Former Deputy Mayor of The Hague, Mr. Rabin Baldewsingh, was among the other distinguished guests who attended the opening. Mr. Baldewsingh also gave a few prepared remarks—noting that the work of a political cartoonist can be likened to the health of a miner’s “canary in a cage.”
Laxman, used little more than a pen and ink to sketch artistic representations of challenging, even discomforting, subjects in his world and the world at large. The former deputy mayor noted that Laxman’s cartoons, like the work of any political cartoonist, are a significant indicator of the freedoms enjoyed by citizens in any healthy democracy.
Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Professor Nirmala Sharma, Director of the Gandhi Center.
Top level representatives from the The Hague’s international judicial institutions, local representatives from the Indian community in the Netherlands and other guests from the community were also present to open the exhibition, which will remain on public display until October 12, 2019.
The Prince of Wales attended commemorative events in the Netherlands for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem on Saturday September 21.
In September 1944, more than 35,000 British, American and Polish airborne troops landed behind enemy lines in Arnhem by parachute and glider, launching Operation Market Garden. It is today considered the largest airborne operation in history.
His Royal Highness began the day with a commemorative service at Ginkel Heath with HRH Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. Their Royal Highnesses both laid wreaths and viewed a wave of parachute drops onto the heath, including soldiers from The Parachute Regiment, of which The Prince is Colonel-in-Chief. They both also had the opportunity to meet veterans and their families.
The Prince visited St. Eusebius Church, which was heavily damaged during the battle, to mark the recent restoration works to the tower. After unveiling a plaque outside the church, Prince Charles, visited an exhibition of art on the Battle of Arnhem on display inside the church, produced by local schoolchildren.
Later during the day, he attended the Polish Airborne Commemorative Service in Driel, where His Royal Highness laid a wreath. Following the service, Prince Charles visited the local church to view a display on the Polish contribution to Operation Market Garden, including personal belonging of General Sosabowski, who commanded the Polish paratroopers.
The Prince of Wales with soldiers from The Parachute Regiment, in Arnhem.
In Oosterbeek, The Prince met members of the Army Air Corps, of which His Royal Highness is Colonel-in-Chief, and visited the replica Horsa glider. During the Battle of Arnhem, around 600 gliders landed in the municipality of Renkum, next to Arnhem.
These silent aircraft were used to carry fully armed and equipped airborne soldiers and to supply materials to the front.
