Legal Updates & Events

• 5 July 2018
  

  Will Bemba’s acquittal have consequences for reparations?

  On 8 June 2018, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) acquitted Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo for war crimes and crimes against humanity, crimes he had been found guilty of by the ICC’s Trial Chamber III in March 2016. Following his conviction, Trial Chamber III appointed experts to advise it on reparations for Mr Bemba’s victims and on the scope of his liability for reparations. Whether and how the Appeals Chamber’s decision will impact the reparations for the victims in this case, is now uncertain. More info

• 26 June 2018
  

  The Nuhanovic Foundation and researchers of Tilburg University cooperate in a study on the impact of litigating colonial crimes before Dutch courts. Since 2007 lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld has requested and received compensation for the widows of the men who were killed by the Dutch colonial power during the war of liberation in the late 1940-ies. The study looks into the background of the case, the legal proceedings, truth finding, the impact on the claimants, the response by the Dutch government and the public debate. The report will be published in November 2018 followed by a seminar.

• 16 May 2018
  The relevance of this judgment for victims of armed drones is explained at the end of the text below. Court European…

• 16 May 2018
  Court European Court of Human Rights Type of decision Judgment Date judgment 13 December 2012 Application…

• 24 April 2018
  

  On April 19, 2018, Amnesty International released its report Deadly Assistance, the role of European States in US drone strikes. While the United States’ lethal drone programme covers Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Syria and is carried out in- and outside armed conflict situations, it is supported by many States, including The United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. More info

• 15 December 2017
  

  Lubanga’s child soldiers’ harm recognized and to be repaired

  On 15 December 2017, Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court delivered its decision on reparations in the Lubanga case, unanimously setting the amount of collective reparations to which Mr. Lubanga is liable to the total sum of USD 10,000,000 of which USD 3,400,000 is allocated to the 425 recognized victims and USD 6,600,000 to other potential eligible victims. A summary of the decision –which is drawn up in French- will soon be published on our website.

• 1 December 2017
  

  U.S. judicial system denies Yemenite victims of US drone strike relief
  On 27 November 2017 the Supreme Court released a list of cases that it declined to hear, the case of Yemenite drone victims Faisal bin Ali Jaber and others being on it. More info

• 20 October 2017
  

  Victims of alleged Serbian warcrimes turn to ECtHR too late says ECtHR
  On 19 October 2017 the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decided by majority that the relatives of men who died in or underway to Serbian detention camps in 1995, lodged their application to the Court on the Serbian failure to investigate cases of these deaths, too late and declared the case inadmissible. More info

• 19 October 2017
  

  On 25 October representatives of the UN Commission of Inquiry for SYRIA visited the University of Amsterdam to discuss the Commission's work. The event was organized by the Syria Legal Network and the Nuhanovic Foundation in cooperation with the War Reparations Centre of the University of Amsterdam. For details and invitation: f.devlaming@uva.nl.

• 11 October 2017
  

  
  
  17 February 2017
  Symposium
  During a two-day conference on 17 and 18 February Prof. Duffy (Leiden University) presented her report on the impact of strategic human rights litigation (SHRL) and the potential and limitations of the role of the courts in effecting human rights change.
  More info
  

• 26 September 2017
  

  The Nuhanovic Foundation has been accepted as member of the European Forum on Armed Drones. See for EFAD’s Call to Action.

• 21 September 2017
  

  20 September 2017
  The Dutch State has announced it will appeal to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands against the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the Srebrenica case, issued last June. The Court of Appeal ruled that the Dutch State is liable to the extent of 30% of the damages suffered by 350 muslim men resulting from their unlawful ‘evacuation’ from the Dutch Compound in Srebrenica, leading to their death. More info.

• 16 August 2017
  

  14 aug 2017
  Lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld has requested the Dutch Ministry of Defense for detailed information concerning Dutch involvement, as a member of the international coalition in Iraq, in airstikes on a convoy that left civilian casualties. More info

• 28 June 2017
  

  Reparations to be paid by Dutch State to families of evacuated Srebrenica Bosniaks
  
  On 27 June 2017 The Court of Appeal in Den Haag awarded reparations to family members, known as the ‘Mothers of Srebrenica’, of 350 Bosniak men and boys who were evacuated from the UN/Dutchbat compound on 13 July 1995. More info
  Photo: Claimants in Mothers of Srebrenica case arriving at the Appeals Court Tuesday 27 June 2017, Remko de Waal/ANP

• 23 June 2017
  

  Nuhanovic Foundation sponsors civil claim against Israeli military for deadly Gaza attacks

  

  In June Dutch lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld sent a ‘notice of liability’ to the Chief Commander of the Israeli defense forces. More info

• 8 June 2017
  

  7-8 July 2017
  Conference on Access to Justice for victims of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Turkey recognizes change of direction necessary in pursuit of accountability
  
  More info
  Reader (English)
  Reader (Turkish)
  https://www.vn.nl/schond-turkije-mensenrechten-in-het-stadje-cizre (Dutch)