South Africa’s decision to leave ICC a 'blow to victims' of international crimes

South Africa’s announcement Friday that it is leaving the ICC surprised many, raising questions about its legality and concerns for the future of a court that counted South African dissident-turned-president Nelson Mandela as a key advocate.

[...]

Carrie Comer, Permanent Representative to the ICC for the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), told France 24 by phone from The Hague that the “really flawed” charge that the ICC gangs up on Africa is also unfair when one looks at the court’s “worldwide” agenda for the years to come. She cites preliminary investigations opened in South America (Colombia), the Middle East (Palestine, Iraq), and Europe (Ukraine).

Critics are now left to hope Pretoria’s move will be overturned after the decision was made without parliamentary or public consultation.

[...]

Carrie ComerOctober 22, 2016ICC

International Justice Tribune | Bemba at the ICC: How much is 18 years?

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Human rights organisations have all stressed that this is the highest sentence handed down by the ICC to date but also pointed out that with the credit given for the eight years Bemba already spent in detention, he is eligible for early release already in 2020 when he will have served two thirds of his sentence.

“Obviously the sentence was less than requested by the prosecutor who sought 25 years and the victims representatives (who wanted even more) but it is higher then what the defence sought and it's the longest sentence by the ICC so far. We need to factor that in,” said Carrie Comer of rights watchdog FIDH.

“I think we need to look beyond the number and look at the content of the ruling. Look at the aggravating circumstances the judges found the particularly cruel manner of the rapes, the vulnerability of the victims and take the deterrent message from that,” she told IJT.

Carrie ComerJune 23, 2016ICC, Bemba, War Crimes, SGBC, CAR

Expatica | DRCongo's Bemba to be handed landmark war crimes sentence

[...] "It's really important that the court recognise the command responsibility .. and there's an opportunity here to provide a deterrent," said Comer, the permanent representative to the ICC for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

"If you knew, or you should have known, that these things were going on and you execute effective control over your troops then, yes, you're absolutely responsible for ... not preventing or punishing these crimes."

Carrie ComerJune 19, 2016ICC, Bemba, CAR, DRC, SGBC

Jeune Afrique | RD Congo : le Front citoyen 2016 plaide pour que la CPI se saisisse des massacres de Beni

Le Front citoyen 2016 s'est rendu mercredi et jeudi à La Haye pour rencontrer Fatou Bensouda, la procureure de la CPI, et son bureau. Objectif : sensibiliser sur les tueries à répétition à Beni, dans le nord-est de la RD Congo. Mais pas seulement.

Après la mobilisation sur la Toile, place au plaidoyer ! Floribert Anzuluni et Paul Nsapu, membres de la coordination de la plateforme Front citoyen 2016, accompagnés de Carrie Comer, représentante permanente de la Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’homme (FIDH), se sont rendus les 1er et 2 juin au bureau du procureur de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI).

Carrie ComerJune 3, 2016ICC, DRC

El Proceso | La sombra europea persigue a Peña Nieto

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El 21 de mayo en el centro cultural De Balie de la capital holandesa se realizará la segunda edición de la serie de conferencias The Mexican Connection, en la que se explorarán “las dos caras de México: la epidemia de desapariciones forzadas y las inversiones masivas de Holanda en el país”, según anuncia el organizador, el Club Interbellum, que en noviembre pasado invitó a la periodista Carmen Aristegui.

En el programa se enlistan como oradores activistas mexicanos y europeos, entre ellos María De Vecchi, de H.I.J.O.S. México; Carrie Comer, de la Federación Internacional de Derechos Humanos, o Sander Wirken de Impunity Watch. [...]

Carrie ComerApril 20, 2016ICC, Mexico, Crimes against humanity

AFP | U.N. war crimes court gets Timbuktu monuments case

[...] “I think this is an extremely powerful case,” said Stephen Rapp, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes. “In these sorts of conflicts, the destruction of religious, cultural or historical objects, and the patrimony of the people, is another way in which you destroy a civilization, destroy a religion — the kind of things on which life is based in our societies.”

[...]

Carrie Comer, permanent representative to the ICC for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), said it is a “fascinating case.”

“We definitely believe that the destruction of cultural property and heritage is indeed a war crime,” she said. “However, it is a bit of challenge for those of us who work with victims in Mali because the destruction of cultural property is not the only thing that this man has been accused of.”

Carrie ComerFebruary 28, 2016ICC, Mali, War Crimes, Cultural Property, SGBC

SABC | ICC rules in favour of Kenyan vice president

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International Federation for Human Rights Carrie Comer says, "Throughout this case and other cases related to Kenya, we have seen massive and systematic tampering with witnesses, many witnesses recanting their testimony, allegations of bribery and threats, and each time this happens it really is causing a double assault on victims of the violence in Kenya, not only were they first violated during the violence but also as witnesses recant their testimony due to outside pressure."

The judge made it clear this decision doesn't excuse witness intimidation in any way.

Carrie ComerFebruary 13, 2016ICC, Kenya

FIDH | Ending impunity in Eastern Ukraine: new report reveals the urgency to open an ICC investigation

(Kyiv, Paris) FIDH and Center for Civil Liberties (CCL, Ukraine) report exposes severe atrocities perpetrated by various armed groups against the civilian population in Eastern Ukraine. These new documented human rights violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity and need to be urgently investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC). FIDH and CCL will present the report at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday October 23rd and will provide recommendations on how to ensure a full and impartial investigation of crimes committed in Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. [...]

Carrie ComerOctober 23, 2015ICC, Ukraine, War Crimes

Frontline | ISIS Victims Find Maze of Challenges in Appeals for Justice

[...] “There are fingerprints of the foreign fighters in all the crimes perpetrated against our people,” said Ismael, cofounder and global operations manager of the Yazidi advocacy group Yazda, who traveled to The Hague last week with members of the Free Yezidi Foundation and the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq to present the report.

But, Comer said, an ICC investigation would present yet another challenge: The court would only have purview to prosecute foreign fighters, not Iraqi and Syrian militants too. Also, if the Yazidis can prove that foreigners participated in crimes against their people, but other groups cannot, then it could create a multi-tiered ranking of victims, some of whom can pursue justice while others cannot. [...]

Carrie ComerOctober 15, 2015ICC, ISIS, Yazidis

Deutsche Welle | Islamist leader faces ICC over Timbuktu mausoleum destruction

[...] Rights organizations have welcomed Al Mahdi's arrest but urge prosecutors to file more criminal cases against the Tuareg leader, including rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage.

"So we do believe that it is very important for the office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to take into account the credible evidence that has been provided within the national system," said Carrie Comer of the International Federation for Human Rights, referring to a criminal complaint the group filed in Mali against Al Mahdi earlier this year.

Carrie ComerSeptember 30, 2015ICC, Mali, Cultural Property, SGBC

Voice of America | ICC Appeals Ruling on Victims' Reparations in Lubanga Case

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Rights groups like the Paris-based FIDH, or International Federation for Human Rights, have been pushing for a broad interpretation of victims' reparations that would include things like campaigns to limit stigmatization of victims and educational programs.

FIDH's representative at the ICC, Carrie Comer, said the group was still studying Monday's ruling, but she welcomed some aspects of it.

"The chamber also reinforced that both direct and indirect victims of the crimes for which Mr. Lubanga was convicted are eligible for reparations, but obviously excluding victims of sexual and gender-based crimes is a setback," she said.

Comer said it underscored the importance of having an effective prosecution strategy on sexual and gender-based violence. Last year, the ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, announced a new policy to attack sexual and gender-based violence. [...]

Carrie ComerMarch 3, 2015ICC, DRC, Lubanga, Reparations

The Hague, Netherlands

Contact@carriecomer.com

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