As Fatou Bensouda approaches the end of her tenure as ICC Prosecutor, Global Insight assesses the cases and events that have dominated her time at the Court and looks at the challenges that lie ahead for her successor.
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Hans Merket, a researcher with the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), says he didn’t go into Tanzania expecting to learn about people getting hurt and killed. His group simply wanted to measure how mines were viewed by surrounding communities.
But when they got to Mwadui, the area around the Williamson diamond mine, he kept hearing how mine security forces had taken violent action against purported trespassers on the mine area. There were reports of people being shot, stabbed, beaten, locked up, and killed.
“We really stumbled on these abuses,” he says. “We usually don’t do advocacy. It’s not our specialization.”
Petra Diamonds Settles Human Rights Claims jckonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jckonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Petra s $6m Human Rights Settlement May 13, 21 by
Petra Diamonds announced yesterday that it had agreed a $6m settlement over alleged human rights breaches at its Williamson mine, in Tanzania.
The UK-listed miner made no admission of liability, but its own investigation concluded that the security teams it employed to protect the sprawling of 30km2 kimberlite resource from illegal miners had been responsible for some deaths a
nd many injuries.
A sub-committee of independent Petra non-executive directors carried out its own investigation a
nd found that there were 12 confirmed deaths of illegal diggers, with the likely deaths of four others. The available evidence is that of the 12, some were killed by Zenith Security personnel (the third party organization tasked with securing the mine) and at least one by the Tanzanian Police Force, all during violent confrontations .
Launch of the UK’s independent anti-corruption sanctions regime is an important step forwards in tackling kleptocracy, says NGO coalition.
“Today’s announcement is an important achievement in the fight against corruption globally. The UK anti-corruption coalition welcomes the new sanctions regime and hopes to see the UK announce bold and ambitious designations against corrupt actors to become a leading voice in the fight against kleptocracy. The UK needs to make sure its own defences against corruption and money laundering are as robust as possible to give the regime maximum credibility. This should include introducing legislation on Companies House reform and on the foreign property ownership register at the earliest opportunity, as well as improving the regulation of standards in public office domestically in line with UN recommendations.” - UK Anti-Corruption Coalition (UKACC)