Post-Bar Reading

I caught part of a radio interview with Dr. Michael Stone, author of The Anatomy of Evil. He created a 22-level scale of evil, which he applies to murderers in the book. As an undergrad psychology major and soon-to-be lawyer, I thought it sounded fascinating! Dr. Stone also mentioned that he's planning on another book about evil during wartime.

This is definitely on my post-bar exam reading list. Speaking of which, the exam is a few days, so I probably won't be posting again until afterward. Wish me luck!

2 Bosnian Serbs Convicted of War Crimes

Two Bosnian Serb cousins were convicted by the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). They were convicted for locking at least 192 Muslims in two houses and burning them alive in 1992.

Yugoslav war crimes tribunal judge Patrick Robinson said burning at least 119 Muslims to death in the eastern Bosnian town of Visegrad "exemplified the worst acts of inhumanity that one person may inflict on others."

He sentenced Milan Lukic to life in prison and Sredoje Lukic to 30 years.

Robinson said Milan Lukic was the ringleader in both incidents, helping herd victims into the houses, setting the fires and shooting those who tried to flee the flames. The judgment said his cousin Sredoje Lukic aided and abetted in one of the blazes

Witnesses "vividly remembered the terrible screams of the people in the house," Robinson said, adding that Milan Lukic used the butt of his rifle to herd people into the house, and said, "come on, let's get as many people inside as possible."

Milan Lukic shook his head but looked unmoved as Robinson pronounced sentence. Sredoje Lukic leaned back in his chair, his face blank.

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(Image of Sredoje Lukic from the ICTY)

Event in DC: Spying on Democracy- Colombia's Intelligence Scandal

From the Washington Office on Latin America:

Spying on Democracy: Colombia's Intelligence Scandal

Featuring:

Rafael Barrios, José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Association
Iván Cepeda Castro, National Movement for Victims of State Crimes
Conor Carrigan, Colombian Commission of Jurists
Hollman Morris, Journalist
Danilo Rueda, Intereclesial Commission for Justice and Peace

In May 2009, Colombian media revealed that the Colombian security agency that answers to the Colombian President, the DAS, conducted systematic surveillance against hundreds of persons belonging to human rights organizations, the political opposition, trade unions and judges, journalists and clergy. This illegal operation, which began in 2004, included routine surveillance of victims and their families by DAS agents, warrantless wiretapping, email interceptions, examination of bank and tax records, and break ins into homes and offices. Victims of this intelligence operation apparently were targeted because they were perceived to present a challenge to the Colombian government. Supreme Court judges, for example, were spied upon after they opened investigations into allegations of links between legislators and paramilitary groups. The DAS went beyond surveillance to carrying out acts of intimidation and death threats against those targeted by this operation. This event brings together various prominent Colombian jurists, journalists and others targeted by the DAS operation to discuss this scandal's influence on Colombian politics, the security of the victims and U.S. policy and programs towards Colombia.

English translation will be provided

Thursday, July 30, 2009
10:30am-12pm
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
1666 Connecticut Ave, 4^th Floor conference room
Washington, DC

Please RSVP to Rachel Robb, (202) 797-2171 or rrobb@wola.org by July, 28, 2009.

Human Rights Lawyer Detained In Iran

According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr has been detained.

Amnesty International said arrests in Iran of civil society activists like Shadi Sadr appear to be intensifying.

"This was an illegal, arbitrary and violent arrest in which no attempt was made by the authorities to show identification or provide any explanation for their action," said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Too Late

The New York Times has a thought-provoking op-ed by a Cambodian-American on the United Nations trial of a Khmer Rouge commander.

Now I read about the United Nations trial of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, the Khmer Rouge commander of the Tuol Sleng prison. I read the testimony of victims and witnesses, like me, of torture and murder.

And I find myself asking, what sort of justice is possible now? After ignoring our suffering when action might have saved our country, what does the United Nations expect to do for Cambodia now? Placing elderly Khmer Rouge leaders on trial will not bring back those who lost their lives in the Killing Fields, or bring peace to the survivors. It will only stir more anger and misery and hate. Pol Pot, the chief criminal, is long dead. So are many of the others who killed and tortured at his command.

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I don’t mean to say we should forget. We can’t. Let the horrors be documented in books and films and let the truth be recorded for the entire world to learn. But by pursuing this trial instead of working to improve the lives of young Cambodians, the United Nations demonstrates it still has not learned the lesson of the Killing Fields: Act before it’s too late.

Charles Taylor Takes the Stand

Former Liberian president Charles Taylor took the stand in his own defense at the Hague on Tuesday.

“This whole case against me is a case of deceit, deception and lies,” he told the Special Court for Sierra Leone sitting at The Hague.

It was his first time in the stand. Mr. Taylor — the first African leader to be tried for war crimes — said he had “fought all my life to do what I thought was right,” news reports said.

He called the prosecution’s depiction of him “malicious.”

Wearing a dark suit and dark glasses, he introduced himself to the three judges as the 21st president of the Republic of Liberia.

Aung San Suu Kyi Portrait by Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey, the artist best known for the President Obama "Hope" poster, created this terrific portrait of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“This Human Rights cause is something I believe in strongly,” said Fairey. “I created this portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi to raise awareness of her on-going house arrest and the oppressive nature of the military regime ruling Burma.”

“Aung San Suu Kyi is the Nelson Mandela of Asia,” said Jack Healey, the head of the Human Rights Action Center. “Shepard’s tribute to her will remind the world she is the rightful leader of Burma in a powerful way. I always felt it was his image that galvanized the Obama movement, God willing, it will do the same for Aung San Suu Kyi and those fighting for human rights in her name.”

An Update

Please accept my apologies for my unannounced absence! My little dog (who will be 16 in a couple weeks) has been very ill and needed a lot of care. He's doing much better now so I should be back soon!

In the meantime, please check out the blogs on my blogroll, which is on the lower right corner. They will certainly keep you up to speed!