The former military ruler of Guatemala, Efrain Rios Montt, has begun his trial for charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The trial was hailed by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay who said,

"This is the first time, anywhere in the world, that a former head of State is being put on trial for genocide by a national tribunal”

"Until quite recently, no one believed a trial like this could possibly take place in Guatemala, and the fact that it is happening there ... should give encouragement to victims of human rights violations all over the world."

Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz told Reuters

"It's historic... We cannot leave thousands of deaths unpunished. We must deliver justice to the victims."

Montt stands accused of overseeing a period in which more than 1,800 people were killed during his 17-month-rule of the country in the 1980’s. 

Montt’s defence lawyer, Francisco Garcia howver argued that no such genocide has taken place, telling the court,

"Ríos Montt never gave a written or verbal order to exterminate the Ixils in this country”.

The new Chinese president Xi Jinping has hailed the “enormous shared interests” between China and the US, calling for stronger ties between the two countries.

Speaking during talks with US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Xi said the relationship should be approached "from a strategic and long-term perspective".

"In the China-US relationship, we have enormous shared interests, but of course, unavoidably, we have some differences," Mr Xi said.

"We stand ready to work with the US side to continue to develop this China-US co-operative partnership."

Lew said that the countries had "a special responsibility to maintain strong, stable and sustained growth in the world" and should "work together to reduce barriers to trade and investment".

"We look forward to China contributing more and more to global demand," he said.

The White House has said they were “deeply sceptical” of claims by the Syrian government that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian opposition, in a rocket attack in Aleppo.

Sana news agency reported that,

"Terrorists launched a missile containing chemical products into the region of Khan al-Assal in the province of Aleppo, killing 15 people, mainly civilians".

However, Jay Carney, speaking on behalf of US President Obama, said,

“on that specific allegation we have no evidence to substantiate the charge that the opposition has used chemical weapons. We are deeply skeptical of a regime that has lost all credibility, and we would also warn the regime against making these kinds of charges as any kind of pretext or cover for its use of chemical weapons”.

Last year, President Obama warned of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, stating that it would be a “red line” for the US.

See our earlier post: Obama warns Assad on chemical weapon use (20 August 2012)

Eighteen people were arrested in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on suspicion of spying.

The group consisted of sixteen Saudi Arabians, an Iranian and a Lebanese.

Saudia Arabia's interior ministry claimed that the alleged spies were working for a foreign country, which it did not name.

See AFP for full report.

Kenya's President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta is to challenge a case against him at the International Criminal Court today, where he stands accused of crimes against humanity.

Kenyatta's lawyers are currently at a hearing scheduled at The Hague, where they will request a case due to be held in July to be scrapped. The hearing comes just a week after Kenyatta's co-accused, top civil servant Francis Muthaura, had his case dropped.

He stands accused of orchestrating attacks in the aftermath of the country's 2007 elections, where more than 1,000 people were killed and 600,000 were left homeless.

The ICC had originally charged 6 people over the violence, but cases against 2 of the accused have been dropped.

See the report from AFP here.

Italy has accused India of violating international laws on diplomatic immunity after it barred Ambassador Daniele Mancini from leaving the country.

India’s Supreme Court said that Mancini had waived his right to diplomatic immunity and ruled he was not to leave the country “until further orders”.

The dispute centres around two Italian marines who were held by Indian authorities after shooting fishermen off the coast of Kerala. India denied Italy’s request to try the marines in their home country. The marines were allowed to go home to vote in last month’s presidential elections, after personal assurances from the Italian ambassador that they would return to India, however they have failed to do so and Rome has refused to force their return.

The suspected Congolese war criminal Bosco Ntaganda, also known as “The Terminator”, has handed himself in at the US embassy in Kigali.

Ntaganda is wanted by the ICC for conscripting child soldiers, rape, ethnic persecution and murder.

"I can confirm that Bosco Ntaganda... walked into the US embassy in Kigali this [Monday] morning," US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told media.

"He specifically asked to be transferred to the ICC in The Hague."

The US, which does not recognise the ICC, is now in talks with the court and Kigali to "facilitate his request", Ms Nuland said.

Human rights groups have called on the US to transfer Ntaganda to The Hague.

According to AP, Sasha Lezhnev, senior analyst for the Enough Project in Washington said:

"Bosco Ntaganda is not called The Terminator for nothing. If he is at the US embassy, the US should immediately hand him over to the International Criminal Court for trial,

"This would send serious signals to current and future warlords who continue to perpetrate atrocities in eastern Congo.''

A Somalian journalist jailed last month for interviewing an alleged rape victim was freed by a Somali judge on Sunday.

The case sparked international outrage over issues of the treatment of victims of sexual violence as well as press freedom.

See Reuters for full report.

An 87-year-old former Khmer Rouge official standing trial for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Cambodia died earlier this week.

Ieng Sang, brother-in-law of Pol Pot, died after being hospitalised with gastrointestinal problems earlier this month. Stephen Heder, a Cambodia scholar who assisted the tribunal, said Sang was accused of "repeatedly and publicly encouraged, and also facilitated, arrests and executions within his Foreign Ministry and throughout Cambodia”.

Ou Virak, who heads the Cambodian Human Rights Centre, told the Independent,

“As a victim of the Khmer Rouge, I am very disappointed that Ieng Sary escaped justice, escaped the trial,”

“I am also disappointed by the pace of the trial. This is is exactly what we have been saying. There is no time to waste”.

 

The 25th anniversary of the chemical weapons attack on the town of Halabja has been commemorated in Kurdistan, northern Iraq.

Kurds from across the region came together to remember those who died after Saddam Hussein’s air force dropped poison gas on the town.

Around 5,000 people, mostly women and children, were killed during the attack, while many more died in the aftermath due to diseases caused by the contamination.

A former military ruler of Argentina has received a third life sentence for crimes against humanity  involving detainees held the Campo de Mayo military base.

The 85-year-old was convicted of the illegal arrests, kidnapping, robbery, torture and murder of 23 detainees, seven of whom were pregnant and had to give birth inside the infamous clandestine prison. In 2012 and 2012 the former general has already received life sentences for crimes related to Campo de Mayo.

Gaston Mena whose mother gave birth inside the camps stated that the latest conviction provided “closure, but we keep looking for my brother or sister”.

The defeated Kenyan presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court accusing the electoral authorities of manipulating the results of the recent presidential election.  Uhuru Kenyatta beat Odinga by 50.07% to 43.28% in the election's first round on 4th March.   Odinga's supporters were dispersed by police after gathering outside the Supreme Court, wearing t-shirts with the words "I support the petition" and "Democracy on trial". Speaking to reporters Odinga said:  "I have no hesitation whatsoever in lawfully challenging the election outcome,"  "These failures dwarf anything Kenyans have ever witnessed in any previous election." 

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Friday that the they will be bolstering its missile defences in response to "a series of irresponsible and reckless provocations" from North Korea.

Hagel also said that the additional defences would mean that the US "will be able to add protection against missiles from Iran sooner, while also providing additional protection against the North Korean threat."

See here for Hagel's full statement.