A district court in Denmark has upheld a decision from the Danish Ministry of Justice to extradite a man to Rwanda, where he faces charges of genocide.

The 50-year-old unnamed suspect was unable to prove to the court that he would not face a fair trial in Rwanda and now faces extradition back to the country. He has appealed against the decision.

Rwandan authorities requested the suspect’s removal in 2008 or demanded that Danish authorities prosecute him themselves. Since no genocide law had existed in Denmark at the time, the man was indicted for murder, charges that he still faces, depending on the outcome of his appeal.

Denmark has since amended their laws to allow acts of genocide committed elsewhere to be prosecuted for in the country. However, the law cannot be applied retroactively.

The suspect is accused of ordering the murder of hundreds of Tutsis, during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide which saw approximately 800,000 Tutsis killed.

The newly formed National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces has been rejected by Islamist rebels in the country.

Around 13 organisations were listed in a video released on the internet, denouncing the new group.

"We are the representatives of the fighting formations in Aleppo and we declare our rejection of the conspiratorial project, the so-called national alliance," it says.

"We have unanimously agreed to urgently establish an Islamic state."

The new leader of the opposition, Moaz al-Khatib said they will reach out to the groups.

"We will keep in contact with them for more cooperation in the interest of the Syrian people," he said.

The EU meanwhile has recognised the coalition as the “legitimate representatives of the aspirations of the Syrian people”.

France was one of the first countries to recognise the opposition and said they saw the group as the “sole representative” of Syrians.

Turkey and six Gulf states have also formally recognised the opposition grouping.

The United Nations chief, Ban Ki-Moon, is set to travel to Israel in order to intensify efforts to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Ban arrived in Cairo, Egypt amid international concern surrounding the volatility of the conflict situation. 

Following a visit to Jerusalem for talks with the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, Ban Ki Moon will meet with the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Israeli officials have emphasised their readiness to launch a ground invasion, despite western governments urging Israel to avoid such measures to negate the possible outcome similar assault that resulted in the loss of 1400 Palestinian lives four years ago.

The jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, called for an end to the 67 day hunger strike of Kurdish prisoners in Turkey, raising speculation that an agreement had been found to end the protest.

In a statement, Ocalan's brother Mehmet said,

"Today I went to see my brother Abdullah Ocalan face-to-face in Imrali prison,"

"He wants me to share immediately with the public his call about the hunger strikes... This action has achieved its goal. Without any hesitation, they should end the hunger strike."

The hunger strike protest by over 1700 Kurds jailed in Turkey demanded an end to Ocalan's isolation, along with other demands such as access to legal counsel and Kurdish language rights.

Earlier this month, the Turkish government said it would submit a reform to parliament to allow defendants to speak in languages other than Turkish whilst at court.

"The minister arrived at his determination following careful consideration of the provisions of the Extradition Act and taking into account representations made by, and on behalf of, Mr Vasiljkovic as to why he should not be surrendered."

"It is open to Mr Vasiljkovic to seek review of the minister's surrender determination."

"Because he is someone who is a hero in Serbia but a villain across the border in Croatia, it's very difficult for him to get a fair trial... No such assurances have been given."

“President Thein Sein is taking steps that move us in a better direction... don’t think anybody’s under any illusion that Burma’s arrived. The country has a long way to go.”

"I'm not somebody who thinks that the United States should stand on the sidelines and not want to get its hands dirty when there's an opportunity for us to encourage the better impulses inside a country,"

"This is not an endorsement if the Burmese government, this is an acknowledgment that there is a process under way inside that country that even a year and a half ago, two years ago, no one foresaw it."

"If we had waited until they had achieved a perfect democracy, my suspicion is we would be waiting a long time."

"We are not just rebalancing towards Asia. We are also rebalancing our efforts within Asia. We had been heavily invested in North-east Asia for lots of historical and other reasons, but we have really focused here in a renewed way on South East Asia and Asean."

Israeli jets have bombed government buildings in Gaza, as speculation mounted over reports that Israel was preparing for a ground invasion, with the call up of over  75,000 more reserve soldiers.

Israel reportedly bombed 200 sites overnight, including Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya's office. Gaza militants were also reported to have fired rockets into Israel, with one being aimed at Tel Aviv having been intercepted.

The violence continues as the Arab League met in Cairo and agreed to send a delegation to the Gaza strip in the next few days.

Israel’s Interior Minister Eli Yishai meanwhile reportedly said,

"The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages. Only then will Israel be calm for forty years."

His comments come asTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that,

"It's a tactic of Israel's to point the finger at Hamas and attack Gaza."

"Israel continues to make an international racket with its three dead. In fact it is Israel that violated the ceasefire."

The US government has lifted a ban on the import of most Burmese goods, a few days before a historic visit by President Obama.

The sanctions, which had been in place for a decade, were lifted after rapid reforms implemented by the Burmese government in recent times.

Obama will be the first US president to visit the country and the trip shows the importance the US places on normalising relations between the countries.

The import ban will remain for some gems, as they are thought to be a revenue source for the Burmese military.

Concerns about human rights abuses, including the treatment of ethnic Rohingyas, are still raised by human rights activists.

Continuing its pro-active endorsement of the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition, France is set to accept an ambassador from the Syrian opposition's coalition as an envoy to France.

After meeting the coalition's leader Moaz al-Khatib, the French president Francois Hollande announced on Saturday that Mounzir Makhous would be appointed as the envoy, as a further step to "assure its [Syrian opposition coalition] legitimacy and credibility."

The new envoy would not be placed at the Syrian embassy in Paris however, as the President Hollande said the building did not belong to France.

Pledging to push the EU to re-evaluate the arms embargo on Syria, President Hollande added,

“I can’t hide the importance of this question. The [opposition] Syrians need military means but the international community also has to exercise control,”

“The protection of liberated zones can only be done in the framework of the international community. Once an alternative government has been formed, it can itself legitimately call for protection and support.”

Three former members of the Kosovan Liberation Army have been arrested by EU police on suspicion of war crimes committed in 1999.

Blerim Krasniqi, spokesman for the EU’s rule of law mission, told Reuters that two of the three men were members of the Kosovo Security Force, which receives training by Nato.

"The suspects are charged with war crimes against the civilian population," said Krasniqi.

Local reports suggest the men are being held over the murder of supporters of moderate politician Ibrahim Rugova, a few days after the end of the war.

Meeting the new Syrian coalition and its President in London today, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was encouraged, and welcomed their wish to be a "credible, political alternative to the Assad regime".

In a statement, Hague said:

"The formation of the coalition is a very encouraging development, and I'm further encouraged by the discussions I have had with them this morning. It is important of course, and I have stressed to them, that they respect minority rights, that they are inclusive of all communities in Syria, committed to a democratic future for the people of Syria."

"And that in the face of a regime that has committed such abuse, violence and rape against the people of their own country, that this coalition stands firmly against all of those things, and they uphold high standards of human rights and international humanitarian law, preventing sexual violence, preventing abuse of prisoners. These things are very important for their future, and international support for them."

"I am encouraged by their response to that, and to have met Sheik Al-Khatib, the president of the National Coalition. I welcome the commitment he has made to reach out to all opposition groups in Syria, to respect human rights, to finalise a clear plan for political transition in Syria, and of course, to demonstrate that the coalition can be a credible, political alternative to the Assad regime"

"I hope this meeting today will mark a turning point for the Syrian people, and it will begin the major steps towards a political transition in Syria."

A court in The Hague has freed two Croatian generals, who were convicted of committing atrocities against Serbs in the 90s.

General Ante Gotovina and General Mladen Markac were sentenced to 24 years and 18 years respectively last year, for crimes of murder, persecution and plunder.

Their release was met by jubilations across Croatia, where the majority of people see both men as war heroes.

"The verdict confirms everything that we believe in Croatia: that generals Gotovina and Markac are innocent," Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said.

However, the Serbian government condemned the verdict.

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Rasim Ljajic said that the war crimes court had "lost all its credibility", according to Serbia's Beta news agency.

Mr Ljajic said the verdict was "proof of selective justice which is worse than any injustice" and that it was "a move backwards and the public opinion of the tribunal (in Serbia) will be worse than it already is".

A Swedish citizen of Rwandan origin has started his trial in Sweden, marking the country’s first trial for the crime of genocide.

54-year-old Stanislas Mbanenande trial for charges of genocide and violations of international law opened on Friday  with the indictment alleging that he had an
"informal role as a lower-level leader among young Hutus who sympathised with, or came to sympathise with, Hutu extremism".

He is also alleged to have taken part in massacres, leading a Hutu militia in Kibuye, western Rwanda, in April 1994. Prosecutors described how civilians in a church and hotel were surrounded and set upon by police and militia forces, as well as armed Hutu civilians, who used guns, grenades and machetes to slaughter the Tutsi.

Special prosecutor Magnus Elvin told Reuters earlier this month,

"Genocide is the most serious crime that there is and it can bring a sentence of up to life in prison." 

See our previous post:

Rwandan faces genocide trial in Sweden (05 November 2012)