The 1947 legal definition by the UN incorporates several aspects of targeted oppression, such as "Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group" and "Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

The popular definition is simpler: The wholesale killing of a people because of religion, race or ethnicity."

See Richard Handler’s discussion of Yale historian Timothy Synder’s book here.

“We are still not yet free of the shadow of serious crimes committed during the 24 years of Indonesian occupation. We have suffered a lot during that period; physically and psychologically, because of torture from various types of violations, including sexual violence against women, and the loss of 180,000 human lives because of the brutal, illegal Indonesian military occupation.”

- Timor-Leste National Alliance for an International Tribunal (ANTI).

A coalition of groups in East Timor has urged the United Nations Security Council to take “concrete, effective actions to end impunity for those who directed and committed crimes against humanity” there during Indonesia's invasion in 1975 and occupation till 1999.

"Accountability for crimes against humanity must not be further delayed" ANTI told the UNSC this week.

(See the text of the letter here)

ANTI criticized UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for failing "to mention the consequences of ongoing impunity for the serious international crimes committed during the Indonesian occupation" in his latest report to the UNSC.

The letter was endorsed by more than 30 other organizations from outside East Timor.

Sudan’s president could enjoy a year’s reprieve from war crimes charges as Western governments seek to encourage his regime to consolidate peace after the people of South Sudan voted last month for independence.

Senior western and African officials said France and the US had agreed at an African Union summit to consider backing a deferral of the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Omar al-Bashir on war crimes and genocide charges.

See the Financial Times’ report here.

See earlier posts on South Sudan's referendum here.

European law enforcement officials and other experts say the chances of George W. Bush being arrested on war crimes charges in Switzerland--or any place else on the continent--are almost nil.

"From a legal point of view, I believe it could be possible. But I'm convinced that the political reality is that there are no chances for such a step."

- Dick Marty, a Swiss prosecutor who led Council of Europe’s investigation into CIA secret prisons.

See the Washington Post’s report here

See also reports on President Bush cancelling his visit last week to Switzerland here and here.

“[Cindor Reeves] risked his life to help international prosecutors build a war crimes case against Mr. Taylor, the former president of Liberia. … [He] should not be deported to Liberia. He played a key role in bringing charges against a reviled figure, and deserves a safe haven.”

- Globe and Mail editorial, Feb 7, 2011

See the full text here.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sought Thursday to calm global concerns about the impact of severe droughts on China's grain output and inflation, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The country's supply of grain is basically in balance with demand and reiterating the government's confidence that it can keep prices under control, he said, adding:

"We are confident that we have the ability to promote the stable development of agricultural products, to ensure the effective supply of agricultural products, especially grain, and to maintain the overall basic stability of goods prices"

 See the Wall Street Journal's report here.

The tidal wave of public anger against the Egyptian regime that engulfed the country in recent days has transfixed governments and people the world over.

Egypt’s staunchest ally, the United States, has called on President Mubarak to go, and to go ‘now’ (see AFP's report).

But amid the sustained mass protests by Egypt’s people and their defiance of its terror tactics, what seems to bother the regime most is international criticism.

Unsurprisingly, its logic is … ‘internal affairs’.

This is what Vice President Omar Suleiman had to say Thursday:

"There are some abnormal ways by which foreign countries have intervened through press declarations and statements. This was very strange, given the friendly relations between us and them."

"The interference in our internal affairs is a weird thing. Yes to their advice ... yes to their support but to intervene in our affairs and to tell us: 'do this or do that', this is unacceptable and we will not allow it at all."

See Reuters' report here.

Interestingly, one country to initially echo this logic was ... India, the world’s largest democracy.

This is what External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said Tuesday:

"It is the internal affairs of Egypt, and as a friendly country to Egypt, we hope that a resolution could be found which would be acceptable to those who are demonstrating and agitating."

However, as the demonstrations continue and the US pushes for Mubarak's departure, India wavered (see IANS's report).

"India goes along with the democratic aspirations for reforms in Egypt, which is being urged by the people,” Krishna said Friday.

"The govt should see its way to understand the democratic aspirations of the people and I think they should come to terms with that and it is better for them, better for the region and better for everybody.”

See here what President Obama said during his visit to Delhi last November about India's reticence on criticising repressive regimes. 

The United States says it is willing to help India and China improve their relations and welcomes a greater involvement by New Delhi in East Asia, AFP reports.

"We support an improvement in dialogue between India and China, and we would seek to take steps to facilitate that as we move forward," Kurt Campbell, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia said.

"Ultimately, we think that India's role in the Asian-Pacific region stands to be one of the most important new developments over the course of the next decade."

The Obama administration focused attention from the start of its term on managing the complex relationship between the US and China but says it is also committed to a global partnership with India.

“What young people want is political dignity. Democracy may enhance that. But political dignity also encompasses ethnic or national self-determination, religious self-definition, and human and social rights. All of this now takes place in a wired world where the youth are acutely aware of economic, racial, and social inequities.”

- Zbigniew Brzezinski, US national security advisor in President Jimmy Carter’s administration. See Newsweek's interview here about the ongoing crisis in Egypt.

“Nationhood is not an abstract phenomenon. It is a work continuously in the making; a work that requires effort and dedication, vision and leadership; most importantly, it requires the collective free will of the people.

“Today’ world is different from the 19th century … where force could be used, at will, to unify a vast land or impose a cultural or linguistic identity upon a diverse group of peoples.”

“To forge a free nation today you need the assent of all. No identity can be unduly imposed anymore.

- Mohamed El Mokhtar Sidi Haiba, Palestinian political analyst. See his article on the global implications of ‘The Breakup of Sudan’ in the Palestinian Chronicle.

Preliminary official results from South Sudan’s independence referendum show that more than 99 percent of voters in the plebiscite want secession.

The Economist reports that, despite reports of discrepancies between voting numbers and registration lists in 60 counties (over half of the states in the South), the vote has been praised by observers: “there is little doubt that the process is indeed representative of the will of the Southern Sudanese people.”

Minor hiccups aside, the nearly four million people who voted in the referendum will now almost certainly see their wishes realized, the magazine said.

See discussion of the issues to be resolved in The Economist’s report here.

“Exclusive reliance on quiet dialogue and cooperation [with abusive states] becomes a charade designed more to appease critics of complacency than to secure change. … A key offender has been the European Union.

“Defending human rights is rarely convenient. But if [Western] governments want to pursue other interests instead, they should have the courage to admit it, instead of hiding behind meaningless dialogues and fruitless quests for cooperation.”

- Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. See his op-ed in the New York Times here.

See veteran Tamil journalist J. S. Tissainayagam's views on 'quiet diplomacy' and Sri Lanka here.

“I don't believe [quiet diplomacy works]. I believe that the more shaming that is done, the more pressure that is put is put publicly, the more the [Sri Lankan] government is willing to act.”

Releasing its 21st annual review of human rights around the world, Human Rights Watch said Monday that instead of standing up firmly against abusive leaders, many governments adopt policies that do not generate pressure for change.

HRW singled out the European Union, saying:

“A range of countries from the global North and South are regular offenders, but the EU in particular seems eager to adopt the ideology of dialogue and cooperation.

“Even when the EU issues a statement of concern on human rights, it is often not backed by a comprehensive strategy for change.”

HRW also condemned the United Nations and its "deferential attitude toward Sri Lankan wartime atrocities", as well as leading democracies of the global South, such as South Africa, India, and Brazil, for their tepid responses to repression.