Indicted former Rwandan government official Michel Bagaragaza has been transferred from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to The Hague due to security concerns. Earlier this week, Bagaragaza pleaded not guilty to genocide charges after surrendering himself to the UN-backed tribunal in Tanzania. Bagaragaza has been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit genocide, genocide [...]

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The Iraqi government Sunday defended its decision to reinstate the death penalty, saying that without sufficient punishment there will be no security in the country. The statements come a day after Ashraf Qazi, special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asked Iraq to reconsider executing three convicted felons. Last week, Iraqi vice president Adel Abdel [...]

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A spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said Sunday that Iraq's constitutional committee may seek more time to work on the draft constitution if they cannot meet Monday's deadline to submit the document to the country's parliament. Iraqi leaders are already working under an extended deadline after they missed the original August 15 date. [...]

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A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman announced Saturday that the department would not modify its policy of using deadly force against suspected terrorists. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is conducting a review of police conduct after officers shot and killed an innocent man they mistakenly suspected of involvement in the July 21 subway bombings in London . [...]

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Ashraf Qazi, special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asked Saturday that Iraq reconsider its decision to resume carrying out executions, three days after the Iraqi government approved three death sentences . The US-led occupation placed a moratorium on capital punishment after removing former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003; after the end of formal occupation, [...]

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Kurdish officials discussed dropping their demand for a constitutional right to secede Saturday, as negotiations continued on the drafting of the Iraqi constitution . Kurds have faced opposition to their demand for self-determination from various Sunni groups associated with Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's Dawa Party and cleric Muqtada al-Sadr . This opposition has been instrumental [...]

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Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has admitted that Nigerian police forces have engaged in killings of suspects and innocent civilians, as well as torture and other civil rights violations. Obasanjo's admission comes only weeks after Nigerian officials denied allegations of torture made in a new report by Human Rights Watch . Obasanjo pledged swift action against [...]

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