Kofi Annan Opposes Allowing US Troops Exemption from International Court
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is urging the Security Council to oppose the United States' attempt to obtain another exemption for US troops from prosecution under the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to the Washington Post, Annan said, "It would be unwise to press for an exemption, and it would be even more unwise on the part of the Security Council to grant it."
According to Reuters, China has been criticizing the resolution for sending wrong signals to the world, stating that the resolution could be used as political cover for abuses committed by troops serving in UN-approved peacekeeping missions.
The ICC has widespread support in the US from groups such as the Feminist Majority because it identifies gender crimes and the crime of apartheid as crimes against humanity. Article 7 of the Rome Statute, which created the court, presents clear language that defines rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization, or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity as gender crimes. Ninety four countries have fully ratified the treaty establishing the ICC. The United States is currently the only industrialized country that has not signed the treaty.
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
6/18/2013 Pakistani Women's University Bus, Hospital Bombed - A bus for a women's university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.
The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. . . .
6/18/2013 Taliban Attack In Afghan Capital As NATO Transfers Power - Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country's security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul. . . .
