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von.gov.ng | ICT [sic] Orders US To Pay Compensation For Freezing Iranian Assets, 30 Mar
The International Court of Justice, ICJ, has ordered the United States to pay compensation to Iranian companies after ruling that Washington had illegally allowed courts to freeze their assets. The United Nations' top court, also known as the World Court, did not specify the exact amount in its ruling on Thursday but said it would be determined in a later phase.

In a blow for Tehran, however, the tribunal in The Hague said it did not have jurisdiction over $1.75bn in frozen assets from Iran's central bank held in a Citibank [!] account in New York, by far the largest amount claimed back by Tehran.
[...]
the ICJ ruled that it was still in place at the time of the freezing of the assets of Iranian commercial companies and entities, and that therefore Washington violated the treaty. According to the judges, however, the court has no jurisdiction over the $1.75bn in assets held by the US because Iran's central bank - known as the Bank Markazi - is not a commercial enterprise, and thus not protected by the treaty.
[...]

by Cat on Sat Apr 1st, 2023 at 10:19:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
euractiv | Solidarity march in Pristina on eve of trial against Kosovo's KLA fighters, 3 Apr
in support of former Kosovo* Liberation Army [KLA] members who are facing trial in The Hague, with citizens calling for justice.

The Special Chambers court was set up [by WHOM?] to try Kosovo Albanians for alleged war crimes committed during the 1998-1999 Kosovo-Serbia war. It has been controversial since the outset as no similar structure exists for Serbia, the aggressor in the conflict.
[...]
The four face charges of war crimes stemming from the war. The hearing [read: US-Eng. law, arraignment] on Monday will serve to familiarise the accused with the charges, while on 11 April, the hearing of some 300 witnesses will begin.

"Each of the accused has been charged based on individual [?!] criminal responsibility with six counts of crimes against humanity: persecution, imprisonment, other inhumane acts, torture, unlawful killing. and enforced disappearance [read: kidnap?] of persons. Also, four charges of war crimes have been brought against each accused: [1] illegal and arbitrary arrest and detention, [2] cruel treatment, [3] torture, and [4] illegal killing",  a court press release states.

wut
In the Indictment, it is claimed that [defendants] Thaçi, Veseli, Selimi, and Krasniqi bear individual criminal responsibility based on different forms of criminal responsibility for  crimes committed in the context of a non-international armed conflict [read: civil war?] in Kosovo which were part of a widespread attack and systematically against persons who were suspected of being opponents of the KLA", it continues.
[...]
It is estimated the case will conclude by 1 April 2025, during which time the three [?] will remain in prison in The Hague.
[...]
The Specialist Chambers stem from a 2010 Council of Europe Report by Swiss Senator Dick Marty. The EU analysed the report, which found grounds for indictments and established the US-supported [!] chambers.
timesofindia | War Crimes Trial of Kosovo ex-President Thaci to Start
[...]
Thaçi's rebel KLA battled Serb forces of the indepencee of the southern province in a bitter conflict that claimed more than 13,000 lives. A NATO air campaign finally forced the Serbs to withdraw.
IAEA | The consequences of NATO Bombing on the Environment in Serbia (2004)
During the air strikes in 1999 NATO used ammunition with depleted uranium (DU) in FRY. It is known that the DU has a long time of semi-disintegration; actually its effect is ever lasting. ...

UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia | Final Report to the Prosecutor by the Committee Established to Review the NATO Bombing Campaign Against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (2000)
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) conducted a bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) from 24 March 1999 to 9 June 1999. During and since that period, the Prosecutor [Louise Arbour] has received numerous requests that she investigate allegations that senior political and military figures from NATO countries committed serious violations of international humanitarian law during the campaign
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91. On the basis of information available, the committee recommends that no investigation be commenced by the OTP in relation to the NATO bombing campaign or incidents occurring during the campaign.

After downing his guns, Thaçi joined politics, leading then US vice-presiden Joe Biden to once hail him as the "George Washington of Kosovo".

Rebel leaders of the KLA went on to dominate polical life in Kosovo. The Kosovo Special Chambers was set up in 2015 after a 2010 Council of Europe report linked Thaçi to organised crime during and after the war. In the years since he has also faced accusations of corruption, ["]clientelism["], and cynical politicking that blighted Kosovo's first decade of independence.
[...]

"The Thaçi Trial™ can help set Kosovo on a clearer path towards justice and the rule of law after a history of oppression," [HRW Europe and Central Asia dir Hugh] Williamson said. "And it puts the spotlight squarely on the Serbian [?!] government to hold its forces to account after years of protecting those responsible for grave crimes."
archived asterisk: "without prejudice to positions on status"

reference
D. Marty et alm,PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Inhuman treatment of people and illicit trafficking in human organs in Kosovo* (2010)
"criminal activity, which developed with the benefit of the chaos"
European Commission, KOSOVO*; 2010 PROGRESS REPORT (2010)
"Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2010-2011"
US State, 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Kosovo
wikiwtf, Accession of Kosovo to the European Union (ICYMI)

by Cat on Mon Apr 3rd, 2023 at 10:52:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Iranian Petrochemicals and Petroleum Sales and an International Sanctions Evasion Network
by Cat on Tue Apr 4th, 2023 at 10:07:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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