A witness has recalled the murder of ten civilians by Krajina police in the village of Bruška in 1991, at the trial of Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović. Stanišić, the former head of Serbian state security, and his former deputy Simatović are accused of war crimes against non-Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia between 1991and 1995.
Posts Tagged ‘murder’
Kremlin tribute to dead activist
July 16th, 2009 |
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has paid tribute to human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, whose murder has caused international concern.
Speaking in Germany, as her funeral was being held in Chechnya, he promised a thorough investigation and pledged those responsible would be caught.
Ms Estemirova was abducted in the Chechen capital Grozny and shot dead.
Russia’s leader said it was "obvious" to him that her murder was linked to her professional work.
"She gave a very open and sometimes very tough evaluation of what’s happening in the country"
Dmitry Medvedev
Russian president
The UN has urged a transparent investigation into the killing on Wednesday, while the White House says it is "disturbed and saddened" by the crime.
Memorial, the Russian human rights group which employed Ms Estemirova, has accused Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed President, Ramzan Kadyrov, or his close associates of responsibility for the murder.
Mr Kadyrov denied any involvement and promised to investigate the killing personally.
‘She spoke the truth’
"It is obvious to me that this murder is linked to her professional work and this work is necessary for any normal state," Mr Medvedev said after talks outside Munich with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"She did something very useful. She spoke the truth, she gave a very open and sometimes very tough evaluation of what’s happening in the country.
"And that is the value of human rights campaigners, even if they make those in power feel uncomfortable."
Unlike his predecessor Vladmir Putin, President Medvedev has moved fast to publicly and explicitly condemn the murder of another prominent Russian human rights worker, the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield Hayes reports from Moscow.
He is perhaps aware of the wave of international outrage generated by her killing, our correspondent says.
Ms Estemirova was abducted from her home in Chechnya and her bullet-riddled body was found dumped in a forest a few hours later.
For years she had documented appalling human rights abuses carried out by the Moscow-backed regime in Chechnya, our correspondent says.
Mourning in Grozny
About 100 mourners gathered outside Memorial’s Grozny office on Thursday, some of them weeping.
The dead woman’s daughter Lana, 15, said she was stunned by her mother’s killing.
"I can’t imagine [she] won’t be around any more and that I won’t be making a morning coffee for her any more," she was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
Taus Dzhankhotova, 50, said she had been unaware of the killing when she showed up at the office carrying a pizza and melon she wanted to give to Ms Estemirova in thanks for legal help she had provided.
"What for What for" she said, crying. "They kill only the good people here. If she was bad, they wouldn’t have touched her."
Later, about 50 men and women walked in a slow procession along Prospekt Putin, a central Grozny street, to accompany the dead woman’s body, which was being carried in a yellow minivan to a cemetery in western Chechnya.
While Mr Kadyrov denies he had anything to do with her killing, many of her colleagues in Russia’s human rights community are unconvinced, our correspondent says.
Oleg Orlov, Memorial’s chairman, blamed the Chechen president personally in a statement on the group’s website.
Mr Kadyrov had, he said, "already threatened Natalia, insulted her, considered her a personal enemy".
The Chechen leader condemned Ms Estemirova’s killers on Thursday saying they "must be punished as the cruellest of criminals". </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Vow to catch Chechnya assassins
July 16th, 2009 |
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The Russian-backed Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, has vowed to hunt down the killers of prominent human rights activist Natalia Estemirova.
Ms Estemirova, a fierce Kadyrov critic, was investigating alleged abuses by government-backed militias in Chechnya when she was abducted and shot.
Colleagues of Ms Estemirova have blamed Mr Kadyrov’s government for her death.
But the Chechen leader vowed to bring her killers to justice, describing Ms Estemirova as a "helpless woman".
Mr Kadyrov is a controversial figure who has brought relative calm to Chechnya after years of conflict, but human rights groups accuse his militias of widespread abuses.
Ms Estemirova’s organisation, Memorial, had been investigating hundreds of cases of alleged kidnapping, torture and extra-judicial killings by Russian government troops or militias in Chechnya.
Allegations
Mr Kadyrov himself was quick to denounce Natalia Estemirova’s killers.
He publicly condemned the killing, saying the perpetrators of the murder "deserve no support and must be punished as the cruellest of criminals", Russian news agency Interfax reported.
His spokesman, Alvi Kerimov, told the Associated Press news agency that the Chechen president would launch two investigations: one official and one unofficial, following Chechen traditions. He gave no further details.
But Mr Kadyrov’s outrage was dismissed as a sham by Memorial’s chief, Oleg Orlov, who said in a strongly-worded statement that the Chechen authorities were linked to the murder of Ms Estemirova.
Mr Orlov alleged that she had been personally threatened in the past and said Mr Kadyrov considered the activist a personal enemy.
The Chechen president, who took office in 2007, is descended from one of Chechnya’s oldest and most respected clans and is a veteran of Chechnya’s long conflict.
He is the son of Akhmad Kadyrov, a former Chechen rebel leader who became its Russian-backed president before being killed in a bomb attack in 2004.
He has often been accused by critics of a role in the 2006 murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, something he has repeatedly denied.
‘Brutal slaying’
Natalia Estemirova was abducted and bundled into a van as she left her home in the Chechen capital, Grozny, on Wednesday.
Her body was found in neighbouring Ingushetia, with gunshot wounds.
"It seems to be open season on anyone trying to highlight the appalling human rights abuses in Chechnya"
Kenneth Roth
Human Rights Watch
Reaction to her killing was swift and strong, with Russian authorities, the White House and human rights organisations all condemning her murder.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev expressed "outrage" and ordered an inquiry while in Washington, the White House issued a statement saying the US was "deeply disturbed and saddened by the… brutal slaying".
The heads of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both condemned the killing and expressed concern at the dangers faced by campaigning journalists and activists in Russia.
"It seems to be open season on anyone trying to highlight the appalling human rights abuses in Chechnya," said Kenneth Roth, director of New York-based group Human Rights Watch.
"It’s high time the Russian government acted to stop these killings and prosecute those responsible."
Ms Estemirova had worked with the Anna Politkovskaya and the activist Stanislav Markelov, who was killed in January this year.
In 2007 she was awarded the inaugural Anna Politkovskaya Prize, and had also received awards from the Swedish and European parliaments.
Human Rights Watch said Ms Estemirova had been working on "extremely sensitive" cases of human rights abuses in Chechnya.
"She documented the most horrendous violations, [and] mass executions," said Tanya Lokshina, HRW Russian researcher in Moscow.
"There is no shred of doubt that she was targeted due to her professional activity,"
Campaign group Amnesty International said her murder was a consequence of the "impunity" allowed to persist by the Russian and Chechen authorities, and an attempt to gag civil society in the country. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Russian leader condemns killing
July 16th, 2009 |
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Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has expressed "outrage" at the murder of a prominent human rights activist, Natalia Estemirova.
He has ordered an inquiry into the killing of Ms Estemirova, who was investigating alleged abuses by government-backed militias in Chechnya.
She was abducted and bundled into a van as she left her home in the Chechen capital, Grozny, on Wednesday.
Her body was found in neighbouring Ingushetia, with gunshot wounds.
Ms Estemirova, 50, had been gathering evidence – for the Russian human rights organisation, Memorial – of a campaign of house-burnings by government-backed militiamen.
Accusation
The pro-Moscow Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, said the perpetrators of the murder "deserve no support and must be punished as the cruellest of criminals", according to Russian news agency, Interfax.
But the chairman of Memorial, Oleg Orlov, has already accused Mr Kadyrov of involvement in the killing.
In a statement on its website, he said: "I know, I am sure of it, who is guilty for the murder of Natalia…His name is Ramzan Kadyrov."
Mr Orlov alleged that Mr Kadyrov, a former Chechen rebel turned Kremlin ally, had previously threatened Ms Estemirova, and considered her "a personal enemy".
Memorial is one of Russia’s best known human rights groups.
Ms Estemirova had worked with the activists Anna Politkovskaya, who was shot dead in 2006, and Stanislav Markelov, who was killed in January this year.
"There is no shred of doubt that she was targeted due to her professional activity"
Human Rights Watch
Obituary: Natalia EstemirovaIn 2007 she was awarded the inaugural Anna Politkovskaya Prize, and had also received awards from the Swedish and European parliaments.
The New-York based human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Ms Estemirova had been working on "extremely sensitive" cases of human rights abuses in Chechnya.
"There is no shred of doubt that she was targeted due to her professional activity," said Tanya Lokshina, HRW Russian researcher in Moscow.
Campaign group Amnesty International said her murder was a consequence of the "impunity" allowed to persist by the Russian and Chechen authorities, and an attempt to gag civil society in the country.
‘Most to fear’
BBC Moscow correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, who met Ms Estemirova in Chechnya just six weeks ago, says she was engaged in very important and dangerous work.
She was investigating hundreds of cases of alleged kidnapping, torture and extra-judicial killings by Russian government troops or militias in Chechnya.
Our correspondent says it was the government-sponsored militias that had most to fear from her work.
She is the most recent in a long line of human rights activists and lawyers to have been killed or attacked in Russia.
Our correspondent says the history of this type of case over many years is that very rarely are the killers brought to justice.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Billings Slay Suspects Didn’t Expect Cameras
July 16th, 2009 |
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PENSACOLA, Fla. — The accomplice assigned to turn off surveillance cameras before an elaborate, deadly break-in at a sprawling Florida Panhandle home never did, but the seven people accused in the crime apparently did not know that, auth…
Jackson death ‘treated as homicide’
July 15th, 2009 |
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When the weirder members of Michael Jackson’s family suggested he might have met his end in a sinister fashion even the singer’s most dedicated fans flinched.
Joe Jackson cried foul within days of his son’s death. Jackson’s sister La Toya blamed “a shadowy entourage” of parasitic hangers-on for “murdering” the King of Pop. But it all seemed too convenient when Jackson appeared have driven himself to an early grave through his own addictions and stresses.
Yet three weeks after his death, there are more questions than ever, after it was reported that Los Angeles police have concluded the circumstances of Jackson’s early death might add up to murder after all. The prime suspects are a group of doctors, one or more of whom may have gone a lot further than providing the star with a few extra pills.
The TMZ website, which broke the news of Jackson’s death, said that several law enforcement sources have told them the police have concluded Jackson was killed by an anaesthetic, Propofol, which is so powerful it should only be used in hospitals under very controlled conditions, with heart monitoring.
The sedative is administered intravenously and was given to help Jackson sleep, because he suffered chronic insomnia. Propofol has found popularity as a recreational drug among some medical staff, but its sheer potency discourages most.
Detectives searching Jackson’s home missed the stash of the anaesthetic on a first sweep, but found it with a drip and an oxygen tank after questioning one of his doctors. TMZ’s sources said there was “plenty of powerful evidence” that the drug had been administered by one of Jackson’s doctors.
One of the doctors, Arnold Klein – who is not believed to be suspected of administering Propofol – told CNN this month he had known the singer was using it “with an anaesthesiologist, to go to sleep at night, and I told him he was absolutely insane”.
The police investigation appears to indicate that prosecutors may conclude that a doctor who knew the dangers of administering Propofol should face a second degree murder or manslaughter charge. Detectives are also investigating written prescriptions, after members of Jackson’s staff complained their names were used to obtain drugs.
Los Angeles police declined to comment on reports that it now regards the investigation as a murder inquiry, but an official said detectives were awaiting toxicology reports from the coroner’s office to confirm the cause of death.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Paul LeGendre: The Ilan Halimi Murder Trial: Moving Beyond Hatred?
July 15th, 2009 |
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On Friday, July 10, the leader of a Paris gang was sentenced to life in prison for torturing and murdering a young Jewish man, Ilan…
Drew Peterson’s Murder Trial Delayed
July 14th, 2009 |
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Drew Peterson won’t be taking the stand anytime soon, as his trial was pushed back Tuesday beyond its scheduled August 24 start date.
Peterson’s attorney Joel Brodsky told Judge Stephen White Tuesday that the defense team needs more time to r…
Prof Sabharwal murder accused released from Nagpur jail
July 14th, 2009 |
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All six Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists, who were acquitted by a sessions court in connection the H S Sabharwal murder case, were released from the Central Prison in Nagpur on Monday night.
The court on Monday said it was acquitting all ABVP activists as the prosecution had failed to prove their involvement in [...]
Germany charges alleged Nazi guard Demjanjuk
July 13th, 2009 |
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A court in Germany has formally charged alleged Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk with 27,900 counts of being an accessory to murder in World War Two. State prosecutors in Munich said the charges were filed on Monday against the 89-year-old retired car worker who was extradited to Germany from the United States in May.
Man jailed for spiked omelette killing
July 13th, 2009 |
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Stephen Singer committed murder to ‘find solution to love triangle’
A school caretaker was jailed for life today for killing his lover after lacing her omelette with sleeping pills.
Stephen Singer then battered Dina Sharpe’s head and trapped her in her burning bedroom, where she died.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years in prison after the judge at the Old Bailey said he had committed the murder to find a “chilling” solution to a complex love triangle.
Singer, 37, was also jailed concurrently for 20 years for the attempted murder of a toddler in the flat, in Southwark, south London, and for six years for arson.
The judge praised neighbours who tried to save Sharpe, 39, a school cleaner, after she called for help from a window of the fourth-floor flat.
After breaking down her door, they rescued a 17-month-old boy from the flames.
The court was told that Singer had been having a three-year relationship with Sharpe while living with another woman.
Things came to a head last summer when the woman found out about his affair and threw him out of their home.
At the same time, Sharpe found out that Singer was trying to get back with his long-term partner.
On Sunday 2 August, Singer bought sleeping tablets and lighter fuel before going to Sharpe’s home.
After he calmly left and rode off on his motorcycle, Sharpe’s cries were heard and she was seen calling for help from a window.
Judge Stephen Kramer said Singer had argued with Sharpe and punched her three times in the face and head, causing the brain damage from which she died.
He had planned the murder, grinding up sleeping pills earlier in the evening and trying to sedate Sharpe by adding them to an omelette he had cooked for her, and to her wine.
Singer had set fire to the flat to cover up his “calculating and callous” crime.
The judge told him: “You are a controlling person who was prepared chillingly to use aggression and deceit to take control of a complex triangle of your own making.”
Andrew Munday QC, prosecuting, said the little boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, survived but had 75% burns and was still undergoing extensive plastic surgery.
He said Sharpe died from brain damage due to injuries to her head and face, not from the fire.
After her death, her blood was found to contain sleeping pills. Items from the flat were re-examined and the same drug was found in wine and in half an omelette.
“Not only did he spike the omelette, but also the wine,” said Munday.
“He made an omelette but left his half. There was a plan by this defendant to cause her a fatal overdose or at least to incapacitate her.”
Sharpe’s cousin, Deborah Judge, told the court: “To us, Dina died a hero. We will never understand why Stephen Singer didn’t just walk away.”
Outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Carl Mehta said: “This is an absolutely horrific case and the level of callousness and brutality used by Singer to plan and execute the murder is just unimaginable.”
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Jerry Capeci: Slain Wiseguy Linked To Murder Plot Against Federal Prosecutor
July 13th, 2009 |
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The Bonanno crime family mobster who was whacked in a pre-dawn hit in Staten Island as he waited for a bus to take him to…
2 Convicted Killers Escape From Maximum-Security Indiana Prison
July 13th, 2009 |
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MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — Police and prison guards aided by search dogs hunted Sunday for two convicted killers and a third man who escaped the maximum-security Indiana State Prison, apparently through underground tunnels and pipes.
All thr…
Byrd And Melanie Billings Murder: Man Arrested In Connection With Killing Of Florida Couple With 16 Children
July 13th, 2009 |
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PENSACOLA, Fla. — A 56-year-old man was charged with evidence tampering Sunday in connection with the slaying of a wealthy Florida couple known for adopting children with developmental disabilities, the Escambia County sheriff said.
Leo…
French ‘Barbarian’ killer jailed
July 10th, 2009 |
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The leader of a Paris gang has been sentenced to life in prison in France for the torture and murder of a Jewish man, Ilam Halimi, in 2006.
Youssouf Fofana, 28, the only member of the Barbarians gang to be tried for the murder, will serve at least 22 years.
Mr Halimi was held by the gang for more than three weeks before being found by a railway line. He was handcuffed to a tree, naked and severely burned.
His death prompted mass protests in France against anti-Semitism.
Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence for Fofana – the life sentence means he must serve a minimum of 22 years.
The Associated Press reported that he mimed applause when the verdict was given.
Another 26 people were facing charges over involvement in the crime.
Fofana’s two main accomplices received sentences of 15 and 18 years respectively, while a young woman who lured Mr Halimi to his death was given nine years.
Two other defendants were acquitted.
Some of those charged were minors so the trial was heard behind closed door, against Mr Halimi’s family’s wishes.
Death threats
Inside France’s ‘Barbarians’ trial
Mr Halimi, who worked in a mobile phone shop, was lured by a female gang member to an empty apartment in the Parisian suburbs in February 2006.
When he arrived, he was attacked and drugged.
The kidnappers tried unsuccessfully to extort a ransom of 450,000 euros ($600,000; £405,000) from his family, sending them harrowing images and video recordings.
Fofana, who is of Ivorian descent, is said to have targeted Mr Halimi because he believed that "Jews are loaded".
After the murder he fled to Ivory Coast, from where he is reported to have made death threats to Mr Halimi’s family.
He was extradited to France in March 2006 to stand trial. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.