Sri Lanka Disputes Report of 20,000 Dead

29-30 | AJE, NYT and AI

Calls around the world are growing for an inquiry into the number of civilians who may have been killed in the final stages of the Sri Lankan military’s assault on Tamil Tiger fighters. Both sides have been accused of killing civilians in the conflict. The U.N. says the total number of people killed in the final phase may never be known. Al Jazeera’s Azhar Sukri reports. (2:56):

Sri Lankan government officials have denounced a report by the Times of London on Friday that “more than 20,000 Tamil civilians were killed in the final throes of the Sri Lankan civil war, most as a result of government shelling.”

No War Crimes Probe for Sri Lanka

28 May 09 | PTV, BBC and FT

Sri Lanka escapes Western efforts to press war crime charges against the government over the civilian toll in its war with the Tamil Tigers.

Rights Groups Slam President ‘Torturer Supporter’; U.N. Tells Obama to Stop Abuse

13-14 May 09 | PTV, RT and LAT

Human rights groups have slammed President Barack Obama for opposing the release of photos showing the abuse of detainees by U.S. troops.

U.S. Rejoins U.N.’s Human Rights Forum

12 May 09 | CSM

Bush had shunned it as an ineffective dictators’ club. Obama’s team pledges to work from within to ‘improve’ it.

UN Withholding Israeli War Crimes Probe Results

17 Apr 09 | PTV

The United Nations has once again delayed disclosing the findings of its investigation into the recent Israeli bloodshed of the Palestinians.

Israel Won’t Cooperate in UN Gaza Probe

by Jason Ditz

15 Apr 09 | AWC News

Foreign Ministry says delegation won’t be allowed into country.

Amnesty Int’l Urges Israel and Palestinians to Cooperate with UN Investigation

7 Apr 09 | AI

Amnesty International has said that both the Israeli and Palestinian sides must fully cooperate with the UN’s fact-finding mission. The mission is looking into possible war crimes and international law violations committed during the recent conflict in Gaza and southern Israel.

IDF Troops Used 11-Year-Old Boy as Human Shield in Gaza

23 Mar 09 | Ha’aretz

Israel Defense Forces soldiers used an 11-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield during the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a group of UN human rights experts said Monday.

UN Criticises Israelis Over Gaza

23 Mar 09 | BBC

UN human rights investigators have questioned the legality of Israel’s Gaza offensive in a wide-ranging report to the UN Human Rights Council.