Comments for Michael Nelson

Comment on Humberto Leal is dead. Does this threaten our own rights? by mbnelson

mbnelson — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 17:27:27 +0000

Max,
This is not strictly about appeal as much as it is about a right to judicial review to ascertain whether Leal was harmed (whether the verdict and sentencing might have been different) because he was not informed of his consular rights when he was arrested. The key issue in terms of the reciprocal rights we may want to protect as Americans is the obligation on the part of states to inform foreigners of their consular rights. In terms of rights after we are convicted, I don’t believe the VCCR has much to say so long as foreigners were informed of their consular rights. The ICJ has said that convicted felons in the US that were never informed of their consular rights should have judicial review. My guess is that they would say the same of convicted felons in any country that is party to the VCCR. Does this address your concern?
Also, Texas may indeed stand out with regards to the death penalty (a couple quick stats I saw online suggested it is by far the leading “executioner” in the US). So it may attract attention from certain circles abroad for that reason.

Comment on Humberto Leal is dead. Does this threaten our own rights? by Max

Max — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 14:34:26 +0000

Professor Nelson,
Isn’t the issue present with Leal slightly different? In that he was already convicted and it’s essentially an issue of appeal and not necessarily of pre-trial rights. I haven’t done the research, but I’m not sure whether or not perhaps there’s a gap in the ability to contact the consulate between a charged defendant and a convicted felon among Americans abroad.

It could also just be that Texas is the most trigger happy state in the Union re: the death penalty.

Comment on Ghana: Waste, lagoons, and deserts by mbnelson

mbnelson — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:21:43 +0000

Fiona,
Those are incredible pictures. Thanks for the links!

Comment on Ghana: Waste, lagoons, and deserts by Fiona Leonard

Fiona Leonard — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:45:37 +0000

Hi Michael

Thanks for picking up on the issues raised in my recent blogs. You might also want to have a look at a couple of photo essays my husband has done on related issues – one on climate change http://nyani.photoshelter.com/gallery/Climate-Change/G0000sIKLUDsiKIA/ and another on some of the slums near Korle Lagoon http://nyani.photoshelter.com/gallery/The-Other-Accra/G00005H4FSgjYULk/ .

regards

Fiona

Comment on Mubarak is gone, and the African Union is MIA by Danielle Ellingston

Danielle Ellingston — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:04:29 +0000

I’m glad that I caught this- I hadn’t seen anything about reactions by SSA countries to Egypt (didn’t look too hard, must admit), and these formal reactions do tell us something about SSA institutions & leaders.

I find it interesting that the AU didn’t make a formal statement about the events in Egypt, and that the informal discussion seemed milque-toast at best- Mubarak should make reforms, is what it amounted to, which falls far short of what the protests called for. And of course it’s too late for that now.

I wonder if the AU did not formally discuss the Egypt situation because too many of its members live in glass houses. The leaders representing their countries in the AU are guilty of crimes against their populations at least as bad as Mubarak, so they can’t very well make a strong statement against him and in support of democracy. And the countries that are on the right path either are unable or unwilling to rock the boat… maybe a combination of the two. It’s too bad for the AU for so many reasons, but I think the worst thing is that it makes the AU irrelevent if it shies away from at least discussing the important events happening on the continent.

Comment on Rwanda’s Elections: beginning the habit of democracy by mbnelson

mbnelson — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:57:10 +0000

@Haley: Just saw this comment! I definitely look forward to hearing what you learned from your time over there this summer.

Comment on My new co-authored article on patronage by Erica Chenoweth

Erica Chenoweth — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:17:28 +0000

Let’s hold onto these citations about co-authorship being on the rise for our tenure cases!

Comment on Rwanda’s Elections: beginning the habit of democracy by Haley Baron

Haley Baron — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:56:27 +0000

Greatly appreciate the “Kagame” crossed out in the first sentence . Lets talk about sources with varying perspectives (aka not just the mainstream victors history) back at Wes! Hope all is well!

Comment on Why does the African Studies Association always hold meetings in fancy hotels? by Robin T

Robin T — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:05:36 +0000

Here’s a link to less problematic hotels to stay at: http://www.hotelworkersrising.org/HotelGuide/

Comment on News and Comment: the G20 and Africa Part 2 by Rizik

Rizik — Sun, 17 May 2009 01:04:30 +0000

Citing the importance for the newly-created International Criminal Court (ICC) to remain an impeccably impartial institution, the MJPC reiterated its call on the ICC to refer the DR Congo to the Security Council for possible sanctions.

The MJPC (Mobilization for Justice and Peace in the Congo) warned that in the Congo as elsewhere, the ICC as a new international instrument to promote the rule of law and ensure that the gravest international crimes do not go unpunished could quickly lose its moral value if it does not take concrete steps to start enforcing its own issued arrest warrants.

“Frankly the ICC cannot put off forever bringing the DR Congo before the Security Council for its continuing refusal to execute the outstanding ICC arrest warrant against Ntaganda,” said Makuba Sekombo, Director of Community Affairs of the MJPC, an organization that strongly denounces defying ICC arrest warrants in Congo. “There are serious dangers in continuing to allow Congo defy this arrest warrant, its sends a wrong message and could have disastrous effects in other countries,” added Sekombo.

Ntaganda is accused of several war crimes and crimes against humanity including: the massacres of 150 people in the town of Kiwanja in 2008 in his duties as military chief of staff of the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), torturing and killing of hundreds of civilians of Lendu and Ngiti ethnicity between August 2002 and March 2003 when he was chief of military operations of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), slaughtering of at least 800 civilians on ethnic grounds at Mongbwalu, including the first priest killed in the Ituri conflict, Abbe Boniface Bwanalonga, killing of a Kenyan UN peacekeeper in January 2004 and kidnapping a Moroccan peacekeeper later that year, and recruiting child soldiers in the eastern region of Ituri. The MJPC is strongly urging the Congolese Government and MONUC to execute the arrest warrant issued by the ICC against Ntaganda.

According to Mr. Sekombo, the failure in the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda to date highlights the lack of seriousness in enforcing arrest warrants issued by the ICC and strongly urges the ICC to refer the case of Ntaganda to the UN Security Council to find solutions in accordance with Article 87, paragraph 7 of the Treaty of Rome.

The MJPC is calling for Congo to be taken to the Security Council, as it claims Kinshasa is in clear violation of the ICC treaty which Congo ratified in 2002. The ICC cannot afford to ignore its statutory responsibility to report this matter” to the Security Council,” he said, adding that the Security Council would have the authority to require Congo to take all necessary corrective measures to enforce all ICC arrest warrants immediately.

An online petition has been set up asking concerned citizens around the world to demand the UN Mission in Congo known as MONUC and the Congolese Government to act decisively to enforce the ICC outstanding arrest warrants against Ntaganda. The petition can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/24459.html

Click here http://www.arrestntagandanow.org/may112009.aspx to read a full article on referring Congo to the UN Security Council if it continues to defy the execution of the Arrest Warrant of the ICC Against Ntaganda by Makuba Sekombo

About MJPC
MJPC is a non-profit organization working to add a voice in advocating for justice and peace in the DRC particulary in the east of DRC where thousands innocent civilian including children and women continue to suffer massive human rights violations while armed groups responsible for these crimes go unpunished.

For more information about the MJPC and its activities, visit http://www.mjpcongo.org . or call Makuba Sekembo @ 1 408 806 3644 or e-mail: info@mjpcongo.org . The online petition calling on the Congolese Government and MONUC to act decisively in enforcing the outstanding ICC arrest warrant against Bosco Ntaganda can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/24459.html