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Showing posts from December, 2021

Gambia commission recommends ex-dictator Jammeh face trial

  BANJUL, Gambia -- Gambia's former dictator, Yahya Jammeh, should face prosecution for murder, torture and sexual violence, according to a new report by a truth, reconciliation and reparations commission established after he fled into exile five years ago. The long-awaited report recommends that a special international court be set up to try Jammeh and others in West Africa, but outside of Gambia. The report, which is based on years of witness testimonies, already had been presented to President Adama Barrow, but its posting online late Friday marked the first time that the complete findings were made public. Gambian Justice Minister Dawda A. Jallow said that the government was “committed to the implementation of the report," but wouldn't release a paper before May on how it plans to go forward. Reed Brody with the International Commission of Jurists said he expected pressure to now mount on Gambia's leader “to deliver justice without further delay for victims who hav...

2 strong tremors strike off Greek island of Crete

  Two tremors with a magnitude of 5.2 and 5.4, respectively, have jolted Greece’s southern islands, but no damage or casualties have been reported so far ATHENS, Greece -- Two tremors with a magnitude of 5.2 and 5.4, respectively, have jolted Greece's southern islands, but no damage or casualties have been reported so far. The first tremor, a 5.2-magnitude, struck at 5:15 p.m. (1515 GMT) east of the island of Crete and at a depth of 9 kilometers (5.6 miles), the Institute of Geodynamics reported in Athens. The earthquake was felt in Crete and the islands of Karpathos, Kassos, Rhodes and Santorini, according to local media. An even larger tremor of 5.4 magnitude struck at 8:59 p.m. (1859 GMT) about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) northwest of the first, at a depth of 6.3 kilometers (3.9 miles), the Institute of Geodynamics reported. The mayor of the small island of Kassos, closest to the epicenter, told state news agency ANA that no buildings were damaged in either earthquake. An unrelat...