Common Rights: Genocide Warnings and Updates 2006

The status of these treaties changes. Occasionally. "Reservations," "Understandings," or "Declarations," are attempted by individual countries at signing or ratification. These and the current status of each treaty, are listed with The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in Geneva Switzerland. The applicability of The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide may be affected by the creation of the permanent International Criminal Court, which is empowered to deal with "the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression", based on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, "the most serious crimes of concern to the international community." The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, treaty, and ratification status in both French and English, are available from the United Nations through: http://www.un.org/law/icc/. December 30, 2006, Argentina: Madrid: Rodolfo Almiran, a former police officer, alleged by Argentinian judges to be a member of an anti communist terrorist, death squad group "AAA", operating under President Peron , and wanted for specific murders in Argentina, is arrested in Spain for extradition to Argentina. "Spanish police arrests ex policeman Almiron," Reuters, December 28, 2006, Reuters foundation Alertnet, "Argentine death squad man held, December 28, 2006. Luis Patti, accused of rights abuses was prevented from taking his seat in Congress, partly due to the testimony of a construction worker Luis Gerez, tortured by police during the "dirty war", who disappeared December 27th on the way to buy groceries. His is the second recent disappearance of witnesses testifying against police crimes during the "dirty war".
Montevideo Uruguay: Juan Maria Bordaberry, former President of Uruguay, then dictator under military rule, arrested November 17th, is to be held responsible at law for ten deaths as a result of "the detention and torture to which these people were subjected, as part of a regime installed by Bordaberry, without which these crimes would not have been committed". Information: "Uruguay ex dictator to be tried on 10 more murders," Reuters, December 20, 2006. Many of those who committed crimes under Plan Condor are protected by amnesty laws, serving political and military interests, rather than justice.