Chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, is gathering information about possible war crimes committed by NATO soldiers, Al Qaeda and insurgents in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is a party to the Rome Statute and “any war crime or crime against humanity committed on its territory by Afghan nationals or foreigners is of interest to the court”, Ocampo told reporters September 9th.

He added that he had received "allegations from different sources…including massive attacks, collateral damage exceeding what is considered proper, and torture” and was looking into the situation in Afghanistan. If his preliminary examination shows grounds, a full investigation could be launched.

The ICC is also conducting preliminary inquiries into allegations of serious crimes committed in Georgia, Colombia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and by Israeli forces in Gaza.

UN Gaza report released

The UN fact finding mission on the 2008/9 Gaza conflict claims to have found evidence that both Israelis and Palestinians committed serious war crimes and breaches of humanitarian law.

The report recommended that the Security Council should require Israel to investigate the alleged crimes.
The Security Council should also appoint a committee of experts to monitor the investigation, the report added. If it did not take place, or did not conform with international standards, the situation should be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The report also called on the Security Council to require the committee of experts to perform a similar role regarding the relevant Palestinian authorities.

Justice Richard Goldstone, who lead the mission, will present the report to the UN Human Rights Council on September 29th.

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