FIRST PROCESS INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

The so-called Chamber of Preliminary Investigation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague decided that there are enough reasons to suspect the Congolese politician Thomas Lubanga of  recruiting and deploying child soldiers in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In November 2006, the chief public prosecutor of the ICC presented his proof against Lubanga, and now the judges decided that there are substantial reasons to assume he is guilty.

The lawyer of Lubanga is very disappointed about the decision, since he is convinced that his client is innocent. He studies the possibilities to go into appeal. According to insiders he can only do that if the judges give permission. When the appeal will not be granted, the first IIC process will start in the near future.

The chief public prosecutor says he has proof that the former chairman of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), was involved in recruiting child solders younger than 15 year in the years 2002 and 2003. The children had to fight in Hema militias, a tribe that was fighting against the Lendu tribe.

The child soldiers had to kill and were often killed themselves. According to the inaugural treaty of the ICC, the Statute of Rome, the recruitment and deployment of children younger than 15, is a war crime.  

A French ICC judge underlined the importance of the of the confirmation-session, a new instrument in international criminal law, that is now applied for the first time. In this procedure the suspect get protection against mistaken accusations. more features

February 20, 2007