Information about the activities of the International Criminal Court in relation to Congo.

Congo

Prosecution stumbles as historic trial opens
by Rachel Irwin in The Hague - Institute for War & Peace Reporting

"The highly anticipated trial of accused Congolese militia leader, Thomas Lubanga, the first for the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague, had a troubled start this week. After two days of strong opening statements by the prosecution and defence, prosecutors stumbled when their first witness, a former child soldier, said that he had lied ... "

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Defence comes on strong in Lubanga case
NRC Handelsblad

"Both the prosecution and defence have laid out their case this week in the first-ever case presented before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Is Thomas Lubanga a power-mad despot or a scapegoat?"

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Chaos reigns at International Criminal Court trial of Thomas Lubanga
by David Charter - The Times

"A series of mishaps marked a shambolic opening day’s testimony yesterday at the trial of an alleged Congolese warlord which ended with the first witness retracting his claim to have been a child soldier ... "

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Lawyer: Congo warlord's trial may not be fair
by Mike Corder, ABC News

"Defense lawyers for a Congolese warlord on trial for using child soldiers said Tuesday he is an innocent man sent to the International Criminal Court by President Joseph Kabila to get rid of a political opponent ... "

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Lubanga denies war crimes in first ICC trial
By Katherine Iliopoulos, Crimes of War Project

"Former Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo pleaded not guilty to charges of using child soldiers at his trial which opened on 26 January 2009 ... "

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Lubanga trial: another mishap
by Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor - Daily Telegraph

"The senior trial lawyer in charge of the first case to be tried at the International Criminal Court has been taken off the case little more than a month before the trial is due to open ... "

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ICC risks losing the plot in Congo
by Lisa Clifford - Institute for War & Peace Reporting

"The court insists its Congo outreach campaign, intended to debunk the myths and rumours about the ICC, is robust and effective. But evidence on the ground suggests differently. North Kivu is an opportunity to correct that. All sides in the conflict have committed war crimes and the ICC’s long-promised case or cases must reflect that, to refute the commonly held belief that the ICC is biased ... "

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Congolese warlord faces ICC charges amid setbacks to first trial
by Anthony Dworkin, Crimes of War Project

"The former Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo appeared as a suspect before the International Criminal Court on July 4 after being arrested in Belgium a few weeks earlier. Bemba, who was the runner-up in DR Congo's presidential election in 2006, faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with a conflict in the Central African Republic in 2002-03 ... "

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ICC orders release of Lubanga
by Sebastiaan Gottlieb & Thijs Bouwknegt, Radio Netherlands Worldwide

"On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the Rome Statute, judges at the International Criminal Court have decided to release the court's first-ever defendant, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. The Congolese militia leader will remain in custody for the time being, since the prosecution has appealed against the decision. The decision to free Lubanga is a serious embarrassment for the prosecution ..."

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