As the International Criminal Court (ICC) prepares to resume the trial of accused Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga in early May, witness protection has emerged as a key concern. This was immediately apparent when the prosecution’s first witness recanted his story and told the court that he had been coached on what to say by…
The court is in recess and the trial will resume on Tuesday, May 5. Watch this space. Meanwhile check out the legal analysis and commentary sections with new postings.
The defense lawyer for Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga told the court on Wednesday that she needs better access to her client. Catherine Mabille said defense team members are spending most of their lunch in discussions with Lubanga, and have less than an hour and a half in the evening with the accused, nearly all…
A clinical psychologist on Tuesday told the trial of Thomas Lubanga that former child soldiers suffer high levels of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Psychologist Elisabeth Schauer cited a study of 1,100 abductees in Uganda which found PTSD among 40 per cent of those who stayed in captivity for more than one month. Schauer, who…
Questions were raised this week about Thomas Lubanga’s control over the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia, following testimony that as the group’s president, his role was largely political, not military. Lubanga is on trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of conscripting and using children to fight in the Ituri region of the…
Thomas Lubanga, the accused leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), was portrayed in video clips on Friday as seeking peace between ethnic groups in the Ituri region. “We must work together,” Lubanga stated in one video. “We must not tolerate that people continue to massacre other people on our territory of Ituri.” Although…
The case against accused Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga appears to be strong so far, say legal observers, despite attempts by the defense to undermine key testimonies. Because the testimony has been provided by traumatized former child soldiers and some of the recorded statements were given three years ago, the inconsistencies can be explained, experts…
Video interviews with commanders of Thomas Lubanga’s Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) suggest that Lubanga did not want peace in the Ituri region. The videos, reportedly filmed in March 2003 and presented to the court on Thursday, reveal splits within the UPC’s hierarchy. In one video, the former UPC Minister of Defense Chef Kawa Pangamandro-widely…
Testimony in the trial of Thomas Lubanga took a turn on Wednesday as a witness suggested that Lubanga may not have had as much military control of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia as previously stated. Continuing his testimony from yesterday, a former UPC soldier known as Witness 17 told judges that he never…
Thomas Lubanga on trial at the International Criminal Court. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is the first person to be tried by the International Criminal Court. A former rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lubanga is accused of conscripting, enlisting, and using child soldiers. More
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