A project of the Open Society Justice Initiative, this website is part of a broader effort aiming to bring the International Criminal Court trial of Congolese militia leader, Thomas Lubanga, closer to the people most affected by his alleged crimes in the war-ravaged Great Lakes region.
This outreach effort sees Congolese journalists rotating through The Hague every two months, with the job of calling in daily to radio stations in the Congo and its neighboring countries to report back on the developments inside the ICC courtroom as Lubanga answers war crimes charges of allegedly conscripting, enlisting, and using child soldiers to fuel the Congo’s brutal conflict during 2002 and 2003. Daily Reports are also posted on the website in both French and English, which are then used by our Congolese liaison —a human rights lawyer—on the ground in Goma in eastern Congo to keep the local community apprised of the case.
Weekly Summaries from the courtroom, as well as regular Commentary and Legal Analysis concerning important legal developments are also posted on the site. Readers—particularly those from the Great Lakes—are invited to add their voices to the discussion by asking questions and posting comments on this site.
Lubanga’s trial is the first for the International Criminal Court and represents a critical test for international justice. The trial is also important for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo who have lived through more than a decade of brutal conflict and now have an opportunity to see justice done. LubangaTrial.org will provide a range of information about the trial to help people follow this watershed event. The site will ensure that voices from the DRC and Great Lakes region contribute to, and help shape, discussion about the Lubanga trial.
