Three years, 10 months, one week. That is how long for he has waited. This week, Thomas Lubanga gets to start telling judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) why they should set him free. The 49-year-old psychology graduate has pleaded not guilty to the war crimes over which he first appeared in court at…
Children joined Thomas Lubanga’s militia to avenge the murders of family and friends, a witness told prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) this week. “They had just arrived from their homes,” explained the unnamed witness, identified as a former soldier in the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) who also trained young recruits. “Many had…
Two former child soldiers in Thomas Lubanga’s militia this week told the International Criminal Court about the first time they killed in battle and how they are haunted by the memories. Testifying in Swahili, both said fear of being shot by their commanders stopped them from fleeing the gruesome conditions of their training and at…
In a dramatic first week of Lubanga’s trial, the Prosecution’s first witness said he lied about being abducted by Lubanga’s forces and taken to a training camp for child soldiers. He also told the court that he was coached by an aid group about what he should say on the witness stand. He’s about to…
A witness told the International Criminal Court (ICC) Tuesday that his son was kidnapped on the way home from school by soldiers of Thomas Lubanga’s militia and taken to a training camp. “This made me very angry…. The child was only 11-years-old,” the father told the prosecutor, Manoj Sachdeva. “Being a soldier is very hard,”…
Commanders in Thomas Lubanga’s militia used young kidnapped girls to provide “sexual services,” a former militia member told judges Tuesday at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. “I heard the cries of girls myself with my own ears,” said the anonymous witness, who continued his testimony from Friday. “There was a row of…
Monday’s proceedings in the trial of Thomas Lubanga at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague have been canceled due “unforeseen circumstances,” said ICC spokeswoman Laurence Blairon. One of the judges was away for the weekend and cannot get back to The Hague due to weather conditions, she said. The trial is expected to…
The highly anticipated trial of accused Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga, the first for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, had a troubled start this week. After two days of forceful opening statements by the prosecution and defense, prosecutors stumbled when their first witness, a former child soldier, said that he had lied. “What…
A former fighter said he saw child soldiers trained for and killed in battles fought by the militia of accused Congolese leader Thomas Lubanga. The witness, who remained unidentified, said he “saw them,” when asked by prosecuting attorney Manoj Sachdeva how he knew children were in the militia. “I was involved in the training.” The…
A former child soldier who recanted his story against accused Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga is unable to continue his testimony, the International Criminal Court ruled Thursday. Presiding Judge Adrian Fulford said the witness was not in an “appropriate state,” but wanted court officials to determine if the young man might testify at a future…
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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