Posts Tagged ‘Lubanga’


March 2, 2010

Lubanga Trial Resumes Tomorrow

By Tracey Gurd

Thomas Lubanga’s war crimes trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) resumes tomorrow after a hiatus of two weeks. On February 18, 2010, court took a break to allow Lubanga’s lawyers to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to conduct what Judge Adrian Fulford referred to as “critical research”. Once the trial resumes,…

February 23, 2010

Lubanga Lawyers Want ‘Vulnerable’ Witness To Testify Via Video Link

By Wairagala Wakabi

Thomas Lubanga’s attorneys have asked for permission for one of the defense witnesses to testify via video link from Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They said traveling to The Hague would be cumbersome for the “extremely vulnerable” witnesses. Judges Adrian Fulford, Elizabeth Odio Benito, and René Blattmann ruled on February 10, 2010…

February 10, 2010

Witness Says Lubanga Didn’t Conscript Children

By Wairagala Wakabi

A defense witness today told court that the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) – the group Thomas Lubanga is alleged to have led – did not conscript any children. Instead, children who had no parents, and those who adored soldiers that extorted money from civilians, voluntarily joined the group. Claude Nyéki Django, the 20-year-old defense…

February 1, 2010

Lubanga Witness Claims His Son Lied To The ICC

By Wairagala Wakabi

A defense witness told the Thomas Lubanga trial that his son appeared before the court as a prosecution witness and lied about serving as a child soldier in the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), the group which the International Criminal Court (ICC) says was led by Lubanga. Under cross-examination by the prosecution’s Manoj Sachdeva, the…

January 27, 2010

Defense Case Opens, Lubanga Lawyers Claim Testimony Was Fabricated

By Wairagala Wakabi

Thomas Lubanga’s defense opened today at the International Criminal Court (ICC), with his lawyers declaring that they would produce evidence to show that agents of the Office of The Prosecutor helped to fabricate the testimony of several witnesses who were called by the prosecution. Catherine Mabille, Lubanga’s lead counsel, said they would produce 16 witnesses…

January 24, 2010

Lubanga’s Defense Case Starts This Week

By Wairagala Wakabi

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…

January 20, 2010

No trial today as new ICC judges are sworn in

By Tracey Gurd

The trial of Thomas Lubanga did not go ahead as usual today as the International Criminal Court held a ceremony swearing in two new judges to sit on the court. The new judges are Ms Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi (Argentina) and Ms Kuniko Ozaki (Japan) who swore their oaths in front of the other ICC…

January 13, 2010

Defense Queries Victim’s Account Of Abductions

By Wairagala Wakabi

The Lubanga defense today questioned the participating victim who begun giving evidence at the Lubanga trial on Tuesday, querying his account of how rebels abducted pupils from a school where he was the schoolmaster, and the authenticity of the medical records he presented before the court. Defense counsel Jean-Marie Biju-Duval put it to the witness…

January 12, 2010

Victim Tells Court His Village Wants Reparations

By Wairagala Wakabi

The first participating victim to take the witness stand in the trial of former Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga told the court on Tuesday that the reason he was testifying was to inform the world about the crimes committed against his people by a militia group Lubanga is alleged to have led, and to ask…

January 7, 2010

UN Official Urges Justice For Girl Soldiers

By Wairagala Wakabi

Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN secretary general’s special representative for children and armed conflict, on Thursday asked judges in the Thomas Lubanga trial to deliver justice to girls who were involved in armed conflict. Appearing as an expert witness on the day the trial resumed following a six month lull, Coomaraswamy’s testimony dwelt on the interpretations…