This story contains details some readers might find disturbing. As Ntaganda listened intently, judge Robert Fremr ran through an extensive list of atrocities carried out by Ntaganda's men, including rape and sexually enslavement of young children. Judge Fremr highlighted the case of a year-old rape victim who underwent years of surgery and developed a long-lasting fear that caused her to drop out of school.
He told the defendant there were no real mitigating circumstance in his case, but said his crimes, "despite their gravity and his degree of culpability", did not merit a life sentence. Ntaganda has already appealed against his conviction. Ntaganda was the first person to be convicted of sexual slavery by the ICC and overall the fourth person the court has convicted since its creation in The Rwanda-born year-old former rebel was involved in numerous armed conflicts in both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He surrendered at the US embassy in Rwanda in Analysts said it was an act of self-preservation, motivated by the danger he was in after losing a power-struggle within his M23 rebel group. Anna Holligan at the Hague. Once famous for his pencil moustache and penchant for cowboy hats, Bosco Ntaganda, in a red tie and dark suit, appeared a picture of calm conformity in court as the harrowing evidence against him was read out.
The public gallery was packed - not with friends, family and supporters, but students, journalists and human rights groups keen to witness Ntaganda go down in history as the first person to be convicted by the ICC of sexual crimes. It was something of a victory for the victims, particularly the women, that the court recognised gender violence and acknowledged rape as a weapon of war. Ntaganda was also the first suspect to voluntarily surrender to the court, but judges were not convinced he'd done the honourable thing.
They believed he had flip-flopped between sides - fighting for the rebels, then the state army - and that when his luck in Congo was running out he surrendered to the Hague as simply an act of self-preservation. Next is the issue of reparations and how much compensation the ICC should award the survivors, many of whom risked their lives to testify and reveal Ntaganda's true face. In July, a three-judge bench found Ntaganda guilty on all 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the mineral-rich north-eastern region of Ituri between and Ntaganda was a "key leader" who gave orders to "target and kill civilians", Judge Fremr said in the ruling.
The Rwandan -born year-old was found guilty of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, sexual slavery, rape and using child soldiers. Ntaganda was the first person to be convicted of sexual slavery by the court.
Many of the other charges related to massacres of villagers in the mineral rich Ituri region of the DRC. ICC appeals judges will hand down their decision on his appeal against his conviction and sentence at GMT. The court asked the court's trust fund for victims to arrange for the reparations to be made, or to find further funds as necessary, as Ntaganda was unable to pay. Ntaganda's lawyers said when they announced his intention to appeal that the Rwandan was "at peace with himself" and that he "remains fine and strong".
Prosecutors portrayed him as the ruthless leader of ethnic Tutsi revolts amid the civil wars that wracked the DRC after the genocide of Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda.
They operated in the volatile Ituri province, on the eastern border of DR Congo, in and The FPLC killed at least people as it fought rival militias for control of valuable minerals. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the region since violence erupted there in In , following conviction, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for 13 counts of war crimes and 5 counts of crimes against humanity committed in the former Ituri district in and The charges included murder and attempted murder, rape, sexual slavery, attacking civilians, pillaging, displacement of civilians, attacking protected objects, and recruiting and using child soldiers.
Appeal proceedings are ongoing. Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe. Join our movement today. Human Rights Watch. Donate Now. Take Action. Join Us. Give Now. Explore International Justice.
0コメント