The International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 7 found (PDF) Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga guilty of four counts of war crimes and one count of crime against humanity. The crimes were committed during an attack on a village in a diamond-rich region of Congo in 2003, in which approximately 200 civilians were killed and some sexually assaulted. During a public hearing Friday, presiding judge Bruno Cotte delivered a summary of the judgment. He explained that based on the evidence presented and witness testimony, it had been established beyond a reasonable doubt that Katanga made a "significant contribution to the commission of crimes by the Ngiti militia." The court acquitted Katanga of the other charges, including sexual slavery, using child soldiers and rape. Katanga is only the second person to be convicted since the court's inception in 2002.
From Jurist, March 7. Used with permission.
Congo militia leader gets 12 years for war crimes
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on May 23 sentenced Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga to 12 years in prison for war crimes. (Jurist)
ICC grants first early release to DRC war criminal
Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) granted early release to convicted war criminal Germain Katanga from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A three-judge panel of the Appeals Chamber of the ICC conducted a review of Katanga's sentence under the guidelines provided in Rome Statute Article 110 that allow for judicial review of a sentencing term after the person has served two-thirds of the sentence. The judges decided that Katanga's sentence would be completed on Jan. 16, 2016, after taking into consideration the time Katanga spent in detention before he was sentenced in May 2014 and a number of contributing factors outlined in the Rome Statute and the ICC rules of procedure and evidence. The decision by the ICC marks the first time that an ICC convict has been released early in its 13-year history. (Jurist, Nov. 14)