International court convicts warlord over child soldiers in first verdict ever

Deutsche Welle, 14 March 2012

Thomas Lubanga  

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has pronounced Thomas Lubanga guilty of war crimes. The rebel leader recruited and deployed children to fight in jungle militias in eastern Congo.

The ICC's three judges ruled on Wednesday that Lubanga was guilty of enlisting hundreds of children and forcing them to fight in during a five-year conflict in eastern Congo until 2003.

"The chamber reached its decision unanimously that the prosecution has proved Thomas Lubanga guilty of crimes of conscription and enlisting children under the age of 15 and used them to participate in hostilities," presiding Judge Adrian Fulford said.

"The evidence demonstrated that children endured harsh training regiments and were subjected to hard punishment," he said.

Lubanga, 51, did not react as the verdict was read. He now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. The sentence is to be determined at a later date.

Actor and activist Angelina Jolie attended the public hearing and proclaimed the ruling a victory for former child soldiers 

"This is their day, where these children will feel there is no impunity for what happened to them, for what they suffered," she said.

Lubanga allegedly founded the political group Union of Congolese Patriots and was the chief commander of its military wing.

Prosecutors said militias under Lubanga's control kidnapped children as young as 11 from their homes and forced them to become soldiers. Girls were used as sex slaves.

Lubanga was transferred to The Hague in 2006 and went on trial in January 2009. He had pleaded not guilty.

It was not only the Hague-based court's first ruling but also the first international ruling specifically focussed on child soldiers.

The ICC was established in 2002 as the first permanent international court charged with prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

It has issued four arrest warrants for crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The court is investigating seven cases, all of them based in Africa.

ncy/pfd (Reuters, AFP, epd)

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