THE HAGUE -- The International
Criminal Court (ICC) today delivered its first verdict, finding African militia
leader, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, guilty of using child soldiers in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). It is the ICC's first verdict since the court was
launched in 2002.
"Today, impunity ends for
Thomas Lubanga and those who recruit and use children in armed conflict,"
the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed
Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy said.
Hundreds of children were recruited
and trained to kill, plunder, and rape by Thomas Lubanga and his men during the
Ituri conflict in the DRC between 2002 and 2003. The recruitment of
children under the age of 15 is a war crime under the Rome Statute of the
Court.
"While Lubanga's victims have
had their childhood forever stolen, I am hopeful that with the justice done
today, they will be able to move on with their lives," SRSG Coomaraswamy
said.
“In this age of global media,
today’s verdict will reach warlords and commanders across the world and serve
as a strong deterrent,” she added.
In
a statement issued today by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
(OSSG), United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon emphasized the need
for the international community to continue with its efforts to put an end to
impunity and recalled the importance of holding accountable those who commit
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Furthermore,
the Secretary-General reaffirmed the strong commitment
of the United Nations to support the independent work of the Court as the
centerpiece of the international criminal justice system.
For background information on the
prosecution of the Lubanga case, go to: http://www.iccnow.org/?mod=drc
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