DRC war crimes hearing delayed
2006-06-01 09:17
The Hague - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said a second appearance of Democratic Republic of Congo war crimes suspect Thomas Lubanga had been delayed because of concerns over protection of victims and witnesses.
Initially the so-called confirmation hearing where the contents of the charge sheet would be discussed by the two parties was set for June 27.
"The confirmation hearing of Thomas Lubanga is tentatively scheduled for 28 September 2006. The office of the prosecutor requested a delay due to the need to put in place stronger protection for victims and witnesses," prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told a press briefing.
Recruited children
Lubanga, 45, head of an armed militia that rampaged through the north-east DRC, was brought before The Hague-based court on March 20, when he was provisionally charged with having recruited and conscripted children as soldiers, forcing them into active combat.
Lubanga is the first detainee of the world's only permanent war crimes court, which became a legal reality in July 2002.
According to the ICC prosecutors Lubanga headed the ethnic Hema Union of Congolese Patriots and its military wing, the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo, one of several armed groups active in the north-eastern Ituri region of DRC.
Inter-ethnic violence
Ituri has for years been the scene of devastating clashes between rival militias and inter-ethnic violence, often fuelled by competition for control over the region's gold and other mineral resources.
Since 1999, fighting between the militias and violence between the Hema and Lendu tribes have caused more than 60 000 deaths in the region, according to humanitarian groups.
According to the ICC's statutes the court has to make a definitive decision about the charges in the indictment in the 60 days following a confirmation hearing. If the indictment is confirmed the court will assign a trial chamber to hear the case.