Features

January 9, 2009

Jean-Pierre Bemba at the ICC

In January 12-15, 2009, a pretrial chamber of the International Criminal Court is holding hearings on whether to pursue charges against Jean-Pierre Bemba for crimes his troops allegedly committed in the Central African Republic in 2002-03. On May 24, 2008, a pre-trial chamber unsealed an arrest warrant for Bemba, and Belgian authorities arrested him that day.

Read more about the trial:

Jean-Pierre Bemba at the International Criminal Court (Also available in French)

Situation brief on the International Criminal Court's upcoming pretrial hearings on whether to pursue charges against Jean-Pierre Bemba for crimes his troops allegedly committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002-03. The ICC prosecutor opened an investigation in May 2007 into crimes committed in the CAR, based on a December 2004 referral from Central African President. An arrest warrant was issued on May 24, 2008, he was arrested the same day. He is now in custody in The Hague.

Confronting Past Crimes at the National Level (Also available in French)

Background on conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) in the context of Jean-Pierre Bemba’s trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is preparing to prosecute Bemba of the DRC for alleged rapes, torture and murders that his militia committed in the CAR. The case against him demonstrates that the ICC is taking into account the regional dimensions of African conflicts and underscores that international prosecutions are just one element of a holistic approach for countries to take as they come to terms with past human rights abuses.