Global Issues: Human Rights ~ International Justice and Congo’s Warlord on Trial.

Two excellent articles in today’s Independent on the issue of issue of international justice, the credibility of the judicial mechanisms meant to uphold it and the legal precedent being set in respect of holding political leaders responsible. See Below!

BBC website also takes up the story - and has plenty of useful links: Congo trial starts road to justice Q&A: International Criminal Court

First Article: Internatiojnal Justice and Congo’s warlord on trial - Test of Court’s credibility as millionaire businessman and former vice-president faces charges of mass murder, rape and pillage. Here is an exerpt:

The International Criminal Court began a key test of its credibility yesterday on the first day of a trial against the most prominent government figure ever to be put in the dock at the Hague.

Jean-Pierre Bemba, a millionaire Congolese politician, businessman and alleged warlord, denied charges of rape, pillage and murder in central Africa and has assembled a formidable legal team in his defence.

The prosecution has set its sights on using the trial to define a commander’s responsibility for his troops’ actions. The ICC’s chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo badly needs a win to shore up the reputation of a court set up to deal with large-scale atrocities. “The judges’ definition of the responsibility of the commander will be a warning for all the military commanders in the world,” he said ahead of the trial.

While there have been notable achievements at the ICC’s temporary tribunals on the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the permanent court set up eight years ago is under pressure to prove its worth after the controversial indictment of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir failed to result in an arrest. The trial will test Mr Ocampo’s ambition to use the ICC to target those “most responsible” for serious crimes against humanity or war crimes. The trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor is underway in the same city but is under the authority of the special court for Sierra Leone.

Second Article:

Geoffrey Robinson QC has an article ‘Precedent is critical for law holding leaders responsible.