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War criminal Bosco Ntaganda has reportedly surrendered to the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda. This is something to celebrate. Like Joseph Kony, Bosco Ntaganda has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is the arrest warrant that was issued in 2006 for crimes committed in the early 2000s. Despite the arrest warrant, he was never apprehended. In the years since, he has continued to commit horrendous crimes. In 2008 Ntaganda ordered the massacre of 150 people in a single day. In 2012 Ntaganda joined leadership of the Congolese rebel group known as M23, and for the past year M23 has been pillaging, raping, and murdering civilians, resulting in the displacement of at least 300,000 people in DR Congo. After all these years we don’t know why Ntaganda chose to surrender now, but we hope that the United States will take this unexpected opportunity and see him delivered to the International Criminal Court. If sent to the ICC, Ntaganda will be tried for his crimes on the world stage and it will set a precedent for the future of international criminal justice–and potentially a precedent for the trial of Joseph Kony. Every time a war criminal is apprehended and tried by the ICC, the international justice mechanism grows stronger. One by one. We at Invisible Children will be following this story carefully in the coming months, so check back for more analysis and details as they become available. Photo credit: Reuters via Guardian

War criminal Bosco Ntaganda has reportedly surrendered to the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda. This is something to celebrate.

Like Joseph Kony, Bosco Ntaganda has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is the arrest warrant that was issued in 2006 for crimes committed in the early 2000s. Despite the arrest warrant, he was never apprehended. In the years since, he has continued to commit horrendous crimes.

In 2008 Ntaganda ordered the massacre of 150 people in a single day. In 2012 Ntaganda joined leadership of the Congolese rebel group known as M23, and for the past year M23 has been pillaging, raping, and murdering civilians, resulting in the displacement of at least 300,000 people in DR Congo.

After all these years we don’t know why Ntaganda chose to surrender now, but we hope that the United States will take this unexpected opportunity and see him delivered to the International Criminal Court. If sent to the ICC, Ntaganda will be tried for his crimes on the world stage and it will set a precedent for the future of international criminal justice–and potentially a precedent for the trial of Joseph Kony.

Every time a war criminal is apprehended and tried by the ICC, the international justice mechanism grows stronger. One by one.

We at Invisible Children will be following this story carefully in the coming months, so check back for more analysis and details as they become available.

Photo credit: Reuters via Guardian


19
ICC sentences Lubanga to 14 years in prison On July 10, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued its first ever sentence from a courtroom in the Hague. The court found Thomas Lubanga Dyilo guilty of using children as soldiers in his rebel force, and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. Many people think that Lubanga’s sentence is too light, and that he should have received the maximum 30-year sentence that the ICC can deliver. In a statement from the Office of the Prosecutor, the new ICC Chief Prosecutor discusses the next steps that they hope to take to ensure justice is delivered in full. The Prosecution is now studying the Judgment in detail and will consider whether or not to appeal. The Prosecution is also expecting to hear the judges’ decision on reparations in order to ensure the victims of Lubanga’s crimes see the full scale of justice. If there is one thing that Invisible Children has learned from watching the Lubanga trial unfold, it is that the justice process is a slow but worthwhile one. During the trial and deliberations, there is a need for evidence that is directly tied to the accused in order to ensure that justice is delivered. In the case of Lubanga, there was difficulty in proving that he intended to use child soldiers or that abuses against children under the age of 15 in his army were actually orderedand carried out by him. Our hope is that international efforts from governments and human rights groups are robust and sufficient enough to gather solid evidence against Joseph Kony in order to guarantee that justice is delivered once he is captured and put on trial in the ICC. This 30-minute video, released by the ICC, is a full recording of the ruling. It can seem a little dry, but it’s worth a watch. -Brady (Photo credit: CSMonitor)

ICC sentences Lubanga to 14 years in prison

On July 10, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued its first ever sentence from a courtroom in the Hague. The court found Thomas Lubanga Dyilo guilty of using children as soldiers in his rebel force, and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. Many people think that Lubanga’s sentence is too light, and that he should have received the maximum 30-year sentence that the ICC can deliver.

In a statement from the Office of the Prosecutor, the new ICC Chief Prosecutor discusses the next steps that they hope to take to ensure justice is delivered in full.

The Prosecution is now studying the Judgment in detail and will consider whether or not to appeal. The Prosecution is also expecting to hear the judges’ decision on reparations in order to ensure the victims of Lubanga’s crimes see the full scale of justice.

If there is one thing that Invisible Children has learned from watching the Lubanga trial unfold, it is that the justice process is a slow but worthwhile one. During the trial and deliberations, there is a need for evidence that is directly tied to the accused in order to ensure that justice is delivered. In the case of Lubanga, there was difficulty in proving that he intended to use child soldiers or that abuses against children under the age of 15 in his army were actually orderedand carried out by him.

Our hope is that international efforts from governments and human rights groups are robust and sufficient enough to gather solid evidence against Joseph Kony in order to guarantee that justice is delivered once he is captured and put on trial in the ICC.

This 30-minute video, released by the ICC, is a full recording of the ruling. It can seem a little dry, but it’s worth a watch.

-Brady

(Photo credit: CSMonitor)


12
The International Criminal Court’s new chief prosecutor Meet Fatou Bensouda. On June 15, 2012 she replaced Luis Moreno-Ocampo as the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The new prosecutor is a native of the African nation of Gambia and studied law in Nigeria. She has previous experience as an attorney and legal adviser during the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which was brought together to bring justice to those responsible for the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. For the last eight years she has been working for the ICC as the Deputy Prosecutor. In December of 2011, the participating state parties of the ICC unanimously voted for Bensouda to be Ocampo’s successor. In 2005 Ocampo made Joseph Kony the first person to be indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity. Ocampo was a great friend to Invisible Children and a consistent advocate for youth involvement in international justice and Kony’s arrest. Ocampo took the court through its first nine years. While we appreciate Ocampo’s contributions, we are looking forward to this new era of the court. International justice is seeing an uptick in trials and media attention, as exemplified by the trials and convictions of Charles Taylor and Thomas Lubanga this year. Mrs. Bensouda has vowed to continue to pursue justice in all open cases that the court is currently dealing with, especially those in which children have been harmed. In the past, the Africa Union (AU) has accused the ICC of selective prosecution based on the fact that all of the ICC-indictees are African. In a BBC article from last year, Mrs. Bensouda is unapologetic about the ICC’s focus on African conflicts. “We say that the ICC is targeting Africans, but all of the victims in our cases in Africa are African victims.” Invisible Children has high hopes for Bensouda’s term, and we are excited to see what steps she will take to ensure justice is delivered to those indicted. -Brady Photo Credit: Evert-Jan Daniels/AFP/Getty Images

The International Criminal Court’s new chief prosecutor

Meet Fatou Bensouda. On June 15, 2012 she replaced Luis Moreno-Ocampo as the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The new prosecutor is a native of the African nation of Gambia and studied law in Nigeria. She has previous experience as an attorney and legal adviser during the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which was brought together to bring justice to those responsible for the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. For the last eight years she has been working for the ICC as the Deputy Prosecutor. In December of 2011, the participating state parties of the ICC unanimously voted for Bensouda to be Ocampo’s successor.

In 2005 Ocampo made Joseph Kony the first person to be indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity. Ocampo was a great friend to Invisible Children and a consistent advocate for youth involvement in international justice and Kony’s arrest. Ocampo took the court through its first nine years.

While we appreciate Ocampo’s contributions, we are looking forward to this new era of the court. International justice is seeing an uptick in trials and media attention, as exemplified by the trials and convictions of Charles Taylor and Thomas Lubanga this year.

Mrs. Bensouda has vowed to continue to pursue justice in all open cases that the court is currently dealing with, especially those in which children have been harmed. In the past, the Africa Union (AU) has accused the ICC of selective prosecution based on the fact that all of the ICC-indictees are African. In a BBC article from last year, Mrs. Bensouda is unapologetic about the ICC’s focus on African conflicts.

“We say that the ICC is targeting Africans, but all of the victims in our cases in Africa are African victims.”


Invisible Children has high hopes for Bensouda’s term, and we are excited to see what steps she will take to ensure justice is delivered to those indicted.

-Brady

Photo Credit: Evert-Jan Daniels/AFP/Getty Images


Luis Moreno Ocampo: a legend of justice

Today, one of our heroes ended his term as Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court. Below is a congratulatory letter on our behalf.

Dear Prosecutor,
Today is your last day as Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, and we wanted to say thank you and congratulations.

What you’ve done in your 9 years as Prosecutor have nothing-short of changed history. You helped articulate and manifest a future where massive crimes against humanity can no longer occur. You educated us here at Invisible Children, taught us the true meaning of international justice and global citizenship, and mentored us with your wisdom and vision. We do not hesitate to say that you have forever changed us, and we will never be able to properly thank you. When Joseph Kony is delivered to the Hague, we will celebrate together.

As you transition into a new season, we look forward to your world-shaking ideas to come. You are a hero. You are a visionary. And you prioritize the rights of the oppressed. The world longs for people like you, and we celebrate the massive accomplishments and planted seeds of your time at the ICC. Excited to see where the journey leads us in the coming years. We’ll be right here beside you.

Sincerely,
your friends at Invisible Children

(Photo credit: Global Public Square)
7 notes   -  14 June 2012

ICC trial in final stages for Congo warlord Lubanga










(Photo credit: The Guardian)

In its first ruling since formation, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has sought a thirty-year sentence for former Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga. Last March, Lubanga was found guiltyof recruiting child soldiers between 2002-2003.  His war crimes have now been brought to light, and the standard for global activism is being set, making this a significant step toward international justice.  Read the comprehensible BBC article below.

Click here to read the article on our blog.
10 notes   -  13 June 2012


KONY 2012 Billboard across from International Criminal Court (0:36)

Screen: Biggest LCD-screen in the Hague area

Big thanks to Ngage Media B.V.
YouTube clip provided by Jordi van Hartrop

35 notes   -  2 April 2012

ICC rules against Thomas Lubanga

The International Criminal Court was formed 10 years ago and today its first verdict was leveled against Thomas Lubanga. This man was found guilty of recruiting and utilizing children as soldiers from 2002 until 2003. Lubanga’s rebel force, the Union of Congolese Patriots, was part of an inter-ethnic conflict which resulted in the deaths of 60,000 people.

This judgement marks an exciting point for international prosecution against criminals like Lubanga. Michael Bochenek of Amnesty International expresses this sentiment beautifully: “It will help to strip away the impunity they have enjoyed for crimes under international law because national authorities have consistently failed to investigate these crimes. This guilty verdict demonstrates that the ICC can step in to bring them to justice”.
61 notes   -  14 March 2012


George Clooney believes that indicted war criminals should have a light shown on them so that the world knows what they are doing and as a result, will be stopped.

25 notes   -  29 February 2012

Joseph Kony destroyed a community, generations in Acholiland, and today they are attacking Central African Republic, they’re attacking Congo - so it’s not just an Acholi problem.  It’s a humanity problem.  That’s why we have to intervene.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo, The Rescue, 2009
19 notes   -  17 October 2011