Congo warlord jailed for 14 years in landmark case

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

By Thomas Escritt
THE HAGUE | Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:46am EDT

(Reuters) - Delivering its first sentence, the International Criminal Court jailed Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for 14 years on Tuesday for recruiting child soldiers.

The Hague-based court was set up a decade ago to punish and discourage the world's worst crimes through a system of international justice, but its critics say it has moved too slowly and failed to put its most important suspects on trial.

Lubanga was found guilty in March of abducting boys and girls under the age of 15 and forcing them to fight in a war in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002 and 2003. At least 60,000 people are thought to have been killed.

"The trial and sentence handed down today sends a strong message to those who recruit and use children during times of war," said Anneke van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/10/us-warcrimes-lubanga-idUSBRE8690C320120710

[heaven05]

1. yeah

bush and cheney and the rest should be right beside him

[Posteritatis]

2. Woo, one whole post before this was made to be about the US. (nt)

[LeftofU]

3. He should have to do his time in Congo

In Holland, he'll get in-room porno and weekend passes.

[Boabab]

4. Interesting that only Africans are in the dock for "crimes against humanity"

Is no one else guilty as well?

[pampango]

5. Weren't they trying Milosevic before he died during his trial? I think they have Radko Mladic in

custody now. I believe they are both white Europeans.

[reorg]

6. no, different courts

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) selectively prosecutes only those war crimes NOT committed by NATO.

The ICC, of course, will also never deal with any US or NATO war criminals. Charges have been brought against Bliar already but the ICC prosecutors quickly stated that, as long as he theoretically could be prosecuted in Britain, they were not going to do anything.

[Odin2005]

7. And here come the defending of 3rd World assholes in the name of "anti-colonialism".