ICC confirms acquittal of Congolese ex-rebel boss
Iran Press TV
Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:18PM
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has for a second time acquitted Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, a former rebel commander in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The war crimes tribunal, which is based in The Hague, announced on Friday that it has confirmed its previous ruling in December 2012 that it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the Congolese ex-militia leader has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during an ethnic conflict that ended in 2003.
"The Appeals Chamber by majority confirms the acquittal and rejects the (prosecution's) appeal," said Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng at the court.
The 44-year-old was commander of the Nationalist Integrationist Front militia in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was arrested in 2008 to stand trial at the ICC on seven charges of war crimes and three charges of crimes against humanity.
Ngudjolo was accused of having the commanding role in a 2003 attack by ethnic Lendu forces on the village of Bogoro in Ituri district, located in northeastern Congo. His charges included willful killing, sexual slavery and rape.
Prosecutors failed to prove his role and the tribunal acquitted him and ordered his immediate release, a verdict the office of the prosecutor appealed subsequently.
From 1999 to 2003, the Ituri region was the scene of ethnic conflicts between Lendu, Ngiti and Hema groups. In late February 2003 Lendu and Ngiti militants attacked the Hema-dominated village of Bogoro, where at least 200 residents were massacred.
Germain Katanga, a former commander of the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri, which was engaged in the Bogoro attack, got 12 years in prison by the ICC in 2012. Thomas Lubanga, the main opponent of the Patriotic Resistance Force, also received a 14-year jail term.
According to United Nations estimates, nearly 60,000 people were killed during the clashes in Ituri.
MAK/HSN/SS
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
