ICC: SENTENCING REQUEST FOR KATANGA
The ICC Prosecutor on Monday asked the court to sentence former militia leader Germain Katanga to between 22 and 25 years in jail. Katanga was on March 7 found guilty of crimes against humanity for supplying arms to militiamen who attacked the village of Bogoro in Ituri, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in February 2003. The court will hand down its sentence on May 23.
ICC/NIGERIA: SCHOOLGIRL ABDUCTORS MUST FACE JUSTICE, SAYS BENSOUDA
In a statement on Thursday, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda strongly condemned the recent abductions of schoolgirls in Nigeria, saying such acts “shock the conscience of humanity and could constitute crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court”. “The troubling phenomenon of targeting females during conflict, this time, in Borno State, cannot be tolerated and must be stopped,” she said. “No stone should be left unturned to bring those responsible for such atrocious acts to justice either in Nigeria or at the ICC.”
UN: TRIBUTE TO SENEGALESE CAPTAIN WHO SAVED RWANDAN LIVES
The Security Council on Thursday decided to create a “Captain Mbaye Diagne medal in honour of a UN peacekeeper who saved hundreds of lives during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The medal will be awarded to UN personnel “who demonstrate exceptional courage, in the face of extreme danger, while fulfilling the mandate of their missions or their functions, in the service of humanity and the United Nations”.
NEXT WEEK
The ICC is due to restart hearings of prosecution witnesses in the trial of Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and journalist Joshua Sang. The two men are charged with crimes against humanity for acts allegedly committed in their country during violence that followed elections in late 2007.
ER/ JC