ICC in historic verdict over use of child soldiers
London, 14 Mar – (ANA) - The conviction of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, the leader of a Congolese armed group, for using children in armed conflict shows the International Criminal Court (ICC) can bring the world’s worst offenders to justice for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Amnesty International said.
A Trial Chamber made up of three judges delivered the ICC’s first-ever verdict today against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for the war crime of enlisting and conscripting children under 15 into the Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo (FPLC) amid armed conflict in the Ituri region of Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003.In the coming weeks, the ICC will sentence Lubanga and hold a hearing on reparation for his victims. The judgment can be appealed within 30 days. (ANA)
FA/ANA/14 March 2012--------