Central African Republic: Bemba Judgment Imminent

This Monday, Trial Chamber III at the International Criminal Court (ICC) will deliver the verdict in the Jean-Pierre Bemba trial, which has been ongoing since November 2010. Bemba is charged with war crimes (rape, murder, and pillaging) and crimes against humanity (rape and murder) allegedly committed during an internal conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002 and 2003.

Bemba is the former president and command in chief of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), a rebel group turned political party in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The prosecution accuses MLC troops of committing crimes, which include widespread sexual violence, in the CAR when they were in the country to help its former president, Ange-Félix Patassé, fight off a coup attempt. During the trial, the prosecution argued Bemba is liable for the alleged crimes of his troops because he had effective command and control over their actions while in the neighboring country.

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