Jean-Pierre Bemba’s soldiers turned a Central African woman into their cook after four of them gang-raped her, the Bemba trial was told today. Under cross-examination, ‘Witness 81’ stated that after being raped by four soldiers of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), she fled from her home in the suburb of PK12 near ... Continue reading
Archive for January, 2011
January
28
2011
Witnesses Recount Atrocities And Describe Bemba’s Visit To CAR
The two witnesses who testified this week described war crimes accused Jean-Pierre Bemba’s visit to the Central African Republic (CAR) and also recounted the multitude of atrocities that were meted out on them and their families by Congolese soldiers. Like most of the previous witnesses who have given evidence since the start of the trial ... Continue reading
January
28
2011
Witness Says She Expects Compensation
A witness told the judges of the Bemba trial on Friday that she expects compensation for the abuse she suffered at the hands of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) soldiers. ‘Witness 81’, who completed her testimony today, stated during cross-examination that the nongovernmental organization that helped rape survivors to fill applications forms to participate ... Continue reading
January
27
2011
Witness was gang-raped one week after giving birth
A witness today stated that Congolese soldiers belonging to Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) gang-raped her one week after she gave birth. She said two of the four men who raped her in a suburb of the Central African Republic (CAR) were commanders in the militia. She provided their names in ... Continue reading
January
26
2011
Witness admits to inconsistencies in his testimony
A prosecution witness in Jean-Pierre Bemba’s trial has admitted that there were inconsistencies between the statements he made to prosecution investigators in 2008 and his oral testimony this week. The witness, who completed giving evidence today, also admitted that there were some inconsistencies between his testimony in court and the information he provided on his ... Continue reading
January
25
2011
MLC Soldier Said Patassé Ordered Killings
The prosecution’s sixth witness in former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba’s trial today related how a commander in Mr. Bemba’s militia said that the then president of the Central African Republic ordered soldiers to kill boys as young as two years old. According to the witness, the killings were to be committed in areas where President ... Continue reading
January
24
2011
BEMBA TRIAL HINGES ON COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY
Dear readers – Below find a report written by Lisa Clifford, a journalist and commentator specialising in issues of justice and human rights in central Africa. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Open Society Justice Initiative. “If you unleash the dogs of war you have ... Continue reading
A witness on Monday stated that crimes committed by Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) soldiers against Central African civilians reduced when the militia’s leader, Jean-Pierre Bemba, visited the country’s capital Bangui and addressed his troops. Before he addressed the troops, local leaders in Bangui presented a memorandum to Mr. Bemba, in which they ... Continue reading
This week the trial of Congolese opposition leader Jean-Pierre Bemba continued to hear testimony from individuals who were raped by soldiers allegedly belonging to the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), the military group that he founded and commanded. The judges heard testimony that Mr. Bemba’s troops raped men, women, and children. On Monday, ‘Witness 68’ commenced ... Continue reading
A witness today told judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) that three soldiers from war crimes accused Jean-Pierre Bemba’s militia group sodomized him in the presence of his wives and children. He said that over a period of four days, the Congolese soldiers repeatedly raped his children and his wives. “When they felt the ... Continue reading
