This week, testimony at the trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba centered on the conduct of court martial proceedings against Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) soldiers accused of various offenses. Two witnesses, both former members of the group led by the accused, gave evidence, bringing the number of witnesses to 14 who have testified for ... Continue reading
Archive for November, 2012
November
30
2012
New Witness Questioned About Bemba’s Visit to Bangui
A witness who started testifying today spoke briefly about the visit by war crimes accused Jean-Pierre Bemba to the Central African Republic (CAR) capital Bangui but gave details of that visit in private session. ‘Witness D04-066’ testified at the trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) with the use of a pseudonym, and his face ... Continue reading
November
29
2012
Thirteenth Witness Completes Testimony in Bemba Trial
At the conclusion of his testimony today, a former member of the court martial constituted by war crimes indictee Jean-Pierre Bemba defended the integrity of the trials they held for unruly soldiers. ‘Witness D04-016’ told the trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) that the court martial was presided over by a civilian career magistrate. ... Continue reading
November
28
2012
Bemba’s Court Martial Trials Under Scrutiny
The operating procedures of the court martial set up by Jean-Pierre Bemba has today remained the focus of scrutiny by judges, the prosecution, and lawyers representing victims in the trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC). During today’s hearing, the methods used by the court martial to try and convict seven soldiers of the Movement ... Continue reading
November
27
2012
Prosecution Questions Competence of MLC Court Martial
Today, the prosecution questioned the fairness of trials conducted by war crimes accused Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), suggesting that suspects were not given sufficient legal assistance. Moreover, the prosecution, which was cross-examining a former member of the court martial, questioned the legal qualifications of some members of the court. Prosecuting ... Continue reading
November
26
2012
Witness Describes Disciplinary Procedures in Bemba’s Militia
The latest witness to testify for former Congolese senator Jean-Pierre Bemba at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday stated that the accused set up a court martial in 2002 to uphold military discipline amongst his soldiers. Furthermore, the witness who testified under the pseudonym ‘Witness D04-016′ stated that discipline among Mr. Bemba’s soldiers was ... Continue reading
November
23
2012
Former MLC Insider Defends Discipline Among Bemba’s Soldiers
This week, the Jean-Pierre Bemba trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) was dominated by disputes over the date that his troops were deployed in the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR), whether those troops respected the group’s military code of conduct, and Mr. Bemba’s ability to issue orders to commanders on the battlefront. ... Continue reading
November
23
2012
MLC ‘Popularized Code of Conduct Among Soldiers’
In his last day of testimony, a former insider in the group led by war crimes indictee Jean-Pierre Bemba stated that in a bid to popularize their military code of conduct, the code was produced in the Congolese language Lingala and in French. “Rules of discipline were drafted in French, but for purposes of getting ... Continue reading
November
22
2012
Bemba Lacked Means to Command Troops From His Residence
On the fourth day of his testimony, a former insider in the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) asserted that Jean-Pierre Bemba, the group’s commander-in-chief, did not have radio equipment at his residence that could have enabled him to command troops on the battlefront. This afternoon, prosecuting lawyer Jean-Jacques Badibanga screened video footage that ... Continue reading
November
21
2012
Witness: Bemba’s Soldiers Had no Time to Commit Abuses
A former close confidante of Jean-Pierre Bemba has said soldiers led by the former Congolese vice president “had no time” to commit crimes during their deployment in an armed conflict in 2002 and 2003. Continuing his testimony that began Monday, ‘Witness D04-49’ today claimed Mr. Bemba’s troops were so busy fighting insurgents that they could ... Continue reading
