The trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba at the International Criminal Court (ICC) resumed this week following a break of more than a month. The two witnesses who testified both were supposedly members of his group and provided testimony that indicated that the accused was aware of the crimes his soldiers were committing but remained reluctant to ... Continue reading
December
9
2011
Military Expert Says Bemba Bore Command Responsibility But Defense Faults His Testimony
A military expert this week stated that Congolese war crimes accused Jean-Pierre Bemba had direct control over his troops that were deployed in the Central African Republic (CAR), and he had the capacity to stop them from committing the crimes over which he is on trial. At the center of the trial against Mr. Bemba ... Continue reading
The last overview witness to testify in the Bemba trial this week described various crimes which he said the accused’s Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) soldiers committed in his neighborhood. He told the trial how the soldiers killed his sister, raped his wife, and sodomized him. Testifying anonymously, the witness also stated that ... Continue reading
November
18
2011
Insider Claims Bemba Was in Direct Control Of His Marauding Troops
A witness who prosecutors say lived with Jean-Pierre Bemba this week provided evidence which seems to show that the war crimes accused had effective control over his soldiers deployed in the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR). The accused, who has been on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) since last November, claims ... Continue reading
November
4
2011
Witness Recounts Gang-Rapes But Admits to Inconsistencies
Cyprien-Francis Ossibouyen, the 32nd witness who testified in the Bemba trial, this week recounted the gang-rape of Central African women by members of the accused’s militia. However, the witness subsequently admitted to some inconsistencies in his testimony, which he attributed to exhaustion and translation errors. The second witness who testified in the trial of the ... Continue reading
September
2
2011
Trial Told Patassé Did Not Command Bemba’s Troops
The Jean-Pierre Bemba trial this week heard that the accused gave direct and frequent orders to his fighters who were stationed in the Central African Republic (CAR) and that the country’s leader at the time, Ange-Félix Patassé, did not have powers over those troops. The trial also heard that Mr. Bemba took possession of vehicles ... Continue reading
August
26
2011
Trial Told Bemba Consulted With Patassé’s Generals
This week, the war crimes trial of former Congolese vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba heard that the accused was in regular communication with army chiefs of the Central African Republic (CAR) during the 2002-2003 conflict period. However, the only witness who testified in the week conceded that he did not see the accused talking to the ... Continue reading
The only witness to testify in open session in the Bemba trial this week said fighters belonging to the accused’s militia, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), forcefully occupied his house for three months and left behind military documents when they withdrew. Flavien Mbata, a director in the Constitutional Court of the Central ... Continue reading
There were three main highlights in Jean-Pierre Bemba’s trial this week. First, the prosecution called their 23rd witness. Second, the witness claimed that the war crimes accused regularly telephoned one of his commanders, who was in the Central African Republic (CAR). Third, the defense appeared to punch holes in the testimony of the previous prosecution witness. At ... Continue reading
The two witnesses who testified this week in trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba at the International Criminal Court (ICC) cited Rwandan nationals who fought in the group led by the accused, as well as a Central African general, among those who were involved in brutalizing civilians. ‘Witness 209’ completed giving evidence on Wednesday, having testified for ... Continue reading
