ICC Outreach organises activities in Kisangani (DRC)
From 29 September to 3 October 2008, the International Criminal Court’s Outreach Unit took its activities to Kisangani, the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over three days, a representative of the Court met in turn with journalists, students from Kisangani University, lawyers, and NGOs. Overall, more than 200 persons attended these activities.
The representative of the International Criminal Court updated participants on the latest developments in the different cases arising from the situation in the DRC: the status of the Lubanga case, the judges’ ruling following the confirmation hearing of Mathieu Ngudjolo and Germain Katanga, and the Bosco Ntaganda case. The Court’s representative also informed them of developments in the Jean-Pierre Bemba case, while underlining that this case arises from the situation in the Central African Republic. It was observed from the various outreach sessions that there were high expectations of the Court from all the audiences.
The Court’s representative also reminded participants that the ICC’s jurisdiction is restricted to the most serious of crimes committed after July 2002, and that the Court has complementary jurisdiction which does not seek to take the place of Congolese courts. He also stated that ICC investigations are ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The participants showed great interest, and asked numerous questions on a variety of topics, including on the independence of the ICC in relation to the international community, relations between the Court and the United Nations Security Council, the reasons for the stay of the Lubanga proceedings, the execution of arrest warrants issued by the Court, and other ongoing investigations by the ICC.
This is the second occasion on which the Outreach Unit has met with this variety of audiences. The Court’s first outreach mission in Kisangani was in December 2007.
For more information, please contact Patrick Tshibuyi, Field Information and Outreach Assistant, at + 243 99 80 11 416 or by mail: [email protected].
Source: Outreach