Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, at the Press Conference on the Opening of the Trial against Bosco Ntaganda
Good morning and thank you all for coming.
Your presence here today is a testament to the importance you attach to international criminal justice and to bringing accurate information to the world about the Court's proceedings. I thank you once again for being here, and the critical role you play in this regard.
Tomorrow, as you know, the trial starts against the accused, Bosco Ntaganda, a notorious and powerful leader of the UPC (Union des Patriotes congolais) and of its armed branch, the FPLC, a militia from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Indeed, Bosco Ntaganda is not only known by those who closely follow the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but also outside the region due to his reputation as a notorious person whose behaviour has raised alarm far beyond the Great lakes region.
Bosco Ntaganda is accused of a total of eighteen charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Based on the evidence, during the bloody year-long conflict in Ituri which raged between 2002 and 2003, Bosco Ntaganda along with others, allegedly planned and carried out a ruthless campaign of criminal violence. We believe he ordered his troops to attack, pillage, rape, persecute and kill civilians belonging to Lendu, Ngiti and other ethnic groups. And we believe he recruited hundreds of children into the UPC and used them to kill and to die in the fighting; and girl soldiers to be routinely raped.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
An important goal of dispensing justice is uncovering the truth. I know that to many, the process of justice can seem slow. But our investigations, all our activities must be impartial and independent, and thoroughly and conscientiously done; everything we do must be strictly in accordance with the law.
Bosco Ntaganda, as an accused, has rights under the law, including due process guarantees, which must be respected. His guilt or innocence will be decided by the Judges of the Court at the end of the trial process. As with any trial dealing with such serious matters, his trial will no doubt take time, but the truth will be uncovered and the thousands of victims affected by these crimes will finally see justice done.
Before we turn to questions from the floor, I would like to directly address the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the wider Great Lakes Region of Africa, and more specifically the people of Ituri. I want to answer some of you who have asked questions about our focus on Ituri, when there are also victims of terrible crimes committed in other parts of the country, and beyond.
When my Office started investigating in Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2004, we prioritised, based on our analysis of information collected, the area where the gravest crimes had been or were still being committed, which at the time were against local populations in the district (now the Province) of Ituri. This Court has already tried three other leaders, from several sides of the bloody conflict of 2002-3, namely Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Germain Katanga, and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui. You might not remember now, but these people made the headlines at the time, and their trials were widely reported around the world.
I want to make it clear though that the trial which is about to start is not a trial of one or the other community. It is not a trial about ethnicity or an ethnic group. It is about an individual, Bosco Ntaganda and how he took advantage of the ethnic tensions in Ituri for his own purposes, to gain power and wealth, and in that process committed atrocity crimes. It is my job as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to make sure that those most responsible for such crimes are held accountable and prosecuted, no matter how powerful, and no matter which side of a conflict they may be on.
Our investigations now extend far beyond Ituri. Tomorrow, we try Bosco Ntaganda, but Sylvestre Mudacumura must also be arrested and brought to justice, for crimes we allege he committed in the Kivus.
Sooner or later his victims too, will have justice.
I want to be clear on this. We continue to investigate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We will not abandon the victims of atrocity crimes, not in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and not in any of the 123 countries around the world which are members of the ICC, or anywhere else we may have jurisdictsion under the Rome Statute. Thank you and I welcome your questions.
Hamjambo ! Ninawapigia aksanti wote kwa kua mumekuja hapa.
Kua mumefika hapa siku ya leo inaonyesha ya kwamba sheria ya jinai ya kimataifa na kupasha duniani kote habari kamilifu kuhusu kazi yenye CPI inafanya ni kitu ya lazima sana kwenu. Ninawapigia aksanti tena kwa kua mumefika hapa, na kwa kua munafanya kazi ya muhimu sana kuhusu mambo hii.
Kama vile munajua, kesho ndipo tutaanza kazi ya kusambisha mushtakiwa, Bosco Ntaganda, mwongozi wa UPC (Union des Patriotes congolais) mwenye kujulikana sana na mwenye nguvu, pamoja na kundi yake ya waaskari, FPLC, wenye walikua wapiganaji kutoka Jamuhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo (RDC). Kweli, Bosco Ntaganda ni mutu mwenye anajulikana sana kwa watu wenye kufuata kila siku mambo yenye kutendeka ndani ya Jamuhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo, na pia kwa watu wenye kuishi mbali ya sehemu hiyo, kwa sababu mambo yenye huyu mutu alifanya ilisangaza watu wengi, hata mbali ya nchi za sehemu ya Maziwa Makuu (Grands Lacs).
Bosco Ntaganda anashtakiwa kwa sababu alifanya mauwaji ya vita na makosa aliotendea binadamu kumi na nane kwa jumla. Ushahidi inaonyesha ya kwamba, wakati wa vita yenye ilimwanga damu mingi muda wa mwaka muzima ndani ya Ituri kati ya myaka ya 2002 na 2003, inasemekana ya kama Bosco Ntaganda pamoja na watu wengine, walipanga na wakafanya pia vitendo vya mauaji makali bila huruma hata kidogo. Tunajua kabisa kama aliamuru waaskari wake kushambulia, kuiba, kubaka, kutesa na kuua waraia wa makabila ya Walendu, Wangiti na wa makabila ingine. Tunajua pia kama aliingiza mamia ya watoto ndani ya UPC, na akawatumia kwa kuua watu na kukufia ku vita. Pia, wasoda watoto wanawake walibakwa kila mara.
Mabibi na Mabwana,
Shabaha muhimu ya kutoa sheria ni kuonyesha ukweli wazi kwa wote. Ninajua ya kwamba kazi ya kufanya sheria inaweza kuonekana kua inaenda polepole. Lakini upelelezi yetu, mambo yote yenye tunafanya haifai ipendelee sehemu fulani na inapashwa kua huru, na inaomba pia kufanyiwa kwa akili na bidii sana. Kila kitu yenye tunafanya inapashwa kufuata sheria kabisa.
Kufuatana na sheria, Bosco Ntaganda, kama mushtakiwa, iko na haki anazopewa na kanuni za masambo zenye zinapashwa kuheshimiwa. Ku mwisho ya masambo, wajije wa hii mahakama ndio wataamua ya kama alifanya makosa ao hapana. Kama vile inakua kwa kawaida kwa masambo ya muhimu kama haya, masambo yake itakamata muda mrefu bila shaka, lakini ukweli itaonekana wazi kabisa, ndipo maelfu ya watu wenye walitendewa mabaya sababu ya hayo makosa wataweza kuona kama wanapewa sheria.
Mbele ya kuchukua maulizo yenu, kuna mambo yenye ningependa kuelezea moja kwa moja wakaaji wa Jamuhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo na pia kwa hao wa inchi za sehemu ya Maziwa Makuu (Grands Lacs) ya Afrika, na hasa kwa wakaaji wa Ituri. Ninataka kujibu maulizo yenye wamoja kati yenu wenye wanataka kujua kwa nini tunaangalia zaidi sehemu ya Ituri, japo kuna watu wengine wenye walitendewa mabaya sana katika sehemu nyingine za Congo, na mahali pengine.
Wakati Ofisi yangu ilianza kufanya upelelezi ndani ya Jamuhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo mu 2004, tukiisha kufanya uchunguzi wa mahabari na mambo yote yenye tulikua tumepata, tuliamua kuanzia ku sehemu yenye makosa mabaya sana kabisa ilikua ilifanyika ao kwenye ilikua ingali inafanyika, na ile wakati, wakaaji wa District (sasa ni Province) ya Ituri ndio wenye walikua wanafanyiwa ile makosa. Hii mahakama iliisha sambisha viongozi wengine watatu kutoka pande nyingine za hio vita iliomwanga damu mingi mu 2002 na 2003, na hao ni : Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Germain Katanga, na Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui. Labda sasa muliisha sahau, lakini magazeti iliandika sana juu ya hawa watu, na masambo yao ilielezwa sana na vyombo vya habari mbalimbali popote duniani.
Pia ningependa ilisikilikane vizuri ya kwamba hii masambo yenye iko karibu kuanza, haiko mashtaka yenye kuendeshwa juu ya jamii ya watu fulani. Haiko mashtaka juu ya kabila ao watu wa kabila fulani. Ni juu ya mutu moja, Bosco Ntaganda, na namna yeye alitumia hio misukosuko kati ya makabila ya Ituri kwa faida yake mwenyewe, kusudi apate utawala na mali, na wakati alikua akifanya hio mambo, alitenda mauaji ya ajabu sana. Ni kazi yangu mimi kama mwendesha mashtaka wa CPI kuhakikisha ya kwamba watu wenye kufanya makosa mabaya sana wapelekwe mahakamani na wafwatiliwe, hata kama ni watu wenye nguvu, na bila kuangalia upande yenye wako ndani.
Kwa sasa, kazi yetu ya upelelezi iko inafanyika ku sehemu nyingine mbali ya Ituri. Kesho tutaanza kusambisha Bosco Ntaganda, lakini Sylvestre Mudacumura naye anapashwa kushikwa na kupelekwa mbele ya sheria, juu ya makosa yenye tunazani yeye alifanya mu sehemu za Kivu.
Siku moja, watu wenye alitendea mabaya, nao pia watapewa sheria.
Ningependa hii kitu ilisikilikane vizuri. Tunaendelea kufanya upelelezi ndani ya Jamuhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo. Hatutaachilia watu wenye walitendewa mabaya makali, iwe ndani ya Jamuhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo , iwe ndani ya moja kati ya inchi 123 zenye ziko ndani ya CPI, ao popote pengine kwenye tuko na uwezo wa kuchungua, kufuatana na Sheria ya Roma. Ninawapigia aksanti. Sasa nitachukua maulizo yenu.s