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Eugene

(61,592 posts)
Mon Dec 1, 2014, 03:38 PM Dec 2014

ICC appeal judges uphold conviction of Congolese warlord Lubanga

Source: Reuters

ICC appeal judges uphold conviction of Congolese warlord Lubanga

BY THOMAS ESCRITT
THE HAGUE Mon Dec 1, 2014 12:31pm EST

(Reuters) - Appeal judges at the International Criminal Court on Monday upheld the conviction of Congolese war criminal Thomas Lubanga and confirmed his 14-year prison sentence, bringing to a close the permanent war crimes court's first case.

The milestone risks being overshadowed by the slow pace of justice at the institution - set up more than a decade ago to prosecute the gravest international crimes in countries unable to deliver justice themselves.

Lubanga, 53, who had been on trial since 2006, was convicted two years ago of war crimes for using child soldiers during a conflict in the mineral-rich Ituri region in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002-2003.

He will serve his sentence in one of the ICC's 122 member states. The eight years he has spent in jail count toward his sentence. He could become eligible for early release after two-thirds of his sentence, meaning he could go free next year.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/01/us-warcrimes-lubanga-idUSKCN0JF2RC20141201
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