The Trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba at the ICC

Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, a former vice president, businessman, and militia leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been charged by the International Criminal Court in The Hague with two counts of crimes against humanity: murder and rape; and three counts of war crimes: murder, rape, and pillaging.

This is the first ICC case to heavily focus on sex crimes: rape as a war crime and a crime against humanity. Sex crimes against women, men, and children were reportedly used at a “tool” to terrorize the civilian population in Central African Republic during the conflict.

These crimes were allegedly committed during an armed conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) between October 26, 2002 and March 15, 2003.

The attached briefing paper reviews the legal issues in the case, the arguments put forward by the prosecution and defense, allegations of witness tampering, and other significant events in the trial.

More detailed information about the trial, including daily court monitoring reports, can be found at www.IJMonitor.org.