Title: 

#GlobalJustice Weekly - Rape, sexual enslavement of child soldiers charges stand in ICC trial

Top story

Last week, International Criminal Court (ICC) judges affirmed that the ICC can try former Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda for the alleged war crimes of rape and sexual slavery of child soldiers in his own militia group, the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC).

The decision has garnered attention for its potential to further clarify international humanitarian law protections for all victims of sexual and gender-based crimes during conflict.

Ntaganda’s defense lawyers had long sought to exclude the two charges, which are among 18 war crimes and crimes against humanity charges that judges had already confirmed for trial in June 2014. A successful defense challenge would have effectively denied former UPC child soldiers any ICC possibility of victims reparations for harms related to rape and sexual slavery.

Read more about the ongoing Ntaganda trial before the ICC.

 

ICC Investigations

Darfur, Sudan: Rebels blame government forces for the killing of civilians in Darfur IDP camp following clashes between army and armed groups despite ceasefire

Democratic Republic of Congo: With elections coming up, will the DRC see its first democratic transition of power since its independence in 1960?

 

ICC Preliminary Examinations

Iraq: Paramilitary units are using arms from Iraqi military stockpiles provided by US, Europe, Russia and Iran to commit war crimes says Amnesty International in new report

Nigeria: 1000 days since Chibok girls abduction, government must redouble efforts to secure freedom of all abductees

Burundi: Assassinations of senior government officials on the rise, country deeply divided as peace talks falter

 

Campaign for Global Justice

Is debate over Syria still possible ? Only if new polity based on rule of law and justice is tenable 

Gender based persecution on the ICC radar

UN warns of war crimes over disruption of water supply to Damascus area in Syria

 

Around the World

UN says bombing of Eastern Aleppo may constitute war crimes, Assad claims government and Russian airstrikes were justified

Foreign governments remain quiet as Philippines president leads one of the worlds bloodiest anti-drug campaigns

Unjustified killing conviction seen as test of Israel military justice, exposes deep societal divisions

As two-year mandate of national truth and reconciliation and investigation commissions comes to end, has transitional justice in Nepal prevailed or collapsed?

Myanmar government disputes widespread claims of ethnic cleansing while experts suggest international community is failing to prevent what may amount to ongoing genocide of Rohingya group

With experts pointing to all-out ethnic war in South Sudan, can the African Union save it from genocide?