Tuesday, March 21, 2006



A landmark day for international justice

Thomas Lubanga is the leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots, an armed militia from the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the torture, murder and rape of civilians and the use of child soldiers. Today, he made history as the first person to go on trial before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, on charges of "conscripting and enlisting children under the age of fifteen years and using them to participate actively in hostilities".

He's a monster fully deserving of prosecution and punishment for his crimes, but he's also a little fish. But hopefully his trial will lay the groundwork for the ICC to start going after some of the bigger fish as well.

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