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CAR: ICC Prosecutor Visits CAR: ICC Media Advisory and Reuter's Inte

07 Feb 2008

Dear Colleagues,

Find below information on recent developments related to the
International Criminal Court's investigation in the Central African
Republic (CAR).

This digest contains information on the ICC Prosecutor's visit to CAR
today including an ICC media advisory on the same and excerpts from a
Reuters' phone interview with the Prosecutor in Bangui.

Please take note of the Coalition's policy on situations before the
ICC (below), which explicitly states that the CICC will not take a
position on potential and current situations before the Court or
situations under analysis. The Coalition, however, will continue to
provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC.

I. ICC MEDIA ADVISORY ON PROSECUTOR'S VISIT TO CAR

"Media Advisory: ICC Prosecutor visits Central African Republic to
meet with victims and local population," 5 February 2008,
http://www.icc-cpi.int/press/pressreleases/328.html

"On February 7, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Luis
Moreno-Ocampo will travel to the Central African Republic (CAR) where
he opened an investigation into allegations of massive crimes.
While in Bangui the Prosecutor will meet with victims, representatives
of civil society and local population. He will participate in a public
dialogue, to be widely broadcast through radio Interactive Radio for
Justice. He will answer questions and discuss with people throughout
CAR the significance of ICC for them.

The Prosecutor will also meet senior government officials. He will
visit the ICC local field office, which opened in October 2007.
The Office of the Prosecutor announced the opening of the
investigation in CAR on 22 May 2007. It focuses on crimes which were
mainly committed during the violence of 2002–2003. The particularly
high number of allegations of rape and other acts of sexual violence
is one of the main features of the investigation.
`Hundreds of terrified women have been subjected to the ordeal of
sexual violence' said the Prosecutor. `We hear of gang rapes, horrific
sexual acts being inflicted on women, young girls, the elderly, in
some cases on men. Perpetrators of acts of massive sexual violence,
in CAR and elsewhere, must know that they will be held accountable:
such acts are serious crimes falling under ICC jurisdiction and they
will be prosecuted.'

The Office is also monitoring acts of violence committed since 2005 in
the northern part of the country. The Prosecutor will address national
accountability efforts with the CAR authorities. He will urge
international support for all efforts to end impunity.

`The people of Central African Republic need to know the world has not
forgotten them' the Prosecutor said. `Our investigative activities in
CAR can bring to the attention of the international community the
terrible problems facing the people here and the need to address them
urgently. We need comprehensive solutions for CAR and the support of
all. International justice is a central part of the solution.'
The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court
that investigates and prosecutes persons accused of the most serious
crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes."

II. INTERVIEW WITH PROSECUTOR IN CAR

"ICC vows `no impunity' for African war criminals," by Pascal
Fletcher (Reuters), 7 February 2008,
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL07917571.html

"There can be no impunity for those guilty of war crimes in Africa
such as mass rape or slaughtering civilians, even when peace processes
are under way, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor said
on Thursday.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo made the pledge as he arrived in Central African
Republic for a visit to back an ICC investigation into a series of
rapes, killings and other abuses that occurred during armed conflict
in the country in 2002 and 2003.

The Hague-based ICC, which has opened an office in the poor,
landlocked former French colony, is gathering evidence about
systematic acts of sexual violence which accompanied fighting in the
capital Bangui between government troops and rebels.

`Here, the rapes outnumbered the other crimes ... young girls and old
women were gang raped, in public places,' Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters
in a phone interview from Bangui.He was due to meet some of the at
least 600 reported victims of conflict-related sexual violence in
Central African Republic, which has a history of bloody coups and
mutinies.

`We are here to meet with the victims, to say to them that we will
prosecute the perpetrators,' said Moreno-Ocampo, who had prosecuted
human rights cases in his native Argentina. `There can be no impunity
for these kinds of crimes,' he said. Even when suspects might be
engaging in national processes of peace and reconciliation, `you
respect the laws.'

…Shortly after Moreno-Ocampo spoke, the ICC announced a former
Congolese warlord, Mathieu Ngudjolo, was flown from Congo to ICC
custody in the Hague to face war crimes charges including murder,
sexual slavery and using child soldiers.

…Moreno-Ocampo said these prosecutions were a sign that the court,
which started work in 2002 as the world's first permanent war crimes
court, was getting its message across that perpetrators of horrific
crimes would not escape justice.

`...You can never do enough justice for victims, if someone raped my
daughter, who can compensate for that?' he said.
In Bangui, the ICC prosecutor was to meet senior members of the
government of President Francois Bozize, who seized power in a 2003
coup which toppled then head of state Ange Felix Patasse.

The crimes being investigated by the ICC were committed during periods
of fierce fighting in Bangui between Patasse's troops, supported by
Congolese rebels, and insurgents led by Bozize who were backed by
Chadian mercenaries.

The government of Bozize, who consolidated his position by winning
elections in 2005, had asked the ICC to investigate Patasse and
several aides for alleged war crimes, after the country's own justice
system said it could not handle the cases.

…Moreno-Ocampo said the ICC was also concerned about reports of
systematic sexual violence by rebel fighters, militia and government
soldiers in Congo's North and South Kivu provinces.

Congo's government signed a peace deal last month with rebel and
militia groups in the Kivus, which included an amnesty offer for rebel
warlords like renegade Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda.

But Moreno-Ocampo said the amnesty offer did not cover war crimes and
crimes against humanity and said Nkunda, who was the target of a
now-expired government arrest warrant, may still `eventually' face an
ICC investigation."

III. RELATED PRESS

"Central Africa Violence Probed," Prensa Latina, 22 January 2008,
(link not available)

"Attorney general of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno,
will visit the Central African Republic to investigate alleged
massacres in that nation, UN sources announced.

…the Argentine official will interview victims, representatives of
civilian society and the population and will participate in a public
dialogue during his visit to Bangui. Moreno plans meetings with
government officials and discuss opinions with representatives of the
Criminal Court of that nation that opened offices in May of last year.

…Hundreds of terrified women have been victims of sexual violence, the
Attorney declared. He added that he has received accusations of gang
rapes, horrifying acts of sexual violence against women, girls,
elderly women and, at times, men.

Those responsible, in the Central African Republic or anywhere else,
should be aware that they will be accused of these serious crimes
under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and will be
tried as such, Moreno added."

See also:

"International Criminal Court Prosecutor set to visit Central African
Republic," UN News Service, 21 January 2008,
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25348&Cr=central african&Cr1=icc


"International Criminal Court prosecutor to visit Central African
Republic for talks," AP, 21 January 2008,
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/21/europe/EU-GEN-War-Crimes-Central-Afric
an-Republic.php



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