United Nations – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Al-Hussein, on Monday welcomed the judgment delivered by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the case against Mr Jean-Pierre Bemba.
Bemba was the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Congolese rebel group, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC).
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is contained in statement issued by Al-Hussein in New York.
Bemba was found guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including rape, murder and pillage, committed in 2002 and 2003 in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Bemba, 53, is the highest-ranking person yet convicted by the court.
He will be sentenced following a separate hearing but his lawyers can appeal.
Al-Hussein said while judgment may be subject to appeal, “it sends an important message across the world that international justice will finally prevail’’.
“Much remains to be done to ensure justice for the many other terrible crimes that have been committed in CAR since 2002, not least the large-scale violations and abuses committed over the past three years.
“However, I hope this judgment will act as a powerful deterrent against future serious human rights violations and abuses not just in CAR, but everywhere they are committed.
“It should also help to make perpetrators understand that many victims and their supporters will never abandon their search for justice and accountability.
“Through this emblematic case, the ICC has built on the jurisprudence, pioneered in ad hoc international tribunals such as those for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, which established criminal sanctions for people employing rape during a conflict.
“I strongly believe that verdicts like the one delivered today represent an important step towards eradicating these horrendous sexual crimes which have blighted the lives of so many women as well as men and boys, throughout the ages.
“Until very recently, these crimes were carried out with almost total impunity,” he said. (NAN)
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