Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court in The Hague have accused Jen-Pierre Bemba, a former rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo, of ordering mass rapes.
At a hearing on Monday to decide if Bemba will face trial, the prosecutors said he had used rape to terrorise civilians suspected of supporting rivals in the Central African Republic.
Bemba, who also served as vice-president in DR Congo's post-civil war transitional government, faces three counts of crimes against humanity and five counts of war crimes.
"Bemba's men went from house to house, pillaging and raping mothers, wives and daughters," Petra Kneuer, the prosecutor, said. The troops were instructed to "traumatise and terrorise" the population to prevent them from supporting any resistance to Ange-Felix Patasse, the Central African Republic president, the prosecution said.
A representative of victims told the hearing that a district chief in the capital of Bangui was raped for four hours in front of his wife and children before troops turned to them.
Bemba's defence lawyers argued that he was not responsible for the campaign of torture, rape and murder between 2002 and 2003 as his Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) forces were operating under the command of Patasse.
Bemba was arrested in Belgium last May. He fled DR Congo for Portugal in 2007 saying he feared for his life after his fighters had battled the presidential guards of Joseph Kabila on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital, following his defeat in presidential elections.
The MLC was formed to overthrow Laurent Desire Kabila, Joseph's father and DR Congo's former president, during the 1998-2006 war in DR Congo.
http://aljazeera.net
MY COMMENT:
There goes another war criminal. These are men that have committed atrocious acts against their people, against humanity. A man that resorted to raping and terrorizing people is no longer a human, that man is seriously possessed. To rape a fellow man in front of his family is indeed diabolic. The number of reported rapes in Africa is on the increase, demonic people now see it as a way of oppressing people. Especially in the war-stricken zones, the number is continuously on the rise. And this man adopted it as a weapon against his people; this is very atrocious and inimical. I suggest they gather his troops and colleagues as well, they all should be charged the same. None of them should be spared even those acting on order; they are all guilty and should face the same fate.
At a hearing on Monday to decide if Bemba will face trial, the prosecutors said he had used rape to terrorise civilians suspected of supporting rivals in the Central African Republic.
Bemba, who also served as vice-president in DR Congo's post-civil war transitional government, faces three counts of crimes against humanity and five counts of war crimes.
"Bemba's men went from house to house, pillaging and raping mothers, wives and daughters," Petra Kneuer, the prosecutor, said. The troops were instructed to "traumatise and terrorise" the population to prevent them from supporting any resistance to Ange-Felix Patasse, the Central African Republic president, the prosecution said.
A representative of victims told the hearing that a district chief in the capital of Bangui was raped for four hours in front of his wife and children before troops turned to them.
Bemba's defence lawyers argued that he was not responsible for the campaign of torture, rape and murder between 2002 and 2003 as his Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) forces were operating under the command of Patasse.
Bemba was arrested in Belgium last May. He fled DR Congo for Portugal in 2007 saying he feared for his life after his fighters had battled the presidential guards of Joseph Kabila on the streets of Kinshasa, the capital, following his defeat in presidential elections.
The MLC was formed to overthrow Laurent Desire Kabila, Joseph's father and DR Congo's former president, during the 1998-2006 war in DR Congo.
http://aljazeera.net
MY COMMENT:
There goes another war criminal. These are men that have committed atrocious acts against their people, against humanity. A man that resorted to raping and terrorizing people is no longer a human, that man is seriously possessed. To rape a fellow man in front of his family is indeed diabolic. The number of reported rapes in Africa is on the increase, demonic people now see it as a way of oppressing people. Especially in the war-stricken zones, the number is continuously on the rise. And this man adopted it as a weapon against his people; this is very atrocious and inimical. I suggest they gather his troops and colleagues as well, they all should be charged the same. None of them should be spared even those acting on order; they are all guilty and should face the same fate.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
What do you think? Speak your mind.