Washington D.C. event: "The ICC in Africa"

The partners of the Great Lakes Policy Forum cordially invite you to attend the
148th GREAT LAKES POLICY FORUM
Thursday, October 1, 2009 from 9am - 11am "
The ICC in Africa: Impartial Judge or Neo-Colonial Project?"

Speakers
Suliman Baldo, Africa Director International Center for Transitional Justice
Charles Villa-Vicencio, Ph.D., Former Executive Director Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Cape Town
Ruth Wedgwood, Director, International Law & Organizations Program Johns Hopkins University

The forum will be moderated by: Steve Utterwulghe, Vice President, International Development Search for Common Ground

Location Johns Hopkins University Kenney Auditorium (SAIS) 1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, D.C.

Contact Singto Saro-Wiwa at Search for Common Ground: 202-265-4300.
Kindly RSVP to glpf@sfcg.org by September 30 at the latest.

Local charges for DRC militia leader dropped; ICC to proceed with war crimes trial

(AFP)
"The International Criminal Court on Friday ruled that Germain Katanga, a former militia leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo, should be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity.


"On June 1, the defence team had argued that Katanga should not be tried by the ICC because he also faced trial in DR Congo on similar charges.

"Katanga, 31, and a fellow defendant, Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, 38, face trial for murders, rapes and other atrocities committed in February 2003 when their forces jointly attacked the village of Bogoro in Ituri, a mineral-rich region in northeastern DR Congo. Katanga is also accused of enlisting child soldiers and using women as sex slaves." (Full article here)

AMICC BACKGROUND on KATANGA

On October 17, 2007, Germain Katanga, alleged commander of the Force de résistance patriotique en Ituri (FPRI), was arrested and transferred by DRC authorities to the ICC. Pre-Trial Chamber I issued a sealed warrant of arrest for Mr. Katanga, also known as Simba, on July 2, 2007 based on allegations of six war crimes and three crimes against humanity including murder, sexual slavery and intentionally directing attacks at civilians.

How much do you know about the upcoming Review Conference?

Become an expert!

In June, 2010, the Assembly of State Parties of the ICC will gather in Kampala, Uganda to make critical decisions about the ICC, Check out this guide to the 2010 Review Conference from Citzens for Global Solutions, an AMICC partner in the campaign for U.S. ratification of the ICC.

THE US AND THE REVIEW CONFERENCE

"While the United States is still eligible to take part in the Review Conference and its preparations, it is not certain whether it will. President Obama has declared that he plans to work closer with the ICC. However, he is waiting for the completion of a U.S. review on its policy towards the Court before deciding whether to send a representative to the Conference or its preparations. This review is not expected to be completed for another 4 to 6 months. This means that the President may not make his decision until after the last preparatory meeting for the Review Conference has concluded. Not attending the preparatory meetings would cause the United States to walk into a Conference where the agenda has already been set and where American concerns may not have been addressed beforehand, leaving the U.S. at a disadvantage to influence the proceedings." Read the whole report here.