Last Friday the ICC (or International Criminal Court) made its second ever conviction. Germain Katanga was convicted of complicity in the 2003 massacre of more than 200 people in the village Bogoro, which is in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Germain Katanga during his trial at the ICC
Despite the regional proximity, the crimes of Kataga don’t have anything to do with the LRA, but the ICC does. You can read more about the Katanga case here, but for now let’s take this opportunity to remind ourselves what the ICC is and what it’s got to do with the LRA:
1. The job of the ICC is to put the world’s worst criminals on trial
For example, war criminals, those who’ve committed genocide or crimes against humanity. History has shown us that those who have committed the most heinous crimes on the largest scale have often avoided any kind of consequences. The ICC’s mission is to disrupt this pattern of injustice.
2. It’s a court of ‘last resort’
That means it only deals with cases that national governments cannot or will not deal with. It’s not supposed to be a better alternative to countries using their own justice systems, which is still the ideal scenario.
3. Countries choose to be a part of the ICC
They do so by ‘ratifying the treaty’. Once they do that, the have to abide by the ICC’s rules and regulations. Interestingly, the US is not one of the 122 countries who’s ratified the treaty, though they do co-operate with the court.
4. This is the second ever conviction by the ICC
The first was Thomas Lubanga, convicted in July 2012 for recruiting and using child soldiers. Since it was set up in 2002, the ICC has raised the expectations of the world in terms of what the consequences will be for those who commit the worst possible crimes. Arguably though, the court is still an infant on the stage of international justice. Every completed case is setting a precedent for the ones to follow.
5. Five members of the LRA have been indicted by the ICC
Though only 2 or 3 remain on the battlefield. These include Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA, indicted on 33 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity and Dominic Ongwen, abducted as a 10 year old on his way to school but now one of Kony’s most senior commanders, indicted on 7 counts. There are unconfirmed reports that Okot Odiahmbo, Kony’s second in command and also ICC indicted, may be dead. The final two are Raska Lukwiya, killed by the UDPF in 2006 and Vincent Otti, executed on Kony’s orders in 2007.
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