 |
| Thomas Lubanga at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. |
Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga has been sentenced to 14 years' jail for recruiting and using child soldiers in the first sentence handed down by the International Criminal Court.
"Taking into account all the factors, the court sentences Mr Lubanga to 14 years in prison," presiding judge Adrian Fulford told The Hague-based court yesterday.
He said the court has taken into account the time Lubanga has already spent behind bars since March 2006, meaning he will effectively spend eight years in prison.
Lubanga, 51, was convicted in March of war crimes, specifically for using child soldiers in his rebel army in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002-03, in the ICC's first verdict since it was set up a decade ago.
He was found guilty of abducting children as young as 11 and forcing them to commit atrocities in the DRC's northeastern gold-rich Ituri region.
Lubanga, who has been detained in The Hague since 2006, is the founder of the Union of Congolese Patriots and commander of its military wing the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo. His trial started in 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment