Democratic Republic of the Congo /Trial of Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui to commence Thursday, 24 September 2009
THE HAGUE, Netherland, March 28, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — ICC-CPI-20090327-PR402_ENG
Situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Case: The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui
Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has set the commencement of the trial in the case of The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui for Thursday, 24 September 2009 at 9.30 a.m. In a decision issued today, the Chamber emphasised that, given that all the participants had agreed to the date, no postponements would be authorised except where compelling reasons could be offered.
The Chamber noted that it had taken several factors into consideration in setting the date for the commencement of the trial, including the fact that it must first respond to the challenge to admissibility brought by Mr Katanga’s Defence as well as rule on nearly 150 victim applications for participation in the trial. It also took account of the observations made by all the participants on a variety of procedural issues, and the time needed for the disclosure of incriminating and exonerating evidence by the Prosecutor to the Defence, as well as the time needed by the Defence to adequately prepare its case.
Procedural background
On 17 October 2007, Germain Katanga, (a DRC national), alleged commander of the Force de résistance patriotique en Ituri [Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri] (FRPI), was arrested and transferred to the Court pursuant to a warrant of arrest issued under seal on 2 July 2007 by Pre-Trial Chamber I at the request of the Prosecutor. On 6 February 2008, Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui (also a DRC national), alleged leader of the Front des nationalistes et intégrationnistes [Nationalist Integrationist Front] (FNI), was arrested and transferred to the Court pursuant to a warrant of arrest issued under seal on 6 July 2007 by the same Chamber at the request of the Prosecutor.
On 11 March 2008, Pre-Trial Chamber I decided to join the two cases and, on 26 September 2008, it confirmed charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Katanga and Ngudjolo Chui. On 24 October 2008, the Presidency of the Court constituted Trial Chamber II and referred the case of The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui to that Chamber, which has since convened a number of status conferences.
The case of The Prosecutor v. Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui is the second case in the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after that of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, whose trial commenced on 26 January 2009 before Trial Chamber I.
SOURCE : International Criminal Court (ICC)
