Somalina Posted February 25, 2011 Charles Bremner From: The Australian February 22, 2011 FOUR officers of the Congolese Army have been found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to 20 years for leading the rape of 60 women in the town of Fizi on New Year's Day. The convictions, which included lesser sentences for five lower-ranked officers, marked a breakthrough in a country where armed men have long committed extreme acts of sexual violence with impunity. Lieutenant-Colonel Kibibi Mutware, the leader of the group, was also cashiered from the army along with his co-defendants, two majors and a second lieutenant, for rape and looting that the victims described at the ten-day trial in the town of Baraka. The mobile court of military judges and volunteer lawyers that tried the case was financed by the Open Society Justice Initiative of George Soros, the philanthropist billionaire, aided by the UN, international agencies and non-governmental organisations. Human rights workers welcomed the verdict in a country that the UN has called the rape capital of the world. Brutal attacks, such as the raid in Fizi, are almost routine in the former Belgian colony, aid workers say. "If word about the court is spread around the country, it could have an enormous impact on deterring future crimes, now that the rule of law is finally being enforced domestically," said Kelly D. Askin of Open Society Justice Initiative. "Lieutenant-Colonel Kibibi and his soldiers are more than a little stunned to find themselves on trial before this ground-breaking domestic mobile court." The rampage took place for more than nine hours after Mutware led a company of about 150 soldiers into the remote town in the unstable province of South Kivu, the scene of constant fighting among the army, militia and local and foreign rebels. The men had come to avenge the killing of a soldier who had been stoned by residents. The soldiers said Mutware ordered them to commit rape. Witnesses said that the soldiers broke down doors and went house-to-house, pillaging, beating and raping, until 7am the next day. Survivors told the court that they had been gang-raped. One mother of six threw herself to her knees and raised her arms, crying to God and the military judges to grant her some peace. Other survivors spoke so softly that it was hard to hear them. One woman testified that Mutware raped her for 40 minutes. Only those positively identified were tried and convicted. One soldier was acquitted for lack of evidence. One woman said: "Most of the rapists are still right here in our village. If we go to the river for water, we get raped; if we go to the fields for food, we get raped; if we go to the market to sell our goods, we get raped. There is no peace." Mutware, a former rebel, denied all the charges. His lawyers said that he was a "valiant soldier". Colonel Freddy Mukendi, the presiding judge, said: "He did not prevent his soldiers from carrying out these acts, so in consideration of the Treaty of Rome and the Congolese military penal code, Colonel Kibibi and the other soldiers have committed crimes against humanity by rape, by terrorism and by inhuman acts." Therese Kulungu, the lawyer for the victims, said that the case was an important step. "The untouchable has been touched," Kulungu said. Rape has long been used as a weapon of war in Congo - at least 8300 rapes were reported in 2009. The Times Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
