International Justice/ICC: Jun ‘09

A visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the arrival of a new intern and a Hague panel discussion on the future of the International Criminal Court, ICC, in Africa were the headline activities of the IWPR Netherlands team in June.



The June 9 event focused on the question, “Is support for the ICC wavering in Africa?” Hosted by Radio Netherlands Worldwide, panelists included Richard Goldstone, former prosecutor at the Yugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals, ICC registrar Silvana Arbia, Chidi Odinkalu Anselm, senior legal officer at the Open Society Justice Initiative, and Congolose journalist Jacques Kahorha.



RNW will broadcast the debate which touched on numerous topics including the increasing criticism of the ICC’s efforts to interact with those most affected by its work – Congolese, Ugandan, Sudanese and Central Africans – and the consequences of struggling to communicate.



Attended by more than 50 students, diplomats, government employees, international lawyers and NGOs, reaction was largely positive.



“The topic and discussion was very timely and the event was well-organised,” said Lorraine Smith, ICC programme manager with the International Bar Association. “The panel was actually quite balanced with the registrar as the official from the court, Judge Goldstone, an eminent jurist and other presenters with experience from the field. The difference in perspective made the event very balanced but interesting.”



Ernst Steigenga, with the Netherlands ministry of justice, said the evening was inspiring and memorable. “I think the difficulties of the ICC in its early years have come to the front very clearly,” he said.



IWPR journalist Kahorha arrived in the Netherlands several days before the event for a one-month internship to cover the ICC trial of Thomas Lubanga. During his time in The Hague, he met with key court officials, defence lawyers and legal analysts – filing stories for IWPR and the Facing Justice radio programme which is broadcast on 95 stations around the Congo. He also filed daily reports from The Hague to radio stations in Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.



On June 22, Kahorha travelled to Brussels to participate in a panel discussion on the conflict in his native North Kivu province. He gave an in-depth overview of the armed groups – both national and international – on the ground in the DRC. His presentation was well received as it offered a unique view from the field.



Other panelists included Véronique Aulagnon, political advisor with the office of the EU special representative for the Great Lakes Region, Donatella Rostagno, policy officer at the European Network for Central Africa (EurAC), and Eugène Bakama Bope, president of Friends of the Law in Congo, which organised the event. Bope is IWPR’s Brussels-based Congo analyst.



The project team travelled to DRC in late June to deliver a hostile environments training course for local journalists in North Kivu, where IWPR Netherlands has recently opened an office.



A group of 10 radio and print reporters completed the four-day course which offered advice for journalists working in conflict zones. They learned first aid techniques but also practical tips for dealing with military checkpoints, working in crowds or when surrounded by military or militia men.



“I learned how to stay out of the way of bullets and how to find an escape route in case of attack,” said one participant.



Désiré Bigega, a reporter for a Goma-based newspaper, said the course was useful. “For me it was the first time I received such a training and since I am often in the field for work, it will come in very handy,” he said.



IWPR contributor Charles Ntiryica, who was kidnapped by a Mai Mai militia group last year while reporting on the fighting in North Kivu, said there is a “huge need” for such courses. “What IWPR has done is a huge step,” he said.



IWPR reporter Taylor Toeka Kakala added, “My biggest friend is he who gives me a book. But the greatest man for me is he who teaches me something.”



Also in Goma, IWPR hosted a well-attended round-table discussion for local journalists, lawyers and NGOs on the trial of Thomas Lubanga. International justice director Marcel Smits and project manager Lisa Clifford introduced the work of IWPR to a crowd of more than 60 – including our lubangatrial.org website, featuring daily reports and analysis from the Lubanga trial. The site is produced in partnership with the Open Society Justice Initiative.



Participants welcomed the initiative, telling IWPR that they were interested in the ICC but had little information on the hearings in The Hague.