Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU following the start of the Thomas Lubanga trial at the ICC in January 2009
The EU welcomes the start of the Thomas Lubanga trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague on 26 January 2009. This first ICC trial constitutes a very important phase in the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes, and in the pursuit of justice for their victims in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Importantly, the trial will also be the first international court case in which the use of child soldiers, defined as those under the age of 15, is prosecuted as a war crime.
The European Union is determined to work towards the prevention of crimes of international concern and the ending of impunity for the perpetrators of such crimes. The EU encourages the Congolese authorities to continue their good cooperation with the International Criminal Court, and invites the ICC to continue its efforts to ensure that the local population in DRC is properly informed about its work.
The Candidate Countries Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.
* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
Last update: 11.2.2009 13:38
