Domestic Prosecution of International Crimes

The DRCongo is emerging from thirty-two years of dictatorship and a decade of civil war, other wars and rebellions causing millions of deaths and displaced peoples. This conflict, which is referred to as “Africa’s World War” involved eight foreign armies and numerous Congolese and surrounding countries’ guerrilla movements and tribal militias had already claimed more than 5.4 million lives, excluding internal displacements, use of child soldiers, rape and sexual abuse of victims. Although the ICC has begun prosecutions, they are viewed as remote and too limited in contributing to the fight against impunity in the DRC. Consequently, national courts are in a better position to lead the battle against impunity and to take the bulls of the cases. Accordingly, domestic prosecutions are now taken place. This book therefore provide an assessment and evaluates the potentials of the relevant legal, procedural, practice and national military courts for the prosecution of international crimes of a widespread and systematic nature. The book also provides an analysis of the effectiveness and appropriateness of domestic prosecution threatened by legal, judicial, practical challenges...