Arrest and prosecution of several lawyers at the ICC: the UIA reiterates the guarantees that are applicable

On 20 November 2013, Judge Cuno Tarfusser, the single Judge of Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (ICC), issued four warrants for the arrest of Aimé Kilolo Musamba, the lead counsel of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, a member of his defence team, Fidèle Babala Wandu, a member of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo’s political party, and Narcisse Arido, a defence witness.

The single Judge found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that these persons had tampered with witnesses who had testified before the Court, and given evidence that they knew to be false or falsified during the trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, which started on 22 November 2010. Mr. Bemba Gombo is accused of two counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes.

In a press release the UIA welcomed the cooperation between the States that enforced the arrest warrants and the International Criminal Court. Nevertheless it  reiterated the importance of ensuring that such custodial measures also carry specific guarantees when implemented against lawyers.

Please find below the entire text of the press release.