The International Criminal Court will hand out its first ever sentence to the Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga, for using child soldiers in his rebel army in 2002-2003.
Lubanga, 51 was convicted in March of war crimes, it will be the ICC’s first ever verdict since it started work a decade ago. Lubanga was found guilty of abducting children sa young as 11 and forcing them to commit atrocities, in the north east of the DRC.
The Hague-based court’s former chief prosecutor, Luis Morena-Ocampo, called for a sentence of 30 years, saying his crimes were ‘of most serious concert to the international community'.
If sent to jail, the ICC will determine where his time should be served. Six countries have shown their readiness to accept prisoners sentenced by the ICC: Austria, Belgium, Britain, Finland, Mali and Serbia.
