According to the ICC Prosecutor, Katanga was commander of the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri (known by its French acronym FRPI) in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He is charged with three counts of crimes against humanity (murder, rape and sexual slavery) and seven counts of war crimes, including using children under 15 to take active part in hostilities, directing an attack against a civilian population, pillage, destruction of property, sexual slavery and rape.
Katanga’s trial started on November 24, 2009, and the parties presented their closing arguments from May 15 to 23, 2012. He was at first tried jointly with Mathieu Ngudjolo, but in November 2012 the judges decided to sever the two cases. The following month Ngudjolo was acquitted. The Prosecutor has appealed.
The ICC’s first judgment was in the trial of another former Congolese militiaman, Thomas Lubanga, who was sentenced to 14 years in jail for conscripting and using children under 15 in his troops in 2002 and 2003. Lubanga has appealed.
ER/ JC