Day Eleven: hope for Congo and for human rights

A few websites carried stories today about the first appearance of the suspected Congolese war criminal, Germain Katanga, before the International Criminal Court (ICC). I like the article linked above (as always, click the title), which gives detailed background on the context and the charges against Katanga. The ICC trial is clearly good news for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - and the ICC have said that further such cases are likely to be brought in future. But it's also good news for human rights in general, and for the role of the ICC in upholding them. For too long, leaders of armed militias have been beyond the law, looting, raping, enslaving and killing with impunity. The ICC may yet prove central to bringing at least some of them to justice.