The Hague/ New York, 6 January 2010– Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, testified before the International Criminal Court (ICC) today in the case of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo.

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is the founder and leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is being tried before the ICC for the conscription and enlistment of children under the age of 15 and the use of children for active participation in hostilities.

Ms. Coomaraswamy was called by the Court to testify as an expert witness on the case after the official submission of an “amicus curiae”, in March 2008. The legal brief contains observations on the issue of children enlisted and used by armed groups. As an expert witness, the UN Official shared her expertise with regard to the issue of children affected by war.

“The Lubanga trial represents a crucial precedent in the fight against impunity and will have a decisive deterrent effect against perpetrators of such crimes,” said Ms. Coomaraswamy.

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For further information, please contact:

  • Alec Wargo, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict – wargo@un.org -+1347-967-8606(traveling with the SRSG)
  • Luca Solimeo, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict – solimeo@un.org – +1917-367-3563 (in New York)