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Download the Full Report HUMAN RIGHTS JUSTICE ON TRIAL Lessons from the Minova Rape case in the Democratic Republic of Congo WATCH Justice on Trial Lessons from the Minova Rape Case in the Democratic Republic of Congo Copyright © 2015 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-6231-32781 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org OCTOBER 2015 978-1-6231-32781 Justice on Trial Lessons from the Minova Rape Case in the Democratic Republic of Congo Glossary of Abbreviations ................................................................................................. i Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 5 To the Congolese Government .................................................................................................. 5 To the Personal Representative of the Congolese Head of State in Charge of the Fight against Sexual Violence and the Recruitment of Children ...................................................................... 7 To the Congolese Defense Minister ........................................................................................... 7 To the Congolese Parliament..................................................................................................... 7 To the Military General Prosecutor’s Office and the High Military Court ..................................... 8 To the Military Prosecution Offices in North Kivu and South Kivu, and Other Provinces where Grave International Crimes are Committed ............................................................................... 8 To the United Nations, Intergovernmental and Governmental Donors and Partners, including MONUSCO, the United Nations Development Program, the European Union, Belgium, France, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States ....................................................... 8 To MONUSCO ......................................................................................................................... 10 To the Justice and Corrections Unit and the UN Prosecution Support Cells ............................... 10 To the International Criminal Court .......................................................................................... 11 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 12 I. Background ................................................................................................................ 13 Minova and Surrounding Villages, November 2012 .................................................................. 13 Minova Investigation and Trial ................................................................................................ 16 II. The Investigation and Prosecution ............................................................................. 20 Lack of Investigative Plan to Tackle Mass Crimes ..................................................................... 21 Prosecution Errors .................................................................................................................. 23 Difficulties in Establishing Sexual Violence ............................................................................. 24 Insufficient Support from UN Prosecution Support Cells ......................................................... 26 III. Fair Trial Issues ......................................................................................................... 31 Lack of Clear Evidence against Many Convicted Soldiers ......................................................... 32 No Right to Appeal .................................................................................................................. 34 Weak Legal Assistance for Rank and File Soldiers .................................................................... 35 IV. Determination of the Accused and Command Responsibility ..................................... 38 Command Responsibility Theory ............................................................................................. 39 Command Responsibility in the Minova Case ......................................................................... 40 V. Advances in the Minova Case ..................................................................................... 51 Congolese Authorities’ Support for Justice in Minova .............................................................. 51 International Financial, Logistical Support .............................................................................. 52 Security and Protection for Involved Parties ............................................................................ 55 Victim Participation ............................................................................................................... 60 Direct Application of the ICC’s Rome Statute .......................................................................... 64 Diplomatic Pressure .............................................................................................................. 66 VI. The Way Forward ....................................................................................................... 69 Criminal Justice System Reforms ............................................................................................. 71 Internationalized Justice Mechanism ...................................................................................... 93 VII. Role of International Partners .................................................................................. 96 International Criminal Court Involvement ............................................................................... 96 Financial, Political Support by Donor Agencies and Governments ........................................... 99 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 102 Glossary of Abbreviations ABA American Bar Association ASF Lawyers without Borders (Avocats sans Frontières) CMO Operational Military Court (Cour Militaire Opérationnelle) CNDP National Congress for the Defense of the People (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple) Congo Democratic Republic of Congo FARDC Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo) FDLR Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda) ICC International Criminal Court ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda ICTY International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia M23 March 23rd Movement MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Mission de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour la Stabilisation en RD Congo) NGO Non-governmental Organization OTP Office of the Prosecutor (of the International Criminal Court) UNDP United Nations Development Program UNJHRO United Nations Joint Human Rights Office UNPSCs United Nations Prosecution Support Cells I HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | OCTOBER 2015 Summary “When the court arrived in Minova, I felt a bit happy. I thought, ‘Finally, here is someone to listen to us and the horrible things that happened to us.’… But the judgment [it handed down], it is a lie. We were hurt. Where are they, then, those who hurt us? I am ready to continue and go anywhere for justice to be done.” —Rape victim who participated in the Minova trial, Minova, May 2014 In November 2012, Congolese army soldiers retreated from the advancing M23 rebel group that had taken the strategic city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. They redeployed in Minova, a market town on the shores of Lake Kivu. En route and in Minova and surrounding communities, the soldiers engaged in a 10-day frenzy of destruction: looting homes, razing shops and shelters in camps for displaced people, and raping at least 76 women and girls. The violence from November 20 to November 30 prompted a public outcry in Congo and beyond. Congolese authorities, who had announced a “zero tolerance” policy toward serious crimes—including sexual violence—now faced intense international pressure to bring the perpetrators to justice. One year later, in December 2013, 14 officers and 25 rank-and-file soldiers of the Congolese army were put on trial in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, on various charges, including the war crimes of rape and pillage, rape
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