War Lords To Stand Trial Before World Court

November 4, 2007 12:53 p.m. EST

New York, NY (AHN) - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has cleared its backlog of cases, says ICJ President Judge Rosalyn Higgins.

In the year to July 31, the ICJ rendered three judgments, another is being prepared and hearings were held on three other cases, she said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly last Friday.

Hearings begin next week in the case between Malaysia and Singapore concerning the sovereignty an island. A binding ruling three weeks ago demarcated a new maritime boundary midway between Honduras and Nicaragua.

Last February, the Court found that he 1995 massacre of some 7,000 Serbian Muslims at Srebrenica was an act of genocide but found no evidence about specific instruction from Belgrade.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) charged alleged Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga Dyilo of enlisting, conscripting and using children under the age of 15 to participate in hostilities. Trial begins next year.

Alleged militia leader Germain Katanga was surrendered last week to the ICC by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is wanted for three counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes. Pre-trial takes place in the coming months.

Warrants have been issued for the arrest of Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb in Sudan. They are accused of over 40 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes in war-torn Western Darfur.

Five arrest warrants had been issued for members of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, including one for the arrest of its leader, Joseph Kony, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.