Summary

AP-APTN-1830: US DR Congo Tuesday, 10 July 2012 STORY:US DR Congo- Human Rights Watch comments on Congolese warlord's 14 year sentence LENGTH: 01:31 FIRST RUN: 1730 RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: AP TELEVISION STORY NUMBER: 749468 DATELINE: New York - 10 July 2012 LENGTH: 01:31 SHOTLIST 1 Wide of Param-Preet Singh, an attorney for Human Rights Watch, walking down stairs 2 SOUNDBITE (English) Param-Preet Singh, Human Rights Watch, senior council for International Justice Programme: In terms of the overall message, of course it sends a message that this is a serious crime that will be punished It will be prosecuted by the international community, and will be punished with a significant sentence But the judge's job is to think about what message they want to send to the accused not a broader audience 3 Wide Singh sitting at a desk 4 Close Singh sitting at a desk 5 SOUNDBITE (English) Param-Preet Singh, Human Rights Watch - senior council for International Justice Programme: International criminal justice will only as effective as a deterrent if there is a possibility of it being enforced Perpetrators will only be deterred if they think they will be arrested for similar behaviour, and that makes it all the more important for the Congolese authorities to arrest Lubanga's co-accused, Bosco Ntaganda, who is currently at large in Eastern Congo, and there are reports that he continues to recruit children in the ranks of his militia 6 Wide Singh walking away from desk 7 SOUNDBITE (English) Param-Preet Singh, Human Rights Watch - senior council for International Justice Programme: Children who are under fifteen who are recruited into these militias they themselves are victims Their families are victims They have suffered enormously And this conviction can help give them a sense of closure In that, it confirms that this is a crime Children cannot be used in this way, and this is just one step in a long path to recovery both for the children and for their families 8 Wide Singh walking down hall STORYLINE The International Criminal Court sentenced a Congolese warlord to 14 years in prison on Tuesday, a watershed moment for the 10-year-old tribunal and a potential landmark in the struggle to protect children during wartime Judges found Thomas Lubanga guilty in March of recruiting and using children in his Union of Congolese Patriots militia - sending them to kill and be killed during fighting in Congo's eastern Ituri region in 2002-2003 Param-Preet Singh, of Human Rights Watch said that now that the sentence has been handed down, it is up to the Congolese authorities to track down others who are alleged to have committed similar offences Perpetrators will only be deterred if they think they will be arrested for similar behaviour, and that makes it all the more important for the Congolese authorities to arrest Lubanga's co-accused, Bosco Ntaganda, who is currently at large in Eastern Congo, and there are reports that he continues to recruit children in the ranks of his militia, Singh said Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence, but said they would be willing to cut it to 20 years if Lubanga offered a genuine apology to the victims of his crimes Lubanga did not offer an apology This conviction can help give them a sense of closure In that, it confirms that this is a crime Children cannot be used in this way, and this is just one step in a long path to recovery both for the children and for their families, Singh said It was not immediately clear where Lubanga would serve his sentence The court has no prison cells for holding convicted war criminals, but has deals with seven countries to jail them, Denmark, Serbia, Mali, Austria, Finland, Britain and Belgium Tuesday's announcement was the first time the tribunal had sentenced a convicted war criminal Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: infoaparchivecom (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory APTN APEX 07-10-12 1431EDT