The International Criminal Court

Only a quarter of the respondents had heard of the ICC (27%) or the proceedings against Thomas Lubanga (28%). Surprisingly, respondents in Ituri were no more familiar with the Lubanga proceedings or the ICC than those in North and South Kivu, although, to date, ICC arrest warrants in the DRC were only for crimes allegedly committed in Ituri. When asked how they heard about the ICC, 85 percent of respondents identified the radio or television as their source of information. Among those who had heard about the ICC, 16 percent also said they had heard about the ICC’s Trust Fund for Victims. A majority of those interviewed would like to participate in ICC activities (67%), but only 12 percent knew how to access the International Criminal Court, showing a need for more information from and about the ICC.

Table 28: Knowledge of the ICC

The survey asked respondents who had heard about the Lubanga proceedings what they thought about it. Respondents said that “it was good” (35%) or that Lubanga should be punished (34%). Considerably fewer said that “it was not good” (13%) or that he should be forgiven (2%). Some respondents said that others should be tried (7%). Only 3 percent responded that the Lubanga trial should be held in the DRC; this conflicts with other survey responses indicating a strong preference among the respondents for trials in the DRC. This could be a result of a lack of awareness that the ICC could potentially hold in situ trials in the DRC.

The survey further asked a series of questions to those who had heard about the ICC. Over three-quarters believed it had the power to arrest suspected criminals (77%), the belief being strongest in Ituri (84%).[1] Perceptions of a lack of neutrality or impartiality are an issue for the ICC. Nearly one-third (28%) of respondents believed the ICC was not neutral because it did not do anything to help (27%), worked with the government (24%), was only after one ethnic group (14%), or did not arrest the criminals (12%). Again, this illustrates a need for more information and outreach to be conducted by and on the ICC in the DRC.

Please explore the sub-pages in this section:

• Truth-seeking
• Reparations and Memorialization

[1] The ICC does not have the power to carry out arrests by itself and relies on cooperation by states and regional or international organizations to accomplish this.