Today, Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced Jean‑Pierre Bemba Gombo (Bemba) to 18 years’ imprisonment, in the third Sentencing Judgment issued by the ICC to date.

In sentencing Bemba to 18 years, the Trial Chamber considered the gravity of the crimes for which he was convicted, Bemba’s culpability, as well as his individual circumstances. The Chamber did not identify any mitigating factors in this case and established that the crimes of rape and pillaging acted as aggravating circumstances.

Read the full statement by the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice.