PANEL 2
Case studies on
accountability
for sexual and
gender-based
violence in conflict
Panel Two examined recent case
studies in accountability for sexual
and gender-based violence in
the Hissène Habré case at the
Extraordinary African Chambers,
the case of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo
at the ICC, and various cases in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The panellists included Delphine
Djiraïbé, Jean-Jacques Badibanga, and
Séraphine Kilongozi Musambi, three
legal practitioners who have been
integrally involved in each of the
respective cases. While the panellists
spoke to the specifics of the cases
on which they worked, all panellists
highlighted the importance of victimcentred approaches, particularly in
the prosecution of sexual violence, as
the possibility for re-traumatisation
and transgenerational trauma
transfer is high.
2
JEAN-JACQUES BADIBANGA
Senior Trial Lawyer, International Criminal Court
The ICC’s first conviction for sexual and
gender-based violence: The Prosecutor
v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo
Badibanga’s presentation focused on the 2016
conviction in The Prosecutor v Jean-Pierre
Bemba Gombo, which was the first conviction
for sexual and gender-based crimes at the
International Criminal Court. Speaking with
insights from his position as senior trial lawyer
for the prosecution on the case, Badibanga
spoke to its challenges and possible issues to
consider in future prosecutions. Jean-Pierre
Bemba was charged with rape both as a crime
against humanity and as a war crime, as well as
with murder as a crime against humanity and as
a war crime. Charges of pillaging as a war crime
and, subsequently, bribery were added during
the trial. His trial lasted six years and, in 2016,
Bemba was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment.
Badibanga highlighted four significant issues
related to the case. First, the extension of
criminal responsibility to a military commanderin-chief based in another country. Second,
6\ Accountability for conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence: Successes, challenges, narratives, and omissions
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