Original: English No.: ICC-01/05-01/08 Date

1 N ICC-01/05-01/08 1/364 21 March 2016 Original: English No.: ICC-01/05-01/08 Date: 21 March 2016 TRIAL CHAMBER III Before: Judge Sylvia Steiner, Presiding Judge Judge Joyce Aluoch Judge Kuniko Ozaki SITUATION IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC IN THE CASE OF THE PROSECUTOR v. JEAN-PIERRE BEMBA GOMBO Public with annexes I, II, and A to F Judgment pursuant to Article 74 of the Statute ICC-01/05-01/08 -3343 21-03-2016 1/364 NM T N ICC-01/05-01/08 2/364 21 March 2016 Judgment to be notified, in accordance with Regulation 31 of the Regulations of the Court, to.

2 The Office of the Prosecutor Ms Fatou Bensouda Mr Jean-Jacques Badibanga Counsel for the Defence Mr Peter Haynes Ms Kate Gibson Ms Melinda Taylor Legal Representatives of the Victims Ms Marie-Edith Douzima Lawson Legal Representatives of the Applicants Unrepresented Victims Unrepresented Applicants for Participation/Reparation The Office of Public Counsel for Victims Ms Paolina Massidda The Office of Public Counsel for the Defence Mr Xavier-Jean Ke ta States Representatives REGISTRY Amicus Curiae Registrar Mr Herman von Hebel Counsel Support Section Mr Esteban Peralta-Losilla Victims and Witnesses Unit Mr Nigel Verrill Detention Section Mr Patrick Craig Victims Participation and Reparations Section Ms Isabelle Guibal Other ICC-01/05-01/08 -3343 21-03-2016 2/364 NM T N ICC-01/05-01/08 3/364 21 March 2016 I.

3 OVERVIEW .. 10 The Accused .. 10 A. The Charges .. 10 B. Jurisdiction and admissibility .. 11 C. Procedural background .. 11 D. Participation of victims .. 16 Application procedure .. 16 2. Involvement of certain intermediaries .. 18 3. Modalities of participation .. 18 II. SCOPE AND NOTICE OF THE CHARGES .. 18 Amendment of the charged mode of liability .. 25 A. Underlying acts not specified in the Confirmation Decision .. 26 B. The should have known mental 35 C. Facts relating to the Accused s criminal responsibility .. 38 D. Widespread or systematic nature of the 42 APPLICABLE LAW.

4 43 Method and confines of interpretation .. 45 A. Murder as a crime against humanity (Article 7(1)(a) of the Statute) .. 49 Material elements (actus reus) .. 49 2. Mental elements (mens rea) .. 50 Murder as a war crime (Article 8(2)(c)(i) of the Statute) .. 50 Material elements (actus reus) .. 50 2. Mental elements (mens rea) .. 52 Rape as a crime against humanity and a war crime (Articles 7(1)(g) and (2)(e)(vi) of the Statute) .. 52 1. Material elements (actus reus) .. 53 a) Invasion of the body of a person .. 53 b) Circumstances in which rape occurs .. 53 2. Mental elements (mens rea).

5 56 Pillaging as a war crime (Article 8(2)(e)(v) of the Statute) .. 56 Material elements (actus reus) .. 57 2. Mental elements (mens rea) .. 59 3. Military necessity .. 60 ICC-01/05-01/08 -3343 21-03-2016 3/364 NM T N ICC-01/05-01/08 4/364 21 March 2016 Contextual elements of war crimes (Article 8 of the Statute) .. 62 Existence of an armed conflict not of an international character .. 63 2. Governmental authorities and organized armed groups .. 64 3. Intensity threshold and protracted character of the conflict .. 67 4. The nexus requirement .. 69 5. Awareness of factual circumstances that established the existence of an armed conflict.

6 70 Contextual elements of crimes against humanity (Article 7 of the ) .. 71 1. Existence of an attack directed against any civilian population .. 71 a) Course of conduct involving the multiple commission of acts referred to in Article 7(1) .. 71 b) Directed against any civilian 72 c) Pursuant to or in furtherance of a State or organizational policy to commit such attack .. 74 2. Widespread nature of the attack .. 77 3. Acts committed as part of the attack (nexus) .. 78 4. Knowledge of the attack .. 78 Command responsibility (Article 28(a) of the Statute).

7 79 Crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court must have been committed by forces .. 82 2. The accused must have been either a military commander or a person effectively acting as a military commander .. 83 3. The accused must have had effective command and control, or effective authority and control, over the forces who committed the crimes .. 84 4. Knowledge that the forces were committing or about to commit such crimes .. 89 5. The commander failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures within his power .. 91 a) Failure to prevent the commission of crimes.

8 92 b) Failure to repress the commission of crimes or submit the matter to the competent authorities for investigation and prosecution .. 93 6. The crimes committed by the forces must have resulted from the failure of the accused to exercise control properly over them .. 96 ICC-01/05-01/08 -3343 21-03-2016 4/364 NM T N ICC-01/05-01/08 5/364 21 March 2016 IV. ISSUES OF EVIDENCE .. 98 Burden of proof .. 98 A. Facts requiring no evidence .. 99 B. Criteria for the weight to be accorded to the evidence .. 100 Oral evidence .. 103 2. Documentary and other non-oral evidence.

9 106 3. Hearsay 108 4. Circumstantial evidence .. 109 5. Identification 109 6. Corroboration .. 112 Protective measures .. 113 D. Specific evidentiary issues .. 114 Approach to case ICC-01/05-01/13 and the 14 witnesses .. 114 a) Approach to case ICC-01/05-01/13 .. 117 b) Approach to the testimony of the 14 witnesses .. 118 2. Proc s-verbaux .. 119 3. The Bomengo case 120 4. Press and NGO reports .. 121 5. Victims application forms .. 122 6. Allegedly fraudulent and other documents .. 123 a) Documents allegedly signed by General Gambi .. 125 b) Documents allegedly signed by or on behalf of General Regonessa.

10 130 c) Document allegedly signed by President Patass .. 133 d) Documents with illegible dates and other issues .. 133 e) Operations Report .. 135 7. Issues of witness credibility .. 137 a) Central Prosecution Witnesses and 19 Protected Witnesses .. 137 i. P33 .. 138 ii. P36 .. 138 iii. P45 .. 139 iv. P47 .. 141 v. P209 .. 141 vi. P213 .. 142 ICC-01/05-01/08 -3343 21-03-2016 5/364 NM T N ICC-01/05-01/08 6/364 21 March 2016 vii. P169, P173, P178, and 19 Protected Witnesses .. 143 b) OCODEFAD and other allegations of improper influence .. 149 i. Allegations of coaching, collusion, or information sharing.