Nov 08 2007
Judicial proceedings for July massacre underway
This is Samantha.
Yesterday I met with Maitre Matthieu, the lawyer hired by ICCN - the DR Congo Wildlife Authority (ie the Rangers) - to carry out the judicial proceedings against those suspected of involvement in the July massacre of the Rugendo family and the trafficking of the infant female Mountain Gorilla in September that was found dead.
Here is a summary of my meeting.
Rugendo Massacre
2 suspects have been detained since August and are being held in Goma. The case went to the Tribunal des Grandes Instances - the highest court in the province of North Kivu - in October. The first hearing was scheduled for 8th October. At this hearing Maitre Matthieu requested a postponement until 14th November, to allow for more investigation to take place.
This investigation, as you can well imagine, is being hampered by the current security environment. With armed militias and government forces engaged in conflict, it is not conducive to an investigation of this magnitude. The area for a start where the killings took place is inaccessible due to rebel and military presence. People are also scattered as they flee from the fighting.
The law under which these suspects will be tried is Number 69-041 of 22nd August 1969, entitled Nature Conservation. In Article 8 it states that those found guilty of killing Mountain Gorillas - a highly protected species according to the law - can get up to 15 years in prison. For other animals such as elephants, leopards, lions and okapi it is up to 10 years.
It is this same 1969 law that created what we today know as ICCN - the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature.
So in short, Maitre Matthieu and ICCN want to carry out more investigations. I cannot say any more for fear of compromising these investigations.
Once the case goes to court the 3 judges of the Tribunal des Grandes Instances have 2 weeks to deliberate and hand down a sentence.
Maitre Matthieu explains the law to me
Trafficking of Infant Mountain Gorilla
There are also 2 suspects in prison in Goma, who were actually caught with the dead infant Mountain Gorilla that was allegedly going to be trafficked in September. This investigation is also ongoing, and progress is being made but again, I cannot report on anything otherwise it may affect the outcome.
These men, and their accomplices, can also get up to 15 years in prison for trafficking of a Mountain Gorilla, if found guilty.
So that is where the legal proceedings are at right now. DR Congo’s judicial system is clearly under-resourced, and judges and judicial system workers grossly underpaid. So things simply do not move as quickly as they would in the US say. And then of course there is the current conflict to boot.
But proceedings are underway. Investigations will continue. And I hope we see an outcome soon for the Mountain Gorillas.
Samantha
Technorati : congo, drc, iccn, wildlifedirect
Daily news from the conservation frontline by Innocent and Diddy, and other Congolese rangers risking their lives to save mountain gorillas of the Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Maitre Mattieu is a courageous man and I hope he knows he has the hearts & minds of many thousands around the world behind him. May he gather every scrap of evidence, no matter how long it takes. Justice must be done and seen to be done.
The cold blooded killings were nothing short of heartbreaking. Scarcely a day has gone by when I haven’t thought about whether the cold blooded killers would be caught, and whether there was a way to stop these acts of violence from happening again. Justice here is a great start but to stop the killing happening again is a far greater challenge. We need to understand the reason for the killings and work towards removing the motive.
Hopefully justice will be served…..the Rugendos did not deserve to die such as they did…I wish they could just do the same to the suspects who had no mercy on innocent gorillas…….thank you Samantha for sharing the information I am looking forward to seeing what these murderers get!!!!
Samantha, thank you for keeping us informed! Like everyone else i just hope they get what they deserve, the gorillas don’t stand a hope with people like this, and a strong conviction is maybe the only way to start deterring people from trying. But i also realise more needs to be done to see why they stoop to this level, i imagine they are quite desperate. It is very difficult to imagine what family life is like in the Congo for those that are on the bread line! Good Luck to Maitre Mattieu hope he succeeds and finds all the proof he needs.
Thanks for the update, Samantha. We’d heard rumors there were suspects in custody for the Rugendo family murders but no confirmation. I’m glad they caught a couple of them. I hope Maitre Matthieu has all his ducks in a row before going to trial. And I hope western press intends to cover these trials. We should start bugging news media about this right now!
s.
As you rightly point out, finding the culprits for the massacre is just one part of the equation. We need also to provide sustainable solutions to protect Virunga National Park and the wildlife, including the Mountain Gorillas. This is why one measure, that WildlifeDirect and other organizations are strongly advocating, is finding an alternative source of doomestic fuel. The charcoal trade, and the looting of the park for the charcoal, is one of the biggest threats that the park faces. But people, who live in poverty and in high density, need an alternative. They still need to be able to cook for their families. That alternative can be gas - butane or propane I think. We need to raise awareness about this issue. I believe it is totally achievable.
Thanks for keeping us informed. I really hope these murderers get what they deserve
Thanks for the update Samantha, it is great news to hear and hope these people get what they deserve. I just hope the remaining gorillas are safe and keeping out of harms way during the conflict. I can’t stop thinking about them.
I sure hope they really do get what they deserve. Will they really get 15 years??? That is almost like the states if you kill a human..hummmmm. Good that they get that much time. The Gorillas theirselves need justice to be done for what has happend to them so,so many times….Steph
Thank you Samantha for the report. I hope that all that criminals get the maximum sentence that can be put over theirs heads!
hang them
Mr. X…..Too funny. There you go folks some old fashioned western justice….thats what they need.
There are just so great ideas that are flying around mi mind to punish that abominables and cowards killers…but I don´t know about to write it here…mmm
Thanks for keeping us posted Samantha!!!! I like most others hope justice is served. Thanks Again Tyler
The following is the response back from CBS regarding a Thank You letter I sent, thanking Anderson Cooper for interviewing the Rangers that protect the Gorillas of Virunga National Park and the coverage by 60 Minutes. Lisa
Thank you for writing to CBS. We appreciate your kind words regarding 60 MINUTES. Please be assured that your comments have been shared with the senior executives at CBS News as well as the staff of 60 MINUTES.
Cordially,
Ray Faiola
Director,
CBS Audience Services
Yes, Thank you Samantha for the update. I hope that a complete investigation can be done, so that justice will prevail in both cases. Not a day goes by, for me as well, that I don’t think about the beautiful mountain gorilla and the people of DR Congo. I truly hope and pray for peace and sustainablity for everyone’s sake. Lisa
Samantha:
I’m very interested in learning more about the problem of the charcoal trade. What percent of the population use charcoal for cooking? Are there other sources of fuel being used as well by people? What are they using? I was looking at the GRASP info, but I didn’t notice any mention of the problem of the charcoal trade. Is anyone addressing it?
Thanks.
One solution is mining methane from Lake Kivu and distributing it as LNG (liquid natural gas) … LNG is safer because it rises in air … propane and butane can form a cloud near the ground like gasoline vapours.
I read an article today about radiation being in one of the congo rivers…Is it affecting anyone around you guys????
Pam; I don’t have the exact info you want, but here’s a post from Paulin from a while back explaining the charcoal trade: http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/2007/07/14/how-does-charcoal-burning-work/
s.
I posted many links about the methane in Lake Kivu at … http://wildlifedirect.org/manioc/2007/10/30/health-clinic-funding-update/#comments …
TO: STEPHANIE … please post the link to the article about the radiation in the river …
Dear Pam/Shell Beach - pretty much everyone uses charcoal to cook in eastern DR Congo and many parts of Rwanda. The only alternative would be electricity, and people don’t really have that either, unless you have a generator or happen to live somewhere that has a connection that may work occasionally. So in and around Goma and Virunga in the south you probably have about a million people who need charcoal. Most of this is coming from Virunga National Park. I believe this area of Africa is the most densely populated on the continent - or close to it. Plus the war - that creates this unimaginable humanitarian crisis. I plan to do some more research - and use Jim’s links too - and I will do a more comprehensive post. It really is public enemy number 1 - but like i said you must provide an alternative. You could put thousands of Rangers in the park, but while the demand is there people will still cut down trees, make kilns, and sell charcoal. Hope that helps somewhat. Steph - no radiation here thank goodness. That would be all the people need…
In Africa all conservation projects have to linked at some level to the well-being of humans and supporting small communities. Without this connection there is no hope for wildlife and remaining forests in Africa. People live in such poverty we Western people can not even imagine.. To ensure sustainable development the local people need to benefit from the protection of the gorillas, it’s as simple as that. I just wish every day that the fighting would stop and we could get news how the gorillas are managing..
Jim,
Sorry I posted on the newest blog…
TO: STEPHANIE … I replied in the newest blog … basically I said I think the rivers in the western DRC flow west, away from the gorillas.
TO: STEPHANIE … I apologise, again, for my missinformation about the radiation spill … the gorillas are up in the mountains, so it will never get to them … crap always flows downhill!
[…] This is the same law under which we are working to bring to justice those responsible for the July massacre, and the death of the baby gorilla in September. There is a blog post about this here. […]
custody lawyer texas…
Good post. I am looking into these issues on my blog….