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The Democratic Republic of the Congo took its former colonial ruler to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Monday, arguing that Belgium's arrest warrant for former DRC foreign minister Yerodia Abdulaye Ndombasi for crimes against humanity should be dropped, Reuters reported.
The case dates back to April 2000, when a Belgian judge issued the warrant for Ndombasi after refugees alleged he had incited hatred against them in speeches referring to "vermin" and "extermination". Ndombasi made the comments shortly after Tutsi-led rebels attacked Kinshasa in August 1998. Ndombasi said he was referring to invading forces from Rwanda and Uganda who backed the revolt, and not to a specific ethnic group.
On the first day of a week-long hearing, the DRC argued that the arrest warrant failed to comply with international law, and demanded a formal apology.
"It [Belgium's action] constitutes an illegal act that violates Congo's sovereignty," Antoine Deogratias Ngele Masudi, DRC Minister for Justice, was quoted by Reuters as telling the ICJ.
A controversial Belgian law asserts universal jurisdiction to prosecute suspects for war crimes, regardless of their nationality or where the crimes were committed.
Belgium is asking the court to dismiss the case, since Ndombasi no longer holds public office and thus no longer enjoys diplomatic immunity. Belgium is scheduled to begin its defence on Wednesday.
The ICJ, the highest judicial body of the UN, has the final word in disputes among states and is due to release its verdict in four to six months.
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