NEW YORK, March 10, 2014 – The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the verdict issued by the International Criminal Court against Germain Katanga, convicting him on four counts of war crimes and one count of crimes against humanity committed in 2003 during an attack on the village of Bogoro in the Ituri district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is an important verdict for the victims of these horrific crimes, for international justice and for the fight against impunity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Secretary-General reaffirms the strong commitment of the United Nations to support the independent work of the Court as the centrepiece of the international criminal justice system.

The Secretary-General welcomes the continued cooperation between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the International Criminal Court and urges the Congolese authorities to continue to strengthen their efforts to hold accountable all perpetrators of serious crimes of international concern.

SOURCE: United Nations – Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General