The first trial in the Central African Republic of the Special Criminal Court (CPS), made up of national and international judges responsible for judging war crimes, which was supposed to open on Tuesday in Bangui, has been postponed to April 25, due to the absence of defense lawyers.
The PSC was scheduled to begin trial on Tuesday of three members of one of the most powerful armed groups that have terrorized the population for years, the 3Rs (Return, Reclamation, and Rehabilitation), Issa Sallet Adoum, Ousman Yaouba, and Tahir Mahamat for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The three men are accused of the May 2019 massacre of 46 civilians in villages in the northwest of the country. As soon as the trial opened, Aimé-Pascal Delimo, president of the CPS trial chamber, noted the “absence” of the defense lawyers. “We are suspending the hearing for a postponement on April 25,” he said.
“This false start shows that the functioning of the PSC remains difficult despite the support of international donors,” said Enrica Picco, director of the Central Africa Project of the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.
Created in 2015 by the government with UN sponsorship, but whose work was only launched in October 2018 with the first investigations, the PSC is composed of national and international judges and prosecutors from France, Togo, and the DRC, among others. It is responsible for judging war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since 2003 in the Central African Republic.