ICC Orders Interim Release for Jean-Pierre Bemba (June 12, 2018) [1]
On June 12, 2018, Trial Chamber VII of the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided [3] to order interim release under specific conditions for Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, the former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This comes on the heels of the Appeals Chamber’s decision [4] to acquit Bemba from the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity on June 8, 2018, though he remained in detention due to his conviction for offenses against the administration of justice in another case. According to the press release [5], the Trial Chamber determined that the legal requirements for continued detention were not met, noting that Bemba had served 80 percent of the maximum sentence and further detention to ensure his appearance for sentencing was disproportionate. The Trial Chamber ordered his interim release under the condition that he refrain from public statements on the case, give notice if he changes his address, not contact any witnesses and comply with the orders issues in the case, and surrender himself immediately if so ordered by the Court.