Angelina Jolie sat in a courtside booth Tuesday at the International Criminal Court and watched the trial of a Congolese warlord charged with using child soldiers. In a statement released by the court, Jolie, a mother of six, said the case against Thomas Lubanga is a “landmark trial for children” and paid tribute to the former child soldiers who travel to the court's seat in The Hague to testify. “After watching the proceedings from the viewing booth, I stood up and found Thomas Lubanga Dyilo looking at me,” Jolie said. “I imagined how difficult it must be for all the brave young children who have come to testify against him.” Tuesday's visit was Jolie's second to the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal in less than two years. The goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency UNHCR said children deserve special protection during wars. “Using children in conflict is a heinous crime and destroys the very fabric of a society,” she said.
