The International Criminal Court prosecutor asked judges on Wednesday to hand down a 30-year sentence to a Congolese warlord convicted of conscripting child soldiers, AP reported. Thomas Lubanga was convicted of the charge in the Netherlands-based court in March, in a case widely regarded as sending a message to military leaders who use child soldiers that they will be brought to justice. Judges have yet to set a sentencing date. Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said he could not find any factor that would lessen Lubanga's guilt. He "knew he was breaking the basic rules that the world has established to protect children," the prosecutor said. Children forced into Lubanga's service were "trained by terror... to kill and to rape," he said. Then they were "launched into battle zones where they were instructed to kill everyone, regardless of whether they were men, women, or children." Moreno-Ocampo said he would be willing to lessen his sentencing demand to 20 years if Lubanga could offer a "genuine apology" to the people affected by his crimes. Lubanga, 51, led the Union of Congolese Patriots during fighting in the Ituri region of Congo in 2002-2003. He showed little emotion throughout his trial, but reclined in his chair and listened closely to Moreno-Ocampo's every word Wednesday, at times smiling skeptically. Addressing judges later, he complained about being described as a warlord, said the case against him "hinged on lies" and questioned the verdict, noting that "out of an army of 8,000 men, not a single one under the age of 15 was presented to this court." Presiding Judge Adrian Fulford responded that those remarks were out of place at Wednesday's hearing. -- SPA
