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Jean-Pierre Bemba: Congo warlord's conviction overturned Jean-Pierre Bemba: Congo warlord's conviction overturned
(35 minutes later)
Democratic Republic of Congo warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba has successfully overturned his landmark conviction. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has overturned the conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity of former Democratic Republic of Congo Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba.
Bemba, a former vice-president of DR Congo, was found guilty of war crimes committed in the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002-2003 by the International Criminal Court. Bemba was found guilty in 2016 of crimes committed in the neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) in 2002-2003.
He was accused of failing to stop his rebels from killing and raping people.He was accused of failing to stop his rebels from killing and raping people.
The ICC has now upheld his appeal against the 2016 ruling, to cheers from his supporters the gallery. But a judge has now said he cannot be held responsible for their actions.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Christine Van den Wijngaert also said the judges in the 2016 case had failed to take into account his attempts to stop the crimes once he was made aware they were taking place, news agency Reuters reported.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. The conviction had marked several milestones. It was the first time ICC had focused on rape as a weapon of war, and the first time a suspect had been convicted for crimes committed by others under his command.
Friday's decision was greeted by cheers from his supporters in the gallery. However, Bemba will remain in prison pending a contempt case appeal, Reuters said.