Following a careful analysis of the material presented, the Chamber finds that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Ntaganda is criminally responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator (article 25(3)(a) of the Statute) for the crimes against humanity of murder (article 7(1)(a) of the Statute), rape and sexual violence (article 7(1)(g) of the Statute) and persecution (article 7(1)(h) of the Statute) and the war crimes of murder (article 8(2)(e)(i) of the Statute), pillaging (article 8(2)(e)(v) of the Statute) and rape and sexual violence (article 8(2)(e)(vi) of the Statute) … The Chamber recognizes that the arrest of Mr. Ntaganda still appears necessary to ensure his appearance at trial, to ensure that he does not obstruct or endanger the investigation and to precent the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] has called for Ntaganda's arrest on three separate occasions: most recently a direct appeal in 2012 to DRC President Joseph Kabila, and previously in 2011 during an international conference after its first request in 2010 [JURIST reports]. Prosecutor v. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo [ICC information sheet] is a landmark case for the ICC because Lubanga was the first prisoner taken into custody and delivered [JURIST report] to the international criminal tribunal in The Hague. The prosecution concluded its case [JURIST report] in July 2009 after presenting 22 weeks of testimony.