DRC: ICC Launches First Judicial Proceedings

The International Criminal Court, established in 2002 as the world's first permanent war crimes court, held its first judicial proceedings on Tuesday, with a pre-trial hearing on abuses committed in Congo. The Hague-based court - backed by almost 100 countries but fiercely opposed by the Unites States - was set up as the first permanent global criminal court to try individuals for genocide, war crimes and massive human rights abuses.