First trial underway at International Criminal Court

It's been half a dozen years since it opened its doors, but the first war crimes trial is underway at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Congolese national Thomas Lubanga plead not guilty Monday to charges that he recruited child soldiers as young as nine years old, who were often raped and forced to kill and pillage. The children were forced into combat between 2002 and 2003 – one of this trial's distinctions is that more than 90 survivors are participating in the trial, and are being represented by their own lawyers. Lubanga was set to be tried in July, but judges said the prosecution misused key evidence; the trial was delayed is finally underway. Aura Bogado spoke with Richard Dicker, Director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch about the significance of this first trial.

Click here for the full newscast for Wednesday, January 28, 2009