The Defense is calling it “the most unfair trial international justice has ever seen” while the prosecution calls him a commander that was “one-hundred times more dangerous than any single racist.” The trial of Jean-Pierre Bemba began hearing witnesses this week at the ICC in The Hague. “The Prosecution is not alleging that Jean-Pierre Bemba ordered his troops to commit these crimes”, the Prosecutor told the Court, rather that Bemba “is responsible for these crimes as a result of his knowing failure to control the troops he commanded” and for giving “licence to his troops to attack civilians.” Article 28 of the ICC Statute on command responsibility make commanders criminally responsible for the crimes of forces under their control if they know of the risk of such crimes occurring but do nothing to prevent them or punish the perpetrators once they have been committed. The Hague Justice Portal has more on the case.