Prosecutor v. Lubanga Dyilo: The International Criminal Court’s First Decision on Reparations

This paper examines the first decision on reparations issued by the International Criminal Court in the case of Prosecutor v. Lubanga Dyilo. It first addresses a series of elements that contextualize the sentence: the difficulties to redress serious human rights violations, the question of “the return of the victim” in criminal procedure, and the specific background of the case being analyzed. Secondly, this paper focuses on the fourteen principles on reparations formulated in the judgment, and it examines the positive and negative impact of these standards. To do so, it draws on the development of international criminal law and international human rights law.