Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court began presenting evidence Tuesday to support charges against fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony at the court’s first-ever in absentia hearing, alleging he inflicted horrors that still echo two decades later.
Some Ugandans have expressed support for the opening of the legal proceedings against the rebel leader Joseph Kony by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Kony is facing 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity as the fugitive leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, which terrorized northern Uganda for decades.
The LRA began its attacks in Uganda in the 1980s, when Kony sought to overthrow the government.
After being pushed out of Uganda, the militia went on to attack villages in Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.
It was notorious for using child soldiers, mutilating civilians, and enslaving women.
Okello Herbert, a lawyer from northern Uganda, told the Associated Press during an interview that he is keenly following the proceedings.
“Direct victims, the people that lost lives, the people that lost lips, limbs, lands and livelihoods are directly affected and are directly invested in this trial,” he said.
The ICC hearing is not a trial, but it does allow prosecutors to outline their case in court.
After weighing the evidence, judges can rule on whether or not to confirm the charges against Kony, but he cannot be tried unless he is in ICC custody.
Betty Bigombe, now a Ugandan diplomat, has been credited with helping to stop the war in Northern Uganda through her peace negotiations with Kony.
She exclusively spoke to the Associated Press from the capital, Kampala.
She said she was frustrated that it had taken so long for the proceedings to get underway but recognized that it could still bring some satisfaction to the victims.
Court-appointed counsel for Kony argued the proceedings violate their client’s fair trial rights and should not have been held at all.
“Justice delayed is justice denied.” This should have taken place much, much earlier,” she said.
Kony was thrust into the global spotlight in 2012 when a video about his crimes went viral.
Despite the attention and international efforts to capture him, he remains at large.
Grace Matsiko, a former journalist and now a security analyst, stated that the Lord’s Resistance Army has not been completely eradicated and could still pose a threat to Ugandan security.
The ICC proceedings against Kony will be closely followed in Uganda, where survivors welcome the charges, even as they regret the failure to capture him.
The hearing has been seen as a test case for the court moving forward with other instances in which the likelihood of having a suspect detained is considered remote, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin.
