The International Criminal Court (ICC) has held a regional stakeholders’ dialogue to commemorate International Justice Day in Lira City, highlighting the continued need to promote justice, accountability, and rule of law in Northern Uganda.
The event, which also marked the adoption of the Rome Statute that established the ICC on July 17, 1998, brought together religious, cultural, and political leaders as well as experts in transitional justice.
It is the first time the commemoration is being held in Northern Uganda, a region still recovering from the brunt of the two decades of Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgencies that left thousands dead and millions displaced.
Scott Naido Anbuen, the ICC Chief of Office Uganda, in his opening remarks, called on all the stakeholders to contribute to building a more just world, emphasizing that international criminal justice is most relevant when owned and appreciated locally.
Naidoo noted that it’s the responsibility of the stakeholders to ensure that past experiences of crimes that happened in the region don’t happen in generations to come, urging that it takes strong leadership, education, and awareness. “The leadership and the people of Northern Uganda have taught us the international community… and the world that truth when spoken…can shift the course of history. They have taught us the international community, and the world, that peace is not just the absence of conflict, it is the presence of justice,” said Naidoo.
He, however, highlighted that the ICC remains a cornerstone of international justice functioning as an independent, impartial judicial body that operates in full accordance with its founding principles and rules of justice. Naidoo lauded the Uganda government for its high cooperation with the ICC, citing it’s truly a clear indication of its commitment to international justice, and to the rule of law.
The Regional Dialogue on commemorating International Justice Day was celebrated under the theme “building a more just world for generations to come”.
The day celebrated globally on July 17 marks the importance of the continued fight against impunity and ensuring justice for victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The dialogue comes at a time the ICC is implementing the reparation order for the victims of former LRA commander Dominic Ongwen, who is serving a 25-year jail sentence after being convicted of 61 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In February last year, judges at the ICC awarded a record 52 million Euro (approximately 200 billion shillings) to some estimated 49,000 victims of Ongwen in Northern Uganda. Agnes Gillian Ocitti, the Victims Participatory and Reparations Section (VPRS), filed.
Officer noted that registration of victims in the four case locations in the case of Dominic Ongwen was already ongoing. The case locations are Lukoodi in Gulu District, Pajule and Lapul in Pader District, Odek in Omoro District, and Abok in Oyam District.
Ocitt noted that some of the victims who had participated in the trial of Ongwen have already been registered with their forms transmitted to the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV).
She, however, didn’t reveal the numbers of the victims. According to Ocitti, a total of 31 clerks have been recruited and are currently working in the four case locations within Lango and Acholi sub-regions to register both direct and indirect victims of Ongwen’s atrocities.
She, however, noted that VPRS is currently using household forms instead of the individuals’ forms owing to the magnitude of the number of people coming forward as victims. At the dialogue, the ICC outreach team also highlighted an update on the upcoming confirmation of charges hearing against the elusive leader of the LRA, Joseph Kony, scheduled for September 15 this year.
Kony is charged with 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between July 1st, 2002, and 31 December 2005.
Participants expressed worries about the victims’ protection, especially in the case of LRA founder Joseph Kony. Maria Kamara Mabinty, the ICC Field Outreach Coordinator for Uganda, stressed that the court has put in place operational protective measures for the victims who are being registered in the case of Kony.
Kamara, who was reacting to concerns raised by some of the participants on the safety of victims, however, cautioned the participating victims against disclosing themselves publicly.