News

Uganda: Latest Statements, News and Reports

02 June 2011

Dear all,

Please find below the latest developments related to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation in Uganda.

This message includes a press statement from the ICC (I), Coalition member statements and reports (II), as well as related news, opinions and reports (III).

Please take note of the Coalition's policy on situations before the ICC (below), which explicitly states that the CICC will not take a position on potential and current situations before the Court or situations under analysis. The Coalition, however, will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC.

With regards,

CICC Secretariat
www.coalitionfortheicc.org

***************************************

I. ICC PRESS STATEMENT

Note: This document has been produced by the ICC. The CICC Secretariat distributes them as part of its mandate to keep member organizations and individuals informed about developments related to the ICC. The documents do not reflect the views of the CICC as a whole or its individual members.

1. "Judge Daniel David Nsereko Ntanda addresses the legal community and the civil society organisations in Kampala, Uganda", ICC Press Release, ICC-CPI-20110509-PR661, 9 May 2011, http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/exeres/135DFC1F-61C7-45EC-AF61-EA1CD48316D0.htm

"On 6 May 2011, Judge Daniel David Nsereko Ntanda, from the Appeals Division of the International Criminal Court (ICC), completed a two-day visit to Kampala, Uganda. During this visit, he addressed the legal community and civil society organisations on the relationship between the ICC and Africa and the possibilities for African legal professionals to join the ICC list of counsel and assistants to counsel authorized to practice before the Court.

On 5 May, the Outreach Unit, in partnership with the Ugandan Coalition for the ICC (UCICC) organised a public lecture on the topic "ICC's relationship with Africa" for civil society groups with Judge Nsereko Ntanda as guest speaker. The lecture was attended by 65 representatives of civil society groups drawn from Kampala and from the communities affected by crimes under ICC investigation coming from the Acholi, Teso, Madi and Lango sub-regions of north and northeastern Uganda.

...The Coordinator of the UCICC, Ms Joyce Freda Apio, expressed her appreciation to the Court for facilitating the judge's visit. She called on the Court to explore a more robust mechanism to facilitate interaction between elected court officials and key stakeholders as a way of countering the misperception regarding the Court's relationship with Africa. Following the lecture, several questions, concerns and comments were raised mainly on the issues of victims' reparations, the scope of investigation, enforcement of ICC arrest warrants and witness protection.

During the course of his visit, the judge addressed, on 6 May, 350 members of the legal community during the Annual General Meeting of the Ugandan Law Society. Over 100 of the attendees were female lawyers who are practicing in various Ugandan Courts. Judge Nsereko Ntanda noted that few African female lawyers are currently admitted on the ICC List of Counsel and Assistants to Counsel authorised to represent either victims or defendants who appear before the Court. He took the opportunity to encourage female lawyers to take advantage of the campaign Calling African Female Lawyers, which was launched last year in June during the Review Conference.

Mr Sam Sasan Shoamanesh from the Counsel Support Section, created within the ICC Registry, participated in the meeting and gave an overview of the application process for admission on the List of Counsel and Assistants to Counsel maintained by the Registrar. He also explained the international experience, training and other benefits lawyers will acquire, as well as the ICC Legal Aid Programme.

Speaking on behalf of the legal community, the President of the Uganda Law Society, Mr Bruce Kyerere, thanked the ICC for following up on the Calling African Female Lawyers Campaign that started last year. He also called on the lawyers present to take advantage of the ongoing campaign to sign up to the ICC List of Counsel, which will empower them to gain relevant international experience...."

II. COALITION MEMBER STATEMENTS AND REPORTS

1. "US/Central Africa: Protect Civilians From LRA Abuses: Give Priority to Special Envoy, Stronger Peacekeeping, Arresting Rebel Leaders", Press Release signed by 39 human rights and humanitarian organizations, 23 May 2011, http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/23/uscentral-africa-protect-civilians-lra-abuses

"(Washington, DC) - The United States government should step up efforts to protect civilians in central Africa from abuses by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a coalition of 39 human rights and humanitarian organizations said today. The organizations urged the Obama administration to appoint a special envoy for the African Great Lakes region with a mandate extending to LRA-affected areas, to support stronger United Nations peacekeeping and to intensify efforts to arrest three LRA leaders being sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

...Continued Threat to Civilians and Regional Stability
Since September 2008, the LRA has killed nearly 2,400 civilians and abducted about 3,400 others, according to Human Rights Watch and UN documentation. These atrocities are continuing in northern Democratic Republic of Congo, eastern Central African Republic, and Southern Sudan. In the first four months of 2011, the LRA carried out at least 120 attacks, killing 81 civilians and abducting 193, many of them children. 97 of these attacks were in Congo, representing nearly half the total number of attacks reported in 2010. More than 38,000 Congolese civilians were newly displaced in 2011 due to LRA attacks, adding to the hundreds of thousands in the region who had already fled their homes. LRA attacks are also undermining international investments in peace and stability in Southern Sudan, ahead of its independence in July 2011.

The LRA, which originated in Uganda, has carried out a brutal campaign of killings, rapes, mutilations, and mass abductions of children for 25 years. Three LRA leaders - Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen - are sought by the ICC under arrest warrants issued in July 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in northern Uganda. All three remain at large and have been implicated in new atrocities since the arrest warrants were issued.

...Greater International Efforts Needed to Apprehend LRA Commanders
Apprehending Kony and other senior LRA commanders remains a critical step toward enhancing broader civilian protection efforts, the organizations said. Experience in other conflict zones illustrates that an operation to apprehend people wanted for serious crimes in violation of international law may require specially trained military or police units supported by expert, actionable intelligence and rapid reaction capabilities, including helicopters. In the case of the LRA, such operations should be carried out in parallel with enhanced efforts to encourage LRA commanders and fighters to defect.

...The Uganda People's Defence Force lacks adequate intelligence and rapid reaction capacity. A US proposal to send military advisors to assist Ugandan efforts could help address some of these gaps, but even with additional support, the Ugandan army is unlikely to acquire the needed capabilities in the near future, the groups said. Operations are further hampered by deep-seated mistrust and suspicion between the Ugandan and Congolese armies, nearly sabotaging collaborative efforts to protect civilians and pursue the LRA leadership. There are unconfirmed reports that Congolese authorities have called on the Ugandan army to leave Congolese soil by mid-June...."

2. "Uganda: No End to LRA Killings and Abductions", Human Rights Watch Report, 23 May 2011, http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/23/no-end-lra-killings-and-abductions

3. "We Can't Be Sure Who Killed Us: Memory and Memorialization in Post-conflict Northern Uganda", Julian Hopwood, International Center for Transitional Justice, Justice and Reconciliation Project, February 2011, http://ictj.org/sites/default/files/ICTJ-JRP_UGA_Memorialization_pb2011.pdf

IV. RELATED NEWS, OPINIONS AND REPORTS

1. "What has Kony been up to?" by Barbara Among, New Vision, 27 May 2011 http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/755942

2. "Uganda Rebels Continue Central Africa Attacks", by Saleh Mwanamilongo (AP and OfficialWire), 24 May 2011, http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=57785

3. "Protests Expose Cracks in Ugandan Stability", by Katharine Helmore & Simon Jennings, IWPR, 25 May 2011, http://iwpr.net/report-news/protests-expose-cracks-ugandan-stability

4. "War Crimes Division to try LRA rebel chief", by Bill Oketch, Daily Monitor, 24 May 2011, http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1168294/-/c1fcm3z/-/

5. "FDC probes Col Besigye return killings", by Moses Mugalu, The Observer, 22 May 2011, http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13523:fdc-probes-col-besigye-return-killings&catid=34:news&Itemid=59

6. "Uganda's opposition petition ICC to investigate police chief", Radio Netherlands, 17 May 2011, http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/ugandaâs-opposition-petition-icc-investigate-police-chief

7. "UN officials say brutal Ugandan-led rebel group responsible for displacement of 300,000," AP (via Washington Post), 12 May 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-officials-say-brutal-ugandan-led-rebel-group-responsible-for-displacement-of-300000/2011/05/12/AFpOb8xG_story.html

8. "Uganda People News: ICC calls women to advance justice >, Uganda Pulse, 6 May 2011, http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/news.asp?about=ICC+calls+women+to+advance+justice+&ID=19364

9 "Uganda: ICC Calls for Patience Over Kony Arrest," by Ronnie Layoo and James Eriku, The Monitor, 3 May 2011 http://allafrica.com/stories/201105030026.html

10. "Hague Court Dispatches Monitors", by Julius Barigaba, The East African, 25 April 2011
http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Article.php?ID=94612&

11. "Is Uganda Police under Ocampo's watchful eye?" by Julius Barigaba, The East African, 25 April 2011, http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Is+Uganda+Police+under+Ocampos+watchful+eye/-/2558/1149852/-/x4dy2uz/-/

12. "Law body warns of seeking ICC intervention on government", Daily Monitor, 23 April 2011, http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1149280/-/c2mq4jz/-/

13. "Walk to work: Opposition to drag Kayihura to ICC" by Edris Kiggundu & Michael Mubangizi, Ugandan Observer, 17 April 2011, http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13041:walk-to-work-opposition-to-drag-kayihura-to-icc&catid=78:topstories&Itemid=59

14. "Justice and Accountability: Kenya and Uganda", by John Campbell, Council on Foreign Relations, 13 April 2011, http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2011/04/13/justice-and-accountabilty-kenya-and-uganda/

15. "An uncertain future? Children and Armed Conflict in the Central African Republic", Watchlist/The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), May 2011, http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/fullreport_18.pdf

16. "Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic", United Nations Security Council, S/2011/241, 13 April 2011, http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Full_Report_324.pdf

************************************************
CICC's policy on the referral and prosecution of situations before the ICC:

The Coalition for the ICC is not an organ of the court. The CICC is an independent NGO movement dedicated to the establishment of the International Criminal Court as a fair, effective, and independent international organization. The Coalition will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC and to help coordinate global action to effectively implement the Rome Statute of the ICC. The Coalition will also endeavor to respond to basic queries and to raise awareness about the ICC's trigger mechanisms and procedures, as they develop. The Coalition as a whole, and its secretariat, do not endorse or promote specific investigations or prosecutions or take a position on situations before the ICC. However, individual CICC members may endorse referrals, provide legal and other support on investigations, or develop partnerships with local and other organizations in the course of their efforts. Communications to the ICC can be sent to: ICC P.O. box 19519 2500 CM The Hague, the Netherlands

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News Browse by Region Media Digests Country Updates UN Excerpts on the ICC Updates of the Assembly Browse by Region		Uganda: Latest Statements, News and Reports 02 June 2011 Dear all, Please find below the latest developments related to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation in Uganda. This message includes a press statement from the ICC (I), Coalition member statements and reports (II), as well as related news, opinions and reports (III). Please take note of the Coalition's policy on situations before the ICC (below), which explicitly states that the CICC will not take a position on potential and current situations before the Court or situations under analysis. The Coalition, however, will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC. With regards, CICC Secretariat www.coalitionfortheicc.org ************************************* I. ICC PRESS STATEMENT Note: This document has been produced by the ICC. The CICC Secretariat distributes them as part of its mandate to keep member organizations and individuals informed about developments related to the ICC. The documents do not reflect the views of the CICC as a whole or its individual members. 1. "Judge Daniel David Nsereko Ntanda addresses the legal community and the civil society organisations in Kampala, Uganda", ICC Press Release, ICC-CPI-20110509-PR661, 9 May 2011, http://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/exeres/135DFC1F-61C7-45EC-AF61-EA1CD48316D0.htm "On 6 May 2011, Judge Daniel David Nsereko Ntanda, from the Appeals Division of the International Criminal Court (ICC), completed a two-day visit to Kampala, Uganda. During this visit, he addressed the legal community and civil society organisations on the relationship between the ICC and Africa and the possibilities for African legal professionals to join the ICC list of counsel and assistants to counsel authorized to practice before the Court. On 5 May, the Outreach Unit, in partnership with the Ugandan Coalition for the ICC (UCICC) organised a public lecture on the topic "ICC's relationship with Africa" for civil society groups with Judge Nsereko Ntanda as guest speaker. The lecture was attended by 65 representatives of civil society groups drawn from Kampala and from the communities affected by crimes under ICC investigation coming from the Acholi, Teso, Madi and Lango sub-regions of north and northeastern Uganda. ...The Coordinator of the UCICC, Ms Joyce Freda Apio, expressed her appreciation to the Court for facilitating the judge's visit. She called on the Court to explore a more robust mechanism to facilitate interaction between elected court officials and key stakeholders as a way of countering the misperception regarding the Court's relationship with Africa. Following the lecture, several questions, concerns and comments were raised mainly on the issues of victims' reparations, the scope of investigation, enforcement of ICC arrest warrants and witness protection. During the course of his visit, the judge addressed, on 6 May, 350 members of the legal community during the Annual General Meeting of the Ugandan Law Society. Over 100 of the attendees were female lawyers who are practicing in various Ugandan Courts. Judge Nsereko Ntanda noted that few African female lawyers are currently admitted on the ICC List of Counsel and Assistants to Counsel authorised to represent either victims or defendants who appear before the Court. He took the opportunity to encourage female lawyers to take advantage of the campaign Calling African Female Lawyers, which was launched last year in June during the Review Conference. Mr Sam Sasan Shoamanesh from the Counsel Support Section, created within the ICC Registry, participated in the meeting and gave an overview of the application process for admission on the List of Counsel and Assistants to Counsel maintained by the Registrar. He also explained the international experience, training and other benefits lawyers will acquire, as well as the ICC Legal Aid Programme. Speaking on behalf of the legal community, the President of the Uganda Law Society, Mr Bruce Kyerere, thanked the ICC for following up on the Calling African Female Lawyers Campaign that started last year. He also called on the lawyers present to take advantage of the ongoing campaign to sign up to the ICC List of Counsel, which will empower them to gain relevant international experience...." II. COALITION MEMBER STATEMENTS AND REPORTS 1. "US/Central Africa: Protect Civilians From LRA Abuses: Give Priority to Special Envoy, Stronger Peacekeeping, Arresting Rebel Leaders", Press Release signed by 39 human rights and humanitarian organizations, 23 May 2011, http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/23/uscentral-africa-protect-civilians-lra-abuses "(Washington, DC) - The United States government should step up efforts to protect civilians in central Africa from abuses by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a coalition of 39 human rights and humanitarian organizations said today. The organizations urged the Obama administration to appoint a special envoy for the African Great Lakes region with a mandate extending to LRA-affected areas, to support stronger United Nations peacekeeping and to intensify efforts to arrest three LRA leaders being sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC). ...Continued Threat to Civilians and Regional Stability Since September 2008, the LRA has killed nearly 2,400 civilians and abducted about 3,400 others, according to Human Rights Watch and UN documentation. These atrocities are continuing in northern Democratic Republic of Congo, eastern Central African Republic, and Southern Sudan. In the first four months of 2011, the LRA carried out at least 120 attacks, killing 81 civilians and abducting 193, many of them children. 97 of these attacks were in Congo, representing nearly half the total number of attacks reported in 2010. More than 38,000 Congolese civilians were newly displaced in 2011 due to LRA attacks, adding to the hundreds of thousands in the region who had already fled their homes. LRA attacks are also undermining international investments in peace and stability in Southern Sudan, ahead of its independence in July 2011. The LRA, which originated in Uganda, has carried out a brutal campaign of killings, rapes, mutilations, and mass abductions of children for 25 years. Three LRA leaders - Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen - are sought by the ICC under arrest warrants issued in July 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in northern Uganda. All three remain at large and have been implicated in new atrocities since the arrest warrants were issued. ...Greater International Efforts Needed to Apprehend LRA Commanders Apprehending Kony and other senior LRA commanders remains a critical step toward enhancing broader civilian protection efforts, the organizations said. Experience in other conflict zones illustrates that an operation to apprehend people wanted for serious crimes in violation of international law may require specially trained military or police units supported by expert, actionable intelligence and rapid reaction capabilities, including helicopters. In the case of the LRA, such operations should be carried out in parallel with enhanced efforts to encourage LRA commanders and fighters to defect. ...The Uganda People's Defence Force lacks adequate intelligence and rapid reaction capacity. A US proposal to send military advisors to assist Ugandan efforts could help address some of these gaps, but even with additional support, the Ugandan army is unlikely to acquire the needed capabilities in the near future, the groups said. Operations are further hampered by deep-seated mistrust and suspicion between the Ugandan and Congolese armies, nearly sabotaging collaborative efforts to protect civilians and pursue the LRA leadership. There are unconfirmed reports that Congolese authorities have called on the Ugandan army to leave Congolese soil by mid-June...." 2. "Uganda: No End to LRA Killings and Abductions", Human Rights Watch Report, 23 May 2011, http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/05/23/no-end-lra-killings-and-abductions 3. "We Can't Be Sure Who Killed Us: Memory and Memorialization in Post-conflict Northern Uganda", Julian Hopwood, International Center for Transitional Justice, Justice and Reconciliation Project, February 2011, http://ictj.org/sites/default/files/ICTJ-JRP_UGA_Memorialization_pb2011.pdf IV. RELATED NEWS, OPINIONS AND REPORTS 1. "What has Kony been up to?" by Barbara Among, New Vision, 27 May 2011 http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/755942 2. "Uganda Rebels Continue Central Africa Attacks", by Saleh Mwanamilongo (AP and OfficialWire), 24 May 2011, http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=57785 3. "Protests Expose Cracks in Ugandan Stability", by Katharine Helmore & Simon Jennings, IWPR, 25 May 2011, http://iwpr.net/report-news/protests-expose-cracks-ugandan-stability 4. "War Crimes Division to try LRA rebel chief", by Bill Oketch, Daily Monitor, 24 May 2011, http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1168294/-/c1fcm3z/-/ 5. "FDC probes Col Besigye return killings", by Moses Mugalu, The Observer, 22 May 2011, http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13523:fdc-probes-col-besigye-return-killings&catid=34:news&Itemid=59 6. "Uganda's opposition petition ICC to investigate police chief", Radio Netherlands, 17 May 2011, http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/ugandaâs-opposition-petition-icc-investigate-police-chief 7. "UN officials say brutal Ugandan-led rebel group responsible for displacement of 300,000," AP (via Washington Post), 12 May 2011 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-officials-say-brutal-ugandan-led-rebel-group-responsible-for-displacement-of-300000/2011/05/12/AFpOb8xG_story.html 8. "Uganda People News: ICC calls women to advance justice >, Uganda Pulse, 6 May 2011, http://www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/news.asp?about=ICC+calls+women+to+advance+justice+&ID=19364 9 "Uganda: ICC Calls for Patience Over Kony Arrest," by Ronnie Layoo and James Eriku, The Monitor, 3 May 2011 http://allafrica.com/stories/201105030026.html 10. "Hague Court Dispatches Monitors", by Julius Barigaba, The East African, 25 April 2011 http://www.africancrisis.co.za/Article.php?ID=94612& 11. "Is Uganda Police under Ocampo's watchful eye?" by Julius Barigaba, The East African, 25 April 2011, http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Is+Uganda+Police+under+Ocampos+watchful+eye/-/2558/1149852/-/x4dy2uz/-/ 12. "Law body warns of seeking ICC intervention on government", Daily Monitor, 23 April 2011, http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1149280/-/c2mq4jz/-/ 13. "Walk to work: Opposition to drag Kayihura to ICC" by Edris Kiggundu & Michael Mubangizi, Ugandan Observer, 17 April 2011, http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13041:walk-to-work-opposition-to-drag-kayihura-to-icc&catid=78:topstories&Itemid=59 14. "Justice and Accountability: Kenya and Uganda", by John Campbell, Council on Foreign Relations, 13 April 2011, http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2011/04/13/justice-and-accountabilty-kenya-and-uganda/ 15. "An uncertain future? Children and Armed Conflict in the Central African Republic", Watchlist/The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), May 2011, http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/fullreport_18.pdf 16. "Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Central African Republic", United Nations Security Council, S/2011/241, 13 April 2011, http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Full_Report_324.pdf ********************************************** CICC's policy on the referral and prosecution of situations before the ICC: The Coalition for the ICC is not an organ of the court. The CICC is an independent NGO movement dedicated to the establishment of the International Criminal Court as a fair, effective, and independent international organization. The Coalition will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC and to help coordinate global action to effectively implement the Rome Statute of the ICC. The Coalition will also endeavor to respond to basic queries and to raise awareness about the ICC's trigger mechanisms and procedures, as they develop. The Coalition as a whole, and its secretariat, do not endorse or promote specific investigations or prosecutions or take a position on situations before the ICC. However, individual CICC members may endorse referrals, provide legal and other support on investigations, or develop partnerships with local and other organizations in the course of their efforts. Communications to the ICC can be sent to: ICC P.O. box 19519 2500 CM The Hague, the Netherlands