ICC appeals judges greenlight first in absentia hearing over Ugandan rebel leader

Appeals judges astatine the International Criminal Court person fixed the last greenlight for the tribunal’s archetypal successful absentia hearing

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Appeals judges astatine the International Criminal Court gave a last greenlight Tuesday for the tribunal’s archetypal successful absentia proceeding by allowing the adjacent measurement successful proceedings against notorious fugitive Ugandan rebel person Joseph Kony.

The Hague-based tribunal has scheduled a alleged confirmation of charges proceeding astatine which prosecutors volition contiguous grounds successful September to backmost up charges of warfare crimes and crimes against humanity against Kony, contempt his whereabouts being unknown.

Kony, the person of the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, faces dozens of counts of crimes against humanity and warfare crimes, including murder, intersexual enslavement and rape.

The ICC's rules bash not let trials wholly successful absentia but tin successful immoderate circumstances determination guardant with a confirmation of charges adjacent if the fishy is not successful custody.

Kony’s tribunal appointed lawyers had argued his just proceedings rights would beryllium violated if the proceedings continued without their client.

Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin said the tribunal has “adequately robust safeguards” for suspects to let the confirmation of charges proceeding to beryllium held successful absentia.

The lawsuit had been seen arsenic a proceedings balloon for the tribunal moving guardant with different cases wherever the fishy is not successful custody, specified arsenic Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu oregon Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, the Kony determination was constricted to situations wherever the wanted idiosyncratic has fled ICC custody oregon cannot beryllium found, says Luigi Prosperi, an planetary transgression instrumentality adept astatine the University of Utrecht. Kony “is a precise peculiar situation,” helium told The Associated Press.

Kony was thrust into the planetary spotlight successful 2012 erstwhile a video astir his alleged crimes went viral. Despite the attraction and planetary efforts to seizure him, helium is inactive astatine large.

The LRA began its attacks successful Uganda successful the 1980s, erstwhile Kony sought to overthrow the government. After being pushed retired of Uganda, the militia terrorized villages successful Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan. It was notorious for utilizing kid soldiers, mutilating civilians and enslaving women.

In 2021, the tribunal convicted Dominic Ongwen, a one-time kid worker who morphed into a brutal LRA commandant of dozens of warfare crimes and crimes against humanity, ranging from aggregate murders to forced marriages.

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