Zoë Richards and Sheila Naturinda
2 July 2009
Kampala — Ugandans could have a chance to witness the trial of Joseph Kony and his co-accused if the ICC Bill 2006 is passed into law, it was revealed yesterday.
The Bill also opens the door to victims of the war to present their grievances directly in a national court. The Bill, primarily intended to domesticate the Rome Statute, which was ratified by Uganda in 1998, addresses the framework for trying perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
According to Prof. David Ntanda Nsereko, the president of the Appeals Division at the Hague-based ICC, one reason why Uganda needs the law is because the country bears the primary responsibility to prosecute perpetrators of such heinous crimes. It was also revealed that the passing of such a Bill would empower local courts to carry out trials rather than having to appeal to The Hague.
"It brings justice closer to the people than say if [trials] were taken far away to Northern Europe," Justice Nsereko said.
Mr Steven Tashobya, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, said the government is on board to enact the law and has set its deadline for September. "We want to have this work done," Mr Tashobya said in the ICC workshop at Parliament yesterday.
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