Josephine Maseruka and Isabel Pike
2 July 2009
Kampala — LRA Rebel leader Joseph Kony could be tried in Uganda by the International Criminal Court (ICC) if arrested.
Kony, together with his commanders, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen, could also be tried by Ugandan courts, if the ICC is convinced that the country has the capacity and will to conduct a fair trial, an executive member of the Parliamentarians for Global Action, said on Tuesday.
Dr. David Donat-Cattin, an expert in international law and human rights, was a facilitator in a two-day workshop for Ugandan MPs on the implementation of the Rome Statute and the ICC Bill.
"Uganda voluntarily referred Kony's case to the ICC and it cannot withdraw the case. Instead, the ICC can come to Kampala or even Gulu and try him if he is captured here," Cattin stated.
"Trying Kony in Uganda is cost-effective in terms of producing victims and access to necessary information."
He advised Kony to hand over himself to the Hague, arguing that his rights would be more protected than in Uganda where some people may want to kill him.
If the ICC Bill is domesticated by September as planned, Ugandan courts will be able to try international crimes like genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression, which are not provided for in the national laws.
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