By Tolit Ivan
The defence trial of former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel commander Thomas Kwoyelo before the International Crimes Division of the High Court of Uganda sitting at the Gulu High Court Circuit has been adjourned to May, 2, 2024.
The adjournment was announced by Beatrice Stella Atingu, the Registrar of the International Crimes Division of the High Court on behalf of the four-member panel of justices led by Michael Elubu, Duncan Gaswaga, Stephen Mubiru and alternate Judge Dr. Andrew Bashaija.
Kwoyelo is facing 78 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity he allegedly committed between 1992 and 2005 in Kilak County, then Gulu District now in Amuru District. He has since denied all the charges accusing prosecution team of coercing witnesses to frame him and describing witnesses as liars.
The defence trial kicked off on April, 15, 2024 more than five years since his trial commenced in September 2018.
Kwoyelo has been in custody at Luzira Maximum Prison since 2009 after being captured by the Ugandan Army in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in March same year. He is the first among the top LRA commanders to face a domestic court on crimes related to sexual violence, murder, kidnap, robbery and pillaging.
