Bt Tolit Ivan
After more than a decade behind bars at Luzira Maximum prison in Uganda’s capital Kampala, former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel commander Thomas Kwoyelo alias Latoni was Tuesday convicted of 44 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the High Court siting at Gulu High Court in Gulu City.
Kwoyelo was facing 78 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between 1993 and 2005 in Kilak county, now Amuru District.
However ICD found him guilty on 44 counts including murder, kidnap and pillaging, torture, rape, cruel treatment, outrageous against personal dignity, kidnap with intent to commit murder, imprisonment, and aggravated robbery.
Of the remaining 34 charges, Kwoyelo was acquitted of three murder charges and 31 other charges were dismissed.
The judgement was delivered by a Trial panel of four judges consisting of Justices Michael Elubu, Duncan Gaswaga, Stephen Mubiru, and Andrew Bashaija.
Justice Elubu, the lead Judge told court that ICD will deliver the judgment report to the defense team and the victim’s team on Friday and later they will sit for the status conference to decide on the day of the sentencing as well as to address concerns raised by the defense team before deciding on the date for the sentencing.
The verdict follows his capture by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in the Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo on March 3, 2009. He was brought back to Uganda and detained at the Upper Prison Luzira.
On September 6, 2010, the DPP preferred criminal charges against Kwoyelo before the Chief Magistrate’s court at Buganda Road in Kampala. The accused was subsequently committed for trial to the International Crimes Division of the High Court on an amended indictment containing 50 counts.
On November 12, 2018, the Trial against the accused commenced in the High Court of Uganda sitting at Gulu High Court.
The prosecution presented a total of 53 witnesses and on December 18, 2023, the Trial panel found that the accused person had a case to answer in respect of the 78 counts out of the 93 counts. Kwoyelo’s defense trial commenced on April 15, 2024. The defence presented a total of four witnesses with the trial coming to its conclusion on May 8th, 2024.
Kwoyelo is arguably the world’s longest-serving suspect on remand battling charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the domestic court in Uganda.
