By Aciro Tracy
Trial lawyers in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) are pushing for the confirmation of charges to be heard against the elusive leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Kony, in Uganda.
Kony is facing 33 counts comprising war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between July 1st, 2002, and 31 Dec 2005 in northern Uganda.
Kony’s confirmation of charges hearing was scheduled for October 15 this year but was postponed by the court. No date was however indicated.
Dahirou Sant Anna, the International Cooperation Advisor, Office of the Prosecutor told Journalists in Gulu City Monday that the proposals to have the confirmation of charges hearing in Uganda is beneficial to the victims of the LRA in many ways.
According to Anna, the victims of the crimes allegedly committed by Kony will easily share pieces of evidence in support of the charges labeled by the prosecutor when the hearing of confirmation of the charges is held in Uganda.
The office of the prosecutor is already inspecting the courts in Lira, Gulu and Kampala where the confirmation of charges hearing may be held once their proposals are approved by the World Court.
ICC in June this year appointed British lawyer Peter Haynes KC to represent the interests of Kony in the confirmation of charges process in his absence.
