ICC to rely on written testimonies in Kony trial slated for September
LRA warlord Joseph Kony. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- On December 12, 2024, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber III scheduled Kony’s confirmation of charges hearing to proceed in his absence on September 9, 2025.
Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) will rely on written statements and documentary evidence when the case against Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony begins in absentia on September 9, 2025.
Speaking to journalists in Kampala on June 13, Mr Dahirou Santa-Anna, the International Cooperation Advisor in the Office of the ICC Prosecutor, said judges declined the prosecution’s request to have five witnesses, including one expert, testify in person.
“As the Office of the Prosecutor requested that five witnesses testify before the judges, with one expert witness, the pre-trial chamber rejected the request. They preferred the confirmation of charges hearing to rely on documentary evidence and summaries of testimonies provided by witnesses,” Mr Santa-Anna said.
Ms Leonie Von Braun, the Senior Trial Lawyer in the Prosecutor’s Office, speaking via Zoom from The Hague, confirmed that the number of charges against Kony has increased from 36 to 39. These charges relate to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Kony is accused of orchestrating a brutal insurgency that left more than 100,000 people dead and displaced over 1.5 million others during a two-decade war waged in Northern Uganda against President Museveni’s government in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Ms Maria Mabinty Kamara, Public Information and Outreach Coordinator for the ICC Registry in Uganda, said her office is engaging with affected communities to ensure victims of Kony’s alleged atrocities are kept informed during the legal process.
“We will have a live broadcast of the proceedings. We have contracted four radio stations in Gulu, Lira, and Soroti to publicize the court sessions,” she said. “We will explain what happens each day and share key highlights to help communities understand whether all charges against Kony have been confirmed.”
The ICC first issued a sealed warrant of arrest for Kony on July 8, 2005, which was unsealed in October of the same year. He faces 12 counts of crimes against humanity including murder, enslavement, rape, and sexual enslavement and 21 counts of war crimes, including child soldier conscription, cruel treatment of civilians, pillaging, and directing attacks against civilian populations. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2003 and 2004 in Northern Uganda.
On December 12, 2024, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber III scheduled Kony’s confirmation of charges hearing to proceed in his absence on September 9, 2025. This comes as his former top commander, Dominic Ongwen, is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence after being found guilty by the same court for crimes committed during the same conflict.
