International Criminal Court investigation in Uganda
The International Criminal Court investigation in Uganda or the situation in Uganda is an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency which has been taking place in northern Uganda and neighbouring regions since 1987. The Lord's Resistance Army is a Christian-based group led by Joseph Kony that is accused of numerous human rights violations and war crimes including massacres, the abduction of civilians, the use of child soldiers, sexual enslavement, torture, and pillaging. After the government of Uganda referred the matter to the ICC in December 2003, warrants of arrest were issued in 2005 for Joseph Kony, Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen, and Vincent Otti, who became the first people to be indicted by the Court.
The seal of the International Criminal Court | |
| File no. | 02/04 |
|---|---|
| Referred by | Uganda |
| Date referred | 16 December 2003 |
| Date opened | 29 July 2004 |
| Incident(s) | LRA insurgency |
| Crimes | Crimes against humanity: · Enslavement · Inhumane acts · Murder · Rape · Sexual enslavement War crimes: · Attacks against civilians · Cruel treatment · Enlisting of children · Inducing of rape · Murder · Pillaging |
| Status of suspects | |
| Joseph Kony | Fugitive |
| Raska Lukwiya | Deceased |
| Okot Odhiambo | Deceased |
| Dominic Ongwen | Serving a 25 year sentence |
| Vincent Otti | Fugitive, possibly deceased. |
| Lord's Resistance Army insurgency |
|---|
| Conflict history |
|
| Related articles |
|
The proceedings against Raska Lukwiya and Okot Odhiambo terminated due to their passing. Dominic Ongwen was caught and was convicted and sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment. Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti are still at large, and their cases currently remain at the pre-trial stage, until they are arrested and transferred to the ICC in The Hague. The ICC does not try individuals unless they are present in the courtroom.