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War Crimes Trial of Captured LRA Commander Put On Hold

The overwhelming number of election petitions has blocked the start of war crimes court
The trial of Thomas Kwoyelo, the former commander of Lords Resistance Army rebels has been halted because of the overwhelming number of election petitions.

 

 

Kweyelo’s trial was scheduled to appear in the War Crimes Division of Gulu high court tomorrow. Tadeo Assimwe, the registrar of the War Crimes court says that the session has been delayed because of issues surrounding rules and procedures of the court.

 

 

He also says that some of the judges who were scheduled to handle the trial have been assigned to election petitions and are not available for Kwoyelo’s case.

 

Assimwe says that the head of the court would soon fix another date to kick-start the trial. Kwoyelo is the only former suspect in the custody of the court.

 

 

Kwoyelo who was captured in the jungles of the DRC during operation lightning thunder has been in custody since 2009. He was first produced before the Gulu chief magistrate court in 2010, when he was committed to the high court owing to lack of jurisdiction of the lower court.

 

At his first appearance, Kwoyelo was charged with 12 counts of kidnap with intent to murder in relation to the disappearance of villagers from Atiak and Pabbo sub counties in Gulu and Amuru districts.

 

However, the charges were later amended to 12 counts of willful killing, extensive destruction of property and causing serious bodily harm. But the prosecution could not proceed because the war crimes court was not ready.

 

The war crimes court was established as part of government’s effort to implement the resolutions of the Juba peace talks between the rebels and the government team.

 

 

The court is intended to try suspects who committed lesser crimes leaving the key suspects: Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, Vincent Otti and Dominic Ongwen to face the International Criminal court.

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