Kony historic hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Kony's defense team speaks out ahead of historic hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Joseph Kony is a Ugandan rebel leader born around 1961, best known as the founder and leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA terrorized northern Uganda and neighboring countries with brutal campaigns. Kony called himself a prophet and sought to establish a government based on the Ten Commandments. Joseph Kony's defense team has spoken out ahead of the historic confirmation hearing, which will take place from September 9 to 11, 2025, at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The hearing will be held in absentia, as Kony remains at large. The defense team, led by Peter Haynes KC with co-counsel Kate Gibson and others, emphasized that this hearing is not a trial or a verdict, but a procedural step to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for a trial. The defense team proactively protected Kony's rights and challenged the legal basis for proceeding without his presence. This hearing is the first confirmation of charges in absentia hearing before the ICC and represents a historic legal milestone. The defense team also clarified that no one will be convicted or imprisoned at this stage; rather, it is a step toward accountability and justice for the communities affected by Kony's alleged crimes. The ICC Outreach Coordinator emphasized the importance of the hearing as a recognition of the suffering caused by the Lord's Resistance Army conflict in northern Uganda. Recognition of the suffering caused by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) conflict in northern Uganda includes awareness and official recognition of the gross human rights violations and atrocities committed by the LRA in northern Uganda since 1987, and subsequently in other parts of Central Africa. The LRA, under the leadership of Joseph Kony, is responsible for widespread and systematic crimes, including the abduction of an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 children for use as child soldiers or sex slaves, as well as numerous killings and forced displacement of civilians. In northern Uganda alone, approximately two million people were displaced by the conflict, and many lived in humanitarian camps for a time, dependent on aid. The violence resulted in thousands of violent deaths weekly during the height of the conflict. The conflict is considered one of the most brutal and persistent in the region and is internationally recognized as a violation of human rights and humanitarian law. There have been efforts to negotiate peace and reintegrate former fighters, but acknowledging the damage caused by the LRA remains important for reconciliation and reconstruction in the region. @https://ndupress.ndu.edu/portals/68/documents/stratforum/sf-270.pdf @https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/LRA-Konflikt @https://gsdrc.org/document-library/the-challenge-of-ddr-in-northern-uganda-the-lords-resistance-army/ @https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord's_Resistance_Army @https://hhi.harvard.edu/publications/abducted-lords-resistance-army-and-forced-conscription-northern @https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/ilj/vol40/iss2/1/ @https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/international-lawyers-petition-museveni-over-choice-of-kony-s-lawyer-5154568 @https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/kony-s-defence-team-speaks-out-ahead-of-historic-icc-hearing-5149292 @https://theelephant.co.ug/justice-without-the-accused-icc-prepares-for-historic-hearing-against-joseph-kony/ @https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kony @https://www.strafrechtsiegen.de/freispruch-trotz-dna-olg-kippt-schwerer-brandstiftung-urteil/ @https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/lexika/das-junge-politik-lexikon/320545/internationaler-strafgerichtshof-istgh/ @https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/5200b68c-ed3e-478f-9ff7-918ca3cc3bb1/GSSCA13_Kindersoldatinnen.pdf