The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced that the pre-trial proceedings of the confirmation charges brought against the former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) senior commander Dominic Ongwen will be broadcast on local TV and radio stations.
On 29 June, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC notified the prosecution and defence that it was considering the possibility of holding the hearing on the confirmation of charges against Ongwen in Uganda, and ordered them to provide their views by 13 July 2015, and the Registry to provide an assessment by 27 July 2015, but it later reversed the decision and decided to hold it at The Hague.
Ongwen is expected to reappear before court at The Hague in Netherlands in January 21, 2016.
Jimmy Otim, the ICC Field Outreach Assistant for Uganda said on Friday during the second Justice Tafakari (reflection) Forum in Gulu town that they are currently carrying out an assessment to ensure that victims follow the pre-trial proceeding live on their local TV or radio stations.
According to Otim, the proceedings will be screened at ten locations including the massacre sites and major towns in northern Uganda. Otim named the places as: Odek, Barlonyo, Abok, Lukodi and Pajule. Otim added that the court is in talks with local radio stations Mega FM in Gulu, Luo FM in Pader and Unity FM in Lira among others to broadcast the proceedings.
The ICC Field Outreach Assistant for Uganda explained that the major objective of using the local media outlets in the former LRA affected region is to keep the key stakeholders informed and make them aware of ongoing developments at the ICC.
The former wife to LRA chief Joseph Kony, Evelyn Amony says as person who suffered as a result of the LRA atrocities, she is eager to follow Ongwen’s pre-trial proceedings.
Ongwen, who surrendered early this year in Central African Republic (CAR), appeared at the ICC pre-trial chamber before Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova in January this year accused of seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Ongwen was among the five top LRA commanders indicted by the ICC in 2005 for the killings of 54 civilians in April 2004 in Lukodi Internally Displaced People’s camp in Bungatira Sub-county in Gulu District.
