unshackling

January 10, 2015 Last week, news emerged that one of LRA’s top leaders, Dominic Ogwen, who was indicted and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and war crimes, was captured by Seleka rebels in Central Africa Republic and handed over to US Forces. There were news reports that US Forces would transfer him to Uganda, who have expressed interest in trying him at home. Ongwen’s capture has reignited the debate on International Criminal Justice of the ICC versus Domestic Justice. The questions being asked are: Should Ongwen be tried in Uganda? What compromise can be drawn between the ICC and Uganda Court system that meets both domestic and international demands for justice? Does Uganda’s International Crimes Division (ICD) of the High Court have the necessary capacity to try Dominic Ongwen or other Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commanders with fairness and due process? To put this debate into context, it is important to understand what t...