ICC appeals judges greenlight first in absentia hearing over Ugandan rebel leader Kony
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court gave a final greenlight Tuesday for the tribunal's first in absentia hearing by allowing the next step in proceedings against notorious fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony.
The Hague-based court has scheduled a so-called confirmation of charges hearing at which prosecutors will present evidence in September to back up charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Kony, despite his whereabouts being unknown.
Kony, the leader of the brutal Lord's Resistance Army, faces dozens of counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, sexual enslavement and rape.
The ICC's rules do not allow trials entirely in absentia but can in some circumstances move forward with a confirmation of charges even if the suspect is not in custody.
Kony's court appointed lawyers had argued his fair trial rights would be violated if the proceedings continued without their client.
Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin said the court has 'adequately robust safeguards' for suspects to allow the confirmation of charges hearing to be held in absentia.
The case had been seen as a trial balloon for the court moving forward with other cases where the suspect is not in custody, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin .
However, the Kony decision was limited to situations where the wanted person has fled ICC custody or cannot be found, says Luigi Prosperi, an international criminal law expert at the University of Utrecht. Kony 'is a very peculiar situation,' he told The Associated Press.
Kony was thrust into the global spotlight in 2012 when a video about his alleged crimes went viral. Despite the attention and international efforts to capture him, he is still at large.
The LRA began its attacks in Uganda in the 1980s, when Kony sought to overthrow the government. After being pushed out of Uganda, the militia terrorized villages in Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan. It was notorious for using child soldiers, mutilating civilians and enslaving women.
In 2021, the court convicted Dominic Ongwen , a one-time child soldier who morphed into a brutal LRA commander of dozens of war crimes and crimes against humanity, ranging from multiple murders to forced marriages.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israel deports Greta Thunberg after Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel deported activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military. Speaking upon arrival in Paris en route to her home country of Sweden, Thunberg called for the release of the other activists who were detained aboard the Madleen. She described a 'quite chaotic and uncertain' situation during the detention. The conditions they faced 'are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now," she said. The trip was meant to protest Israeli restrictions on aid to Gaza's population of over 2 million people after 20 months of war, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey. "We were well aware of the risks of this mission," Thunberg said. 'The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid.' She said the activists would continue trying to get aid to Gaza. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump called Thunberg 'a young angry person' and recommended she take anger management classes. "I think the world need a lot more young angry women," Thunberg said Tuesday in response. Thunberg said it appeared she was headed back to Sweden, hadn't had access to a phone in a few days and wanted a shower. The activists were held separately and some had trouble accessing lawyers, she added. Asked why she agreed to deportation, she said, 'Why would I want to stay in an Israeli prison more than necessary?' Thunberg called on supporters to ask their governments 'to demand not only humanitarian aid being let into Gaza but most importantly an end to the occupation and an end to the systemic oppression and violence that Palestinians are facing on an everyday basis.' She said recognizing Palestine is 'the very, very, very minimum' that governments can do to help. Other activists face deportation Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen. Israeli naval forces seized the boat without incident early Monday about 200 kilometers (125 miles) off Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, along with rights groups, said Israel's actions in international waters were a violation of international law. Israel rejects that charge, saying such ships intend to breach what it argues is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza. Israel viewed the ship as a publicity stunt, calling it the 'selfie yacht' with a 'meager' amount of aid that amounted to less than a truckload. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said three activists, including Thunberg, had been deported along with a journalist. It said it had encouraged some to do it so they could speak freely about their experiences. 'Their detention is unlawful, politically motivated and a direct violation of international law,' the coalition said in a statement. Eight other passengers refused deportation and are being detained at Givon prison in Ramle. On Tuesday, Israeli authorities heard their cases at a detention tribunal. 'We argued today, and that also was emphasized by all the activists, that their goal is to enter humanitarian aid to Gaza, to end the famine and to end a genocide in Gaza," said Lubna Tuma, a lawyer with legal rights group Adalah, who is representing the activists. "Any violation or any prohibition to entering the humanitarian aid to Gaza is deepening the complicity of Israel in the famine in Gaza.' Legal representatives for the group said that because Israeli seized their vessel in international waters and forcibly transported them to Israeli territory, Israel had no authority to detain or deport them. 'Pirate attack' Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry, said the activists who were being deported Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. The others have a hearing with the judge and will be held for 96 hours before being deported, she said. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was among the passengers. She has previously been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. It was not clear whether she was being immediately deported or detained. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and would leave Tuesday. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits. Sergio Toribio, a Spanish activist, slammed Israel's actions after he arrived in Barcelona. 'It is unforgivable, it is a violation of our rights. It is a pirate attack in international waters," he told reporters. Blockade of Gaza Palestinians in Gaza are now almost completely dependent on international aid. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's Palestinian population. During the 20-month-long war in Gaza, Israel has restricted and sometimes blocked all aid into the territory, including food, fuel and medicine. Experts say that policy has pushed Gaza toward famine. Israel asserts that Hamas siphons off the aid to bolster its rule. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war and took 251 hostages, most released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas still holds 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said women and children make up most of the dead. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the territory's population. ___ Associated Press writers Angela Charlton in Paris, Teresa Medrano in Madrid, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Isaac Scharf And Areej Hazboun, The Associated Press
New York Post
16 minutes ago
- New York Post
Ex-CIA analyst who admitted leaking docs about Israel strike on Iran gets 37 months in prison
An ex-CIA analyst was sentenced to more than three years in prison Wednesday for leaking top-secret documents about Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran last year. Asif William Rahman, 34, had pleaded guilty in January to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information after he was arrested for absconding with records from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency last October that indicated Israel was planning to launch airstrikes in response to a massive Iranian missile attack. Rahman, who had been a CIA employee since 2016 and had access to top secret documents, leaked the stolen information on social media platforms — forcing Israel to delay its attack. Advertisement He was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison by US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, which is less than the government had demanded. 3 Rahman was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison. AP 'Asif Rahman violated his position of trust by illegally accessing, removing, and transmitting Top Secret documents vital to the national security of the United States and its allies,' US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert said in a statement. Advertisement 'The urgency with which Mr. Rahman was identified, arrested, charged, and prosecuted is a testament to the commitment and professionalism of the investigators and prosecutors who brought him to justice. 'This case should serve as a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation.' Rahman was working in the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Oct. 17, 2024, when he sneaked the documents out in his backpack, brought them to his home, photographed them and then transmitted them to other individuals, before destroying evidence of his actions, according to the Justice Department. The top-secret documents appeared on the 'Middle East Spectator' Telegram channel the following day and 'appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification ranking,' prosecutors said. Advertisement The documents laid out intelligence gathered from satellite images of an Israeli base taken on Oct. 15 and 16. The breach forced Israeli officials to postpone their attack until Oct. 26. 3 The ex-CIA employee pleaded guilty in January to leaking classified information. NurPhoto via Getty Images 3 Rahman leaked documents related to Israel's plans to launch airstrikes against Iran. WAEL HAMZEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Advertisement Rahman 'repeatedly accessed and printed classified National Defense Information' up until his arrest in November of 2024, according to the DOJ. In the spring of 2024, when he was working in Virginia as a CIA analyst, he disclosed a batch of five secret and top-secret documents, making copies and giving them to people who weren't allowed to see them. And in the fall of 2024, he leaked another 10 classified documents. 'I fully accept responsibility for my conduct last year,' Rahman said in court Wednesday, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. 'There was no excuse for my actions.' Rahman's attorneys blamed his actions on 'family-related grief' and traumatic assignment in Iraq, compounded by Israel's war against Hamas.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Warning': Uni to pay back 5k staff $8m
Griffith University has signed a deal committing to repay underpaid staff more than $8m, becoming the sixth university to do so since 2022. Since 2015, the university underpaid 5457 staff across all of its six campuses, including academics, support and fitness workers – one who was underpaid as much as $92,400. It has signed an enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman, meaning it will be required to repay $8.34m including interest and superannuation. It is the sixth university to enter such a deal with Fair Work following The University of Melbourne, which last year agreed to pay back a mammoth $72m after a decade of wage theft. Since 2022, it has been a Fair Work priority to crack down on systemic underpayments in the university sector, with Latrobe University, The University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Newcastle and Charles Sturt University all signing similar agreements. Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth commended Griffith University for self-reporting its breaches and its co-operation with the ombudsman's investigation. 'The matter serves as a warning of the significant long-running problems that can result from an employer failing to have appropriate checks and balances to ensure workplace compliance,' said Ms Booth. 'We expect universities to meet their legal obligations under their own enterprise agreements and underlying awards.' Griffith's failed to pay staff for activities including academic tutorials, subject co-ordination, and proper research assistant rates. Fitness employees were not paid split shift or meal allowances and progression between pay bands had been incorrectly paid. While the underpaid staff were located across all of the university's campuses, the majority were Brisbane-based. The cause of the issue was chalked up to insufficient training and data collection, non-existent payroll and data review processes, a lack of automation, and deficiencies in payroll systems. Under the agreement the university will also establish a new internal body to better consult between management, employees and the education union. 'Improving universities' workplace compliance is a priority for the Fair Work Ombudsman,' Ms Booth said. 'We look forward to working with the leadership teams at universities nationally to assist them to do the sustained, smart work required to ensure full compliance with workplace laws.'
