ICC hires British lawyer to represent LRA commander Joseph Kony

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The International Criminal Court (ICC) has appointed Peter Haynes, a British national as the counsel to represent the rights and interests of Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel commander of the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

Haynes, a renowned international criminal and humanitarian lawyer was appointed by the ICC Registry on June 21.

“The Registry hereby informs Pre-Trial Chamber III (“Chamber”) that Mr. Peter Haynes KC (“Mr Haynes”) has been appointed as counsel to represent the rights and interests of Mr Joseph Kony (“Mr Kony”) during the confirmation process and the confirmation hearing before the Court. The said appointment was confirmed by letter dated 21 June 2024,” reads in Part the Notification of appointment from the ICC Registry dated June 21.

Haynes will represent the LRA warlord during the confirmation process and confirmation hearing slated to commence on October 15.

The development comes nearly three months after the Judges at the Pre-Trial Chamber IX ruled in March that the World Court would hold the confirmation of charges hearing against Kony in his absentia and asked the registry to commence the process of selecting a counsel.

This would be the first time the ICC will hold a confirmation of charges hearing against a suspect accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in absentia.

The case against Kony was revived last year by the ICC prosecutor Kharim Khan following a petition to the Trial Chamber IX, almost 18 years after an arrest warrant was issued against him.

According to the Prosecution Kony is suspected of committing 36 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegedly committed between at least July 1st, 2002, until 31 December 2005 in northern Uganda.

Kony, the founder of the LRA waged a bloody rebellion in Northern Uganda that displaced approximately 1.5 million people according to the United Nations (UN) reports, left hundreds of thousands dead and thousands abducted and conscripted into the LRA ranks. He remains the only fugitive top leader of the LRA out of the five indicted by the ICC in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Others indicted are Dominic Ongwen, a former Sinia Brigade Commander who is currently serving 25 years jail sentence in Norway after being convicted by the ICC, while Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo, and Vincent Otti’ warrants have since been dropped following confirmation of their death.

About Haynes Haynes’s professional profile indicates he has for the last 17 years appeared at various tribunals at The Hague-based ICC and appeared for the defence of General Vinko Pandurević concerning the Srebrenica massacre, the ICC, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Haynes also appeared for Jean-Pierre Bemba, the Minister of Defence and Senator of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), famously securing his acquittal of all charges on appeal.

Between 2019 and 2021, he held the office of President of the International Criminal Court Bar Association, becoming the first and only person to be re-elected to the post.

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URN