Overview
- Judges found substantial grounds for crimes committed in northern Uganda between 2002 and 2005, including murder, rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy and conscripting children under 15.
- The court attributed 29 counts to Kony as an indirect co-perpetrator and 10 counts to direct acts tied to two women forced to be his wives.
- The decision followed the ICC’s first confirmation-of-charges hearing held without the suspect present, a process that tested how the court handles long-fugitive cases.
- Judges rejected defense claims that the in-absentia proceeding violated fair-trial rights, dismissing a request to halt the case.
- A trial cannot proceed without an arrest; Kony has been under an ICC warrant since 2005 and has not been seen publicly since 2006, with victims welcoming recognition but urging his capture for real accountability.