International Criminal Court judges on Tuesday began in-absentia hearings to confirm 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity against fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, the longtime leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army.
Legal scholars say the proceedings could serve as a template for handling other high-profile ICC suspects who remain at large, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both deny wrongdoing and reject the court’s authority.
Kony, the ICC’s longest-wanted suspect, has been under an arrest warrant since 2005. Prosecutors are seeking to proceed on charges spanning 2002–2005 that include murder, rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, forced pregnancy and the conscription of child soldiers.
After renewed efforts to locate Kony failed, judges agreed in 2022 to allow confirmation hearings without the defendant present. A three-judge panel will now decide whether to confirm the charges; court-appointed counsel will represent Kony’s interests during the sessions.
Founded in the late 1980s with the aim of toppling Uganda’s government, the LRA terrorised communities across northern Uganda for nearly two decades, operating from shifting rear bases and targeting civilians.
The ICC has drawn sharp criticism from powerful non-members such as the United States and even from some member states following its warrant for Netanyahu over alleged crimes during the Gaza war. Israel disputes the allegations and rejects the court’s jurisdiction.