On Wednesday, ex-LRA commander Col. Thomas Kwoyelo appeared before the High Court of Uganda in Kampala. JRP’s Evelyn Akullo Otwili was there to follow the ruling, in which the Court ordered the Amnesty Commission and the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) to grant Kwoyelo a certificate of amnesty and immediately release him.
To read the full 1-page update, click here.
Today, JRP’s Community Documentation department released their latest publication, a brief situational analysis titled, “To Pardon or to Punish? Current Perceptions and Opinions on Uganda’s Amnesty in Acholi-land.”
Although Uganda’s Amnesty Act entered into force in 2000, it has recently been subjected to a renewed discussion, questioning its relevance in the current context of the conflict. Even in the war‐affected northern region of Uganda, it appears that mixed reactions prevail among the local population. Against this background, this brief situational analysis projects people’s opinions and perceptions on amnesty and provides recommendations for the Amnesty Commission as well as stakeholders concerned.
To read more, click here.
Oops. Yesterday the email sent to our mailing list via Constant Contact contained a broken link to the Kwoyelo situational analysis. To view the full brief, visit http://justiceandreconciliation.com/2011/11/moving-forward-thomas-kwoyelo-and-the-quest-for-justice-situational-analysis/.
Thanks to all of our friends who pointed this out to us, and for all of the great comments we’ve received so far. Keep them coming!
-JRP Communications Team
Today JRP released a situational analysis titled, “Moving Forward: Thomas Kwoyelo and the Quest for Justice.” While his release is expected soon, questions remain hanging on what should happen to him. Our analysis revealed that the situation on the ground, and more specifically in his home area of Pabo, is highly volatile and unpredictable, and opinions regarding his reintegration into the community are widely varied. Furthermore, many of Pabo’s residents – including his family members – feel unprepared, uninformed and confused about how to proceed. This situational analysis presents these perceptions concerning the Constitutional Court ruling and makes recommendations for Kwoyelo’s rehabilitation and reintegration in the event that he is released.
To read the full brief, click here.
This morning JRP’s Documentation and Communications teams attended a session of the International Crimes Division (ICD) in Gulu pertaining to the trial of ex-LRA commander Col. Thomas Kwoyelo.
As a brief backgrounder, the trial opened on July 11th in Gulu (see a JRP overview of this here), and on August 5th was referred to the Constitutional Court in Kampala for a decision pertaining to issues raised by Kwoyelo’s lawyers of alleged unequal treatment and denial of amnesty, among others. On Sept. 22nd, the Court ruled that Kwoyelo was eligible for amnesty and to deny him would be unconstitutional. The matter was referred back to the ICD for presumed termination of the trial and Kwoyelo’s release. After an appeal was made by a State team to stay the execution of this order (i.e. to delay releasing him) citing a threat to national security and alleged communication with LRA financiers, on Nov. 10th, the Court of Appeal declined that request and upheld the Constitutional Court ruling. Kwoyelo’s release was slated for Nov. 11th in Gulu.
That brings us to today. It was widely rumored that Kwoyelo would be released, and many of his family members traveled long distances to receive him. However, a panel of three ICD judges confused many in attendance when they stated their compliance with the Constitutional Court ruling and ceased the trial, yet referred matters of his release to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Amnesty Commission. It appears as though his release will not be carried out until his amnesty is processed, and he was taken back to presumably Gulu prison by armed prison wardens shortly after the reading.
For photos from the day’s session, click here.
For a raw audio recording of Justice Akii-Kiiza, click here.
For a video with JRP’s Lino Owor Ogora commenting on the decision to local media, click here or watch below.
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4EVVuBc1tA&feature=youtu.be’]
JRP will continue to monitor events pertaining to this case as they unfold. Stay tuned for the latest updates. A video interview with Kwoyelo’s mother after the ruling and other clips from the day will be uploaded in the coming days.
Dr. Erin Baines (JRP co-founder) and Beth Stewart from the University of British Colombia (UBC) have recently published an article on gender, transitional justice and storytelling in the Journal of Human Rights Practice. It is based on ongoing collaboration with JRP’s Gender Justice department.
‘I cannot accept what I have not done’: Storytelling, Gender and Transitional Justice
Abstract
Storytelling can be a process of seeking social equilibrium after violence. We examine this proposition through the stories of Ajok, an Acholi woman who was abducted by the rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda and who was forced into marriage and motherhood. We consider how her stories contest discrimination by her neighbours and family since her return, creatively reinterpreting the past to defend her innocence and moral character
throughout the war and to defend her rightful place in present society as an Acholi woman and mother. The article concludes by reflecting on the value of locally based and culturally relevant storytelling for survivors in the field and practice of transitional justice.
To read the full article, click here, or visit http://jhrp.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/11/04/jhuman.hur015.full#xref-ref-30-1.
Drs. Erin Baines (JRP co-founder) and Pilar Riaño-Alcalá from the University of British Colombia (UBC) have recently had an article on survivor documentation published in the International Journal of Transitional Justice (IJTJ). The article is based off of an exchange between survivors in northern Uganda and Colombia that took place in July and November 2010. Here is the article’s abstract:
Through an exchange between members of community-based organizations that document human rights violations in northwest Colombia and northern Uganda, this article examines multiple strategies of memory making in which an individual or a collective creates a safe social space to give testimony and re-story past events of violence or resistance. In settings of chronic insecurity, such acts constitute a reservoir of living documents to preserve memories, give testimony, contest impunity and convey the meaning, or the ‘truthfulness,’ of survivors. The living archive disrupts conventional assumptions about what is documentation or witnessing in the field of transitional justice and introduces new interdisciplinary tools to the field with which to learn from and listen differently to survivors.
To read the full article, click here, or visit http://ijtj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/10/19/ijtj.ijr025.abstract?sid=5452fb38-03f4-4274-bbe1-7adbdd264905.
Earlier, we posted photos of recent community theater performances in Mukura, Yumbe and Abia. We are pleased to now unveil an accompanying video for the Mukura drama which highlights the key scenes and recommendations by the survivors of the 1989 Mukura massacre. Notably, in the performance, they call for traditional reconciliation with the President of Uganda.
To watch the video and learn more, click here.
This drama is part of JRP’s recently-completed community theater pilot program which aims at using drama as a tool for victims to advocate for issues affecting them. Stay tuned for videos from Abia and Yumbe in the coming days!
Yesterday, October 10th, JRP attended the Aboke commemoration prayers organized by St. Mary’s College Aboke and Concerned Parents Association. The prayers celebrated the triumph of love over evil 15 years after 139 secondary school girls were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Today, all but 1 girl has been accounted for. The prayers were held at St. Mary’s and were attended by survivors of the abduction, their parents, members of civil society and the community. The theme for this year’s ceremony was “transcending beyond the past” and focused on reconciliation as an obligation towards transcending beyond the past.
We were impressed by the quality of the event in focusing on the resilience and strength of all affected, and not deviating into politics. We view this annual prayer as a model for other communities looking to commemorate events that took place during the conflict.
For photos from the prayers, click here.
On September 21st, JRP and the MAYANK Development Association organized celebrations for the annual International Day of Peace (Peace Day) 2011 in Yumbe district, West Nile sub-region, Uganda.
JRP’s Lindsay McClain delivered the key note address on behalf of the organizers, providing an overview of the history of Peace Day and its mission, and the relevance for West Nile and Yumbe in particular. Next year, the region will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Yumbe Peace Accords that ended the conflict between the UNRF II and the Government.
To read the full address, click here.