ICC Judge Says Uganda Must Prove Capacity to Try Kony

Uganda needs to convince the International Criminal Court (ICC) that it is capable of trying the leaders of the rebel Lord’s Resistant Army (LRA) before the UN court can drop its effort to indict LRA leader Joseph Kony, an ICC Judge has said. Justice Julia Ssebutinde, who heads the ICC tribunal trying former Liberian leader Charles Taylor for war crimes, said Uganda would be required to demonstrate that its legal and justice structures are competent enough to handle such serious cases. Ssebutinde was referring to Kony’s demand that the charges be quashed before he signs a peace deal to end his 21 year insurgency. [PE]