"Kony faces 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection to the LRA's campaign against the Ugandan government between 2002 and 2005, which prosecutors allege was rife with rape, torture, and abductions of children. Kony has eluded law enforcement since the ICC first issued an indictment in 2005, making the hearing a litmus test for others in which arresting the suspect is considered a far-off prospect, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin."
"The hearing is expected to last three days and will allow prosecutors to outline their case in court, after which judges will decide whether to confirm the charges. Kony cannot be tried unless he is in ICC custody, however. Everything that happens at the ICC is precedent for the next case, Michael Scharf, an international law professor at Case Western Reserve University, told The Associated Press news agency."
"Kony was born in 1961 in northern Uganda's village of Odek, where he was a Catholic altar boy and took up an interest in spirituality. He later claimed to be a spirit medium and used religious rituals alongside violence and torture to maintain control of followers. The LRA's attacks against the Ugandan government date back to the 1980s, but the group was not thrust into the international spotlight until 2012, when a #Kony2012 campaign went viral on social media."
The International Criminal Court will hold a confirmation of charges hearing for fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony, marking the court's first-ever hearing in absentia. Kony faces 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for a 2002–2005 LRA campaign prosecutors allege involved widespread rape, torture and child abductions. The hearing is expected to last three days and will allow prosecutors to outline their case before judges decide whether to confirm charges. Kony has eluded arrest since a 2005 ICC indictment and cannot be tried unless taken into ICC custody. Kony claimed spiritual authority and used rituals alongside violence to control followers.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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