Rights Groups Urge United Nations on Justice in Northern Uganda

In a letter sent to the United Nations Security Council on April 22, 2008, the Open Society Justice Initiative and two other leading human rights organizations urged the full pursuit of justice for mass crimes committed in northern Uganda.

The Open Society Institute, Human Rights Watch, and the International Center for Transitional Justice expressed their concern that "the Security Council may act to suspend cases involving crimes committed in northern Uganda now pending" before the International Criminal Court.

The court issued arrest warrants in 2005 against Joseph Kony, commander-in-chief of the Lord's Resistance Army and four other Lord's Resistance Army leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Lord's Resistance Army and the government of Uganda recently negotiated a peace agreement, but Kony refused to sign unless the International Criminal Court drops the charges. The rights groups argue that giving in to Kony's demand would sacrifice victims' hopes for justice and undermine the independence of the court.