In perhaps the clearest indication that they intend to follow through with their threat to drag President Museveni and UPDF commanders to the International Criminal Court (ICC), MPs from Kasese district and Omusinga wa Rwenzururu Wesley Mumbere’s lawyers yesterday met with the ICC registrar, Herman von Hebel.
The closed-door meeting, which started at 11am, took place at the International Crimes division (ICD) of the High court based in Kololo and lasted three hours.
It was attended by Kasese legislators led by the Leader of Opposition, Winfred Kiiza (Kasese Woman), Godfrey Atkins Katusabe (Bukonzo West), Robert Centenary (Kasese Municipality) and William Nzoghu (Busongora North). Others in attendance were lawyers Caleb Alaka and Samuel Mulindwa Muyizzi, who are going to represent Mumbere in court during his murder trial.
Hebel arrived at the court amid tight security and greeted the chief justice Bart Katureebe who was holding a different function at the court. At first, journalists weren’t allowed to take the registrar’s photos.
Possibly to keep the press at bay, the judiciary officially said that Hebel was there to see how the ICD would cooperate with the ICC.
“The meeting is intended to create an understanding between the ICD and the ICC. We share similar goals; that’s why even the lawyers attended,” Harriet Ssali, the ICD registrar, explained.
However, after the meeting, Muyizzi told The Observer that their intention was to hand to Hebel an application in which they want the ICC to interest itself in investigating what he termed as “heinous crimes” that government committed in Kasese from November 25 to 27, 2016.
“We cannot trust the government to do the investigations because it committed crimes there,” Muyizzi said. “We need the ICC to come in because it’s independent.”
According to Muyizzi, when they tabled their suggestion to Hebel, he advised them to file their complaint in The Hague, Netherlands where the ICC is headquartered.
“We thought that since the registrar is here, there is no need of travelling to The Hague,” Muyizzi explained. “But he told us that he doesn’t receive applications directly. So, we are going to sit and see what we are going to do next.”
DENIAL
After the meeting, Kiiza told the press that she had attended the meeting as a “court user”.
“Actually, I came as a member of the public to see how the ICC can collaborate with the ICD and I can assure you I have learnt many things as result of this meeting,” Kiiza said.
During prayers organised by the FDC following the arrest of Mumbere, Kiiza threatened that they were considering writing to the ICC to hold both President Museveni as the commander in chief and Brig Peter Elwelu as the operation commander accountable for the number of innocent lives lost in the raid that took place on November 27.
“Innocent unarmed people were killed and we are in a process of taking Museveni to the ICC together with his commander. We are finalising on this and we are also fundraising for this cause,’ she said. “Mumbere is in prison, but his heart is out here with us, you my kill us but you won’t kill the movement.”
Mumbere was arrested on November 27 and susbquently charged with murder ar Jinja chief magistrates’s court after governmen soldiers together with police launched an offensive at his kases-based palace, killing over 100 people in its premises. KWOYELO
Alaka, who represents former LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo, told The Observer that he also discussed with Hebel his client’s trial. Kwoyelo is currently facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity before the Gulu-based ICD.
dkiyonga@observer.ug