ICC says Ugandan warlord hearing to be held in absentia

 

The International Criminal Court on Tuesday said that a hearing to confirm charges against fugitive warlord Joseph Kony will be held in absentia, with "a date to be announced at a later stage".

Kony, 63, has been wanted by the Hague-based ICC since 2005 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity following a three-decade reign of terror by his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group across several African nations.

The Pre-Trial Chamber "issued a decision concluding that all the requirements to hold a confirmation of charges hearing in the absence of the suspect Joseph Kony are now met", the ICC said in a statement.

The ICC announced six months ago it would hold hearings in October to confirm 36 counts against Kony, whose current whereabouts are unknown.

Former altar boy Kony founded the LRA in the 1980s to establish a regime based on the Ten Commandments.

The group launched a rebellion against Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni that spread to Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.

It killed more than 100,000 people and abducted 60,000 children who were forced to become sex slaves, soldiers and porters.

"All reasonable steps to secure his appearance and to inform him of the charges and the date of the confirmation of charges hearing... have been taken," the ICC said.

While charges can be confirmed in the absence of the suspect, "the case can only proceed to trial if the accused is present", it added.