The Trial of Thomas Kwoyelo

Opportunity or Spectre? Reflections From the Ground on the First Lra Prosecution

Bibliographic Data

ID2103180
AuthorsAnna Macdonald (0000-0001-8873-003X, Ministry of Justice, corresponding author), Holly Porter (0000-0003-4170-6192, Ministry of Justice)
Year2016
Volume86
Issue4
Pages698-722
Publication date2016-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAfrica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0001-9720 • E-ISSN: 1750-0184
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s000197201600053x
OpenAlexW2535851226
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited39

The trial of Thomas Kwoyelo - the first war crimes prosecution of a former Lord's Resistance Army fighter, and the only domestic war crimes prosecution in Uganda at the time of writing - has been packed with drama, intrigue and politics. The article considers what Kwoyelo's trial means for those most affected by the crimes he allegedly committed, and, more broadly, what it means for the 'transitional justice' project in Uganda. The article is concerned primarily with how the trial has been interpreted 'on the ground' in Acholiland: by local leadership; by those with a personal relationship to Kwoyelo; by direct victims of his alleged crimes; and by those who were not. Responses to the trial have been shaped by people's specific wartime experiences and if or how his prosecution relates to their current circumstances - as well as by the profound value of social harmony and distrust of higher authorities to dispense justice. We conclude with a discussion of the relevance of our findings for the practice of 'transitional justice' across the African continent

Criminology · Distrust · Drama · Economic Justice · Harmony (color · Political science · Politics · Relevance (law · Resistance (ecology · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Transitional justice · Value (mathematics · War crime · African history and culture studies · Cambodian History and Society · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law