CTJ Paper Calls on Government of Uganda to Urgently Adopt Transitional Justice Policy, Citing Critical Delays

KAMPALA, The government of Uganda has been slow to address and remedy serious human rights abuses committed against civilians throughout the country, despite its commitment under the Juba peace talks. Serious violations continue to go unacknowledged and unpunished, perpetuating a climate of impunity in the country, according to a new paper by the International Center for Transitional Justice. The 12-page paper, On the Path to Vindicate Victims’ Rights in Uganda: Reflections on the Transitional Justice Process Since Juba, identifies several factors impeding the government’s efforts to acknowledge violations and hold perpetrators accountable. In particular, it identifies waning political support, an overly bureaucratic process and a dependence on international development partners.
The protracted conflict between the government of Uganda and various armed groups has produced tens of thousands of victims. Civilians, particularly women and children, continue to suffer from the consequences of a range of violations, including murder, mutilation, rape, sexual slavery, destruction of property, and mass abductions.Yet, since the conclusion of the Juba peace talks in 2008, no formal truth-seeking process has taken place, and victims have not received any meaningful form of compensation or symbolic reparations, like memorials or formal apologies from government officials.“Victims continue to suffer the effects of serious violations, and many are in critical need of rehabilitation, counseling and material assistance, including with locating missing loved ones,” said Michael Otim, head of ICTJ’s office in Uganda and co-author of the paper. “The government should urgently deliver reparations to these victims as an essential step toward helping them to reclaim their dignity and rights as citizens.”In September 2014, the government’s Transitional Justice Working Group released the latest draft of its national transitional justice policy, covering acts committed from 1986 to the present throughout the country. The policy acknowledges that reparations, among other measures, are needed to reintegrate victims back into society and to deal with issues common to post-conflict situations, such as land disputes and children born in captivity.The transitional justice policy is still pending. And according to the paper, “Considerable resources and political will be required to successfully push it through cabinet and parliament.”The paper offers practical recommendations on how to advance the transitional justice process in Uganda. It calls on the government to urgently approve the draft transitional justice policy and begin implementing it without delay.Also, given that efforts have mostly focused on atrocities committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, and other insurgent groups, the paper calls on the government to ensure that transitional justice measures address violations committed by both sides in the conflict – state and non-state actors.Further, the paper calls for Uganda’s Amnesty Act to be repealed or amended, to reinforce the Supreme Court ruling that excludes perpetrators of serious crimes, like war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, from receiving amnesty.“So far there has been no official transitional justice process that goes beyond talks and drafts,” said Sarah Kasande Kihika, associate in ICTJ’s Uganda office and co-author of the paper. “Passing the transitional justice policy without further delay would help to restore civic trust and show that the state takes seriously the violation of citizens’ rights.” (Photo fons wikimedia)

Gibson’s Perilous Collusion with Extremist Greens

Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel’s recent column is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the folly behind any business agreeing to partner with green groups. According to Strassel, Gibson is the “unfortunate victim of a well-meaning, if complicated, law [the Lacey Act],” when in fact the company has been deliberately targeted by “a toxic alliance of ideological activists and trade protectionists.” The Consumer Alliance made this point all too vividly in Empires of Collusion, a report released in 2010 highlighting the lengths that domestic paper-based industries, unions, environmental groups and Western retailers go “to stop the importation of pulp, paper and timber imports from Asian developing countries.” But the real story comes in the form of an important lesson for any business even considering a partnership with an extremist green group. As we noted recently, Gibson has long touted its relationships with green groups such as Greenpeace, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Rainforest Alliance, partnerships that were meant to bolster its environmental credentials and inoculate Gibson from scrutiny. FSC’s stab-in-the-back towards Gibson was particularly reprehensible. Following the government’s raid, FSC distanced itself from Gibson by pointing out that its wood products in question were not FSC-certified – questions should be raised to Gibson’s CEO if he finds FSC to be a truly reliable ally. Gibson was fooled into believing these alliances would be helpful for its business. The Gibson saga has demonstrated all too clearly that partnering with green groups only leaves a business more vulnerable to attack, especially if the business in question is as widely renowned as Gibson is. Gibson is now being made an example of. As the Consumers Alliance’s Andrew Langer so aptly pointed out.

Trafficking in human beings

On Thursday 10 June 2010 the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs will hold jointly with the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee a seminar on “Combating and preventing trafficking in human beings: the way forward” to have an exchange of views contributing to drafting a co-decision report by Anna Hedh (S&D, SE) and Edit Bauer (EPP, SK). The legislative proposal aims to establish minimum rules concerning the definition of criminal offences and sanctions in the area of trafficking in human beings. It also aims to introduce common provisions to strengthen the prevention of the crime and the protection of its victims. Trafficking includes sexual and labour exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude and other forms of exploitation including the removal of organs. It is considered to be one of the most serious crimes worldwide. More than 80% of the victims are women.  Last year the Commission suggested a framework for legislation against trafficking in human beings. Since the Lisbon Treaty was ratified, Parliament now has an equal say with ministers over this issue. The EP rapporteurs are Anna Hedh (S&D, SE), for the Civil Liberties Committee, and Edit Bauer (EPP, SK), for the Women’s Rights Committee.