Gulu | On October 25, 2024, the International Crime Division court sitting in Gulu High Court issued a ruling on former LRA rebel commander Thomas Kwoyelo Latoni.
Kwoyelo has been sentenced to forty years in prison. However, due to his lengthy remand period of over 15 years, he will spend the remaining 25 years in jail.
He was found guilty of crimes such as exposing children to death, crimes against humanity, slavery, murder, sexual abuse, torture, and kidnapping, among others.
In an August 2024 hearing, the former LRA rebel commander was charged with up to 44 out of the original 78 charges.
For each of the 44 charges, he received a sentence of 5 to 40 years.
Justice Michael Elubu, the head of the panel of four judges of the international crime division court, ordered that Kwoyelo serve the sentence for each case concurrently for less than fifteen (15) years.
The lead counsel for Kwoyelo’s victims, Robert Mackay, expressed gratitude to the Ugandan government for their assistance in bringing the ruling to a conclusion.
This is the first time this has happened in the nation, he continued, and it is a sign of good justice. “This court ruling will fight any impunity for victims because our clients have suffered for a long time and have not received fair justice.”
“We will present our application to the Attorney General, prosecutor, and defense lawyers within 14 days,” he said, to ensure that victims who suffered at the hands of the convict are compensated.
Kwoyelo’s defense lawyer, Henry Evans Ocheng, has stated that they are prepared to file an appeal within 14 days regarding unsatisfactory sentences.
According to Ocheng, Kwoyelo was not treated fairly by some of the sentences and should not be imprisoned for an extended period of time.
“We are ready to present our appeal to the Supreme Court to get clarity on some sentences,”he stated.
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