The Hague — The International Criminal Court (ICC) will deliver its much-anticipated judgment on the appeal filed by Joseph Kony, the fugitive former leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 10:30 AM (CEST).
The judgment concerns Kony’s legal challenge to the October 2024 decision by Pre-Trial Chamber III, which ruled that confirmation of charges proceedings can be held in his absence.
The appeal is a crucial step in Kony’s long-delayed reckoning with justice, as he remains at large more than two decades after being indicted for a litany of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the LRA’s brutal insurgency in Uganda and neighbouring countries.
The Appeals Chamber is composed of the following judges: Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin (Presiding), Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa, Judge Kimberly Prost, Judge Joanna Korner and Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze.
The decision will be delivered in open court and has been formally notified to the Office of the Prosecutor, Counsel for the Defence, Legal Representatives of the Victims, and the Office of Public Counsel for the Defence.
Background: A Legacy of Atrocity
Joseph Kony is accused of leading a violent and cult-like rebellion that wreaked havoc across northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic from the late 1980s through the 2000s.
The charges against him include: murder, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement, torture, forcible enlistment of children, attacks against civilians and pillage and destruction of property.
Kony and his commanders are alleged to have abducted tens of thousands of children, forcing boys to become child soldiers and girls into sexual slavery. The LRA’s reign of terror left thousands dead and millions displaced in one of Africa’s most haunting humanitarian crises.
Despite global manhunts and arrest warrants issued by the ICC since 2005, Kony has evaded capture, believed to be hiding somewhere in the dense jungles of Central Africa.
Legal Significance
The October 29, 2024, decision by the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber III marked a historic precedent, allowing the court to proceed with confirmation of charges even if the accused remains a fugitive — an exception made under exceptional circumstances when justice for victims would otherwise be denied.
Kony’s defence has argued that the decision undermines his right to a fair trial, but the Prosecution and victim representatives have maintained that it is a necessary and lawful move, given the protracted impunity and scale of the crimes.
What Comes Next
If the Appeals Chamber upholds the original decision, the court will proceed to confirm the charges against Kony in absentia, clearing the way for a possible future trial should he be arrested. This would also allow the court to formally recognise the voices of victims and establish a judicial record of the atrocities committed.
The ruling on June 3 could therefore set an important legal precedent for the handling of cases involving long-time fugitives from international justice. The ICC encourages public engagement and transparency, and the judgment will be streamed live on the ICC’s official website and YouTube channel.
