ASF releases two publications on reparations for victims of mass crimes in Uganda. They aim at assisting all stakeholders dealing with reparations in the country and, particularly, victims, their counsels and the judges of the International Crimes Division. They will also give a new kick-start to the transitional justice process. While reparations are only one component of this process, they may serve as an “icebreaker” to open the door for the implementation of other measures including truth, justice and reform.

While former LRA rebel Dominic Ongwen is facing justice before the ICC, ASF recalls the importance of bringing justice closer to the affected communities. The NGO supports the organisation of live screenings of the opening of Ongwen’s trial and encourages national authorities to increase their support to make justice accessible for all.

Civil-society organisations in Tunisia, including ASF, are calling on members of parliament to elect new commissioners to the Truth and Dignity Commission (Instance Vérité et Dignité, IVD) without delay. The resignation of many members of the IVD is threatening to incapacitate it.

ASF, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights and the Independent National Coordination on Transitional Justice will host a national congress to relaunch the transitional justice process in Tunisia, on 2 and 3 November in Tunis, with the participation of the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD). The congress will bring together the IVD, civil society, public authorities, policy-makers and victims associations to debate the state of the transition process and to draw up recommendations for taking it forward.

On 21st September 2016 former LRA warlord T. Kwoyelo attended his second pre-trial hearing. After several procedural curbs, the trial might be on track. Most important, for the first time in Uganda, victims right to participate in a trial proceedings was recognized. This could be a very first step towards reparation for victims in Uganda.

Last week, Ugandan and international stakeholders and experts gathered in Entebbe (Uganda) to discuss reparations for victims of mass atrocities in Uganda, during an international conference organized by ASF and REDRESS. The participants shared their experience in the area of transitional justice. The panellists offered recommendations on the framework and implementation of reparation for mass atrocities in the context of Uganda. A document presents a compilation of these recommendations.

On 26 and 27 September, ASF and REDRESS will organize an International Conference on Reparations in Uganda. The event marks a first step in discussing reparations for mass atrocities committed against the civilians in Uganda over the last 50 years. It will be an opportunity to exchange best practices from other contexts and draw recommendations with domestic and international experts.

During a press conference in Tunis, ASF and other Tunisian and international NGOs have renewed their call on Tunisian MPs not to enact the economic reconciliation bill. This bill, which aims to grant an amnesty to those responsible for the embezzlement of public funds or acts of corruption, runs contrary to the transitional process of justice put in place immediately after the Tunisian Revolution.

New Government Should Quickly Establish Special Court – 21 Central African and international human rights organizations issued a statement today calling on the new president of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, to make justice for grave international crimes a top priority for his government. President Touadéra was sworn in on March 30, 2016, and his new government took office on April 11.

Northern Uganda is currently the scene of two significant ongoing trials: Thomas Kwoyelo and Dominic Ongwen are both facing Justice for the international crimes they allegedly committed as ex-Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commanders. In this context, Avocats Sans Frontières (ASF) and the Foundation for Justice and Development Initiatives (FJDI) are providing assistance to victims to promote their participation. The activities confirmed that affected communities wish to follow and be informed about the course of both trials.