Thomas Kwoyelo’s defence team initiated the presentation of witnesses on Wednesday to provide testimony in support of their client during his ongoing trial.
This development follows Kwoyelo’s announcement to the court on April 30, 2024, that he had completed presenting his defence testimonies.
On April 24, 2024, the International Crimes Division of the High Court adjourned proceedings and scheduled May 2, 2024, as the resumption date. However, a notice from the court’s registrar later advanced the hearing to Tuesday, April 30, 2024, despite it being a public holiday—Labour Day.
Kwoyelo, a former commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army, has been appearing before the court in Gulu district since last month to respond to 78 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and sexual offenses, among other charges.
His defence team, comprising Evans Ochieng, Boris Anyuru, and Caleb Alaka, informed the court of their preparation to present two expert witnesses in support of their client’s case.
Ambrose Olaa, the former Prime Minister of the Acholi cultural institution ‘Ker Kwaro Acholi’, testified before the court as one of the expert witnesses on Wednesday.
Guided by defence lawyer Evans Ochieng, Olaa took the oath and provided testimony centered on the Acholi cultural perspective. He elaborated on the formation and structure of the Acholi community, governance systems, cultural beliefs, practices, norms, and conflict resolution mechanisms.
Olaa explained to the court the significance of supernatural beings in Acholi culture, referred to as ‘Jok jok ma malo’, which are believed to have authority over various aspects of society.
Detailing the structural organization of Acholi societies, Olaa outlined the hierarchy from family units to chiefdoms.
He further elucidated Acholi traditions regarding homicide, emphasizing the community’s approach to investigating such incidents and seeking restorative justice through rituals and reconciliation processes.
According to Olaa, perpetrators of homicide are believed to experience ongoing unrest until the proper procedures of restorative justice, including acceptance, truth-telling, compensation, and reconciliation, are observed between conflicting parties.
Olaa is slated to continue his testimony on Thursday, providing further insights into traditional Acholi justice systems and their relevance to the charges against Kwoyelo.
The defence team clarified that their intention in presenting expert witnesses is to contextualize how certain charges against Kwoyelo could be addressed through traditional justice mechanisms.
