High Commissioner for Human Rights releases new study on transitional justice in Northern Uganda

Geneva, 14 August 2007: The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights today released a new qualitative field research study that details the perceptions of victims in the Northern Uganda conflict on accountability, reconciliation and transitional justice.

The report "Making Peace Our Own: Victims Perceptions of Accountability, Reconciliation and Transitional justice in Northern Uganda"aims to amplify the victims' voices on these three critical issues. The report seeks to contribute to ongoing discussions on how best to redress Northern Uganda's past abuses, violations and deep-seated social economic inequalities, in particular in relation to the Juba peace talks between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The report highlights the fact that the communities hold both the LRA and the Government responsible for the harm, trauma, neglect and other rights violations endured and believe they should be held accountable. Many respondents argued that a multi-faceted transitional justice mechanism addressing different types of harm caused by different levels of perpetrators is required.

The study points to varying perceptions regarding which mechanism can best deliver truth and compensation, both of which were consistently identified as the principal transitional justices needs of the communities. Similarly, perceptions on the virtues of amnesty, domestic prosecution, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and local or traditional practices were greatly mixed. The desire to prevent impunity was however consistently present amongst affected communities.

OHCHR conducted the study from January to June 2007, with the participation of 1,725 victims of the conflict in 69 focus groups in Acholiland, Lango and Teso sub-regions. Interviews were also conducted with 39 key informants to provide a degree of cultural interpretation of responses from the focus groups.