8/2/2019 DECONSTRUCTING KONY Talking Points and Background for Grassroots

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DECONSTRUCTING KONY

Background and Talking Points for AIUSA Activists

By now, many of you have seen the video gone viral that Invisible Children posted to promote their

Kony 2012 campaign. You may also be wondering what it is that you, as an individual or within your

local AI group, can actually do that will have an impact on bringing alleged human rights abusers such

as LRA leader Joseph Kony, to justice.

The public awareness brought by the campaign gives us an opportunity to reinvigorate activism around a

couple of key pieces of Amnestys ongoing work. This factsheet will give guidance and background on

the broader human rights issues surrounding the call to arrest Kony, and provide avenues for activism

and engagement that support Amnesty Internationals long-standing campaign for accountability for

egregious human rights abuses, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

RESOURCES

1. Efforts to arrest Kony must respect human rights Amnesty Internationalpress statement.2. End the Use of Child Soldiersonline actioncalling on the U.S. government to fully comply with

the Child Soldier Prevention Act.

3. AIUSAs International Justice Handbook a resource and toolkit for activists interested in Amnestysongoing international justice work.

BACKGROUND

For more than two decades, Amnesty International has documented crimes committed by the LordsResistance Army and their horrific impact on the lives of thousands of civilians in Central African

Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Uganda. Civilians in the Central African

Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the worlds newest country, South Sudan

have long suffered at the hands of armed groups, including the LRA, as well as government security

forces. Amnesty International has also documented human rights violations committed by the Uganda

Peoples Defence Forces against the civilian communities where the LRA were present, and against

captured LRA members.

In July of 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Joseph Kony, Okot

Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen (along with the deceased Raska Lukwiya, and presumed deceased

Vincent Otti) of the LRA on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder,

sexual enslavement, rape and abduction.

The ICC also known as the court of last resort because it is designed to investigate the most serious

crimes under international law in situations in which national courts are unwilling or unable to do so

assures the due process that is essential to securing justice and accountability for the most egregious

crimes committed against humankind. Amnesty International has long called for the immediate arrest

and surrender to the ICC of Joseph Kony and the other LRA indictees as a beginning step to providing

justice and healing for the countless victims of LRA violence in Uganda, CAR, DRC, and South Sudan.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/efforts-arrest-joseph-kony-must-respect-human-rights-2012-03-08http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/efforts-arrest-joseph-kony-must-respect-human-rights-2012-03-08http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/efforts-arrest-joseph-kony-must-respect-human-rights-2012-03-08http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517367http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517367http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517367http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ij_handbook_fall_2010_final.pdfhttp://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ij_handbook_fall_2010_final.pdfhttp://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ij_handbook_fall_2010_final.pdfhttp://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517367http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/efforts-arrest-joseph-kony-must-respect-human-rights-2012-03-08

8/2/2019 DECONSTRUCTING KONY Talking Points and Background for Grassroots

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KEY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ASKS

Efforts to arrest even persons suspected of the worst possible crimes, such as Joseph Kony, mustrespect human rights, including the right to fair trial and the right not to be subjected to torture

or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Efforts to arrest the indictees should be led by the governments in the region in which the LRAoperates, with the support of the African Union and the United Nations.

As a matter of policy, AI neither supports nor opposes military intervention. For this reason, weare not calling for unilateral U.S. intervention to capture indicated LRA leaders, although we do

want the U.S. to support governments in the region, including through UN and regional missions,

in apprehending the suspects.

Governments must ensure that civilians are protected in any pursuit to bring Kony and other LRAsuspects to justice.

The ICC must also investigate allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity againstcivilians and LRA members by the Ugandan forces. The Ugandan government and international community must ensure that measures are taken to

address the suffering of victims of human rights abuses by the LRA, including providing medical

and psychological care to victims of sexual violence and reintegrating child soldiers back into

their communities and making education and vocational training available to them.

The U.S. should ensure full compliance with the Child Soldier Prevention Act including but notlimited to prohibiting military and technical assistance to countries and governments that have

not met benchmarks on the demilitarizing existing child soldiers and preventing new ones from

being recruited.

The U.S. should do its utmost to ensure a successful conclusion to the negotiations nowunderway at the United Nations to adopt a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), including by ensuring

that the treaty requires states party to prevent transfers where there is a substantial risk of arms

them being used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international human rights law and

international humanitarian law, and to press for a comprehensive scope of arms and ammunition

to be included in the ATT.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

JOINAIUSAs live Facebook chat this upcoming Tuesday, March 13, 2012 to hear from AI experts on

the issue and to pose your own questions and ideas.

TAKE ACTIONto press the U.S. government to lead the charge in preventing the recruitment and use of

child soldiers by other governments and armed groups. The U.S. must fully comply with the Child

Soldier Prevention Act and deny military and technical assistance to those who do not meet benchmarks

to demilitarize existing child soldiers and prevent the recruitment of new child soldiers.

https://www.facebook.com/events/171190909667024/https://www.facebook.com/events/171190909667024/http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517367http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517367http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517367https://www.facebook.com/events/171190909667024/