Mohammed Ndifuna - Uganda

In their own words 

"The Great Lakes Region has been a theatre of some of the worst conflicts and witnessed the perpetration of international crimes by the belligerents. Because of this the ICC has been involved in these situations either through self-referrals by state parties in the region, Security Council referral and own volition of the prosecutor of the ICC. Inevitably the region enjoyed the attention of the court. The leaders either had invited the court or in cases were unwilling to investigate the crimes committed and surrender suspects. Now it is apparent that the leaders who referred situations to the ICC had hoped to opportunistically use the ICC to deal with the political insurgents they faced and were never committed to finding justice solutions for the victims. In the case of Uganda President Museveni is now leading a bogey of African leaders calling for an enmasse withdraw of the African states from the ICC. They are riled that the court does not grant them immunity.

It is important that court remains steadfast in its fight against impunity. The majority of the African people would like to see justice. On the other hand states that look at the court as an unwanted intrusion upon their sovereignty should know that the court only comes in if they are unwilling or unable to prosecute these worst crimes. Experience in the region so far show that they are half-hearted in working with complementarity projects to give local solution. The court remains the court of last resort and should be supported all the way."

Organization: Human Rights Network-Uganda (HURINET-Uganda)

Location: Kampala, Uganda

Mission: A human rights network in Uganda that fosters the promotion, protection, and respect of Human Rights in Uganda through linking and strengthening the capacity of member organizations for collective advocacy at the national, regional, and international levels.

Vision: To work towards a society free of human rights abuse.