Parliament has granted leave to Father Charles Onen (MP Laroo-Pece Division) to present a Private Member’s Bill to on a National Transitional Justice System, which seeks to provide a platform for reconciliation, and accountability when national conflicts occur.
Onen argued that the Bill is intended to enact a Transitional Justice Law to operationalize the National Transitional Justice Policy and to address all facets of transitional justice, ensuring accountability, truth telling, reparations, and reconciliation.
“Since 1962 our country has experienced cycles of violence and political instability and gross human rights violations especially during the regimes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote and worst of it all during the protracted LRA insurgency in Norther n Uganda among other conflicts so the diferent episodes of political instability have left these scars and trauma on the nation.” Fr. Onen noted.
Onen says Whereas the National Resistance Movement Government has made tremendous effort towards resolution of conflict and maintenance of peace and security within the country through attempts such as the Juba peace talks, the establishment of the International Crimes Division of the High Court and the development of the National Transitional Justice Policy of 2019; there is still need to address the historical wrongs through measures that will embrace accountability, truth, reconciliation, reparation, institutional and legal reform.
The deputy attorney general asked parliament to give him 3 months to bring this bill as cabinet was in the final stages of drafting it’s principles but his request was rejected.
