There Should be Justice for Kakama's death

August 10, 2012;  The New Vision (Pg. 3) is carrying a story under the Headline: Kakama's Killer Appeals 60-year Jail Sentence. in this story, Gordon Tumusiime who was convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison for the 2010 murder of 18 month old Kham Kakama filed an appeal challenging the sentence and conviction.

while reading this article, One question came into my mind, What is Gordon Tumusiime Challenging? I thought he got a very lenient sentence from Justice Faith Mwondha since in her ruling, Tumusiime who was convicted for both Kidnap and Murder, got a 30 year sentence for each of the counts and these are running concurrently.

The fact that he was convicted for Murder and spared a more serious sentence should bring a semblance of laughter to him similar to the one we saw in the anti corruption court when Shanita Namuyimbwa aka Bad Black burst into laughter after being handed a 4 year jail term for "stealing" 11 Billion shillings.

Up to now, i believe none of us knows how Sven and Naomi Karekaho feel, about the Death of Kakama (its not easy to come to terms with) and with the sentence. like one writer asked in 2010; a few days after Kakama's body was recovered; Who can really imagine the pain that the parents of one-and-a-half-year old Kham Kakama are feeling after their son's murder. At moments like this, it is probably better to say nothing, for no words can ease that pain.

 Kakama was denied a chance to live and in taking his life, merciless people like Tumusiime could have taken any of our own. In Killing Kakama, they killed a little part of us too. such people should in my opinion not have a chance at life again. Ofcourse the christian in me thinks people can be reborn and live again as reformed citizens, but the parent in me is competing with this feeling, arguing that any parent would not chose to ever have a sight at his/her childs killer.

Can our fragile hearts as parents stand the presence of Tumusiime (Kakama's Convicted Murderer) on account that he appealed the sentence and was let Free? The Court of appeal should save us from this pain
and ensure that Justice Prevails in this particular situation.

‘Toddlers should stay out of boarding schools’

‘Toddlers should stay out of boarding schools’

All we want is justice for our child

All we want is justice for our child

Discipline in school – the pain of learning | euronews, learning world

Discipline in school – the pain of learning | euronews, learning world

Last group of nodding disease children discharged

Last group of nodding disease children discharged

Thomas Lubanga Guilty of enlisting children under 15 and using them to participate in hostilities

Press Release

Today, 14 March 2012, Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided unanimously that Thomas Lubanga Dyilo is guilty, as a co-perpetrator, of the war crimes of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in hostilities from 1 September 2002 to 13 August 2003.
It is the first verdict issued by an ICC Trial Chamber. At present, 14 other cases are before the Court, three of which are at the stage of trial.

The present war crimes of enlisting and conscripting children under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in hostilities were committed in the context of an internal armed conflict that took place in the Ituri (the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and involved the Force patriotique pour la libération du Congo (Patriotic Force for the Liberation of the Congo) (FPLC), led by Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, against the Armée Populaire Congolaise and other militias, including the Force de résistance patriotique en Ituri. A common plan was agreed by Mr Lubanga Dyilo and his co-perpetrators to build an army for the purpose of establishing and maintaining political and military control over Ituri. This resulted in boys and girls under the age of 15 being conscripted and enlisted, and used to participate actively in hostilities.

Mr Lubanga Dyilo was the President of the Union des patriotes congolais (Union of Congolese
Patriots) (UPC), the Commander-in-Chief of its military wing, the FPLC, and its political leader. He exercised an overall coordinating role regarding the activities of the UPC/FPLC and he actively supported recruitment initiatives, for instance by giving speeches to the local population and the recruits. Furthermore, he personally used children below the age of 15 amongst his bodyguards and he regularly saw guards of other UPC/FPLC staff members who were below the age of 15. The Chamber, comprising Judge Adrian Fulford (presiding judge), Judge Elizabeth Odio Benito and Judge René Blattmann, found that the evidence presented by the Prosecutor establishes beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Lubanga Dyilo’s contribution was essential to the common plan.

At the request of Mr Lubanga Dyilo, and in accordance with article 76(2) of the Rome Statute, the Chamber will hold a separate sentencing hearing. The Chamber will, furthermore, establish the principles that are to be applied to reparations for victims. The defence is entitled to appeal the conviction within 30 days of receiving the French translation of the Judgment.


Background information

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, a national of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , was transferred to The Hague on 17 March 2006, pursuant to a warrant of arrest issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I. His trial, the first at the ICC, started on 26 January 2009 and the closing statements were presented by the parties and participants on 25 and 26 August 2011.

 Over the course of 204 days of hearings, the Trial Chamber has delivered 275 written decisions and orders and 347 oral decisions. The Chamber heard 36 witnesses, including 3 experts, called by the Office of the Prosecutor, 24 witnesses called by the defence and 3 witnesses called by the legal representatives of the victims participating in the proceedings. The Chamber also called 4 experts. A total of 129 victims, represented by two teams of legal representatives and the Office of Public Counsel for Victims, were granted the right to participate in the trial. They have been authorised to present submissions and to examine witnesses on specific issues. The Prosecution submitted 368 items of evidence, the Defence 992, and the legal representatives of victims 13.

 The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. At present, 15 cases have been brought before the Court in the context of 7 situations that are currently under investigation: Uganda , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Central African Republic , Darfur ( Sudan ), Kenya , Libya and Côte d’Ivoire . The ICC Judges have issued 20 warrants of arrest (2 withdrawn following the death of the suspects) and 9 summonses to appear. Currently, five individuals are in the ICC custody and 11 suspects remain at large.

 Judgment pursuant to Article 74 of the Statute

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit , International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: fadi.el-abdallah@icc-cpi.int.

If i were President.... a Child's Mind