“The“The DustDust HasHas NotNot YetYet Settled”Settled” Victims’ Views on The Right to Remedy and Reparation A Report from the Greater North of Uganda i ii “The Dust Has Not Yet Settled” Victims’ Views on The Right to Remedy and Reparation A Report from the Greater North of Uganda i ©2011 Uganda Human Rights Commission Plot 20/22 Buganda Road P.O. Box 4929 Kampala Tel.: +256 41348007/8 Fax: +256 255 261 Email: [email protected] Web: www.uhrc.ug ©2011 UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Plot 24 Prince Charles Drive, Kololo Kampala, P.O. Box 7184 Uganda, Tel.: +256 417 300 300, Fax: +256 414 354 130, Email: [email protected] Web: http://uganda.ohchr.org This publication was made possible through the UN Women Global Programme on women’s access to justice in conflict and post-conflict situations, funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. Cover Photo ©Brett Morton/ AVSI ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................... vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................... ix Research process ........................................................................................ xi Serious rights violations .......................................................................... xii ................................................................... xv Reparation: What victims want ........................................................... xvii Remedy: What victims want ........................................................................................ xx Recommendations ................................................................................... xxi The way forward CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND METHODS ............................ 1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 ............................................................................................. 2 ....................... 2 Study rationale ................................................................................................ 2 Data sets, methodologies and validation of findings ............................................................................................ 4 Primary Data .............................................. 4 Secondary Data CHAPTER 2: VICTIMS’ RIGHT TO REMEDY AND Data Analysis and Validation of Findings REPARATION UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW AND UGANDA’S NATIONAL LAWS ............................................................ 7 human rights law and international humanitarian law ................... 7 The right to remedy and reparation in international ............................. 9 .................. 13 The right to remedy under Uganda’s national law ........................................................................ 20 The scope and components of remedy and reparation .......... 22 Victims and duty bearers Gender and reparation ............................................................................. 23 The importance of process within remedy and reparation ......... 29 Victims’ right to remedy and reparation: Recommendations iii CHAPTER 3: REMEDY AND REPARATION WITHIN THE JUBA PROTOCOLS’ AGREEMENT ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND RECONCILIATION AND ITS ANNEXURE ............................. 31 and its’ Annexure ....................................................................................... 31 Agreement on Accountability and Reconciliation Recommendations .................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 4: SERIOUS VIOLATIONS IN THE GREATER NORTH ............................................................................... 37 Introduction ................................................................................................ 37 Parent, caregiver, spouse, child or close relative killed .................. 39 Torture or Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment ...................... 40 by wartime violations or as an act of political violence Abduction .................................................................................................... 42 Forced recruitment .................................................................................. 43 .................................................................. 45 Mutilation and war injuries .................................................................... 46 Slavery and forced marriage Crimes of sexual violence ........................................................................ 48 ................................................................................... 49 Forced displacement ................................................................................ 50 Psychological harm .................................. 52 Other Harms Victims Want Acknowledged ....................................... 53 Pillaging, looting and destruction of property Land seizure ................................................................................................ 54 Damage to cultural and traditional heritage ..................................... 54 Spiritual harm ............................................................................................ 55 Increased ethnic tensions ....................................................................... 56 Recommendations .................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 5: REMEDY: VICTIMS’ PRIORITIES ........................... 59 Introduction ................................................................................................ 59 iv .................................................... 61 Victims’ Priorities for Truth ................................................................... 62 Truth-recovery as a form of remedy ......... 64 Government of Uganda Consultations with Victims Body of Inquiry, Truth-Recovery or Historical Clarification and Their Families ..................................................................................... 66 Government and public acknowledgement and ........... 67 Recommendations .................................................................................... 69 accountability as a form of remedy: Addressing impunity CHAPTER 6: REPARATION: VICTIMS’ PRIORITIES 71 Introduction ............................................................................................... 71 .................................. 72 Victims’ understanding of reparation ................................................. 76 Responsibility and modalities for reparation .......................................................................... 78 .................................. 80 Gender - just reparation ................................................... 81 The necessary scope and forms of reparation Education ..................................................................................................... 83 Physical and mental health services Housing, land and inheritance .............................................................. 86 Livelihoods .................................................................................................. 87 .................................................................................. 88 Public acknowledgement of harm and apologies ........................... 89 Empowering youth Enforced Disappearance ......................................................................... 90 Proper treatment of the dead ............................................................... 91 Victims want complete and complex reparation ............................ 92 Recommendations .................................................................................... 93 CHAPTER 7: FINAL REMARKS ....................................................... 97 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Report, jointly commissioned by the Uganda Human Rights GreaterCommission North and of Ugandathe UN betweenOffice of 2007the High and 2011.Commissioner In addition for toHuman UHRC Rights, and OHCHR is based colleagues on field in researchUganda, specialcarried thanks out in go the to tothe the many information people who provided participated in this in report this project, that seeks most to especially connect the notionvictims of who reparative willingly justice shared to the their local stories experiences and contributed of victims information from over 2,000 victims and victims’ advocates in and survivors of the Northern Uganda conflict. The gathering of agencies and people. The overall impetus for this research was the Greater North is a reflection of the dedicated efforts of many conceived by Bernard Turyashemererwa, UHRC Regional Human Rights officer, Gulu, and Ms. Katherine Liao of OHCHR. This report is a testament to the memory of Bernard Turyashemererwa, whoseIn particular, tragic deathUHRC deeply and OHCHR affected would all who like knew to acknowledge him. the Consultant Dr. Dyan Mazurana and her team from the Feinstein compilationInternational of Center, this present Tufts University, report. Dr. USA, Mazurana for their is indispensable an Associate role in the data collection (2010-2011), overall analysis and and Research Director at the Feinstein International Center, Tufts Research Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy northern Uganda for a decade, with a focus on documenting seriousUniversity, violations USA. She of internationalhas carried out human research rights on lawthe conflictand grave in violations of international humanitarian