This story is about Angelina Jolie

Tyler Calabrese

Presentation made with marp from Markdown

Part 1: Background

2003: Luis Moreno Ocampo

  • Argentinian lawyer with a track record for prosecuting human rights violations
  • 1985: Assistant prosecutor in Trial of the Juntas
  • 1992: Left the public sector to establish his own law firm doing similar work, often pro bono
  • 2003: tapped to establish the ICC's Prosecutor office

Luis Moreno Ocampo

  • 1997: Hosts a reality TV program called "The People's Court" (translated) as a judge in a simulated courtroom environment
  • At some point is soccer star Maradonna's lawyer also
  • 2017: Major leak of internal ICC documents, including Moreno Ocampo's emails

Luis Moreno Ocampo

  • As the chief prosecutor at the ICC, responsible for opening and directing investigations into human rights violations (and then prosecuting them)

2004: Invisible Children, Inc.

  • In 2004, the nonprofit Invisible Children, Inc. is established in connection with the Invisible Children documentary
  • Chronicles child trafficking by the Lord's Resistance Army
  • Particular focus on Ugandan children who had been internally displaced in their efforts to avoid capture
  • First screening in June 2004, released 2006

Invisible Children, Inc.

  • 2005: ICC, under Moreno Ocampo, issues indictments for Joseph Kony, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, and other LRA leaders
  • 2006: Kony and the LRA flee Uganda and re-establish presence in DRC, Sudan, CAR
  • 2009: Thomas Lubanga Dyilo convicted. Moreno Ocampo's only conviction as chief prosecutor of the ICC
  • 2011: Obama deploys 100 armed US Special Forces to Uganda to help them drive out the LRA (advisory role)

Part 2: Kony 2012

Kony 2012

  • Invisible Children, Inc. produces another documentary film called Kony 2012, released March 2012
  • Moreno Ocampo makes an appearance in this film
  • Will become Youtube's first video to reach 1 million likes, and Time's 2013 "most viral video of all time"
  • Call to action for Western audiences to push for Kony's arrest by the end of 2012

Kony 2012: Aftermath

  • Invisible Children, Inc.'s strategy includes a targeted campaign on 20ish celebrities, including George Clooney and Angelina Jolie, to pressure them to speak out
  • Angelina Jolie had attended the 2009 Thomas Lubanga trial and spoken out about the LRA in a 2010 interview

Kony 2012: Aftermath

  • Moreno Ocampo taps his personal network for funds and support for a private effort to accost Joseph Kony
  • Per leaked emails, Moreno Ocampo establishes contact with Angelina Jolie via her personal email and his work email

The Emails

  • These emails, as well as emails from Moreno Ocampo to colleagues, imply that Jolie originated a plot for her to help capture Kony
  • Jolie would travel to central Africa, embedded with the US Special Forces there, and draw Kony out of hiding by offering to get dinner together

The Emails

"[Jolie] has the idea to invite Kony to dinner and then arrest him." (Moreno Ocampo)

The Emails

“Forget other celebrities, she is the one. She loves to arrest Kony. She is ready..."

The Emails

"...Probably Brad will go also.” (Moreno Ocampo)

The Emails

"Apparently you can be embedded with the special forces that are chasing Kony. Can Brad go with you?" (Moreno Ocampo)

The Emails

"Brad is being supportive. Let’s discuss logistics. Much love Xxx." (Jolie)

Kony 2012: Aftermath

  • Ultimately there is nothing to suggest this plan was carried out in any way
  • Kony continues to evade capture, but the LRA has all but dissolved

Part 3: Epilogue

Epilogue

  • Roughly one month after this email exchange, Moreno Ocampo asks Jolie for advice about an unrelated ICC matter
  • Runs his plan by her for how to announce to the world that an ICC investigation into Israeli war crimes in Palestine will not go forward

Bonus Email

“I need your advice on how to present difficult issues in a proper way ... The issue is how to present it to the normal people ... so if you have ideas just let me know ... Just in case, I am attaching the decision I will take. It is confidential. Please don’t share it before Tuesday.” (Moreno Ocampo)

Bonus Email

"I suggest you read your statement but consider not opening the floor to ­questions.” (Jolie)

Epilogue

  • Moreno Ocampo and Jolie maintain contact for a short while, until Jolie apparently more-or-less ghosts him

Bonus Email

“Dear Angie, I hope you are well. I miss you” (Moreno Ocampo)

Epilogue

  • At some point after this, Jolie's private email address changes and her assistant is unwilling to give Moreno Ocampo the new one
  • Possibly around the time of Jolie's double mastectomy due to being BRACA positive in 2013, or her Bell's Palsy diagnosis in 2016
  • My sources reference Moreno Ocampo seeing a news story about Jolie being ill

Bonus Email

“I realise how much I love her.” (Moreno Ocampo)

Epilogue

  • 2017 ICC document leak results in accusations by the press against Moreno Ocampo, for conflicts of interest, leaking classified information, and using tax havens
  • From this leak, UK Sunday Times breaks the story about Jolie and Moreno Ocampo's emails concerning Joseph Kony

Sources: Mediapart.fr

Sources: Wikipedia

Sources: Other news outlets

Sources: Angelina Jolie Illness

Sources: A note

The Sunday Times (UK) originally broke the story about Jolie offering to act as bait, but the article is paywalled and I was unwilling to agree to their privacy policy :-(

Difficult to find info b/c there is a Californian show of the same name

Overall pretty successful documentary in w.r.t. government response