 Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) ' s Africa division senior researcher Anneke Van <unk> wrote in a statement : " We ’ ve spent years investigating the horrors perpetrated by the LRA in central Africa — Uganda , Democratic Republic of Congo , Central African Republic ( CAR ) , and South Sudan . We gathered evidence at massacre sites — wooden clubs covered in dried blood , rubber strips from bicycle tires used to tie up the victims , and freshly dug graves — and spoke to hundreds of boys and girls forced to fight for his army or held captive as sex slaves . And we ’ re elated that # <unk> is a trending topic on Twitter — if anyone deserves global notoriety it ’ s Kony . " She added : " Arresting Kony and other senior LRA leaders would reaffirm that those who commit mass atrocities will face justice . It will also help end the scourge of one of the most brutal rebel groups in Africa . " HRW 's LRA researcher Ida Sawyer reaffirmed , " we definitely support the message of the film and we think it 's great that they 're bringing so much attention to the film with Kony 's crimes and the phenomena of the LRA . " Amnesty International , which had documented what it described as the LRA 's " horrific impact on the lives of thousands of civilians in Central African Republic , Democratic Republic of Congo , South Sudan and Uganda " and for years had been calling for the LRA leaders to be arrested , welcomed the massive public response to the Kony 2012 campaign . Erwin van der <unk> , the organization 's Africa director , wrote in a statement : " Joseph Kony and other LRA leaders have evaded arrest for far too long and this campaign is a salient reminder of the continuing crimes by LRA members and the need to arrest and surrender their leaders to the ICC so they can face trial , " but added : " Anyone joining the Kony 2012 campaign should insist that efforts to arrest Joseph Kony must respect human rights " , especially because " many of LRA members were themselves victims of human rights violations including forcible recruitment " , and ensure the protection of civilians . 
