Landmark judgement 2021: Dominic Ongwen sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment by the International Criminal Court

Before the Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt, Judge Péter Kovács Judge Raul C. Pangalangan, the International Criminal Court in case No. ICC-02/04-01/15 on 6 May 2021 sentenced Dominic Ongwen, to 25 years of imprisonment after he was found guilty of 61 of 70 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Northern Uganda between 1 July 2002 and 31 December 2005 as stated in the 139-page judgement.

Dominic Ongwen was a child soldier in Ugandan who later became a commander of one of the brigades of the Ugandan guerilla group “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA) “Ongwen was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group when he was nine years old and eventually became a feared commander… He was convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in February on 61 of 70 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes.…. The crimes relate to attacks on four camps for internally displaced people in Uganda in 2004. More than 4,000 victims provided testimony in the case, which was heard in The Hague.” (source-BBC)

“The truth is that circumstances surrounding crimes of such magnitude do not waive criminal responsibilities as he committed these crimes when he was already an adult and he had the opportunity to surrender at the time. Though he was adopted as a child, reportedly at the age of 9 years (born in 1875) he committed these crimes between 2002 and 2005 when he was already an adult. This judgement also raises the legal dusty question as to, are child soldiers protected by the international community after reintegration into the society or they normally faced the law after reintegration into the society for their atrocities? Probably at the age of nine, Ongwen grew up witnessing the horrible picture of war/armed conflict as he lived with perpetrators and victims and systematically adapted or forced to become hostile?” Berinyuy Cajetan

He turned himself into US forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2015 – and they later handed him over to the Ugandan army. And in 2021 the International Criminal Court convicted him of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, torture, and enslavement. Read/download the full judgement through the link below: International Criminal Court Judgement of Dominic Ongwen of Uganda

Background to the case: The trial, in this case, opened on 6 December 2016. On 4 February 2021, the Chamber delivered its judgment pursuant to Article 74 of the Statute, convicting Dominic Ongwen of a total of 61 crimes comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes. On the same day, the Chamber decided to hold a hearing under Article 76(2) of the Statute, in the presence of Dominic Ongwen, his defence counsel, representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor (“Prosecution”) and the legal participants of the victims participating in the proceedings, to hear further submissions and any additional evidence relevant to the appropriate sentence to be imposed on Dominic Ongwen. Additional evidence was submitted by the Defence, whereas the Prosecution and the legal representatives of the participating victims chose not to present any additional evidence. On 14 and 15 April 2021, the Chamber held a hearing on sentence under Article 76(2) of the Statute in the presence of the Prosecution, Dominic Ongwen and his Defence and both teams of the legal representatives of the participating victims.

A total of 4095 victims, represented by their legal counsels Joseph Akwenyu Manoba, and Francisco Cox, as well as Paolina Massidda, respectively, have been granted the right to participate in the proceedings.

The Trial Chamber issued 70 oral decisions, and 528 written decisions up until the issuance of the sentence. The total case record, consisting of the filings of the parties and participants and the Chamber’s decision, currently includes more than 1810 filings.

For further information on this case read the full judgement through the link below International Criminal Court Judgement of Dominic Ongwen of Uganda or click here

Berinyuy Cajetan, Publisher

Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.