ICC sentences former Ugandan child soldier Dominic Ongwen to 25 years in prison
He was found guilty for a total of 61 crimes comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes. 2 min read
The International Criminal Court has sentenced Dominic Ongwen to 25 years of imprisonment. He was found guilty of a total of 61 crimes comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Following the
trial judgmentThursday, Mr Ongwen was convicted for the crimes he committed in Northern Uganda between July 1, 2002, and December 31, 2005, a statement by the court read.
Mr Ongwen had been held in custody for six years (from January 2015 till date). This will be deducted from the total time of imprisonment imposed on him, the statement noted. The sentence can also be appealed.
Ex-Ugandan rebel group leader gets 25 years in prison By Edith Mutethya in Nairobi, Kenya | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-05-07 16:56
Lord s Resistance Army ex-commander Dominic Ongwen sits in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb 4, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]
The International Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced Dominic Ongwen, a former Ugandan child soldier who became a commander of the Lord s Resistance Army, a rebel group, to 25 years of imprisonment.
The 45-year-old Ongwen was found guilty of 61 crimes comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed in Northern Uganda between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005.
He was found guilty of murder, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enslavement and conscripting children under the age of 15 into the Sinia brigade, one of the four brigades of the rebel group, and using them to actively participate in hostilities.
Dominic Ongwen is the first International Criminal Court defendant to have admitted to participating in some of the crimes with which he was charged.
Dominic Ongwen at the Dec. 6 opening of his trial at the International Criminal Court (Photo by ICC-CPI via Courthouse News)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (CN) Marking the second-longest punishment it has ever given, the International Criminal Court on Thursday sentenced a Ugandan man who commanded the Lord’s Resistance Army to 25 years in prison.
“The decision today was especially difficult and weighed on the minds of all three of us,” Judge Bertram Schmitt told The Hague-based courtroom. The world’s only permanent court for atrocity crimes convicted Onwgen of 61 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in February, following a trial that lasted four years.
Lawyer lists reasons why Ongwen should walk out of ICC a free man
Sunday April 04 2021
Summary
Although the 1,077-paged International Criminal Court judgment is now being seen by victims as pivotal in the region’s healing process from the physical and psychological wounds inflicted by the war, convicted former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Dominic Ongwen’s lawyers claim the ruling is ‘utterly embarrassing’ and worth an appeal.
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In a February 4 ruling at The Hague-based International Criminal Court, judges at approximately 1:45pm local time convicted Dominic Ongwen, a former child soldier-turned-Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander, of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Ongwen was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity including forcing children to fight for the Lord s Resistance Army (child victim s depiction, pictured)
Lord’s Resistance Army rebel group commander Dominic Ongwen today convicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity
‘We hope this decision provides… redress for the 4,000 victims who participated in the case and who can now receive reparations for their suffering’ - Seif Magango
Following today’s International Criminal Court (ICC) conviction of Dominic Ongwen, a former commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in northern Uganda, Seif Magango, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, said: