All rise
Connecting courtroom and communities
The judgment on conviction or acquittal in the Dominic Ongwen case is scheduled for 4 February 2021. Closing statements were delivered from 10 to 12 March 2020. Prosecution was the first to present their arguments, followed by the legal representatives of victims and defence.
The trial opened in December 2016, at the seat of the Court, in The Hague. Dominic Ongwen, an alleged Brigade Commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), is charged with 70 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in Northern Uganda, after 1 July 2002. Charges include attacks against civilian population, sexual slavery, and use of children as soldiers, amongst others.
The Prosecution case started in January 2017, and lasted until April 2018. The two teams of Legal Representatives of more than 4000 victims, called their witnesses in May 2018. The defence phase of the trial lasted from October 2018 to November 2019.
Over the years, many people were involved in the efforts to make the proceedings visible for people across Northern Uganda, victims and affected communities. Three of them shared their stories.
