Ongwen transferred to Norway to serve his 25-year sentence
Ugandan former child soldier Dominic Ongwen looks on prior to the ruling in the appeal at the International Criminal Court, in The Hague on December 15, 2022. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- The LRA, a rebel outfit is headed by Joseph Kony that left over 100,000 people killed and over 1.8 million displaced in northern Uganda during his two-decade civil war against President Museveni’s government.
Dominic Ongwen, the convicted former commander of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) that terrorised the norther part of the country for more than two decades, has been transferred to the Kingdom of Norway from where he will serve his 25-year jail term.
According to the press statement released by the Press Affairs Unit on Monday, Ongwen is the fifth person transferred by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to a State that has indicated its willingness to accept sentenced persons.
“On November 9, 2023, the Presidency of the ICC designated Norway as the State of enforcement for the sentence of imprisonment of Mr Ongwen, pursuant to article 103 of the Rome Statute,”the ICC press statement reads in part .
Adding: “The Presidency noted that the enforcement of the sentence of imprisonment shall be subject to the supervision of the Court and shall be consistent with widely accepted international standards governing the treatment of prisoners.”
The court further said that the transfer of Ongwen to Norway occurred with the close cooperation of the Norwegian authorities and the support of the Dutch authorities.
“The ICC relies on the support from States for the enforcement of its sentences and is highly appreciative of the voluntary cooperation of Norway in this case,” the court stated.
The ICC doesn’t have a prison from where its convicts can stay to serve their respective sentences. Instead, the court liaises with willing countries from where the convicts can be relocated to serve their sentences.
The transfer of Ongwen to Norway came merely hours after a court in Uganda, the International Crimes Division of the High Court sitting in Gulu, had confirmed 78 out of the 93 charges against former LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo. This means that Kwoyelo will undergo a full trial before a full verdict is handed out to him at a later date.
The LRA, a rebel outfit is headed by Joseph Kony that left over 100,000 people killed and over 1.8 million displaced in northern Uganda during his two-decade civil war against President Museveni’s government.
Background
On February 4, 2021, Trial Chamber IX found Dominic Ongwen guilty for a total of 61 crimes comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed in the northern between July 1, 2002 and 31 December 2005.
On May 6, 2021, Trial Chamber IX sentenced Dominic Ongwen to 25 years of imprisonment.
On 15 December 2022, the Appeals Chamber confirmed the decisions of Trial Chamber IX on Dominic Ongwen’s guilt and sentence. The conviction and the sentence are now final. Furthermore, a phase dedicated to the reparations to victims is ongoing.
