The International Criminal Court (ICC) has scheduled the opening of the trial of ex LRA commander Dominic Ongwen for December 6, this year.
On May 2, 2016, the Presidency of the ICC constituted Trial Chamber IX to be in charge of the case of The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen, who faces seventy charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, enslavement and pillaging in Lukodi IDP Camp in 2004..
Ongwen will be tried by Judge Bertram Schmitt from Germany, Judge Peter Kovacs of Hungary and Philippines national Raul C. Pangalangan.
Background
Earlier this year (from January 21 to 27 2016), three judges at the Hague, Netherlands based court held a pre-trial chamber II hearing.
Then on March 23, 2016, Pre-Trial Chamber II confirmed 70 charges brought by the Prosecutor against Ongwen, an alleged former Commander in the Sinia Brigade of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and committed him to trial.
The confirmed charges concern crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during attacks against the Pajule IDP (October 2003), Odek IDP (April 2004) Lukodi IDP (May 2004) and Abok IDP camps (June 2004). He is also accused of sexual and gender-based crimes; crimes of conscription and use in hostilities of children under the age of 15, committed in northern Uganda between July 1 2002 and December 31, 2005.
Mr Ongwen was surrendered to the ICC on January 16, 2015 pursuant to an ICC warrant of arrest and transferred to the ICC custody on January 21, 2015.
