Prosecutor wants Ongwen convicted on sex crimes

Prosecution has asked judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to convict Dominic Ongwen based on evidence of sexual gender-based crimes he allegedly committed in northern Uganda.
The compelling evidence of crimes allegedly committed by Ongwen between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005 (charge period), was presented before The Hague-based war crimes tribunal on Tuesday.
The evidence in the case, “The Prosecutor (Fatou Bensouda) versus Dominic Ongwen (Defence),” includes testimonies of Ongwen’s alleged seven wives that he reportedly forced into relationships.
“He shut the door… he undressed me as well. He asked me to spread all my legs... and he started forcefully having sex with me. I started crying, I was screaming and my voice was really loud,” one of Ongwen’s alleged forced wives told court.
In her testimony, protected witness P227 said when Ongwen was sexually abusing her, she felt like her whole body was being torn apart.
“He was actually having sex with me in the [backside] as well – for a very long time,” she claimed.
During closing statements on Tuesday, the prosecution team told the judges in a fully-packed courtroom that Ongwen is indeed “guilty” as charged.
The Trial Chamber will have to determine whether Ongwen, who faces 70 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, is innocent or guilty of the charges.
The prosecution further said the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group led by Joseph Kony was engaged in known international armed conflict with the aim of overthrowing the government of Uganda.
“The LRA had a long-standing policy of abducting and conscripting children, including children under the age of 15 years, into its ranks, and also implemented in all its units and in the Sinia Brigade between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005,” Mr Benjamin Gumpert, a trial lawyer, said.
Ongwen, among other things, the prosecution said, ordered abductions, monitored the training of children, used children under 15 as escorts and deployed children on military operations.

Attack on Pajule
On charges relating to the attack on Pajule internally displaced people’s camp (counts 1-10), the prosecution said the evidence in this attack proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ongwen committed heinous crimes.
Prosecution said in the days leading up to the attack, Vincent Otti (deputy commander of the LRA), ordered Ongwen and other commanders to meet him in Pader District, northern Uganda. Ongwen responded to that call and he joined Otti on October 5, 2003.
Shortly, before October 10, 2003, Otti, Ongwen and other senior commanders agreed to attack Pajule. Ongwen then allegedly instructed some of his subordinates to select LRA fighters to form part of the attacking force, the prosecution said.
At dawn on October 10, 2003, LRA rebels attacked Pajule IDP camp.

Background

In 2003, Uganda petitioned the ICC to indict Ongwen, his former boss Joseph Kony and three other LRA senior commanders Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya and Okot Odhiambo for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Ongwen was captured on January 3, 2015, in the Central African Republic jungles by the largely Muslim Seleka rebels in Kotétroi village, Sam Ouandja province, in the northeastern region of Haute Kotto. The rebels then handed him over to the American troops hunting the LRA in CAR on January 5.
He was on January 17, 2015, handed over to the ICC for trial on war crimes and crimes against humanity.