The International Criminal Court (ICC) sitting at the Hague will on Thursday determine the fate of the former LRA commandant Dominic Ongwen.
The court is today expected to pass a sentence today against Ongwen for crimes he committed against humanity in Northern Uganda.
Ongwen, 45, was found guilty in February of 61 charges including murders, rapes, and sexual enslavement during a reign of terror in the early 2002 and 2004 by the LRA, led by the fugitive Joseph Kony.
He first went on trial in December 2016 and pleaded not guilty to the charges at the start of proceedings and continues to deny all accusations.
Several prosecution witnesses and victims testified of the atrocities allegedly committed by Ongwen.
Among them were 7 women forced by Ongwen to marry him, ten UPDF soldiers, former LRA fighters who were under Ongwen’s brigade, child soldiers who were abducted and enlisted into rebel activities, and expert witnesses who testified about Ongwen’s mental status.
Prosecutors have asked for a 20-year prison term, saying Ongwen’s own history as a schoolboy abducted by the LRA justifies a lower sentence than the maximum 30 years to life allowed by the ICC.
“This is one circumstance that sets this case apart from all the others tried at this court,” ICC prosecution lawyer Colin Black told a sentencing hearing at the Hague-based court in April.
The defence is seeking a 10-year prison term for Ongwen, who went by the nom de guerre “White Ant” during attacks by his soldiers on refugee camps in northern Uganda.
Victims of his crimes have asked the court to impose the full life sentence.
