By THE OBSERVER UG
Former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel commander Dominic Ongwen has been moved to an undisclosed detention facility in Norway to commence his 25-year prison term, according to a statement from the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague.
Ongwen’s transfer occurred yesterday, Monday, marking over two years since Trial Chamber IX sentenced him to 25 years in prison on May 6, 2021. The conviction, handed down on February 4, 2021, found Ongwen guilty of 61 crimes, including crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in northern Uganda between July 1, 2002, and December 31, 2005. The appeals chamber confirmed the conviction and sentence on December 15, 2022.
The ICC presidency designated Norway as the state responsible for enforcing Ongwen’s imprisonment on November 9, 2023, in accordance with Article 103 of the Rome Statute. The enforcement of the sentence will be supervised by the court and aligned with widely accepted international standards governing the treatment of prisoners.
“The transfer of Mr. 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 ICC statement reads.
Ongwen’s transfer makes him the fifth individual moved by the ICC to a state willing to accept sentenced persons. Notably, he is the first among the four top LRA commanders indicted by the ICC in 2005 to have received a sentence from the global court. The others, LRA leader Joseph Kony (still alive), Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya, and Okot Odhiambo, were declared deceased.
Ongwen surrendered from the Central African Republic in 2015 and was taken into ICC custody.
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