On 6 May 2021 at 11:00 (The Hague local time), Trial Chamber IX of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will deliver its decision on the sentence in the case The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen.
A summary of the decision will be read out in public by Trial Chamber IX composed of Judge Bertram Schmitt (Presiding judge), Judge Péter Kovács and Judge Raul Cano Pangalangan, in the presence of the Mr Ongwen, his defence team, the Legal Representatives of Victims, and the Office of the Prosecutor. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the decision will be delivered on a partially virtual basis.
The Chamber has received submissions by the Prosecutor, the Defence and the legal representatives of the victims on the sentence and held a public hearing on the sentence on 14 and 15 April 2021. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Chamber announced the date of the delivery of its decision on sentence.
The judges may impose a prison sentence of maximum 30 years or, when justified by the extreme gravity of the crime and the individual circumstances of the convicted person, life imprisonment. They may also add a fine or forfeiture of the proceeds, property and assets derived directly or indirectly from the crime committed. The Court cannot impose a death sentence.
Background: The trial in this case began on 6 December 2016. On 4 February 2021, Trial Chamber IX found Dominic Ongwen guilty for a total of 61 comprising crimes against humanity and war crimes, committed in Northern Uganda between 1 July 2002 and 31 December 2005. The verdict may be appealed by either party to the proceedings. The Appeals Chamber extended the time limit for the filing of the notice of appeal by Mr Ongwen to 21 May 2021. Furthermore, a phase dedicated to the reparations to victims will be opened in due course.