On 6 December, the trial in the case The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen opened before Trial Chamber IX at the seat of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. Dominic Ongwen is accused of 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in northern Uganda. Trial Chamber IX is composed of presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt, Judge Péter Kovács, and Judge Raul Cano Pangalangan.
The trial’s opening started with the reading of the charges against Mr Ongwen. The Chamber was satisfied that the accused understood the nature of the charges. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Court’s Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and Senior Trial Lawyer Benjamin Gumpert took the floor for opening statements. The hearings will continue tomorrow, 7 December 2016, with the opening statements of the Legal Representatives of the 4,107 victims participating in the case: Joseph Akwenyu Manoba and Francisco Cox, representing a first group of victims; and Paolina Massidda and Jane Adong, representing a second group.
The trial will resume on 16 January 2017, when the Prosecution will begin to present its evidence and call its witnesses before the judges. At its request, the Defence team, led by Counsel Krispus Ayena Odongo, will make its opening statements at the beginning of the presentation of its evidence, once the Prosecution has concluded the presentation of its case.
